For those who like desert landscapes, I've added some recent photos from a quick trip through Joshua Tree National Park in the high desert of Southern California to my Landscape folder at The Leica Gallery. Click here for that folder. Comments or suggestions are welcomed, of course.

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), May 20, 2002

Answers

Ralph, nice.

Were they taken with an Olympus Epic by any chance?

-- Yossi (yosslee@yahoo.com), May 20, 2002.

Yossi, did you bother to even look at the images? Ralph clearly identifies Leica camera and lens used. Nice shots Ralph. Makes me long to get the hell out of here and go someplace peaceful and natural. But for now, your pics will have to do. Thanks.

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), May 20, 2002.

Ralph, I like your work here. Wish I lived closer to this kind of scenery.

-- Steve B. (sbrantley@nccommerce.com), May 20, 2002.

Marc, I did, from the thumbnails. I was just asking. You didn't have to shout, did you?

-- Yossi (yosslee@yahoo.com), May 20, 2002.

*yawn* can we talk about the photos? Ralph, I have the 35mm, and was wondering if a 24mm would be crucial for some of my landscapes that I shoot while travelling. Did you ever find yourself wanting a wider shot where a 24 would have been useful? Just wondering.

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), May 20, 2002.

James - I had my 24mm Elmarit with me, but didn't use it. I probably could have in a couple of spots, but there was never that "wider would be better" compulsion to prompt a lens change.

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), May 20, 2002.

Thanks for the info Ralph. I need to get out and do some of this photography this summer! Nice photos. Only then will I find out if I truly need a 24. Your experience is helpful though...

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), May 20, 2002.

Nice work there Ralph. Really a red filter add dimension to the photographs.

-- edgaddi (edgaddi@msn.com), May 20, 2002.

Ralph's photos are excellent! For those on this list who might not be able to get to the Southwest, I highly recommend a subscription to Arizona Highways. The photography is awesome!

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), May 20, 2002.

Nice shots. I was there in Dec. and really loved it:

some snaps

Can you give us some details scanning?

-- Tse-sung (tsesung@yahoo.com), May 20, 2002.

Ralph, Some very nice images indeed!! I particularly liked Joshua Tree NP, Trail to Barker Dam, and Joshua Tree NP, botanical diversity. Thanks for sharing!

-- Art Waldschmidt (afwaldschmidt@yahoo.com), May 20, 2002.

Ralph:

Very nice work!

BTW: With the Calero, (Calero in the rain is a GREAT shot IMO!), Pigeon Point and Monterey shots, I assume you must live pretty close to me. I'm in Los Altos...

Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), May 20, 2002.

Tse-sung: These, and in fact most of the images in that gallery are all scanned from 8x10 prints that I produced in my darkroom. I scan on a (now obsolete) Epson Expression 800 flatbed scanner at 300DPI, do the spotting in Photoshop (using the cloning tool), and then reduce them in size for Web presentation. I do the size reduction in steps, however, each step reducing the image no more than 50% in size, and give each interim image a light touch of unsharp masking (radius of 0.4, % set to about 60) in between. That seems to be the best way to retain the sharpness of the original prints when they are reduced.

Jack: Yes, I'm not far from you. I'm in the Campbell area of San Jose. We ought to organize a Bay Area get-together one of these days, as I believe there are a couple of other SFBA participants here, as well.

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), May 20, 2002.

Ralph I couldn't open your pictures here at work (site blocked) but if you and Jack do decide to get together let me know. If the flights are open I'd love to join you. I just got back from a weekend in Yosemite. Thanks Andy

-- Andy Wagner (awagner@midwest-express.com), May 20, 2002.