Tag Archives: Abstract

Spring: Bench & Weigela

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140427_bench & wegelia by 2013 Karl Graf. 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!

 

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A Feather in the Milky Way

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140422_Feather in the Milky Way by Karl Graf. 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.

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One Day Makes A Difference

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140402_Single Crocus by . 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.

 

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Enough Snow, Now For Some Fun

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140225_PalmetoBarkAbstract by Karl Graf. 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.

 

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“Specs”

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140223_Spectacles by Karl Graf. 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.

 

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Inversion

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131226_PVPark_InvTexture (1 of 1) by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 24mm, f/11, 1/125 sec, ISO 400

My friend and mentor, John Barclay, has been posting a couple of images that he post processed by converting to Black and White, inverting, then adding a texture overlay.  This is my first attempt at the process.  What fun!

This image was taken on an overcast day at Peace Valley Park, Bucks County, PA.  The trees were just silhouettes against the grey sky.  It was a very boring image.

 

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An Abstract Perspective

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131220_PV_TreesAbstract by © 2013 Karl Graf.

Trees and woodland areas always capture my interest.  The horizontal fallen trees in the foreground and the vertical living trees in the background caught my eye.  When was re-looking at this image taken 11 months ago, the same lines caught my eye.  However, the color tonality was very subdued and boring.  I felt in a “painterly” mood, so Topaz Simplify came to the rescue.  I used Topaz to give it that “artistic” look as well as bring out a little color and enhance the edges of the trees and leaves.

Here is the straight out of the camera image.  Today I prefer the “painterly” view.

131220_PV_Trees by © 2013 Karl Graf.

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A Path in the Woods – 1

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131211_PV_Path Abstract 2 by © 2013 Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @70mm, f/22, 1/10 sec., ISO 200

Yesterday we had our second snowfall of the year.  Today was a bright and crisp winter day.  A friend and I went out to Peace Valley Park to take a casual “walk in the woods” with our cameras.  There was an image just waiting to be taken from every point we stopped.  We didn’t get very far on our walk because of numerous photo stops along the way.  It was a beautiful way to spend a morning.

It was a dreamy setting, so I thought I would add to the feeling by creating an abstract of a “Path in the Woods” with a vertical pan.  The pan blended the shadows and the highlights of the morning sun along the path creating a bright abstract.

Back at home I worked with the image to create an opposite illusion of a dark gloomy path leading to who knows where.

131211_PV_Path Abstract 1 by © 2013 Karl Graf.

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Death Valley: Titus Canyon – III

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131205_DV_Titus Canyon_III by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 45mm, f/8.0, 0.3 sec, ISO 400

Black and white granite markings laced with thin red lines decorate the narrow canyon walls at the bottom of Titus Canyon.  The formations range from random lines, to indian pattern, to letters.  Since I am the KGG the III, this pattern caught my eye right away.  To bring out the contrast, the rocks were spritzed with water.  It was amusing watching our workshop instructors racing back and forth between the students spritzing the walls with water bottles.  I forgot which gave out first, the light, the water, or our instructors.

 

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Backwater Basin 130311_DV_Ridges-at-Zabresky_500 130314_20MuleTeamCanyon2_BW Death Valley Ridges Saltwater Flats Artists Pallet Sunset on Mesquite Dunes

Death Valley: Mesquite Dunes – Depression

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131130_DV_MesquiteDunes_Depresssion by Karl G. Graf.  Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 135mm, f/11, 1/60 sec, ISO 200

Back to Death Valley.  Chuck Kimmerle commented on one of my past blogs regarding the traps of “Following the Leader”.  He stressed the importance of creating one’s own image, not to follow some other expert.  I fully agree with Chuck.  I tend to get bored very quick when I line up my tripod with a group to capture that iconic image.  It is nice to have a shot or two, but they end up as a reference … not one of my favorites.  When I am with a group, I tend to wander very quickly away and get lost in my own explorations.  This is where I find my most enjoyment.

For this image, I was following Chuck’s foot steps and saw that he had put down his tripod.  I looked forward and to sides and saw some nice shapes of dunes, but nothing excited me.  As I was about to trek on, I looked back and saw this interesting small depression between the dunes.  I quickly walked back to get a perspective that I thought was interesting.

 

Related Images:

Backwater Basin 130311_DV_Ridges-at-Zabresky_500 130314_20MuleTeamCanyon2_BW Death Valley Ridges Saltwater Flats Artists Pallet Sunset on Mesquite Dunes