The Smith Avenue Bridge…

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Justin Le

…At least, that’s what I assume it’s called. After leaving my friends’, Andrew & Carrie’s, wedding in Saint Paul, MN, I went straight instead of taking a left turn. I ended up going under this bridge, and started to turn around right after the bridge. I thought the lights on the bridge looked cool, so I decided to stop for a few photos of the bridge. Unfortunately, the old UV filter I have on the wide angle lens I like to use (the Nikon 20mm f/2.8) that came with the lens when I bought it used, was actually literally, old. Anyway, the old “haze” filter left some haziness in the flare of the lights, so those didn’t turn out so great. But, here are a few others which turned out pretty good, I think, anyway. Let me know what you think.

Meanwhile, I’ll probably start browsing for a new multicoat UV filter for my lens, or remember to remove it for those kind of shots.

Long’s Peak: My First Fourteener

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Justin Le

Just over a month ago, I, and 6 of my friends, embarked upon a journey. A journey of modestly epic proportions. A journey that many have done before, but none of those people were us. We were going to hike Long’s Peak.

We had all traveled to Estes Park to celebrate, our friends, Rob and Julie’s wedding, and after the wedding, we took a week to enjoy Colorado. During the week leading up to our hike, we had been discussing whether or not we would attempt Long’s Peak. If you don’t know about Long’s Peak, it is the only fourteener (where the summit is above 14,000 ft above sea level) in Rocky Mountain National Park. I’ll let wikipedia describe the Keyhole route for you.

The hike from the trailhead to the summit is 8 miles (13 km) each way. Most hikers begin before dawn in order to reach the summit and return below the tree line before frequent afternoon thunderstorms bring a risk of lightning strikes. The most difficult portion of the hike begins at the Boulder Field, 6.4 miles (10 km) into the hike. After scrambling over the boulders, hikers reach the Keyhole at 6.7 miles (10.5 km).

The following quarter of a mile involves a scramble along narrow ledges, many of which may have nearly sheer cliffs of 1,000 feet (305 m) or more just off the edge. The next portion of the hike includes climbing over 600 vertical feet (183 m) up the Trough before reaching the most exposed section of the hike, the Narrows. Just beyond the Narrows, the Notch signifies the beginning of the Homestretch, a steep climb to the football field-sized, flat summit. It is possible to camp out overnight in the Boulder Field (permit required) which makes for a less arduous two day hike, although this is fairly exposed to the elements. 57 people have died climbing or hiking Longs Peak. According to the National Park Service, 2 people, on average, die every year attempting to climb the mountain. In the summer of 2005 a Japanese climber was blown off a ledge after reaching the summit. On September 3, 2006 a man fell 800 feet (244 m) to his death when some rocks let go while he was descending the Loft route. Less experienced mountaineers are encouraged to use a guide for this summit to mitigate risk and increase the probability of a summit.

-From Wikipedia

CAUTION! ACHTUNG, BABY! This is a very photo heavy post. Click at your own risk. There are dozens of photos in this post, so those on a 56k modem should probably join us in the 21st century and get some hi-speed internet! (j/k but, you know, seriously, it might take a while to load.)
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Seeing Stars… aka Star Trails

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Justin Le

While in Colorado earlier this month, I tried to capture a few star trail photos. I understand the concept pretty well; basically long exposure shots of the night sky, but without having done them before, they aren’t as easy as they look. The key to getting some interesting shots is to have a good foreground to anchor it. Otherwise, it’s just some arcs of light. I think even a silhouette of something would work. Here’s a few from a campsite just outside of Fruita, CO. These trees were illuminated by a nearby tungsten light from the campgrounds. Luckily, it was a relatively windless night, keeping the leaves still enough to get some detail. Anyway, I’m pleased with the results. I’ll be trying it again sometime soon, but now that I’m back in Michigan, the mosquitoes are not really convincing me that I want to spend time outside at night… But perhaps, when it gets a little colder, I might try to make it out for some photos.

This last one is actually from later in the week, in Estes Park, of what I believe is Long’s Peak.

Rainbows & Sunsets…

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Justin Le

I went down to a friend’s cabin this weekend for a day… We were looking forward to basking in the sun as we darted around the lake on their family boat, spraying children on the shore with our wake, chucking empty beer bottles at elderly folks, and leaving uncut 6-pack plastic rings in the water for fish and seals and birds to get their necks caught in… you know, what everybody does during Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, as soon as I arrived with my friends Andrew and Carrie, the sun went into hiding, and the clouds came out with it’s angry face. It rained for the majority of the afternoon, which sucked, but it stopped raining just in time for dinner. We were able to catch some double rainbows, and the angry clouds made for some dynamic sunset photos as we got on the boat for an evening cruise.

These were taken with the E-1 and 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 lens. Not bad for a camera that’s 6 years old… I also had my E-620 with me, but I opted for the E-1 due to it’s weather sealing… just in case the clouds decided to unzip it’s pants and unload on us again. Fortunately, it didn’t, and I ended up with these two photos… (the second shot was taken holding the camera just above the water… getting it ever so slightly wet.)

Sandy a la Mode – Assignment #2: Night Photography

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Justin Le

Sandy’s second photography “assignment” was about night photos…

http://www.sandyalamode.com/2010/02/01/dark-skies/

It’s a good thing I decided that I’d undertake her photography blogs as a reason to get out and shoot. It’s nice to have a focus/purpose when going out to take photos; just try not to get that tunnel vision and overlook any other photo opportunities should they come up during that time.

In any case, I took the opportunity to grab my camera (Olympus E620) and a couple lenses (Olympus ZD 12-60mm f/2.8-4.5 and the Olympus ZD 8mm Fisheye), along with the tripod my pops gave me (when he upgraded to a nice carbon fiber one, and a steel one… he’s more of a photo gearhead than I am.) The following photos are taken from areas within walking distance from my apartment. The photos were taken near the Loring Park area, with shots taken from a pedestrian bridge, or from within the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden.