Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays!

This is the photo I sent out this year as a holiday card.  This is the Gazebo in Ligonier on Christmas Eve - 2009.  The photo itself is a true HDR.  This is one of my first successful efforts of using a tripod, setting the camera bracket settings, using a remote release so I didn't have to touch the camera, aperture priority, manual focus, etc.  I should have used written notes.  After the shot - I didn't know what I had until I returned home and started working with it.  Initially - I had a real had time believing I could get a photo like this without a flash and all the issues that brings up.

I really like how the surfaces of the brick and the rock of the gazebo foundation stand out.  there is enough "light" to see the definitions on the gazebo roof.  The light on the trees is only from the street lamps.

After this shot - I was a HDR convert.

So with this - I say Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays.  Thanks for looking in.

Highland Drive Sunset

Last December at this time, I was in Pennsylvania to celebrate the holiday season.  When we arrived, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground - with the forecast of rain the following morning.  After a few hours of rain, the temperature would then drop below freezing for the next week.  

Now to the photo.  This series was taken the following night - just before actual sunset.  And, this is a true HDR photograph.  Instead of showing all three - I've shown the original RAW image and the final result.  Keep in mind that the photo was taken looking into the shadows and yet I can get some great colors and reflections off of the top layer of ice.

The original 'normal' RAW image:  (The normal image)

 

The Final Image:

 

On RAW images, the file is directly what the camera 'sees'.  It does not get the final enhancement that Nikon wants to present to the world.  But you get the idea.  If I were to do a HDR demo - this would be one of the projects.

On most of my shots, I use the one image workflow.  (I usually don't carry a tripod - and some of my subjects move around.)  So this was a real opportunity to compare both images to see if the three image process is any different than the one image process.  After this, I will carry a tripod more (and maybe use it) .  In a small setting there isn't much difference.  Blown up to screen saver size - the colors are fuller.  There is a difference.  

The four items I really like in this are the greens of the trees, the three bands of light in the sky and the ice of the road and the reflection of the trees on the ice covered snow in the lower right.

(1/20, 1/80, 1/5)   f/4.5

Aperture Priority
ISO 100
Focal length 25 mm (37 mm for 35mm film)

Marquette Loader

With the snow getting ready to fly, I was going through some photos taken last February during some travels through the UP.  This is an ore loader in Marquette - no longer used.  This is one of the largest standing objects I've ever seen.  The theory is that train cars loaded with ore would take an elevated bridge to the top of the loader and dump the ore into holding bins.  Freighters would then come along on either side where the ramps would be lowered and the ore would drop to the ships.  This loader is in the middle of town.  Unfortunately it was closed off - would have been interesting to view the inside.

1/160 f/6.3
Aperture Priority
ISO 100
Focal length 25 mm (37 mm for 35mm film)

Photo Set