Monthly Archives: March 2012
Spring’s Baby Blues
I don’t know the name of these flowers, but they are the first sign of spring color in our yard each year. They are very tiny, standing only 1.5 to 2 inches tall, and grow in a clump smaller than the size of my outstretched hand. My wife is disappointed that, though they are faithful to pop up every year, they don’t seem to be spreading.
To create that soft look, I applied an effect known as the “Orton Effect.” This is an image I’ve had on my computer for more than a week. I’ve been preoccupied with so many other things, I’ve not been able to post it sooner.
If you like it, please feel free to share it.
To see a larger version, simply click on the photo.
Bluebird Dawn
Just before sunrise I noticed a bluebird checking out the bluebird houses in our yard. I grabbed the camera and headed out the back door. I got a picture but not the one I was after. Here’s the story…
My goal was to snap a picture of the bluebird posed on the bluebird house, framed by a big, bright sun behind him. While I was trying to line up the shot, the bluebird flew off the house, into a nearby tree. I was able to click off a quick photo of the bird in the tree before he flew off for good. Then I turned my camera to the sunrise and snapped a couple of frames.
The image above is a combination of two different photos (shown on the right). I started with a shot of the sunrise and overlaid the silhouette of the tree branches with the bluebird. As you can see, the original photo of the bird and branches had a background of just light gray sky. Not very interesting or appealing. The sunrise was pretty on it’s own, but the branches and bird adds interest .
Both photos were taken within a minute of each other. Not quite the image I was shooting for, but I think the final result turned out well.
To see a larger version of the above image, simply click the photo.
Night Vision
A week ago the moon was full, temperatures were freezing and I was standing in the dark along Lake Michigan’s shore in Kewaunee, WI. I’ve never attempted to shoot the Kewaunee pier and lighthouse from this angle before. I’ll have to try it in the daylight, possibly for a sunrise, sometime.
I worked a bit to try and correct the color of this image. Unfortunately, the mercury vapor lights of the city give everything a reddish tint that I wasn’t able to tone down much without making the rest of the colors look strange.
To see a larger version of this image, simply click on it.
At Rest
This is one of those photos that seems like it could support some inspirational quote or Bible verse added. I like the image, as is, and have been able to resist the temptation so far, but I’m feeling a little weak. If someone were to suggest the right quote or verse, my resolve might crumble.
If you’d like to see a larger version of this image, click on it.
Beacons of the Night
The rising, full moon and the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse were competing for equal billing last night.
I did a little experimenting with HDR techniques. I like the different colors created in the reflections by the orange-ish moon and the yellowish light.
To get a better view, click the image and a new window will open with a larger version.
Pre-Sunrise Pastels
The unpredictably of the sky is what makes sunrise and sunset photography so enjoyable and challenging for me. You never know what you’re going to see…or miss if you’re not there. Another consideration is how rapidly the conditions can change. Sometimes, an usual color or effect will fill the sky and only last a moment before fading. This is a good example. For just a moment the sky, behind the clouds, turned pink. I wanted to get more shots of this effect, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
Keep in mind, this was before sunrise and the low light conditions created a lot of digital “noise” on this image. Sorry about that. I didn’t have time to fiddle with camera settings.
Click on the photo above to see a larger version.