Dream Tomorrow, Live Today, Cherish Yesterday

Tiny Landscape Again

Canon 5D Mark II, 70-300 F/5.6, f/5.6, 1/320, iso 160

As I mentioned in this post last week, I am trying my hand at "Tiny Landscapes." The goal is to find pleasing and creative compositions, naturally as found. The beaches here on Bainbridge Island are not sandy, they are rocky. There are any number of items that wash up on the shores. I'm not sure where this metal plate came from, but most likely it has been here a long time.

I thought it interesting how the metal had rusted away in this pattern, and then the rocks filled in the space.  I was very drawn to the metal itself, and wanted to feature it too. Thus this composition, kind of a "negative space" approach.

What do you think?

Wordless Wednesday - Day at the Beach

On Wordless Wednesday, you tell the story...

Topaz Tuesday - Americana

Canon 5D Mark II, 70-300mm F/4.5, f/4.5, 1/500, iso 200

Today we are heading back to Port Gamble, WA. I featured a victorian building from there in last week's Topaz Tuesday post. I guess it is the style of the buildings, but once again I'm going for a fairly heavy handed treatment.

And kind of like the sailboat post a few weeks back, using just Adjust or Simplify wasn't going where I wanted to go. So back to the "do both" strategy.

In Simplify, I chose the BuzSim preset. No other adjustments. Then in Adjust I chose "Psychedelic" believe it or not. I then added a bit more detail with that slider. In Photoshop I did a slight curves "S" adjustment, then took down the red saturation just a bit.

So what do you think this building is? Like a little tea shop or something perhaps? Click on the continue link to find out, and to see the original image.

 

Shelby

Canon 5D Mark II, 135mm F/2.0, f/4.5, 1/2 second, iso 250

If you don't know anything about Carroll Shelby, check out the wikipedia page about him. As car guys go, he's an all American legend. I have followed his activities over the years, and he is who I think about when I hear the term "a life well lived."

I came across this gorgeous AC Cobra at a consignment store and couldn't resist. Ah, I mean I couldn't resist taking a picture of it.

Sunday Surprise

I had a surprise planned for today, not a new image, but showing you how the fawn image I posted a couple of days ago was picked up for the cover of the weekly newspaper here on Bainbridge Island.The newspaper has a circulation of 10,000 - every household on the Island gets it no charge.

I have had images on Page 1 of a newspaper before, but not the entire cover. Kind of fun.

I was just about to create this post early this morning when my internet died. And my cable TV. And my home phone. I got an "all you can eat" package from Comcast. I didn't think about the fact that when Comcast goes down, I basically lose everything. Except cell coverage, which I used to call them. They sent a repair crew and just got it going. Some wiring fiasco down the road.

So that was my surprise! Maybe I need to start working a day ahead?

Anyway, click on the Continue link for the rest of the surprise. If my internet stays up!

For Diane

Canon 5D Mark II, 180mm F/3.5 Macro, 1/400, iso 250

I have a friend and fellow photographer/blogger back in Sacramento named Diane Poinski. She specializes in photographs of flowers which she then enhances by hand. (Although she isn't limited to flowers, she did some beautiful work in Paris.) Her images have a unique look. I'm proud to say I have one of hers in our home.

I took this shot yesterday in bright sunlight after a brief rain. These Peonies are the favorite flowers of our former homeowner. This was the first shot I made and was kind of blown out. I corrected that for the remaining images, but when viewing on the computer I liked the blown out one the best.

As I began working on a treatment I thought about Diane's work and I ended up with something that reminded me of some of hers. So today's image is for you Diane.

Tiny Landscape

Canon 5D Mark II, 70-300mm F/5.6, f/6.3, 1/500, iso 500

Last year when I was visiting John Barclay he showed me some prints done by a friend of his - tiny landscapes. Not macros, which are closeups of a given subject. These were very small areas, with intresting features, and the compositions were just stunning. This man had been a patternmaker in the clothing industry, and as such had an extraordinary ability to see the compositions in real time.

I have been intrigued by this genre ever since. I'll see what seems to be a suitable tiny landscape subject and shoot some images. Looking through the viewfinder I think perhaps there is a compelling composition here. But most of the time when I later look on the screen I'm not too impressed.

I do like this one however. Help me out, would you? Is this one any good? Or just a plant on an old piece of driftwood?

Hey Pretty Bird

Canon 5D Mark II, 70-300mm F/5.6, f/5.6, 1/400, iso 500

Yesterday's image was taken on Father's day, we went out to do some exploring of our new home area. We drove up that mountain road for some vista type shots but it was really too foggy to get anything. I found a few of these birds at one of the places we stopped.  They seemed just as interested in me as I was with them, and I was able to get numerous shots while pretty close. I especially like that the feathers are so wet they look like fur.

We'll have to get Birdman Abbott on the case here so we can find out what kind of birdie it is.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I just want to say I can hardly believe I can be in the Olympic National Forest in a one hour drive... Okay, now back to you, because on Wordless Wednesday's, you tell the story.

Topaz Tuesday - Port Gamble Victorian

Canon 5D mark II, 70-300mm F/5.6, f/5.6, 1/640, iso 200

This weekend we did some touring of the local area. One of the towns we went to is Port Gamble, WA (www.portgamble.com).  There are numerous old buildings, all in fantastic condition. Right when I saw this victorian I thought it would make a good Topaz subject.

You know how in many of my Topaz Tuesday posts I discuss restraint with Adjust, not "over cooking" the image. Well, this building is asking for the treatment! It's so ornate and colorful, I think it deserves a strong shot of Topaz Adjust.

I began with the Vibrance preset, then adjusted a few sliders. I boosted the dark areas a bit, and gave it saturation boost. Back in photoshop I gave it a bit of S-curve. I also cloned out a sign you'll see in the original.

Okay, so it isn't great photo art. But it is fun, and I'm enjoying showing my readers around my new home environs. Original on the continue link below.