Category Archives: Nik Software

Beyond the Mesa – Tonal Recession

By rick.louie | Published May 2, 2013

One of the places that is a must visit on a trip to the Moab, Utah area is a sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park. Since there wasn’t much cloud cover I decided to back off from the scene and capture other perspectives from the Mesa Arch area and allow some who have never seen the sunrise light up the arch, capture the iconic scene. On this warm spring morning you can see the crowd of photographers gathered at Mesa Arch to capture the tradition sunrise like the paparazzi gathered to see Lindsay Lohan come out of rehab.

Photographers at Mesa Arch

As the morning sunrise comes up above the horizon it creates an intense light on the Canyonlands. When the crowd of photographers left after the sunrise I was able to get back in and capture shots of the canyon below creating some tonal recession images. There are few places like Canyonlands to create these wonderful tonal recession images. If you are not familiar with tonal recession, it’s creating a sense of distance or space in a dynamic scene such as a landscape. Shadows recede in size with distance. I just love the layers in this image as the sun powers over the canyon.

Beyond the Mesa – Tonal Recession at Mesa Arch. Click to Purchase.

Capture Notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Zoom Lens
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 70 mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec.
Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik¤Software Silver Efex Pro 2 Software

Also posted in b&w, Canon 5D Mk II, Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM, Canyonlands, landscape, Mesa Arch, Moab, Silver Efex Pro 2 | Tagged black and white, Canyonlands, Mesa Arch, Moab, monochrome, National Park, nxnw, sunrise, textures, Utah | 3 Comments

Fisher Towers

By rick.louie | Published April 30, 2013

This past weekend I went out to Moab, Utah with the North by Northwest group of photographers. It was a great time and we captured some amazing images, but mostly it was time we spent creating good friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. I can’t wait for the 2014 trip!

We drove from Colorado to Moab and went in along the scenic River Road (SR-128). Along the route are the Fisher Towers which are about 20 miles southeast of Moab, Utah and some of the most scenic landscapes along the Colorado River. The rock formations of varying colors of red, brown, maroon created from the iron ore content continue to erode and create new shapes and spires in this ever-changing landscape. The snow-capped La Sal Mountains and created a nice backdrop for the sandstone spires jutting up from the Professor Valley. I ultimately decided to process this image in black and white. The mid-afternoon sun seemed to washout the colors for me and a monochrome image gave me the contrast I was looking for in the image.

Fisher Towers – Click to Enlarge/Purchase

I will be sharing more of the images from this trip over the coming weeks, but be sure to check out some of my fellow photo bloggers sites for their images and perspectives from the trip.

North X Northwest Photographers:

Capture Notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
Filter: Singh-Ray 4×6″ Graduated Neutral Density (3-stop) Optical Resin Filter
ISO: 50
Focal Length: 170 mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter Speed: 1/30 sec.
Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik¤Software Silver Efex Pro 2 Software

Also posted in Canon 5D Mk II, Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM, Color Efex Pro 4, Fisher Towers, La Sal Mountains, Professor Valley, River Road, Utah | Tagged Fisher Towers, La Sal Mountains, Moab, mountains, Professor Valley, River Road, snow, southwest, SR-128, Utah | 2 Comments

Great Sand Dunes Sunset

By rick.louie | Published April 2, 2013

Since I lost the use of my tripod I still wanted to capture a shot of the Great Sand Dunes at sunset. I increased the ISO on my camera to 1600 and used a Singh Ray Reverse ND and captured this image. There was still quite a bit of fog, but I really liked the violet glow that was hitting the dunes as the sun was setting. I did some cleanup using Nik Software’s DFine 2 and Sharpener Pro 3 to reduce the noise and sharpen up the image. It’s not the best image, but I’m still happy with the results.

The Sangre De Cristo Mountains don’t look that spectacular up close, but really shine when you get away from the range and the Great Sand Dunes in front of the mountain range really give this scene some perspective and contrasts. I’m going to have to try to swing down to the park before all the snow melts off the mountains. I would really like to capture this sunset shot again but with the use of a tripod next time.

If you didn’t know, The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is the most inexpensive U.S. National Park. The cost is only $3 to enter the park. It’s truly one of the hidden gems that not many people visit, but sure has some spectacular images to be captured. The surrounding San Luis Valley is a slice of Americana and definitely can be experienced while visiting.

Great Sand Dunes Sunset – Click to Enlarge/Purchase

Capture Notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Autofocus Lens
Filter: Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 4×6″ Reverse Neutral Density Graduated Filter (3-stop)
ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 35 mm
Aperture: f/11
Shutter Speed: 1/40 sec.
Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4, Nik¤Software Dfine 2.0 Software, Nik¤Software Sharpener Pro 3.0 Software Plug-in for Mac and Windows

Also posted in Canon 5D Mk II, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, Color Efex Pro 4, Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park, landscape, Singh Ray Filter, sunset, The Great Sand Dunes | Tagged Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park, landscape, Mosca, mountains, National Park, Nik Software, San Luis Valley, Sangre De Cristo | 3 Comments

Windswept Dunes

By rick.louie | Published March 27, 2013

The trip to The Great Sand Dunes National Park was definitely an adventure this weekend. The saying here in Colorado is that if you don’t like the weather now, just wait 10 minutes and it will change. I had looked the extended forecast before planning this trip and the forecast looked like it was going to be a nice weekend. Well that changed and Colorado was hit with a nice snowstorm that affected most of the state including the San Luis Valley where the Sand Dunes are located.

Ryan Wright and I arrived to 40+ mile an hour winds and when the sun dropped it was a bone chilling wind. When we arrived there was still four hours of daylight left so we decided to head out in the wind and hike around the dunes in hopes of getting some images in the late afternoon sun. The hike was brutal with especially with when the wind blew straight into your face. The sand just felt like little needles poking you in the face. Hiking in the dunes is already a good workout, especially when every step you take you sink into the sand 3-4 inches with every step. If you want a good workout, this is the place to go! The one thing I’ll say is that when you finally finish the hike you certainly feel a sense of accomplishment!

Windswept Dunes – Click to Enlarge/Purchase

Capture Notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 110 mm
Aperture: f/11
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec.
Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4

Also posted in Canon 5D Mk II, Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM, Color Efex Pro 4, Colorado, The Great Sand Dunes | Tagged Colorado, Dunes, Great Sand Dunes National Park, landscape, nature, San Luis Valley, sand, Windswept | 11 Comments

Spring Snow

By rick.louie | Published March 25, 2013

Colorado weather beat me again and I guess that’s to be expected here in Colorado. March and April are the snowiest months of the year and this past weekend we were hit with our first Spring Snow this year. It was a doozie of a snow storm bringing upwards of 12-18 inches of snow in and around Denver and the state. Ryan Wright and I actually made it down to The Great Sand Dunes on Friday but were greeted with 40+ mile/hour winds. We ventured up to Zapata Falls and then decided to head out onto the sand dunes since the light was really nice in certain parts of the park and giving some nice contrast.

If you ever want a really good workout try hiking in sand and add on top of that winds blowing from the side, in your face and then with every step, you feet sinking into the sand another 3-4 inches. I’m not exactly sure why we ventured out, but there we were hiking along the dunes with backpacks full of photo gear. What we do for the shot (shakes head). So the long story short, the weekend trip was cut short and will have to happen again later this year.

I’m still processing my images from this weekend, but I thought I would share a quick Spring Snow image. We definitely need the moisture here in Colorado and I’m guessing this year we’ll see even more snow in April. I’ll share some Sand Dunes images and more of the story with you later on this week. Have a great week everyone!