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Hawaii

Turtle Beach, North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii

 Hawaii, Nikon D3x, Nikon PC Lense, North Shore, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Twilight Photography  2 Responses »
May 052011
 

Turtle Beach, North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 24mm PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 13 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Spring in West Virginia has been complicated. In fact I am not sure it has even arrived in earnest yet. We have had cold rain, high winds, and temperatures all over the thermometer. With that in mind today’s post is from Turtle Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. When I think back to this shot I was in shorts and flip flops. The temperature was 78 degrees and a warm breeze blew in from the Pacific Ocean. Oh, to be there now. Well, at the moment I am in a thawing West Virginia but through the magic of photography we can stand upon the lava rocks and listen to the oceans song.

This image was shot at sunset just at the start of civil twilight. The light in the sky was still fairly intense when compared to the darker foreground so I used a Singh-Ray 4-stop hard edge split neutral density filter to help me balance out the exposure. The long exposure time gave me the beautiful motion in the water. Enjoy.

Aloha and thanks for visiting.

Bob

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Wave Pattern No. 1 – Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii

 Abstracts, Hawaii, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, Nikon PC Lense, Pacific Ocean, Photography Composition  No Responses »
May 012011
 

 

Wave Pattern No. 1, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a 24mm Nikkor PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 3-1/2 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from a series of wave motion explorations I shot on my last trip to Hawaii. On an early evening stroll along the beach front in Waikiki I found myself on a quiet stretch of sand as the sun began its descent towards the western horizon. Approximately 100 yards out from the beach was a stone breakwater that broke the incoming surf and created a quiet lagoon. Some of the wave water rolled over the stonework and became a series of subtle, and continuous, rolling ripples that eventually reached the beach. Sun light illuminated the ripples of water as they passed over the sand. Behind me the hustle and bustle of downtown Honolulu continued. The din of noise, cars, shoppers was somewhat distracting. But as the waves rolled in and out I became enveloped in their motion and I completely lost track of time. It was hypnotic and I did not move from the spot for what seemed to be long time. I shot nearly 60 images all from the same camera set up and with the one lens focused only on the ripples of light.

For many of us photography is a consuming passion. I know it is for me. But this can sometimes get in the way of just being in the moment. We scout the shot, calculate the sun angles and setting times, pick the lens, and plan for contingencies if things go wrong. Already we have done a lot of work and have yet to spring the shutter. To break this habit sometimes I will go out, with camera in hand, without a purpose. No real intentions to shoot, only to explore and see what is there. I find this “walking camera in hand meditation” relaxing. I would never have stopped to watch wave patterns if I had been in my “intentional” shooting mode. Here I was not hunting for anything in particular. I was just out on a nice evening in a beautiful place. 60 images later I woke up and the light had faded. I rejoined the throngs of people on the street more awake than when I had arrived.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

 

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USS Arizona Memorial – Island of Oahu, Hawai’i

 Architecture, Hawaii, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Pacific Ocean, Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial  2 Responses »
Dec 062010
 

The USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Island of Oahu, Hawai'i. Shot with a Nikon D3x and Nikon 24mm PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/25 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. Sixty nine years ago on December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and other military installations on the island of Oahu. The attack was the culmination of nearly ten years of deteriorating relations between Japan and the United States. The attack to immobilize the Pacific Fleet was integral to Japan’s continued expansion into Asia and the western Pacific. Opposed to Japan’s expansion the United States exercised diplomatic pressure and severe trade sanctions all to no avail. By the summer of 1941 both countries were entrenched in their positions and retreat was impossible without loss of national prestige. For Japan war was the only option.

At 7:55 am, December 7th, 1941, the first wave of the Japanese attack arrived at Pearl Harbor. At 8:06 a 1,706-pound armor-piercing bomb dropped through the forward deck of the USS Arizona and into the ammunition magazine. The incredible explosion ripped the ship apart and ignited a firestorm. She sank within 9 minutes along with 1,177 members of its crew. As the attack continued the USS Oklahoma sank with 400 members of its crew. California and West Virginia sank at their mooring quays, and the USS Utah sank along with 50 members of its crew. The devastation to the fleet continued as the Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Nevada suffered significant damage. Twenty one vessels were sunk or damaged and American dead totaled 2,390. It was the United States Navy’s greatest defeat.

Today the USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ships 1,177 crewman. The 184 foot long memorial structure spans the mid-portion of the sunken battleship. Designed by architect Alfred Preis, the memorial was completed in 1961. As a special tribute to the ship and its crew, the United States flag flies from the flagpole, which is attached to the severed mainmast of the sunken battleship.

December 7th, 2010 marks the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The site has undergone major construction over the last 4 years and includes a redesign of all the facilities including new exhibits and visitor services. Today World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument includes the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, and the USS Utah Memorial.

The image was shot from Ford Island at sunset. Heavy clouds had blanketed the site and rain fell off and on for most of the day. As I set up I did not think there would be any light from the setting sun. But as if on que the clouds cleared from the horizon and a beautiful shaft of sunlight illuminated the memorial. It was gone in 30 seconds. As the light faded I was reminded of Alfred Preis’s words in describing the memorial “wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory….The overall effect is one of serenity”. Like a shining beacon this last light of the day reminded me of the severe cost of war and that we must never forget those who stood in harms way and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

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Turtle Beach Sunset, No. 2 – North Shore of Oahu, Hawai’i

 Hawaii, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, North Shore, Pacific Ocean, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Twilight Photography, Zeiss Lenses  1 Response »
Nov 262010
 

Turtle Beach Sunset No. 2, North Shore of Oahu, Hawai'i. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 5 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. I have been away for a week and have returned to wild, wonderful, and cold West Virginia. Cloudy, with a cold drizzle of rain to be specific. In honor of this tacky weather todays post is a recent image from one of my shoots on the North Shore of Hawai’i. This was shot at Turtle Beach which is ideally located to take advantage of beautiful side-lighting during sunset. There are also some beautiful  beach rock formations that extend into the ocean. At the time I made this image the sun had already set and I was approximately 15 minutes into civil twilight. This is a peak time to capture the beautiful tones of sunset and the motion blur of the ocean with a longer exposure. The tide was moving in and this became a timing shot to capture the water entering into the crevice in the bottom of the image. I would wait for the crevice to fill and then time my exposure as the water was receeding. This gives you the nice lines of motion in the water as well as some of the mini swirls. I also used a Singh-Ray 3-stop, soft, split neutral density filter to balance the sky and foreground. The filter was dropped in to the holder and extended just below the horizon line. The soft edge filter allows for a nice, even transition without creating a distinct unnatural line. The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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North Shore Twilight – Sunset Point, North Shore of Oahu

 Hawaii, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, North Shore, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Twilight Photography, Water  No Responses »
Nov 142010
 

North Shore Twilight, Sunset Point, North Shore of Oahu. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a 24mm PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 25 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image was taken at Sunset Point on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawai’i. Recent posts on this site along with a series of comments have focused on the act of “seeing” versus “looking”. On the surface they may seem to mean the same thing but they are distinctly different. To get the point across we can “look” into a forest but not “see” the deer standing in the forests edge. Seeing in my mind is a conscious act of mindfulness. It is about slowing down and really exploring what is before you. I can tell you I am very guilty of running from one image to the next like a kid in candy store. Digital almost forces us to do this. Shoot, shoot, move on…. In my 4 x 5 days this was just not an option. I carefully considered the shot, composed, waited for the right light, and carefully took my spot readings and calculated my exposures. I felt good if I got a few good exposures in the morning and the evening. The long and short is that I had a defined process that was carefully crafted. But digital does not mean we have to abandon this notion. In fact I have returned to my roots so to speak and I am refusing to just fire the shutter at anything that strikes me. I am slowing down now to consider what is before me. I feel that the quality of the resultant images is better – that I am crafting a better photograph.

This image is a direct result of just watching. I had scouted the location several days before and I was intrigued by the spit of rock jutting into the ocean. But I also knew that the point of rock was looking directly into the setting sun so I imagined a twilight image instead. So I was looking, but at the same time seeing and imagining what could be. When I returned I shot in other parts of the beach and waited for twilight. As I set up for the shot I watched the clouds move across the horizon and I could see the potential for relating the foreground shape to that of the clouds. The upper band of clouds were vertically aligned relative to the horizon and I knew with a long exposure they would drag out and provide a repeated shape mirroring the rock formation. At a 25 second exposure, indeed they did. So what I imagined at first became something else because I allowed myself to slow down and see. It is a challenge I now put to myself and to all of you. Lets just slow down, take a deep breath, and see the potential. Beauty lies before us if we just open the door and let it enter.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

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Turtle Beach Sunset – North Shore, Oahu, Hawai’i

 Adobe Lightroom, Hawaii, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, Nikon D3x, North Shore, Pacific Ocean, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Water  4 Responses »
Nov 072010
 

Turtle Beach Sunset, North Shore of Oahu, Hawai'i. Shot with a Nikon D3X and a Nikkor 24mm PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 8 seconds.

Hi everyone a welcome to today’s post. I arrived home in West Virginia to some cold temperatures. Two weeks in the 80′s with nice ocean breezes is a far cry from lows of 26 degrees with a high somewhere around 50. So in order to keep myself mentally warm today’s post is a sunset shot from Turtle Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawai’i. Driving up on 99 from Honolulu, Turtle Beach is one of the first beaches you reach, and is so named for the Green Sea Turtles that sun and swim in the shallow waters. The beach also features some interesting rocks and reefs that extend into the ocean from the shoreline. Sunset here is very nice with beautiful side lighting. On this day the tide had receded leaving water in the pockets and folds of the rocks. Mats of intense green seaweed were left exposed on the rocks providing a an opportunity to play with a triad of colors: the red rocks, the green seaweed, and the blues of the ocean, sky, and clouds.

I used two Singh-Ray filters for this shot: A Daryl Benson 3-stop Reverse Graduated Neutral Density filter, and a 4-stop Neutral Density. The Daryl Benson was used to hold back the brighter sky to balance the exposure with the foreground and the Neutral Density was used to slow down the shutter speed to allow the ocean waves to blur in motion. The exposure was long enough to allow the ocean to roll in and out leaving the ghost silhouette of the reefs beyond the rocks.

The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Coastal Sunset – Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park

 Hawaii, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lava, Nikon D3x, Pacific Ocean, Photography Technique, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset  4 Responses »
Sep 262010
 

Coastal Sunset, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawaii. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 24mm PC lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image was shot along the volcanic shoreline of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park just after the sun set. This is just at the beginning of Civil Twilight which lasts approximately 30 minutes after the sun has set (or for the morning, 30 minutes before the sun rises). It is a beautiful time to shoot as details are still available and the light is wonderful. I want to use this image to talk about my use of split neutral density filters. I carry a collection of Singh-Ray split neutral density filters and never leave home without them. Other than my cameras and lenses, these filters are one off my single most used pieces of equipment. They help the exposure by holding back a bright sky to balance it against the foreground. This is a fairly simple operation for human eyes but camera sensors are not so sophisticated. Though it does not look like it in the photo above, the sky and clouds were just about 3-stops brighter. In fact the brightest condition was right at the horizon line and extended up to the first dark cloud. From there up it was about 2-stops brighter.

My camera was set to manual mode with evaluative metering. Though it is reading the whole scene there are simply too many stops of light for the sensor to capture. If I expose for the foreground the sky will blow out. If I expose for the sky the foreground will be too dark. There are several solutions to the dilemma. We could shoot a two bracket set exposing one for the sky and one for the foreground and combine in Photoshop. We could shoot a bracketed set and process in HDR. Or we could try to balance the light by using split neutral density filters. this is what I prefer. It is a matter of my practice and vision. All the other options are viable and I do employ them at various times. I don’t want to get into an argument over which is better. In fact I would rather watch paint peel. It just is not important. What is important is learning to see what the light is doing and being able to respond with an appropriate strategy.

Part of my process is to evaluate the scene. Aside from seeking some kind of compositional solution I am also trying to determine what the light is doing. In my early 4 x 5 days I would take a series of spot meter readings and make a rough diagram of the scene. The spot meter reads the light in terms of EV’s or exposure values. I would then place these EV’s into zones and from there I got a quick sense of what the light was doing. With digital I don’t so this anymore. But that early practice with a spot meter made me better at reading the light. Today I can look at most scenes and determine if , and what kind, of split neutral density filter I will need. I use two types of splits; graduated neutral density and reverse graduated neutral density. The graduated filters come in soft step and hard step. The soft steps are good when there is no defined boundary, such as an horizon line, between the light and dark zones. The hard steps work great for defined boundaries such as the shot above. However, hold the phone. The image above actually has another issue in that the horizon is actually brighter than the rest of the sky. A soft or hard step filter would work but it is not the optimum solution. But a reverse neutral grad is. These filters concentrate the darker portion off the neutral density in the middle and fades it up. I used a 3-stop, reverse split neutral density on the image. this filter has 3-stops of neutral density in the middle which fades up to 2-stops. While looking through the viewfinder I dropped the filter into place and positioned it just above the horizon line. I metered off the rocks and under exposed by 1/2 stop to put them in the correct zone and the shot was done.

I carry 1, 2, and 3-stop soft edge graduated neutral density filters and a 3-stop reverse graduated neutral density. I find that these work in most of the kinds of shooting I do. My filter holder of choice is made by Hitech. I also will hand hold the filter when I need to work fast.

For more information or to order Singh-Ray Filters just clink on the links in this post or the logo. They also have a great blog which you can get to in my BlogRoll listing.

Thanks for stopping by today.

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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Von, Hawaiian Street Artist – Lensbaby Portrait

 Flash Photography, Hawaii, Lensbaby, Lensbaby Photograph, Lensbaby Photography, People Photography, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Portrait, Sony α900, Street Portrait  No Responses »
Sep 182010
 

Von, Hawaiian Street Artist, Shot with a Sony α900 and a Lensbaby Composer. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f4.0 for 1/2000 of a second with off camera fill flash set to TTL mode.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. On my various trips to Hawaii I have had the good fortune to meet and spend time with some fine street artists in Waikiki. Meet Von, a carver of traditional Hawaiian weapons, ukelele player and crooner, and weaver of interesting stories. Every night Von would appear and set up his display along a wall adjacent to the Marriott. I was introduced to Von through my friend Kala, who weaves coconut palm fronds, and shares the same location near the hotel. Now I will admit to you that photographing people is something that sends me into a cold sweat. But I am trying to overcome this fear and the only way is to simply ask. My approach is to spend time with the individual first, to get to know them, and watch what they do. I am trying to build up a comfort level, and courage on my part to ask permission. When Von referred to me as “bra”, the Hawaiian term for brother, I knew I was in the fold and he consented to let me take some photos. He is one of the most heroic individuals I have met on Hawaii and I could imagine him as a warrior in the time before the arrival of Europeans to the Hawaiian Islands. His weapons are carved from Koa wood, a traditional, and scarce material that grows high on the slopes of the mountains. The shape and size of the wood blanks informs Von of what the weapon will become. Each blank is hand carved and receives hours of sanding till the wood is smooth and the iridescent sheen of the Koa shines in the sun.

The photograph was made with a Lensbaby Composer with the f4.0 insert. This is a good general insert for street photographs. I focused on Von’s face and asked him to continue to work on the spear. After several takes he looked up at the point and this was the shot. I used an off camera flash set to high speed sync and TTL mode. I shot in manual mode and under exposed by 1 stop to darken the background. The RAW file was processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. The black and white conversion was toned with a dark brown. The combination of the Lensbaby’s selective focus and the duotone processing of the file gives the image an old world look which I thought was appropriate for my old world friend.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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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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