Tag Archives: snow

Where to Focus ??

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140217_Kitchen Window by © 2013 Karl Graf. 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.

 

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Enough is Enough!

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140216_Adirondack's & Snow by © 2013 Karl Graf. Canon 7D , EF24-70 f/2.8L @ 59mm, f/8.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 400

Enough is enough!  We have had enough snow this season to last for several years.  This year is expected to be the third highest snowfall recorded for the Philadelphia area.  We are close to 57 inches.  Enough is enough!

I caught this image just as the sun broke over the horizon creating long deep shadows in the snow.  I worked the contrast to capture the shadows without blowing out the snow highlights. I used NIK Silver Efex Pro to convert to black and white and Color Efex Pro to work the contrasts.

 

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Bridge in the Woods

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131224_PV_Bridge in the Woods by © 2013 Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70 f/2.8L @ 68mm, f/8.0,1/400 sec, ISO 400

Well, we tried for a White Christmas.  The 60-70 degree temperatures we’ve had during the last several days melted all the snow.  The temperatures are dropping again and we will have a clear and brisk Christmas Day.  No snow, but is still should be a beautiful day.  We are thankful for each and every day.  Each one is beautiful in its own way.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!

 

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A Path in the Woods – 2

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131212_PV_Path in the Woods 3 by © 2013 Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 68mm, f/11, 1/200 sec, ISO 800

This image is of the abstract path posted yesterday.  On its own, the path was an interesting image.  The sun broke through a gap in the trees at the visual end of the path creating a tunnel effect.  I used NIK Silver Efex Pro to convert to Black and White,  I then added Color Efex Pro’s “Darken/Lighten Center” to further accentuate the light coming through the end of the path.

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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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Where Did the Sun Go???

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131210_Sunflower in Snow by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm, f/8.0, 1/80 sec, ISO 1600

This spent sunflower hung its head over when it couldn’t see the sun.  The ice crystals added to the “over the hill” state of the flower.  Even under the weight of the snow and ice, the stalk remained strong.

I normally do not use the presets in Silver Efex Pro, but this one (film noir #1) seemed to highlight the image I visualized.

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First Snow

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131209_Leaf in Snow by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f2.8L @ 62mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec. ISO 800

Fall color is gone.  We just had our first snow fall, quickly followed by freezing rain.  I got up early to capture the moment before it melted.  The fresh snow was covered by a thin layer of ice leaving interesting ice encased shapes.  To capture the contrast of the dark leaf against the bright snow, I over exposed by +2 stops.  Treatment in B&W captured the dreariness of the morning.

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Not Today

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Not Today by Karl G. Graf.

No Death Valley photos today.  We were planning on working in the garden this weekend.  It wasn’t meant to be.  A late winter snow kept us inside working on other projects.  I did have a few moments to sneak out and capture a couple of shots around the garden.

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