Just thought I'd pick my favorites for 2012. Should have done this before but never been organized enough. Fits well in a slideshow which I am having fun creating.,.now if I can just get it down to a reasonable size for those with slow connections...
My first post out of many tries to produce a slideshow in movie format. Not as easy as I first thought as converting formats from mpeg to avi was quite a challenge. Also finding background music (royalty free) that would have rights infringement was and still is a big problem. Oh well it was fun...
Been a while and I'm a little rusty and I need to get this technique down pat so I can take photos of interesting spots around the Vancouver Mainland area. This was an 8 minute exposure and I liked it better than the shorter exposures that I tried.
So I took a quick look down the path, and walked down a little bit. And a little bit more and eventually ended up at the beach. Didn't quite look like I thought it would look like but there's possibilities worth coming back for. However coming back and staying until dark might not be too much fun. Have to bring the flashlight to find my way in the dark.
Another chance to shoot a few just before the soccer game. Remembered to use the intensifier and polarizer this time and the results are so obvious. Less reflection, more intense colour and a more solid feel to the image. I like it so much better.
Going back to the old photos I realized again that although the Nikon D100 was my first and Nikon's first DSLR that it was an excellent camera so I took it out for a few shoots. This was a spur of the moment stop as I was driving by and I realized just how interesting a location it could be and with a new found vision more interesting images to make.
Path to a pro workflow as well...somewhere along the line I forgot to create the best image possible by not figuring out a set workflow. In the end it wasn't that complex but it still took a while to think it out. Basically it starts by using Nikon Capture NX2 to create a tif version with only WB and exposure adjustments. The rest of the post processing is then done in Lightroom from which a jpg version is created. The use of Lightroom required some organization thinking and the result was a Lightroom catalog by year. The jpg images were then resized and copyright information added in ACDSee Pro.
It's been a while since I did a strobist photoshoot and so I was a bit nervous. After a couple of shots though it was obvious that it was going to be an easy shoot. Until I tried a natural light shot which I also did the other day. I failed to realize that the overall light was not as bright which was why I was getting such a range of exposures. Surprisingly those shots cam out ok as well.
Took a walk along the beach with Yolly and after our walk took some quick photos. I was quick and got setup fast so I guess I am getting better at this. Forgot to set the WB though...have to remember to check the settings before I start shooting. Not an overly dramatic sunset but I liked the quiet sky colours on this shoot. Aside from adjusting shadows and highlights pretty much all there was in PP. Or maybe I ran some tonal contrast...
I am lost. I don't know what I'm doing here. Mind you it was one of those improvise days. I forgot the 17-35mm lens and had to do with a 20mm. That needed a 62mm-77mm stepup ring. Then I stuck a Vari-ND filter and the GND filter setup. That had a lot of vignetting which I had to crop out during post processing. I also added some more post processing and while it may look Ok I find it to have that overprocessed look that I dislike.
I have been here a few times and getting good compositions have always been a problem. The colourless rocks just do not make for interesting images. But difficult conditions lead to great learning experiences. It finally came to me that I had to minimize the rocks in the photos and introduce more colours into the overall composition.Now have to go back and do thisagain.
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
I am not sure I really enjoy architectural photography. It takes a lot of patience that I don't have...just like bird/animal photography. A lot of it is waiting for conditions to come to you and if it's not there, there isn't much you can do. The clouds have to be there and more than that just so much and moving. The light also has to fall in the right way. The part I don't like about it is the the amount of post processing you need to do. I guess it's early on so I am probably inefficient still...
So I did this one according to the 'book'. Used a tripod, a right angle viewer and used the 10-stop ND filter as well as the Variable ND filter. Unfortunately there were no clouds to make for a more interesting compositions. Next time I hope. Have to work at seeing more and better compositions. Not bad for a first start anyway.
I didn't like the result that I got the last time from this location. It was too dark and for me that's usually the way I like it. So I tried again this morning and went for longer times. I also used a graduated neutral density filter to bring the range of exposure within the range of the camera. The 10-stop filter to blur the clouds using an IPhone App was suppose to require a 2 minute exposure. I eventually went for a 3 minute exposure which resulted in this image. I forgot to set the WB to cloudy so I had to do it with software (thanks to RAW files) so I managed to get it to more natural image.
Vaisakhi 2012 gave me a chance to try people photos since there were a lot of people at the occasion. Interesting that of the 368 photos that I took the ones I like have a commonality that to me makes the photo more interesting. There is a strong element at the edges...something I have to keep in mind when shooting these types of subjects.
Interesting observation here is the way the angle of the sunrise etc changes during the year. This allows for some planning when taking sunrise/sunset photos from a particular viewpoint.
Nice to have this tool, The Photographer's Ephemeris, which shows the topography of locations. It also shows the angle of sunrise/sunset/moonrise/moonset for the specified date.
It never hurts to get another viewpoint ...another way of looking at the same thing. My nephew Kenny said it was too centered when I first posted this image and so I played around with it until I came up with this version. Took a lot more time and effort but I think in the end it is better.
Another shot that didn't come out the way I thought it would. Nice lines but the colours are blah. And the shot isn't sharp at all. Have no clue what to do with this. Great looking at it though.
This was such a terrific vantage point to shoot from or so I thought. Somehow the photo never lived up to the reality and I don't know why. Shot in the late afternoon (I would have loved to have shot this at twilight) it somehow didn't quite come up with the tone/mood that I envisioned.
This is what happens when it's raining and a strong runoff is going in the Spring. Water everywhere...my glasses were foggy and watery. The camera and the lens were getting wet. The lens was impossible to keep clear. Not much one can do when the waterfalls is spraying water all over the place. One can only back up but then the optimal vantage point is gone. It was beautiful though.
Must be the 3rd of 4th week since I decided to study Fred Herzog's work. Some have been quite nice like this back alley that I stumbled on when I made a turn early to avoid traffic. But I still need variety in approach and composition. It is a challenge and worthwhile.
