Simplicity

Most of the time I prefer to have clouds in my landscapes.  There are times when that rule flies out the window.  My wife and I spend Sunday and Monday in Duluth's Canal Park area for our anniversary.  Our day was filled with walking around this busy area, enjoying each other's company and taking pictures.  I was hoping for a spectacular sunset over the lift bridge but, like most times, the clouds blew away prior to sunset.  What we were left with is a perfectly clear sky.  Inwardly I was thinking that now the images would be boring and I would have to find another way to add interest to the images.

Much to my delight the simple sky worked with this scene.  It may be because the lower third of the image is filled with all the lights and details of the city.  I'm not really sure.  All I know is that the final output makes me happy.

Composing this image took a bit of thinking.  I wanted the bridge to dominate the image but I didn't want it to be the only thing you see.  Rach and I walked to the end of the pier and up by one of the two lighthouses.  This elevated the scene enough so the pier lights weren't bothering me.  Thankfully Rach is very patient with my picture adventures as we spent the better part of 45 minutes taking pictures of various parts of the downtown area.

It was a wonderful evening spent with the woman I love and I hope to spend many more like it.

For more images from this trip go to my SmugMug page and check out the Landscape and Macro Flower galleries.

B&W Conversion

What makes a great black and white image?  To me it is a combination of several different things. First you need a clearly defined subject.  In the photograph below the subject is isolated by a blurred, simple background.  If you have a situation where you have a busy scene, use a long lens and a larger aperture to create the separation of subject and background.  Second you need contrast.  The transition of highlight to shadow on Alex draws your attention to his face.  The last part ties in with the first.  The subject should be limited.  Too many subjects in a single image can be distracting.  I'm not saying that a large family portrait on a plain background doesn't work.  I'm talking about having so many elements in the image that the main focus isn't clearly defined.

I never shoot an image in black and white even if I intend the final output to be B&W.  Why would I do that when many cameras have a setting for black and white?  The easy answer is if you shoot in B&W or a selective color you are stuck with that.  There is no way to recover the color information that your camera didn't save.  When I convert my images to B&W I use the B&W layer adjustment (most of the time, sometimes I use plugins).  Here is where having the color information available is key.  When you apply the B&W adjustment layer you have lighten/darken sliders for all the different colors.  Many times if I want to lighten skin to give it that nice light look I'll lighten reds and yellows.  You can also use the color sliders to help isolate your subject.

Playing with the sliders can greatly change the overall look of the final image.  Even though it takes a little more time to convert an image I think the final output is well worth the time.  You have that little bit of extra control to make the image look just how you want it to.

Below is my son Alex engrossed in some activity.  I love candid pictures of children.  They convey so much emotion without even being aware of it.  It is these times that people don't normally think of having their camera out.  Some of my favorite images of my son were taken at times when he was unaware that his picture was being taken.

Light Speed Train

While down on Harriet Island recently I stopped on the train tracks to take a few pictures.  From behind I heard the sounds of the train approaching so after finishing the current shot I set up to catch the train as it went by.  I'm fairly surprised that the image didn't blur from motion even though it was on a tripod.  I could feel the ground move as the train rolled by.  While it looks like the train went flying by it actually was going pretty slowly. 

I left the shutter open for about 30 seconds.  It is amazing how much of the image behind the train was captured.  The breaks between cars was pretty short but the long exposure allowed more than a dozen cars to pass. 

Overall I like the image.  It has motion, an interesting sky and those nice little star lights that are created with a small aperture.

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day.  I can't help but think of my Dad and the things that I would give anything to share with him. 

I'm Back

It has been far too long since my last post.  Tonight's image comes from the walkways down along the Mississippi River on Harriet Island.  I've been to Harriet Island several times before but never ventured down as far as I did this time.  This area has some wonderful views of downtown St. Paul.  It is easy to lose track of time while walking the pathways around this area.  My main goal was to shoot some bridges from underneath but I couldn't resist a few quick panoramas.

This shot is two, five exposure HDR's (from -2 EV to +2 EV).  The output from Photomatix was pretty good.  The final output required some minor dust removal, sharpening, and a little contrast adjustment.  One unexpected bonus was with the long exposure the quickly moving river turned into a pretty nice mirror.  Adding to the overall appeal are the interesting clouds. 

The initial plan was to get a sunset but I didn't plan ahead enough to make it there.  So between shooting bridges I grabbed a couple of these.  I'm sure there will be upcoming blog posts with some of the other shots from the night. 

I'm going to get back to a regular posting schedule now that my personal schedule has relaxed a bit.