Photoshop Can Take You Places You Can't Go

Click on image to enlarge.

Today's image is a composite, but probably not what you think.  The sky was actually there and the cascade can be found by driving up the Kancamagus Highway a couple miles west of the Albany Covered Bridge.  Both places have been the subjects of posts in the past.  One on October 19, 2012 and the other on October 29, 2012.  Check 'em out.  It goes to what you can make someone believe in an image.  To find out why today's image is "believable", hit the "Read More".

Read more!

Using Curves Adjustment Layers In Photoshop (or Elements) To Enhance Shading

Click image to enlarge.

Today's image is my take on one of the iconic shots of a Maine lighthouse.  It was taken at about 6:30 AM with the sun just about to come over the horizon.  I did a post about the actual sunrise a while back (Link) that was a much darker image.  Today's was taken earlier (sunrise was 6:54 AM), but is considerably lighter.  You can infer a couple things from that fact,  One, I got up way too early for being on vacation, two the detail is there in your digital image, and I changed location for the sunrise shot (went further out on the rocks).  To find out what was done in post, hit the "Read More".

Read more!

Targeted Use Of Lightroom's Radial Filter Tool

Angle of view is an important aspect of getting an interesting shot.  Today's image can be thought of as having been shot as a heroic portrait.  Heroic meaning taken from a low angle, raising the subject.  The term "heroic", in this case, has nothing to do with the exploits of the subject.  Just how the shot was composed.  The young lady was very helpful in achieving this pose by being on a set of four or five foot tall stilts.  She just happened to be a performer at a helium balloon filling party on the streets (or rather "a street") of Stamford Connecticut.  I was there as a part of a photo "Meetup" outing.  The second one I've attended and I have to say, they seem to be a fun way to get out and shoot in a different environment than typical.  To learn what today's image "needed" in post processing, hit the "Read More".

Read more!

What "Makes" An Image Using Lightroom

Click image to enlarge.

Today's image is a Cyanotype of a night shot at Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park in Maine.  The big question is what "makes" the image.  If you look at the books you'll see that, for a landscape, you should have a foreground, a middle and a background in order to create the depth of a three dimensional place on a two dimensional platform (the paper).  We have the rocks and sand providing the foreground interest.  "The Bubbles" (the two hills) as a middle ground and the Big Dipper (in the sky) as the background.  Without any of the three there would be no "picture".  But, none of them are what "makes" the image.  To find out what I consider to be the most important piece of the image, hit the "Read More".

Read more!

Are Point And Shoot Cameras Dead?

Click on image to enlarge.

The simple answer is yes.  Next time you're in Best Buy or B&H or Jessops in London or Yodobashi in Tokyo take a look at the selection of P&S (point and shoot) cameras on hand.  If you have  (or haven't) been in a large store, carrying a serious number of camera choices, in the past year you'll be shocked at how few P&S cameras are available.  Last year a young fellow who had worked for me at Intel sent me an email saying his fiancé was interested in a P&S.  He asked for some choices as to what to buy.  To see what my advice was at that time, hit the "Read More".

Read more!