Blends

This image was done very simply. I warmed up the colors of the initial picture and simply put a transparent rock texture over it. I wanted to see the nice, warm colors age this shot though the transparency.

 

1. Clock
2. 4/29/2012, 10 AM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/5.0
5. 0.4
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod, Indoors.

 

1. Rock Texture
2. 4/25/2012, 6 PM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/13
5. 1/25
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod

 

 

This blend was also fairly simple. I used the same rock texture to create the wording and added a drop shadow. I played a little with the transparency in order to soften the image, and then I added it into my picture.

 

1. Light
2. 4/29/2012, 10 AM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/4.5
5. 0.3
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod, Indoors.

Color Study

1. Lemon Slices
2. 4/28/2012, 10 AM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/11
5. 1/6
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod, Indoors.

We received GIGANTIC lemons the other day, larger than most oranges. I sliced them thin to be able to do this shot and discovered very thick rinds and a terrible palid color. I used natural light from outside to bring out the best of what color was there (and to keep the white plate from yellowing due to poor indoor lighting) and took shots with a low ISO and shutter speed to extract as much color and detail as possible. I then made moderate Photoshop adjustments to bring out the yellow to a natural looking level.

1. Lego Table
2. 4/29/2012, 10:30 AM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/5
5. 0.8
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod, Indoors.

I took this shot of my niece’s Lego table to try to feature the large proportion of yellow colors on it. It took quite a bit of manipulation of the camera distance and the zoom to get this shot. I again tried to use the natural light from outside to keep the colors crisp.

1. Birthday Decorations
2. 4/29/2012
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/4.0
5. 1/30
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod, Indoors.

Leftover birthday decorations from a few weeks ago made for an interesting shot. I used the tripod, got close to the first object, and zoomed in a bit. I lightened the colors of the background objects to bring the focal attention to the decorations.

1. Yellow Ace
2. 4/27/2012
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/4.5
5. 1/80
6. Sony DSC-Hx9V, Tripod, Indoors.

I took this shot of one of the 300+ decks in my collection on a shiny black tabletop. The reflection of the box was completely unintentional. I did, however, capitalize on it once I noticed it. I turned the blacks up unnaturally high to hide the imperfections and scrapes on the table and adjusted a few other elements to make the reflection as clear as possible. A focus point on the lower left hand corner of the card allowed for sufficient blurring  at the top of the shot.

Priority Modes

1. Blurred Waterfall – Blurred Image
2. 4/25/12, 7 PM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/5.5
5. 1/25
6. Nikon D5100, Tripod

This was a difficult shot to get without a long zoom. This was as zoomed in as I could get. The sky was cloudy, and the sun was coming in behind me, so there was a lot of bight light in the sky. I had to play with the ISO levels to get this shot to have the cool feel with the bright sky.

1. Waterfront Star – Shallow Focus
2. 4/25/12, 7:30 PM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4. f/3.5
5.1/4000
6.Nikon D5100, Tripod

This was my first shot of the night. I wanted to see more blur in the background but was unable to make this happen. I was intrigued by the highly saturated colors, and I attempted to bring them out in this photo in Camera Raw.

1. Temple Over the River – Deep Focus
2. 4/25/12, 7:00 PM
3. Idaho Falls, ID

4.f/18
5. 1/1000
6. Nikon D5100, Tripod

As I was packing up for the night, I saw the setting sun cast some dramatic light on the temple, so I hurried and took a few shots. High ISO and a fast shutter speed lead to the colors that I wanted instead of a white streak.

1. Lion Fountain
2. 4/26/12, Noon
3. Rexburg, ID

4. f/10
5. 1/1250
6. Sony DSC-HX(V, Tripod

I was looking for motion to freeze without having people stand in for a jumping photo, which I think is extremely tacky. I found the water and decided that it would suffice. Of of my favorite photos this week. Low ISO, quick shutter speed,

Edit – Cutouts

Duck Partial Cutout

10/15/2011, 11 AM

Green Belt, Idaho Falls, ID

f/5.9

1/250 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

Duck Full Cutout

10/15/2011, 11 AM

Green Belt, Idaho Falls, ID

f/3.3

1/30 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

 

My cutouts were not as smooth as I would like. The background of the image prevented easy automatic selection, and I have discovered that I am not great with the cleamup. It took me a long time to be get things as smooth as they are, which is not that impressive. I am now more aware of what kind of background I need to find for cutouts for simple editing. I think I did a fair job, and would rate myself at 85%.

Pre-COMM 370 Photos

Temple by the River

10/15/2011, 11 AM

Green Belt, Idaho Falls, ID

f/4.5

1/1250 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

alking on the greenbelt with my wife Melissa I stopped and captured this image. Unedited. The colors are dark because of the brightness of the sky that day. I used out Sony on a small tripod. The focus was off in the distance, and I moved the camera to allow objects in the foreground into the frame.

 

Ducks by River

10/15/2011, 11 AM

Green Belt, Idaho Falls, ID

f/3.3

1/30 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

Same time and place as the previous picture. I used the same Sony to capture a few of the hundreds of ducks on the green belt that day. I utilized an optical zoom to capture the image from a short distance. The colors are nice and crisp because of the lack of bright background (sky, water) in this shot.

 

Monarch Tuck Case

2/27/2012, 6 PM

Idaho Falls, ID

f/3.3

1/30 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

I took this picture for a blog post (I am a magician and I work for a company that sells magic products, and this is one of our high end decks of playing cards.) I utilized a set of three windows to the left late in the day to get some cloud diffused sunlight on the left side of the case and house lighting to get the warmer light on the right. I used a small tripod to take this macro shot.

 

Gold Monarchs

2/27/2012, 6 PM

Idaho Falls, ID

f/3.3

1/20 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

Same process as the above photo. Here, I attempted to use  a focal point at the center of the card to blur the foreground and the background. The deck of cards is called “Monarchs” and I wanted to capture the Latin word “Regis,” meaning “Of the King”. This particular deck is of a rejected color mix from the manufacturer, and all previous decks were manufactured with white designs on the cards instead of gold because of the lack of contrast between the gold and navy colors. The object in this shot was to capture the contrast between the gold and navy, and to allow the white light to represent the white color the final run of these card used.

 

Rosemary & Sage

11/19/2011, 11 AM

Idaho Falls, ID

f/3.3

1/30 sec.

Sony DCS-HX9V

I captured this image as my wife worked on a Thanksgiving-season meal. Natural light from outside allowed for the crisp, clean color. The herbs were placed on parchment as this photo was planned to be used on my wife’s blog as a decoration. No tripod or other accessories.