Making the Best of It

 

130617_HersheyRoses1 by Karl Graf.

Karen and I had planned a trip up to Hershey, PA to see the Hershey Rose Garden for quite some time.  We delayed the trip one day due to an extremely severe rain and lightning storm that passed through the area.  We knew that the gardens would be impacted, but went the next day anyway.  The day was a beautiful bright summer day in the 80’s.  However, the roses had been damaged by the previous day’s storm as expected.  It was not the best for photography.  It was time to get creative and try some different things.

The image above is an “in-camera” multiple exposure of a group of roses with a water fountain in the background.  The first image was taken with a moderate depth of field at normal exposure.  The second image was defocused and slightly overexposed.  The combined image was adjusted for brightness with NIK Viveza and NIK Color Efex Pro.  A painterly look was then added with Topaz Simplify.

No matter what the condition, there always seems to be something worth capturing.

For reference below are the two images that were combined.

130617_HersheyRoses2 by Karl Graf. 130617_HersheyRoses3 by Karl Graf.

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When You See RED …

130616_Woman in Red by Karl G. Graf. I can’t help myself.  When I see RED, I have to shoot.  It was 90+ degrees in Washington, DC.  People were flocking around the fountain and pool of the Sculpture Garden across from the National Archives.  I was having fun just people watching as I was sitting in the shade enjoying a cool glass of wine.  What a wonderful way to spend a hot afternoon.

With this image, I will end my short series on Washington, DC.  It was a great trip and a wonderful way to spend time with some of our family from the other Washington.

 

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Viet Nam Memorial Reflection

130614_Viet Nam Memorial by Karl G. Graf.

This view of the Viet Nam Memorial is quite different that most that I have seen.  The camera was placed directly on the marble side of the Memorial.  The scaffold-enclosed Washington Monument is seen reflecting on the Wall.  Our tour guide pointed this angle out.  I would have missed it otherwise.  Again, the same lesson applies:  Keep my eyes open … an image will appear for the taking.

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Listening for News on the War

130612_FDR Memorial by Karl G. Graf.

This sculpture is part of the FDR Memorial.  As we sit with our computers and devices in our current information burdened environment, it is hard to imagine what is was like in the 40’s being in the “dark” yearning for news on the War.  This sculpture made me sit back and think what it was like before TV … I can actually remember listening to the news and shows on quiet evenings at home.

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WW II Memorial

130611_WW2 Memorial by Karl G. Graf.

This World War II Memorial image is taken from the Memorial steps looking down the Capitol Mall at the Lincoln Memorial.  The Pacific and Atlantic arches are outside the view on the left and right.  We only had 15 minutes to spend, not enough time for a panorama.  Below is the Pacific arch.

130611_WW2 Memorial_Pacific by Karl G. Graf.

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An Exercise in Balance

130610_Capitol dome_inside by Karl G. Graf.

This image was taken looking straight up inside the Capitol Dome.  It was a exercise in balance from two perspectives.  First, I worked hard to balance the image from side to side and top to bottom.  The image is not cropped.  The second perspective was to keep my physical balance as I stood looking straight up with my camera. To compensate for my dizziness I had to shoot at 1/250 second at ISO 3200.  The second perspective of balance was much harder for me.

I have been inside the Capitol several times over the past years.  Access inside the building has changed over time.  When we lived in the DC area in the mid-80’s, one could enter the building and explore without being on a scheduled tour.  I recall times when I could just walk into the Senate and House galleries and observe sessions in progress.  Not so any more, times change … many times not for the best.

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The Capitol in the Golden Hour

130609_Capitol by Karl G. Graf.

We first stopped by the Capitol at mid-day.  It radiated its brilliant white marble color.  We came back later in the early evening at about 8:00 pm as the setting sun was casting its brilliant golden sheen on the dome.  This image was taken as we were walking back to the tour bus.  I turned around for one last look and saw the dome nicely framed by trees along the sidewalk.  I have learned over time to continuously look up, down, back, and all around as I stroll along.  I can never tell where the next image is waiting to be captured.

For reference, below is a mid-day shot of the Capitol.

130609_Capitol_mid-day by Karl G. Graf.

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