Sunrises

Magical Maui Moment

September 19, 2012 by Justin Balog 2 Comments

This image of the sun setting behind Lani from the coast of Maui was one of those brief, yet powerfully beautiful moments here on Earth. As the sunset, the golden rays disappeared beyond the horizon leaving behind a few short seconds of a magical magenta glow. Everywhere I looked was bathed in this soft pink light. I never witnessed a sunset again like this one. It truly was one in a million.

This moment was so unique, I decide to offer a hand signed limited edition run of this print. You can find all the details about my limited editions page (click here)

Filed Under: Hawaii, Landscape, Lightroom 4, Maui, Nikon 17-35 2.8 AFS, Nikon D700, Really Right Stuff, RRS Versa 24, Sunrises, Travel

Photographing Mesa Arch

September 16, 2012 by Justin Balog 4 Comments

Howdy Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I was hard at work putting together a couple new things on the site, I think you will like them. One of them was a how-to video featuring this image of Mesa Arch. In this video I applied a portrait technique I learned over at KelbyTraining.com. If you are already a member, you know how great it is, if not I highly recommend you join. Money well spent!

The New Learning Center ( click here) – I have consolidated all my archived videos, as well as some of my favorite online learning resources into one place. I will be posting new videos here every month so spread the word.
Photographer’s Guide To Moab (click here) – I shot today’s image of Mesa Arch in Moab, UT earlier this year. I put together a travel guide featuring all sorts of other cool photo locations around Moab over in my new travel guide. If you are looking for some inspiration to head to Moab, you might want to check it out.

Note: If you are an email subscriber, you will have to visit the site to watch the video.

Filed Under: Lightroom 4, Moab, Nikon 20mm 2.8, Nikon D700, Processing Notes, Really Right Stuff, RRS Versa 24, Sunrises, Tips, Travel, Tutorials, Utah

Photographing Mesa Arch

July 16, 2012 by Justin Balog 13 Comments

I hope you had a great weekend! I finally finished processing one of my first images from Mesa Arch. Mesa Arch has been on my list for a long time. I’ve been to Moab at least once a year for the last 15 years and have never photographed it. Yes, I know I have violated a cosmic photographic law. In my defense, I had no idea where it was. Well, I come to find out it is very easy to get to…you just drive there. My iPhone took me right too it! I shot this image shortly before the sun began to rise. Once the sun rises, you only have a few minutes to capture the warmth beneath the arch. I’ll share that image later this year. I thought the pre-sunrise photo’s depth would be better served in monochrome.

Mesa arch attracts quite a crowd. Be prepared to find your composition in and amongst a bunch of other photographers.

Photographer’s Note: This is the first image I have processed with Adobe’s new Lightroom 4. Holy Crap, it is awesome! I love it. I held off until 4.1 was available to make sure all the bugs were worked out. I’m happy to report they are. Lightroom 4 kicks serious butt!

News: The iPhone Photography series I mentioned last Friday is all dialed in. I’m going to hold off until this Friday to start the series. That seemed like the best way to stay on schedule. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you!

Filed Under: Americana, Black & White, Moab, Nikon D700, One Click, Processing Notes, Really Right Stuff, RRS Versa 24, Sunrises, Tips, Travel, Utah
Tagged With: Mesa Arch

Sunrise vs. Sunset

June 26, 2012 by Justin Balog 6 Comments

I’m sure there is a astrophysicist that could answer this question for us, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts regarding the difference between sunrises and sunsets. I have given it some thought, and one conclusion I’ve arrived at is sunrises are a bit more mysterious. Unlike a sunset, a sunrise reveals the unknown. What do you think? By the way, this is the sunrise as it’s seen from the top of Mt. Soledad in La Jolla, CA.

Filed Under: California, La Jolla, Nikon 24-70, Nikon D700, One Click, Really Right Stuff, RRS Versa 24, Sunrises

Once In A Lifetime

October 24, 2011 by Justin Balog 12 Comments

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We had some solid weather here in CO. Enough to remind me that I’m dreading winter. I don’t mind the seasons, I just wish the distribution was different. Six months of summer, three months of spring, two months of fall, and only one month of winter is how I would have designed it. Anyway, I have a great week lined up for us! I’m really excited for it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together.

Remember this photo from my iPhone I posted a couple months back?

The iPhone Image

The story goes that I was out for a run one morning in San Francisco and stumbled upon this beautiful scene and had nothing but my iPhone to capture it. So I did! However, the next day I decided to head back down to the bay and try my luck with my DSLR. I chased seagulls around for a good hour, however, the image on top is as close as I got to that magic moment the day before. Further proof that the best camera is the one you have with you.

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…