Category: Photography – Nikon D600

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Black and White Cuba Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600 Photoshop CC

Streetside in Havana

Streetside - Havana - 2013

On our first morning after arriving in Havana, we went out early on “Dawn Patrol” to catch the morning light. We walked down this street heading to the harbor – and came across this relic up on blocks collecting dust.

I like the juxtaposition of the car and the guy walking toward me. The gradient of the street light on the car body also adds some visual interest.

I processed it in Photoshop using some techniques I’ve been experimenting with – including platinum toning and selective sharpening.

Consider it a work in progress!…

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Photography Photography - Nikon D600

Sunrise at Crater Lake

High - Crater Lake - 2013

I recently drove up from Menlo Park to Bend, Oregon to participate in a weekend landscape photography workshop led by Sean Bagshaw and Zack Schnepf. The workshop started on Friday evening – so I headed north on Thursday around mid-day planning to stop for an overnight in Redding, California. But I got to Redding a bit after 3 PM and realized that I might as well press on and try to get up to the Klamath Falls area that evening – which would shorten my drive to Bend on Friday morning. (Checkout my iPhone shots of the amazing Sundial Bridge in Redding!)

I quickly changed hotel reservations – an iPhone is amazing for this kind of on the go adjustment! – and booked myself into a Klamath Falls hotel (Shilo Inn). I got to the hotel after 6 PM and initially thought I might be able to catch the sunset at Crater Lake that evening – but it turned out to be just too long a drive. So, instead, I decided to hit the sack early and try to get up early to head to Crater Lake for some sunrise shooting.

This image is one of the shots from that sunrise visit to Crater Lake. By the time I’d taken this shot – a few minutes after 6 AM – the sun had been up for about a half hour. I entered Crater Lake on the south side of the national park and drove up around the west side along the rim. I came across this particular venue and was taken a bit aback by the sunlight coming in from the left and lighting these trees, that marvelous dead tree and the rocks on this hillside.

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Living Photography Photography - Nikon D600

Slowing Down

Sunrise - South Sister - 2013

Slowing down. It’s part of shooting landscapes – especially when you’re waiting for that early morning or late evening sunlight to work its magic.

Photography is so interesting to me because of the many different opportunities that it presents. Street photography – handheld and in the moment – is very different from landscape photography – on a tripod during those golden hours.

It feels different. There’s a different kind of satisfaction between these modes. Until last weekend’s shoot in Bend, Oregon, I hadn’t done much landscape photography since last fall’s workshop with Michael Frye in the eastern Sierra. My time in Havana in late January was all about street photography. Being quickly wired to shoot.

Last weekend brought me back – slowing down – being patient and waiting for the light. It’s wonderful being in the moment! It’s almost a right/left brain kind of thing – but both of these modes are more on the right side of the brain for me. Just different.

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HDR Photography Photography Photography - Nikon D600 Photomatix Pro Photoshop CC

A Special Weekend in Bend with Sean Bagshaw and Zack Schnepf

Sunset - Smith Rock Oregon - 2013

Last weekend, I headed north from Menlo Park to Bend, Oregon – and a photo workshop led by Sean Bagshaw and Zack Schnepf. This image is from our visit to Smith Rock on Saturday evening. A special spot – with some very special clouds that evening.

Sean and Zack are masters at both the outdoors and post-processing images. They’re both very familiar with the luminosity masking approach pioneered by Tony Kuyper. If you have an opportunity, do a workshop with them! Just be prepared – at this time of year – for a couple of long days – up early to leave around 4:15 AM for the morning sunrise and staying up late to catch the evening sunset!

Here are a couple of other images – taken at sunrise Saturday morning (same day) at Dillon Falls along the Deschutes River south of Bend.

Morning - Dillion Falls - 2013

Rapids - Deschutes River - 2013

Untitled - Dillon Falls - 2013

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Cuba Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600 Street Photography

The view out my hotel window in Havana, Cuba

Early Morning Route - Havana - 2013

In late January 2013, Doug Kaye and I headed for Cuba – for a week long people-to-people cultural exchange organized by the excellent folks at Santa Fe Photography Workshops. We had a splendid time, got some amazing pictures, and met some wonderful people – especially the Cuban professional photographers who accompanied us out into the neighborhoods of Havana.

We stayed at a great hotel in central Havana. It was a wonderful home base for us – very comfortable and clean rooms. On our last morning in Havana I was up early – and took this shot looking down at the street corner below from my room on the 5th floor of the hotel.

I’ve been experimenting with a number of post-processing techniques for taking images to monochrome – and this one seemed to work out particularly well.

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Black and White Cuba Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600

Reflecting

Reflecting - Havana - 2013

One of the best venues during our trip to Havana earlier this year was the public market. We had some very special light coming through the windows over the shoulders of several of the sellers.

I’m working on a new black and white post-processing workflow – and gave it a try on this particular image. It’s one of my favorites from our morning visit to the public market.

I used a warm black toning on most of the image – except for the highlights on him – along with a number of tonality adjustments to add depth to the image.

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Black and White Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600 San Francisco/California

Ready to Roll

Ready to Roll - San Francisco - 2013

I had a great time earlier this year at San Francisco’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. So many interesting things to shoot – it’s a street photographer’s delight!

Here’s one image from the event – two of San Francisco’s finest about to head out as motorcycle escorts for the parade. They’re ready to roll – and focused on their mission. But off to the right, I love the lady raising her hand – like she’s saying “Wait!”

Street photography is so much fun because of what you capture in the moment – sometimes things you don’t even notice when clicking the shutter!

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Black and White Hawaii Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Nikon D600

Up Where Parker Ranch Meets the Sky…

Lone Tree #2 - Parker Ranch - 2013

There are so many beautiful places – even in our own backyard. It’s about seeing them in the moment when we’re there.

Fortunately, we have these amazing magic boxes in our pockets that help to us capture these magic moments – so we can go back to them – again and again.

A big part of my love of photography is how it takes me back to these places, these moments – to so many places I’ve been and back those moments that are deep in my memory. That image the camera snaps in the moment helps us go back, remember that special time, that light, those colors, even those smells.

There’s a special place on the big island of Hawaii where Parker Ranch meets the sky. On a drive back from Hawi, we came upon it – and for me it will always be captured in this image. A lone tree in a pasture up there where the ranch meets the sky.

Breathe deeply – and those memories flood in!

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Photography Photography - Nikon D600 Photoshop

Using Photoshop’s Motion Blur in a Landscape Image

Up Ahead - Fitzgerald Marine Reserve - 2013

Last Sunday, on a very foggy overcast morning, I headed to one of my favorite local photography spots – Fitzgerald Marine Reserve on the Pacific Coast at Moss Beach, just north of Half Moon Bay.

This image looking up the hill was tweaked a bit in Photoshop CC to add more visual interest. Specifically, I used a Motion Blur filter to create the vertical motion in the trees on the left side of the image – while using other tools to enhance the details and contrast in the grass in the foreground, the path, and the trees on the right side of the image.

For me, the motion blur makes the image more “ethereal” – with the foggy low overcast skies just hitting the tree tops.

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Half Moon Bay Nikon Photography Photography - Nikon D600 Photoshop

The Wonders of Luminosity Masking in Photoshop

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I’m increasingly using the techniques originally pioneered by Tony Kuyper known as “luminosity masking” when editing images in Photoshop. The basic idea behind luminosity masking is to take advantage of the luminosity levels in an image and to use that information to enable much more selective editing of the image.

Imagine, for example, dividing the range of luminosity levels into 10 ranges – from pure which to pure black. Tony’s techniques allow you to easily isolate each of those luminosity ranges so that you can make adjustments to just that portion of an image. Tony’s got some free tutorials on his website and also sells a set of Photoshop actions and a panel that make using his techniques much faster and easier. Along with his stuff, Sean Bagshaw has worked with Tony to create an excellent set of video tutorials that shows how to apply these techniques. Sean’s a great teacher – and the videos are crisp and to the point – also highly recommended!

Here’s an example. Earlier today I visited the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach just north of Half Moon Bay along the great Pacific Coast south of San Francisco. It was a drizzly wet day on the coast today – and that’s what I was hoping for.

The image above is straight out of the camera (a Nikon D600). Using just a few simple steps applying Tony’s actions, I edited the image into the version below. The tonal contrast is so much better – and it’s also a bit sharper thanks to Don Margulis’ excellent Sharpen 2013 actions (part of his Picture Postcard Workflow). I’ve titled the image “Fallen” – if you look closely you’ll see why – and that’s what caught my eye while walking by this morning.

Fallen - Fitzgerald Marine Reserve - 2013