The Long Beach Pike is some place I used to go when I was a kid. It was a small amusement park down along the shores of Long Beach. As it got old, they eventually tore down the Amusement Park and put up an area with hotels, restaurants, movie theaters and such. The parking structure wasn't there either when I was a kid but the they did make it look nostalgic and it seemed worthy of a comp or 2.
The Shot:
Standard 3 shot HDR, +2, 0, -2, Tripod Mounted, ISO 200, F/8, 10-20mm Sigma Lens @ 10mm
Post Processing:
>Adobe Raw-On all 3 photos
>Remove Black
>Remove Sharpen
>Noise Suppression
>Saved all Files as Tiff's
Photomatix:
>Detail Enhancer
>Processed and saved file as Tiff
CS-5:
>Color Efex Pro 3.0-Pro Contrast
>Color Efex Pro 3.0-Tonal Contrast
>Color Efex Pro 3.0-Bleach Bypass 18% Opacity
>Silver Efex Pro 2.0
>Adjustment Layer Levels-Black and White Points for contrast
>Adjustment for Lens Correction with Free Transform Tool
>High Pass Sharpen, sized and framed for posting
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Magnetic Pull
I really like the way this turned out but the humor in this photo is I didn't picture the finished product when I took the shot.
There is a small but nice Boardwalk/Amusement park in Santa Cruz. As we were walking and checking it out they have the typical rides you would expect I didn't snap off a lot of shots but this is one of them I did snap off and really the only one I did of the rides with the idea of a shot that wasn't family oriented. After I took this first and only shot I wasn't really feeling that the shot was going to turn out that great because of the overcast not very contrasty day it was. Not to mention I have tried a few shots like this and none have ever turned out the way I wanted. So after the first click of the camera I caught myself and thought "here I go again snapping off this same shot that has never turned out the way I liked" and I put the lens cap back on the camera and kept walking with the family.
But as it turns out when I was processing this one and only shot deciding on whether it should stay or go I decided to go with a silhouette type effect for the final shot. I set the white point for the lightest part of the sky and for the black point I was clicking through spots I thought would work. First I tried a black point and slowly tried other points, shoes, pants, yellows, greens and then one click changed everything. I would like to say I know what I hit but alas I have no clue but that click turned portions of the sky blue and gave me the silhouettes I wanted. No more to be done. I got more than i was looking for with the color and silhouettes.
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Other Side
Popular place, Popular spot, Popular Bridge. Yes I did! Tourist galore out snapping shots left and right and I was right in the middle of the mix.
First day in SF took the family to this point that over looks the bridge, best spot IMHO in all of SF. The bridge just looks huge and is awe inspiring.
I have been at this spot before and shot a pano that I have sitting in my hallway it is actually one of my favorite photo's of really one of my favorite spots I have ever shot. Anyway, I wanted to take my wife and kids here and show them were I shot the photo in the hallway. When we pulled up to the spot to park we found out that the road was closed and there was someone there turning cars around. Needless to say there wasn't much in the way of parking and all the cars were parked along the side of the road which left little to no parking. As luck would have it as we turned around another car was pulling out of a parking spot so we pulled right in just feet away from the small walk you need to take to get to this spot. (God is good)! Anyway we went out and stayed for a while. It was cold and windy and before to long the family was ready to go and I was still shooting. The longer we stayed the more crowded it got, so after a while we headed back down the hill. When we got back to the car we felt really blessed because the line of cars went from nothing when we pulled up to all the way down the hill. Traffic must have been backed up for half a mile and once you are in it there is no way to turn around because the road is so narrow and the cars parked on the side of the road makes it even narrower.
It was a great day. The family really liked the spot, I feel like I got a decent comp.
If you are going to visit this spot check road conditions for closures and go early otherwise you could be stuck in traffic for awhile.
The Shot:
Single Exposure, Tripod Mounted, F/22, ISO 50, 6 seconds, 24-105L @24mm
Post Processing:
>Raw-Increase exposure
CS-5:
>Adjustment Layer Levels-Black and white point
>Adjustment Layer Selective Color-Enhance Reds of Bridge, Blues of Sky
>Shadows/Highlights bring out definition in bridge and sky
>Silver Efex Pro 2.0-Black and White conversion
>Noise Ninja for clouds and sky
>High Pass Sharpening entire image
>Sized and framed for posting
First day in SF took the family to this point that over looks the bridge, best spot IMHO in all of SF. The bridge just looks huge and is awe inspiring.
I have been at this spot before and shot a pano that I have sitting in my hallway it is actually one of my favorite photo's of really one of my favorite spots I have ever shot. Anyway, I wanted to take my wife and kids here and show them were I shot the photo in the hallway. When we pulled up to the spot to park we found out that the road was closed and there was someone there turning cars around. Needless to say there wasn't much in the way of parking and all the cars were parked along the side of the road which left little to no parking. As luck would have it as we turned around another car was pulling out of a parking spot so we pulled right in just feet away from the small walk you need to take to get to this spot. (God is good)! Anyway we went out and stayed for a while. It was cold and windy and before to long the family was ready to go and I was still shooting. The longer we stayed the more crowded it got, so after a while we headed back down the hill. When we got back to the car we felt really blessed because the line of cars went from nothing when we pulled up to all the way down the hill. Traffic must have been backed up for half a mile and once you are in it there is no way to turn around because the road is so narrow and the cars parked on the side of the road makes it even narrower.
It was a great day. The family really liked the spot, I feel like I got a decent comp.
If you are going to visit this spot check road conditions for closures and go early otherwise you could be stuck in traffic for awhile.
The Shot:
Single Exposure, Tripod Mounted, F/22, ISO 50, 6 seconds, 24-105L @24mm
Post Processing:
>Raw-Increase exposure
CS-5:
>Adjustment Layer Levels-Black and white point
>Adjustment Layer Selective Color-Enhance Reds of Bridge, Blues of Sky
>Shadows/Highlights bring out definition in bridge and sky
>Silver Efex Pro 2.0-Black and White conversion
>Noise Ninja for clouds and sky
>High Pass Sharpening entire image
>Sized and framed for posting
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Schoolhouse
I came upon this spot a few years ago and shot the one room schoolhouse. It really didn't turn out that nice so all the shots went in the trash at that time.
As a family we were coming back from San Francisco we decided to stop and look at the elephant seals which is just north from this spot. On the way into San Luis Obispo I decided to veer off the road and stop and grab a couple of shots. Above this school house on the hill to the right is Hearst Castle for which I have never been.
If you take a look and read through all of this babbling, leave a comment!
The Shot:
Single Exposure, Hand Held, F/11, ISO 400, 1/200 sec, 24-105L @ 80mm
Post Processing:
>Raw-Exposure, Black, Vibrance
CS-5:
>Adjustment Layer-Curves on Sky
>Adjustment Layer-Curves on grass
>Adjustment Layer-Hue/Sat remove color cast from school house
>Color Efex Pro 3.0-Tonal Contrast-Opacity 60% on grass/30% on sky
>Noise Ninja on sky only
>High Pass Sharpening
>Framed and sized for posting
http://en.flickeflu.com/photos/tony_d
As a family we were coming back from San Francisco we decided to stop and look at the elephant seals which is just north from this spot. On the way into San Luis Obispo I decided to veer off the road and stop and grab a couple of shots. Above this school house on the hill to the right is Hearst Castle for which I have never been.
If you take a look and read through all of this babbling, leave a comment!
The Shot:
Single Exposure, Hand Held, F/11, ISO 400, 1/200 sec, 24-105L @ 80mm
Post Processing:
>Raw-Exposure, Black, Vibrance
CS-5:
>Adjustment Layer-Curves on Sky
>Adjustment Layer-Curves on grass
>Adjustment Layer-Hue/Sat remove color cast from school house
>Color Efex Pro 3.0-Tonal Contrast-Opacity 60% on grass/30% on sky
>Noise Ninja on sky only
>High Pass Sharpening
>Framed and sized for posting
http://en.flickeflu.com/photos/tony_d
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Vintage Alcatraz
Alcatraz...What a tour! If you ever get to San Francisco this is a tour worth visiting. Book it early like days maybe even weeks before because if you do it on the day you arrive there is a good chance it will be sold out.
If you do make it to Alcatraz for a day of fun, history and hopefully photography a few things to know.
>Don't plan on any shots that don't have people in them.
>In some cases patience can be rewarded in waiting for the crowds to wane just a little
>Anything you shoot a gazillion people have shot it before you so don't think you are catching anything original, but it is fun none the less because you haven't shot it.
>Black and white, sepia, vintage always a good way to go when you think about comp's and then post processing.
>With out a doubt one of the funniest places to visit, shooting is just a bonus!
The Shot:
Single Exposure, Hand Held, F/4.0, ISO 640, 1/60 Sec., 24-105L Lens @ 24mm
Post Processing:
>Adobe Raw-White balance/Warmer feel
CS-5:
>Nik 3.0 Color Efex Pro-Pro Contrast
>Nik 3.0 Color Efex Pro-Tonal Contrast 60% Opacity
>Nik 3.0 Color Efex Pro-Bleach Bypass 13% Opacity
>Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.0-Vintage Preset
>Slight and Selective Noise Ninja
>High Pass Sharpening
>Sized for posting
http://en.flickeflu.com/photos/tony_d
If you do make it to Alcatraz for a day of fun, history and hopefully photography a few things to know.
>Don't plan on any shots that don't have people in them.
>In some cases patience can be rewarded in waiting for the crowds to wane just a little
>Anything you shoot a gazillion people have shot it before you so don't think you are catching anything original, but it is fun none the less because you haven't shot it.
>Black and white, sepia, vintage always a good way to go when you think about comp's and then post processing.
>With out a doubt one of the funniest places to visit, shooting is just a bonus!
The Shot:
Single Exposure, Hand Held, F/4.0, ISO 640, 1/60 Sec., 24-105L Lens @ 24mm
Post Processing:
>Adobe Raw-White balance/Warmer feel
CS-5:
>Nik 3.0 Color Efex Pro-Pro Contrast
>Nik 3.0 Color Efex Pro-Tonal Contrast 60% Opacity
>Nik 3.0 Color Efex Pro-Bleach Bypass 13% Opacity
>Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.0-Vintage Preset
>Slight and Selective Noise Ninja
>High Pass Sharpening
>Sized for posting
http://en.flickeflu.com/photos/tony_d
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