RAW Shooting

I shoot my photographs RAW.  End of story.
Yea, sounds cool.  Yea - usually requires some extra work.  But I shoot RAW and will not change.
Truth be known, everyone shoots RAW.  Even my phone shoots RAW. 
The photographic process goes something like this.  The image is seen through the lens and hits a sensor.  Information from that sensor is put in a file, either physical or some form of RAM for further processing.  The information that is put in the physical file is RAW.  That's the information I want.  The light information that hits the sensor is unaltered.  When the light image is processed further and the output is generally a JPEG file what you are seeing is your RAW image with further 'clean-up' that your camera manufacturer has developed.
I want to take control of my photos - and not necessarily see what Nikon wants me to see.
So, if I'm going to take that much control - what can I do to help my camera get the best possible image?
The biggest image killer I come across is the 'blown' colors.  It is usually the form of a blown sky - that flat - no definitions.  
This is how I get around this issue.
When I get to a location that has the possibility of a dull sky, I shoot some 'test' photographs.  I'm looking for blown areas.  My camera has a 'highlights' feature when will show overexposed areas.  Simple, quick.  I also use the histogram feature on the camera.  All one has to know is that any part that is blown on the original image is non-recoverable.  Software can't recover what isn't there.
I use the EV setting to compensate the image.  The more highlights I see, the higher the setting.  After some time, I can generally look at the environment and know what EV setting I need to use.
This is one of the test shots I used for an outdoor event.

This is the histogram:

Not a bad looking histogram - but the information on the right shows the sky information - and some of that information is lost.  No matter what I do, it is un-recoverable.  The EV on this is already -0.7, so I'm getting closer.

A EV setting of -0.7 is a comfortable setting for me.  If I was doing shots where there was more sky, I'd probably go to -1.0 or -1.3.  But in this case, I'm just looking to recover any sky I do capture.

In the worst case scenario with this setting, where I'm not getting any sky this is the result.

Here is the original image as shot.

This is a EV of -1.    The histogram looks something like this:

This histogram shows that although dark - all the color information is there.  This is something that I can work with.

I use Photomatix to set my color levels.  I've also used Elements RAW editor and auto levels to do the same.

This is what you get with one pass through Photomatix.

And the histogram is:

So even with a darker image, I can get the light levels correct.

Stitching - Way to save that photo!

One of the benefits of joining a photo club is that you get to see how others solve simple problems.  I am fortunate to have a friend/mentor through my local club in how to do simple 'touch ups' that will make a photo stand out from the others. 

One such photo that really sparked ides to me was that of a replica early Wright brothers airplane.  The subject was in a museum.  As with most museums, space between large objects was at a minimum.  I don't know if he would have taken the shot with a wide angle lens if the whole aircraft would have fit in the frame.  But what he did was to take multiple shots at 50 mm (considered normal focal length) and 'stitch' the images together.  The result was absolutely fascinating.  It was a good photo, technically.  Even he'd admit - it was going to win anything.  But that photo will stick with me for as long as I'm with photography.  The most interesting feature of that shot was that all the lines were straight.  There was no distortion due to being shot with a wide angle focal length.  Since I've adopted this hobby, that was one of the two to three most influential images I've seen.

Stitching is a process of combining multiple images into one image.  Sounds complicated, but software does all the heavy lifting.

What I've discovered about stitching is all the work goes up front.  Here goes:
1.  I usually shoot photos in Aperture Mode.  This is a must.  Usually the scene is uniformly lit and if Aperture Mode is used, the speed of the shot will usually be consistent.  The lighting has to be consistent.
2.  An overlay of 33% will usually get the trick done.  I usually try to go in the area of 50% to 60%.  This gets a good coverage and, not that it happens often, will cover if one photo doesn't turn out as expected.  Digital images are cheap.  The more, the better.
3.  The best images are shot portrait.  What I'm showing in this example is landscape - only to show it can be done.  But what ever orientation you use, make sure the focal length is 50mm.
4.  If you look up how to shoot a panorama, you will find all sorts of equipment to purchase.  I hand hold my camera.  Yea, sometimes the edges are a bit out of alignment, but you are going to lose the edges anyways.
5.  If you are going to make image corrections, make them on the originals.  Also be very careful not to make corrections in the middle of the project.  In the third photo below, there is a plant that is taking away from the entire picture.  That had to be removed on the original, prior to stitching.

So here is my example.  This is a local park pond on a sunny day.  In order to get as much of the scene as possible, I could take a wide angle shot.  If I had done that, the trees and other vertical object would have a distortion.  Or - I could stitch the shot.

These are the four shots used:

Using Elements 13, I used the Photomerge Panoramic function, the resulting image is:

At this point, depending on the format used other post processing actions can be taken.  I usually save to a TIFF file and send it to Photomatix.

Follow me by Email

I've added a widget to allow a 'follow by email' option.  It is unrealistic to expect everyone to look once a day - and to be honest I do take vacations both literally and figuratively.  

All that is required is a valid email address.  You'll get a notification at the email address entered that will require a reply to register.  Simple standard stuff.

Thanks!

B-17 Engine (Workflow from Here to There)

This was an interesting project - and by far the most time I've ever put into any photo.  For the most part, I generally go with what comes out of Photomatix.  Call me lazy, but the software is getting so good, that the halos that are generally associated with HDR are almost non-existent.  But they are still there to the somewhat trained eye.  In this close up of a B-17 engine, the contrast between the sky and the engine cowling was great enough to halo a bit when applying effects of HDR.  It just didn't look right.  So what to do?

I liked the sky off of the original enough - with a little darkening.  The engine needed a lot of work.  The cylinders were not so visible.  The propellers and the propeller hub are also a bit washed out.  Last and least, the light tower is a bit distracting, that had to go.

I am using Photomatix and On One's Perfect Suite 9.5.

Here is the original photo.  (The original format is RAW - that explains the washed out colors.)  

The first step was to remove the sky from the photo.  I did this with PS Layers.  

Once the sky was removed, I sent this image through Photomatix.  My main goal was to bring out the cylinders, and to add a little jazz that suits me.  I would up choosing the preset VIBRANT.

When pushing this through Photomtix, it doesn't treat the transparent space that used to be the sky well.  Photomatix adds back the space as part of the image as almost white space.  Not a big issue, but it is removing that part of the image for a second time.  I hate double work!  So, after pulling the image back into PS into the original file with layers, I used some enhancement tricks to darken the propellers.  

From here, I worked on the original image as a whole - I needed to get the sky correct.  I used a clone tool to remove the light.

So I have the sky where I want it.  So I added the engine back into the original, and this is the final Image.

There is the final image.  Before I put out here on the web, I crop to a 5x7 format.  I have a layer with borders and and my signature block.  

1/500   f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 18mm
Focal Length (35 mm) 27 mm

B-17 Engine (Close Up)

I was fascinated by the radial engines on the B17.  The thought of getting 9 cylinders to fire when they are supposed to and run for hours on end and not look like a conventional block engine baffles me.  I'm also fascinated by the variable pitch propeller system.  I (used to) know a little bit about how all that works from a prior life.  But the props on a C-130 are driven by a jet engine and not cylinders.
Some of the categories in my photo club deal with machinery, so I took a number of close up shots.  This could also be a self portrait and somehow I managed to get myself in the lower left - along with shadow.

1/500   f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 18mm
Focal Length (35 mm) 27 mm

B17 Cockpit - Part II

This could be my training photo.  There is a lot going on.  Lots of contrast and colors.  In this one, I tried to darken the photo pretty much all around.  I think I get a better black.  
The sky still presented an issue, but I think this one works better.  There is a reflection in the center hubs of the sky that is blue and has some clouding.  Matches a little anyway.

B17 Cockpit

This project was fun.  
This is a photo of the B-17G cockpit.  As with most shots with very high contrast, either the low light or the high light comes in - but not both.  This is a blend of the interior and a stock sky photo.
Many firsts went into this photo.  
One first was I used the Pen and Tablet for about 50% of the entire process.  I used it for all the detail work.  Still used the mouse to do a lot of the navigation work.
Another first is I used On One's perfect Suite 9.5 for all of the intermediary work.  I don't want to say that laying in the sky was easy - but it was however time consuming.
I like the way it turned out - however it is not contest worthy at this point.  The daylight washing the interior doesn't really mesh up with the area around the windows.  Not sure if I would either wash out the sky or darken the area around the windows.  Something for another day.

1/100   f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 18mm
Focal Length (27mm) 123 mm

Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Medium Tablet

When searching for tips and tricks - usually involving YouTube - much of what I found came from people who use pent and tablets.  One of the members in my photo club used the equipment during a presentation.  I did some research and came up with the Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Medium Tablet.  So I got it.
There are some videos on how to set it up and most of the capabilities.  (How did the caveman ever advance with out internet?)
The set up was easy - once I disabled my anti-virus package.  Getting to that point was a bit frustrating - but that's in the past.
I played about 30 minutes of Spider Solitaire to get used to the position and movements.  Sounds funny, but that is why solitaire is there.  Pointer skills.
On the unexpected side, when people are talking on how they use the P&T most seem to gravitate toward the use of layers - which was never my strong point.  With the P&T demonstrations, the whole concept became much clearer to me. 
The first project will be trying to create something really nice of the interior of the B-17 cockpit.  The photos are a challenge because of the contrast of light between the interior and the bright flat sky.  We'll see what happens.

Shells - Not so much by the Sea Shore

I do have a like for photos that fill up a frame.  That being said, I don't have many - or any at all.  A few years ago, 2012, I spent some time with family and friends in Hilton Head, SC.  I'm not much of a beach person, but I manage to spend some time close to the salt water.  Next to a restaurant, I found this pile of shells.  Food?  Perhaps.  I pictured this as being a screen saver or background.  Next time, I'll look for a crab or other wildlife to be in this.

1/1250   f/8
Aperture Priority
ISO 200
Focal Length 82mm

Focal Length (35mm) 123 mm

P51-C Mustang

As I have viewed many aircraft photos and drawings, I've always had an admiration for those shots in which I couldn't really tell if was photographed or drawn.  In flight shots, I've always like something other than straight and level images.
This shot also has two action points for me in the propeller and the gear not extended or retracted - but somewhere in between.  If I could draw a fighter - this would be the one.
This shot probably won't win any competitions.  Not that it is out of focus, but it certainly isn't all that sharp.  I was at least a mile away for this one.  

1/2000   f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 200mm
Focal Length (35mm) 300 mm

B-17 Nose from the front

More from the Flint WWII aircraft show.  This is the B-17G from the outside.  I've always liked nose shots.  The way the colors showed up - the sky blues and the aircraft greens really make this pop for me.

1/500   f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 18mm
Focal Length (35mm) 27 mm

B-17 Nose Section which housed the Bombardier and Navigator

This past weekend, three WWII aircraft as part of a tour stopped at the local airport.  One of the aircraft was a B-17G.  I have always been fascinated by this aircraft and the role it played in both theaters of WWII.

At this event, the B-17 and the B-24J were open to the public for touring.  I went through multiple times to get some really good shots - without little gremlins trying to photo bomb me.

Most of my shots were point and shoot - that is with no view finder.  Just hoping for the best.

This is one of the first I have played with.  The is the Nose Section of the B-17, where the Bombardier and Navigator did their thing.

For me, already a classic.

1/640   f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 18mm
Focal Length (35mm) 27 mm

Drummond Island Sunset

This is a photo taken from Drummond Island looking toward Detour Village.  

This is a good example that defines what HDR will do for an image.  In the original RAW image, the direct sunlight fools the camera optics.  Much of the photo is darker, especially the visible side of the cabin overhang and support on the right.

1/160 f/11
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal Length 27mm
Focal Length (35mm) 40 mm

Software Updates

I upgraded my Elements from 10 to 13 and Perfect Photo Suite from 8 to 9.

I do like the PPS software.  Problem is I grew up on the Elements and it is a fall back when all else fails.  And Elements still will not process 16 bit.

St. Joseph Light from Pier

In the summer, I've been out to the light.  All the way out.  In the winter?  Probably not.  But I could get out about half way from the shore.  It was very icy - but walkable.  (Note to self, get the cleats you can put on your shoes and keep them in the truck.)  There were some brave souls who made the walk - I just saw a lot of cold water at the end of the slide.

But I could get out close enough to the ice that had formed on the walkway structure.  The ice is certainly fun to photograph.

1/640 f/6.3

ISO 200

Focal Length 150mm

Focal Length (35mm) 225 mm

St. Joseph Light - January 2015

On all my previous trips to St. Joseph (all 2 of them), both lights were either iced or ice free.  This time - I really lucked out with half and half.  My favorite features are the definitions in the ice - and the structure colors of the rear light.  I'd like a bit more red in the building but much more than this really begins to look over saturated.  One of the interesting quirks of shooting around snow, is the camera gets fooled by the extra light - and the image comes out a bit darker.  And for me, that's OK.

1/640 f/6.3

ISO 200

Focal Length 150mm

Focal Length (35mm) 225 mm

St. Joseph South Light in Winter

I had to spend a week in Chicago for work this month.  As I'm not liking flying much anymore, driving to Chicago is very doable being around four hours to make the trip.  Driving to Chicago takes me past some of the lower Lake Michigan lighthouses.  One of my favorite locations is the St. Joseph lights.  This light is very distinctive and in winter can have a whole new personality.

This is a picture of the south navigation aid to the St. Joseph channel.  I really like the ice formations.  This photo was taken around noon.  And it wasn't that dark.  I like the final contrast change between the sky and the snow/ice.  One of the other nice features is the broken ice in the channel.  To me - screen saver quality!

1/640 f/6.3
ISO 200
Focal Length 170mm

Focal Length (35mm) 255 mm

Belle Isle Fishing Pier - Revisited

This has been an interesting journey.  In December of 2013 I was contacted by a local author who found my image of the Belle Isle Fishing pier interesting and wanted to use it on the over of his next book.  The page he found is: Here

The author who contacted me was Kevin Garrity from HammerHandle Press.  The book he was working on was titled Unclaimed Persons.  The book was centered in Detroit but had some connection to Belle Isle.  He went looking - and found my image.

We had some conversations for usage of the photo.  No monies were exchanged - but jacket cred was a must!  Everyone got what they wanted!

The book signing was on November 22, 2014.  Here is me with the Author.

Fun Experience.

Checking Out the Summer Shack

I has been very cold this winter.  These two seem to be checking on the spring accommodations and making sure the shack is intact.  Happens a lot in Michigan.  It was below zero outside when I shot this.  Amazing to me that flight conditions were not grounded.

I'm still looking for a solid workflow with LR5 and PS8.  In this shot I used LR5 first.  I dulled out the front of the house - as the sun was shining directly on it.  I also touched up the two birds a bit with a little bit of fill light and some contrast.  I finished up with a little overall HD from PS8.  I did the final re-sizing with PS8 - and I like what it did.

Some folks are lucky enough to shoot birds out of the neighborhood - I'll take what I can get.

1/250 f/5.30

Aperture Priority

ISO 400

Focal Length 112mm

Focal Length (35mm) 168 mm

Winter Fence

Seems like the worst of weather provides the most interesting photo opportunities.  This is the neighbor's fence along our back yard.  Two days after the storm - and some snow - the clouds cleared and we had lots of great sunlight.  The temps remained (way) below freezing and there was no wind, so this came together very nicely.  I used some over sharpening here to bring out the reflected light in the snow and ice crystals.

1/500, 1/2000, 1/125

F/25

Aperture Priority

Focal Length 50 mm

35 mm Focal Length 75 mm

Write your own caption.....

 No electrical outage here.  The recent ice storm cause a lot of damage, some more obvious than others.  but of all the damage I saw today, this one was one I could laugh at.  This is at the Richland Park Disc Golf Course.  I was trying to get some good ice photos in the Richland park complex, but most of it was closed.  This one area was open and when I saw this, just couldn't help it.  There are no dead bodies in the crushed stall.

1/200, 1/800, 1/50

f/8

Aperture Priority

ISO 400

Focal Length 22 mm

(35 mm) Focal Length 33 mm

Bird House in Ice

We had ice storm last night - about half an inch on everything.  This is the home made birdhouse in the front of the house, just outside the office window.  I took a few photos of the trees and the chain link fence.

This is a three photo merge with On One post processing.  I have move from three photo merges to create HDR because the software has improved so much, but with Lightroom Plugin to Photomatix it makes the process a lot easier and quicker.  As to the On One (Perfect Suite 8) plug in to Lightroom - I have a bit more to learn.  It was much easier to get out of LR and then add the finishing touches with PS8.

1/60, 1/250, 1/1000
f/5.0
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 70 mm

I'm Back!

Suffice to say I've been away for some time.  Writers would call it writers block, students would call it eternal spring break and I would call it a combination of the two.

Think I'm back.  Made some improvements on the hardware side.  Move to 64 bit platform - added some memory.  Moved to Lightroom 5 and On One for post processing - away from Adobe Elements and Topaz.

I'm really PO'd at Adobe Elements because their lack of customer appreciation.  To upgrade is to buy a new version for full price.  I'm on 4th upgrade - having to pay full each time.  Enough of that stuff.  Topaz was collateral damage there as well, but my On One package was roughly half the cost of the Topaz package.

I've upgraded to Photomatix 5.  I'm still a big fan of HDR but there are now better ways to get the effect without the halo.  The HDR soft folks are really good - great upgrade plans and are not trying to pry you from your last cent.  I've found their upgrade policies very friendly.

It's good to be back.....

Algoma (Essar) Steel II

This is the Algoma Steel area on the Canadian side of the Soo.  This is one of my favorite subjects to shoot when I'm in the area.  Lots going on in these photos.  And it always reminds me of the Pittsburgh days when I was a kid.  The original shot isn't nearly this dark, but I think any shot I do of a steel environment will be dark - because that is just the way I remember the J&L buildings.

I've been looking for a way to return the 'crispness' to my shots.  During the HDR processing, the shots will soften a bit.  Any attempts to reduce the halo will soften it even more.  I still like the processing, but I've always thought it could be better.

I've found a way to return some of the crispness without reintroducing the halo.

1/100 f/9
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 38 mm (57 mm for 35mm film)

Lake Huron Rocks

Between St. Ignace and Detour Village there are a number of roadside parks where you can walk to the beach.  At one of the areas these rocks were just off shore.  The water is so clear - no polarizer needed to get at the rocks just under the surface.  The surface is so calm, but with definition.  The sky has some character as well.

1/500 f/14
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 35 mm (52 mm for 35mm film)

Lake Reflection

As I look at Black and White variations of some photos, I am beginning to see many possibilities.  The colorized version of this photo is good, but this one is - well - really good.  and the print is even better!  This is sunset behind a small dammed lake on Drummond Island.  I took a number of 'real' HDR photos - and this is one of them.  Depending on the map used, this is either at the end of DAM or DAMIT road.  (I've noticed that most maps differ on the road naming conventions on the island.) 

1/30, 1/125, 1/8   f/8
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 20 mm (30 mm for 35mm film)

Rock at the Mac

Going to the UP for the weekend.  And always have to stop in Mackinaw City.  And always have to take a shot or five of the MAC.  On our way up, the weather was just great.  And for a Michigan spring this is a real bonus!  I was walking along the shore to the bridge and saw this larger rock.  This was fairly easy to picture in my head.  When the light is there - it is easy.

1/640 f/14
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 18 mm (24 mm for 35mm film)

Bottle Rocket

This is one of my fireworks photos from last summer of a bottle rocket taking to flight.  I like the silhouette of the (IC Lite Beer) bottle.  This was a fun project.  For fun, I did a B&W version.  That turned out really well.

Rt 381

Route 381 - through Rolling Rock Farms.  In fall, no place other place I'd rather be.  So I don't live there, but every fall it is worth the trip back.  This is a very neat piece of road - lots of line here.  The road, road paint, fence lines and trees are all very interesting.  When I first posted this shot, I liked with with more saturated colors.  I'm starting to dial back a bit of the saturation.  I'm still against a 'true' photo shot and lean more toward an 'enhanced' shot - but I'm moving a bit.  The one characteristic of this shot that isn't where I'd like it to be is the sky.  It is so flat, it is washing out part of the tree line.  Some time I will get back when it all falls (get it - fall) together.

1/60 f/5.6
Auto
ISO 200
Focal length 32 mm (48 mm for 35mm film)

Crisp Point Lighthouse - 2009

This is one of my favorites of Crisp Point.  The whole area is a great place to take photos, not only of the lighthouse but of all the natural landscape.  The area is not littered with lots of traffic - you just don't come across this place.  It is a destination.  And even with the best of directions, good luck.  A GPS helps.

In the foreground are the remains of a pier.  What stories this pier could tell! 

Now to the photo stuff.  This is one of the first photos I really had to THINK about what the final image would look like.  Depth of field is everything here - as well as the angle of the shot.  To say I was grounded would not be stretch of the imagination.  To a certain extent I was very lucky.  It was a mostly cloudy day and for about 30 minutes the sky cleared a bit to what is shown here.

1/400 f/10
Auto
ISO 200
Focal length 18 mm (27 mm for 35mm film)

Sailboat Row

This is another photo lost during the blog changes.  This one hangs over the home fireplace - I like it that much.  In the final days of February last year, we took a trip to the UP.  I wanted to see ICE.  And I was not disappointed.  We stopped in Mackinaw City on the way to the Soo.  It was snowing - so as with a lot of my winter shots there is no sky.  When we got up there all the worker's cars were gone from this area and this sight just got to me.  In one of the rare moments of thought process, I had enough focal length to keep the masts straight.  This time around, it was not a mistake.  A year ago - I took this with an AUTO setting.  These days, the set up would be much different.  And then again, maybe the numbers would be the same.  Great depth of field - that could have been a disaster as well.  All in all - a good AUTO shot.

1/250 f/8
AUTO
ISO 100
Focal length 35 mm (52 mm for 35mm film)

CSX Car

Way back when - before I started this the third blog - I had published this photo.  This photo was taken in August of 2008 while on the Somerset County Covered Bridge tour.  Between the Pack Saddle Bridge and the Baronville Bridge is an area where trains have to stop while waiting for another engine to arrive to help them up the next series of grades.  (I know this because I talked with the engineer of this train.)  In 2008 I wasn't sure of my photos - or what I was trying to tell with them.  Lucky I got this one!

This photo means a lot to me for a few reasons.  I am not a train person - but being that close to that much metal is pretty amazing.  I have a few train friends who are borderline fanatical about the subject and have turned their basements into shrines to prove it.  I can see why they are who they are.

One of the reasons I like this shot is the opening door on the front of the engine car.  It is very dark in there, yet I can pull out the interior well enough to read the stenciled message.  This is the first photo I worked with where I could get the trees along the track to look the way I liked them.  With this photo, I started to see photos differently.

The other reason I liked this shot is it taught me one of the first lessons about the subject of a photo setting.  I entered this shot as an after-thought in one of my club competitions and it scored well.  I was amazed - partially because the other shots I entered that I liked didn't do so well and this one did.  When were were talking about the shots after the judging, I found it it did well because there is no guessing what the subject is and the environment around it is nice, but not threatening.  I practice this when I can - but.........

This shot was taken with the camera on full auto - from settings to focus.  The most exciting science to this shot was I probably used a polarizer filter.  Now, I shoot most new shots with Aperture priority to control the depth of field and auto-focus off to better 'see' what I'm doing.  (All the other times, just point and shoot!)

1/200 f/5.6
Auto
ISO 125
Focal length 75 mm (112 mm for 35mm film)

Next Steps..............

As this hobby is moving along, I'm moving (slowly) to a more complete product.  I want to move on from DIGITAL presentation and smaller print formats to PRINT in a larger format presentation.

I am passing the year mark since Channer turned me on to HDR and that leap has really provided a hobby that entertains me.  There are so many great photographers - I really wanted to find a niche that I liked and was extremely comfortable with.  I'm OK with some saying it is not real photography I am doing with the blending of light.  I'm happy with ART.

I am continually inspired by my association with the Flint Lensmen Camera Club and have learned much from them.  (Even Bob....)  The members are all very diverse with a wealth of experiences and different takes on what is good, bad and ugly.  Most of all, although there are a few hecklers in the rear, no one has tried to change my style - just hints on how to be better technically.

So the next step to 'building' a final product is the presentation.  I didn't think much of this aspect until talking with some of the club members.  A few meetings have centered on the art of mat cutting.  So I bit and bought a mid-range model.  I've been working with it for two weeks - and aside from a few mistakes the results are fairly good.

For now - it is an exponential gift.  Another layer to my ART.

These are my first three efforts.  

The first effort is a black mat on a B&W (Algoma Steel) photo.  It is fairly idiot-proof.  I'm sure I still have a lot to learn on what colors to mat a photo with - what adds to the final product.

The next effort is a photo of seven birds on a rail that really doesn't translate well into a 'standard' photo size.  With the mat, I can size the photo to any that best enhances the photo.  That was an unexpected gift.

The third effort is a double mat.  This photo of the Rockland Breakwater light in Maine is a real favorite.  My dilemma was what color to go with - either a green or red.  Went with green.  Worked great.

 Still have a long way to go - but this is fun.

10th Street Bridge

I've been away from Pittsburgh for so long, I'm not sure why they paint the bridges yellow.  At one point, the bridges were a blueish-purple.  There may be a few that still sport that color.  But I like the yellow.  I'd like a better color sky.  There was enough low clouds in an otherwise flat sky that I could work with.  It will be good to get back when the weather is nicer.

1/80 f/16
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 20 mm (30 mm for 35mm film)

Seven on a Rail

While walking around Pittsburgh (not really around - we were heading for an ice cream parlor...) I saw a number of these bird sitting around on the fences and posts.  And then I saw this seven.  Being Super Bowl week - I saw an interior line. There is the Center, Guards, Tackles, one tight end and a slot receiver.  Made sense to me.

This photo is interesting to me on many levels.  The wire and the top rail are actually level.  The building blocks are a bit off due to the angle of the shot.  One of the unknowns is that the sky was so crappy that I was happy to use the wall as it was.  I also like the multiple shades of brown on the back of the birds.

This is also first attempt at a photo in a non-standard size.  I have an old 3 4x6 photo frame that I used for this.  I cut a mat - still made some rookie mistakes but... - and put it all together.  Looks good.

1/125 f/5.6
Auto
ISO 360
Focal length 130 mm (195 mm for 35mm film)

Under the 10th Street Bridge

Trip home to Pittsburgh offered a great opportunity to shoot subjects that are new to me.  No wilderness, no ice formations, no lighthouses, all new STUFF.  I have seen some interesting HDR shots of bridge undersides.  Just had to get my own.  In a perfect world - there would have been blue skies with a wisp of a cloud or two.  But this is Pittsburgh - in February.  I'm happy it wasn't snowing and windy!

This is a true HDR shot.  I'm getting better at hand holding the camera in these situations.  Still not comfortable lugging the tri-pod around...........  This brings out the best of a HDR - light on the underside.  Not sure this is suitable for much more than a screen saver - but it does give me high hopes to get this is a better light in October.

1/15, 1/25, 1/13   f/16
Aperture Priority
ISO 400
Focal length 24 mm (36 mm for 35mm film)