Double Exposure at Soldier Creek Wilderness, September 25, 2016

Double exposure, fall colors at the Soldier Creek Wilderness, September 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

During a photography day trip with a friend out to Fort Robinson State Park and the Soldier Creek Wilderness, I found an arrangement that warranted a double exposure with a focus shift.
This is an in-camera version of the technique, where I set the camera to merge two exposures. The first exposure is focused on one plane in the composition, the background tree. The second exposure is focused on the nearer leaves. Because of this focus shift, the unfocused areas create halos of light, shadow, and color, depending on what the elements are, how they are arranged, and how much of a focus shift there is. On a tripod, as this was, I can keep the defocused elements aligned with the their focused counterparts. Handheld, and luck plays a larger role. Naturally, the photographer has plenty of choices to make, and luck will play a part as well, especially if you have leaves or flowers blowing in the breeze.
I first saw this technique in 2014, used by the Norwegian photographer Birna Rørslett, and have been playing with it quite a bit since then.

The Needles, August 20, 2016

The Needles in Custer State Park, August 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

From a pullout on the Needles Highway, you can see the Needles (needle-shaped objects) and the tower on Black Elk Peak (tower-shaped object). I like the tree line arcing up and down across the rock face and the contrast between the big spires on the left and the little tower on the right.

Grass on the Niobrara River Shore, August 16, 2016

Grass along the banks of the Niobrara River at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in August 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

When I’m out walking around looking for a little fun, I’ll often play with grass. Sometimes I get a fun little composition out of it. The mid-afternoon sun lights up the curved blades as they march off the plane of focus. The stream of the Niobrara River provides some grounding for the scene.

Light Trails in Chadron, August 10, 2016

Long exposure of a moving light source in Chadron, Nebraska, August 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

With the camera on a tripod, you have someone carrying a flashlight walk a zigzag pattern from far to near. If all goes well, the exposure will be long enough to capture a good range of movement and enough ambient light to showcase the environment. The person walking doesn’t really show up, since they’re moving too quickly to produce an identifiable image. I like the symmetrical arrangement of the trees, which are counterbalanced by the diagonals of the light. The asymmetrical arrangement of the light lines keeps the composition from being too centered and too balanced.

Moonset at Whitney Lake, August 5, 2016

Crescent moon aligned with Venus and a star over Whitney Lake, August 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I was planning some astrophotography at Whitney Lake, and arrived at the last bit of sunset and moonset. The moon was cooperative, posing above the dock and in line with a couple other celestial bodies. The dock is lit by the streetlight that is also cooperatively at the shore. It’s so nice when the elements work with you. Indeed, my camera was cooperative, taking the photo just as my finger pushed the shutter release button. And later, my software made the various tonal edits just as my fingers happened to brush against the mouse and keyboard. That camera sure does take good pictures.

Burnt Trunks, Nebraska National Forest, June 25, 2016

Burned tree trunks in the Nebraska National Forest, June 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

At the start of a hike along the Black Hills Overlook Trail four short years after the wildfire and associated burns went through the area, I noticed this collection of burned trunks. Smoke from another (small) fire in the area created softly receding layers in the background, and made the foreground trunks stand out even more. There are some fun landmarks in the background, including a radio tower and the steamboat butte on the right side.

Hawk at Nebraska National Forest, June 4, 2016

A hawk flies over the Nebraska National Forest, June 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While hiking the Black Hills Overlook trail, I saw a hawk (Or a vulture, or an eagle, or a falcon. I’m not a bird expert. Should I just say “raptor?”) circling overhead. Normally I enjoy the sight of these birds and don’t try photographing them, because I seldom have the necessary long lens to properly cover them. But the wispy clouds made an excellent contrast to the sharp, dark shape of the bird. I like the arrangement here, with the hawk creating the apex of a compositional triangle with the large clouds.

Foliage Detail at Oswald West State Park, May 27, 2016

Foliage detail at Oswald West State Park, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Shooting the fast 50 wide open to create some intriguing textures in the background. I was pleased with the foreground elements framing and repeating the shape of the subject. The tree trunk in the background also repeats the diagonals from the stems in front of it. The scene was monochromatic anyway, so I pushed that to the logical finish: black and white.

Reflections on the Water in Clatsop County, Oregon, May 27, 2016

 

Rocks along the shoreline at Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site in May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Rocks along the shoreline at Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site in May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Rocks along the shoreline at Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site in May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Rocks along the shoreline at Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site in May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Small rocks, plus Tillamook Rock Light, near Haystack Rock Marine Garden, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Tide covered tidepool at Haystack Rock Marine Garden, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Clouds at the Beach, Fort Stevens State Park, May 26, 2016

Clouds over the beach at Fort Stevens State Park, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

An dramatic set of clouds in the sky had me wanting to showcase that part of the scene, and the tire tracks in the sand provided some good texture to ground the composition. The blips off in the distance are cars and beachgoers for a tiny bit of scale. I especially like the mountains in the far background, dramatic in their own way, but subtle compared to the more immediate clouds.

Nighttime Tidepool Exploration, May 25, 2016

Beachgoers explore the tidepools at Haystack Rock Marine Garden with flashlights, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The clouds were heavy enough this evening that sunset came as gradual darkening in the mist. I was still out at Haystack Rock and noticed people exploring the tidepools with flashlights. This long exposure shows ghostly shapes of the people moving around, and more importantly, shows the trails their flashlights made. I was lucky to get a reasonable shape out of the light trail, and the foreground rocks also got lit up, making a warm counterpart to the blue tones throughout the scene.

View from the Top at Cape Kiwanda, May 24, 2016

View from the sandy hilltop at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Cape Kiwanda is a beautiful part of the Oregon coast, topped by a sandy hill that will test your stamina as you take two or three steps for every single step of upward progress. There is plenty of grass and trees to provide detail against the sand, and the coast to the north and south provides a backdrop. I was interested in the dead trees, and this foreground tree is repeated by several larger ones in the near background.

Sand and More Sand at Cape Kiwanda, May 24, 2016

 

View from the sandy hilltop toward Haystack Rock at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View from the sandy hilltop at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View from the sandy hilltop at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View from the sandy hilltop at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View from the sandy hilltop at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View from the sandy hilltop toward Haystack Rock at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Foliage Detail, Yaquina Bay, May 23, 2016

Foliage detail at Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I don't like to talk about equipment here, when there are better things to discuss regarding composition. But a brief sidenote on the lens: the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 shot close and wide open. It leaves little sharpness and plenty of strange, hazy things everywhere else. But there's something interesting about reducing depth of field to a razer thin section. I was able to get most of the leaf edges mostly in focus, and they stand out nicely against the darker background. The water drops also get some focus, and create additional details to examine.

Leaves and Rocks in Lincoln County, Oregon, May 23, 2016

 

Foliage detail at Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Foliage detail at Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Cobblestone beach at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Cobblestone beach and lighthouse at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Flowers overlooking the beach at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, May 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Evening in the Nebraska National Forest, April 10, 2016

 

Yucca in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Overlooking burned trees in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Grass and burned trees in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Foliage closeup in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Minimal yucca in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Foliage closeup in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Foliage closeup in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset road in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Nebraska National Forest Closeup, April 10, 2016

Foliage closeup in the Nebraska National Forest, April 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Playing with extremely narrow depth of field. This lens throws a hazy veil over the scene, with just a tiny bit of sharpness on the focus plane. I like the contrast of the plants against the gray background, which creates an abstract look. I go back and forth on the line coming from the bottom plant, but it has its charm, too. It gets to stay.