Black and White

Terlingua Creek Sunrise – Big Bend National Park

 Adobe Lightroom, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Black and White, Helicon Focus, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, sunrise, Texas, Zeiss Lenses  4 Responses »
Dec 172010
 

Terlingua Creek Sunrise, outside of Big Bend National Park. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f8 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. This image is a sunrise shot along Terlingua Creek just outside of Big Bend National Park. This area of the creek is located a few miles from the Terlingua Ghost Town along Highway 170. This was my second visit during the week that I visited this area so in a sense I had prescouted this shot. All I needed were the clouds. On this morning I was blessed with some amazing clouds. They rolled in as a single mass and then began to break apart over the bluffs along the creek. I positioned the camera to take advantage of the strong series of repeating leading lines of the creek, creek bed, reflection, and the bluffs. The clouds added a hugh dynamic component to the shot.

The image was shot in three focus brackets and combined in Helicon Focus software. Additionally I used a 3-stop Singh-Ray Soft Edge Split Neutral Density Filter dropped in along the top of the bluffs. The filter was rotated to account for the angle. The image was converted in Adobe Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Agave and Moonrise – Big Bend National Park

 Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Black and White, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Texas  4 Responses »
Oct 242010
 

Giant agave and moonrise over the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 2 seconds.

Hi everyone. I am just back from being out in the field for several weeks. But as fate would have it I am heading back out for another two weeks for work at the USS Arizona Memorial. I have quite a few images to go through from the last few weeks of shooting so it may take awhile to get them all prepared. But as a teaser today’s post is from my shoot at Big Bend. This image is a twilight shot of a giant agave shot against a backdrop of the Chisos Mountain Range. This agave stood almost four feet tall and was the largest one I have ever seen. The sun was setting behind me and off my right shoulder. The light in the shot was pretty balanced but I used a 2-stop Singh-Ray split neutral density filter to hold back the sky and moonrise during the exposure.

The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.2 and finished in Photoshop CS5

There are more images to come so stay tuned for future posts once I return from Hawaii. As always thanks for stopping by.

Bob

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Kala, Street Artist – Lensbaby Portrait

 Adobe Lightroom, Black and White, Flash Photography, Hawaii, Lensbaby, Lensbaby Photograph, Lensbaby Photography, Lightroom, Photography Technique, Portrait, Sony α900  No Responses »
Sep 232010
 

Kala, Hawaiian street artist. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Lensbaby Composer. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f4.0 for 1/500 of a second, with off camera fill flash set to high speed sync..

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. The images today are of my friend Kala, an Hawaiian street artist who weaves coconut palm fronds into intricate baskets, hats, flowers, and whimsical animals. Born on the big Island of Hawaii, Kala has led an interesting life full of ups and downs. Not unlike most of I suppose but he has been to some depths many of us have not experienced. Today he lives a calm life, almost zen like, where he really has no worries. He is a very intelligent man and I enjoyed talking with him about everything from Hawaiian culture to football. As he talks his hands work the palm fronds, in and out, over and under, until another work of art is finished. He was taught by a master weaver and exhibits the skill and dexterity of many years of practice. You can find Kala most evenings sitting on the wall, near the Marriott in downtown Waikiki. On most nights, Von is there as well and the two carry on a lively banter. It has a calming affect. Time just seems to slow down and it invites you to do the same. To spend time with them watching the sun set over the ocean is special and every night I found myself ritually joining them on the wall. It was not long before I realized that I was not alone in this ritual. Across the street, locals and visitors alike walked out on the beach to experience the end of the day. Like clock work we all just stopped what we were doing and collectively experienced the sunset. The sound of the ocean, the cooling breeze, and the setting sun works a mysterious magic on the soul. All thoughts just seem to melt away if only for a brief moment. But the restorative benefits are exponential. As the light fades life begins again. As the street lights come on the sounds of the street resonate with activity. Night begins and we are all pulled into its reality.

Kala, Hawaiian street artist. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Lensbaby Composer. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f4.0 for 1/200 of a second, with off camera fill flash set to high speed sync.

Each of the images explores a different way of seeing. They were all shot with a Sony α900 with a Lensbaby Composer and the f4.0 insert. I have spoken before about the use of the Lensbaby and its ability to provide selective focusing. It is a lens that can blur out background noise. The effect is pronounced and varied. In two the shots the background is reduced to a kind of random bokeh pattern. In the vignette the background is simply softened. It is a lens that takes a little practice but one which can pay off with beautiful images. The f4.0 insert is my usual choice as it gives me the right amount of subject sharpness and fade. When I shot these I was looking for a different angle, another way of seeing Kala, and perhaps find a way to incorporate his work into the image. A small bucket with his woven flowers provided a starting point and I worked the subject from a low angle. I was lying on the ground and shifted in and out looking for a pleasing composition. I moved the flash around and fired a few test shots to see if it was going to work. In the first shot Kala just leaned over towards the bucket and I caught something in his face that was both serene and intense. The flash was set low and off to my left. The Lensbaby’s focus was dialed in just beyond the bucket of flowers. In the second image I readjusted the Lensbaby’s focus to the flowers which put Kala out of focus. Two images captured with the same lens providing different points of focus and interpretation. The third image shown below is a vignette. A simple isolation of a craftsman’s hands cradling his art.

Kala, Hawaiian street artist. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Lensbaby Composer. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f4.0 for 1/125 of a second, with off camera fill flash set to high speed sync.

The primary processing work was done in Adobe Lightroom 3.2. For most of my work Lightroom is a first step in optimizing the RAW files with final finishing in Photoshop. For these images I did all the primary work in Lightroom using a processing preset. Lightrooms presets provide many options for creatively developing your files. After some experimentation I settled on a preset called “Color Creative-Aged Photo”. I really like the split-tone effect of the final images. The images also received some small curve adjustments and sharpening. They were exported to Photoshop where I did a little dodging and burning and added my typical white border.

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Wedding Chapel, Kona Coast, Hawaii

 Architectural Photography, Architecture, Black and White, Churches, Hawaii, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, Photography Technique  No Responses »
Sep 162010
 

Wedding Chapel, Kona Coast, big island of Hawaii. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 24mm Perspective Control Lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Well I am back from the big city of Philadelphia but still nursing the cold that knocked me out. I am afraid I have passed this one on to my family and a few friends as well. In any event I thought we would look at a classic architectural shot of a wedding chapel I discovered on my last visit to Hawaii. The chapel was adjacent to my hotel and I thought it would showcase an excellent use of the 24mm PC lens. For those of you who are not familiar with this lens it allows the photographer to shift the lens along a vertical or horizontal axis, depending on the how the lens is oriented, and provides a tilt function similar to the controls in a view camera. The lens shift function is important as you can mitigate against the distortion that occurs when you try to capture a tall subject in a wide angle lens. To see this effect aim a wide angle upward on a tall building and you will see the lines of the building begin to converge, and surfaces which should be straight, are no longer parallel. This can add to the dynamics of a photograph but is not desirable for most architectural shots.

I pre-scouted the location and determined what time, and where, the best light would be. I used an app called LightTrac on my iPad to determine the sun angle based on the time of day. In this case an early morning shot with the sun rising from camera right would serve to give me some beautiful side lighting to help define some of the chapels features. The other thing I had going for me was a small bank of palm trees which helped diffuse some of the light and cast some shadows on the facade. I was prepared for a totally blue sky but got some clouds to soften the composition. I had several angles I could work with but the straight on shot in my mind was the best. Shooting from the right would have put me in the palm trees and there was a hand rail blocking part of the shot. All this was thought through in the scouting as well as the exact placement I wanted for the camera. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to scout your shots. It is not always possible but the best results come from understanding the site, light direction, and previsualizing of the shot.

Aside from the clean lines of the church I was also intrigued by the positive and negative shapes of the cross on the steeple and at the back of the chapel. My hope early on was for the clouds to hold in place so I could capture the white cross on the steeple against the blue sky. Luck prevailed in this case. Another point I want to make is I was dealing with essentially three distinct colors; the white of the chapel, the blue sky, and the intense greens of the foliage, all of which convert very well to black and white. The conversion to black and white simplifies the tonal range and allows the chapel to “pop” within the composition.

Camera placement was centered on the chapel for a classic composition but I also achieved a nice balance to the photograph with the vegetation that framed the steeple. With the camera oriented in vertical the 24mm lens could not fully capture the top of the steeple. Not to worry of course because once I had the shot framed and all lines parallel I simply shifted the lens upward to capture the steeple and cross. All vertical lines remained parallel. But even with carful framing and set up there was still just a hint of distortion which was easily removed in Photoshop with the lens correction features.

Thanks for stopping by today. I have some other architectural shots I took on this trip and will post those as soon as I can get them processed.

Bob

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Kona Coast and Clouds

 Black and White, Hawaii, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Nikon D3x, Pacific Ocean, Photography Technique, Singh-Ray Filters, sunset, Water  2 Responses »
Sep 102010
 

Kona Coast and Clouds, big island of Hawaii. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 24mm PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 4 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is another shot from the Kona Coastline on the big island of Hawaii. Shot after the sun had set the clouds began to open up and created a subtle mirroring of the lava rocks below. I played with several camera positions until I got the composition to line up. This implied symmetry is a photographic concept I like to work with in my images. If anyone had watched me that night they would have seen me hopping from rock to rock and looking through the viewfinder of the camera. I did not go to the tripod until I was satisfied with the position of the elements. All to ofter we leave our cameras attached to the tripod which can lead to some lazy compositions. To get the creative flow going get the camera off the tripod and do some digital sketching. Shoot quickly from a variety of positions. Don’t worry about exact exposure. Just fire through a series of frames and then go back and look at your shots. When you allow yourself to be free to look you will discover things you did not see while tethered to the tripod. Once you get a composition, or two or three, you like then you can go back to the tripod and refine your shot.

The image was shot with a Singh-Ray 3-stop Soft Split Neutral Density Filter to help balance the foreground and rock exposure. The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom and black and white conversion and final finishing was done in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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El Capitan – Yosemite National Park

 Black and White, California, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Sony α900, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park  2 Responses »
Aug 262010
 

El Cap and Light, Yosemite National Park. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony 70-300 G lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am a little behind these days and this will be my last post for the next tens days as I am heading off to Hawaii for work. I know what you are thinking. How nice. Well, yes it is but it is still work and it is a long, long flight. I will be quite busy but will try to get in some personal camera time. In any event today’s post is from the west coast and is a shot of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The shot is from Inspiration Point and was made as an incredible band of storms and clouds rolled over the valley. I watched for a while and began to notice some subtle breaks occur in the clouds. I shifted the camera over and put on my 70-300mm lens and framed El Cap just as a wave of light broke through the clouds and hit the side. Within minutes it was gone and the clouds thickened up. Just a bit of luck.

Thanks for stopping by today. We will see you in a few weeks.

Bob

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Coastal Sea Stacks – Canon Beach

 Black and White, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Ocean, Sony α900  2 Responses »
Aug 152010
 

Coastal Sea Stacks, Canon Beach, Oregon. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony G, 70-200mm lens at 200mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This post should be filed under the category of acceptance. The image is a grouping of sea stacks off the Oregon Coast near Canon Beach. The weather, which I had to accept, was dismal. I went to Canon Beach with an image in mind but nature chose to hand me a different scenario. It rained for three days. Hard, then mist, then hard again. The wind blew in off the ocean pelting and spotting my lenses. Even with my camera rain cover it was nearly unmanageable. Acceptance became the theme. What I wanted was not going to happen no matter how much I cursed the conditions. Acceptance was necessary to move beyond my irritation and begin to see the possibilities. This image, for me, represents acceptance. After three days I began to really look beyond the weather and to see the power of what the weather created. Plus I realized if I switched to my telephoto lens I could use the deep lens hood to keep water off the lens. Necessity is the mother of invention. Acceptance led me to a shot which evokes the grey, stormy, Oregon Coast.

I shot this in the late evening in tungsten white balance to accentuate the blue tones. And while I like the blues it just did not seem right. I spent some time looking at the image in Lightroom before deciding how I wanted to process the final composition. In this case a severe crop to isolate the sea stacks and a conversion to black and white did the trick. I like the repetition of rock forms and the beautiful softness created by the misting rain. I look at this image now and can still feel the wind biting my face. Acceptance played a hand in the creation of this shot. Letting go of what we want and seeing what we have is the path we must take.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Wedding Bubbles

 Black and White, Photography Technique, Sony α900, Wedding Photography, Zeiss Lenses  No Responses »
Jun 202010
 

Wedding Bubbles. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f4 for 1/60th of a second.

Hi everyone. Occasionally I like to step away from landscapes and work on other areas of photography. Many of us have fears, yours truly included, of shooting in areas where we are not comfortable. The only way is step off the edge and just do it. A friend of mine asked me not long ago to assist with a large wedding she was shooting. I was reticent at first. What if I blew my exposures? What about my framing and composition? What if the couple was not happy? All valid questions of course. I was comfortable with my equipment and I thought I could get into the rhythm of the affair so I decided to do it. It was great fun but boy what a lot of work. We started in the morning and did not finish until late in the evening. I learned a lot and managed to shoot many images, somewhere around 700, that my friend could use.

This was a special day for this couple and I tried to capture that. It was the sole thought that drove my photography that day. This image is one I really love. As they came out of the church the congregation started blowing bubbles which enveloped the bride and groom. Working quickly I moved in behind the procession and defocused my lens slightly to give a dream like quality to the shot. I converted the shot to black and white in post processing. I had to step out of my comfort zone that day. But we all need to do that once in a while. In order to grow we need to work on the things we fear. So get out and take a chance.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Somes Bridge – Maine

 Acadia, Acadia National Park, Black and White, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Maine, Reflections, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses  2 Responses »
May 132010
 

Somes Bridge, Somesville, Maine. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/4 of a second.

Hi everyone. Todays post is a photo of Somes Bridge located in Somesville just outside of Bar Harbor, Maine. This well-photographed bridge has become one of many icons that symbolize the beauty of Maine. Dating back to the late 1700′s, the bridge reflects the historical architecture of its day. The bridge crosses a tiny section of the unique Somes Sound, the United States’ only East Coast fjord.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Yosemite National Park – Olmsted Point Glacial Erratics

 Black and White, California, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Sony α900, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, Zeiss Lenses  No Responses »
May 062010
 

Glacial Erratics, Olmsted Point. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 35mm. Image exposed at ISo 100 at f14 at 1 second.

Hi everyone. Todays post is from Yosemite National Park. This is a shot taken at Olmsted Point of glacial scaring and erratics deposited by receding glaciers. Olmsted Point is located on the Tioga Road and affords magnificent views west towards the backside of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley. This image was shot in the early afternoon when the light was a little more contrasty. But it is at times like this you can consider coverting the image to a black and white. The contrasty nature of the light affords some nice separations of tones once the image is converted. Use of the sliders in Photoshops Black and White Conversion layer allows you to darken skys and bring out other subtle tones such as reds and yellows to accentuate the texture or color separation.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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