Mountains have always intrigued me. They are so metaphorical in their stateliness. The men and women who climb them stand as symbols to all who must overcome the challenges that life throws at us all. Asthma has prevented me from ever taking on the challenge of a mountain climb so I have chosen to master the mountain another way. My way, with a camera.
My mountain is Mount Hood. Yes, most people don’t realize it, but I traded my neighborhood, Lents Oregon, for it last year when the economy got so bad. Now if you are not from the Portland area, that may not make sense to you but, if you have lived in Portland for more than two years you know that trading Lents Oregon for Mount Hood was a way good deal. So, I have taken on the personal challenge to photograph my mountain from every possible angle, at every time of day and at every time of year. This year’s first submission is included in this post.
This week, while driving from one assignment to the next, I noticed a unique cloud formation around the mountain. I immediately drove out to one of my favorite shooting locations in Sandy Oregon, to begin the process. My plan was to create a three step procedure to capture the scene as I saw it.
My first step was to shoot for HDR rendering using tone mapping software from Photomatix. The second step was to clean up the detail and add sharpness using DeNoise from Topaz labs and Photoshop’s unsharp mask. The final step would be to use Adjust from Topaz Labs to bring out the detail and enhance the colorations somewhat. What I ended up with was a 12MP digital photograph that will look stunning on a 16X24 canvas wrap. I can’t wait to get it printed. My next assignment will be to drive around the back side of the mountain near Hood River Oregon, early in the morning.
