Chris Moore enjoys photographing the beauty of our natural world any time and anywhere he can

In addition to raising a family in Orange Park, Florida, Chris Moore is also an active freelance photographer who seizes every opportunity to visit other parts of the U.S. and the world. "After a very productive year in 2009, both in terms of travels and improving my photographic skills, I began 2010 by completely rebranding and republishing my website. This resulted in several licensing agreements and gallery displays, as well as several thousand unique visitors to the new site each month. Inspired by its success, I am making an effort to post new images frequently throughout the year.

"While home in Florida, I regularly visit my favorite spot along the Atlantic Coast (at left) whenever the weather and lighting conditions are right. Photographing along the coast can be tricky, and I prefer to come here on the heels of a storm, when there's a high tide and strong winds. For that reason I try to expose properly in my camera, as opposed to blending multiple HDR exposures of the crashing waves. For these shots I typically use my Singh-Ray Warming LB Polarizer to cut the glare of the water and preserve the contrast. I typically hand hold my 3-stop soft-step ND grad, since the rising sun can create a huge tonal range from the darker rocks that I try to minimize. I usually take spot readings off the water and adjust the exposure by -1/2 or -1 EV to prevent blowing out the sky and white water. The combination of those two filters worked well for this image which captures a calm moment after a stormy night, with the rising sun giving a warm glow to the rocks on this unique section of the Atlantic coast.

"I spent a productive week this Spring photographing in Oregon’s Columbia Gorge and along its Pacific coastline. My LB warming polarizer did not leave my camera the entire trip! The following three images were all the result of that trip. The first two were captured within the Columbia Gorge. It was a rainy few days there, which made for some challenging conditions, but the soft light really gave a deeper color to the lush Spring foliage. My polarizer not only cut the glare in the water, but really made the greens pop! Capturing the images properly in the camera meant I only had to make a few minor contrast adjustments -- dodging and burning -- in post production. Using a one-second exposure for water motion and stopping down to f/22 enabled me to use the LB Warming Polarizer to capture these saturated color images of the water cascading through the Gorge, accentuated by the soft light glowing from the foliage beyond.

"This next image was shot during the peak of wildflower season in Oregon's Tom McCall Nature Preserve. I wanted to capture the sun backlighting the wild lupines, and the sky was several stops brighter than the foreground. It was a windy day and I needed to use as fast a shutter speed as possible to minimize the flower motion, while preserving the exposure of the sky. Using a 3-stop soft-step ND Grad with the aperture stopped down allowed me to capture the bright background and sunburst with the backlit wild lupines. This was truly a fantastic sunset to witness and photograph.

"The final image from the last day of my Oregon trip was taken at Hug Point on the Oregon coast. At the ideal tide, the waterfall from the cliff collides with the incoming Pacific Ocean surf. Standing waist deep in the ocean, I waited until the light peeked through the clouds behind me to give a warm glow to the rocks. I stacked my LB Warming Polarizer and Vari-ND for a 1.5-second exposure that accentuated the surf as it streaked toward me during the intense wave action. The light was very dramatic for only a few seconds, and this shot was one of the last of over a hundred frames I took that evening."

The next photo trip for Chris will be to Utah's Zion National Park this November to hike the Narrows and Subway and hopefully capture some nice fall colors in the canyons. If you're interested in keeping up with Chris and his travels, you'll want to visit his website, Exploring Light Photography, and his blog.

When it comes to learning about Singh-Ray filters, Joe Christianson is getting an early start

As a 19-year-old geosciences major at California Polytechnic's campus in San Luis Obispo, Joe Christianson's interest in outdoor photography has been growing steadily. "This central coastal area of the state," says Joe. "is one of the most spectacular locations in the world, both scenically and geologically. A few weeks ago, after nearly a week of 108-degree-plus temperatures, a visit to the beach was sounding better and better. When my classes were over one afternoon, I noticed clouds developing in the west. Realizing a great sunset was in the works, I rushed back to my dorm to get my camera equipment and headed for Shell Beach. I got to the beach with about 90 seconds to spare before the sun sank into the Pacific ocean. It was an absolutely perfect evening, with the temperature hovering around 70 degrees with no wind. The geology of this area, with exposed shale beds stretching into the water, offers many striking photo compositions. After I got all set up a rogue wave splashed my camera, but after a quick cleaning of the lens, I was ready. I used a Singh-Ray 3-stop hard-step Graduated ND filter to hold back the bright horizon and a small aperture to stretch out the exposure time. I was very happy with the result.

"Not far from my school are such well-known photo locations as Big Sur, the Santa Ynez Valley, the Carrizo Plains, and Pismo Beach. They all continue to be great places to find impressive photo opportunities, but it's also easy to find stunning scenery even closer to San Luis Obispo -- much of the area is laced with hiking trails and nature preserves. I discovered this shot on a windy April evening on Yucca Ridge, directly behind the Cal Poly campus. I combined my 2- and 3-stop hard step Graduated ND filters to soften the contrast in the scene. I placed the 2-stop horizontally across the lens and then angled the 3-stop in the corner to prevent the sun from blowing out. Simultaneously, this also kept the sky on the left from getting too dark. The ridgetop wind blurred the grasses in the foreground.

"While I was out with friends one afternoon, we decided to explore a country backroad in California’s coastal mountains. Along the way, we found some of the most spectacular displays of sky lupine I’ve seen anywhere. These lupines were growing on a bluff right next to the road, and the late-afternoon sun was creeping down into the oaks. I used a 3-stop hard-step ND Grad to balance the contrast between the bright sky and the shaded lupines.



"I began taking pictures back in 2007 and have been expanding my range of subjects and techniques ever since. I’ve always been interested in botany, geology, weather, hydrology, and cartography, and I incorporate these topics into my photography. Being able to understand weather patterns and read geologic maps can lead to astounding photographic opportunities, which I continue to seek out. I've been using Singh-Ray filters for over a year now, and continue to use them due to my aversion to Photoshop and/or HDR. I've been highly satisfied with the results! I feel fortunate to have had my work recognized over the past year, with a few of my photographs appearing in books, magazines, and galleries.

To follow Joe's future photographic ventures, visit his website, and follow his photostream on Flickr.