This image is one of my most favorite from 2009 and, at least to me, is reminiscent of the new start of things; the dawn of something new...
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
Yea, it's just another year. It's also a fresh start to try and improve on the year now past! Hope yours is a safe and fun one!
This image is one of my most favorite from 2009 and, at least to me, is reminiscent of the new start of things; the dawn of something new...
This image is one of my most favorite from 2009 and, at least to me, is reminiscent of the new start of things; the dawn of something new...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Before and After - How I Do It
A lot of folks have commented about my images, but two question come up frequently; what camera do you use, and how do you get your images to look like that? Valid questions.
If you are DSLR shooter, you'll probably recognize that my images are not taken with one if you view the larger sizes in my gallery. The pictures posted to date have been produced with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. This is an amazing camera, given its limitations; particularly its RAW capture. A RAW image is not like the traditional point-and-shoot format. Most images out of the camera look flat and dull since there is no "enhancement" made to them in the camera. The advantage, however, is the ability to "pull" information out that RAW file that you would otherwise not get.
With that said, here's an example of a recent image, shot in RAW format:
Pretty flat indeed! To get this image to look like the way I remember it requires a fair amount of manipulation. Fortunately, Adobe's Lightroom product makes this quite easy.
Getting the image to this point requires some saturation and added contrast of course, but in Lightroom, I can saturate specific colors; in this case, orange and yellow. Other tweaks include, sharpening and the addition of a vignette.
This next image is similar but takes things one step further:
In this example, I really wanted the light fixture to stand out, but I also wanted to highlight the oxidation effect (green color) that time has had on the metal part of the fixture and to really bring out the detail. With some selective brushing of color, contrast and sharpening, I was able to get the following result.
Some might question the end result and that it "exaggerates" what I originally saw; well, maybe it does a little bit, but I enjoy taking some creative liberties every now and then. For my part, taking the picture is only half of the work for creating a great image--or at least one that I like!
I haven't spent the time going into a lot of detail here, so please feel welcome to post any questions you have below and I'll be more than happy to respond.
If you are DSLR shooter, you'll probably recognize that my images are not taken with one if you view the larger sizes in my gallery. The pictures posted to date have been produced with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. This is an amazing camera, given its limitations; particularly its RAW capture. A RAW image is not like the traditional point-and-shoot format. Most images out of the camera look flat and dull since there is no "enhancement" made to them in the camera. The advantage, however, is the ability to "pull" information out that RAW file that you would otherwise not get.
With that said, here's an example of a recent image, shot in RAW format:
Pretty flat indeed! To get this image to look like the way I remember it requires a fair amount of manipulation. Fortunately, Adobe's Lightroom product makes this quite easy.
Getting the image to this point requires some saturation and added contrast of course, but in Lightroom, I can saturate specific colors; in this case, orange and yellow. Other tweaks include, sharpening and the addition of a vignette.
This next image is similar but takes things one step further:
In this example, I really wanted the light fixture to stand out, but I also wanted to highlight the oxidation effect (green color) that time has had on the metal part of the fixture and to really bring out the detail. With some selective brushing of color, contrast and sharpening, I was able to get the following result.
Some might question the end result and that it "exaggerates" what I originally saw; well, maybe it does a little bit, but I enjoy taking some creative liberties every now and then. For my part, taking the picture is only half of the work for creating a great image--or at least one that I like!
I haven't spent the time going into a lot of detail here, so please feel welcome to post any questions you have below and I'll be more than happy to respond.
Thanksgiving Weekend in the Columbia River Gorge
Took the family up to Crown Point and along the Old Scenic Highway a beautiful fall day.
This is looking East, from Crown Point
My lovely family
Latourell Falls
Multnomah Falls
More images here
This is looking East, from Crown Point
My lovely family
Latourell Falls
Multnomah Falls
More images here
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Thunderstorm at Rooster Rock State Park, OR
It didn't start out that way; with a thunderstorm that is. While my daughter and I were shooting pictures though, the clouds rolled in and a storm bellowed just south of our location. It was a sight to behold.
Click here to view the rest of this series
Click here to view the rest of this series
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