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This past weekend we relaxed for a couple days up in Truckee, CA. Good to be back amongst the tall conifers. One of my very favorite sounds is the wind moving through tall pines, redwoods and cedars. Coming home would only be 1 1/4 hours by Interstate 80, but we decided to make a day of it and go back in time along Highway 49.
This scene is outside of Sierraville, and I gave it a vintage treatment to set the mood.
Click on the continue link and I'll take you on the tour!
Pierce the Sky
Canon 10D, 16-35mm F/2.8, f/8.0, 1/1000, iso 100
Took this shot back in 2004, in Washington DC. Beautiful sculpture right at Dulles Airport. You can walk all the way around it, and it is in a fountain. So it reflects everything, the clouds, sky, water, it's really something. Well, I just went to wikipedia and found that the sculptor is John Safer, and it is called "Ascent."
One of the fun things about shooting it was walking around, positioning the sun in different places, and having the piece look so different from several angles.
I chose to give it some treatment in Lightroom, I applied a preset called Cinema Warm. I then darkened the cloudy sky a bit more, for drama. I did a bit more playing with it in Photoshop, and then did the frame effect in PS as well. I didn't do anything to achieve the "glow effect," that is in the original.
Here is another view of it without any manipulation whatsoever. I saw that plane coming in and waited to this point before taking the shot. Let me know how you like it - either one!
Canon 1D Mark III, 85mm F/1.2, F3.2, 1/250, iso 100
For today I just wanted something light and fun. Obviously its from the garden I refer to as Shangri-La. I was drawn to this vase because of its intricacy and the overall setting.
You know that recently I showed a couple of images and mentioned that there was no post processing. Well, this is an image that demonstrates the opposite. There's about 15-20 minutes of photoshopping on this guy.
For starters, I cropped it. No biggie. But I also darkened the foliage area, using several tools, and lightened the vase. There was a garbage can in the shot. Cloned that out. Darkened those tree trunks. I sharpened just the vase to really make it stand out.
Like I said, a nice easy and pleasing image, well, thanks to Photoshop!
The Red Binder (It's the one in the blue circle)
In these strange economic times, just living day to day can be so challenging. It seems like every day there is another business shutting down. I have seen entire office buildings that are empty.
So as a service to other business owners and their employees, I'm going public with a well kept secret: The Red Binder. The Red Binder is a resource that has been handed down from prior generations, for just these kinds of times. Think of it like The Davinci Code, but for business owners.
Before I unlock the secrets of The Red Binder however, some blog housekeeping is in order.
Late last week the blog passed an important milestone, it's 10,000th page view. My readership has been growing slowly, and I'm ever grateful for each visitor and especially each comment and commenter. Tell your friends about my blog if you enjoy it. Go ahead and tweet me up you twitterers.
New Photo Blogs for Your Viewing Pleasure
I regularly work my way around the web looking for interesting blogs and photographers. When I have several, I do a little piece on them (like this one) and add them to my blogroll over on the right.
Here are four that are new to me and our readers, that represent some fantastic work:
http://www.photo-passion.eu/index.php
http://www.blog.bluehourphoto.com/
Each of these photographers is producing interesting and high quality work. Check them out, leave them a comment on the ones you like!
Back to The Red Binder
Okay, I have kept you waiting long enough. Click on the continue link to learn The Secret of the Red Binder.
Continue reading "Friday Funnies: The Red Binder - plus much more!" »
20 Years
Canon 1D Mark III, 24-70mm F/2.8L, f/3.5, 1/30, iso 1000
So a 20th anniversary is definitely cause to celebrate, right? We are really fortunate to have many fine dining establishments locally. One of the best is Hawk's Restaurant. Molly Hawks and her husband Mike were schooled in the rarefied culinary air of San Francisco, but found there way back to the suburbs to be with family and start one of their own.
While I'm never one to miss a photo op, I didn't want to make the photography a big thing last night. But I did manage to sneak in a few shots (!), so click the continue link if you want to see some of the restaurant's amazing creations.
Happy Anniversary
Canon 10D, 70-200mm F/4.0L, f/6.7, 1/10, iso 100
Today is the 20th anniversary of my marriage to Debbie. It's been good! I remain very happy that we found each other and that we decided to marry each other. They say marriage is difficult and all, but we are similar enough that 99% of the time we are "hand in glove," as they say.
I created this image on our 15th anniversary. I had not done at the time, and still have not, made much time for "still life" photography, although I would certainly like to. The location was our favorite getaway place, Hotel Pacific in Monterey, CA. The Dom Perignon was provided by my good friend John F. The flower plucked from the vines that are all over the property.
Those glasses - I bought these when I was 18, in Stockholm Sweden. They were a special, numbered edition to celebrate the marriage of the King to the Queen. We get them out a couple of times every year.
Our hotel room had a small patio, and in the afternoon I put this scene together. Obviously I had my tripod since the shutter speed was 1/10. I went to the slower shutter after taking a few shots that "froze" the bubbles. I wanted to see the bubbles moving.
Click the continue link and you'll see why I'm such a lucky guy....
High Hand Koi
Processed with Topaz Simplify
by the Topaz Labs September Newsletter
Thanks for visiting my blog after being featured in the Topaz Labs newsletter.
Here is a link to the Topaz Tuesday Category to easily see the other Topaz Tuesday posts. I plan on featuring a Topaz'd image each Tuesday, so I hope you will visit often. Comments are always welcomed, I would enjoy hearing from you. Now back to the original post...
So for my second "Topaz Tuesday" I'm presenting something entirely different! (That's me, btw.)
I was having fun with the koi fish at High Hand Nursery on a recent trip there. You know, photographing them with the intent of creating a blog or fine art image is interesting. As you look through your viewfinder, with the fish thrashing about, you see a continuously moving and evolving composition, and you have of course not even tenths of seconds to press the shutter when the moment is right.
I took maybe 20 pictures, and I was thinking they were all quite nice, but when I viewed them on the computer most were just nice pictures of fish, not something I really wanted to work with. The fish in the middle of this image was my favorite, and I thought this one was pretty nice, so off we go.
As for Topaz, most of the images you see with its treatment are made to look like drawings, paintings, or old time images. But it also has a great "watercolor" treatment and that's what I selected for this image. After doing the watercolor treatment, I did a fair amount of photoshopping on this one. The rocks at the bottom were very reflective. By toning them down, the fish became more prominent in the photo.
When I did last week's first Topaz Tuesday, blog reader Wolf asked me to do a tutorial on Topaz. Click the continue link and I'll show you a few highlights.
Daylily on Fire!
Canon 1D Mark III, 180mm F/3.5 Macro, f/3.5, 1/6400, iso 320
Was feeling in the mood for a Macro this morning. This shot was taken on my recent visit to Amador Flower Farm which is just the most amazing place. I highly recommend a visit there. Daylillies are really spectacular.
For this shot, I was featuring the stamen, so I went for minimal depth of field. There is a small range of tones, something else I like in images. In Lightroom, I even adjusted the clarity slider down (to the left) to further blur the background a bit. Look at all that pollen sitting there! If I were a bee, I'd want to live in a daylily garden.
Canon 10D, 16-35mm F/2.8, f/8.0, .7 seconds, iso 400
Digging way back into the archives to 2003, we find this pretty and relaxing image. This was made during my first volunteer project, where I became the photographer for a benefit home tour. You might not think you could pursue your photographic passion and also do some good for worthy charity and benefit organizations, but I assure you its possible.
I have done volunteer work every year since then, and have enjoyed it immensely. Nearly any fund raising organization needs quality images for their efforts, and of course they would prefer not to pay for them. Doing this work has made a real impact on me - the people I have met have really changed my life.
This is the backyard of people I'm now happy to be friends with. In our area, outdoor dining and relaxing areas are prevalent. Spring and Fall are great times for outdoor entertaining here, and depending upon your tolerance for hot/cold, Summer and Winter can be good times as well.
These particular people host a lot of events at their home and garden. It's one of the finest gardens in our area, and I'm happy to now have photographed it many times, and I even have pictures of it in the entry way of my home.
Digging back into my own memory, I'm quite sure this was the first time I attempted a night time pool shot. It was a lot of fun, you do some shooting, have a glass of wine or two with great people. Life is good! This shot was used in the promotional materials, and appeared in local newspapers, magazines and even on TV.
If you really enjoy photography, step out and see what local organizations could benefit from your talent and effort, you'll be amazed what doing good for others will do for you!
When People Look Like Their Pets
Oh boy. This image is a bit out there for me. But there's something intriguing, or compelling, or revolting, about it. That captures the imagination. I took this in Grass Valley CA, at the 4th of July parade this year.
Can't you just see this couple getting ready to go? "Hey Lucifer, where's the snake? We gotta git to the parade." "Jesus Keeerist Morticia, he's just had his breakfast, let him digest that rat."
Yes, this has to be one of the creepiest pictures I have ever taken. I see no redeeming qualities to keeping a snake as a pet. Well perhaps is one is overrun with rodents. Morticia here though, as you can see, she is enthralled with her precious snakey. This was processed with a Lightroom preset called "Matt's Sin City - Light Red." How appropriate.
Maybe I'll find another parade next year? Record your thoughts below with a comment!
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