Via Flickr:
This past weekend I got to steal away for a hike with my friend Steve. We decided to tackle the "Three Pools Beyond Seven Falls" trail in the mountains just behind Santa Barbara. The trail is steep and exciting, and follows a creek that was surprisingly full for this time of year.
The trail was pretty overgrown, though, and gingerly picking our way through all of the poison oak bogged us down a lot. We ultimately ran out of time before we could reach the pools, but the falls and small pools we saw on the way were well worth it. Next time, we decided, we're wearing jeans and bringing a machete :).
This waterfall was a highlight--it's right at a point on the trail where the only way onward is to scale a 15' boulder to the left of this scene. Definitely got my heart racing :).
Monday, June 13, 2011
Waterfall Along Seven Falls Trail
Dragon's Teeth
Via Flickr:
We had a lot of fun exploring the northern coast of West Maui. There are many spots along that part of the coast where you can find some amazing lava rock formations jutting out into the ocean, and walk down to get a front row seat to the ocean's fury (more of that to come :) ).
The unique formation on this particular point is known as "Dragon's Teeth".
I thought the HDR treatment here did a nice a job of accentuating all of the wild jagged edges, which is really what makes this spot so unique. The HDR process ruined the sky, so I replaced it with the original, and also blended back in some of the original ocean to soften the affect there.
I used the HDR tool in a trial of CS5 (instead of Photomatix), and I have to say, I really liked it. I may have to make the upgrade from CS4... :)
