Posts Tagged ‘ abstract ’

Whirly Gigs

Image 1: Whirly Gigs in Waikiki. Shot with a Sony a900 and Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/8 second. Flash set for TTL High Sync Mode, bounced off ceiling.

Image 2: Whirly Gigs in Waikiki. Shot with a Sony a900 and Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/8 second. Flash set for TTL High Sync Mode, bounced off ceiling.

Image 3: Whirly Gigs in Waikiki. Shot with a Sony a900 and Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/8 second. Flash set for TTL High Sync Mode, bounced off ceiling.

I found a street vendor in Waikiki selling Whirly Gigs. A breeze was blowing off the ocean and they were really moving. The colors were amazing and I saw an opportunity to create a kind of abstract photographic painting. The vendors cart had some nice light but I used a flash unit set to Manual Mode with High Speed Sync and Rear Sync to add a little more light and to freeze some of the whirly gigs. The flash was aimed up to bounce the light off the inside ceiling of the cart. While in Manual Mode I experimented with the light output and finally settled on a 1/4 flash output so I avoided blowing out the image. 

This is the kind of shot where you can experiment and every shot will be different. I looked for compositions of color and size and shape within each shot. The three I posted today I really like bor their color, vibrance, and motion. They just might be next years Christmas Cards.

Though each RAW shot was full of color on capture I used Lightroom’s color sliders to help bring out the color details. All that was required in Photoshop was a little curves work and very light sharpening.

Bob
2010
01/26
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Flash Photography
Hawaii
Photography Technique
Photography Trips
Sony α900
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Ice and Bridge Piers on the Potomac

Stone bridge piers reflect in the Potomac River near Shepherdstown. Shot with a Sony a900 and Zeiss 25-70mm lens at 50mm. Image exposed at ISO100 at f11 for 1/3 of a second.

Alright I promise this will be the last ice image from the Potomac River. Well, at least until we have another winter storm. I like to visit my favorite places regularly. Conditions are always changing and you never know what you might shoot. As of todays post a weekend of rain has melted all the ice and for now the river is clear.

In this image I was drawn to the small swirl of water that cut around the boulder. No matter where my eye starts in the picture I always end up at the boulder. Leading lines in the ice help direct the movement and allow the eye to travel around the photograph. And don’t forget to check out the little tree growing from the top of the largest pier.

Thanks for looking at these recent images. I’ll be heading for warmer climates next weekend for work but I’m sure I can find something to shoot. Check back soon. Aloha, (Just a hint).

Bob

2010
01/17
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Landscape
Potomac River
Trees
West Virginia
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Ice and Tree Reflection

Image 1. Initial RAW file before Photoshop work.

Image 2. Optimized Image after RAW processing and Photoshop.

We have had quite a bit of cold weather in West Virginia so I took the opportunity to explore the edges of the Potomac River in search of ice. Due to a bit of a warming trend most of the ice had dissipated but several areas were still intact. In this image the stillness of the river allowed the trees to reflect against a sheet of ice. It was a wonderful study in contrast.

The image was exposed with a Heliopan Circular Warming Polarizer. I stopped the polarizer down just a bit to allow some of the river bottom to show through. This gave me just a bit of warm color to contrast with the blue of the ice and river. Lens focus was directed on the sheet of ice and the trees were allowed to blur slightly.

Image 1 shows the file after RAW conversion in Adobe Lightroom. The white balance was adjusted and initial capture sharpening was applied.

Image 2 shows the file after work in Photoshop. The intent was to process the image the way I initially saw it which required applying a series of adjustment layer curves to separate the sheet of ice from the river. The river adjustment also equalized the contrast in the river allowing the ice to stand out.

I have several more images from this day which I will put up in a later post.

Bob

2010
01/16
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Potomac River
River
Trees
Water
Winter
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Rocks and Lichen

Serrated slabs of sandstone covered in lichen, Zion National Park, Utah. Shot with a Nikon D300 and Nikkor 12-24mm lens at 24mm. The image was shot a f14 at ISO 100 for 1/25 of a second.

We have all heard the expression that at times “we cannot see the forest for the trees.” Well in photography sometimes it pays to take a moment to look at the trees. We can get so fixated on the grand vista or recording a scenic wonder that we fail to look more intimately at what lies before our feet. This image is a case in point. I was struggling with a shot of the Watchman in Zion National Park when I just took a breather to clear my thoughts. It was a that point that I saw this incredible layered rock covered in multi-colored lichen. Beautiful light allowed the rock fins to glow. If I had not taken that moment to just be in the landscape I would have missed this wonderful composition.

For more information on Zion National Park go to http://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm

2010
01/08
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Grand Circle
Landscape
National Parks
Photography Trips
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Copyright

© Robert H. Clark, Robert H. Clark Photography, Robert H. Clark Photography Blog, and rhcl.wordpress.com, 2009/2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Robert H. Clark and Robert H. Clark Photography Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All photography ©Robert H. Clark Photography.
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