Tag: photography

Through the Weeds

Through the Weeds

Another picture, taken nearly 4 years ago when I was just learning how to handle a camera. I have no idea what camera I used – no raw data files in the directory. The colors in the original were pretty drab SOOC, so I tried to do something to them. The colors are less intense than what I like, but it does match the mood of that day. It was taken in November, when all the grasses have dried, but before the winter rains begin. The landscape has a neutral quality to it, yet, if you look, there is also color, though very subtle. What I did accomplish was contrast between fore and background, and an increase of textural detail, which is such a part of the California landscape in the hills.

The Glass Aerie – My Romps in Photoland

Through the Weeds

For the past year and a half, I have had another blog, minimalist in nature, with just a picture now and again that I post for whatever reason. I haven’t mentioned it here, but now, I have decided to do so. You can find a link to it on the above “pages” bar. Take a look, let me know what you think. Photography is now a part of my creative life, so I think it should be posted here – along with whatever else I decide to do.

No Color Here

 

Morning Flower, Color

Putzing around with a lot of my images, taken over the years, and all in color, I am looking for ones that I think might look work in black and white. I am looking, analyzing texture and lighting, and then making a conversion to black and white. Mostly I fail.

What I am trying to do is to train my eyes to be able to visualize a picture in black and white before I take it. Given our world is filled with color, I find this especially hard to do. Awhile ago someone told me that people who are color blind in one area or another make great black and white photographers because they do not have the ability to see all the normal range. While I don’t know if this is true or not, I do know that “seeing” in black and white is very difficult for me!

When I first looked at this color picture, it immediately stood out. The original exposure was very dark – underexposed to the point that only the bright white light of the flower stood out. I increased its exposure in LR and saw that it had potential because of the contrast in light and dark. Leaf textures and fine hairs on stems and buds also caught my eye.

Morning Flower

 

I popped it into Silver Efex, and scanned through it. Finally I chose the preset I liked best, and went to work a bit. I increase fine texture, used control points, and then returned to LR for final vignetting and detail enhancement. Last steps were in CS6 for some spot removal and a signature. The end result is not too bad, in my opinion.

Through the Window

Through the Window

Last Friday some friends and I went to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, California. Wonderful acreage with multiple gardens, but very short hours! We spent most of our time there in the Japanese and Chinese gardens. The Japanese garden was installed 100 years ago; the Chinese garden is much newer – within the last 20 years – and more is being constructed as I write. A great place to visit year round.