Posts from the ‘Photo Walks’ Category
Sorry for the quick post, but I am spending a bit more time behind the camera this week than the computer. I hope the new images next week will be worth it. The lesson I learned from this image…be courteous and honest with security guards when photographing private property and they might let you photograph a fertilizer plant.
It seems like summer is just getting started. The calendar tells me it is over halfway gone. We are trying our best to take advantage of what summer has left to offer. No better way than an evening hike in the hills near our house. As you know, I have been putting the Nikon D5000 through its paces, and I am pretty darn surprised by it. If you can get over the fact that it has only one command dial and get used to doing your adjustments in the menu system, you have yourself a very capable camera. One thing that I have been wanting to test is the exposure bracketing feature. The D5000 will only allow 3 brackets, but the nice thing is you can bracket by 2 full stops. 2 stops is usually enough for most of my HDR work. For very high contrast scenes (think super bright light out the window of a room) you need more than 2 stops on either side of the anchor. However, for most of my bracket sequences, the D5000 is proving to be a great companion.
For the non-photographers out there, that interested in knowing more about this ‘photographer speak’, feel free to drop me a line. I would be happy to help you get started making images!
A couple weeks back I decided to schedule up solo photo-walk. I hadn’t been out on one lately, and I was itching to get out and explore. If you remember from a previous post, photo-walks are a big component of my ‘Creative Scheduling’. These are great ways not only to create, but to relax as well. Something goes on the in the creative brain the tends to silence all other stresses that are begging for your attention. So I checked the weather, charged the batteries, put together a route, and quieted my mind.
In today’s world of digital photography, it is easy to get caught up in the power of post processing, however, sometimes it’s just as fun to take your camera on a walk through the city.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D700
Nikkor 45mm PC-E
Hand held
Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 45 mm
ISO Speed 800
Processing Notes:
Set the 700’s picture control to Vivid
Post the .jpg
….no kidding, that simple!
A while back I wrote a piece about what I call ‘Creative Scheduling’, if you missed the post, you can read it here. The basic idea is that like anything in life we have limited time to do everything we want to, and creativity is no different. We need to make room for it in our schedules. This image is from one of those appointments I had with creativity. A couple weekends back I mentioned that my good friend Fred and I planned an entire day around the adventure of making images. We started at 5:30am, and were back home by 8:00pm. We left the house with nothing more than snacks, a map, and a lot of glass. Although it was an incredible day, and I will probably never forget it, by no means do you need to set aside a full day. Just ensure you are making time for your creative self, you never know what you might discover! Here I was hoping to discover a Gatorade. They weren’t open, so I decided to grab a refreshing serving of fisheye lens flare and chromatic aberration.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 10.5 DF Fisheye
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 10.5 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (11 images @ 1ev anchor, 4 above, and 6 below)
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Noiseware – noise reduction
Photoshop – Global curves adjustment
Nik Color Efex Pro – Tonal Contrast (just a touch to the bricks)
Small crop on the left (I think I could have avoided it had I paid more attention to the composition)
Sized For Web
LightAsMagic.com
Golf Tip: After today’s season opening round of golf, I learned you drive, mulligan, drive again, rescue-wood, short iron, and pitch for show. You putt for dough!
At the beginning of the day, my buddy Fred was excited to pull over and explore the local fertilizer plants with me. 15 hours later, “Hey, there’s a fertilizer plant, let’s go photograph it.” became an inside joke.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AFS (a new lens in my kit…and boy do I like it!)
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: -2/3 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 image)
Adobe Camera Raw – Raw processing
Photoshop – Curves adjustment (easy to set the white and black points)
Sized for web
Nik Sharpener – Display 40% Adaptive
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: I call it ‘Working The Composition’. When you find something that catches your eye, don’t walk away from the first composition you make. Approach it from different angles, focal lengths, and perspectives. Eventually your subconscious will team up with your conscious self and reward you with an image to be proud of.
A couple of weeks back, I dropped myself off in the middle of downtown and walked around. I was looking forward to a similar photo-walk this week, but a sudden spring storm put the kibosh on it. I will be publishing another processing video this week so keep an eye out.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
NX2 Raw Conversion
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Photoshop – Crop to 5×4
Nik Define 2.0 – Noise reduction
Photoshop (6 selective curves adjustments)
Nik Define 2.0 – Noise reduction
Photoshop – Selective blur to sky for noise reduction
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: In images like this, where you want to bring all of the compositional elements closer together, use a longer focal length lens. I have mentioned it before in previous tips, but a longer focal length (60-300mm) will give you this interesting compression effect. I shot this at 85mm, but on my DX (cropped sensor) camera that would be close to 128mm on a FX (full frame sensor) camera.
The Book Cliffs are located just on the outskirts of Grand Junction CO. They face the Colorado National Monument. That puts the town of Grand Junction smack-dab in the middle of both, making it a landscape photographers dream destination.
I would like to get back there soon to spend an entire weekend working with these incredible mountains. This image was from a photo-walk sandwiched between a 5 hour mountain bike ride in the desert and some margaritas with the A-team.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300 AFS VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 165 mm
ISO Speed:200
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 Image)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Nik Define 2.0 (Noise Reduction)
Nik Silver Efex Pro (B+W Conversion)
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com
A bit ‘Denver Board of Tourism’, but a fun image to capture nonetheless. I shot the image last month on the monthly photo-walk. My trusty Gitzo Traveler had 2 legs in the river and one resting against the slippery rocks. I was lying on my back, in an area frequented by our homeless population (had they only been there to cheer me on), trying my darndesst (sp?) to see through the view finder. My abs were crying in pain as I held myself above the water to compose the image….now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t quite as fun as I thought. Either way, the composition was set, I turned the shutter over, and this is what I brought home.
I have returned from the desert, and hope to share a couple images I made along the way. I had high hopes of capturing stunning scenes from the remote desert locations we were mountain biking to, however I couldn’t bring myself to risk my kit in the event of a crash . That, and I think I would have been pushing the team’s morale a bit if we were stopping every 5 mins to bracket a sequence of frames. Look for a majority of the remote desert images this week on iPhone-Friday, I was very happy with the results and I am looking forward to sharing them.
I did get a second to swing by a regional airport to shoot some frames safely, and crash free, with my primary gear. Look for those images (primarily HDR brackets) over the next couple of days. Also, I have been posting on location images via Twitter if you are interested.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Tokina ATX 11-16 ATX Pro
Gitzo Traveler
Exposure: 15
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal Length: 11 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed:200
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 Image)
Adobe RAW (conversion)
Nik Viveza 2 (brighten foreground rocks)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment and color correction)
Nik Color Efex Pro (Tonal Contrast selective to buildings)
Nik Define 2.0 (Noise reduction selective to sky/water)
Photoshop (Lens Correction)
Photoshop (Crop to 5×4)
Size for web
NIK Sharpener (display selective to buildings)
LightAsMagic.com
I’m not sure I am totally over the moon with this image, but there is something I like about it. Occasionally I wonder if I should even share images that I’m not completely excited about. However, this site is all about sharing inspiration with others and maybe someone can take the idea and do something great with it. I hope that this image will accomplish that goal by offering a quick peak at how I approached it.
Initially I approached this image from a completely different composition. I was on the crowded side of the track, facing the train. After several failed attempts from that side, I hopped the tracks and began shooting from a very low perspective close to the train (not too close, no need to win a Darwin Award). Again, several failed attempts forced me to keep moving. The strong, stoic pillars caught my attention so I began scheming ways to use them in the composition. After a bit of creative visualization, I decided to backup and shoot the scene with a longer focal length. I knew that the net effect would be compressing the objects together and increasing the contrast between the static and dynamic elements of the scene. When it was all said and done, I was even happier with the image because I had to work at it. Just a friendly reminder to myself that sometimes the images make themselves, but most of the time you have to work at making them.
A Quick Note: Look for a couple videos coming up later this week. We will be taking a look at a few more tools in the Nik collection.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 40 mm (But I cropped it quite a bit)
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 image)
Adobe RAW (GND to balance the lights and RAW conversion)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment)
NIK Color Efex Pro (Tonal Contrast)
LightAsMagic.com
If you missed it, I tweeted (yep, you can follow me on twitter) images from the evening photo-walk as I shot and processed them on location from my iPhone. I had so much fun I might leave my D300 at home next time. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, the high ISO capabilities of the iPhone are a bit limited. However, all these images were captured, edited, and shared as I made them. The app I was using to do this is one developed in tandem with Chase Jarvis and is appropriately titled, ‘The Best Camera (is the one you have with you)’. If you have an iPhone, and would like to give it a run, you can buy it by clicking the link below. I am pretty sure it is the best $2.99 you will ever spend on photo gear!
For the photo recipes, you can follow my TheBestCamera.com photostream here:
http://bestc.am/photographers/15879
Photographer #15879 reporting for duty!
The name of this sculpture escapes me. I know it is something…schizophrenic. Just looking at it, I would have guessed something along the lines of ‘Corporate Greed’, or ‘A Dagger In The Heart Of Corporate America’, or ‘Capitalism, a Tragic Love Story’. Something Michael Moore meets Stephen King. But then again, I have a hard time naming my own images. Whatever its name, it was an image shot while on the Illuminate Workshops monthly photo walk. This is a quick reminder that it is coming up again this weekend, Saturday April 4th. If you are in the Denver area, you can find more information about the photo walk here. I am 50/50 if I will be able to make it.
http://www.illuminateworkshops.com/
Also, I published this month’s ‘Songs For Post Processing’ playlist. If you are looking for a couple of song recommendations for your Digital Darkroom, feel free to take a listen. Just click the image below and iTunes will load it up for you. This month I added a little bounce to it.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 85mm 1.8
Gitzo Traveler
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 85 mm
Exposure Bias: +1/3 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture 1 Images
Photoshop (Curves adjustment)
Photoshop (Vibrancy adjustment)
Photoshop (Resize for web)
Nik Sharpener 2.0 (Display 30%)
LightAsMagic.com
In the spirit of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, I thought I would post this image. It was taken last Summer at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. The patio, contrasted against the historic appointments of the lounge, seemed a bit like the setting for a fairytale. I tried my best to capture that mood. I wanted to set the stage for a place where you can converse about rabbits, cards, turtles, hatters, time and anything else Lewis Caroll (err…Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) might have dreamt up for us!
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-37 AFS 2.8
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 Images @ 1EV)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
NIK Color EFX Pro (ProContrast to correct color cast and global contrast)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tontal Contrast global textures)
Photoshop (Lens correction and corp)
Photoshop (Resize for web)
NIK Sharpener (Display adaptive 40% output 85%)
LightAsMagic.com
A 1/2 second is a lot longer than you think, especially when you are trying to rotate and pan your camera while a drunk guy is laughing as he tells everyone that you are trying to take a “Panty shot…..”. I guess he misunderstood me when I told him about applying a panning technique. I should learn, when working in urban environments, never engage the drunk guy on the corner.
Well, this was my best attempt to New Yorkify our humble downtown Denver. So I thought I would post it for two reasons. One, if you are new to photography, panning is a great way to add interest to your images. Simply select a slower shutter speed and try to move your camera along with the subject. My first ever panning shot was a homework assignment for my high school photography class. I taped down the safety handle of a self-propelled lawn mower and ran along side of it to snap an image as it sped through my lawn and out into the street. The second reason was to pass along a principle of urban photography. Try to avoid the drunk guy on the corner having a smoke. They aren’t all bad, but it is rarely worth the effort.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Tokina 11-16 ATX Pro
Exposure:0.5
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 11 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 image)
Aperture 3 (Black point adjustment and vibrancy boost)
Aperture 3 (Resize for web)
LightAsMagic.com
Songs for Post Processing
Wow, I am surprised at how many folks are enjoying my musical suggestions. Ever since I introduced ‘Songs For Post Processing’, people have been checking them out. April is a ways off, so I decided to add a single song recommendation to a post every now and then to fill the void between monthly playlists. Only tunes that I put on repeat qualify for this, so I hope you dig them as much as I do! Just click the icon below to start listening.
Share The Darkness by the Saw Doctors
I really dig the monthly photo walks. It frees up your eye and gives it time to wander (in a healthy way). I was working an image under a nearby bridge when I heard the light rail buzzing by. It was still early in the evening, but I knew that was an image I wanted to make. I found an interesting overlook that offered an invitation to the viewer’s eye. I made an educated guess on the shutter speed, knowing I wanted a bit of motion as the train was passing. My first image was far too slow. I lost all the detail in the train. It was pretty cool, but not what I wanted. 11 minutes later, the next train passed and it was headed the right way. This time my shutter was a bit quick. There was motion, but I wanted something that would appear as if the train was potentially getting ready for time travel. 11 minutes after that, I had my image. I paid close attention to the timing because I wanted the train to be leading the viewer into the city. Next, I headed to the station and asked if I could get on the train to make some images. The driver, who had only been working for RTD for a couple weeks, was a bit reluctant to let me on. I was loaded with gear and wearing a headlamp. I probably wouldn’t have let me on either. Next time I will just buy a ticket.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Tokina 11-16 ATX Pro
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 16 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 Image)
Nik Define 2.0 (Automatic profile)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment)
Nik Tonal Contrast (Bit of midtone and shadow contrast)
Photoshop (resize for web)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When I was making this image, I wanted to ensure that the train was in the exact right location when I turned the shutter over. I found it was much easier to look through the viewfinder to determine a couple control points in the landscape that I would use to monitor the train. Then, when the train was passing, I simply watched the control points and didn’t watch through the view finder. It made the timing of the shot much easier.
