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I'll be posting some random thoughts here about my photography: my travel plans, technical information behind some images, stories about how certain pictures were captured, etc. The timing of the postings will also be random as my priority is capturing new images rather than writing about existing ones. I hope you will feel free to comment on any of my postings and I appreciate you taking time to read my entries.
Hallmark Card #2A couple of years ago, Hallmark selected my "Dog in Flight" photograph for a greeting card. The image first appeared on Hallmark's online store and ultimately became available in stores throughout the world:
This photograph was captured while I was walking in San Francisco. I asked the owner of the dog if I could take some pictures--and he gladly complied.
Use Live ViewI recently participated in a workshop led by Steve Gettle in the Adirondack Mountains. Steve suggested that I try capturing a photograph of Queen Anne's Lace just after sunrise. The challenge was to frame the plant directly in front of the rising sun! I had never tried shooting directly into the sun before. At first, I tried to align the image and focus using the optical viewfinder. Needless to say, this is not the safest thing to do for your eyesight. Fortunately, my Nikon D800 offers Live View. So, I was able to align and focus by looking at the image in the LCD panel on the back of the camera rather than having to look directly into the sun. One of the benefits of participating in photography workshops is learning new techniques. This technique of shooting into the sun to create more interesting images is one that I plan to use in my photography moving forward.
Full RainbowI captured my first photograph of a full rainbow while visiting Niagara Falls a couple of months ago! This picture was taken from the Terrapin Point on Goat Island in Niagara Falls State Park on the American side of the river.
Portrait SessionYesterday, I had the pleasure of capturing pictures of Jackson, my photogenic five year old cousin. Here are a few images from the photos shoot:
All photographs were processed first in Lightroom 4. The adjustment brush did an amazing job in allowing me to quickly select the white seamless paper. From there, I selectively increased the exposure as necessary to get a clean white background. I then brought the images into Photoshop where I applied at least two Nik Color Efex filters. First, I added added the Pro Contrast filter. Second, I used the White Neutralizer filter to ensure that my whites were really white. Finally, I converted a number of the images into black & white using Nik's Silver Efex Pro software. Three Out of Seven Ain't BadDuring my trip to Yellowstone, I traveled through seven state capitals:
I stopped in three of these cities to take pictures of the state capitol buildings. Cheyenne, Wyoming
I think it would be an interesting project to photograph all 50 of the state capitol buildings! Up Next: New Mexico!It's official! New Mexico is the destination of my next photography trip. I've completed the planning stages of this trip. Here's my itinerary:
Day 1: Salina, KS Day 2: Colorado Springs, CO --Garden of the Gods Day 3: Colorado Springs, CO -- Air Force Academy Day 4: Santa Fe, NM -- Old Santa Fe, Pecos National Historical Site Day 5: Santa Fe, NM -- Churches of Santa Fe, Capitol Building Day 6: Santa Fe, NM -- High Road to Taos Day 7: Santa Fe, NM -- Architecture of Las Vegas, NM Day 8: Santa Fe, NM -- Turquoise Trail, Tent Rocks Day 9: Albuquerque, NM -- Petroglyph National Monument Day 10: Albuquerque, NM -- Albuquerque Zoo, Old Town Day 11: Socorro, NM -- Bosque del Apache Day 12: Socorro, NM -- Bosque del Apache Day 13: Socorro, NM -- Bosque del Apache Day 14: Alamogordo, NM -- White Sands National Monument Day 15: Alamogordo, NM -- White Sands National Monument Day 16: Alamogordo, NM -- White Sands National Monument Day 17: Carlsbad, NM -- Carlsbad Caverns National Park Day 18: Amarillo, TX -- Cadillac Ranch, Route 66 Historical District Day 19: Tulsa, OK -- Oklahoma City National Monument, Capitol Building Day 20: Springfield, IL -- Visit Friends Day 21: Orland Park, IL I've documented only a few of the areas of interest for each location. I'll also be carrying the "Photographing the Southwest - Vol. 3 - A guide to the natural landmarks of Colorado & New Mexico" book by Laurent Martres throughout my trip. I've found the books by Matres to be an excellent resource.
Bud is Back!Imaging Resource selected my "Dog in Flight" picture as its Photo of the Day for 11-5-2012! At the end of November, three of the 30 daily winners from the month will be awarded Canon photo printers. So, I have about a 10% chance of landing a brand new printer thanks to Bud (the name of the miniature dachshund in the picture).
Virtual HorizonOne of my favorite features of the Nikon D800 is the dual-axis virtual horizon which can be monitored through the viewfinder.
Photographing "Wildlife" at the ZooI visit the Brookfield Zoo quite often to practice my photography and to capture portraits of the animals. The zoo offers many interesting subjects. And, most exhibits are free of obstructions as moats are generally used to separate the visitors from the animals. As much as I enjoy my zoo visits, it can be depressing at times to think about how the animals have lost their freedom and are destined to live the rest of their lives in relatively small exhibits. One of my favorite subjects at the zoo are the endangered Mexican gray wolves. I've captured pictures of these beautiful animals in the Winter snow, the early Spring and in the colorful Fall. Here's one of my recent favorites:
Today, I learned some good news about the Mexican gray wolf. One of the endangered wolves will be leaving the Brookfield Zoo to be introduced to the wild! Please click here to read more about this remarkable story from the Brookfield Zoo. |
