Celestial Blue

At first, I was attracted to the placid lake and houseboat, but my eyes opened wide when I saw the potential of the clouds in this scene. When I first began to photograph this scene, there was a light rain, but I was persistent in wanting to capture this before the clouds began to dissipate. Luckily, the rain soon stopped and I was able to capture what you see here. The infrared light captured multiple layers of clouds and cloud movement.

Lake Beaverfork, Conway, Arkansas
Color infrared, panorama with slight HDR toning.
Orig # IMG_1014-1032hdrc3

Front Row

What a great view. It looks as though the horizon just goes on forever, but in reality, this is a lake and coming toward me is a wall of heavy rain. Any normal day, you could see the other side of the lake, but with the thick fog, mist and rain blocking the view, the perception changes.

The result was worth it, but it was painstakingly cold and windy. I had to constantly clear my lens of mist, while keeping the umbrella over the camera. It poured on me several times, which I actually had to carry my gear to cover, then return to continue.

Lesson: don't give up if you *really* want the shot.

Beaverfork Lake, Conway, Arkansas
Long exposure with minimal HDR toning.
Orig # KS1_5833a

Pier 2

"Pier 2"

Another from my latest series.
Lake Beaverfork, Arkansas.
Orig # KS1_5516b2s

Pier 1

This is the start of a new b&w series I'm working on. Hope you enjoy!

Cascading at Sunset

Cascading waterfall at sunset, Woolly Hollow State Park, Arkansas

Long exposure, HDR from 11 frames ranging from less than 1 sec to 15 seconds. Yes, the sun and sun rays are all real. The refractions are from the stacked ND filters and the shifting of the trees during exposure.
Orig # KS1_2939-2950hdr2a

Nature's Graffiti

I titled this one "Nature's Graffiti", although it could easily have a myriad of titles. This old homestead could tell so many stories, and if it were to have ghosts, you can almost see them peering through the windows.

This photograph ended up being much more interesting after a closer look. I shot this as an infrared, but I also bracketed it for an HDR image - to ensure I had the greatest tonal range from the infrared spectrum. The reason I went to all this trouble was to ensure I could emphasize the dramatic contrast of the vines spinning and exploring the house.

I also converted it to b&w to give it the simplicity and toning to closer match it's timeliness. I purposefully shot this with a slow shutter speed to give some life to the grasses and branches, which blurred during the exposure.

Old store...

This is an old store that I've passed many times, but just couldn't find the right mood/composition to photograph it....until this visit. I fear that it will soon collapse. As you can tell from the photograph of the full structure, it's leaning to the left considerably.

Hope you enjoy.