Mark Metternich
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1. “Solitude Falls” (Punchbowl Falls, Eagle Creek).
I have been to this falls a few times, but never expected getting the conditions we had this day. Early morning fog, mist, sporadic rain and a wonderful diffused atmosphere made this a perfect scenario. This image was my last shot just after helping Nick take his last (his may be better than mine). Crazy enough, as soon as I opened up the shutter for a 7 minute exposure (polarizer and ND filter) it down poured completely through the shot, as fog rolled into the scene. As soon as I released the shutter, the rain stopped, right on queue! The very same thing happened to Nick before me. The very long exposure rendered the water like silvery glass, and I was surprised (when opening the raw image) to see no indication of the rain. I breathed on my lens the last 1 and ½ of 7 minutes to further soften micro contrast, keeping with the dreamy atmosphere of the scene.
5D Mark II
Canon 70-200 2.8L
7 minutes
F/11
100 ISO
Umbrella!
Breath
2. “Ghost Tree” (Black and White)
After countless miles scouting the Oregon Coast I recently found this very unique location.
The tree, according to theory, is about 2000 years old. Apparently, some scientists think that about 2000 years ago something cataclysmic happened that dropped a small portion of the Oregon Coast at least 25 feet straight down into the ocean. Land seemed to cover up the base of the tree(s) and a massive tsunami sheered them off entirely! They were covered up by ocean surf and it was a long standing legend of locals until last year (08) when strong storm surf began to rid the underground dirt and sand and at the lowest tides began to display these incredible tree stumps still rooted. To keep with the mysteriousness, awesome history and power of the place I went for a surreal approach. Frothy foamy tide and long exposure worked well together.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 16-35 2.8 LII at 16 mm.
25 second exposure
F/22
100 ISO
Circular polarizer
Almost all work was done in ACR 5.3. Mainly to get the effect I was after I used a lot of "recovery" (about 80%) and almost no "fill light." I also took the mid-tone contrast adjustment ("clarity") to 100% globally (which had little effect due to most of the tones being in the upper 2/3 levels).
As a single image, I took it into PS CS4 and did a slight horizon correcting crop, moderate shadows and highlights adjustment (to globally balance tones) another mid-tone contrast tweak (a technique that is basically identical to “clarity” in ACR - that again had a very limited effect) a “contrast vignette” (instead of just darkening the edges a little, I also added a little contrast) simple healing brush speck removal, a dodge in a few spots (to balance some localized tones) and then of course a B+W conversion, sizing and sharpening. The stump was the only thing I sharpened. I used a twist on the popularized sharpening technique Marc Adamus has written about.
3. “Ghost Tree 2” (Color)
Basically another of about 50 shots taken of this ancient tree and others.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 16-35 2.8 LII @ 16mm.
15 second exposure
F/22
100 ISO
Circular polarizer
4. “Multnomah’s Glory” (Multnomah Falls, Oregon)
Multnomah Falls is Oregon’s biggest tourist attraction. Being a native Oregonian I grew tired of the scene since pictures of it are everywhere in Oregon, as well as it being a place I have gone to literally hundreds of times. Since I had been gone from Oregon 2 years, and my client had never seen it, I decided to target it for a very early sunrise. I was floored by its beauty! It was as if I had never seen it before. We traded off shots all morning until eventually people started showing up.
A circular polarizer and black ND filter were stacked to lengthen exposure to almost 10 minutes as early morning mist engulfed the scene. A slight "Orton" soft filter effect was used (to more accurately portray the scene) by breathing on the lens the last 3 minutes of the exposure.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 70-200 2.8L @ 93mm.
10 minute exposure
F/11
100 ISO
Umbrella to prevent breeze from hitting camera or tripod
5. “Pacific Journey” Cape Kiwanda
In the danger zone, getting hit by waves often, I held my ground (protecting the camera with a huge umbrella) shooting off hundreds of shots at the waters most tumultuous moments.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 16-35 2.8 LII @ 16mm
½ second exposure
F/22
100 ISO
Circular polarizer
6. “Jurassic Falls” (Wahclella Falls, Oregon)
This is one of those places that photos NEVER do justice to its immensity! Especially when wide angle lenses make the gigantic falls look so small. My client and I came up with the idea that the place looks like something out of the movie Jurassic Park. We both wanted to get some unique angles and dynamic shots, so we suffered wading up to our chests and sometimes even our necks in the frigid waters for about 3 straight hours (got to have those waders!). For protection, we put our equipment in doubled up large Glad bags and tied our equipment around our necks. We used hiking poles for the extra balance we needed in the rushing current. After exhaustion started creeping in we began to fear making mistakes (like falling in the water or losing our equipment) so we carefully headed out. Although tiring, the river trekking was a total blast.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 16-35 2.8 LII @ 16mm
5 second exposure
F/11
100 ISO
Circular polarizer
7. “Kiwanda Surreal Seascape” Cape Kiwanda.
This is an almost 10 minute exposure during sunset. I’m surprised the clouds did not move much, but the water did. I spent most of the 10 minutes helping Nick with his shots as my camera went to work for me.
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 70-200 2.8 L @ 75mm
10 minute exposure
Stacked circular polarizer’s
ND filter
F/11
100 ISO
8. Nick traversing a river for the first time (Eagle Creek).
9. Narcolepsy finally gets the best of me while driving home. Just kidding!
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We scored on fantastic conditions and beautiful lighting. Below the images are notes from each shot (for the more inquisitive). If you have any questions I’ll certainly do my best to answer them. Hope you enjoy. 
