Last week, I attended the monthly club meeting at a photography group I’m part of.  I’m finding that this club is great in that the organizers mix things up from month to month.  There are also a lot of photo outings outside the monthly meetings that makes it enjoyable.  For August’s meeting, we met at McMenamin’s Edgefield out in Troutdale and did a photo scavenger hunt activity where we received clues and we would have to go out and about around the Edgefield campus to photograph what we think the clue refers to.

Members of the photo club met in front of the campus at 6:30pm where some people dispersed and started searching for the clues.  I thought the light was still kind of harsh, so I dispersed to one of the restaurants on the campus waiting for sundown.  A fellow photographer, my wife, and I took our time enjoying dinner and splurging on dessert, which I have to say their bread pudding heated up with ice cream melting on top was delicious.  When we walked out of the restaurant with our stomachs full and smiles on our faces, the lighting was perfect for some night photography.  I ended up shooting some pretty good shots for the clues.  The following is what I ended up with.

Clue 1: Tee off in high ‘spirits’
One of my favorite shots from the night, this was taken from one of Edgefield’s tee area of their golf course towards a bar that, of course, serves “spirits.”  The streak of lights going from the tee area to the pub are two flashlights that I had my wife carry over to the pub while the shutter was open for 30 seconds.

Clue 2: Liverpool and billiards
Taken in Lucky Staehly’s Pool Hall

Clue 3: Jughead chimney
Found on the east side of campus showing the shadow of the plants on the chimney.  It was really dark at this time, so light from both the flashlights and a camera flash were used to get the shadows and some exposure.

Clue 4: Filled with gently heated saltwater
Edgefield has a soaking pool which is very nice.  However, by the time we got to this clue, it was closed, so I played with the entrance, which turned out well. I did have to light up the sign a bit with the flash.

Clue 5: Towering fire deterrent
The most recognizable landmark on campus, I wanted to include something else with the tower to make this photo more interesting, which I think I accomplished well.  This turned out to be another one of my favorite photos of the evening.

Clue 6: Take the stairs up to a 4-armed exit
I don’t really like taking photos of other artwork, but this clue was referring to mural of a 4-armed being around an Exit sign in one of the buildings.  I played around with the camera a bit to put a little of my art into it.

Clue 7: Adirondacks and ivy wall
I liked the shadows that were being drawn in this scene, so I decided to have a shadow of me in this shot.  After looking at this shot at home, I thought it would have been cool to have my shadow grab a glass on the table.  Oh well!

Clue 8: Garcia Bronze
Another shot of an art piece that really doesn’t make it my own, I decided to take a close-up of the statue and use an off-camera flash to give some light and detail.

Clue 9: You will hear songs such as “Truckin’”, “Casey Jones”, and “Shakedown Street” here.
This was a bit of a tricky clue.  The songs were all from The Grateful Dead and, looking at an informational map, there was a pub on campus dedicated to them.  This photo pretty much shows all of the pub.

Clue 10: Served as the laundry back in the working farm days
Another clue where you would have to read the informational map to get, the Power Station used to be a laundry facility back in the day.  This photo is of the entrance.  I love how the trees are covering part of the signage.

Clue (extra credit): Got valves
There are a lot of pipes and valves around the Edgefield campus. This photo is of  just one of the areas that I hope the clue was referring to.  The pipes were very artistic and this is a photo of another person’s art, but I REALLY like how this one turned out.  I think I made it enough of my own art with the composition, saturation, and cropping to define this photo as part of my artwork too.

There are times when you just have to be ready for anything. My wife and I were taking a road trip up to the Wenatchee Valley area in Washington to get out of town for a bit and celebrate my wife’s graduating from college. I had a surprise set up for her where we would be staying in a bed and breakfast outside of Leavenworth, WA. It turned out better than expected. The bed and breakfast was amazing in that the room we booked was in a building of it’s own and the they had a hot tub outside to enjoy anytime of the day. We were out to the hot tub area around 11pm to enjoy the stars when the opportunity to make my first attempt of taking some long exposures and a timelapse of the stars arose. I was excited and ran back inside to gather my camera equipment and set up.

I first tried to taking a long exposure. Messing with the settings of the camera a bit, I finally found what I wanted and took one long exposure that lasted around 40 minutes. It turned out amazing and after a little bit of post-processing to bring back the exposure a bit, this was my result.

Star Trail

After the 40-minute exposure of that one photo, it was time to up the quantity of photos and start the timelapse process. I went into this not really knowing the best settings for taking a timelapse of the stars, so I took a few test shots before setting up my camera to take a shot every minute. I went with setting up my camera with 25600 ISO at f7.1 and kept the shutter open for 25 sec. I also set it up to shoot every minute. While the camera was going, I decided to enjoy the hot tub and stare at the stars for awhile. I kept the camera going when I decided to go in and get some sleep. When I woke up the next morning, the card was full of photos. I couldn’t see the result until I returned home a few days later.

Another timelapse opportunity arose when my wife and I decided to go camping west of Yakima, WA on our way home. I again took some test shots before setting up the camera to shoot at 25600 ISO at f9 with the shutter open for 30 sec. I had it open the shutter every minute as well all night long and into the morning while we were sleeping in the tent. There would be times in the night where I would wake up and wonder if the camera was still going and, sure enough, I heard the clicks of the shutter opening and closing; it was a great experience and sure hope to do it again.

When I got home, I was pleasantly surprised with the result for this being my first attempt, but learned on how to make it better for when the next opportunity arises such as shooting with a much lower ISO and wider f-stop.

I decided to make a small project out of this and put the two timelapses together with some music. Please enjoy the short video below. All-in-all, 354 photos were used to make this video. The first timelapse scene is the scene I took in the Yakima area where the second scene (and my favorite) was the very first attempt taken from Leavenworth. I want to give a special thanks to Kenny Carlile for letting me use his song “Astronomer,” where the full song can be listened to at http://soundcloud.com/kennycarlile/the-astronomer.  Enjoy!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to shoot gourmet food at Applewood Restaurant and Bar in Vancouver, WA. One of the members of a photo club I attend had a connection with the owner of the restaurant who agreed to let us come in, set up lighting, and shoot all kinds of food the restaurant offered including fruits and vegetables, cheeses, catfish, salmon, crab cakes, meat, and of course desserts. The last time I did any kind of food photography was around 7 or 8 years ago in a photography course. It was good to get back into it. Here are some of my best shots from this outing.

I had no particular plan to go photographing this day. I was sitting in a coffee shop in Beaverton, OR reading a book about speedlighting on a Sunday afternoon when I looked up at the sky and noticed high clouds rolling in on what had been a mostly clear day. I knew there was going to be a great sunset in about four more hours. At that point, the thought of going out photographing came to me. Just with that thought, I ended up hitting the road around 6:30 to get out of town in search of a good area to take photographs.

I was about 22 miles southwest of Beaverton in a town of Dundee, OR when it was about that time to pull over and start snapping some photos due to the light. There was really no point in time where I said to myself, “This is the spot.” I was on a dirt road when I just stopped, got out of the truck and set up a scene.

One of the first shots I was able to get was of an open field with a big tree just sticking out with the clouds just in a beautiful formation. The line of trees and the darker clouds coming from the left leading to the big tree was the start of my composition that drew my eyes in. I decided to put the bigger tree about 2/3 into my photograph, which seemed to be be a perfect placement along with the little swirl of the clouds I saw above and to the right of the tree to bring my eye back into the scene to complete the photograph.

This second image was the last decent image I was able to capture before the sky just mellowed out. It is during these times that I, in a photography frame of mind, rush to set up and find a good area to shoot before the light is lost. Again, a scene just didn’t pop out at me. I basically did a quick 360 to see what I can shoot and went at it with the camera; I had to make the photograph work with whatever scene I was in with the short time I had left. Sometimes it just works out and sometimes it doesn’t. This image happened to be my wife’s favorite from this outing.

After this shot, I just called it an evening. I definitely wouldn’t classify the photographs I took from that night as my best work, but I found the outing was successful on a day when I was just sitting at a coffee shop a few hours earlier. I just went with my gut and hit the road with my camera equipment in the back and my wife in the the passenger seat to assist me. It made for some good practice with the camera and a great evening for my wife and I. We enjoyed the drive back home before heading to work the next day.

A gift of taking a helicopter ride over Seaside and Cannon Beach, Oregon was given to my wife and I.  Many thoughts ran through my head after my initial excitement as I love to fly.  I couldn’t decide whether or not to take still photos or shoot some video.  When the time came to get on the helicopter, I decided to do both, shooting video with my GoPro in one hand and shooting stills with my 5D MK II in the other.  With this being a quick flight, I didn’t have time to adjust settings on the 5D so I just set it to automatic and let the camera do the work.  I felt a little awkward handling both cameras, but the pilot of the helicopter was appreciative of my determination to capture the beauty of the 15-minute ride.

Given that I didn’t have much time to compose my images, I came out with a couple of descent still shots shooting through glass as well as video good enough to capture the memory.

The first of my favorite shots is of Cannon Beach from a distance.  You can easily see Haystack Rock in the distance and the cloud formations are what I think made this photo interesting.

The second photo is an aerial view of the road leading to Cannon Beach from Seaside.  The views were just gorgeous; it was perfect weather for a flight.  You can see Haystack Rock in the upper right part of the photo.

Below is the video shot from the helicopter showing the towns of Seaside, Cannon Beach, and the mountains that define the Oregon Coast.

I have lived in Oregon for a little over 10 years now and I’m always amazed with vibrant fall colors of the Pacific Northwest.  I had the opportunity to go camping with my family a week ago at Silver Creek Falls.  I couldn’t pass it up.  My wife, Julie, and I headed out early on Saturday, photo equipment in hand.  By the time we arrived at the campground, we only had an hour or two before the rest of family arrived.  We headed down the trail and, switchback and switchback, I would see other photographers set up, clicking away.  They were probably out there at the break of dawn.  Luckily, there was still good light to get a few good shots, mainly thanks to the cloudy skies that dispersed the light.  We only had time to check out the first waterfall out of the 10+ main waterfalls in the park.  I chose my spots and started shooting.  We stayed down near the waterfall for a little over an hour before heading back up.  The photos looked good on the LCD screen of the camera; I was excited to see them on the big computer screen.

As I now sit here, about to post a few of the photos from the trip, I listen to some mellow folk music that go well with these photos.  It makes me appreciative of the area where I live.  Out of the few shots that were the likes to my eyes, the shot of the bridge over the creek without the waterfall is my favorite.

The rest of the camping trip was spent with the family at the campground, enjoying our time together.  Julie and I went back to the same waterfall with Julie’s brother and our twin nephew and niece, who are 6.  It was great to see the excitement of the twins when we hiked into the beautiful landscapes that Oregon has to offer.  I hope the excitement of being in nature lasts for them as it does me.

Last weekend, I took part in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk, where groups all around the world got together and took photos.  There were only three groups meeting in the Portland area and all were downtown, none of which interested me.  I wanted to find a place where I have never been or rarely go to.  I broadened my search to all of Oregon and Washington and found a place I was excited about, Mount Saint Helens.

I packed up my gear and headed out.  My wife, Julie, wanted to come along and be my assistant.  It was a little over a 2-hour drive.  In the many years I lived in Portland, I will shamefully say  that I have never been out to the mountain before this experience and that was a mistake!

We drove up I-5 and took exit 49 to get onto the road that leads to Mt. St. Helens.  It was 52-mile climb to Johnston Ridge Observatory that sits at just above 4300 feet, 5 1/2 miles from the crater.  With the clouds rolling through the mountains, I could tell it was going to be a breathtaking experience once we got up to the observatory .  I was eager to pull off the road and start taking photos, but I was on a time crunch to meet the group at 2:30pm.

We finally arrived and I spotted the group right away, satisfied to see that it was a bit smaller than other worldwide photo walk groups I was involved with in  past.  I could tell this was going to be a good group because they were willing to take the time to drive out there and had a love of nature;I was right.  I joined the group, met our group leader, Scott Batchelar, and we were on our way.

By the time we walked around and up the hill to get to a good spot to start shooting, a big cloud had moved in front of the mountain.  It was a disappointment at first, but it encouraged me to look around at the smaller things and that’s when inspiration hit me.  I saw some tree stumps on a hill and I envisioned the composition and that it was going to be an HDR shot right away. I went ahead and started taking multiple exposures for the HDR photo. UPDATE: The HDR photo has been updated from the original posting to bring out the detail of the stumps and have it a little bit brighter overall.

By the time the tree stump photos were taken for the HDR, the sun started to peek through the clouds and cast a brilliant light across the landscape.  This was the moment I was waiting for and couldn’t have been any happier.

Looking behind me, I saw sun spots along the road we drove up on.

Looking to the right of the above shot and at the mountains in the distance, there was another scene I could not miss!

Brilliant light was all over the place that I could not keep up with everything I wanted to capture on camera.  It was a truly breathtaking experience.

Within our group, we had Ken Sandusky of US Forest Service take us to the Coldwater Visitor Center, which was closed to the general public in 2007.  From there, we were able to see the the mountain 8 miles away as well as Coldwater Lake.  We were able to walk on their paved trails and enjoy the sights and sounds of the area.  For a moment, I took my concentration away from the mountains and focused on the real small things.  I put on my macro extender and started taking photos.  It was not until I got home and viewed it on the big screen that I had a cool shot.  Can you spot what makes it neat?

Turning my focus back to the mountains, the clouds were still hanging around.  I could not resist in taking a few more photos.  When I returned home and looked at the last shots on the big screen, they were just beautiful in black and white.

Out-of-this-world amazing experience!

This was by far the most successful landscape photo outing I have had in a very long time.  Mt. St. Helens will see me again soon;  it is now one of my favorite places in the northwest to go explore in.  To complete the Worldwide Photo Walk event, I now have to choose ONE photo to submit to the group for a contest.  With having this kind of result, it will be a very tough choice for me.  Do you have a favorite?

If you’re a photographer, the chances are likely that you know who Scott Kelby is.  I became familiar with him by joining National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and watching many podcasts of “The Photoshop Guys,” now called Photoshop User TV.  Every year, he puts on a event called the Worldwide Photo Walk where photo groups are formed and they go out taking photos on one particular day.  I participated in my first and only walk in 2009.  I joined a group who would be walking in the Pearl District of downtown Portland, an area lived and went to school in for a few years. I wasn’t expecting to come out of the event with a photo that was unique to me.  However, I was wrong and learned a great lesson from this walk.  Walking between the buildings of the Pearl, I was looking for something colorful or had a great pattern.  I was having no luck until, at some point, I looked up.  The clouds were in a gorgeous formation and I knew it was “the” shot.  I started snapping away. After the event, I was eager to look at the shot on the big screen.  I loved it in color!  With the detail of the clouds, I knew it would look great in black and white too.  When I made a copy and made it black and white, it seemed like a dramatically different shot and l loved it even more.

The walking event also included a contest where the best photo from the group was submitted to the worldwide contest, which big prizes could be won.  I, of course, submitted this photo, but unfortunately I didn’t win the best photo of the group and was ok with that; I had a great portfolio piece based on my eyes.  I later submitted the photo in another contest within the Columbia Council photo club, in which clubs from California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho participate in, and won honorable mentions for the photograph.  I learned two valuable lessons from the photo walk- 1. You can find GREAT photographs within your local neighborhoods. 2.  If your photo doesn’t do well in one contest, submit it to another; you’ll never know who’s eyes will be seeing it.

One of my favorite places to go in Mexico is Puerto Vallarta. My wife and I went there this last Christmas amid all the chaos happening in Mexico reported by the media. Once we got off the plane, it was another sort of chaos; many taxi drivers offering to give us a ride. Luckily, we pre-arranged a ride and knew who we were looking for. We were greeted by friendly locals upon arrival at the hotel and continued throughout our stay in the charming town.

We went on a few tours in Puerto Vallarta that included snorkeling, kayaking, and candle-lit dinner with a show on a remote island, but one of my favorites was an off-road adventure into the small towns and farmlands of Mexico. At one of the stops, we met a women whose family grew corn, grounded it, and made their own tortillas. The woman was making the tortillas as the off-road truck pulled in. She was making them for our group to go along with fresh pinto beans (known as Mexican meat by the locals), cactus salad, salsa, and guacamole. I was able to capture an experience that signified her way of living. We were honored to be welcomed into her home and was an adventure we would never forget.

Fogpuddle Media Design is pleased to welcome you to the new site. Fogpuddle is currently ran by one man, by which I mean me, David Walters, a photographer and web designer, and features a blog full of stories and techniques about photography, web design, travel and the outdoors. I am a lifetime learner, always craving for knowledge and new experiences. I hope to share what I find here. Please join me in the experiences I share and be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you enjoy this site and please let me know if you have any suggestions on how to improve upon it as I’ll continually be doing upgrades. I’ll be posting a few of my favorite stories to get things started.