Seattle Skyline from the Ferry 09.10.11

As I mentioned yesterday I shot in RAW for the first time this weekend. I had been wanting to try it after reading a post by Melissa on Click it Up a Notch regarding RAW vs. JPEG. Melissa and I went to high school together and after reading her blog and beginning to connect with other photography blogs she links up with, I decided to begin my blog journey. She is an amazing photographer who inspires me on a regular basis :o)! So thank you Melissa! Back to RAW, I had been hesitant because I take A LOT of pictures and I was worried about running out of room on my memory cards in the middle of a shoot. After stocking up on bigger memory cards and a portable hard drive at Costco I gave it a try. So far so good on the size issue, I am now wondering what I should know about what RAW can do in shooting and in editing. I would love to hear what you know about RAW.

As for today's photo, I decided to do a shot I took from the ferry on the way to Bainbridge Island looking back at the Seattle skyline. I thought it went nicely with the night photo I shared yesterday. I wanted to capture the entire skyline and the sunlight. I like how it turned out, but I think I should have went with a bigger aperture as I think it loses some definition. In post processing, I cropped the photo, played with the basic settings and the tone curve.

Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome!

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss1/200, f/11 (full manual)

“A building must be both background and foreground. As foreground, it must have some exceptional qualities. But it also must try very hard to knit into the fabric of the city.” - Cesar Pelli

Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday. Be sure to check out the other sweet shots!

Lily Pads of Beaver Lake 09.03.11

Long, long day of teaching followed by a dentist appointment followed by work at home. I rewarded myself for finishing my work by editing one of my lily pad photos (the long awaited ones :o). This photo was taken at Beaver Lake Park near Issaquah. A corner of the lake is covered with lily pads and nestled among them are a few gorgeous magenta flowers. The whole scene is very zen and editing this photo brought me back to that feeling. My goal in capturing this photo was to communicate that zen feeling and showcase the contrast between the lily pads and the flower. In post processing I did a creative edit to make the colors pop and to minimize the reflection in the water under the lily pads as it was very distracting. I am really pleased with how it turned out. I would love to read your thoughts or suggestions. Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 100, 250mm, ss1/6, f/6.3 (full manual on tripod)

"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water." - Loren Eisley

Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday. Head over and check out the other sweet shots!

Capitol Building Entry 08.28.11

Here is another beautiful shot from inside the Washington State Capitol Building. The architecture is stunning and I learned that the light fixtures were all done by the Tiffany Company in New York City. My goal was to capture the intricate designs on the ceiling of the entryway. In post processing I worked with temperature, tint, contrast, saturation, vibrance and added a vignette. 

Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome!

Settings: ISO 400, 18mm, ss 1/20, f/4.5

"All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space." - Philip Johnson

Linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday. Head over and check out the other shots!