Tones on Tuesday #30 4.17.12

Welcome back and thank you for coming and joining in despite a brief hiatus last week to find my photography inspiration once again. Many beautiful entries from two weeks ago, but here are 3 that caught my eye...

Mock-Turtle from Jack's Paper Moon

Love the expression and the eyes, adorable! The colors are bright and fabulous as well. Thank you for sharing with us Mock-Turtle! The other photos of Jack and of the dog are super cute too :o).

Rebecca at The Crazy Redhead Photographer

The concept of this shot is so strong! The long exposure of the light and the black and white background gives such a sense of motion. Thank you for linking up Rebecca!

Nessa at Moments & Impressions

The drama of the black and white is amazing and I love how it takes an ordinary object to a different level. Beautiful bokeh in the background as well. Thank you for sharing Nessa!

Mock-Turtle, Rebecca, Nessa please go HERE to grab your showcase button.

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here are the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• One photo per photographer please. If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one if for Tones on Tuesday.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button or a link back here to your post
• Leave comments for at least 3 other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_U2oqLh1UmXZMxfX_WPVaPVWJYh_HuiqvmOJi2frJOmTvsFe8rQPCPuzZfqD9Rm5Lz1E9ijR7i5_09GjPNDZeIcGNOwpU1VlkboGqGPGHxc0q-s28fzb99utdKzU6TvONWyodJtseQ/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> </center>

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

I took a little break from blogging as I was getting in a rut and feeling uninspired. The break helped and then I went to one of my favorite parks in Lincoln City on Siletz Bay to photograph my favorite subject - sunsets and silhouettes. It was a perfect experience and it reminded me that capturing the magic of nature is why I love photography. For the first edit I did a clean edit in Lightroom with the basic settings and the tone curve and then applied Pretty Presets Sharpening. For the second edit I used the Who Is Wolf BW Deluxe Light Preset. I love the vibrancy of the first and the drama of the second, what do you think?

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/50, f/11

"Travel is like a tonic to me. It's more than just getting away from the studio for a brief rest. I need it to recharge my batteries." -Norman Rockwell

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots and join the Tones on Tuesday link up found further down!

         

Tones on Tuesday #28 3.27.12

I know I say this almost every week, but thank you for linking up and for inspiring me with your talent and your journey. I am honored that you choose to join me on Tuesday and share your photos! It was very difficult to choose three photos, but I would not have it any other way :o). Now to the showcases...

Nicky at Awesomeville

My first thought upon seeing this photo was that it was breathtaking! The colors are exquisite, the light extraordinary and the mood ethereal. Thank you for sharing this amazing photo Nicky!

Ansku at Photo by Ansku

The black and white tones, along with the texture, are soft and timeless. The staging and quote (from my favorite movie) tell such a great story. Thank you for linking up Ansku!

Ashley at Ashley Hauck Photography

I love the dramatic feel of this photo and the deep tones. The texture of the petals and the hint of green just add to this gorgeous photo! Thank you for sharing with us Ashley. 

Nicky, Ansku and Ashley please go HERE to grab your showcase button.

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here are the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• One photo per photographer please. If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one if for Tones on Tuesday.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button or a link back here to your post
• Leave comments for at least 3 other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_U2oqLh1UmXZMxfX_WPVaPVWJYh_HuiqvmOJi2frJOmTvsFe8rQPCPuzZfqD9Rm5Lz1E9ijR7i5_09GjPNDZeIcGNOwpU1VlkboGqGPGHxc0q-s28fzb99utdKzU6TvONWyodJtseQ/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> </center>

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

This photo was completely inspired by Melissa Noste at Melissa Noste Photography and her post on the daffodil fields and the zone system. 

After reading Melissa's post that the daffodils were blooming up north of where I live I knew I had to head up there and get a taste of spring. I love the amazing bright yellow of the flower against the deep greens. I love the shape of it and its petals. And I LOVE seeing a sea of flowers. There is something so magical about it. I was also intrigued by the zone system. I spent the drive up north reading the tutorial Melissa recommended, which can be found HERE. This system was developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer for black and white sheet film and has been adapted for use with digital photography. For me, it boils down to focusing on capturing colors as true to life as possible. The tutorial does an amazing job of explaining the technique and what it means in practice. 

In the photo below I metered off the yellow of the daffodil and put it in Zone VI, which is used for brighter colors such as pure yellow. This means I overexposed by 1 stop (+1). A more detailed explanation can be found in the tutorial. I was so excited by the SOOC result, the yellow was so close to what it looked like and that is one of the things I strive for when I photograph. I by no means understand the system well, but I am interested and intrigued and want to try more!

I love that I learn so much from other photographers and have the chance to try things out with my camera. I enjoy the journey of learning something new and I am so glad that Melissa shared her journey on her blog! Being inspired by fellow photographers is one of my greatest joys. 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/1250, f/3.2 (cloudy wb, Zone VI)

Intent: The shape and details of the daffodil

SOOC Shot

Lightroom Clean Edit

Upped blacks, brightness, contrast, clarity, vibrance and saturation

Decreased lights, darks and shadows using the tone curve

Intent: To make the colors pop a bit

"Inspiration doesn't really work like that - you're not looking out for it. Inspiration is something that tends to capture you rather than you capture it." - Joan Armatrading

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots and join the Tones on Tuesday link up found further down! Share inspiration and be inspired!

         

Water Droplet on a Backyard Leaf 11.12.11

Last night I watched Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind on Oprah Winfrey's Network. They were profiling famous photographer Annie Leibovitz. I am the type of person who loves behind the scenes things. If a DVD has a behind the scene special in the bonus features I HAVE to watch it. Needless to say, I loved getting to see the behind the scenes process that Annie Leibovitz goes through to capture the shots she does. What intrigued me most was her new book "Pilgrimage," which involves her traveling to different places both natural and historical and photographing what she sees. My ultimate dream would be to do the same thing. I feel I am doing a modified version of it by going to places near where I live that I want to capture with photographs, but one day I hope to expand and discover the world with my camera in tow :o).

While my photo for today is not of any amazing new place, it is something I have wanted to photograph for a while - a droplet of water. While I do not have a macro lens, filter or extension tube just yet I decided to give it a try anyways. I am very pleased with the results. I love the detail on the droplet and the lines of the leaves. For processing, I used a Lightroom preset called "Clear Yellow/Purple Split Tone Mild Vintage." I need to do a better job of keeping track of where my presets came from as I can't recall for this one. I love how it gave the colors a bit of pop and the overall picture increased dimension. I would love to know what you think and what has inspired you this week.

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/50, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.” - Bo Bennett

Linking up with Wild and Wonderful Wednesday. Wonderful moment in wild weather. Take a moment to check out the other shots!