Category Archives: night

Coca-Cola

Posted by Mike on

Asia, Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

I had so much fun running around the Animal Kingdom after the sun went down last night.  Being in the park after dark was one of the experiences I was looking forward to on this trip.  It did not disappoint.  There are so many images to process.  I’ll start with my favorite refreshment stand on the corner in Asia.  I’m not sure if it is the architecture of this little building, the environment and all the details or the general theme, but I always grab an image of this spot on every visit.  Getting one at night was on my list…

MLCreations Photography: Animal Kingdom &emdash; Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, {3, 6, 13 & 25s bracket}, 15mm, f/8, ISO 400

Perseid Meteor Shower

Posted by Mike on

Backyard

As a meteor hunter, I am not very good. I can probably chalk it up to lack of experience and/or opportunity. Of course, there is also the fact that when I went to bed Thursday night the weather forecast was calling for rain. Waking up at my normal time for work (3:30am) I noticed I could see stars out my window. I quickly fed the cats and headed out into the back yard to see what I could capture.

I only spent fifteen minutes pointing my camera at various sections of the sky. My Olympus is not the perfect camera for high ISO night photography but I did manage to snag a couple of meteors. In the first image the meteor is dead center and traveling vertical.  The second image I barely caught the meteor over near the top left, also traveling vertical.  I can say I did see quite a few more meteors in other portions of the sky, mostly as my camera was exposing in the wrong direction!  LOL

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Perseid Meteor 1

Perseid Meteor 1
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 30s, 12mm, f/2.8, ISO 3200

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Perseid Meteor 2

Perseid Meteor 2
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 30s, 12mm, f/2.8, ISO 3200

Before the Sun

Posted by Mike on

Riverside Park, Indiatlantic, FL

Another trip to Riverside Park along the Indian River in Indiatlantic, FL. This trip was the morning of my last day in Florida. It was a challenge as the clouds were rolling in which would eventually bring the rain. On the plus side the clouds did obscure the full moon which allowed for this extremely long exposure of the 192 bridge and the fishing dock from the park.

MLCreations Photography: Landscapes &emdash; Before the Sun

Before the Sun
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 50s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200

Trails to the City

Posted by Mike on

Utica, New York

Either I am getting more adventurous (I doubt it) or that voice in my head is winning more of the arguments but I stopped again last night to capture an image I have been passing by for over a year. When my daughter started going to the local college last year I would pass the time before picking her up at the shopping plaza across the highway from the school. The quickest way to the campus is to go up the road, exit, swing over the bridge and come in the back entrance. This view of the Mohawk Valley and Utica, New York is always on my left as I make my way to the campus.

I almost stopped late last week but something held me back. Last night the time must have been right. As soon as I was over the bridge I pulled the car over. Attached the camera to to the tripod and walked back to the bridge. The lights from the car dealership can be a little over powering in the image. They tend to drown out the lights of the city in the valley. I do like the light trails from the cars though.

MLCreations Photography: Landscapes &emdash; Trails to the City

Trails to the City
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 40mm, f/16, ISO 400

This image is actually a blend of two separate images. I wasn’t using the images to create a high dynamic range picture, I needed the different views of the light trails to create the look that I wanted. The drivers of the cars were not fully cooperating so using different images and painting the trails where I needed them was the best solution.

Time Passes

Posted by Mike on

Japan Pavilion, World Showcase,
Epcot, Walt Disney World

If I was to be pressed into picking my favorite park at Walt Disney World I am not sure I could give a single answer. It will always depend on the time of year, what events are currently happening and even what my mood is at the time of the question. Each parks holds something special that I enjoy.

There is one activity though that I can always answer as a favorite and that is photographing the pavilions around World Showcase at night. Especially after Illuminations as the park is emptying out and I practically have the areas to myself. My only constraint is staying a step ahead of security as is sweeps the park for guests.

On this night I planned to watch the fireworks from the entrance to World Showcase so I could work my way back toward the International Gateway, and my room at the Beach Club. This would allow me the largest number of pavilions if I take the long way around by starting in Mexico. One of my favorite pavilions for photography is Japan and I am always looking for interesting compositions although this is a straight on look trying to capture everything in the pavilion.

Time Passes

Time Passes
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, 60s, 12mm, f/16, ISO 200

Groceries & Employment

Posted by Mike on

HDR Photography

Waiting for my daughter to finish her shift the other night I couldn’t help but play with the camera in the parking lot. I wanted to get some practice in with night shooting and using the bracketing tools with this camera. The experience is much better with the external control rather than having to navigate menu after menu on the old camera. And this camera has a much better dynamic range that I have not had to use bracketing as often to get the image I wanted.

Groceries & Employment Nikon D7100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, {1, 8, 15 & 30s bracket}, 55mm, f/16, ISO 100

Groceries & Employment
Nikon D7100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, {1, 8, 15 & 30s bracket}, 55mm, f/16, 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