June 27, 2016

Hello Everyone!

Man, I can't believe it's almost the end of June and a week from the 4th of July. As part of my affiliation with Macphun, they notified me of a cool 4th of July themed promotion the other day which made me realize just how fast this spring went by. Combine that with the heat lately in Sacramento and it has sure made it feel like summer is in full swing.

For any of you that have a camera and are thinking about taking pictures of fireworks this 4th of July, this summer promotion by Macphun is an excellent way to get started. With it, you get all of their photo editing apps except for Aurora HDR. It includes two of my favorite apps, Intensify, and Noiseless. Intensify does just what it says, increases the intensity or look of your photo and is one of the main ingredients in most of my recent images. Noiseless is easily the best noise removal software which is a must for any night or low light photography. For more info on Noiseless click the ad below.

In addition to the software, you get video tutorials on how to take photos of fireworks, an app that uploads from your Mac directly to Instagram, and presets for Intensify and Noiseless to make your firework shots look great with only one click.

The image from Tempe, Az below is one that I edited using Macphun's Intensify and Noiseless. I had to take this photo with a very high ISO which significantly increases noise and if it wasn't for Noiseless, I could have never used Intensify or else the noise would have been out of control.

Macphun software is only available to Mac users but check out my gear page for links to other photo editing software that you can use with a PC or Mac.

To find out more about the Fireworks Bundle or any other Macphun products, click the links or image below.

***Please note the Fireworks Bundle has expired but check out my gear page for any new software updates.

June 22, 2016

I'm really surprised this is the first image I've posted from a hike in the El Dorado National Forest. I've posted pictures from wilderness areas within the El Dorado National Forest, but never outside of those areas. Considering I grew up right outside the El Dorado National Forest, I'm surprised I haven't taken more pictures there. I definitely have to work on taking more pictures in that area because it's a great place to go explore without the hassle of wilderness permits.

The image below was taken on Father's Day. I had a really fun Father's Day because I got to take my dad on his first ever backpacking trip. My dad is the one who introduced me to fishing and the outdoors, so taking him on his first ever backpacking trip was a great experience. The fact that we did it when he is 71 years old is even more impressive.

I'll add more information on the location in a future Destination Post, but this is a great introductory backpacking trip. It's not very far, but it's far enough to get the feel of carrying a backpack on a trail. It's also a great place to test out gear because it's so close to the trailhead. The best part is, it's not heavily traveled, and so it still feels like backpacking. The fishing is also decent, I caught 2 rainbow trout that would have been worthy of pan frying, but I decided to let them go and eat the food I brought. Stay tuned and I'll be posting more information about this destination in the future.

June 15, 2016

I just got back from my first multi-day backpacking trip of the season and it felt great! I missed the feeling of getting "lost" in the woods for a few days. Now I just can't wait for some longer trips later this summer.

The place I went exploring is only 5 miles from the trailhead and near Lake Tahoe, so it's surprising I have never been there before. It's called Crag Lake, and it is classic Desolation Wilderness with forested lakes, dramatic granite peaks, and bubbling creeks.

I'll be posting details of the hike soon in a new "Destination" post so stay tuned. In the meantime enjoy the photo below from the trip.

June 8, 2016

HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY!!!

If you didn't know, today is World Oceans Day. You may not know that it's World Oceans Day, but I'm sure it goes without saying how important our oceans are to this planet. If you didn't know that already then maybe this website is not the place for you. In celebration of World Oceans Day, I wanted to share another picture of the magnificent Pacific Ocean as seen from Point Reyes.

Recently I shared that Fro's World has partnered with one of my favorite software companies, Macphun. One of the things that make them such a great software company is their similar love for the outdoors. To support World Oceans Day, Macphun is donating 5% of all software sales this week to WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation).

With my recent affiliation with Macphun, I am also able to give you 10% off the purchase of software by using the coupon code, FROSWORLD. So if you've been thinking about buying some new software to make really cool looking photos, there hasn't been a better time to buy where you can get a discount and help our planet at the same time.

To check out what they have to offer, click here or click the image of the ocean below to take you to their site.

June 6, 2016

NEW DESTINATION POST!!!

Hello friends! I'm happy to share that I just finished writing a Destination Post detailing my first backpacking trip of the season in Point Reyes. The hike is from the Bear Valley Visitor Center to Coast Camp and back. It follows a nice loop that gives you a glimpse into everything that Point Reyes is all about. If you are looking for a first backpacking trip that is a bit easier than "roughing it" this trip is a great one!!! The mileage is a bit long, but the campsites have picnic tables, running water, vault toilets, BBQ's, and food lockers. It's a great early season hike or first hike to experience the joys of backpacking without some of the hassles.

For more info on this hike, click the image below or click here

All of my images on this trip were edited and turned into HDR images using Macphun's Aurora HDR software. This software has made my editing workflow so much easier and I highly recommend it for people of all skill levels.

Now that I am affiliated with Macphun, I also get to offer all of you a discount!!! That's right if you use the coupon code, FROSWORLD, you'll receive 10% all regularly priced Macphun products. Click here to get Aurora HDR and click here to see what other software they offer. You can even try some of their software for free. Please note, Macphun is only available to Mac users.

If you have any questions on the software and need some tips, just let me know. I'll also be writing and posting more photo editing how-to's in the future.

May 30, 2016

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to all the men and women of the Armed Services who help keep our beautiful country safe.

Memorial Day always feels like the unofficial first day of summer and judging by how much time I've been spending outside the weather also is feeling like summer. With spending so much time outside, I haven't been updating the site as frequently as I'd like, but I have been taking lots of great photos and still finding time to edit the thousands of unedited photos I have just sitting on hard drives.

For it only being Memorial Day, I'm excited that I've already completed two backpacking trips, gone on a few hikes, a spring ski tour, and am still finding time to edit photos from those trips.

Today I have some more photos to share with you from my 2nd backpacking trip to Point Reyes National Seashore. This time, it was foggy and felt like the typical Northern California coast as compared to the last time I was there, and it was as sunny as could be (see pics in the post below for that trip). Stay tuned for updated Destination Posts detailing both of my spring trips to Point Reyes.

I'm also happy to announce that I recently became an affiliate of Macphun software. Macphun makes some of my favorite photo editing software and is one of the main ingredients in creating that "Fro's World" look. Both of the images below I created with Macphun software along with some others. I will also be sharing more tips and tricks on how to use Macphun software shortly.

Hope you enjoy!

May 9, 2016

Hello again, wow two posts, two days in a row... there must be something special going on?

No, not really, I just wanted to share an incredible new hiking, photography, anything outdoor resource site, The Outbound Collective.

The Outbound Collective is really what the name says it is, a collection of all things outdoor related. You can read articles on tips for hiking, exercising, planning meals, photography, travel, you name it. It's also a collective because users submit their own "adventures" ("Adventures" are very similar to "Destinations" on this site) creating a collection of outdoor articles. The great thing is that anyone can submit them so you can find a lot of useful information from areas across the globe. You can also create lists, save adventures, etc. This way you can create your "bucket" list hikes photography spots, or any other outdoor related adventure. In addition to great info, all featured articles are guaranteed to have excellent photos.

I recently created a profile there and will be duplicating all of my "Destinations" articles on there as well. Please check it out and while you're there make sure to follow me! If you like getting outdoors or want to get started, it's a great resource to use.

I just wrote an article about my trip to Florida on The Outbound Collective and shared some tips for great sunset photos there. Click the picture below to check it out. The advice in the article is useful for any sunset photography and not just Florida. Check it out and if you like it and want to read more outdoor themed articles, join The Outbound Collective.

May 8, 2016

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, including the mother of them all, Mother Nature!!!

With Mother's Day upon us, it feels like Spring, and Summer and Father's Day will be here before we know it. I wanted to share one of my favorite summertime hikes once all the snow has melted, Freel Peak. In my opinion, Freel Peak may be the mother of all views in the Lake Tahoe Basin. From the top, you can see Lake Tahoe and all its surroundings. Best of all you can see down into Carson Valley, which puts the beauty and high alpine setting of Lake Tahoe in perspective. To get an idea check out the panorama below. The summit of Freel Peak is one of those viewpoints that make you feel on top of the world.

To find out more about it, read my latest Destination Post, "Hike the Freel Peak Loop."

April 23, 2016

As I was sharing earlier this week, last week I went to Tampa for work and took full advantage of being along the Gulf Coast to take some incredible sunset photos.

At first, I was a little bit bummed because of the clouds and I was afraid the sunset photography may not work out as planned. In my mind, I had this image of half the sun visible above the horizon with the picture perfect reflection. You know, the type of ocean sunset you think of in your mind.

Well as it turned out it was cloudy with some light afternoon rain, but as always clouds can make any image so much more dramatic and can fill the sky with so many other colors. When I had the chance to edit the photos, it was fun playing with the different shades of light that only clouds and natural lighting can provide. I also continued to play around with some textured looks in hopes of creating that "timeless" sunset photo.

I've posted some of the images from my trip below but for more, check out my new "Florida" Photo Gallery.

April 18, 2016

Hello, Everyone!!!

I apologize for the delay in posts. I've been doing quite a bit of traveling. The great news is that traveling means more photos to post!!! Last week I got to go to Tampa Bay to do some work for my day job and took advantage of capturing a beautiful sunset at Clearwater Beach. Stay tuned for a post with pics once I finish editing them.

In the meantime, I wanted to share another great springtime hike to do here in the Sacramento area.

The hike is along the American River Parkway from Sunrise Avenue to Hazel Avenue and is a great, easy 5-mile hike. You can review the hike by clicking here or going to the Destinations Section of the site and looking under the American River Parkway section. The hike is best in the spring so get out there and check it out soon!!!

April 4, 2016

This time of year I really start getting the itch for backpacking and hiking season. I've usually already planned a couple of my longer summer trips and am looking at other overnighters or short weekend trips to complete over the spring, summer, and fall. All of this thinking of backpacking and overnighters reminded me of an overnight trip I took two summers ago.

One of the reasons the trip is so memorable is that I made it right around the time I had begun to learn more and more about HDR photography and was starting to form the idea that would become Fro's World. In fact, the image below was my first Fro's World product that I framed and donated to a charitable auction in the Fall of 2014.

Another memorable part of this trip was the incredible sunset we watched over Northern Yosemite. It looked like the sky was on fire! We woke up the next morning to find our camp engulfed in smoke and I knew why the sunset had been so incredible. There must have been a fire that started nearby and during the evening, the smoke settled. Unfortunately, this caused us to cut our trip short, but it left me with some of my first images I'd create for Fro's World. It just goes to show; there's beauty in everything if you look for it.

If you'd like to know more details about this hike, I also just added it to my "Destinations" section so check it out, here's the link;

Twin Lakes to Peeler Lake

March 28, 2016

Wow, it's almost April. I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by. That's all the more reason to get out and explore our beautiful Sacramento Valley now before the Summer heat comes.

Spring is one of the best seasons in the Sacramento Valley. The rain from the winter has turned everything green, and our local parks and nature preserves are green and teeming with wildlife. With the beautiful outdoor season comes an excellent time to get out and take some photos of nature and wildlife.

One good place to go for both of these things is the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve located inside Ancil Hoffman Park, along the American River. I went out there on Easter Sunday in the morning to go for a hike and take some pictures. I was surprised at how many deer and turkey I saw. I also saw cranes and Canadian Geese down by the river. The best part of it all was I only had to hike about 2 miles to see all of that. I ended up hiking around and making loops totaling more like 5 miles, but it's easy to adjust to how far you want to go.

If you'd like to find out more about the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve and its trails, I just finished adding it to the Destinations Section of the site. Click here to take you to the page.

Also, I took plenty of pictures and added them to my American River Parkway Photo Gallery, a few of them are featured below. Enjoy and get outside!!!

March 21, 2016

Hello again and welcome Spring!!!

To welcome Spring to the Sacramento Region, I went out over the weekend and explored the wilderness in our backyard, The American River Parkway. If you have never explored this area, and you live in Sacramento then what have you been doing???

Seriously, this is one of the best things Sacramento has to offer. The American River Parkway stretches from Folsom to Downtown Sacramento and has paved bike trails, dirt trails, and wildlife. The pictures below are from the stretch of dirt trail between Hazel Ave and Sunrise Ave. Once you are on the paved bike trail near Sunrise, start looking for the dirt trails between the paved trail and the river. As soon as you can, venture off on the dirt trails and you can follow them almost the entire way to Hazel Ave.

For those of you that have never explored these areas, I'll be spending some time this Spring hiking these areas and writing up a few recommended hikes for my Destinations Section. Stay tuned for those posts!!!

Until next time, make sure you are getting outside and enjoying Spring in the Sacramento Area or wherever you live.

March 14, 2016

NEW DESTINATION POST!!!

Hello, everyone! I just finished writing my 2nd "Destination" Post. It's from a backpacking trip I took in 2014 from Mammoth Lakes to Tuolumne Meadows.

I went on the trip shortly after coming up with the initial idea for Fro's World. I was getting more into photography and bought my first full frame camera that summer. I was also new to Photoshop, HDR techniques, etc. and that summer was when I began using them more in my post-processing workflow. This new passion of mine helped me decide a few of the locations for that summer's backpacking trips, including this one.

The 34 miles between Mammoth Lakes and Tuolumne Meadows may be some of the most picturesque miles of trail anywhere. It's easy to see why they call it the "Ansel Adams Wilderness."

I went on the trip with my good friend Chris. Initially, we had reservations for a different trip, but when we got to the Mono Lake Visitor Center to pick up permits, I asked if they had any permits out of Devil's Postpile. I'd known about the way to do this hike using the YART system, but this was a last minute trip, and I was too late to make reservations out of Devil's Postpile. To our luck, there were permits available on the River Trail out of Agnew Meadows. The only downside to this sudden change of plans was that it turned out we had to hike a very long 20-mile last day to catch the last YART back to our car and be back home in time for work. I'd still do it all over again though to experience the beauty of this stretch of the JMT and camp in the same beautiful locations.

Click the picture below for more details on this destination

March 6, 2016

Hello Everyone, what a lovely little storm we had come through this weekend! I got up on Sunday morning to a beautiful, brief patch of sunlight in between storms and decided to get up and go for a hike along the American River to soak up some sun. I guess I wasn't the only one looking for some sun (see below). It's pretty awesome to see the power of the sun and its effect on nature.

I used this picture to start a new gallery, "American River Parkway" so I can start adding more images of some of the beauty right here in the Sacramento area.

Enjoy!

February 29, 2016

Greetings and welcome to Fro's World!!!

Today marks my first official post after taking the website "live." For more info on the site, my photos, and myself, please check out the about page or scroll down and review some earlier posts when the site was in "beta" mode.

The first image I would like to share with everyone is from the Davis Lakes Basin in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The Davis Lakes Basin is one of the well-kept secrets of the John Muir Trail. With just a short 1 mile hike off the JMT, you can escape from the crowds along the JMT and find solitude with no one else but a friendly duck to join you for dinner. Not to mention, you have incredible views of Mt. Donahue and the boundary of Yosemite National Park.

This picture is from a trip I took in 2014 to hike from Mammoth Lakes to Tuolumne Meadows via the John Muir Trail. I'll be sharing more photos from this trip over the next few weeks. I am also working on creating my second official "Destination Article" that will detail this entire trip so stay tuned!

~Jeffro

February 25, 2016

Hello Everyone!!!

I know it's a bit later than the New Year, but I am happy to say that the website is very close to going live. I will be making my very first "official" Fro's World Post on Monday, February 29, 2016.

Please stay tuned!!!

Before the launch, let me give you some information on the site and its pages,

Home

This is the site landing page, the one you probably were at before this one. The background has several different images so feel free to click "refresh" from the home page if you want a random sample of some of my favorite landscape photos.

Blog

The page you are on now. When the site goes live you can count regular posts featuring; a picture of mine, gear that I use, trips that I took, or details about a new "Destination" post. More information on "Destination" posts in a minute.

Galleries

Where to go to view my images. You will notice they are grouped by location and/or common themes, like "winter." Galleries are also where you can find my images for sale in many various sizes and gift options.

Destinations

This section will take some time to build, but my goal is to create a section where you can find much more detail about where I took these photos and how to experience them for yourself. Just make sure that you follow no-trace principles when visiting. In some cases, these articles will also contain photography tips and editing tips based on the location and conditions.

Gear

The gear page is where to find information on all my favorite gear. Over time, I'll add information on my cameras and lenses, editing software, hiking gear, etc.

Search

I know, the name says it all. Use this to search for a photo using any number of keywords such as "sunset, river, landscape, etc."

See you soon for the official launch!!!

~Jeffro

June 27, 2016

June 22, 2016

June 15, 2016

June 8, 2016

HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY!!!

June 6, 2016

NEW DESTINATION POST!!!

May 30, 2016

Happy Memorial Day!

May 19, 2016

New Gallery Uploaded!!!

May 9, 2016

May 8, 2016

April 23, 2016

April 18, 2016

April 4, 2016

Twin Lakes to Peeler Lake

March 28, 2016

March 21, 2016

March 14, 2016

NEW DESTINATION POST!!!

March 6, 2016

February 29, 2016

Greetings and welcome to Fro's World!!!

February 25, 2016

Hello Everyone!!!

Home

Blog

Galleries

Destinations

Gear

Search