Tag Archives: long exposure

Winter Spring

Posted by Mike on

Old Erie Canal Park, DeWitt, NY

Although it was a few days after the official start of Spring, some late season snow covered the park. I was looking for some interesting water flow as the winter melt typically increases the water levels in all the creeks and rivers. I found what I was looking for during lunch at the Old Erie Canal Park in DeWitt but the snow made for some interesting climbing as I attempted to get to the water’s edge. I didn’t fall in (although it was close a couple of times) and I was even able to reach a new position next to the aqueduct. The overcast day combined with my 4-stop ND filter allowed my to slow the shutter speed enough to achieve the motion blur I wanted. I’m thinking the warmer weather heading my way (slightly) will give me more opportunities for my long exposure, water blur pics I enjoy.

 

MLCreations Photography: Monochrome &emdash; Winter Spring

Hollyhock

Posted by Mike on

Port Huron, Michigan

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock stationed in Port Huron, Michigan with the Blue Water Bridge into Canada in the background. After a long day at a supplier’s building on Thursday we drove up to Port Huron for dinner with a friend. After dinner I was able to get down to the St. Clair river and get this blue hour image of the Hollyhock docked for the night. Too bad it was probably my last trip to this area as the supplier is closing and our business with them will be done in a matter of weeks.

  

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Hollyhock

Hollyhock
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 25s, 16mm, f/8, ISO 400

Bellamy Lights

Posted by Mike on

Bellamy Harbor Park, Rome, NY

Wednesday morning as I started my journey to work I was nudged out of my routine by the moon breaking through the clouds. It was a day before the full moon and about forty-five minutes before moon set. For a few miles I was having that old debate in my head…

You should stop and capture some pics of the moon!

But, that will make me late for work.

Late! You are usually forty-five minutes early every day.

But it will feel late to me!

But look at that moon!

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Bellamy Lights

 

I drove past the on-ramp to the highway and headed toward Bellamy Harbor Park at the southern end of Rome. I was hoping to catch the moon reflected off the water of the barge canal and depending on its position in the sky some of the park lights as well.

It almost worked. Tuesday night was the night of the freezing rain. The snow covered ground was one giant ice rink! I also forgot how fast the moon moves through the sky when it is near the horizon. By the time I was able to ‘skate’ my way from the car to a location near the water the moon was almost out of view.

See that one whiter, less star flared light near the left end of the walkway bridge. That is the moon. Yeah, by driving to the park I lowered my elevation so much the moon appeared even lower in the sky. As I continued my drive to work after capturing a few images I thought I could try again on Thursday. No such luck, cloudy and rainy. Maybe on Friday… 😉

Surf Dreamin’

Posted by Mike on

Cocoa Beach Pier, Florida

Not only should you be looking at your ‘keepers’ but the less than perfect images are learning experiences as well. And sometimes the oops or ah, crap images are avenues for creative outlets. I never throw away an image until after a long consideration and inspection.

 

MLCreations Photography: Florida &emdash; Surf Dreamin'

 

This image is the result of me not paying attention! I was focused on getting the shot and neglected to watch as the surf was coming further up the beach. This five second exposure was almost done when a big wave came crashing towards me. I grabbed the tripod and tried to out run the water. One soaked foot later and an image interrupted I learned to keep one eye out on the water.

But the same principal applies to this image as does an image with car lights. The main exposure was almost set (a little underexposed) and the only points tracked during my grab and go are the intense lights. To me it looks as if I tried to do light painting around the pier area. The surf is smooth light I wanted. The clouds are exposed to my liking and the pier stands out as it should.

Because of the movement in the last 20% of the exposure there was a natural softness to the image. I was able to recover most of the detail in the pier but in the end I went with a soft and dreamy look to enhance how I felt about the image. And yes, I am dreaming about my next trip to Florida! LOL

Pier Lights – Three Ways

Posted by Mike on

Riverside Park, Indialantic, FL

I mentioned in a previous post that my daughter and I went out before sunrise on our last day in Florida. She had wanted to go to the beach and I, of course, wanted more pictures. Our first stop was at Riverside Park. I love going to this park, especially around sunrise or sunset time. The park has a great pier jutting out into the Indian River. I can see the 192 Causeway into Melbourne. And there are a lot of places for me to setup my tripod. 🙂

This particular image I was trying to use the lights along the causeway to mimic the outline of the pier. It also has quite a few of the elements I enjoy photographing. It was before sunrise so I would need a long exposure (20 seconds). There are light reflections as well as a silhouette of the pier. I can easily say this is one of my go to places whenever I am in the Melbourne/Palm Bay area.

My indecision comes in with the processing I wanted to apply to this image. I like the color image. I have the contrasting yellow lights with the blue tinted water and sky. There are a few other splashes of color from various light reflections. And there is a soft blending of the magentas with the blues and yellows in the sky and water. While processing this image there is a step where I adjust the sharpness which is done in B&W. The program automatically switches to allow me to see the detail better. I thought that image looked nice as well.

So I applied my normal B&W processing using Topaz Lab’s B&W Effects. This is the second image which I used a cool tone treatment. And I guess I was in an exploring mood I also processed the image using Nik Collections Silver Efex Pro. I was going to a bluer look for the image and this software had better options for me. This would be the third image.

I like them all. I know I am suppose to have a clear idea in my head of the image I want to make but sometimes playing with an image is fun too. Experimentation is what keeps me interested. I want to see what other types of images I can create. I want to push myself into different areas. Granted, I didn’t push to far, but I played and I learned.

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Pier Lights

Pier Lights
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 20s, 28mm, f/11, ISO 800

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Pier Lights - Cool

Pier Lights – Cool
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 20s, 28mm, f/11, ISO 800

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Pier Lights - Blue

Pier Lights – Blue
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 20s, 28mm, f/11, ISO 800

Fountain

Posted by Mike on

West Canada Creek

I was recently interviewed by Laura at Laura Macky Photography and it is amazing how answering questions about yourself and/or your photography really stirs up memories. Laura is a great photographer and you should visit her website for some very inspiring images.  In looking through my archives for pictures to include in the article I ran across some files from this summer that I did not process.  The fountain below is at one of my playgrounds in the West Canada Creek right below Morgan’s Mill Dam.  I have mentioned before how mesmerizing the running water is to me.  Playing with the shutter speed to achieve the look I want is the fun part of exploring the creek.

 

MLCreations Photography: Blog Post Related &emdash; Fountain

Fountain
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 1/5s, 32mm, f/8, ISO 200

Everest of Light

Posted by Mike on

Rivers of Light seating, Expedition Everest, Animal Kingdom

 

MLCreations Photography: Animal Kingdom &emdash; Everest of Light

Everest of Light
Olympus OM-D E-M1, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 20s, 23mm, f/5.6, ISO 400