Tag Archives: HDR

Karamell-Kuche (Caramel Kitchen)

Posted by Mike on

Germany Pavilion, World Showcase,
Epcot, Walt Disney World

I admit one of the reasons I love walking around the World Showcase at Epcot is the variety of food items I can sample. I am somewhat adventurous and willing to try new things. This is part of the reason I love attending the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in the fall. There are a few staples though that I always return to and the Werthers Karamell-Kuche is definitely worth a visit.

Hi, my name is Mike and I am a chocoholic. It probably has been less than an hour since my last infusion of chocolate.

Combine chocolate with Werthers caramel and I am hooked! There is a chocolate covered caramel in this shop that I buy every visit. I shouldn’t but I do. There are a lot of other tempting delights but I try to limit myself to the one treat (that doesn’t always work).

I have been trying to capture this building at night for quite a few visits now. Mu last trip in May was my most successful attempt. I captured a three shot bracket, combined it with Photomatix and finished off the image with OnOne’s Perfect Effects 9.

Karamell-Kuche Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, {5, 8 & 16s bracket}, 20mm, f/11, ISO 200

Karamell-Kuche
Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, {5, 8 & 16s bracket}, 20mm, f/11, 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

From Mr. Gaston

Posted by Mike on

Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom,
Walt Disney World

From Mr. Gaston Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, {2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40 & 80s bracket}, 8mm, f/16, ISO 100

From Mr. Gaston
Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, {2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40 & 80s bracket}, 8mm, 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

Campus Center

Posted by Mike on

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

From Mid-Field

Posted by Mike on

SUNYIT Campus
Wildcat Athletic Field House

I spent another great evening running around the SUNYIT campus with the camera as I waited for my daughter to finish her class. The sunset was expected to be a good one so I decided to throw the Rokinon 8mm fish-eye lens on the camera and see what I could create. This was actually the first image I captured that night. It is another view of the Wildcat Athletic Field House but this time from the mid-filed line. As with any super wide angle lens, objects in the image are closer than they appear. I wished I could have sneaked onto the field but there was an event inside the field house and the walkways were packed with people.

From Mid-Field Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, {1, 2, 4, 8, 15s bracket}, f/11, ISO 100

From Mid-Field
Nikon D5100, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5, {1, 2, 4, 8, 15s bracket}, f/11, ISO 100

A Quiet Morning for Reflection

Posted by Mike on

Flame Tree Barbecue seating area
Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

One of the reasons I love going to Disney is for the exploration. There are the obvious attractions and experiences that Disney pushes at their guests but my greatest enjoyment comes from wandering around the parks and finding all the little details that enhance our experience. Most visitors will not make the time to actually see what has been built as they rush from one big event to the next. My initial visits were that way as I wasn’t sure if and when we would return. We dragged the kids through long days and tried to ‘see’ everything. What we missed were the quiet moments that become the memory makers.

I was in the Animal Kingdom last October for the early morning extra magic hour and wandered down to the seating area behind the Flame Tree Barbecue. This area has one of the best views of Expedition Everest but what I found was the detail and beauty built just so the guests have a nice place to eat lunch. I spent the whole hour in this area photographing the details. I don’t remember which attraction I rode first that day but I do remember how much fun I had exploring that morning.

Slow down and enjoy the little moments…

A Quiet Morning for Reflection Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {1/4, 1/10 & 1/25s bracket}, 24mm, f/16, ISO 200

A Quiet Morning for Reflection
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, {1/4, 1/10 & 1/25s bracket}, 24mm, f/16, ISO 200