I'm playing with Adobe's Portfolio app. It comes with the Creative Cloud subscription I have, so nothing to lose but time. In watching a few YouTube Videos, it became clear I need a logo. OK. Engage right brain.
So, where do I fit in the labeling of photographers? What would be my brand?
Novice, Beginner, Rookie, Newbie: Nope. Whether or not you like my photographic expression, what I know about photography rises above this level. Club members, friends and family ask me for advice on photographic topics. I've been involved with this at different interest levels for over 10 years. I've been a member of an artist's co-op, displaying/selling some of my work. In short, I know which piece of glass points away from my eye and toward the subject.
Professional: Nope. But that comes from an asterisk as I have received monies for some work. Not close to making money on this at all, ask the family accountant.
That leaves the middle categories: Hobbyist, Enthusiast, Prosumer. Really? Aren't all the same? Kinda. Maybe? It is a hobby, see the professional definition anti-rant. Not making any money, but spending a lot. Check, I enjoy it. I can talk about this with almost anyone, enthusiastically. Check. But prosumer? And it is a legitimate term, Google it. Professional Consumer. I am a consumer that uses equipment with professional level quality and features for non-professional level activity. Enthusiastically. For a hobby.
So I'm in the middle there somewhere. And at this time, that's where I want to be. I have fun. There is no pressure or deadlines. It's all good. And fortunately, I can display all the good shots on a PC. Takes the print game right out of it. I enjoy it.
If there is pressure, it is to not post/say something really bad or stupid. When I look back at some of the early pictures in this blog, I sometimes cry (with laughter). I'll never remove any of them because they are part of the journey. But in the end, that really isn't pressure.
On a somewhat related topic, cruising through some related material I found an article that asks what are the (four) questions photographic amateurs fear the most. In no specific order:
1. Why don't you start making money from photography? Thankfully that has never been asked of me in the sense of I need to pay for all the toys with the hobby. But in a way it has been asked of me in a good sense, like my stuff could sell. And I did for a while at the artist's co-op. That was fun, but I wasn't ready for the continual need to produce merchandise to sell. I have enough issues with the paying job. But if things change, I'd consider returning to the co-op or exploring another venue.
2. Why don't you photograph weddings? When talking with people I don't know, I state that up front. The remark is usually with humor but in a way to mark my territory. And if I have talked with you before, you already know this. As a rule, I don't do people. I've done two portraits in ten years. Both turned out well, and are on limited display. Both were for close family. I say they turned out well, but when compared to a 'professional' there is a difference. My feelings are not hurt.
3. What do you get from it? If not money, seriously what do you get? Well, I can't draw or paint. I can't sing or play the piano. Well, I get an expression release. For the most part, my work is not traditional smooth print displays. I like heavily contrasted, bordering on saturation overload images. Subject to change with subject. I can go on a photo 'high' for days when I get a photo of a jet demonstration team where the window of opportunity was only a fraction of a second for the perfect shot, or the work involved to get the 'perfect' focus on the model train set using focus stacking where you can read the train numbers or expand the train colors or with getting the close ups of the juvenile bald eagles. It's physics with the bending of light. It's technology with the electronics and software. And it's the people you meet and the places you go. Silly rabbit, dumb question.
4. You have a camera, you can take pictures of my..... Follow me here. NO I CAN'T. Sorry. You have a phone, take your own photos. See the part about Professional, I don't make money on this. There are exceptions of course, but if you ask me get ready for that answer. I have been asked by friends and family to photograph events and for the most part I've politely declined. I'll chip in for the cost of a professional with no issues. I've also gladly accepted requests when there were reasons other than I had a camera.
Those were the questions from the article. I'm trying to think of other questions I've been asked. Those four questions pretty much cover it for me.
Today's thoughts......
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thursday, November 29, 2018
B25 In the Turn
This is the B25 flying around the Reno area as part of the Air Races. I had posted an earlier photo going across the start/finish line. It is a beautiful plane, wonderfully restored. And sounds great!
I have what I think is a good photo of the aircraft in a turn, with the Peterson mountain range in the background. The airplane was way out there. I shot it with the 1.3x image size. And it still turned out OK.
This speaks to me. I can see this in WWII flying over a Pacific Island.
The photo does have a problem. At 1/1600 sec shutter speed, the props are frozen. I've seen enough posts where images are shown and that is the first observation. In my case, I don't worry about it too much. My first time doing this. And the other 99% is pretty good. Has to count for something, right? But I would like to make it somewhat presentable. This aircraft may not be there next year. So, how to blur the prop?
Clearly I'd like to have a 360 degree light blur with the tips painted and the sun shining off the upper quadrant, but that's not going to happen today. Today, I'll work on just not having a frozen prop that you can read the writing on.
In searching for options, there are many available. Many seemed to take a long time and lost me. I need a certain amount of ease, and logic.
Here's what I came up with. I am going to use PS's Spin Blur filter in the Blur Gallery. it took about 5 mints to see how to use it, but once I got that going it was off to the races.
To do this, I would create a layer where I'd spin blur the two engines. On top of that layer, I place a background layer - and then mask out the pros as necessary.
Here's the layer stack.
A bit tough to tell, but on the Background Copy, the dark marks are the area where the prop blur will show up.
This is how I lined up the spin blur on the props.
Just a small hint, make the blur layer a smart layer to you can return and adjust as necessary. That's a few minutes of my life I won't get back. I lined up the center of the blur in the prop hub and then stretched the blur area to the tips of the props. As shown, this is not acceptable because now I've introduced blur where there shouldn't be any blur. However, with the mask applied, I can target the blur to the props only.
Not 'in my dreams' perfect, but there is a hint of motion. From here, I can workflow the image.
The original goal was prop blur. I don't know how much is necessary. What I do see is a frozen prop will trash the image. For power setting, in flight, seem under 1/1000 will do. For idle or taxing, it need to be under 1/80. That what I'll start with next year. (Unless I forget all this which is possible.) I've got more prop driven shot that I can play with - and a winter coming up.
I have what I think is a good photo of the aircraft in a turn, with the Peterson mountain range in the background. The airplane was way out there. I shot it with the 1.3x image size. And it still turned out OK.
ISO 400, f/8, 1/1600 sec, 600 mm
NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
This speaks to me. I can see this in WWII flying over a Pacific Island.
The photo does have a problem. At 1/1600 sec shutter speed, the props are frozen. I've seen enough posts where images are shown and that is the first observation. In my case, I don't worry about it too much. My first time doing this. And the other 99% is pretty good. Has to count for something, right? But I would like to make it somewhat presentable. This aircraft may not be there next year. So, how to blur the prop?
Clearly I'd like to have a 360 degree light blur with the tips painted and the sun shining off the upper quadrant, but that's not going to happen today. Today, I'll work on just not having a frozen prop that you can read the writing on.
In searching for options, there are many available. Many seemed to take a long time and lost me. I need a certain amount of ease, and logic.
Here's what I came up with. I am going to use PS's Spin Blur filter in the Blur Gallery. it took about 5 mints to see how to use it, but once I got that going it was off to the races.
To do this, I would create a layer where I'd spin blur the two engines. On top of that layer, I place a background layer - and then mask out the pros as necessary.
Here's the layer stack.
A bit tough to tell, but on the Background Copy, the dark marks are the area where the prop blur will show up.
This is how I lined up the spin blur on the props.
Just a small hint, make the blur layer a smart layer to you can return and adjust as necessary. That's a few minutes of my life I won't get back. I lined up the center of the blur in the prop hub and then stretched the blur area to the tips of the props. As shown, this is not acceptable because now I've introduced blur where there shouldn't be any blur. However, with the mask applied, I can target the blur to the props only.
Not 'in my dreams' perfect, but there is a hint of motion. From here, I can workflow the image.
The original goal was prop blur. I don't know how much is necessary. What I do see is a frozen prop will trash the image. For power setting, in flight, seem under 1/1000 will do. For idle or taxing, it need to be under 1/80. That what I'll start with next year. (Unless I forget all this which is possible.) I've got more prop driven shot that I can play with - and a winter coming up.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
CSX Out of the Tunnel
This morning I was looking to play with On One's photo stacking process. I started by watching a few videos. Looked easy. Fortunately disk space is cheap and I have plenty if files to try with.
I loaded up my first 21 images and, pppfffttt. Nothing. Wait, huh? Well, this wasn't right. After about ten minutes of trying to figure out what the problem was, it appears that there is a limit to how many files can be loaded. And the limit was south of my 25 files. Looks like the limit is 14 files for On One. Well, that won't do. At least half of my work at the DMRRC is over that number. I have a submitted a question to On One support to confirm my observation.
I also looked at On One's HDR process. I haven't tried it yet, but looks like work. Looks like it is very workable to a finished product - but again unless you are doing it a lot, work. Eats into the five minute limit. But I'll give it a try at some point. Going to be a long winter.
Back to the train. This stack turned out really well. (Actually all turned out well this year.) What really catches my eye here is the detail on the front of the engine. The engine number, 953, is very clear. That was a problem in a lot of my earlier efforts. If the numbers are not clear, the rest doesn't really matter. Continuing on, the chain just under the CSX front center is a great detail item.
ISO 100, f/6.3, 0.6 sec, 75 mm
NIKON D7200 Ver.1.04/50.0 mm f/1.8
Focus Stack - 21 Images (Helicon Focus)
The issue I always have is the scenery is an equal player to the trains. Tough to crop it just to focus on the train and leave out the great work done by the DMRRC.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Williamsburg Kitchen
As I was cruising through old pictures of a trip to Williamsburg. VA, I saw this one. This is part of a HDR set, that really doesn't need to be. Aside from the darkness in the fireplace the light levels are fairly even. When I merged the three shots together, for some reason Photomatix didn't play well with the greens stuff up front. The green stuff was fuzzy. Photomatix is usually very good lining up images. No problem, it did well enough with just one image.
When I saw this image, it was destined to be right brain. All the angles are off. Just begging for something different.
This started as a shot with a one image edit from Photomatix, Painterly. From there I put it through a couple of filters on On One. (That was mostly to test the new install of On One.) Then I hit the filters library in PS.
I was trying to get more of a painting look, but close enough.
What is an aluminum colander doing on that table?
When I saw this image, it was destined to be right brain. All the angles are off. Just begging for something different.
This started as a shot with a one image edit from Photomatix, Painterly. From there I put it through a couple of filters on On One. (That was mostly to test the new install of On One.) Then I hit the filters library in PS.
I was trying to get more of a painting look, but close enough.
What is an aluminum colander doing on that table?
Black Friday (Extended) and other Thoughts
I had big plans for the weekend. Rainy and low 40's. Most, it was to get the Christmas cards printed. I was also going to upgrade my copy of On One with the Black Friday sales event.
My luck with upgrading On One is never pain free. Not sure what the issue is, but there are always license issues and multiple restarts and plugin stumbles. This year, I remembered to log out of the program before the upgrade and I'm sure that helps. This year the install was pain free, but to get it going was not. usually when I install a new program, I re-start the system. After the install the system would not end. After ten minutes, I manually shut down the system. then the re-start took at least ten minutes if not longer - but then appeared. Then I manually tried to start the program. It hung. After ten minutes, manual end. Shutdown. (This time shutdown was normal.) Start up. (This time start up was normal.) And then start the program, and this time it started normally. Not my first time. The laptop process was not as painful, except the laptop is just plan slow so all things considered, both took about the same time up update.
As to printing the Christmas cards, well that didn't go quiet as planned. I don't use the Epson R1900 much all year. It might get used semi-annually. The Christmas card print usually is a process of cleaning the print head, which eats up a lot of ink and some paper. Price of dormancy. This year was different. A few weeks ago, I fired it up and printed a few images of the air races, nature photos and some Pittsburgh photos. No image cleaning needed. Prints were awesome.
To start this morning, printed two test card and then......... Nothing. It makes noise, but that about all. It won't pull the card stock. It will pull plain paper, but not print. There is an error message that says the paper is mis-aligned. So, back when I played with printing on canvas, I found out that there are sensors where if the paper is not aligned - perfectly - the process stops. I hit it with some compressed air to try to clean it up, but no luck.
So the new printer arrives next Friday. Staying with Epson. What did we ever do before the net? Read a few pages with reviews, watched a few user reviews.
The R1900 was a good printer. I picked it up in December 2010. That a lot of Christmas cards, photos for the Art Gallery, some abnormal canvas prints and normal canvas prints. Absolutely no complaints. And that is a big reason I stayed with Epson.
That's a lot of new photographic equipment this year. What's left for next year?
My luck with upgrading On One is never pain free. Not sure what the issue is, but there are always license issues and multiple restarts and plugin stumbles. This year, I remembered to log out of the program before the upgrade and I'm sure that helps. This year the install was pain free, but to get it going was not. usually when I install a new program, I re-start the system. After the install the system would not end. After ten minutes, I manually shut down the system. then the re-start took at least ten minutes if not longer - but then appeared. Then I manually tried to start the program. It hung. After ten minutes, manual end. Shutdown. (This time shutdown was normal.) Start up. (This time start up was normal.) And then start the program, and this time it started normally. Not my first time. The laptop process was not as painful, except the laptop is just plan slow so all things considered, both took about the same time up update.
As to printing the Christmas cards, well that didn't go quiet as planned. I don't use the Epson R1900 much all year. It might get used semi-annually. The Christmas card print usually is a process of cleaning the print head, which eats up a lot of ink and some paper. Price of dormancy. This year was different. A few weeks ago, I fired it up and printed a few images of the air races, nature photos and some Pittsburgh photos. No image cleaning needed. Prints were awesome.
To start this morning, printed two test card and then......... Nothing. It makes noise, but that about all. It won't pull the card stock. It will pull plain paper, but not print. There is an error message that says the paper is mis-aligned. So, back when I played with printing on canvas, I found out that there are sensors where if the paper is not aligned - perfectly - the process stops. I hit it with some compressed air to try to clean it up, but no luck.
So the new printer arrives next Friday. Staying with Epson. What did we ever do before the net? Read a few pages with reviews, watched a few user reviews.
The R1900 was a good printer. I picked it up in December 2010. That a lot of Christmas cards, photos for the Art Gallery, some abnormal canvas prints and normal canvas prints. Absolutely no complaints. And that is a big reason I stayed with Epson.
That's a lot of new photographic equipment this year. What's left for next year?
Friday, November 23, 2018
Missing Man Formation 2017
Most military air shows as part of an aerial demonstration will at some point perform a maneuver called the Missing Man formation. The Missing Man formation is a salute to fallen airman or other deceased. The Patriot Jet Team, although a civilian team piloted by ex-military fliers, performed their version of the maneuver to honor fallen airmen of current and past engagements.
The maneuver is recognized by a number of aircraft, usually four, flying straight and level, At some point one aircraft will leave the formation, climbing toward the heavens. This aircraft represents the fallen. In the case of the Patriot Jet Team, there are six aircraft in the air flying the formation.
One of the issues I've noticed with shooting the Jet Team is the color of the aircraft can be challenging in sunlight against a blue sky, For most most of the four days I was at the Races, the sky was deep blue and cloudless, especially in the morning. On the other hand, with cloud reflection on the aircraft paint it seems to me it really contrasts, not in a good way, against the sky. The result is that the aircraft look, well, Photoshoped.
In this shot, I tried to 'warm' the image. I may have overshot it a bit, but I think I;m on the right track. Some of the shots are just too true blue.
I have another shot like this from another day at the races. There is nothing but blue sky and blue aircraft. No clouds or mountains for reference. I went with this one because of the clouds and mountain. I'll get used to the way the jet paint looks with the cloud reflection.
The maneuver is recognized by a number of aircraft, usually four, flying straight and level, At some point one aircraft will leave the formation, climbing toward the heavens. This aircraft represents the fallen. In the case of the Patriot Jet Team, there are six aircraft in the air flying the formation.
One of the issues I've noticed with shooting the Jet Team is the color of the aircraft can be challenging in sunlight against a blue sky, For most most of the four days I was at the Races, the sky was deep blue and cloudless, especially in the morning. On the other hand, with cloud reflection on the aircraft paint it seems to me it really contrasts, not in a good way, against the sky. The result is that the aircraft look, well, Photoshoped.
In this shot, I tried to 'warm' the image. I may have overshot it a bit, but I think I;m on the right track. Some of the shots are just too true blue.
ISO 400, f/8, 1/3200 sec, 227 mm
I have another shot like this from another day at the races. There is nothing but blue sky and blue aircraft. No clouds or mountains for reference. I went with this one because of the clouds and mountain. I'll get used to the way the jet paint looks with the cloud reflection.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Winter Shots - St. Joseph North Pier light - 2015
In January of 2015, I braved the cold temps and winds to get some photographs on the St. Joseph North Pier light. This is one of my favorite places to hit up when I get the itch to day travel and take a few shots. Lots of lines and subjects.
For this December's club meeting I need two winter shots. Going back in my history, I might find a few. This will be one and I have an idea for for the second. It will be pure Michigan.
Returning to this shot. There's a lot to like. The ice formations are really good, lots of potential to work with. The red of the rear light breaks up the image a bit. The ice formation on the front light gives an interesting illusion the light is leaning, not quite straight.
The overall light is odd. I think it has to do with the light reflecting off the snow. Looks very pastel.
This is a quick edit with PS to get some idea of the image out of the camera. Yes, those are two brave souls out in front of the front light. I'm not sure if they survived the day or not.
This needs to look a bit harder, get some contrast added. That helps because it will also give some definition to the snow and ice. The sky has enough definition to pass. If I make it look really harsh, which isn't bad for my tastes, the result may not be suitable for the masses.
I worked my usual processing with PS and On One. The product hadn't left the pastel state enough for me. With a rare combination of left and right brain working together, I added some NIK filtering. Played with the sliders until I got the look I was going for.
That looks like a Michigan winter day, noon .
For this December's club meeting I need two winter shots. Going back in my history, I might find a few. This will be one and I have an idea for for the second. It will be pure Michigan.
Returning to this shot. There's a lot to like. The ice formations are really good, lots of potential to work with. The red of the rear light breaks up the image a bit. The ice formation on the front light gives an interesting illusion the light is leaning, not quite straight.
The overall light is odd. I think it has to do with the light reflecting off the snow. Looks very pastel.
This is a quick edit with PS to get some idea of the image out of the camera. Yes, those are two brave souls out in front of the front light. I'm not sure if they survived the day or not.
This needs to look a bit harder, get some contrast added. That helps because it will also give some definition to the snow and ice. The sky has enough definition to pass. If I make it look really harsh, which isn't bad for my tastes, the result may not be suitable for the masses.
I worked my usual processing with PS and On One. The product hadn't left the pastel state enough for me. With a rare combination of left and right brain working together, I added some NIK filtering. Played with the sliders until I got the look I was going for.
ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/640 sec, 150 mm
D90/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
That looks like a Michigan winter day, noon .
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Two T6s at the Line
As I look/review the images from the Air Races, what I look for keeps changing. I started with numbers. Any image with only one subject was not going to make the early cut. Maybe in February, but not now.
Then there is excitement. Multiple aircraft coming at each other. Fast.
Now I'm looking at straight focus, with prop blur. Or if that is too much to ask, the prop perpendicular to me so it is basically hidden.
Here are two T-6s crossing downwind of the start finish pylon.
I like this shot because just everything that should be in focus is in focus. It's tricky to pull that off. In this case, it is shutter speed. At 1/2000 sec the props would be frozen. Because of the angle, it doesn't take away from the shot.
This shot easily passes the monitor test. All the sponsor lettering is crisp and clear. And with the winds, the flags are doing their thing.
Then there is excitement. Multiple aircraft coming at each other. Fast.
Now I'm looking at straight focus, with prop blur. Or if that is too much to ask, the prop perpendicular to me so it is basically hidden.
Here are two T-6s crossing downwind of the start finish pylon.
I like this shot because just everything that should be in focus is in focus. It's tricky to pull that off. In this case, it is shutter speed. At 1/2000 sec the props would be frozen. Because of the angle, it doesn't take away from the shot.
ISO 400, f/8, 1/2000 sec, 450 mm
This shot easily passes the monitor test. All the sponsor lettering is crisp and clear. And with the winds, the flags are doing their thing.
Williamsburg Barrel House - A Case for HDR
My interest in HDR is coming full circle. Search my history, there are images with small touches to full blown grunge. I'm not apologizing for any of it.
There are so many photos out there where you can tell it is HDR. To me, now the trick is to use it as a tool to help set light levels without giving away the process. Sort of like magic? Analogy works for me.
Maybe the last time I shot real HDR, you know the three image merge type, was in May 2016 on a vacation week in Williamsburg, VA. I may have 25-30 sets of all sorts of scenery. Totally forgot about them. Until today.
There is a plantation museum, Hope Plantation, just north of classic colonial Williamsburg. One of the exhibits is a shed with a few barrels. Great setup for HDR. There is just enough light coming though the space between the logs to screw with the metering on the camera. Not that I was any good at figuring that stuff out at the time, or now some would say, but I was kind of lucky here.
But this is the perfect setup for HDR, and my goal is to make the image look 'natural'.
I don't have the accompanying Nikon JPG, but I did process the neutral image of the three image set as I normally would for comparison. To be fair, without HDR, I would have spent more time on the image to get the light levels right, or moved on to the next image. The edits here were done in ACR. Not too bad, if I say so myself.
But...... Still a little dark. And the barrels look, well odd.
There is so much wood in this shot. This shot is crying out to be different. It deserves a bit more time. And creativeness. I have to see the wood.
There are three shots I put through Photomatix. All are at ISO 400 and f/11. The times are 1/15, 1/60, and 1/4.
Coming out of Photomatix, I liked the Creative and Painterly pre-sets. They were a little on the dark side, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted. Read the term pre-sets. It's legal.
This is the creative pre-set. The Painterly had just too much 'warmth' for me.
That's pretty close to what I'd like. Still needs a bit of sharpening or contrast, but the light levels are good. Aside from the ceiling rafters being at a high light level, there aren't any real HDR tell tales. We're getting closer.
To me, there is still a bit too much 'warmth' color. I tried to cool it off a bit, but then the barrels looked like they came from the north pole.
One of the filters I tried was of the B&W variety. This is my right brain kicking in, and I need a B&W image for club night.
I think the light levels here are really what I'm looking for. Shifts the light a little to the right.
What if......
I bet I can neutralize the overall warmth with a little monochrome?
I overlayed the B/W shot at 50%. (And finished up the other edit I do.)
This works. One might say that there should be a bit more color in the wood. I could be swayed a bit, but this to me is in the shade. It is not supposed to be 'colorful'. To me, the wood grain and definition is everything. There is good balance of light inside and outside.
My standard crop cuts out more than I like, but for consistency sake I'll do it.
I can live with this one. And a new idea to boot. Good day.
There are so many photos out there where you can tell it is HDR. To me, now the trick is to use it as a tool to help set light levels without giving away the process. Sort of like magic? Analogy works for me.
Maybe the last time I shot real HDR, you know the three image merge type, was in May 2016 on a vacation week in Williamsburg, VA. I may have 25-30 sets of all sorts of scenery. Totally forgot about them. Until today.
There is a plantation museum, Hope Plantation, just north of classic colonial Williamsburg. One of the exhibits is a shed with a few barrels. Great setup for HDR. There is just enough light coming though the space between the logs to screw with the metering on the camera. Not that I was any good at figuring that stuff out at the time, or now some would say, but I was kind of lucky here.
But this is the perfect setup for HDR, and my goal is to make the image look 'natural'.
I don't have the accompanying Nikon JPG, but I did process the neutral image of the three image set as I normally would for comparison. To be fair, without HDR, I would have spent more time on the image to get the light levels right, or moved on to the next image. The edits here were done in ACR. Not too bad, if I say so myself.
ISO 400, f/11, 1/15 sec, 22 mm
NIKON D7200 Ver.1.00 /18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
But...... Still a little dark. And the barrels look, well odd.
There is so much wood in this shot. This shot is crying out to be different. It deserves a bit more time. And creativeness. I have to see the wood.
There are three shots I put through Photomatix. All are at ISO 400 and f/11. The times are 1/15, 1/60, and 1/4.
Coming out of Photomatix, I liked the Creative and Painterly pre-sets. They were a little on the dark side, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted. Read the term pre-sets. It's legal.
This is the creative pre-set. The Painterly had just too much 'warmth' for me.
That's pretty close to what I'd like. Still needs a bit of sharpening or contrast, but the light levels are good. Aside from the ceiling rafters being at a high light level, there aren't any real HDR tell tales. We're getting closer.
To me, there is still a bit too much 'warmth' color. I tried to cool it off a bit, but then the barrels looked like they came from the north pole.
One of the filters I tried was of the B&W variety. This is my right brain kicking in, and I need a B&W image for club night.
I think the light levels here are really what I'm looking for. Shifts the light a little to the right.
What if......
I bet I can neutralize the overall warmth with a little monochrome?
I overlayed the B/W shot at 50%. (And finished up the other edit I do.)
This works. One might say that there should be a bit more color in the wood. I could be swayed a bit, but this to me is in the shade. It is not supposed to be 'colorful'. To me, the wood grain and definition is everything. There is good balance of light inside and outside.
My standard crop cuts out more than I like, but for consistency sake I'll do it.
I can live with this one. And a new idea to boot. Good day.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
South Carolina Alligator - In the sun
In August of 2012, I was able to take time off from work and travel with the family to South Carolina. Interesting note that out of the six nights that the house was rented, I spent only three there. C's father lives in the geographical area and I have friends that needed visiting. I had a vacation within the vacation. And a lot of extra miles on the truck.
So - wonderful family vacation. Seemed to work out for all of us.
We met up with C's dad for a 'cruise' down a coastal river. The river name escapes me now. We 'chartered' a captain and boat for the afternoon. The first mate was a wonderful dog, what a neat crew. It was a great time.
Not only am I an ugly American, but I'm an ugly traveler as well. I know nothing about anything outside my orbit. So in SC, what did I expect to see on the river? Who knows, I acted like a small child the whole time. Every critter was new to me. No idea what they were. But could hardly wait to see the next one. Line 'em up Captain.
So let's go to the top of the food chain. Gators.
We saw a few close to shore, some on shore and some gator eyes in the water. The eyes were fun to watch, but we weren't close enough to make it an interesting photograph. Maybe that was good?
We drifted around a bend and saw this gator just sunning on some sand. He moved a bit, I'm thinking that it was looking for its next meal. At one point, the gator was stretched out and I'm guessing around six feet in length.
I'm not sure what makes a good gator picture, maybe any one you can walk away from?
In 2012 I was shooting with the D90. About at that time, I was also shooting with very limited knowledge. This image is cropped fairly aggressively. It meets the monitor test, but won't go into the hall of fame.
(Really, it's out here as support for reasoning to get longer lens. Maybe Santa will see this?)
So - wonderful family vacation. Seemed to work out for all of us.
We met up with C's dad for a 'cruise' down a coastal river. The river name escapes me now. We 'chartered' a captain and boat for the afternoon. The first mate was a wonderful dog, what a neat crew. It was a great time.
Not only am I an ugly American, but I'm an ugly traveler as well. I know nothing about anything outside my orbit. So in SC, what did I expect to see on the river? Who knows, I acted like a small child the whole time. Every critter was new to me. No idea what they were. But could hardly wait to see the next one. Line 'em up Captain.
So let's go to the top of the food chain. Gators.
We saw a few close to shore, some on shore and some gator eyes in the water. The eyes were fun to watch, but we weren't close enough to make it an interesting photograph. Maybe that was good?
We drifted around a bend and saw this gator just sunning on some sand. He moved a bit, I'm thinking that it was looking for its next meal. At one point, the gator was stretched out and I'm guessing around six feet in length.
I'm not sure what makes a good gator picture, maybe any one you can walk away from?
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, 200 mm
In 2012 I was shooting with the D90. About at that time, I was also shooting with very limited knowledge. This image is cropped fairly aggressively. It meets the monitor test, but won't go into the hall of fame.
(Really, it's out here as support for reasoning to get longer lens. Maybe Santa will see this?)
Friday, November 16, 2018
Two Sport Class Racers
I was looking at photos for prop blur. I haven't worked too much with speed priority, and when I've tried the results were not stellar. Something to work for next year. But what I'm seeing is, in round numbers, that shots with 1/1000 second will get a little blur. What I really want to avoid is a straight prop where you can read the Hamilton Propeller sticker. And I have a few of them. Being a rookie at this, I was just tossing the camera and lens around with ISO and aperture set, speed be damned. But to catch the prop blur of a plane in flight, I need to be under 1/1000 and probably closer to 1/600. Of course, I'll forget this next year.
So here are two in the Sport class. It is cropped pretty tight, and was shot in 1.3 mode. I did test it on the monitors - and it was OK. The subjects remain fairly sharp.
I like the diverse colors between the two airplanes. The whites, blues, yellows and dark reds get to me in the right place.
So here are two in the Sport class. It is cropped pretty tight, and was shot in 1.3 mode. I did test it on the monitors - and it was OK. The subjects remain fairly sharp.
ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, 480 mm
I like the diverse colors between the two airplanes. The whites, blues, yellows and dark reds get to me in the right place.
The Jack Links Jet
I'm sure you've seen the 'Messin' with Sasquatch' commercials. The company behind the product is Jack Links.
Follow me here.
Jack Links is the primary sponsor of the John Klatt Air Shows Demonstration program.
The Demonstration Team has two aircraft, one is traditional and one only looks traditional. I may get to the traditional aircraft in a later post. Clearly the most interesting aircraft is the one that looks like a barnstorming bi-plane. The looks are where the similarities diverge.
The Screamin' Sasquatch.
The Screamin' Sasquatch is power by two separate power plants. There is a P&W radial engine to drive the prop. And... If that wasn't enough, there is a GE J-85 attached to the undercarriage for a little extra kick. A bi-plane with 4,500 lbs of thrust. Is that legal?
I'm guessing the original 1929 Taperwing Waco body is a bit reinforced. Just a bit. To see a video of flight: Screamin' Sasquatch in flight.
I have to wonder what value the prop has, other than visual and possible a speed brake.
On a side note, I have a connection to the J-85 jet engine. I don't talk about my time stationed at Reese AFB in Lubbock, TX. Nothing wrong with the time there, but it just wasn't exciting. Reese was a pilot training base. I was assigned to the 64 FMS in the engine shop. I worked supporting the T-38 Talon - which is powered by two J-85 engines. With an afterburner attached. Supersonic. In the engine shop, we tore them apart and rebuilt them. Most of the maintenance was scheduled, however being a training base there were a lot of over speeds and over temps that kept us busy. After working on the J57s in Okinawa which powered the KC-135 and B-52s, the J-85s were quite small. And the parts were small. And the torque values were much different.
Follow me here.
Jack Links is the primary sponsor of the John Klatt Air Shows Demonstration program.
The Demonstration Team has two aircraft, one is traditional and one only looks traditional. I may get to the traditional aircraft in a later post. Clearly the most interesting aircraft is the one that looks like a barnstorming bi-plane. The looks are where the similarities diverge.
The Screamin' Sasquatch.
The Screamin' Sasquatch is power by two separate power plants. There is a P&W radial engine to drive the prop. And... If that wasn't enough, there is a GE J-85 attached to the undercarriage for a little extra kick. A bi-plane with 4,500 lbs of thrust. Is that legal?
I'm guessing the original 1929 Taperwing Waco body is a bit reinforced. Just a bit. To see a video of flight: Screamin' Sasquatch in flight.
I have to wonder what value the prop has, other than visual and possible a speed brake.
ASA 100, f/8, 1/800 sec, 450mm
On a side note, I have a connection to the J-85 jet engine. I don't talk about my time stationed at Reese AFB in Lubbock, TX. Nothing wrong with the time there, but it just wasn't exciting. Reese was a pilot training base. I was assigned to the 64 FMS in the engine shop. I worked supporting the T-38 Talon - which is powered by two J-85 engines. With an afterburner attached. Supersonic. In the engine shop, we tore them apart and rebuilt them. Most of the maintenance was scheduled, however being a training base there were a lot of over speeds and over temps that kept us busy. After working on the J57s in Okinawa which powered the KC-135 and B-52s, the J-85s were quite small. And the parts were small. And the torque values were much different.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Pittsburgh: Monongahela Incline
One of the first engineering marvels I have early memories of is the Mon Incline. My grandparents had a residence on Mount Washington then - overlooking the Monongahela River. As a kid, I could watch the tugs pushing barges full of coal up and down the river all day.
Coming from the east, going to Mount Washington means crossing the Liberty bridge and up PJ McArdle roadway. The road climbs the two hundred feet from the bridge to the top of the cliff in .8 miles. That comes out to close to a 4% grade.
Crossing McArdle roadway about halfway up is the Mon incline. The incline itself travels over 360 feet up the hill from the south side to Grandview Avenue. The incline was built in 1870 to carry steelworkers to their homes on top of the hill. There were many inclines in Pittsburgh and now only two remain, the Mon and the Duquesne.
So last Saturday I was driving up McArdle Road, like I have in the past so many times, the sun caught the autumn leaves leaving a tunnel of gold around the incline rail. I was thinking this was the shot of the day.
There is no parking along the road, so a half mile walk down and half mile walk back up was in order. No problem there.
Now that the logistics part is over, setting up for the picture is next. I though the best shot would be shooting from downhill going uphill. This was due to sun position. In reality, that didn't work out so well. The best shot by far was shooting from uphill - looking downhill. I'll have to deal with the sun issues later.
I shot this with the D500, still testing. And as such, I configured the camera to save the RAW file to the primary card and a JPG to the secondary card. So I have a JPG for comparison. That usually doesn't happen.
A side note, this is why I shoot RAW and process my own shots.
To be fair, the JPG settings I used are very base and bland. As a general rule, I just don't do JPG. The camera will do 'better' if configured for vivid colors and in camera HDR.
This shot has so much potential, but needs a lot of 'help' work.
Clearly the sky is blown. After that, there are some distractions. I'm not sure about the 35 MPH sign - because it belongs. Also the street lamp is an eye catcher. Again, it belongs, but..... Down the road, there is an orange detour sign that doesn't belong. That's easy removal. There's also a sign on the protective fence that could be removed.
In the end, I decided if the removal was clean that all these items needed to go. The subject is the incline car and the gold leaves. I also like the stained concrete on the right. The correct light on the concrete could really help. Other than those subjects, the rest needed to go.
As to the sky, I wanted to keep it all Pittsburgh. I have plenty of shots with sky. So, it will be ethical to 'correct' this Pittsburgh sky with another Pittsburgh sky from the same area on the same day. Right?
All the object removals went fine, even the big 35 MPH sign. Very happy with that.
To mask out the sky, I used On One.
The process in On One was less than ten minutes, where if I had used PS, it would have been considerably longer.
When I added the Pittsburgh sky, I still needed to work on the overall light levels. For that I used Photomatix. I wasn't going for a HDR look, just wanted to bring up the shadow light and colors a bit without looking over saturated. I used the Photographic filter.
This is the final image.
The sky part wasn't a slam dunk. I had to lighten it a bit. The mask work on the car was a bit tedious, but finally got it to a point where I liked it. The reflection of the sky in the car windows was interesting.
Although I had to work to get in a spot to take this image, and had to work it a bit in post processing - I was extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Coming from the east, going to Mount Washington means crossing the Liberty bridge and up PJ McArdle roadway. The road climbs the two hundred feet from the bridge to the top of the cliff in .8 miles. That comes out to close to a 4% grade.
Crossing McArdle roadway about halfway up is the Mon incline. The incline itself travels over 360 feet up the hill from the south side to Grandview Avenue. The incline was built in 1870 to carry steelworkers to their homes on top of the hill. There were many inclines in Pittsburgh and now only two remain, the Mon and the Duquesne.
So last Saturday I was driving up McArdle Road, like I have in the past so many times, the sun caught the autumn leaves leaving a tunnel of gold around the incline rail. I was thinking this was the shot of the day.
There is no parking along the road, so a half mile walk down and half mile walk back up was in order. No problem there.
Now that the logistics part is over, setting up for the picture is next. I though the best shot would be shooting from downhill going uphill. This was due to sun position. In reality, that didn't work out so well. The best shot by far was shooting from uphill - looking downhill. I'll have to deal with the sun issues later.
I shot this with the D500, still testing. And as such, I configured the camera to save the RAW file to the primary card and a JPG to the secondary card. So I have a JPG for comparison. That usually doesn't happen.
A side note, this is why I shoot RAW and process my own shots.
To be fair, the JPG settings I used are very base and bland. As a general rule, I just don't do JPG. The camera will do 'better' if configured for vivid colors and in camera HDR.
This shot has so much potential, but needs a lot of 'help' work.
Clearly the sky is blown. After that, there are some distractions. I'm not sure about the 35 MPH sign - because it belongs. Also the street lamp is an eye catcher. Again, it belongs, but..... Down the road, there is an orange detour sign that doesn't belong. That's easy removal. There's also a sign on the protective fence that could be removed.
In the end, I decided if the removal was clean that all these items needed to go. The subject is the incline car and the gold leaves. I also like the stained concrete on the right. The correct light on the concrete could really help. Other than those subjects, the rest needed to go.
As to the sky, I wanted to keep it all Pittsburgh. I have plenty of shots with sky. So, it will be ethical to 'correct' this Pittsburgh sky with another Pittsburgh sky from the same area on the same day. Right?
All the object removals went fine, even the big 35 MPH sign. Very happy with that.
To mask out the sky, I used On One.
The process in On One was less than ten minutes, where if I had used PS, it would have been considerably longer.
When I added the Pittsburgh sky, I still needed to work on the overall light levels. For that I used Photomatix. I wasn't going for a HDR look, just wanted to bring up the shadow light and colors a bit without looking over saturated. I used the Photographic filter.
This is the final image.
ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/100 sec, 35 mm
D500/18-200 f/3.5-5.6
The sky part wasn't a slam dunk. I had to lighten it a bit. The mask work on the car was a bit tedious, but finally got it to a point where I liked it. The reflection of the sky in the car windows was interesting.
Although I had to work to get in a spot to take this image, and had to work it a bit in post processing - I was extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
You can take the boy out of Pittsburgh.......
Back from spending a few days in SW Pennsylvania. There was a certain amount of work to be done at the family house but once the tasks were completed I could spend a few days in Pittsburgh.
Despite the fact I'm from that area, I have no real good pictures of town. The weather didn't entirely cooperate, but it could have been worse. Friday's rain was a stopper, but Saturday's cold I could deal with.
There is a very nice overlook that face north looking over the Monongahela River. That was the target for the day, as well as paying a visit to the Tree of Life Synagogue Memorial in Squirrel Hill.
Saturday was sunny, with passing clouds and cold. Pittsburgh windy cold.
My sister, who has many of my photos framed and displayed in her home has no Pittsburgh images from me. That has to change.
I know there are two 'keepers' from the weekend. There will be some form of skyline and there is one incline photo. (That will be posted soon.)
This photo is a panorama. The finished photo is 35x15 inches. There are 21 images (portrait) there were blended into this one. What is shown is the center, there is more on each side, but it didn't format well for display. For single shot skylines, there isn't as much 'information' in the image, but there also isn't as much panorama distortion. In the end, it's all about learning.
Side story: While I was shooting the panorama photographs, there was a couple next to me that said their phone camera was inadequate next to what I was doing and my equipment. I replied, just depends on what you want.
I have four sets of skyline panoramas. This is the most centered one. There are no huge shadows from the clouds. And I have all winter to play. I'm sure there will be more later.
Despite the fact I'm from that area, I have no real good pictures of town. The weather didn't entirely cooperate, but it could have been worse. Friday's rain was a stopper, but Saturday's cold I could deal with.
There is a very nice overlook that face north looking over the Monongahela River. That was the target for the day, as well as paying a visit to the Tree of Life Synagogue Memorial in Squirrel Hill.
Saturday was sunny, with passing clouds and cold. Pittsburgh windy cold.
My sister, who has many of my photos framed and displayed in her home has no Pittsburgh images from me. That has to change.
I know there are two 'keepers' from the weekend. There will be some form of skyline and there is one incline photo. (That will be posted soon.)
This photo is a panorama. The finished photo is 35x15 inches. There are 21 images (portrait) there were blended into this one. What is shown is the center, there is more on each side, but it didn't format well for display. For single shot skylines, there isn't as much 'information' in the image, but there also isn't as much panorama distortion. In the end, it's all about learning.
Side story: While I was shooting the panorama photographs, there was a couple next to me that said their phone camera was inadequate next to what I was doing and my equipment. I replied, just depends on what you want.
Panorama 21 Images (Portrait)
I have four sets of skyline panoramas. This is the most centered one. There are no huge shadows from the clouds. And I have all winter to play. I'm sure there will be more later.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Rio Grande Trestle - Creative
This is a re-visit of a shot I put together after the 2017 Detroit model Railroad Club outing. That shot can be found here.
I like this part of the track layout. The detail in the trestle is great.
So this afternoon I was looking for a B&W image to display at the FLCC next club meeting and I started tinkering with this one. It started as B&W, but then I found more effects with NIK - and than a canvas background. I had to quit and leave some creative juices for next time. I don't get hit too often.
This creative stuff will start getting out of hand. What's next, the Painted Duck?
I like this part of the track layout. The detail in the trestle is great.
So this afternoon I was looking for a B&W image to display at the FLCC next club meeting and I started tinkering with this one. It started as B&W, but then I found more effects with NIK - and than a canvas background. I had to quit and leave some creative juices for next time. I don't get hit too often.
This creative stuff will start getting out of hand. What's next, the Painted Duck?
Patriots Inside Loop
Of all the air show maneuvers, the one that appeals to me the most is the inside loop. Just plain graceful. For one aircraft, I bet is is one of the easiest maneuvers to do. Easy being relative. In a group formation, I'd think it is more difficult in that then aerodynamics are, again, easy but the concentration has to be very intense. Enough of my guessing.
For photography reasons, the trailing smoke is great. If I was to teach a class on the 'telling a story' aspect of photography, I'd use photographs like this. The story is easy to follow.
This is also a photograph where less is more. I did very little post processing on this. I let PS handle the lighting levels. I usually add some sharpening at the end in my workflow, but that didn't work here. Good out of the box. And there were no annoying objects to remove.
This shot is in the DX mode, full sensor. This is at the end of the lens reach. I am really happy with the clarity. The focus holds up. Have I said before that lens is pretty awesome?
For photography reasons, the trailing smoke is great. If I was to teach a class on the 'telling a story' aspect of photography, I'd use photographs like this. The story is easy to follow.
This is also a photograph where less is more. I did very little post processing on this. I let PS handle the lighting levels. I usually add some sharpening at the end in my workflow, but that didn't work here. Good out of the box. And there were no annoying objects to remove.
ISO 800, f/6.3, 1/3200 sec, 450 mm
This shot is in the DX mode, full sensor. This is at the end of the lens reach. I am really happy with the clarity. The focus holds up. Have I said before that lens is pretty awesome?
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Great Egret in the Trees
A lot of the time I spend driving around the Refuge, I miss the obvious. Usually I'm looking up in the air for birds in flight - or looking down to the ground looking for birds on the ground or swimming. I will miss a photograph like this, where an interesting subject is close to eye level. But miss this one, I did not.
I like this shot, a lot. It has the greens, it has the bird and it has the wood. The wood really speaks to me, Wood can do so much if presented right. The effects of sharpening and contrast really bring out some character. Of course, the trick is to not overdo it.
In a lot of the Refuge, the greens and yellows are good for me. Behind the bird, it has something not green which really speaks to me. Sort of fall-ish.
And the bird. It has to be there. In this case, I don't mind it not being the center of the subject. Sure, it draws your eye. But to me, it doesn't keep it. The bird is not large enough to take over the scene. My eye wanders. And I'm OK with that.
Next year, I'll work not not being so excited to get a nature picture that I'll see more of the obvious.
I like this shot, a lot. It has the greens, it has the bird and it has the wood. The wood really speaks to me, Wood can do so much if presented right. The effects of sharpening and contrast really bring out some character. Of course, the trick is to not overdo it.
In a lot of the Refuge, the greens and yellows are good for me. Behind the bird, it has something not green which really speaks to me. Sort of fall-ish.
And the bird. It has to be there. In this case, I don't mind it not being the center of the subject. Sure, it draws your eye. But to me, it doesn't keep it. The bird is not large enough to take over the scene. My eye wanders. And I'm OK with that.
ISO 800, f/8, 1/1250 sec, 600 mm
Next year, I'll work not not being so excited to get a nature picture that I'll see more of the obvious.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Patriot's Jet Team
One of the performers at the Air Races was the Patriot's Jet Team. I thought the only game in town Were the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angles.
This jet team is not supported by your tax dollars. This is a private venture.
This was also a very good show. I've posted some photos before, and there will probably be some after this one.
I really enjoyed the jet show. Incredibly fast. It's true that the jets are much easier to photograph compared to the prop driven aircraft. The challenge can be trying to catch opposing aircraft with a closing speed of over 900 MPH. And for me, that was a fun challenge.
As for the performance, I liked all parts. From the one ship acrobatics to the formation flying, all of it is good.
All of the individual pilots are ex-Thunderbird or ex-Blue Angles. The aircraft are the Czech built Aero L-39 Albatros. Coincidentally or not, many of the jet racers used this same aircraft. From the chatter in the stands, the aircraft is easy to fly, very responsive and relatively cost efficient to operate. The jet is used by other demonstration teams such as the Breitling jet Team (France) and the Black Diamond Jet Team (US).
This jet team is not supported by your tax dollars. This is a private venture.
This was also a very good show. I've posted some photos before, and there will probably be some after this one.
I really enjoyed the jet show. Incredibly fast. It's true that the jets are much easier to photograph compared to the prop driven aircraft. The challenge can be trying to catch opposing aircraft with a closing speed of over 900 MPH. And for me, that was a fun challenge.
As for the performance, I liked all parts. From the one ship acrobatics to the formation flying, all of it is good.
All of the individual pilots are ex-Thunderbird or ex-Blue Angles. The aircraft are the Czech built Aero L-39 Albatros. Coincidentally or not, many of the jet racers used this same aircraft. From the chatter in the stands, the aircraft is easy to fly, very responsive and relatively cost efficient to operate. The jet is used by other demonstration teams such as the Breitling jet Team (France) and the Black Diamond Jet Team (US).
ISO 800, f/6.3, 1/8000 sec, 232 mm
These shots were a lot of fun to catch. Next year, Thunderbirds.
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