Tag: sunrise

Ripples …

Ripples …

While recently browsing some of my older photos I came across this image I took on a sailing trip in The Bahamas over twenty-two years ago and I remember it so clearly. It was a near perfect, cool morning in November, and I was up before the sun and on deck with coffee and camera in hand. There was really no breeze and the ocean was flat with just left over memories of the previous waves, giving me a slight ripply effect in the reflection of the sky. As the sun rose to peek at the scattered puffy clouds, I could see the beginnings of deep orange in the east fading to dark blue to the west. So calm … and so calming. I still relax every time I view this photo, so decided to make it the wallpaper on my desktop.

The mornings at anchor on the sailboat are some of my favorite memories of those trips. I remember a morning anchored in the inside passage of the Florida Keys. It was another very calm beginning and after the sun rose, a slight offshore breeze began to stir the water. I was ready to go, but my wife was still sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb her. So I pulled in the anchor by hand, pulled the genoa out, and the boat slowly glided through the water towards the channel. I still think of that morning as another perfect beginning to a day on the water.

I hope this image will help you get to the same relaxed state of mind …

Please feel free to download this image – It makes a nice Wallpaper on a laptop. Image dated Nov., 2002, taken with Canon EOS D30.

Time Travel …

20041011-6
Layers of color, light, and structure

Years ago I wrote in my profile somewhere, “Photography provides a way to capture time and then travel back there whenever you wish. Every time you look at a photo, it can transport you back to that moment, allowing you to relive and remember.”

Recently, I was browsing through some of my old photos and came across a series I took in 2004, back in my Canon days with the 10d.  About a week after I retired from flying airplanes for Delta Air Lines, I struck out on a solo photo journey through part of the great American southwest.  The main points of interest on my itenerary were those awesome national parks:  The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Canyonlands.

I started very early at The Grand Canyon, and spent several hours roaming the rim and shooting the canyon.   Continue reading “Time Travel …”

Images from the Olympus PEN E-PL1

I’ve had the little Olympus PEN E-PL1 for just over two weeks now and thought I would share some sample images.

I’m enjoying the camera a lot but find I REALLY need a viewfinder when shooting outdoors in bright light – the screen just isn’t bright enough, plus since I don’t wear glasses (and I need to) I have a hard time telling if it’s in focus or not.

What I love about the camera is that it takes high quality images up to a reasonable ISO of about 800 and still okay for some applications above that. As a habitual “tinkerer”, I also really appreciate the deep menu system that allows a high level of customizability. Lastly, at current prices – I’ve seen body only for $150 online – I think this camera is a steal, especially if you’re a micro four thirds (m43) user and can share lenses with another m43 camera. (Like the Olympus OM-D E-M5 whenever it finally gets here!)

These images were all taken with the Olympus PEN E-PL1 using the 14-42mm kit lens. They were shot at various ISO’s and some have had some processing done.

This black and white was done in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

The following two images were done with “Light Painting” … darkened room, 10 second exposure, and lighting with a flashlight.

Auto HDR with the Sony NEX-7

Sony’s newer cameras have been offering an in-camera HDR (high dynamic range) function.

When you select this “auto HDR” mode, you can also set the EV (exposure value) range from 1 to 6. This is a total range and not the spacing between each of the 3 images it will shoot. So far, I’ve just been using the 6 EV range and been quite happy with the results.

When this mode is selected, the camera takes 3 quick images with the proper over/under exposure values and then combines them, automatically, to produce an HDR image. One nice thing it also does is to save the normal exposed image in addition to the HDR. This allows you to have at least the normal exposure in  case you’re not pleased with the HDR.

At first, I was skeptical and then not particularly impressed with the output. The images had a flat look that seemed to lack contrast and color saturation. However, as I began to work with the HDR images, I found that just a bit of post processing could correct that. And, in retrospect, it actually makes sense. The HDR image was doing what it was supposed to do … i.e. save the highlights and shadows for you, such that the detail information was preserved.

In this sunrise image, the auto HDR worked great. It preserved the detail in the brighter clouds, didn’t allow the sun to be completely blown out, and also saved the shadow detail in the trees.

It seems, the more I use it … well, the more I use it. 🙂 What I mean by that is that as I become more adept at working with the HDR image it produces, I find I am more likely to use that feature. There’s really not much to lose – if the auto HDR doesn’t produce for me, I always have the normally exposed image to work with.

So, if you have an NEX-7, give it a whirl – I think you’ll like what you see!

Sony NEX-7 w/Sony 18-200mm OSS; auto HDR
Lightroom 4 (beta)

Fiery Dawn on Snowy Pines

A while back, I was treated to a spectacular, fiery sunrise the morning after a few inches of fresh snow softly coated the pines near home.

Here was a golden opportunity to try out some HDR (High Dynamic Range), using the Nikon D7000.  So far I’ve been thrilled with the results from this camera, finding it to produce very clean images with low noise at reasonable ISO’s.

One of the things I’m really liking is the ability to save settings to two of the positions on the mode dial:  U1 and U2.  I haven’t tried everything but I’m happy to report that you can save your AEB (bracketing) settings and even other positions on the mode dial.  For instance, when I select U1 now, the camera is set to the Aperture Mode and is ready to shoot 3 bracketed images with 2 EV spacing – quick and easy!

Once the images were downloaded, I used Nik’s HDR Efex Pro to create this image. In this case, I was only able to use two of my bracketed images and was surprised and pleased with the result.  HDR Efex Pro is a great addition to the software possibilities available for HDR work and gives you a good number of presets to choose from, plus it has Nik’s proprietary U-Point technology as one of it’s tools.