This month’s evening photo walk was in a great part of Denver. The SOBO neighborhood is home to the Mayan theatre, great dining, and alleys full of character. I committed myself to keeping it simple. I spent the entire evening using my 35mm 1.8. Which on a DX camera is a normal lens, meaning it offers the same perspective your eyes see. This image was of interest to me because of the varieties of light sources. I white balanced the image for the closest dumpster. I felt the remaining lights added interest to the depth of the image because of their various color casts.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/ToneMapping)
Photoshop (curves adjustment)
NIK ColorEFX (Tonal Contrast light texture)
Photoshop (Brightness/Contrast adjustment)
NIK Sharepen (Display adaptive 30%)
Tip: I have found that when shooting at night, I will try to commit myself to an aperture, a fairly wide one, and then adjust my shutter speed throughout the night. With my 35mm lens at 1.8 and an ISO of 800, I was able to achieve a shutter speed of 1/60 sec in even the darkest of allies.
If nothing else, photography gets you involved in your environment. You take your time and see things you normally might not. This image was from weekend photo walk I had scheduled a couple weeks back.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
NIK ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast for textures)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment)
NIK Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
LightAsMagic.com
When your mother-in-law asks you to post some images of doors, you listen! This one’s for you Betty. I discovered the image while taking an early morning photo stroll through the town of San Miguel. I love the doors of Cozumel. Each one is unique and seems to tell a story. I stumbled upon this door while the sun was still low on the horizon. I felt the shadow of the tree would help to tell its story.
For other doors and places to visit in Cozumel, feel free to check out my travel guide.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Art Direction: Betty
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 image)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal contrast to add texture and saturation)
LightAsMagic.com
On occasion, you just want to fill the frame with something interesting and click. This one was one of those times. The waves of clouds lit by the rising sun made everything on the ground meaningless, so I pointed my camera to the sky and……click. From my camera to your computers, with nothing in between.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Processing Notes
Capture
Aperture (Raw Conversion)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: To achieve a silhouetted foreground and a brilliant backdrop, you want to set your camera to capture the appropriate exposure for the sky which will leave your foreground dark and detail-less. To do this you can set your camera to ’spot metering’ mode, and meter for the sky. If you don’t have spot metering capabilities, you can use exposure compensation by reducing the metered exposure by several stops. Try making a couple image and review them in your LCD until you like what you see.
I had already packed up from an evening photo walk and was heading back to my car when I saw this building staring up at the moon. I had to join in.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (9 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Levels adjustment)
NIK Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
LightAsMagic.com
One from the archive! My college teammate and I visited the Tour in 2004. We considered going in 2003, but we were confident in Lance’s abilities to win a record breaking 6th TDF. This image was made on stage 19, the decisive individual time trial in Besancon. We had walked 2 miles in the rain for a position on a round-a-bout that would provide us a clear line of sight. The anticipation grew as we watched rider after rider racing by. As the names on the start list were dwindling, we knew that Lance would be charging by shortly. It was Jan Ulrich we saw first, followed shortly thereafter by the man in Yellow. What a dream come true. We were front row for one of the greatest records in cycling history! Lance is racing again this year. Keep your fingers crossed!
Nikon D1x
Nikkor 80-200 AFD
Note: I have been getting some questions about what kind of gear I carry. If you hadn’t noticed, you can visit the site and click on the camera bag to find out.
A neighbor friend of ours, who also happens to be a great photographer, was telling me about her cross processing techniques of days past. You can visit her site by clicking here.
I really like the Lo-Fi vibe you can achieve with this process, so I decided to go out and find a subject to experiment with digitally. I have had this building on the radar for a while, and I thought it would be the perfect subject for this technique. FYI, the cross processing I applied was compliments of my favorite digital toolset, Nik EFX, and free fo any chemicals like the days of yore. I like it. It’s as if I am blogging from the 70s.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300 ED AF
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR Tonemapping)
NIK ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast for texture)
NIK ColorEFX Pro (Cross Process for lo-fi vibe)
Photoshop (Re-size and prep for web)
NIK Sharpen (Display 30% Adaptive)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: To get the height required to make this image, I had to set the tripod up on the top of my car. Two things I learned here. 1) Tripods don’t work well if they are on a moving surface. Turn your car off! 2) You might think you stand still, but you don’t. Get off the car and use a cable release from the ground.
You all know I missed its rise yesterday, so I to set my alarm to see if it was still there in the morning. Sure enough it was! The image has its flaws, but I hadn’t had my coffee yet.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300 ED AF
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Note:
Capture (9 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
NIK SilverFX Pro
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: Something I discovered this morning is that the Moon’s orbit is faster than you think. I bumped up my ISO to 400 so I could increase my shudder speed to get 9 images shot as fast as possible.
Had I had my wits about me, I would have been posting an incredible image of a full moon rising above the Denver skyline. It was an amazing moonrise and the image was ready for the making. Missed it! Ah well, thanks to Ptolemy I will be ready next time. I noticed the moon sets tomorrow morning at 7:17am. Check back to see if I woke up in time!
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler / Markins Q3T Ballhead
Processing Notes:
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Viveza 2 (CP Contrast/Structure Boost)
Photoshop (Resize)
Flickr
Reminder: Just a reminder, the Illuminate Workshops evening photo walk is next week (Feb 6th). I’m not affiliated with them, but I do like to support the local photography community. It is a great group of folks who photograph the town red! To find out more, just visit their website.
Telluride CO is to a landscape photographer, like a an exotic bird show is to a cat. Not only are the Grandscapes accessible, the food is great. This photo of the Bridal Veil House is a reminder for me to go back. Last time I was there I was mountain biking, hiking, and dining. I didn’t bring the photographer’s focus with me.
Nikon D1X
Nikkor 80-200 AFD 2.8
Processing:
Capture
Photoshop (Levels Adjustment)
Nik ColorEFX (Tonal Contrast)
Nik Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
Tip-A telephoto lens isn’t only good for bringing the subject closer to you, it is a great tool for bringing subjects closer together. Shooting images with a telephoto lens will provide the effect of compressing the elements of the image. It the above image, you can see this compression effect adds drama to the scene as the cliff appears to be imposing on the house.
A cold day of training reminded me of a tree I had been meaning to make an image of and I thought the storm behind it might do well for the backdrop. Nature’s studio cooperated. Sure, a bit dramatic, but after 5 hours of riding in the cold I felt dramatic!
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Note:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR Tonemapping)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Define 2.0 (Manual selectively applied to sky)
Photoshop (Crop Re-size)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Vignette)
Nik Sharpener (Display adaptive selectively applied to tree and foreground)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: I’m not sure if this necessarily falls under the category of a tip, but I had a friend of mine ask if I would write a bit more about my process. I wasn’t sure where to start, so I figured I would start with a concept I have decided to call ‘Creative Scheduling’. We are all busy doing everything but making art. That is one of life’s common denominators. My personal way of dealing with this is to schedule the creative process. It sounds crazy, but hopefully I can try to shed some light on it. I break my photography time into 4 broad categories.
- Photo Walks: These are times that I have set aside to grab my gear and throw myself into an environment. Just like meeting friends for dinner, or going to the doctor, the appointment is on the calendar.
- Photography of Opportunity: This is just a matter of being prepared. Put together a kit that your are comfortable taking with you wherever you go. It could be a small PointnShoot or an SLR with a select set of lenses. Just make sure it is portable enough that you like to have it around. That way, when the images show themselves, you are ready for them. Here is what I take.
- Travel: It is basically a blend of the above. When I am traveling I will conduct some forward recon on the net and schedule a couple of ‘Photo Walks’ during my vacation. The prior planning makes me very efficient when on location which still allows me plenty of time to hang out and relax with my family and friends. On vacation, I always have a Photography of Opportunity kit at the ready.
- Pre-Visioned: These are images that I have stumbled upon when I (or the image) wasn’t ready. These are things I see when I am out and about running, riding, or just too busy to stop. I will make note of these images and save them for later. In my mind’s eye I will try to imagine the ideal conditions for my vision. Then, when it fits into my schedule and the conditions are right, I will go make it happen.
Why use this post to describe my ‘Creative Scheduling’ process? Because it is an example of Pre-Visioning an image for later. I found this lone tree on a road I commonly ride and I knew that a southern storm would make the perfect backdrop for it. The storm arrived the same day I had to run an errand to the quarry. I grabbed my gear and stopped to make the image. Two minutes later I was back on the road, image in hand, and off to get some flagstone.
It was unexpectedly sunny today so I decided to take a break from the black and white images I had been posting as of late and find some warm colors. I spent the sunset in downtown exploring a couple of locations I have had on the radar. The sun fooled me and I headed out out without gloves or a jacket. I froze my lens cap off.
Once the tallest building west of the Mississippi, the Daniels and Fisher Tower continues to stand proud amongst its modern day peers.
Nikon D300
Nikkon 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR Tonemapping)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Brilliance/Warmth 75% Opacity)
Nik Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
Flickr
Tip: Can’t afford a Helicopter to gain an elevated perspective of the city, use a parking garage.
Driving up the coast from Half Moon Bay to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge I had visions of fog rolling over the bridge, leaving only its towers exposed. The fog was thick and I knew once we got to the summit of the Marin Headlands we would punch through. Below us would be an isolated pillar towering above a sea of rolling silky white. We never got out of the fog, so I had to duck into an abandoned bunker built during WWII to find a composition of interest.
When life gives you fog, make images underground!
Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (5 Images)
Photmatix (HDR/Tone-mapping)
Photoshop (Crop to 20×16)
Nik SilverFX (Boost Contrast/Structure, Apply Vignette, Burn top and bottom edge)
Nik Viveza (CP brighten the tunnel a bit)
Photoshop (Resize)
Nik Sharpen (Display 30% adaptive applied to trees)
LightAsMagic.com
The Speer blvd. bridge makes for a grand entrance to Denver. I had been wanting to make an image of the bridge for some time. Recently, while attending a local evening photo walk sponsored by Illuminate Workshops I was able to get the job done. Originally I planned on shooting the bridge from a distance using a long lens to compress it against the skyline. I did that. However, when crossing back across the street I stumbled across this view. I’m glad Starbucks was on the other side of the street.
For more on the Illuminate Workshops visit their site:
http://www.illuminateworkshops.com/
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes
Capture
Photoshop (Levels Adjustment)
NIK Sharpener (Display)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When you are shooting at night, really pay attention to your lighting. The light on the right was turning off intermittently and leaving that side of the bridge dark. I didn’t notice it at first, but after a couple clicks I did and was able to capture the even lighting.
One from the archive. I made this image of a surfer hiking up from Black’s Beach in 2002 with my trusty D1X. Digital photography was in its infancy then, and the D1X was a big investment at the time. It has however proved to be an invaluable learning tool. The instant feedback digital photography provides you is critical to accelerating your learning curve. Nowadays, you can get some fantastic gear at a very reasonable price. I got my D1X back then from a great camera store in Indiana. I have never visited it, but every time I call to place an order I ask for Ed! If you are looking to establish a long term relationship with a camera store, let me recommend Roberts Imaging. When you call, ask for Ed and tell him Justin from Colorado sent you!
