New Image — Tangents

Tangents — Cataract Creek, Mt. Tamalpais Watershed, Marin County, California

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I made this image a while ago and just got around to writing up the description to post it up here.  This image is from the Cataract Creek trail in the Mt. Tamalpais watershed.  That trail is wonderful and follows the creek steeply up the side of Mt. Tam and there’s no shortage of action along the way.  I’m always confronted with a new composition whenever I visit this location.  This spot is a short scramble away from the main trail on a use path.

This trail is a must visit spot during the wet season, the whole area becomes so lush and the creek fills up  with nice clean water, just make sure to arrive early to avoid the crowds as this is a very popular spot on the weekends.

Here’s some technical information about the exposure and the post processing:

Exposure: 6 seconds, f/11, ISO 100.

Camera & Lens: Nikon D7000 — Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG

Filters: B+W Kaesemann Circular Polarizer

Post Processing:  This image is a blend of three landscape orientation shots panned vertically to encompass the whole run of cascades that were visible from this vantage point.  I also blended in the cascades from a 1 second exposure shot for the top corner to control the highlights within that much brighter section.  After blending the exposure together I did some minor dodging and burning to add contrast and warmed up the color temperature slightly to remove the blueish cast from the water in the more shaded areas of the image.  I did not have to increase saturation as the circular polarizer does a lot to enhance the strong greens that are present in this lush canyon.