Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

I m pr e s s io ns Photographs

by

o f

William

L ig h t

Neill

1

My goal is to remove context within a landscape, distilling down to it’s essence, in order to convey the energy of a subject or scene in a fresh way, much as snow simplifies the land. For me, these images deflect the mind’s tendency to dwell on the concrete issues of place and name when viewing a subject. The spirit of a place or an object can be more strongly conveyed.

Dedication I would like to dedicate this book to my family: my beautiful daugther Tara, my handsome son Ravi, and to my kindred spirit and soulmate, Sadhna. My art is an extension of my life, and my family feeds my life, my spirit.

Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank Canon USA for all of their support and encouragement. I have been a member of Canon’s elite Explorers Of Light since 1995, and more recently I have been selected as a Canon Print Master. My use of Canon printers and cameras has been a pleasure, both in terms of their high quality, but also in how their tools have facilatated my creative efforts. I especially want to thank Steven Inglima for all of his dedication and assistance. I also would like to thank the folks at Singh Ray filters for their support. My use of their Vari-ND has been especially helpful in creating this body of work. Copyright © 2008 by William Neill All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Limited Edition Prints Limited edition photographic prints, including many images in Impressions of Light, are available from William Neill or galleries representing his work. For more information, please contact William Neill Photography at (800) 575-4604 or via email at [email protected]. For information about books, posters, and other products, please visit Mr. Neill’s web page at WilliamNeill.com. To view Mr. Neill’s latest images, please visit his blog at http://web.me.com/wgneill/ Produced by William Neill Photography Designed by John O’Connor

I also must thank my talented assistant John O.Connor. His digital and design expertise has been instrumental in the production of this book. I am thrilled with his image layout and overall book design. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family for all their love and support. Most especially, I am deeply thankful to my mother and father for the values they instilled and inspired in me, for their encouragement, and their unconditional love.

Contents

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Statement

3

Essay by William Neill

8

Forest

12

Flora

32

Landscape

56

Water

72

photographic information

94

Carp, Bronx Zoo, New York 2006

6

Impressions of Light I have been a photographer for 35 years. I started out with my first camera in 1974, a 35mm Pentax Spotmatic camera. Over the years, I have most often photographed natural patterns and other details in the landscape. In 1982, I acquired a 4x5 field camera, and for the next 20 years, I photographed mostly with 4x5 transparency film. I continued to concentrate on photographing landscape details as well as broad views and dramatic light. My intention in using a large format camera was to render nature with great detail such that the amazing textures and eloquent light on my subjects became extra-ordinary. I have been using Canon’s high resolution DSLRs, first the EOS 1Ds, then the Mark II, and currently the 1Ds Mark III, to create most of my images. No matter the tool, however, my goal has remained the same – to inspire passion for the natural world and convey my emotional response to the subjects I photograph – that of awe and wonder. My most recent work is entitled Impressions of Light. About two years ago, I discovered a new way for me to convey such an emotional response. I give credit for this inspiration to students taking an online course I teach, offered by BetterPhoto.com. They had picked up some blurring, or “paint-

ing with light” techniques from other instructors, mainly Tony Sweet and Brenda Tharp. I had a visceral response to their images. I tried it out myself in the summer of 2005, became very intrigued by the possibilities, and immersed myself in creating this new portfolio of work. I have long been intrigued by the motion studies of the great color photographer Ernst Haas. Freeman Patterson has also used camera motion as a technique, as well as other methods for creating impressionistic photographs. Since I was a boy, I have loved impressionistic painting. My mother was a docent at the National Art Gallery when we lived near Washington, D.C. as a teenager. I was inspired by the en plein air approach of Monet and by the pointillism of Van Gogh I viewed there. Art was one of my favorite elective courses during high school. The motion studies seen in my Impressions of Light work are simply another way to depict the deeply moving beauty I see in Nature. The technical aspect of sharpness or softness of focus doesn’t matter to me ultimately. I try all kinds of movement, up and down or sideways, starting and stopping, and changing direction in the middle of the exposure. Sometimes I

just jiggle the camera. It’s a learning process, a sort of feedback loop. Every frame is different. I tend to photograph in bursts of five to ten images at one shutter speed. I then watch the images come up on the LCD to see what happened. Based on what I see, I adjust shutter speed, focal length or my camera position to refine the effect. This process continues until I think I’ve created something good. I end up with dozens, and sometimes a few hundred images, after I try all the creative options I can think of. The additional size and brightness of the latest LCD screens, like on my Canon 1DS Mark III, is very helpful in previewing my results. Editing the large number of images I create is greatly aided by the use of Adobe Lightroom. The selection process involves rating of the images that appear to have the most potential, and once I have several similar frames, I use the Compare View. My ranking system is quite simple. The initial edit of images that have possibilities receive three stars. After using the Compare View, the best of similar frames receive four stars. As I begin to work with the four star images in Lightroom’s Develop module or in Photoshop, the very best of those receive five stars.

In terms of composing, I start out with an image design that would work for me as a sharp photograph. A great advantage to making these images is the freeform and spontaneous style of capturing them, but I am also very careful to apply the same standards of quality of any composition I make. Since the camera is moving during the exposure, it is not possible to control exactly where objects land within the frame. Most compositional issues, such as distracting bright areas along the frame’s edge, can be corrected by responding to feedback from the LCD. Any other problems with composition can be solved in the editing process, as I make enough similar images that usually at least one works out. The most important note on my technique is that these images are all single exposures created with camera motion only. Having seen other techniques used, such as multiple exposure methods, I find the single exposure approach works best for the mood I wish to create. The resulting images have an organic and painterly look. Other approaches often look heavily manipulated or Photoshoped, while my style is to work with the textures and light and color I see in my camera. Even when I use my camera set to its lowest ISO and the lens stopped way down, often there’s still too much ambient light to permit a long enough 9

exposure time. In that case, I use a Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter, with which I can adjust neutral density to reduce the light entering the camera by up to eight stops. This tool has greatly increased both my options in bright lightings conditions, and in controlling the balance of aperture and shutter speed. For example, with my flower close-ups, I can still use a slow shutter speed even when using the widest apertures. In most images, I make a few minor adjustments in Photoshop, including boosting contrast lost when a scene’s brighter areas blur into darker ones. I output images with Canon’s 12-color, pigment-based image-PROGRAF iPF6100 and iPF8000 printers, which have 24- and 44-inch carriage widths, respectively. I usually print on Canon’s Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, a watercolor-style paper. This paper is very effective at accentuating the painterly feel of these images. The other night I watched an amazing DVD entitled Andy Goldsworthy’s Rivers & Tides. If you are not familiar with his art, I highly recommend that you check out his books and this DVD. He is dedicated to connecting with Nature, especially around his home in Scotland, and this DVD shows him at work, and talking about his art.

I scribbled down some notes as I watched this inspirational documentary. As I listened to him express his own philosophy, I realized, in a more concrete way, what I am trying to do with my Impressions of Light series: Remove the context; distill down to the essence, in order to convey the energy of a subject or scene in a fresh way, much as snow simplifies the landscape. For me, these images defect the mind’s tendency to dwell on the concrete issues of place and name when viewing a subject. The spirit of a place or an object is less objectified and can be more strongly conveyed. I’m trying to stretch, not just to be different but also to find new ways to express what I’ve been trying to show all along - the beauty of nature. It may sound trite, but that’s still what motivates my photographic explorations. In order to both grow and survive creatively as an artist, I have found it important to push myself in new directions, in other words, to evolve. Success towards this goal cannot be achieved passively, but it must be sought out. I have tried to adhere to the concept that as an artist, one should always question one’s own preconceived notions!

two oaks in snow, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California, 2008

Waterfall, 2007

10

11

Fore st

Yellow Forest, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

Cedars, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California 2005

Giant Sequoias, Yosemite National Park, California 2005

14

15

Giant Sequoias, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

16

17

Forest Fog, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

18

Bamboo, Bronx Zoo, New York 2006

19

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Firs, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

20

21

Willow in snowstorm, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

22

Winter Forest, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

24

Yellow Forest #3, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

27

Yellow Forest #4, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

Yellow Forest #2, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

28

Twilight Forest, Yosemite National Park, California 2008

31

Flora

Lupine, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2005

34

Salsify Seeds Detail,

Iris,

Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

2007

35

Red Rose, 2005

37

Poppy, Blowing Poppy, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

38

Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

39

Iris Impression #1, 2006

Iris Impression #2, 2007

40

41

Reeds, Bronx Zoo, New York 2006

Sunflowers, 2007

42

43

Plum blossoms, 2007

44

Two Succulents, 2007

45

Daisies, Carmel, California 2006

46

Daisy, Carmel, California 2006

47

Fern, Carmel, California 2006

48

Grasses, Mono Lake, California 2006

49

Dogwood Glowing, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

50

White Orchid, 2006

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

White Orchid #2, 2006

52

53

Iris Impression #4,

Iris Impression #3,

2008

54

2008

54

55

55

L andscape

Table Mountain, California 2006

Sunrise on Mud Hills, Death Valley National Park, California 2007

58

Sunrise over the Amargosa Range, Death Valley National Park, California 2007

59

Salt Flats, Death Valley National Park, California 2006

60

Badwater Sunrise, Death Valley National Park, California 2006

61

Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California 2006

63

Artist’s Palette #1, Death Valley National Park, California 2006

Mud Hills, Death Valley National Park, California 2007

64

65

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

The Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

66

67

Owens Valley and White Mountains, California 2006

Foothills, Table Mountain, California 2007

68

69

Vernal Pool, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

70

Water

Waves, Pfeiffer Beach, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California 2007

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

74

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

75

Light on the sea, Big Sur, California 2006

76

Sunset, Carmel Bay, California 2006

77

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007 Silver Surf, Carmel Bay, California 2008

Surf, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California 2007

78

79

Sunset, San Simeon Creek, San Simeon State Park, California 2006

80

Sunrise, Mono Lake, California 2006

81

Sunset, La Jolla, California 2006

Sunset Waves, La Jolla, California 2006

82

Arch and surf, Pfeiffer Beach, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California 2006

84

Sunset, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California 2007

86

Sunset Surf, La Jolla, California 2006

87

Dawn, Mono Lake California 2006

88

Surf, La Jolla, California 2006

89

Reflections, Manzanita Lake, California 2008

90

Forest Ripples, Manzanita Lake, California 2008

91

Ripples, Manzanita Lake, California 2007

Forest reflections, Manzanita Lake, California 2007

92

93

93

Photographic Giant Sequoias, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Cedars, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California 2005

Firs, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Yellow Forest #2, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

Carp, Bronx Zoo, New York 2006

Giant Sequoias, Yosemite National Park, California 2005

Willow in snowstorm, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

Twilight Forest, Yosemite National Park, California 2008

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1.3 sec at f / 13 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L, Extender EF 2x 2.5 sec at f / 13 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.0 sec at f / 13 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.0 sec at f / 11 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.0 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 0.8 sec at f / 32

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 0.6 sec at f / 9 ISO 100

ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 2.8 ISO 800

Winter Forest, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Lupine, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2005

Waterfall, 2007

Forest Fog, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 3.2 sec at f / 9.0 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 6.3 ISO 100

Two Oaks in Snow, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2008

Bamboo, Bronx Zoo, New York 2006

Yellow Forest #3, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1.3 sec at f / 3.5 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/5 sec at f / 4.5 ISO 100

Salsify Seeds Detail 2006

Yellow Forest, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

Two Pines, Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Yellow Forest #4, Watchtung Reservation, New Jersey 2006

Iris, 2007

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/2 sec at f / 14 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/3 sec at f / 27 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.0 sec at f / 10 ISO 100

94

Information

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 18 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 8 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/80 sec at f / 7.1 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/15 sec at f / 2.8 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/15 sec at f / 2.5 ISO 100

95

Red Rose, 2005

Sunflowers, 2007

Daisy, Carmel, California 2006

White Orchid, 2006

Blowing Poppy, California 2006

Reeds, Bronx Zoo, New York 2006

Fern, Carmel, California 2006

Iris Impression #4, 2008

Poppy, California 2006

Plum blossoms, 2007

Grasses. Mono Lake, California 2006

Iris Impression #3, 2008

Iris Impression #2, 2007

Two Succulents, 2007

Dogwood Glowing, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Table Mountain, California 2006

Iris Impression #1, 2006

Daisies, Carmel, California 2006

White Orchid #2, 2006

Sunrise on Mud Hills, Death Valley NP, California 2007

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 5.0 sec at f / 4.0 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/2 sec at f / 8.0 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/2 sec at f / 8.0 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/4 sec at f / 3.5 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1.3 sec at f / 8.0 ISO 100

96

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 1/3 sec at f / 11 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L, Extender EF 2x 1/2 sec at f / 5.6 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/5 sec at f / 5.6 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 0.6 sec at f / 5.6 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 1.6 sec at f / 22 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1.6 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1.6 sec at f / 25 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.5 sec at f / 29 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L, Extender EF 2x 1/5 sec at f / 5.6 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 0.8 sec at f / 16 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1.3 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 0.7 sec at f / 16 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III EF 50mm 2.5 Macro 1/8 sec at f / 11 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1.6 sec at f / 22 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 0.8 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

97

Sunrise over the Amargosa Range, Death Valley NP, California 2007

Artist’s Palette #1, Death Valley NP, California 2006

Vernal Pool, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2006

Silver Surf, Carmel Bay, California 2008

Badwater Sunrise, Death Valley NP, California 2006

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Waves, Pfeiffer Beach, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California 2007

Sunset, San Simeon Creek, San Simeon State Park, California 2006

Salt Flats, Death Valley NP, California 2006

The Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California 2007

Light on the sea, Big Sur, California 2006

Sunrise, Mono Lake, California 2006

Sand Dunes, Death Valley NP, California 2006

Foothills, Table Mountain, California 2007

sunset, Carmel Bay, California 2006

Sunset, La Jolla, California 2006

Mud Hills, Death Valley NP, California 2007

Owens Valley and White Mountains, California 2006

Surf, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California 2007

Sunset Waves, La Jolla, California 2006

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1.0 sec at f / 25 ISO 200

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/6 sec at f / 14 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/10 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/6 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/8 sec at f / 7.1 ISO 100

98

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/13 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.0 sec at f / 25 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/6 sec at f / 6.3 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/3 sec at f / 22 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/4 sec at f / 13 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 2.0 sec at f / 20 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 300mm f/4L 1/250 sec at f / 8.0 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 1/3 sec at f / 25 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 0.6 sec at f / 22 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L, Extender EF 2x 1/4 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 22 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 4.0 sec at f / 6.3 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L, Extender EF 2x 1/5 sec at f / 5.6 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/15 sec at f / 4.5 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/3 sec at f / 2.8 ISO 100

99

Arch and surf, Pfeiffer Beach, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California 2006

Reflections, Manzanita Lake, California 2008

Sunset, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California 2007

Forest Ripples, Manzanita Lake, California 2008

Sunset Surf, La Jolla, California 2006

Ripples, Manzanita Lake, California 2007

Dawn, Mono Lake, California 2006

Forest reflections, Manzanita Lake, California 2007

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS 5.0 sec at f / 18 ISO 200

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 300mm f/4L 1/40 sec at f / 32 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 1/5 sec at f / 16 ISO 100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L 20.0 sec at f / 16 ISO 100

Surf, La Jolla, California 2006

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II EF 70.0-200.0 mm 2.8L, 1/10 sec at f / 18 ISO 100

100

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III TS-E 90mm 2.8L 1/3 sec at f / 11 ISO 250

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III TS-E 90mm 2.8L 1/10 sec at f / 6.7 ISO 250

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II TS-E 90mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 29 ISO 400

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II TS-E 90mm 2.8L 1/2 sec at f / 29 ISO 400