A few miles were explored today underfoot while at Mariposa Grove. Well above the trail entry and quite some distance away from folks seeing the grove just as well. A very large grove spread out a sizable distance.
Time well spent. Among the lupine and the bumblebees, the towering conifers and the light that brings us energy and life.
Today we set out to the backside of Tenaya Lake just a bit above it. From the Eastside trailhead through to the Westside. Clear day and plenty of energy with more to spare. Over a decade of Yosemite exploration year over year and it is still largely a mystery to us.
Today was a new day in Yosemite with the wonder and inspiration that goes with it. Always a new perspective and place to explore. Step after step and place by place we were out and about to experience the absolute and incredible beauty of this place.
Tomorrow is a new day and a day of renewal. A time redeemed because these days will one day be gone. As all the others that went before them, but only in these places of beauty. Today I smiled and laughed more than I ordinarily do. Not because of those I’m with, but because of what and Who is here.
So what did I do with this time given? And with the decisions about how I choose to think and believe. Mile by mile and one step at a time.
Tomorrow, a new day. A fresh start with anticipation about what’s next. Up at dawn, tomorrow we go higher in elevation.
Today’s time was spent at practicing the switch over from program to manual and back again with a one or two-stop change. Experimentation with various ISO settings, priority modes, and live-view. It was along about a 3-mile trail in Kings Canyon where the light was strong and unforgiving.
We went to Comstock Meadow where the forest beauty was complemented by the piercing light, even and pleasing temperatures, and strong aroma of the Sierra air. Today was time well spent to experiment, but to also again get a full immersion in these mountains I call home.
Further lessons and practice today centered upon sharpening and retouching techniques. Not so much about the outcomes but largely about the controls, tools, panels, and dialog to better understand limits and best practices. To get more thoroughly familiar with Bridge, Photoshop, and Lightroom and their relationships with each other.
Today’s time was spent on blending practice. Several different images where some came out very hideous. This one was a final practice image for the day. Some photos I took quite some while ago.
Combined the same image across numerous layers to get an adjusted image with lens correction. Interwoven between two images a soft-light algorithm was applied with 50% opacity. Selective erasure and sharpening by an entirely different methodology. What you’re seeing are actually two copies of the same image combined and re-sampled together.
The depth of learning continues to better automate workflow through Actions. At least for photos that come together in quantity for outings. The manual process will stay indefinitely and with greater attention simply to get more from the creativity that follows. There is so much more to learn and practice.
Picked up many new capabilities given significant advancements that have happened with process tools. Among the various new techniques taught and demonstrated, I’ve learned that selective and non-destructive editing of RAW images within Lightroom provides for a much more interesting experience. Where brushes and value selections among object layers give back a completely different way of showing an image. To get it to say something more or different than what came right from the camera.
Here is a random photo I took of two Mariposa Lilies. One prominent and one smaller, but kept back at a darker exposure. The image above processed to accentuate the difference between the two in an effort to communicate meaning. There were other overall curves and pixel density adjustments that were made as well.
The original RAW image shown below is directly out of the camera (converted to JPG). Time and practice will bring better results.
The release of Adobe’s Creative Cloud had me signing up without any thought or regret. So went straight from CS3 to CC. Several leaps ahead among versions, but the results are absolutely impressive. Such a difference to support the work of inspiration and creativity. I really love the change.
Photoshop and Lightroom integration with my Nikon is far better than my prior set up with Bridge. I’ve learned a lot about my new Nikon full-frame set up with FX lenses. To compliment that with these tools gives so much more editing control over images captured. Where there is much more ahead for far better quality.
Here’s an example with a photo that I took not long ago. Notice the difference? A sort of deceptive way of compensating for a small over-saturated segment of the scene.
© 2026 James Austin. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by WordPress. Designed by 
