Summer Dreamin’

Posted by Mike on

Chittenango Falls State Park

As I sit here at the computer watching it snow yet again I couldn’t help but dream of warmer days. I think the snow hurts more today after the nice sunny weather we experienced yesterday. I caught spring fever while I was out running errands and now I want the snow to just melt away.

As I was going through my image library for a book I was creating (personal project focusing on my Squared series) I noticed this image of Chittenango Falls. I’m not sure why I didn’t process this one last June but I thought doing so today would distract me from the white stuff coming down. Hopefully it will help the rest of you who are just as tired of winter as I am.

Summer Dreamin' Nikon D5100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 1/6s, 19mm, f/18, ISO 100

Summer Dreamin’
Nikon D5100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 1/6s, 19mm, f/18, ISO 100

Tomorrowland – Take 2

Posted by Mike on

Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom,
Walt Disney World

I have been reading a lot about luminosity masks for Photoshop. There have been several photographers who have caught my attention on the subject and a few of them have even published some Photoshop actions to help us newbies. Jimmy McIntyre at Shutter Evolve has been my recent favorite. His actions and videos have helped me understand how I can incorporate these masks into my workflow for processing my images.

This image of Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom is one of my favorites from my trip in October 2013. I have always thought I could have created a better image but was limited by skills at the time (both with capturing the image and in processing it). I started with the same Photomatix exposure blended file as I did back in 2013 by tried applying some of newly gained knowledge. It is’t a drastic change but the subtle improvements over the original I do really like.

Tomorrowland - Take 2 Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, (10, 25, 30s bracket), f/16, ISO 400

Tomorrowland – Take 2
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, (10, 25, 30s bracket), f/16, ISO 400

Boardwalk at Night

Posted by Mike on

Boardwalk, Crescent Lake,
Walt Disney World

Even when I am on vacation I am an early riser. It does have its advantages. When I stay at one of the resorts around Crescent Lake (behind Epcot) I always go exploring before most people are even considering waking up. I might meet the occasional jogger or maintenance worker but for the most part I have the lake to myself.

This is a 6 image HDR panorama of the Boardwalk from the pavilion between the Boardwalk and Epcot. Normally I use Photomatix to combine the exposures but this time I tried the ‘Merge to HDR Pro’ in Photoshop. I have to admit that for this image I really like the results. I had plenty of control for the merge and it was a little easier to use. With both merged images still open in Photoshop I used the Photomerge function to create the panorama. There was a little more adjusting in Photoshop to get to this final image.

Boardwalk at Night Nikon D5100, Tokina 12-24mm f/4, {8, 15 & 30s brackets}, 28mm, f/11, ISO 100

Boardwalk at Night
Nikon D5100, Tokina 12-24mm f/4, {8, 15 & 30s brackets}, 28mm, f/11, ISO 100

Wordless Wednesday: Wait! Let me tell you…

Posted by Mike on

Wordless Wednesday: Storybook Circus,
Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

Wait! Let me tell you... Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/640s, 85mm, f/8, ISO 400

Wait! Let me tell you…
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, 1/640s, 85mm, f/8, ISO 400