Posts from the ‘Nikon 70-300mm ED AF’ Category
Over the last month or so I have been testing out the Nikon D5000. For me, it is a great back-up camera as well as a light travel companion. If you are looking to upgrade to a digital SLR, or wanting to get started in photography, this camera is a great option. In order to complete the review I thought it would be interesting to hand it off to my wife for a trip up to Alaska. She has the eye of a photographer, but lacks the patience to deal with all the various dials and settings. So I put the camera in program mode, set the auto ISO, and put her in front of grizzlies, glaciers, whales, moose, and mountains. You will see other images from her portfolio in the final review. For now I thought I would share this one. No question about it, she didn’t let this one get away!
I’m not sure if it is universal, but a question I asked myself many times when I was starting out in photography was, “Why don’t my pictures look like that?”. I always wanted to see my heros’ captures. I wondered what it looked like on their LCD? After a while, I started to realize much of an image’s power and punch happened after the capture. By no means am I claiming that you can’t get it right in the camera to start with. There are plenty of people who do. But most digital photographs could use a bit of contrast and saturation boost to realize their full potential. That is why, in my Six Guiding Principles To Improving Your Photography, number 2 is ‘Know your software’.
One benefit of not having to maintain a professional reputation is I can show you the before images. I posted this image long ago, but because the capture was so bad, it was good candidate for this video. Yep, it was pretty bland. I shot this after a long run, and only had my camera and water bottle with me. I could have fine tuned the white balance and applied some in camera picture controls, but I was exhausted and ready for a meal. I knew I could save it once I got back home. Here is a quick glimpse at the power of post processing. Hopefully it will help you realize the full potential of your memories!
Video:
Before (not quite like I remembered it)
After (More like it!)
Note: If you are an email subscriber, you will need to visit the site. Also, if you are interested in the plugins I used to process this image you can find them here: http://www.niksoftware.com and use the coupon code LIGHTASMAGIC to receive 15% any of their products. For my overview of their entire suite click here.
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.
This image is a favorite of mine from our trip to Boston this summer. As both old and new worlds meet on the shore of the Charles, the picture tells the story of this great city.
As a holiday present to anyone who is interested, I added it as a computer desktop. Feel free to find one appropriate for your monitor resolution and hang it in your office for a while.
http://www.lightasmagic.com/desktops
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Happy New Year everyone and I am excited about the images in 2010.
A truly breathtaking site is the view of the Fairplay valley as you begin the descent of Kenosha pass. It is a view that I have never taken for granted the hundreds of times I have traveled this route. Although I don’t have many images of the area, it is fresh in my mind’s eye and I always look forward to my next visit.
In flat light, go underground…or at least under a bridge. After taking the famous Duck Tour, my wife had to field a conference call so I ducked under the O’Brien bridge in search of something interesting. I found this.
This is and HDR image consisting of 5 images. I did do some post-photomatix curves and saturation adjustments to bring out the highlights on the left side. I feel that they lead your eye to the depths of the image.
