Campus Center

SUNYIT Campus Center

Thursday night was the perfect night to be at the campus playing with my camera. There was just enough wind in the upper layers to give good movement to the clouds but not enough at ground level to cause me any issues with my long exposures. Right after sunset the sky was changing toward black going through all the deep blues with the right amount of clouds for interest.

I have tried to capture the Campus Center building on numerous occasions but was never happy with the results. There are quite a few annoying lights in the courtyard at the front of the building which general get in my view. On this night though I stuck with the fish-eye lens which allowed me to get right next to the building, blocking out most of the lights, and still capture this interesting corner. Due to the large amount dynamic range in the scene I needed five separate exposures to capture it all. I blended all five using Photomatix and made a few more adjustments in Photoshop.

Campus Center Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, {0.8, 1.6, 3, 6 & 13s bracket}, f/11, ISO 800

Campus Center
Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, {0.8, 1.6, 3, 6 & 13s bracket}, f/11, ISO 800

Torii Gate Light Reflections

Torii Gate, Japan Pavilion
Epcot, Walt Disney World

It is only a few days away from my planned (and then cancelled) fall trip to Walt Disney World. I am feeling a little home sick. LOL The autumn and Halloween time decorations, combined with the Food and Wine Festival, make this time of year my favorite time to visit. I had also planned on attending the Magic in Pixels – Pixelmania 2014 event but some required training for work interrupted my plans. It only delays the inevitable and allows me to save up for a more glorious spring trip. 😉

The Japan Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is one of my favorite places to explore and photograph. The Imagineers went all in on this pavilion. There are numerous iconic features that draw my camera’s attention on every trip. The torii gate in the waters at the front of the pavilion has always been a challenge for me. I even make it more difficult be insisting on capturing it at night. I do like the light reflections though…

Torii Gate Light Reflections Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 80 & 106s bracket}, 17mm, f/16, ISO 400

Torii Gate Light Reflections
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 80 & 106s bracket}, 17mm, f/16, ISO 400

Strike Up The Band!

Fall Decorations
Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

Last year was the start of a whirlwind adventure between me and Walt Disney World. It started with the PhotoMagic meet in October, a few trips in the spring and was going to end with the Pixelmania meet this October. To be fair I didn’t really plan it that way but when the Pixelmania meet was scheduled I had hoped it would be the perfect end cap to my year. I will not be able to make it down this month but going over last year’s pictures reminded me how much I enjoy the Fall/Halloween season at Disney. I’m just going to have to plan better for next year… 🙂

Strike Up The Band! Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/125s, f/2.8, ISO 1600

Strike Up The Band!
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/125s, f/2.8, ISO 1600

Wildcat Field House

Wildcat Field House Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {1.6, 6 & 25s bracket}, 21mm, f/11, ISO 100

Wildcat Field House
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {1.6, 6 & 25s bracket}, 21mm, f/11, ISO 100