Weathered Coast

I took this this the other day and really wanted to try some ideas with post-processing a bit differently then I usually do. The original was taken with my Sony A7R and 16-35mm f/4 lens at Adams Point, New Hampshire.

Originally, I brought a single image into Lightroom - and made only a couple of very basic adjustments - exposure, highlights, shadows and Whites. I also turned off ALL sharpening - as Lightroom adds a 20% by default on import.  Next, I saved it as a PSD file and brought it into Photoshop.

In Photoshop - a added a new layer and started to pull curves and contrast - making it a bit more color saturated than I normally would, as I knew I'm be converting it to B&W and pulling only the colors I wanted to keep in the final. So, that's when I created yet another Layer - and converted that to B&W using NIK Silver efx.

Now - comes the fun part - in the Blend mode for that layer - choose Darken, and the darker colors will pull through. Next, slide the  opacity down for that layer - which should leave the colors you pulled the channels for originally.

Anyway - I enjoy the final version of this image - and hope you do as well.!

Clearing Clouds

I've been enjoying going out lately and simply exploring areas that others don't typically venture to given the accessibility or the difficulty shooting conditions. The image above is one of those.  Taken in Adam's Point WMA late last week, it is the smaller pond which requires a walk through quite a few brambles and wet marshes.

Taken with the Sony A7R and my Sony/Zeiss 16-35mm f/4 lens, it was processed from a single RAW file - which is becoming my favorite decision given my latest post-processing workflo. I do find that a slightly under-exposed image is the best to work from, as it protects the high-lights while allowing the shadow detail to be pulled without creating any digital noise or artifacts.

As well, I usually shoot only on a tripod and at an ISO not greater than 100 - which, at lower ISOs, the native Dynamic Range allows the exposure detail to be the best the sensor/camera image processor can deliver in the final result.

Beaver Pond and Why I Do Photography

I'm writing this mostly for me - but, if you happen to stumble across it during your travels on the Internet, perhaps you think the same as well? Honestly? I don't know... Photography for me - is a very private journey, but - at the same time - very "public". We take images, and post them up - and wonder how we "Stack Up" to others who also do this thing called "photography".  At the same time, we look at "Masters" who we all love and respect - and wonder. Can "we", as in you and I - "do that"? Create images of the same caliber?

How many of us post images hoping that the most recent image is better than the last simply based on the number of "Likes" (on Facebook) or the number of "+1"s we get on Google +? Well - for me?  I was doing that as well - up until about three months ago. As for me - today?

I shoot for "me". What you see in my posts, my images, what I post lately in the past few weeks/months - is "me". I think I'm all done trying to "compete" - and when I do stop trying to please a mythical audience and chasing "likes" or "+1" votes?  - The "my images" come out.

In my cohort in The Arcanum - headed up by a wonderful person and which has so many talented photographers - I have been challenged to put into words what I want or "need" to move my images forward. For that - I think what I "need" is to have the confidence to believe in myself and refine and work towards who I want to be as a photographer.

It really is that simple - and at the same time - that challenging.

I love my new cohort and The Arcanum - for, if you are in the right place both - you will shoot for "you" - and not compared to the other nearly 250,000 Professional Photographers in the USA alone.

In short?

I think I just want to "shoot for me".

In that? That is all there is.

Adams Point

Today was cold, blustery winds gusting to 30 mph and clouds that frequently dropped rain at the most inopportune times - most noticeably EXACTLY when I was trying to hold on to the camera bag while changing lenses... In other words - a perfect day for shooting!

While I've been called a "moody photographer" (referring to my images - I hope?) I do enjoy less than perfect blue skies and billowy clouds. The image above is one of those images. While it breaks several "rules" in composition, I rather liked the final look - and it is nearly the full frame as shot and composed in camera. The image is from the -2EV exposed image - brought into Lightroom for basic exposure adjustments, and then exported into Photoshop for my next stage of my workflo. While in PS, I usually touch the dynamic contrast, and sharpen using the High-Pass filter. Then it's back into LR for the final HSL tweaks and export.

The camera was my Sony A7R with the Sony/Zeiss 16-35mm f/4 - mounted on a tripod.

I have several other images I'm working on from today - including a remote Beaver Pond I've been meaning to get to.. I'll try to post those over the next few days...

My thanks for looking!

Looking Back

Sometimes, it takes me a while to settle on a final image. This image is one of those images...

I took this a few weeks ago as the autumn leaves were falling and the colors becoming more subtle. What struck me was both the composition and the bright red bush on the right. I also liked the line of the shore.

Technically - this was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II - on a tripod, and post-processed in both LightRoom and Photoshop from a single image.

It's just "one of those images". Nothing special in and of itself, but rather, a bookmark of a certain time and place.

Abandoned Shack On the Marsh

A good friend of mine keeps asking "..how come you don't shoot landscapes with any objects in them?.." Well - that's a good question!  So, I took this yesterday, just to see if I could compose a landscape with something aside from trees, water, sky and/or swamp grass.. ;)

As well - here is how I converted this to monochrome:

Open in the original in LR - again, I'm sort of stuck on the -2 EV image lately, but, well..??

Next, adjust ONLY the exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, and black - and keep the blacks just above the left of the histogram, rather then well inside...

Still in LR - we are setting up for the conversion - and I needed to separate the middle ground (shack) from the background - which was a case of finding the right color channels to pull..  As the shack was weather plywood (grey) and the background was green and brown - I pulled the sat channels of green/red down a bit..  I also amped the Yellow a bit (the foreground marsh grass). Next - I used the luminosity sliders to separate them a bit more...

Now into PS - and I used NIK Silver EFX.  Do the conversion - and pay particular attention to the color sliders to drive the final image.

Save and back into LR for final adjustments to taste...

Old Dog - New Tricks

Over the past month, as some know, I've been working on my post-processing. Mostly with a small handful of folks. Actually, less than a handful to be exact. So - well, OK - about three other folks exactly.. ;)

Anyway - as many know, I've been into wildlife images since buying my first digital camera. I don't show many of them - it's just the "flip side" of what I do in landscapes, I guess?

So, here is one that I reprocessed today. Perhaps I'll post others in the future rather than my landscapes images. Just every now and then.. The image above is a single image from my Nikon D600 with the 80-200mm ED-IF f/2.8 at the J.N. Ding Darling in Sanibel FL USA.

As always - thanks for looking.

Morning Mist Over the Swamp

Sometimes, it just pays to be lucky rather than good - and given that I'm not very good, I depend a lot on "luck'.  So yesterday, on the way out of the National Wildlife Refuge in Newmarket, NH USA, the rain started to let up and it fell into a easy drizzle. Looking over a sharp bank, I noticed this swamp that appeared to be sitting still in time - as if waiting for the "decisive moment" to compose an image and shoot this frame.

Taken with a Sony A7R and the Sony/Zeiss 16-25mm f/4 lens - again, this final print was pulled from the -2EV exposure in Lightroom. From there, it took a quick trip into Photoshop for color balancing, dynamic tonal contrast and High-Pass filter sharpening.

While muted, as the heavy rain clouds were still overhead, I liked the composition and eerie feeling of the final image. I hope you do as well..

Thanks for looking!

Hurry Sundown on Beaver Creek

Taken yesterday at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newington NH, USA and processed this morning while waiting for the rain to subside long enough to head down an abandoned forest trail I've been meaning to follow. Not that I mind terribly shooting in the rain and cold weather, but it's raining too hard to see any detail in the clouds - so, I'll wait a bit..

Anyway, the image above was processed from a single RAW image from my Sony A7R. The trick to this is only gently pulling the shadows so not to induce any noise in the shore across the way. Fortunately, there was enough light coming through the tress on the right-hand shore to provide enough backlight so it was possible. What struck me in the image was the duality of dark vs. light of the single tree and marsh on the left vs. very subtle shadow detail of the forest/treeline on the right. That was countered with the actual light - the last of the sun in the top right versus the evening sky starting to appear on the left.

The Road Less Traveled

The Day After Thanksgiving - and it seems everyone is out shopping those "Black Friday Deals". Not me so much. I hate shopping as much as I loath crowds - so it was a wonderful day to pack-up and just walk for several miles through some of the area woods.

The image above is from today - processed from a single Sony A7R image using a technique that a couple of friends and I are exploring. In short, we are selecting a slightly underexposed image, doing our initial calibrations and color tweaks in LR, then out to PS as either a DNG or PSD file (depending on what we are processing to in the image. Then imported back into LR after applying specific layers and calibrations.

We aren't finding these taught in the Arcanum, nor is that an issue, as this small private group of photographers keeps on pushing while others are shopping those Black Friday Deals ;)

I guess I really do like taking the Road Less Traveled..

The Hydro Plant from 1913

Generator Number 1 - 1913

A few weeks ago, I was rambling about the area - and took a road that lead nowhere - or so I thought. It was in South Berwick Maine, and I was following down Leigh's Mill Pond to where it joined Great Works River. It is well off the beaten path - and certainly long forgotten from any "tourist map".

So I followed the road for a while - which had junction with a small road - with barricades warning to STAY OUT - BRIDGE CLOSED.

So - of course - I kept going...  What I came upon ultimately was an old sluice gate - well used and in a decrepit state.  And while photographing that, and old gentleman walked up behind me, and asked what I was doing. I explained that I usually follow the unbeaten path - and was photographing the sluice.

The Sluice From Leigh's Mill Pond to Great Works River

That gentleman's name is Ian - and he's been caring for the twin hydro generators since the mid 1970's when he arrived from The Hebrides in the UK. Turning 72 years next year - about 20 of these privately owned generator are under his care from the Canadian Border in Maine to Northern VA.

Anyway, Ian is a wonderful gentleman who rarely encounters visitors, so - of course he asked me if I'd like to see the interior, the old hydro-generators and what made them work... I couldn't believe my good fortune.

So - the first image is of one of the old generators. Put in place in 1913 - it has been rebuilt four times since. It generates about 25000 KwH when the pond is full and the sluice is wide open. But - today - the flow is but a trickle - but, it still feeds into the Maine Electric Power grid.

I'll try to share more images from this unique experience over the next few days. But - in the meantime?

My Thanks Ian. It was a rare opportunity to photograph and document part of our forgotten local past.

Focus Stacking and Other Silly Tricks

I guess I'm a bit of a nerd, as I enjoy tinkering with images and trying out new things. A while back, someone mentioned "Focus Stacking", and it took me a while to get my head around the concept - but, once I did - I was hooked. In short - it's taking a number of images with various parts of the subject in focus, and then combining them in software.

So, trying it out - we had a frost the other morning - and I took a series of shots (using a tripod) and started focusing on the middle bunch of flowers and working my way back. All in all - there were a total of 30 images. To combine them - I download a trial of a product Helicon Focus 6, as the results I was getting from Photoshop I really didn't like.

As well - one tip if you are going to try this - buy a focusing rail (some are inexpensive, too!) and don't forget that you probably want to use a higher f/stop, to be certain your Depth Of Field (DOF) and what is in critical focus overlaps image-to-image.

Finally - give it a try and don't be afraid to take more images than you think you might need! The cost of taking one digital image - or 30 - is the same ;)  

Fall On the Coast

I've always enjoyed shooting in the fall - especially on the coast when the surf is high, a light mist along with heavy clouds. Usually, in weather like that, I'll have the visible coastline to myself without any folks making their way along the shore. This is one of those shots.

Taken two weeks ago, this is a 4 second exposure using an ND 1.2 filter. I used my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and processed this image from a single RAW file.

Audubon Tract

Over the past few weeks, I've been fortunate enough to go out almost every day and just "shoot for me". It's given me a lot of time to explore different ways to compose, shoot - and as importantly - post-process my images. Quietly and in private - I've also been pushed by a great Internet friend, Richard Adams, a member of the same cohort in The Arcanum  - as he has the same "lust" for pushing the envelope as I do.

Anyway, during the same last couple of weeks - I'm beginning to post process from a single image. Given the Dynamic Range of my Sony A7R (14.1 @ 100 ISO) , I've found it a much more complex workflo, but, at the same time - achieve wonderful results in images that have been carefully exposed originally. the image above is one such image.

This was taken yesterday at the Audubon Tract in New Hampshire. I was taken with the clouds, the soft warm hues of the marsh grass as framed by the forest and the play of light and shadows in that same grass.

Transforming An Image

I processed this image previously, and it was good, not great - mind you, but I liked it well enough to share with my friends in my cohort of the Arcanum.They are a group of photographers who all share "the passion". Anyway, one of the photographers - Robert Waltman - made the simple suggestion to take the post-processing even a step further. Funny enough - I hadn't considered it as an option?

But, I gave it a try - and let the "Artsy" side come out a bit - and the image above is the final iteration. Frankly - I like it  lot better! And, it appears I'm not alone.. On 500px, the original pulsed at just under "50". The updated version however - is in the mid-80s...

Thanks Robert!

The Path

Out this morning, and as it's a grey day, went for a long walk through the Urban Forestry Center. It was strangely quiet, but without any real color. Coming from along the shore, I came upon this path, which lent itself to a B&W image.

Taken with my Sony A7R and Sony/Zeiss 16-35mm f/4, it was post processed in Lightroom, then brought into Photoshop, where I did the conversion using channels, saturation ans curves into the ProPhoto Colorspace.

First Frost

It was bound to happen - our first hard frost last evening. This morning - is was "brisk", but it gave me the opportunity to work on a different aspect to my photography - Macro Photography. I'm the first to admit, I have a lot of learning to do in the specialized area of photography - but, I find it fascinating nonetheless.

The image above was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II of my wife's mums - covered at first light with a hefty coating of frost. this was focus stacked and post-processed in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Serenity - For Mom

This one is for my Mom - Joan Dunkle, who is an extremely well known and respected professional watercolor/oil artist in her own right. When processing this image, I tried to bring out the calm and serene colors of November, which are quite earthy and dull - but no less spectacular.  To add a warm hue, I used a gradient layer over the sky - and dialed it back until there was a hint of what you see above in the final image.

Taken this weekend with my Sony A7R and my Sony/Zeiss 24-70mm f/4 lens.

Fall's Forgotten Places

There are times I just feel like I have to get out and shoot - and yesterday was one of them.. This was taken at Odiorne Point State Park, New Hampshire on a day that started out overcast, but tried clearing out late morning, giving the sky some wonderful detail and colors.

This was taken with my Sony A7R and post-processed from a single RAW image in Lightroom and Photoshop. You have to really appreciate the the information contained in a single RAW file..

The Stillness of Fall

This time of year is simply amazing for a photographer, as the colors becomes more muted and the daylight hours not quite as severe as during the summer months. Yesterday, I was out in rather cold and dreary weather - but, without a breath of wind, it was an opportunity to work on longer exposures and reflections cast in a small pond. What got me was the dead tree stumps on the right in the image - with only a bright spot of red from a small tree further down the shoreline.

This was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with the 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro Series lens.

Storm Over Odiorne Point

Odiorne Point is a State Park in New Hampshire that is well known for it's abandoned Fort as well as the place the first settlers of New Hampshire landed on the rocky shore in 1623.

The image above was taken today - a cold, dark and dank day - with exceptionally high surf in the morning. In my world - a perfect day for taking moody, long-exposure images.

Looking Back

In the muck trying to work on color, composition and color.  Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with the 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro series lens.  This is the first post of this image, taken this week.

Reflections of the week...

This week has been a a huge step in my photographic journey, so - I thought it deserved a little reflection. When the week started, I had little idea what might be in store. As it turns out - and as with many things in life - the satisfaction isn't in arriving at the destination, but in traveling through the journey itself. Yes, that's exactly what this week has been like. Improving at post-processing images - and pushing and being pushed hard has made this week an incredible adventure. My thanks to all those involved in my cohort, especially the Mentor/Master.

The image above was taken this week in one of the Wildlife Management areas in NH with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. I haven't posted it to any other site as of yet - but, I thought it represented what this blog entry is all about - "Reflections".

Adventures in Post Processing - Thanks to....

Only a few days ago - I wondered about my future in The Arcanum, and whether I'd continue that journey. But, a few days ago, I was "adopted" by a new Master and a new cohort. In that group, there are a lot of posts - and if I could harness the enthusiasm as rocket fuel, I'd sell it and be a millionaire. So...

Today, for the first time - I showed some of the new post-processing techniques I've been working on for conversion to monochrome images to members of my cohort and my new Master - all of whom are awesome! Most of what I'm working on comes from a book "Oz to Kansas..." - by Vincent Versace - and it's not for the feint of heart.

Anyway - this is the first public image I've shared from my "new beginning". It was taken this morning and processed this afternoon.

By the way - I am thrilled by my journey in The Arcanum. Each day is a new challenge and a new learning experience - and it's truly a brotherhood/sisterhood of fellow photographers at any level.

Walking Down the Crimson Path

This time of year must be perhaps one of the most beautifully picturesque times of the year. Walks in the woods, or along the streams and marshes reveal small pockets of color, that during other times - just aren't as dramatic. Anyway, this taken last week with my Sony A7R - post-processed from a single RAW file, as the overall scenes dynamic range just wasn't that great - and could be easily captured in the DR (14.1+) of the A7Rs sensor and image processor. The image was brought into LR for the initial adjustments, and then exported to PS CC, where I added a bit of structure (NIK Viveza) to localized areas of the image. From there - back into LR for final touches, NR and masked sharpening. I hope you enjoy this image as much as I do...

Another Day - Another Image

I guess I'm a firm believer when one door closes - another opens. As a member of The Arcanum, I left my cohort yesterday, and had an invite to join another cohort in a few hours from a wonderful new Mentor/Master. Anyway - this was shot yesterday - a single image from my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II rather than my Sony A7R, which I typically shoot. I call it "Reflections Of Fall" - which was taken yesterday, November 1, 2015. Post Processing was done in Lightroom then brought into Photoshop to add structure - then back into LR.

A Long Day....

It was a long day today for sure. I logged into my cohort at The Arcanum, and it took a long while to reach a decision to change my photography direction. I really like the images I've been working on lately, and trying to shoot each day - and the past couple of weeks has been epic. Anyway - the image above was shot with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II in High-Res mode, and post processed in Lightroom. It was taken at the Audubon Tract in Dover NH USA. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did in making it.

Storm at the Tree Line

Lately, I've been experimenting with a couple of things. First, using my Olympus Micro-four thirds cameras and Pro Series lenses to see what they deliver for IQ as compared to my Sony A7r. I have to say - I'm not disappointed. The second thing I've been attempting to do, is to get away from HDR by merging multiple exposure frames (-2/0/+2 EV). Rather, using a single RAW image to achieve the results I'm after. The image above is a 3 single RAW image pano stitch from my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II - and I'm pleased with the results. I hope you are as well..  Thanks for looking!

Milkweed

I spent many hours this morning going through the Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area in Dover NH - and while I have a few shots I like, this one particularly fit the B&W Conversion process I'm now using (my thanks to Richard, Chris and Svein in my cohort in The Arcanum for bringing the conversion technique into view. Anyway, I control the grey-scale through the primary color curves, and depending on the image, it is wildly effective. As I still shoot B&W Film - I think the techniques I'm learning rival the results from film

Abandoned Life Saving Station, Portsmouth Harbor, NH

Life Saving Station

Taken this morning - Sony A7R, Sony 70-200mm f/4.  this life saving station has been abandoned since the 1950s. While in total disrepair today, there is a grassroots movement to save it for future generations. According to http://www.savewoodisland.com/ - it has served since 1902 in a variety of capacities: 

"In 1908, the current Life Saving Station and a tool shed were built by Sugden Brothers of Portsmouth, N.H. It's a Duluth-style station designed by architect George R. Tolman and it replaced the original Jerry's Point Station #12 across the harbor in New Castle, N.H. which had been requisitioned by the U.S. Navy. Jurisdiction over Wood Island passed to the U.S. Life Saving Service which became the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. Subsequently, many lives were saved by the heroic rescue attempts by those at that terminal.


World War Two required Wood Island to protect submarine manufacturing at the Portsmouth Navel Shipyard. In 1941, the U.S. Navy resumed jurisdiction and Wood Island was integrated into the coastal defense system. As a strategic observation post, the property was also utilized for securing anti-submarine nets, which were strung across the harbor to thwart German U-Boat infiltration. At the end of the war, authority was reverted back to the U.S. Coast Guard. In the early 1950's U.S.C.G. subsequently moved to their present day facility, across the harbor again, to New Castle, N.H. , rendering the Original Life Station Building abandoned, as it still is today."