Posts from the ‘Denver’ Category
I’m going to go ahead and classify this image as ‘forward-recon’. I have been meaning to get down to the Gates Rubber facility knowing that it would offer some interesting subject matter. The traffic and weather weren’t very cooperative tonight, so I am planning on another trip. It will be either earlier in the morning, or later in the year. The sun needs to venture a bit further into the northern hemisphere for my vision. Until then, here is a preview from the scouting mission. Hopefully I can make it back before it is cleaned up…..I think I have plenty of time.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/5.3
Focal Length: 65 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (5 Images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
NIK Color EFX Pro (ProContrast – Color correction)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast – Desaturate and mid tone/shadow textures)
Photohop (Saturation/Vibrance selective to graffiti)
Photohop (Resize for web)
NIK Sharpener (Display 30% adaptive 60% output strength)
LightAsMagic.com
Sometimes you stumble upon a collection of colors and lines that you can’t help but fill your viewfinder with. After a scheduled photo-walk of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, I was headed back to the car when this scene presented itself to me. I used a longer focal length to try and draw the compositional elements closer together. The brass star was pure luck.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Nik Define (Automatic entire image)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Tonal Contrast selectively applied to buildings and stairs)
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com
A photographer friend of mine, whose images you can see over on flickr, likes to make images of landscapes within landscapes. He will find a small patch of grass and flowers, or an interesting rock amidst a much grander scene. He calls these images ‘intimate landscapes’. I really like the idea. He tells me that I am an ‘intimate urbanscape’ photographer. I am pretty sure it is images like this that compels him believe that.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Curves Adjustment)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Vignette)
LightAsMagic.com
Little did this guy know that when he walked out of the cleaners, he would be walking into a foray of paparazzi. Seriously, when this guy opened the door there were 4 photographers set up with tripods shooting this brick wall. We were all on the monthly IlluminateWorkshops evening photo-walk.
I knew this scene needed something more than just the wall. I tried opening the door and staging myself in the scene, but it just wasn’t working. However, after waiting a while the man in the fedora walked out and I quickly snapped a frame. The frame I snapped was my metered exposure. Once the door closed and he was done asking questions I finished my sequence of 7 frames.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 AFS DX
Gitzo Traveler
Markins Q3T Ballhead
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Masked in the man and light)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global contrast)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal contrast slight desaturation and brick texture)
Photoshop (Crop to 4×5 ratio)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Vignette – Off center to enhance light’s shadow)
Nik Sharpen (Display adaptive 25% selectively applied to bricks)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When shooting a sequence of photos that are going to be used in an HDR image, pay attention to any moving objects. Try to capture the movement you want in the image when the movement you want coincides with the exposure that is appropriate for your image. That sounds a bit circular? Hopefully it makes sense. Feel free to email or leave a comment if it doesn’t.
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 a 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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to the ice cream shop. Not for the ice cream, because it was below freezing Saturday night, but for the neon!
Note: Does anyone know if ‘but’ followed by ‘for’ is a violation of a grammatical rule? If so, let me know. It sounds odd.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tone-mapping)
Photoshop (Levels Adjustment to correct color)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast to boost textures)
NIK Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When photographing at night it is good to have a flashlight along. Make sure it is reasonably bright. You want to be able to illuminate a distant subject to aid in focusing. When I go out for an evening photo walk I carry a small MagLite in my bag as well as a head lamp.
My first evening photo crawl with a great local photo group started out in high fashion. We met at a local pub/coffee shop in Denver, got a quick route briefing, and then headed out. I began the night by making the traditional expansive images of highway lights. However, my eye began to be drawn to the details along the footbridge we were crossing. Maybe it was my heightened focus or an unconscious interest in civil engineering. Either way I found a composition that inspired me. It was a fun evening and I look forward to joining them again next month.
I took my Flip MinoHD camera with me, and made a quick video. It is in my standard directing style, but this time I added a little ‘Holiday Bop’ to it.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing:
Capture (1 image)
Adobe Raw (Temperature and fill light adjustment)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Darken/Lighter Center)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast cut highlights/midtone contrast, boosted saturation and shadow contrast)
Photoshop (resized)
Nik Sharpener (Output for display)
LightAsMagic.com
If you are interested in the photo walk, or some great workshops you can find more information about them here:
Tip: When working at night I have found that I primarily shoot in Manual Mode and set my shutter speed to ‘Bulb’. I will make an educated guess at the time, make the image, review (chimp), and then adjust. If you are taking a 5 sec exposure, don’t worry if you accidentally shoot for 6 sec. To overexpose a 5 sec exposure by 1 stop, you will have to shoot a 10 sec exposure. Even with a generous margin for error while working at night with long exposures, you still might want to take a stopwatch. Also, you will need a steady tripod and a cable release. The cable release is optional, but it always use it.
Lately I have been taking a deeper dive into the NIK ColorFX filter suite. When I first read about the Bleach Bypass filter I wasn’t quite sure how (or where) to apply it. I dug through the archives a bit and found an old favorite of mine that I thought I could reprocess. I was really happy with the results. The Bleach Bypass filter is great for achieving a vintage vibe for your architecture images. It also make for an interesting portrait tool. The NIK filters are well worth a look.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Capture (7 images) –> Photomatix 3.2.6 –> Nik (Define 2.0, ColorFX Pro Bleach Bypass and White Neutralizer) –> LightAsMagic.com
Why not a little Night Ranger with your morning coffee?
The warming effect of this image has nothing to do with white balance or processing. It has everything to do with the copper mirror lining the walls of Davies’ Chuck Wagon Diner. All diners normally have wonderful textures are reflective surfaces. Davies is no exception.
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 16-85 VRII
Tripod: Gitzo Traveler with Markins Q3T head
