Good to Wow Edit: Thanksgiving Morning 11.24.11

For my edit of my Thanksgiving sunrise photo, I went with a basic settings edit. I love the softness of trees in the SOOC shot, but I felt like it was competing with the colors of the sky and that was what I truly wanted to capture when I snapped. Therefore, my goal with the processing was to make the sky color a bit more vibrant allowing it to pop more. I upped the blacks, contrast, exposure and recovery and another beautiful silhouette was born! I think I may have an obsession with silhouettes. Yesterday I posted two similar pictures taken months apart, I thought I would do the same thing in this case. Then you can judge, is my obsession getting out of hand?


Thanks for stopping by!

SOOC Shot

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/160, f/8.0 (full manual)

Edited with Lightroom

"What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?" - E.M. Forster

Linking up with Good to Wow: Edit. Check out the inspiring Thanksgiving photo edits!

Some silhouette shots from the past...

  

 

 

 

Wow, I think it may be official! I have a silhouette problem. I guess there are worse obsessions to have :o).

Everett 10th Street Marina 11.25.11

When I was editing the first photo below from my day after Thanksgiving photo shoot I realized I had taken a similar picture and posted it on my blog as a flashback. It was before I started shooting manual and before I knew all that I know now about how to take a proper picture. Despite that, I really love both of them. I am excited to see how much I have grown though and to see one of my old photos next to a new one and know what I would do differently (smaller aperture number! cloudy wb!) to fix what I didn't like about it. 

What do you think? Do have those moments as well?

Location: 10th Street Marina Park, Everett, Washington

Date: November 26th, 2011
Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/320, f/5.6 (full manual, sunlight wb)
Post Processing: Blacks, Contrast and Brightness to make the blue more vibrant

Location: Cathlamet Marina - Cathlamet, Washington

Date: June 11th, 2011

Settings: Shot in Auto - 1/200, f/10

Post Processing: Sharpening, Color Levels (to bring out more of the green and magenta)

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security." - Gail Sheehy


One of the reasons I feel I have grown so much is by linking up and learning and becoming inspired from other photographers. Here are a few great link ups that continue to help me grow!

    

Flashback: Ship on the Columbia 11.27.10

Today I had high hopes for capturing some purple and dandelion yellow shots for the challenges I participate in, however, it just didn't happen that way. I plan on heading out again tomorrow. Therefore, I decided to post a flashback photo today. I realized I have not done a flashback since September. I suppose this is due to the fact that I have been shooting photos each week and enjoying the process of stretching my photography muscles, thus producing more pictures than I can post. However, I do like looking at photos pre-manual revolution :o). This photo was actually pre-DSLR camera. It was taken when I visited the Columbia River Martime Museum with the family during a trip to my dad's in Astoria, Oregon last year for Thanksgiving. It has been raining like crazy when we went into the museum. I looked out the window, saw the rain stop and had to go out and take this photo. These ships litter the Columbia River in Astoria where they come off the ocean and make their way up the river to deliver goods. I hope you enjoy this journey back to my point and shoot days. Not half bad, I must say :o).


Flashback #9
Location: Columbia River Astoria, Oregon
Settings: ISO 80, 28.5mm, ss1/200, f/5.8 (full auto with point and shoot)
Post Processing: All basic settings adjusted, saturation and luminance shifts and vignette added
What I Like: The mood of the sky, the location of the ship in the frame
What I Think Needs Work: The vibrance of the color


SOOC Shot

Edited Shot

"If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends." - Enoch Powell

Linking up with the sites below, be sure to check them out!

  

Flashback: Winter Sky 02.20.11

Today was an amazing day of photography that I look forward to sharing during the week. It seems like I am developing a routine of posting a flashback on Saturday as I am usually out shooting and then posting my shots from the weekend throughout the week. I decided to keep that up and picked a photo from February for my flashback today. This was a couple of months after I got my DSLR for Christmas and I still had no idea what I was doing, but I enjoyed doing it :o). 

Most of the time I pick a trip and find a photo I like for my flashback. In this case, I knew the exact photo I wanted. I vividly remember this sky and the journey to take this picture. I have mentioned before that I love the beach, it is my happy place where I feel most myself. I go to the beach, often with my mom, whenever I get the chance...even in the winter when it is freezing. It really doesn't matter to me as long as I get to be on the beach experiencing it. This trip my mom and I spent a few days on the Central Oregon Coast. As we were driving back up toward home I saw this sky, half storm and half blue, and had to stop. We discovered this lovely wayside, pulled in and here is the shot. I remember the cold, the noise of the ocean, the kids playing and my mom waiting patiently while I took shot after shot. I love that I have this photo and the memories!

Flashback #8
Location: Muriel O. Ponsler Memorial State Wayside
Settings: ISO 100, 25mm, ss1/125, f/8.0 (full auto on tripod)
Post Processing: All basic settings adjusted<
What I Like: The framing of the  sky, the colors, the light
What I Think Needs Work: The depth of field, the sharpness

"To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward." - Margaret Fairless Barber

Linking up with The Paper Mama Challenge - Remember. I will spend some time tomorrow remembering September 11th, I hope you will too!

Flashback: Fireworks 07.04.11

Today I spent some time shopping and visiting a new park. I found some lily pads and flowers to shoot and look forward to sharing them this week. For today's post, though, I went in to my archives and decided to post a photo from my favorite holiday - 4th of July! I love the history, the food and the fireworks. This past 4th my mom and I saw two amazing firework displays, one in Illwaco on the southern Washington coast and one at Lake Wilderness near where I live. The picture below is from the latter. I love how you can see the smoke trails and that there are two fireworks in the frame. 

I remember finding it challenging to shoot the fireworks on auto, as this was shot before I switched to manual. I am wondering how I would go about shooting such a fast paced and low light situation in manual. If you have any tips, tricks or websites where I can learn more please leave them in the comments. I know I will need to prepare for the next 4th :o). 

Flashback #7

Location: Lake Wilderness Park

Date: July 4th, 2011

Settings: Shot in Auto ISO 800, 18mm, ss1/25, f/3.5

Post Processing: Cropped, most of the basic settings were played with

What I Like: Smoke trails, double fireworks

What I Think Needs Work: The depth of field, the sharpness

"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

Flashback: Whale Watching 06.25.11

For my birthday this year my brother and his girlfriend bought tickets to go whale watching for the three of us and our mom. We boarded the Puget Sound Express in Port Angeles, WA and headed out to sea. The company is run by a family and the crew was knowledgeable and fun. This was my second time whale watching. The first time I went with my best friend from Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands on Orcas Island Eclipse Charters. We had the rare pleasure of seeing all of the pods that live in the area greeting each other after being out to sea. This time we had to chase the whales into Canada off the coast of Victoria. We saw a group of about 6 whales, one of which was a baby, swimming and possibly sleeping as their behaviors somewhat indicated. They also did some spy hopping, which is where their head comes out of the water vertically. It is an amazing experience that I highly recommend!

The photo below was taken before I decided to switch to shooting in manual mode. It was taken on full auto with my zoom lens. I was impressed by the speed of the shooting even with not being on sport mode and the ability of the zoom lens to get closer pictures as the rule for boats is to stay 200 yards away from the whales. I love the spy hopping I was able capture and the dorsal fins of the two other whales. I am thinking that a higher aperture number would have helped the picture. I am glad I am shooting manual now, but I am wondering if I would have been able to shoot manual with the fast movement of the whales. If you have any thoughts or suggestions I would love to hear them :o)!

Flashback #6

Location: Off the coast of Victoria BC on the Puget Sound Express

Date: June 25th, 2011

Settings: Shot in Auto ISO 200, 250mm, ss1/2000, f/5.6

Post Processing: Cropped, all the basic settings were played with

What I Like: The orcas and the line of the land

What I Think Needs Work: The depth of field, the sharpness

"Blue, green, grey, white, or black; smooth, ruffled, or mountainous; that ocean is not silent." - H.P. Lovecraft

Flashback: Nehalem Bay State Park 08.05.11

I was tempted to skip posting today as I was not feeling well after a difficult dentist appointment, but I saw this picture in my files and felt compelled to put it up. This photo was taken at Nehalem Bay State Park in Oregon. My mom and I spent the day exploring this beach we had not been to before and discovered an Oregon beach rarity...no one on the beach. The walk from the parking lot to the beach is a bit of a trek over the dunes, but beyond worth it for the solitude and the beauty. On this day the sky was a mixture of storm clouds and sun, which made for some beautiful lighting. What I love about this photo is that it captures what the beach is about for me - the expansiveness and sheer space that always makes me feel connected to the world. The leading lines have a lot to do with this as I think they draw your eye to a distant point far off on the horizon. The waves leaving their imprint on the shore and the various hues of the sand also stand out to me in this shot. I think this picture conveys all that I love about the beach!

Flashback #5

Location: Nehalem Bay State Park

Date: August 5th, 2011

Settings: Shot in Auto on Landscape Mode - 1/160, f/13

Post Processing: Color levels, contrast, brightness and sharpening

What I Like: The leading lines, the waves and the cloud patterns

What I Think Needs Work: The hills on the left side

"There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more." - George Byron

I Learned: On the Road with Hipstamatic 05.21.11

One of the first apps I got on my iPhone was Hipstamatic. I had heard about it on a few websites and really liked what it added to the photos I saw. I decided to download it while walking on the beach in Lincoln City, where there was very little signal. Needless to say it did not download until I got back in the car and headed for home. Once it did finish downloading I had to try it out, but was riding in the car (passenger seat :o) on a stretch of highway where it was difficult to pull over. I decided to take some pictures out the window and just see what happened. This picture is one of my favorites from those shots. I was impressed with the colors and the antique feel of the photographs. I used the combination of the John lens and Ina film for my first pictures and that continues to be my favorite pairing, by far!

Since that day I have enjoyed using Hipstamatic for the interesting, unpredicted and instant outcome of having a photo where the only thinking involved is in the subject matter and composition. It is nice to focus and develop one part of my photography skills. However, this week as I have been making the switch and commitment to manual mode, I have learned that creating and controlling my pictures can be fulfilling and rewarding on such a deeper level. With Hipstamatic I pressed the button and the app did the work, but with manual mode I created the photo. Don't get me wrong, I love Hipstamatic and LemeLeme and other iPhone photography apps. But I am loving owning my pictures in a way I haven't in a long time.

Flashback #2

Location: On the road back from Lincoln City

Date: May 21st, 2011

Settings: Lens - John S, Film - Ina's 1969

What I Like: The colors and the lighting

What I Think Needs Work: The subject is a little too centered and linear for me

"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.  I travel for travel's sake.  The great affair is to move." - Robert Louis Stevenson

That is what I learned this week, head over to Click it Up a Notch to see what others have learned.

Flashback: Seattle Skyline 06.04.11

My love of photography is more than a hobby, I would have to say it is a passion. Another passion of mine, and the way I make my living, is being a kindergarten teacher. Right now school is out for the summer, but in a very short time I will be back in my classroom. I know that once this happens I will have very little time during the week to shoot, edit and blog about a photo. In order to maintain my photo a day goal I plan to post some pictures I have taken in the past, some more recently than others. Not only will this allow me to post with less steps, but also to see my pictures with a bit of distant and hopefully more objectivity. 

Flashback #1

Location: Hamilton Viewpoint Park

Date: June 4th, 2011

Settings: 1/160, f/5.6

Post Processing: Attempts to sharpen, color levels adjusted

What I Like: This quintessential Seattle-ness of the picture

What I Think Needs Work: The blurry skyline - possibly a larger aperture and tripod were needed

This picture was captured on the way to Alki Beach to photograph the sunset. We (my mom and I) found a shortcut around a horrendous traffic backup and came across this park with the help of my iPhone. We stopped here for a bit to enjoy the view and then made it just in time in what I like to call "the race for the sunset." I wanted to capture the whole skyline, but do not have the proper lens for it. I did feel lucky when a ferry came into view at the perfect moment, though and made the shot. 

"A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again. " - Margaret Mead