Quick Portrait Shoot

A friend of my wife, Louise, was visiting for the weekend and asked if I could take a few photos for her online social networking profile. Never one to turn down a chance to get my camera out, we found a spare hour and I set up some speedlights in the living room.

When the time came to shoot, Lou wasn't feeling that relaxed in front of the camera so we messed around with some silly shots first. 

Once she was more relaxed and used to the camera we managed to get some more serious shots.

Glacier Grey - Torres del Paine National Park

While listening to the safety briefing, sat onboard the boat heading towards the Grey Glacier, I wasn't expecting to get much of a view of our final destination. The wind was blowing a gale, the rain was thrashing down and the icy waters of Largo Grey were smashing over the bow. 

Sitting there wrapped up in cold weather gear, waterproofs and life vests, there were quite a few people taking on a pale green hue.

As we neared the Glacier, Mother Nature took pity on us and we were allowed out on deck to watch the huge icebergs pass by and take in the spectacular, awe-inspiring, sight of the Glacier Grey.

Glacier Grey is one of the big attractions of Torres del Paine National Park and is famed for its glacial ice calvings that result in the detachments of huge icebergs.

Located between Argentina & Chile, at the Southern Patagonic Andes, the Grey Glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field (Campos de Hielo Sur), which is the third largest reserve of fresh water and the second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field in the world. 

The Glacier is one of 49 masses of continental Ice in the southern Patagonian Ice Field and is around 30 meters high and 6 kilometers wide. The name Glacier Grey originates from the colour of the water of Largo Grey (Lake Grey) and its icebergs, which both have various tones of blue.

With more than 2,000mm of snow and rain annually, there is never a dry season in the immediate area of the lake. In the spring/ summer the temperature rarely exceeds 10ºC but on the glacier it’s always below 0°C.

After a cold afternoon photographing a glacier the best reward is with a glass of whisky served with glacial ice.

Thanks for Reading

Russ

Click on the image below to see my Torres del Paine online gallery.

Patagonia - Torres Del Paine Landscapes

I visited Torres del Paine in January this year and stayed for 5 days of trekking and, of course, photography. Patagonia is famed for its very unpredictable weather fronts and gale force winds that only add to the eery atmosphere of this unforgiving, yet magnificent, ancient landscape. 

On the way into the park our driver stopped for a few photo opportunities. The weather was gorgeous and we had great views of the mountain ranges. Unfortunately, due to the classic Patagonia weather, I didn't see the mountain peaks again until the afternoon of the third day as it was either raining heavily or clouds were obscuring the spectacular views. 

On the day I trekked up to the Towers I experienced four seasons in one day, starting the 9 hour round trek in bright sunshine and 20°c heat only to be sat in freezing blizzard conditions 4.5 hours later at the final viewpoint. I sat huddled under a boulder in freezing conditions for almost an hour, willing the storm to pass, so I could get my shot! The weather didn't improve so I headed back to the refuge for a nice glass of Chilean carménère.

Torres del Paine is one of the most spectacular places I've ever visited and is truly a wild place. One day I hope to return and maybe get a chance to catch a sunrise or sunset and my illusive shot of the towers.

Below are some of my images accompanied by text taken from the Torres del Paine National Park wikipedia page: 

Torres del Paine and Lago Sarmiento Vista

Torres del Paine National Park is part of the National System of Protected Forested Areas of Chile and encompasses mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia.

Lake Pehoé

In 2006, it measured approximately 242,242 hectares and is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile.
The national park was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978 and is a popular hiking and rock climbing destination. There are clearly marked and well maintained paths and many refugios which provide shelter and basic services for around 150,000 visitors a year, of which 60% are foreign tourists, who come from all over the world.

Cordillera del Paine Panorama

The Cordillera del Paine is the centrepiece of the park and lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. 

The Towers of Paine

The Torres del Paine are the peaks of the mountain range, Cerro Paine. They extend 3,050 meters above sea level, and are joined by the Cuernos del Paine. 

The Cerro Paine Grande and the Cuernos del Paine

The landscape of the park is dominated by the Paine massif, which is an eastern spur of the Andes located on the east side of the Grey Glacier, rising dramatically above the Patagonian steppe. Small valleys separate the spectacular granite spires and mountains of the massif. Glacial erosion is mainly responsible for the sculpturing of the massif in the last tens of thousands of years. 

Hiking to Mirador Cuernos

A good example of the latter is the Cuernos del Paine, whose central bands of exposed granite contrast strongly with the dark aspect of their tops, which are remnants of a heavily eroded sedimentary stratum.

In 1985 a Japanese tourist started a fire that burned about 150 km² (58 sq mi) of the park. The blaze affected the areas east and south around Lake Pehoé.

Fire damage in Torres Del Paine

In February 2005, an accidental fire started by Czech backpacker, which lasted for about ten days, destroyed 155 km² (60 sq mi) of the park, including about 2 km² of native forest. The fire consumed an area located on the east side of the park and away from the most popular attractions. The Czech government issued a letter of apology and donated US$1 million to reforestation efforts.

The Cuernos del Paine Through Dead Trees

In late December 2011 through January 2012, another fire burned about 176 km² (68 sq mi) of the reserve, destroying about 36 km² of native forest and affecting most of the areas around Lake Pehoé and the western areas around Lake Sarmiento, but moving away from the Cordillera del Paine, the park's centrepiece. An Israeli camper was detained on suspicion of causing the fire. He and his family claimed his innocence and there was no evidence directly linking him to the fire. The Israeli government sent reforestation experts to the zone and has committed to donate trees to replant the affected areas. 

Patagonian Guanaco

Guanacos are one of the most common mammals found in the park. Other mammals include foxes and pumas.[28] It is also home to the endangered Chilean Huemul. The puma's predation on guanacos in the park has been studied.

Hosteria Pehoe and the Cordillera del Paine

The final instalment of my Torres del Paine photos will be finished soon and are of the Grey Glacier!

Thanks for reading

Russ

Click on the Cuernos del Paine image below to see my online gallery.

Cuernos del Paine

Textured Handprints

Using in camera multiple exposures I have created a series of images of textured gloves or hand prints.

After setting my camera up for a two shot multiple exposure I first photographed a pattern from a cushion. I then held out my hand so it was silhouetted against the sky and took my second image. 

  
I then chose different patterns and textures and carried on experimenting. These images are the results... My textured handprints 

Follow this link to see the rest of the gallery on my website:

 http://russellbevan.photoshelter.com/gallery/Hand-Prints/G0000PVBG37JycRI/


Thanks for reading,

Russ

Working on photos... What are you talking about?

I'm currently (still) working on my photos from my trip to Patagonia last Christmas. The process of taking the photo is actually one of the first steps to creating the final piece of work and this is something a lot of people don't realise.

Often people think that all you need to be a photographer is an expensive SLR but then they get disappointed when their photos don't look that great, even after they've been on a photographic workshop or course. 

Obviously, if you know what you're doing with your camera and take your time it is possible to get great results straight out of the camera but when you're travelling you sometimes don't get the time to do this. 

Even if you have the time to take the perfect shot it is often the case that the image can be enhanced with some creative image editing.    

I sometimes I get asked what I mean by 'working' on my photos. This working phase starts with the filtering or editing process - you've taken tonnes of images but most of them will never be used so they're deleted. 

Then using editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop I can start to get more creative and make those flat looking images come alive (not literally).

Here is a before and after example of one of my Patagonia images:

I shoot mainly RAW files (data taken straight from the sensor) which give you lots of flexibility when it comes to enhancing the images but they also need to be converted into a usable final file format like Jpeg or Tiff etc. For this I use Adobe Lightroom and as you can see from above screen shot it is quite a powerful program.

There are also some people who see this as cheating! Digital image editing uses the same principles of darkroom developing but in a digital environment and with loads of extras thrown in. So personally I see this as an evolution of the photographic art.

After the processing is complete I come up with a title for my images, add keywords (so they can be found on online searches and finally publish them online. 

So, now you know what I'm doing when 'working' on my photos!

Thanks for reading.  

Russ

No one to sit for your portrait tests? Self Portrait Time!

I've recently bought some new light modifiers and understandably wanted to have a mess around with them. Especially testing my Orbis Ring Flash as an on axis fill light.

The problem was that at 2100 the only person to ask was my lovely wife... unfortunately she wasn't up for it so the only other person was myself! Impromptu self portrait time :)

I also couldn't help having a little photo editing session with Google Snapseed for the iPad.
Here are a few of the shots as well as a link to the Facebook gallery:

This one's just the Ring Flash: Rock n Roll...

So I wasn't telling the whole truth! I did get my wife to sit in for one shot so I could check the focus :)

If you want to check out a few more shots follow the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151653305676351.1073741827.752551350&type=1

Cheers,

Russ

Earth Shots Photo Of The Day

One Last Look at Iguazu Falls by Russell Bevan was photo of the day on Wednesday, 29th May 2013.

http://www.earthshots.org/2013/05/one-last-look-at-iguazu-falls-by-russell-bevan/

A big thank you to Cataratas del Iguazú' for featuring my photo 'One Last Look at Iguazu Falls' on their Facebook page today.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=421870177910839&set=a.172940046137188.35130.172507139513812&type=1&theater

Iguazu Falls

Spanning the border between Argentina and Brazil Iguazu Falls is made up of many cascades producing vast sprays of water. The falls are located where the Iguazu River tumbles over the edge of the Paraná Plateau and is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. 

The site consists of the national park and national reserves in Misiones Province, north-eastern Argentina. The Iguazú River forms the northern boundary of both the reserves and park, and also the southern boundary of Iguaçu National Park World Heritage site in Brazil.

Numerous islands along the 2.7 km long (1.7 mi) edge divide the falls into numerous separate waterfalls and cataracts, varying between 60 to 82 metres (197 to 269 ft) high. The number of these smaller waterfalls fluctuates from 150 to 300, depending on the water level.

Although I visited the falls in summer I wasn't blessed with good weather but the overcast sky compliments the unique atmosphere created by the power of the falls and the jungle setting. Iguazu definitely has a 'Jurassic Park' feel and you can easily imagine giant dinosaurs roaming the subtropical rainforest and Pterodactylus circling in the skies above.



Follow the link blow to see my full gallery of images from Iguazu Falls.

http://images.russellbevanphotography.com/gallery/Iguazu-Falls/G0000DEOM_h_Zto4

I'm currently working on more photos from my trip to Argentina & Chile - Next up is Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia.

Thanks

Russ

As some of you may have noticed I'm currently in the process of revamping my website, blog and social media pages etc.

In the next couple of months I'll be refining my existing website galleries and also adding more work from my last two trips to Morocco and South America (Argentina & Chile).

I've also decided to break away from just showcasing my travel and landscape work by including some of my other photographic projects - portraits, music events and product photography.

Watch this space for more info :)




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