Dave Morrow Photography: August 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

A Fading Desire - Mount Rainier, Washington

Here we go again, that crazy ( moonless ) time of the month is rolling back around. For me that means long nights, not much sleep, tons of driving, exploring, photography and oh yeah; Teaching 18 new star photographers at Mount Rainier. Awesome!


The Shot
Here is a snap looking towards the Tatoosh Mountain Range from Mount Rainier. It's been a while since the picture was taken, but I believe we took a hike up here late last summer since the wild flowers are in full bloom. One of the best parts about letting pictures sit on the computer for a few months, or even a year in some cases, is finding stuff that you totally forgot you took:)
from www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Rise & Fall - Cannon Beach, OR

We are moving this coming week to a different neighborhood in Seattle. This makes it a great time for me to throw away, donate, or give away nearly everything I own. All my belongings have been condensed down to a camera/computer equipment, a few boxes of clothes, one box of books and a few other random things. It feels great owning only things that are truly necessary. Is there anyone else out there that enjoys living like this?

Aime Ayers was selected as the winner of my Star Photography Workshop Give Away Contest. There were a bunch of really great pictures included. I liked them all so much that a random drawing was necessary to pick the winner. Click here to see Aime's Picture of the Milky Way.

The Shot
Looking back through the last few posts, it seems there have a been a bunch of H20 shots posted on this website. Well here is another one. I'll try to give it a break next time... This one was snapped at Cannon Beach sometime last year, not really sure if it was sunset, or rise, but you could check the EXIF if you want to find out. For anyone that didn't know you can click on any of the pictures and follow them to my SmugMug portfolio. Once there, just click the "i" or info button under the right side of the picture to see the EXIF data.
from www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Labels: , , ,

Sunday, August 25, 2013

So Sorry It's Over - Palouse Falls, Washington

Thanks to everyone that participated in my Free Star Photography Workshop Give Away Contest. I'll select a winner sometime this week and make the announcement. Besides this spot, all this summer star photography workshops are now sold out. If you're still interested in one, feel free to drop me a line to be placed on the waiting list for next year.

So you might have noticed there is a new menu bar at the top of this website, what do you all think? Like it or not? Some feed back would be great. I also recently updated my Post Processing Before & After Page with some new images, tips & tricks. 

If you missed it here is a quick star photography tutorial that I wrote for 500PX. It gives quick overview all of the stuff I cover in the Free Star Photography Tutorial contained on this site.




The Shot
I went to Palouse Falls during the early months of this year with Meghan and Paul. We had some really nice conditions, but man was it cold. You can grab a shot like this if you hike 5 min up to the top of Palouse Falls. There are a ton of cool compositions all over that park so make sure to hike around a bit:)

Post Processing Info ( Grab some discount codes to the programs below at bottom of About Me Page )

Processing Time: 1.5 hours
Drink: Snake Doctor IPA from McMenamins Pub In Seattle

  1. 3 Exposures captured at -2EV, 0EV and +2EV.
  2. Adjust 0EV RAW file in LR4 then sync others to match all settings less exposure.
  3. Export to (3) JPEGS
Photoshop CS6
  1. Apply Tony Kuypers Luminosity Masking Actions & Techniques using channels to selectively blend the three files into one well exposed file.
  2. Color balance and slight overall saturation adjustment OnOne Perfect Photo Suite
  3. Selectively adjust contrast and vibrance using luminosity masks.
  4. Nik Output Sharpener
  5. Apply slight vignette with Nik Color Efex Pro 4, Darken / Lighten Center preset.
  6. Use spot brush to remove sensor dirt and fix up a few messy spots.
After the Magic
from www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Before the Magic ( RAW file no adjustments )

Labels: , , , ,

Monday, August 19, 2013

Turn Style - West Fjords, Iceland

I was about to start this post, then realized maybe a snack would be necessary during the process. These things don't just write themselves.

There are only a few days left to enter my Star Photography Workshops Free Give Away Contest, it's free and the grand prize is free admission to my last star photography workshop for the summer. DO IT!

Logging on to Google+ last night, I noticed "1,000,000 have you in circles" under my name... wait what? One Million is a significantly large number, so thanks to everyone who helped on that front. All your support and nice comments are always appreciated. Thanks!

The Shot
There are no words to really describe this sunset. Nothing I have ever seen before even comes close. The entire visible Earth was bathed in some of the most vivid color imaginable. Standing there, hours from any town or person for that matter, witnessing stuff like this in the middle of the night is what dreams are made of. Selah....

PS: That water is cold, real cold!

Post Processing Info ( Grab some discount codes to the programs below at bottom of About Me Page )

Processing Time: 1 hour-ish
Music: Bob Dylan Personal Fav's Playlist
Drink: Big Swell IPA from the Island of Maui.

  1. 3 Exposures captured at -2EV, 0EV and +2EV.
  2. Adjust 0EV RAW file in LR4 then sync others to match all settings less exposure.
  3. Export to (3) JPEGS
Photoshop CS6
  1. Apply Tony Kuypers Luminosity Masking Actions & Techniques using channels to selectively blend the three files into one well exposed file.
  2. Slight color adjustment with color correction function in OnOne Perfect Photo Suite
  3. Apply Nik Pro Contrast to entire image
  4. Nik Output Sharpener
  5. Apply slight vignette with Nik Color Efex Pro 4, Darken / Lighten Center preset.
  6. Final color balance and contrast adjustments.
from www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Labels: , , ,

Friday, August 16, 2013

Sixty Six North - West Fjords, Iceland

Sifting through emails and comments is seemed like everyone liked the post processing info last time, so  I'll include some more every now and then. It's really nice getting responses and emails from everyone here and there, especially when they come in from all over the world. I read each and every one, and try to answer them all as well:)

There are 7 more days for you to enter in the Star Photography Workshops Free Give Away Contest, it's free and the grand prize is free admission to my last star photography workshop for the summer.

The Shot
After devouring one of the best fish dinners of our lives in Ísafjörður, we loaded up the camper and headed for a 2 day trek even deeper into the West Fjords. This part of the island is my favorite, and at times, you don't see another person for days. Every now and then we would stop, or swerve down one of the little roads that jut off of main road. This shot was captured at the bottom of a pretty steep hill, needless to say the camper had a pretty hard time making it back up.

Post Processing Info

Processing Time: 1.5 hours
Music: Deep House / Electro Playlist
Drink: Sailor Jerry Rum, on the rocks w/ lime.

Lightroom 4 
  1. Single RAW exposure taken at 0EV. ( Always watch the histogram to make sure no data is dropping off the light or dark ends when shooting a single exposure )
  2. Adjust file within LR4 Develop Module to bring out all the colors and details.
Photoshop CS6
  1. Apply Tony Kuypers Luminosity Masking Actions & Techniques adjusting Light, Mid-tone, and dark regions of picture for contrast and color balance. Note: This is not an HDR brush through masking technique using channels like the last post, but a curves adjustment confined by luminosity masks.
  2. Slight color adjustment with color correction function in OnOne Perfect Photo Suite
  3. Apply Jaime Ibarra's Color grading techniques + a few of my own to obtain a unique overall look and feel for the water and the sky.
  4. Final curves / lighting adjustments, and painting out a few pieces of sensor dust using clone tool.
  5. Apply slight vignette with Nik Color Efex Pro 4, Darken / Lighten Center preset.
read more about my trip to Iceland at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Labels: , , , ,

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Sucker Punch - Eagle Creek, Oregon

Along with the new design of my Smugmug Portfolio, I have introduced some new print options. Head on over that way or check out my Buy Prints Page for more details. PS: There are some really nice new prices;)

And on to post processing & the world of Photoshop. Emails constantly come in, many star photography related, but overall post processing related, asking me how I process the shots on this website. Well there really isn't a straightforward answer. Most of the time it's a new creative process for each picture. I do provide some tutorials on my Learn Photography Page which covers a bunch of this stuff, but why not provide some more info from time to time with the actual pictures? Well here ya go...

The Shot
Punch Bowl Falls located a few miles up Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge is an amazing place to capture some nice photos. Just remember, bring your chest waders. I was able to capture the full dynamic range of light with three bracketed RAW files then blend them together in Photoshop using the process below.

Post Processing Info

Processing Time: 2 hours
Music: Miles Davis & Thelonious Monk Playlist
Drink: Ninkasi IPA

Lightroom 4 
  1. RAW file adjustment for each of my 3 exposures at -1EV, 0EV, and +1EV.
  2. Export all (3) files as JPEGs.
Photoshop CS6
  1. Hand blend (3) JPEG files using Tony Kuypers Luminosity Masking Actions & Techniques to create (1) well exposed .PSD file. 
  2. Apply color correction 
  3. Apply overall contrast adjustments and glow using Nik Color Efex Pro 4
  4. Apply selective color, contrast and glow adjustments using OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 7 ( Love this program!! ).
  5. Luminosity adjustments once again using Tony's Actions
  6. Apply final vignette using darken/lighten center in Nik Color Efex Pro 4
  7. Final curves / lighting adjustments, and painting out a few pieces of sensor dust using clone tool. 
read more about my trip to Eagle Creek at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Last Drop - Palouse Falls, WA

It's extremely exciting to have the chance to take 18 photographers up to Mount Rainier National Park this weekend and teach them everything I know about star photography, including shooting and post processing. Everything is looking good to go including the upcoming meteor showers. I'm headed out for the week, so I'll leaving you all with some good star photography info and a bunch of pictures. Enjoy the weekend & happy shooting.

For anyone else that wants to learn star photography this weekend here is a list great resources I provide on this website along with my Free Star Photography Workshop Give Away Contest which is now running.


For anyone that was not aware you can always find all the tutorials contained on this website at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com/learnphotography

The Shot
The night sky in the Palouse Region of Washington State is so dark that sometimes you can't see your own hand. This makes it a star photographer's paradise. I remember taking this shot only a few minutes before the moon came up and completely destroyed any chances of Milky Way shots. 
read more at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Here are a few other stars shots I snapped off...
Lost: In the Valley of Dreams - Washington Stateread more at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.comCheck out my FREE Star Photography Tutorial  and  Star Photography Post Processing Video Tutorial  Ready to learn star photography? Trust me it's easier than you think. Check out the link below for my summer star photography workshops, where I will teach you everything you need to know.  Under the Stars Night Photography Workshops
When We Were Stars - Palouse, WAfrom www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com
The Dream Catcher - Palouse, WAfrom www.DaveMorrowPhotography.comCheck out my FREE Star Photography Tutorial  and  Star Photography Post Processing Video Tutorial  Ready to learn star photography? Trust me it's easier than you think. Check out the link below for my summer star photography workshops, where I will teach you everything you need to know.  Under the Stars Night Photography Workshops
The Night Watch- Ruby Beach, WAfrom www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com
Journey to the Heavens - Ruby Beach, WAread more at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.comCheck out my FREE Star Photography Tutorial  and  Star Photography Post Processing Video Tutorial  Ready to learn star photography? Trust me it's easier than you think. Check out the link below for my summer star photography workshops, where I will teach you everything you need to know.  Under the Stars Night Photography Workshops
Nothing's Shocking - Ruby Beach, WACheck out my FREE Star Photography Tutorial  and  Star Photography Post Processing Video Tutorial  Ready to learn star photography? Trust me it's easier than you think. Check out the link below for my summer star photography workshops, where I will teach you everything you need to know.  Under the Stars Night Photography Workshops

Labels: , , , , ,

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Lost Worlds - Vik, Iceland

Driving through Iceland with a camera is a really tough task. First off you need to have enough self control not to stop and take pictures every few seconds, don't fall in to this trap, you will never see everything you want to:) Second of all, there are sheep all over the place, and third, well it's probably some strange hour of the night, at least during the summer months. All in all this is what some people such as myself call fun. 

NEWS & Events
Two weeks left to enter my Free Star Photography Workshop Give Away Contest. HELLO it's free:)
A few new updates and links added to the Free Star Photography Tutorial, as well as a cool upload and sharing feature for you to share your star shots. 
Two spots left in my Star Photography Workshops for the entire summer.

The Shot
Right before I went to meet up with Conor MacNeill Greg Annandale, Meghan and I were driving top speeds through Southern Iceland chasing the sunset as some call it. For a while such strange beauty was happening that it was hard to shoot, let alone function. None the less we got outta there with some awesome shots. At least I think so! PS: Check out Conor & Greg's websites linked above, both very inspirational photographers in my opinion.
read more at www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Labels: , , ,