Fuji X-T1, XF 18-55mm @ 55mm, f/5.0, 1/420 sec, ISO 400
The reflections of the window frames within the windows are what attracted me to this perspective of the Kimmel Center. The frames remind me of giant metal claws.
I tried working with B&W on this image. I liked the sky blue and the structure blue-grey interaction over the grey scale of B&W.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-55mm @ 55mm, f/5.0, 1/3 sec, ISO 1600, handheld
The curves of the balconies and acoustic structures inside the Kimmel Center main concert hall are fascinating. I recall attending a classical concert and getting lost gazing around all the curves and listening to the musical score.
Balancing the composition of all the curves was the challenge for this image. I wandered about the hall with my camera to my eye to balance the curves, shadows, and lights. I took multiple shots to get acceptable sharpness at 1/3 second shutter speed. I can’t wait to come back and do more exploring.
Fuji XT-1, XF55-200mm @ 156mm, f/5.6, 1/75 sec, ISO 200
Experimentation … does this work? I am not sure. The intended subject was the trunk of the Japanese Maple as viewed through the emerging red leaves. The RAW image was very flat. When I added contrast, the colors of the leaves and grass made the overall image look gaudy. I toned it down with a B&W layer at about 50% opacity. It still looks too busy for me. Next time I will try a shorter depth of field, get closer to the leaves and focus on a smaller area of the trunk.
Fuji X-T1, XF55-200mm @ 55mm, f/5.0, 1/400 sec, ISO 200
This post will start a series on Spring as it comes into our garden. This image is a composite of two images. The first is a straight image of the garden bench against a red Weigela. I then overlaid a C-blur of the Weigela on top and adjusted the opacity to my taste. I can never pass by an opportunity to capture red!
Spring has come slow to SE Pennsylvania this year. The plants and trees are now rushing into bloom before we can catch up cleaning the yard. Each new day is a gift that we very much appreciate. So here’s to 27 April 2014 … it is a beautiful day!
Canon 5D MkIII, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 195mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, ISO 800
I was walking along a Hilton Head Island beach one evening when I looked up and saw this white feather floating above me against the stars of the Milky Way. I quickly threw up my camera and snapped away. It was an amazing sight!
Now getting back to reality, I saw this white feather laying on the sand. Not too much contrast, but I thought it still might make a good image. A little work in NIK Silver Efex Pro did the trick.
Fuji X-T1, 60mm Macro
One day makes a huge difference as nature moves forward. Two days ago, the crocus blooms were all closed. Yesterday it was 60 degrees and they just burst open in full glory. I enjoy watching as Spring evolves in our garden. I just received my 60mm Macro lens for the Fuji X-T1, so I thought I would give it a try. I definitely could use a tripod …
This image is processed in Topaz Simplify using a impressionistic painting style. This type of processing hides my lack of sharp detail.
Canon 5D Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 200mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO 200
Looking down the beach, I saw this interesting shadow pattern on these sand ripples as the sun broke the horizon. This highlight-shadow pattern just lasted a few moments. There is always something of interest if I am open to what the moment brings. I just need to be patient and wait for that moment. It was a nice morning.
I worked on this image to convert it to B&W. I was a nice pattern of white and black contrasts. But, the warm sun made the image for me.
Canon 5D Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 155mm, f/4.5, 1/160 sec, ISO 1600
In camera, 9 frame multiple exposure
Enough of posting snow images. Spring is only four weeks away. It is time to have a little photographic fun!
When the images are not coming to me, I love to experiment with various special camera effects. In this case, I did a 9 image vertical pan of a Palmetto tree trunk. The vertical movement was very slight giving this relative smooth multiple exposure texture. A small amount of tonal contrast was added with NIK Color EFEX Pro.
Canon 5D MarkIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/8.0, 1/640 sec, ISO 400
Exploring our back yard, I saw what looked like a pair of large dark spectacles sticking out of the bright snow. As I got closer they looked back directly up at me. Shapes have always intrigued me. When I was just a kid, I use to just lay on my back and look up at the clouds for hours imagining the different animals as they moved across the sky. Today, I can easily become fixated on an object’s shape and imagine what it could be if it had a choice.
Canon 7D, EF24-70, f/2.8L @ 52mm, f/8.0, 1/800 sec, ISO 400
Fixing our morning coffee, this view through our kitchen window caught my eye. I rushed to get my camera and capture the moment. Should I use a shallow DOF and just capture the subject or use a narrow aperture to grab the ice on the window and the tree through the crystal vase? What is my subject … the ice, the crystal vase, or the tree within the vase? I tried several different approaches and chose to focus on the tree in the vase and maintain a moderate depth of field to highlight the shape and lines of the vase. I thought the ice on the window distracted from the main image, so I subdued it with a white vignette.