Canon 5D MkIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200 (Multiple Exposure)
When things are working, keep the ball rolling. I was happy with the multiple exposure showed in my last post, so I thought I would try another as the wind was blowing the branches around. The multiple exposure feature of the 5D MkIII allowed me to see the combined image rather than waiting for post processing.
Canon 5D MkIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 200 (Multiple Exposure)
I was taking images of our flowering Bradford pear. I could not get anything that really caught my eye. Then the wind started blowing, the moving blossoms created a surrealistic image in my mind. How to capture this … why not try a multiple exposure. I took a 5 image multiple exposure slightly moving my camera, the wind took care of the rest.
Lesson Learned: Don’t give up. Work the image. Visualize and try something else.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 56mm, f/22, 6 secs, ISO 250
I rounded a corner and saw a massive wall of bamboo. It was just waiting there for someone to take a vertical pan. So I did…
Most of the time I use pans and moving multiple exposures to get my creative juices flowing. They break up moments where I become transfixed just searching for an image to capture rather than waiting for an image to come to me. This time the pan just appeared. I did not even take a normal image.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 110mm, f/8.0, 1/120 sec, ISO 400
Walking through parts of Henry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando was almost like walking through a tropical rain forest. Light filtering through the various palms provide multiple opportunities to capture interesting backlight images. Huge palm leaves were like huge fans waving in the gentle afternoon breeze. I love wandering along garden paths looking up, down, and everywhere. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
What the ??? I downloaded my images from a shoot the other day and found this as my last image. I have absolutely no idea what this is or when I unintentionally triggered the shutter. But it is interesting … Oh well!
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 135mm, f/11, 1/125 sec, ISO 800
I love to walk along the edge of a stream and explore the ice configurations that have been formed. My imagination wanders as I visualize different shapes created in the ice. This particular image reminded me of the tip of a maple leaf. The basic shape formed the edges of the leaf. I could also see the veins of the leaf within the ice crystal. I become hypnotized as I watch the water flow under and around the ice. The reflections create patterns of their own.
At times I get so intrigued by what I am seeing, I do not pay attention to some of my camera settings. For instance, this was shot at ISO 800 on a tripod. I could have easily reduced the ISO down two stops and still captured a nice image. Also, how would this image have looked if I would have slowed the shutter speed down to blur the water passing by the leaf. However, this was a walk in the woods enjoying the solitude and silence of nature. If I would have spent a lot of time working this image, the spontaneity would have been lost.
Lesson Learned: Maintain the balance of wonderment and the mechanics of capturing images. Many times it is best just to put the camera down and enjoy the moment.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-135mm @ 123mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO 800
From time to time I find myself getting into a processing rut. I tend to process every photo in basically the same way with just a few modifications image to image. For my black and white images, I normally use NIK Silver Efex Pro and add a high contrast, high structure look to the images. I amplify the whites and blacks and add structure. The images look hard and have an abstract feeling as seen in the top image.
This morning I woke up and started on my post. I looked at the hard image that I had processed the day before. Something did not feel right. I tried again doing just the opposite by decreasing contrast and structure. The resultant second image was much more pleasing to me and better represents what my mind recalls seeing.
Lesson Learned: Do not process images in a “production mode” method. Take my time, and process each one to bring out what my eyes and heart see. Like my friend John Barclay, says, “Wait for the image to come to you”, processing should be considered in the same way.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 135mm, f/11, 1/55 sec, ISO 800
Today I got out for a little walk in Peace Valley Park (Bucks Co., PA). The morning was beautiful, bright, and crisp. Besides just getting out for a nice walk in the woods, my objective was to capture interesting ice formations. This image of ice bulbs on branches hanging over a fast moving stream caught my eye. I got a little fancy and used Topaz Impression’s “Cracked Fresco” preset to enhance the image. For me, it seemed to highlight the ice and add motion to the moving water beneath. Below is the SOC version for comparison.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 135mm, f/22, 14 sec, ISO 200
I keep going back to our Red Twig Dogwoods to get a little winter color. This is a vertical swipe taken at 1/4 second. Back at my computer, I started playing around with Topaz’s new Impression plug-in. This is the Impasto II preset. There is a painter somewhere inside this engineer’s mind.
This post is a milestone. I have entered a post every day for this month, first time ever. Now to get ready for the New Year!
Canon 5D MkIII, EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro – Multiple Exposure
We spent most of Christmas Day lounging in our living room looking at our Tree and reminiscing about the past memories that some of our ornaments brought back. While doing so, why not get a couple of images.
This photo is a combination of two images; one taken at normal focus at a moderate aperture. the other taken as a shallow depth of field and defocused. I combined them using photoshop layers, nothing very fancy.