Hidden Treasures in Idaho + Photoshop tips

Stoddard Campground was a hidden treasure in Idaho. It was supposed to be a one night stopover on my way to elsewhere. A lot of these little out of the way campsites are becoming surprisingly pleasant. I was apprehensive because the review said ATV campground – read – NOISY!

But surprisingly not. It was quiet and lovely. I ended up staying a few nights instead of the one night stop over I had planned. All the ATV campers were in one area and had strict rules for while they were in the campground. And the ATV trails were far enough off to not be heard. Walking around the park provided me with these beautiful restful scenes.

One of my readers gave me insight into this particular forest. David Robinson let me know about the Aspen forests. “Did you know all those trees share a common root system as one huge organism. If you want to thicken the stand of trees you cut a few down and it sends up twice as many as replacements.”

Aspen tree groves are all linked to each other. I had no idea about this hidden network of root system that is tied to the healthy community of aspens.

Campground beauty in the trees and foliage.

Aspen Grove at Stoddard Creek Campground, Idaho

I approached both of these shots with a different eye. I liked the one above because it had the textures of the foliage on the ground, the dark evergreens to strengthen the image and the pattern of the aspens throughout. Because I cropped it with the rule of thirds it gave it more dynamic interest. Next, I brought it into Photoshop for a bit of post processing. I strengthened the color intensity of the ground foliage and brought the whites in the aspen bark back to where it should be.

Sometimes cameras don’t give you what you saw in the original scene, especially cell phones.

The second image to the left is much different to me. I positioned the leading line of the dead tree in the middle to bring the viewers eye into the scene.

Again, a short stop in Photoshop strengthened the greens and gave the white bark back its beautiful white contrast. If you don’t have Photoshop, and would like to get it, please follow this link.

You can have a subscription to it for under $10 per month for personal use and it is well worth the price if you are interested in making your photographs better.

If you use this link when you purchase, it helps support my blog and travels at no extra cost to you.

Great evergreens in Stoddard Creek Campground, Idaho

This third image I liked because of the size and strength of the evergreens. The circumference of the trunks was a stark contrast to the aspens. The bit of brightly colored fungi on the side of the trunk gives a bit more interest.

I positioned the tree so that the viewer could get grounded by seeing the bottom of the tree trunks and enough of the branches to get a sense of the scene.

By positioning the aspens in the back, it shows that they are secondary to the true focus of the image, instead of competing for center stage.

Next, a quick edit in Photoshop was done to strengthen the bark texture, the intensity of the greens and the yellows. Crisping up the whites again gave this image what it needed to turn from snapshot to an image that your eye wants to linger over.

Hidden treasures in Idaho – Opal Mining

While I was here, I tried my hand at mining. Ha ha ha!!

I always have loved opals. The colour variations, the way they catch the light and the beauty of the gem had always made it a favourite. So when I found the Spencer Opal mine not even 20 minutes from camp, I made it a priority to visit.

You don’t actually get to go into the mine, that it too dangerous for them apparently. But there is a great big pile of rocks that contain raw opal and you pay $20 to go in and mine for however long you want. Armed with a bucket, a water sprayer, gloves, and a shovel, in I went.

They give you a five-minute lesson on finding opals in the pile.

I think I needed more like an hour.

I was one of the first ones in, found a promising spot on the pile and sat down to dig. One of the workers came by with a sample of raw opal to help guide me in finding my hidden treasure.

Next, I dug down two feet. I was intent on finding a magnificent piece of opal! Digging, examining and spraying bits of rock with water to bring out the shine occasionally, afforded me nothing more than wet gloves. By using the water, you are apparently more able to recognize the opal in the rock. Still nothing.

Moved to another spot. Repeated procedure. Nothing.

Meanwhile around me was a younger couple, maybe mid 30’s and they were chest high in their rock digging. All the while letting each other know that they “found another one!”

Even young teenagers were finding opals.

But for me – NADA. Zip. Zero. Nothing.

When my backside wore out from sitting on rocks and my back gave in from bending over, I went with my measly 4 small rocks that I knew deep down were nothing and went to check out.

Yep, I was correct. Nothing.

I went to give back my sample opal piece and I think they took pity on me. They told me I could keep it.

Ugh. Pity Opal. Yes, here it is:

Hidden treasures – treats in Dell, Montana

Onward to a small town , Population 53, (yes, that is not a typo) to get a treat I had heard about from a fellow traveller.

He told me to be sure to stop in Dell, Montana at the little schoolhouse turned restaurant, for a cinnamon bun.

Well, after my opal mining fiasco, I figured I deserved a treat. So I stopped here and got one of the largest sticky buns I had ever layed eyes on. Almost 6” in diameter and at the outrageous price of… wait for it… $2.00! It really was a hidden treasure!

Apparently this little restaurant is quite a thing in the area. You should check it out if you are near there.

Calf-A Restaurant, Oregon Shortline Rd., Dell, Montana

Onward to my next gorgeous adventure!!

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Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.

Questions? Please let me know and I will answer!

July 25, 2019June 11, 2020

Landscape Photography Tips While Camping In Idaho

Photographing after a tremendous rainstorm

I went through a tremendous rainstorm yesterday as I drove through Idaho. On my way to Black Foot Reservoir, Idaho I could hardly tell what the landscape looked like until I came out from the downpour. Then … after the storm…

Lovely deep colors create striking photographs…

All around me were the most lovely deep colors of the landscape and then a wonderful pop of bright yellow. In the distance were dark mountains with the shadow of the clouds still on them and the bands of gentle colors in the foreground. Every once in awhile the bright pop of yellow interspersed the lovely blues and greens.

What a treat!!

When I was in a safe area, I stopped and created these images quickly as I was still on a road, (albeit pulled to the side).

I just love the rolling hills, the pop of yellow flowers, the ribbon of highway on the left, the mountains in shadow, and the rain streaks coming from the clouds in the distance. All of these elements are important in creating a visually appealing travel photograph.

Let’s take this image apart so that you can see why these matter in composing a stunning photograph.

The yellow pop of flowers against the shadowed mountains brings into play the color wheel and contrasts. The two colors, the bright yellow and predominately blue, dark shadows are not only in opposition to each other on the color wheel, but also provide a great deal of contrast. This is a totally different technique than I described here, about using coordinating colors or just one dominant color in the photograph.

When you compose a photograph, look for contrasts not only in light and dark but in opposing colors on the color wheel. If you are lucky enough to have both in the same photograph… winner! The deep blues of the clouds in the stormy sky also stand out opposite the yellow fields.

The ribbon of the highway on the left adds interest and leads your eye to the horizon. Remember the leading lines the art class teacher told you about in 4th grade? Yea, that applies here!

But there are even more leading lines.

The sun rays coming through the clouds end almost in the same place as the highway does and this only reinforces the pull for your eye to look here.

Did this photograph happen by accident? No.

I walked around until I saw the lines converge. I needed to use a high viewpoint to make sure the tiny bit of the highway was still visible and work quickly to capture the sun rays.

Once you know the rules, you can use them and strengthen just about any photograph.

Take a look at the photo below. This was taken at the same time, about 100 yards away from the first and behind me… Nice, clean, tells a story but not nearly as striking.

Take a little time to think about what you are photographing and walk around a bit if you are able. You might just be surprised at the difference a little thought can make in your final images.

These are all taken near Soda Springs on the way to Black Foot Reservoir.

Fileds near Soda Springs, Idaho — Fields after a rainstorm in Idaho

The image below was taken at sunset over the reservoir. Notice the purple clouds that are on the opposite side of the color wheel from the greens of the foliage.

Also, the visual weight of the green grasses on the left balances the weight of the dark purple clouds in the sky on the right. Look for balance in your composition as you photograph and you will be much happier with your final images.

Moonrise over Blackfoot Reservoir — Sunset over Blackfoot Reservoir

The image below was just from a different angle and minutes before the one above. The light is different and by shifting the grasses to the right of the image it produced a different feel. Again, the white clouds in this image on the upper left are balanced visually by the grasses on the lower right. Look for balance and opposing visual weight in your photographs when you compose them.

Camping provides so many opportunities for photography.

You are able to study the landscape and the light over a few days and plan your shots. Weather can always disrupt those plans, but sometimes the change in weather can be a happy surprise.

Camping here was great. The peacefulness of the campground, the lake view and the quietness of the area all lent to the wonderful feel of the campground.

I walked around the lake on the first night and was well rewarded with the full moon rising over the lake. Just gorgeous!!

For those that like to boat, camp or fish, this is an excellent area. Camping is peaceful with electric hookups available. The sites were larger with sufficient space between them so as to not feel crowded.

When I look at the first photograph, I like to remember that after I go through a trial, even if it is just a rainstorm, that we are often rewarded with seeing the mundane everyday things of life in a new and fresh way.

And hopefully, we remember that they always were that gorgeous, we just couldn’t see them.

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.

July 12, 2019June 12, 2020

4 Simple Photography Hints to create Beautiful Travel Photos

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Beautiful travel photos using 4 simple tips.

Being a portrait photographer for over 30 years makes me look at things a little differently.

I am used to directing my clients to help them achieve their best look by posing them. This little guy took direction quite well……

Head up, sit up straight, front foot to camera, weight on your back foot, relax your hands, smile with your eyes, ears up straight…oh wait, not the ear thing.

But this little chipmunk patiently posed in all the right ways to create a charming portrait in Bryce Canyon! I just love this shot!! He literally just sat there and gave me a half dozen different poses. I wished I had had a snack to reward him with (although there is no feeding of animals allowed in the park).

I would like to share with you my 4 simple photography hints to create beautiful travel photos. After creating thousands of photographs, these are my top time tested hints to share with you. They are fairly easy to remember, don’t involve any new camera equipment and there is only 4 for you to focus on at this time.

1. Use known objects or structures in your photographs to create relationships between them.

Placement of known objects, animals, people or structures within a photograph helps the viewer relate to what they are looking at. Remember that photography is two dimensional whereas life is 3 dimensional. Because the viewer does not have the ability to be there and experience the dimension of space or depth, it is helpful to give them a known object to use as a point of reference.

In the above photograph, the oddity of the chipmunk being so small within the greater context of the enormous Bryce Canyon, make you stop and look twice.

He illustrates a sense of place and dimension by combining a commonly known item (chipmunk) with a not so commonly known place (Bryce Canyon).

Besides the fact that he is cute as a button, this also works because he is color coordinated with the background

2. Use a dominating color technique when possible

Try using the dominating color technique next time you create an image. Be aware of the color in an area that you want to photograph and see if you can enhance it by cropping or framing the picture creatively to enhance the dominate color and its variations, allowing only one main color to stand out.

- Dominate color is when one color is predominate in the photograph and represents one base color with varying shades, tints and tone.
- Shades in a photograph show lighter and darker versions of the same hue. Technically, a shade is the color you get when you add black to any given hue. Various shades just refer to how much black you add.
- Tint is the opposite of shade, in that it is technically the color you get when you add white to a particular color.
- Tone is what you get when you add both black and white to a color and create a tone. Saturation and tone are close cousins in terms and are often used interchangeably. Tone is more often used when referring to painting and saturation is used when talking about digital images.

The above image also uses the coordinated color theme idea and presents a strong impression. The sheer abundance of greens-tones, shades and saturation combine to focus your eye on the textures and light coming in from above. (If you want to see examples of opposing color nature images, please check out my post here)

This photograph was taken on a small trail through the Federated Forest in Washington State on Mt Rainer near the White River.

It was a complete surprise when I found this trail ( I like to use the All Trails app) and really not too difficult to hike. Each bend provided a new view of this lush forest and I felt like I was in a real life episode of Lord of the Rings, expecting Frodo Baggins to pop out any minute!

Both of the above images show two different different single dominate color schemes.

2. Look for the unusual to make great travel photos

Yellow Evening Primrose — Yellow evening primrose near Bryce Canyon

When I am in a place, I like to look for images that are out of the ordinary type of travel photos.

This image above is of the evening primroses that grow around the rim near Fairyland Canyon in Bryce Canyon. I loved the way they are backlit.

The softness of the grasses and flowers against the dead log in the background create a mix of textures. New flower growth and old logs side by side show differences that make a scene interesting.

This is definitely not the typical image taken in Bryce Canyon, in fact no part of the canyon is even hinted at!

But there is always more to a place than the obvious dominating landscape features. A smaller more intimate scene can bring back memories of the details surrounding a place.

Also, mixing textures adds greatly to the story that a photograph can tell. To get new and unusual images when you travel, look beyond the obvious, no matter how overwhelmed you are with the place!

4.Use Framing to give a sense of size and intimacy.

Framing is a great technique to learn and use when creating memorable travel photos. This image is framed by a Ponderosa Pine in the foreground, giving the background a sense of scale and dimension. (remember that from the first image above with the chipmunk?)

There is nothing that says you can only utilize one technique.

It is usually quite easy to use framing no matter where you are. For instance:

- - frame a landmark through a tree branch,
  - frame a person in a doorway,
  - frame a mountain by using the meadow of flowers in the foreground

Try using framing next time you create an image and really think about how it enhances the image.

To sum up, think about these four ways to enhance your photography. They are quite easy to do once you get used to using them.

Your images will have much more impact and story telling ability by using just these 4 simple photography hints.

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.