good morning world

I woke up and pulled aside the curtain slightly to see the world outside. Then, I decided to experiment with HDR processing to see if I could capture the details as I saw them: bright sunshine outside that isn't pure white, rich shadows inside that still have detail.


I know it's not technically perfect, but it was a crazy idea that took 20 minutes from execution to posting (and that includes processing each image two different ways to see what I liked better, as well as a third I didn't like at all).

new lens, new love

Yesterday I was on a quest for a new camera bag that doesn't hurt my back. I found one that I love but it isn't carried locally. And somehow, I managed to come home with a new lens. It's a 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Canon love machine. For those of you who speak gear, the technical specs can be found here. For those of you who aren't fluent in camera, let's just say that it's a sexy lens and I love it.
My favorite feature at the moment is the focus. Basically, I can autofocus and then make minor adjustments manually (without breaking the lens). The image stabilization was also a huge selling point for me but I haven't really had much of a chance to try it out yet. I did one test shot today and I can see a difference already. A girl could get used to this.
I was going to take my new lens to Chapel Trail but they closed early today. My test run around the neighborhood wasn't quite as exciting but I'm still impressed.








The only 'problem' I've found so far is that it's a little darker than I'm used to so I need to get into the habit of overexposing slightly from how the camera meters the scene. But then it will be so perfect.

a burst of inspiration

"The camera does not record emotion... The job of a photographic artist is to work with the camera's image, to create the drama and add back the emotion." -David Fokos

I found that quote this morning when I was reading Rangefinder (a photographer trade magazine). That sums up the way I feel about editing: I'm working to bring in the way I see the world into the shots my camera saw. Choosing camera settings isn't enough to make the final product representative of the way I envision it; I also spend time poking around in Photoshop to get it just right. More often than not, I know how I'm going to edit a shot the second the shutter clicks closed.

I'm a little hesitant to share these before-and-afters because I feel like the before images are raw and unfinished. But I know that it's important to share how much is technical and how much is inspiration.




I don't have before-and-afters for these. This is how I saw them in my mind and it took a few clicks to 'finish' them off.

my idea of paradise

I never did blog the photos from last Sunday's trip to the nature preserve. I got a little distracted by the giant print and completely overlooked my "to post" queue. Since I went back today to see how the preserve looks at high noon, I might as well make this post a two-for-one. Consider it my apology.

Last week

I was meeting the twins after their scout meeting got out. When I pulled in to the parking lot, the sandhill crane was standing on the parking stone of the spot I wanted. If I could have safely taken its picture and parked, I would have. Since it seems interested in my camera and my car, I got some amazing pictures that I don't think I should have been able to get safely. (Previous experience suggests that sandhill cranes do not like the sound of the camera shutter.)






After the meeting, we started exploring the boardwalk as a family but were quickly joined by a bunch of other scouts. There wasn't much wildlife to see but the kids were so much fun that I didn't notice. Although that might have something to do with them rocking the floating dock and/or climbing into my lap while I was trying to shoot.

This week

I ventured out during high noon and didn't know what to expect as far as wildlife goes. I did know that midday sun means high contrast and tried to use that to my advantage.








I did some experimentation with HDR techniques to see if I could replicate the tonal range I saw in real life. Nope. Not even close. But I did make some interest composites in Photomatix and Photoshop.


I also had an awesome experience with a wood stork. I could see him from the other end of the boardwalk and I just kept getting closer and closer until some birdwatchers scared him off.






On today's adventure, I took my 10,000th picture on this camera and reset the internal counter.

Chapel Trail nature preserve

It's always an exciting day when I can announce that I found a new wetlands boardwalk near my house to explore. I don't know how I managed to live here so long without knowing it existed but it makes for a great discovery.
Mom and I ventured out during golden hour for a great adventure. I'm glad we didn't leave our house any later because we would have run out of light. And oh, how gorgeous the light was. I may end up going back again today because it was just so lovely.








The flare on this one is totally natural. The light was so warm and lovely.






This photo is actually two exposures (one for the sky and one for the grass) masked together in Photoshop.