Exavius, Hikin Mike & Windwalker photo t rip

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Dogwood leaves






Ten Mile Creek”

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Ten Mile Creek



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Had a blast today guys! Thanks!!!”

“no wonder you guys take such great pictures..look at your cameras! eh eh eh seriously, beautiful pictures, WW, thank you!

So Mike, where are yours!”

“Yes, it was a good day. And here are a few more...





















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“These are amazing! Where did you go?”

“Those are awesome James!!!




Creek Dancer....We went to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.”

“Hold your head high, Exavius...your photos are glorious! The fallen, gold ferns by the Sequoias and all that light in your shots...spectacular! We are so lucky to have such superb photographers who kindly post here...”

“We are so lucky to have such superb photographers who kindly post here...

Ditto what mataharihiker said.”

“Saving the best for last? Anyway, here's a few of mine...













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“Those areas are nice that those pictures were taken from. Would if be possible to show the original shots untouched. I would really enjoy seeing those.”

“hehehe... me too.”

“Would you take your prints back to the corner drug store and ask to see them without any corrections?

Never the less I'll humor you...

1st shot...



Untouched...

”

“Its not about humor, its about seeing what you saw. Thank you.”

“I make only slight corrections just like the labs would do.

Raw files come out a bit flat because I don't use any of the 'in camera' boosts to color, satuaration, contrast or sharpness.
I like to have final say about my photos...don't like auto ajustments in camera or out.

To me the 1st photo I posted looks more like what I saw...the untouched photo looks a little flat and pale. The dogwoods are very colorful right now.”

“Guys! Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing!

Coincidentally, my daughter Debi brought the following poem home from church today along with a tree constructed with fall colors. Seems appropriate on this thread:

The Master's Miracle

In the Autumn morning's sunlight
When the air is crystal clear,
Not one "Old Masters" painting
With its beauty could compare.
Each tree is splashed with color
Made not by human brush,
For who of us could capture
The beauty or the hush?
The pale, blue sky's the background,
My window is the frame...
It's called "The Master's Miracle"
Of turning leaves to flame”

“Thanks for your generous words Matahari. =) It's nice to see gratitude for the photos and work I've shared. More to come as long as my strength and spirit holds up. I sure know I'm inspired by photos posted by folks and friends here as well.

Enjoyed your photos guys. It was a good time to explore the area and learn more of the SeKi wilderness immersed and up close like that.

Sometimes when you're hiking or backpacking, you're on a schedule so you might miss out on what you could otherwise experience by focusing on a variety of subjects. When you focus on beauty or spend time with it to bring it forward, it tends to reach you. You gain a better sense of appreciation for what's before you. I can remember one of my mountaineering instructors a few years ago telling me that outings isn't always about the accomplishment, or what you take from it. It's also just about being more connected to the Earth. Sometimes I think we miss that.”

“So fitting. The Master's Miracle. - Think that's what I'll title my journal entry for this outing.

His presence is very much with me when I'm in His wilderness. It's quite difficult to explain.”

“Mike & James the photos are great!

Very fitting and so true Phil!

James.. it was very nice to meet your family you are a very blessed man. I have your cell phone....thinking about all those calls to Hong Kong I've been wanting to make. 8) LOL!

I would love it if you told the story about the little girl and her question....LOL!”

“Michael, what question was that? lol”

“Here you are rewright. Very little post processing on those photos, but admittedly I am using a CP filter for lens protection and dynamic range with sky and water shots.

I play around alot with exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, manual, apeture and shutter settings. I've gotten to know the Nikon D100 quite well and it's getting close to a time for a change. RAW image record time on the D100 is getting unbearable.

Here's the processing routine for the photos posted above.



Thanks for asking.”

“Well, I know from past experience that the real, exisiting colour saturation is rarely picked up by the camera lens..probably something to do with the difference between the number of pixels seen by the human eye vs a camera lens...that's what makes a superb photographer, IMHO...and that's what takes all the time...it's tough trying to get that photograph to have the color of the original scene no matter what program you use...Photography is the capturing of light and light is very ellusive...you are all good at capturing it..

Exavius, I read something about Hong Kong...I lived there, on and off, in the late 70's...my ex-father-in-law sold cultured pearls to German tourists...I loved the rocks and gravel business (jewelry)...”

“Fantastic photos, fitting poem, and I know what you mean about how sticking to a schedule can affect the experience. Let me add my thanks to you guys for sharing. I love to have my morning coffee in the Sierras ;-)”

“Great photos guys! I had a great time. I'm still recovering from that "big" hike! Looking forward to the next trip...this time I'll try and round up a wheelchair. :-)

Phil, that was a fitting poem!”

“There isn't a pic on there short of exquisite! Great stuff, guys!

Hikin' Mike, how are you feeling?”

“Tree,
Not getting much better, if at all. I walked about a half mile that day and I'm so sore. I have a doctor appointment next week...I need some answers!

How are you doing? Hopefully better... :)”

“Wow, great images, all of you, the whole lot of ya!”

“Great Pictures! You guys are really good, thanks.”

“Note to windwalker - I saw Josh on Campus today. He looked great is doing well (unless he lied!).”

“A friend just sent me this fall poem. I apologize if the lines are rearranged. I cut and pasted from her e-mail.

Fall Song
Another year gone, leaving everywhere
its rich spiced residues: vines, leaves,
the uneaten fruits crumbling damply
in the shadows, unmattering back
from the particular island
of this summer, this NOW, that now is nowhere
except underfoot, moldering
in that black subterranean castle
of unobservable mysteries - roots and sealed seeds
and the wanderings of water. This
I try to remember when time's measure
painfully chafes, for instance when autumn
flares out at the last, boisterous and like us longing
to stay - how everything lives, shifting
from one bright vision to another, forever
in these momentary pastures.
~ Mary Oliver ~”

“Thanks Phil! He called home today and told me that he had talked with you today.
He seems to be doing fine...said something about getting an unexpected bonus at work!”

“wannabp, that's a beautiful poem. Thanks for posting that. =)

If there's any reading to bring with you into the wilderness, it would be poems of such meaning. I remember being on a few Sierra outings when group members would pass around a poem book and each one would pick a reading for everyone's hearing. One reading per meal time, 3 times a day. That was good stuff.

It was in that reading that friendships were formed. We sorta gained trust for each other by the poems or short stories we chose to read and think about. Some of it was light-hearted and some of it was quite inspirational.

There was one time when a young woman had a confidence problem while in the mountains with us. It was out near Silliman crest. Throughout the trip, she had a few bad tumbles with quite the heavy pack. Eventually, because of our reading, we somehow gained a friendship by seeing things the same way in later conversations.

Toward the end of the outing, we were on a class 5.11 climb on ropes and she was really having a rough go of it. She lost some skin on that one and really couldn't advance. She kept popping off the face and eventually began to cry. She was quiet about it, but it happened in front of everyone. It was sort of awkward. Still, not really knowing what else to do, it just happened naturally that I put my arm around her shoulder to comfort her. I wanted her to know she had someone right there with her. I didn't say anything. Her hands were in her face as she cried, but it wasn't long before she was right back on that rock and on her way up.

I'll never forget that.
last edited: 11/01/05 12:21:18 AM”

“Wind Walker - "unexpected bonus of work"...I like that!!! Great attitude!!!”

“Sorry to hear that your progress is a bit stalled. Hoping you get the answers you are looking for. As for me, I'm still experiencing lots of sporadic pain in several joints. It moves a lot and comes and goes. My hands have taken the brunt of a lot of it. They feel arthritic at times and now, as of about a week ago, the ring finger on my right hand does this lock-up thing in the middle joint. Then, it sort of springs loose. Geez, this thing doesn't let up too easily. Take care and I'm hoping for good news from you soon!”

“Exavius, I'm glad you liked the poem. I liked your remembrance.

WW, I like your coyote. How'd you get him to pose like that? Yeah, right, you pretended to catch and eat a ground squirrel.”

“I thought the poem you posted was great Karen.

I followed this guy around for quite a while....so he is just keeping an eye on me.
I think he's a little tired of the popparatzi ;)”

“I think he liked the attention. He's posing.”