Watchtower
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 3 image bracket (1/3, 1/6, 1/13s), 17mm, f/20, ISO 100
Watchtower
Category Archives: HDR
Slow
Late yesterday afternoon I went down to the creek behind the house to play with some long exposures. I broke out the 2-stop ND filter to see what I could capture. Definitely had a great time exploring the creek bed. I now know I need more filter and I definitely want to get to a place with more motion, like a lake shore or beach along the ocean. I think a trip is in order…
Slow 1
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 3s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 100
Slow 2
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1.6s, 24mm, f/16, ISO 100
Slow 3
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 2s, 17mm, f/16, ISO 100
Slow 4
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1.3, 5, 20s bracket), 19mm, f/16, ISO 100
Industrial
This week over at A Word in Your Ear the Word a Week Challenge is all about industrial images. You can check out the original post here AWAWC: Industrial. My intent was to get out and capture a few new images but once again work and the weather have made that a challenge unto itself. Hopefully, a recycling of a few images from July 2012 will not offend anyone.
I had been driving past each of these buildings/structures for years and when I caught the photography fever I always wanted to capture them in the early morning light. I was fortunate enough one morning in July to get the sunrise I was looking for and the time to visit each location. I was very happy with how each image turned out and have been keeping my eye open for additional subjects, but surprisingly it isn’t as easy as I thought. I keep looking though…
Awake! Rock beast
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1, 4, 15s bracket), 26mm, f16, ISO 400
From a forgotten time
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/125, 1/30, 1/8s bracket), 21mm, f16, ISO 400
Nature takes back
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/80, 1/20, 1/5s bracket), 32mm, f22, ISO 200
The business end
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/40, 1/10, 1/3s bracket), 58mm, f22, ISO 200
Snow Dam
The weather yesterday was almost perfect for a winter day in Upstate NY. The temperature was above freezing (if only slightly) and the sun was out during the afternoon. How could I sit inside just waiting for the new year to arrive.
I threw on some appropriate clothes for trudging through snow and headed out the door with the camera. I had a few scenes in mind that could work in the mid afternoon sun but eventually I ended up at Delta Lake dam just north of Rome. I’ve found this is a location I have no trouble visiting repeatably as there is always something of interest to photograph.
As I worked my way down to the water I noticed another adventurer admiring the view. At first I thought it might be a fisherman but as we said ‘Hello’ I noticed the long lens attached to the camera around his neck. He was out hoping to capture one of the eagles that inhabit the trees around the dam. We stood and talked for quite a while before he decided they were not coming out and I was going to lose my sun behind the approaching clouds. It is always nice to meet fellow photographers.
I played around the dam for another thirty minutes before the sun disappeared behind the clouds. I think I like this area best during the winter. The views are wide open with all the foliage hidden beneath the snow. These images are not possible during the summer…
Delta Lake Dam Memorial
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/80s, 21mm, f/16, ISO 200
Snowfall Dam
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/100s, 21mm, f/16, ISO 200
Dam View
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/5, 1/20, 1/80s brackt), 17mm, f/20, ISO 200
Barge at Sunrise
Some more images from my early morning walk on Sunday. I usually find something interesting when I walk the trails along the barge canal. This barge and tug were docked just beyond a gate into an access area for Utica, NY. I have noticed quite a lot of activity the past few weeks along the canal. I think there is an effort to dredge our section of the canal and keep it accessible.
Both of these images are three exposure brackets combined using Photomatix. I generally start with a simple tone mapped default and tweak the settings to achieve the image I want. I tend to keep the color saturation to a minimum and hopefully create a more realistic, natural image rather than an ‘over the top’ HDR image. Finally adjustments to the exposure and a slight gradient added in Lightroom.
Barge at Sunrise
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/3, 1.3, 5s bracket), 19mm, f/16, ISO 100
Tug and Barge
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (0.8, 3, 15s bracket), 70mm, f/16, ISO 100
Rock Beach
We interrupt the regularly scheduled snowfall to bring you this alien landscape from one week ago…
Rock Beach
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/3, 1/13, 1/50s bracket), 17mm, f/18, ISO 200
Beachcomber
Sitting on the edge of the beach waiting for the sun to set I spied this lone rock disturbing the sand. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a close-up. Luckily, I had done my research before I bought my tripod earlier this year. I made sure the legs reverse folded allowing me to get the camera very low to the ground. The wide angle lens gave me the close-up of the rock I wanted, and it still provided a nice view of the beach and sky. I knew I would be taking this one into Photomatix for a little HDR help so I used a 3 image exposure bracket to capture the scene.
Beachcomber
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/40, 1/10, 0.4s bracket), 17mm, f/16, ISO 200
Just Past Prime
My original plan was to get up early and try to catch the morning light at Chittenango Falls State Park but the below freezing temps convinced me to stay inside sipping my coffee. The cold weather wouldn’t have bothered me but I didn’t want to try to navigate the trail down into the gorge with any frost on the ground. It is suppose to be warmer tomorrow morning so if the rain holds off I’ll make another attempt then.
I decided to try processing this picture from last weekends excursion to Pixley Falls. I was a little late to capture the leaves on the trees but the color on the ground and in the water worked for me. I watched a webinar earlier in the week by Ali Elhajj for Topaz Labs on using the Denoise filter, beyond just the presets and I wanted to see if I could put what I learned into practice. It really did make a difference in my processing and I think it produced a better image.
Just Past Prime
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/4, 1/15, 1/60s bracket), 21mm, f/16, ISO 200
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