Ballad of Gales: Post Processing Information

See the start-to-finish post production behind this award-winning image of sand dunes under golden light in Death Valley.

Subjects covered in this video include: raw processing, using smart objects, re-balancing a composition, cloning/healing/content-aware, flare removal, tricks with dehaze and clarity, creating texture, enhancing atmospheric conditions, enhancing diffused light, controlling saturation, creating and controlling highlight glow, and sharpening for web

About Author

Hello there! I’m a full-time nature photographer and photography educator based in the United States.

My photography journey began in 2010, while living in the Upper Midwest and working in Information Technology. I purchased a camera to take better photos of the spare computer parts I was selling online, and I was immediately enthralled by the process of photography.

In that first year, I primarily focused on architecture and portraiture. But in 2011, a couple of friends and I took a road trip to California that would change the course of my life. It was on that journey that I first witnessed the mountains and deserts of the West, which I had previously known only through films and photographs. Seeing these rugged landscapes firsthand stirred something within me; I was inspired.

I moved to California that same year, and by 2012 I ended up in Oregon. It was then that I decided to focus exclusively on nature photography. I enjoyed exploring the mountains, forests, and coasts of the Pacific Northwest, but in the following years I made increasingly longer photography excursions to the desert Southwest. It is in those deserts that I have continued to find my greatest inspiration.

From 2019 to 2023, my girlfriend and I were full-time nomads, adventuring around the American West in our travel trailer. However, the call of the desert was too strong to ignore, and we are now have a home base in Southwestern Utah – not far from Zion National Park.

I seek to convey a sense of mystery with my photographs; I want to spark the viewer’s imagination. Though I initially became known for grand landscapes, I now prefer to focus on more subtle, intimate scenes. I have a great appreciation for the timeless compositions of the masters of film. I aim to blend the influence of this classic style with contemporary techniques in my work.

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