Good to Wow SOOC: Frosty Morning 11.06.11

On Sunday I got up early and headed out to photograph the sunrise. As I mentioned last weekend, I normally don't get up early on the weekend, but with the "fall back" it wasn't bad at all :o). My mom and my dog niece accompanied me and I had great hopes of finding a new awe inspiring location to shoot. However, the light was changing fast and I wanted to be sure that I was able capture it before it disappeared so we headed to a spot I have been to before. It looked very different in the morning light. After photographing the sunrise (pictures later this week) I turned my attention to the frost covering everything in sight. I completely forgot that the challenge for Good to Wow this week was macro, but I was drawn to these shots just the same. They are not as macro as I would like but I love the stillness which is exactly what it felt like being there.

I love macro photography and really want to invest in a macro lens, but that is a while off. I have been reading from other photographers that they use extension tubes. What are your thoughts about extension tubes and macro lenses? Should I wait for the lens or buy an extension tube in the mean time? I would love to know your thoughts. Thank you for stopping by!

Here are my SOOC shots:
Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/125, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/200, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 43mm, ss1/200, f/5.0 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen - that stillness becomes a radiance." - Morgan Freeman


Linking up with Good to Wow! Head over and check out the other SOOC shots.

Shades of Autumn: Purple 11.06.11

Purple. The color for Shades of Autumn and my favorite color. I love that purple can be strong and regal. That it can be soft and light. I had a difficult time finding purple leaves to capture despite my strong desire to capture them. The dilemma lay in the fact that the trees that produce purple leaves do not grow wild around here and thus have to be planted. After a wonderful day watching the sun rise and taking a trip to Mount Rainier, we found a small park in Buckley on the way home with a street that was lined with trees with purple leaves. As I walked along getting my shots I noticed two other photographers having portrait sessions. The surroundings were perfect with many varied settings and the weather was beautiful with areas of direct sun, filtered sun, shade and the brilliant blue of the sky. It was the perfect fall day of shooting.

My goal was to capture the amazing deep purple of the leaves contrasted with various other colors. I took a lot of shots and had a hard time narrowing down my favorites. As with all of my photos I planned on editing them. Upon opening them in Lightroom though they were such a close match to they way I saw each shot. Therefore, these are SOOC. I hope you don't mind :o). I love the power of editing, but I also find such a sense of accomplishment in taking pictures that just don't need editing to match what I see. What do you think?

Settings: ISO 100, 40mm, ss1/200, f/5.0 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/320, f/5.6 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/25, f/5.6 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/25, f/5.6 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 100, 43mm, ss1/320, f/5.0 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/320, f/5.6 (full manual, sunlight wb)

"But, luckily, he kept his wits and his Purple crayon." - Crockett Johnson

Linking up with the Shades of Autumn Challenge. Check out the other purple shots!

Project 64: Dandelion Yellow 11.06.11

The color this week at Project 64 is dandelion. I found a lot of yellow in the changing trees, however, the color was either too orange or too green to match the crayon. On the way back from a trip to Mount Rainier today I was taking purple pictures for the Shades of Autumn Challenge and I noticed yellow leaves that were closer than any other I had spotted. Still not a perfect match, but I think the leaves on the ground turned out to be just about right! I also had to take a picture of a dandelion I found, I just had to :o). These photos were taken at a roadside park in Buckley, WA. My goal was to capture the color and the beautiful light. I left them SOOC as they turned out exactly as I saw them.

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/80, f/5.6 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/160, f/5.6 (full manual)

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." - James M. Barrie

Linking up with Project 64 to see the other dandelion finds and Sunday Snapshot to see the shots people want to remember!

 

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!

  

Favorite Photo of the Week: A Day at the Beaches 10.29.11

Unbelievably hard this week to pick a favorite photo. I am attributing this to the fact that I was blessed to photograph most of my favorite subjects this week - the ocean, the beach and the sunset. I also feel like I have grown so much in my ability to photograph on manual mode since the last time I was at the beach. It is so rewarding to take a photo that captures what I saw in the way I saw it. I feel like I have learned to do this in the majority of my shots. And I suppose having two favorite photos is not the worst problem to have :o). Which one is your favorite?

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss1/200, f/13 (full manual)

Taken in Wheeler, Oregon

Post Processing: Basic settings adjusted in Lightroom

Settings: ISO 100, 44mm, ss1/13, f/9.0 (full manual, on tripod)

Taken at Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon

Post Processing: Basic settings adjusted in Lightroom

"Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing." - William Butler Yeats


Linking up with the link ups below. Be sure to check out the other favorite shots!

  

Ending the Journey with a Sunset 10.29.11

As promised here are more photos from my journey north on the Oregon Coast. We ended our trip on Highway 101 in Astoria, Oregon. Right outside of Astoria is my favorite park, Fort Stevens State Park. We were lucky enough to make it to Fort Stevens just in time for sunset. This sunset was one of the most beautiful I have experienced and I have experienced quite a few :o). My goals was to capture the many colors of the sunset from a variety of angles. In post processing, I did some clean edits, with basic settings adjusted, spot removal on one photo and only felt the need to adjust white balance on the last two. I also played around with fill light to move two of the photos away from silhouettes. I would love to know what you think! Thank you for visiting!

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss1/80, f/16 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/50, f/18 (full manual)

 Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/200, f/5.6 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 100, 28mm, ss1/13, f/9.0 (full manual, on tripod)

Settings: ISO 100, 44mm, ss1/13, f/9.0 (full manual, on tripod)

"May your joys be as deep as the ocean, your sorrows as light as its foam.” - Unknown

Linking up with the link up below. Spend some time checking out the other shots, beautiful and inspiring!

 

Heading North on Highway 101 10.29.11

For today's post I thought I would take you on a trip on US Highway 101 from Lincoln City, Oregon to Cannon Beach, Oregon. If you have never experienced this coastal highway, I would highly recommend you put it on your must see list. The highway goes from Washington through Oregon and then California. It is full of beaches, sweeping vistas and charming little towns. This past weekend my mom and I drove from Lincoln City to Astoria on 101. It was the perfect day, with the sky a beautiful shade of blue. So naturally I had to stop at the viewpoints and parks along the way to snap some shots :o). Here are a few of my favorites (more to come tomorrow):

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss1/800, f/7.1 (full manual)
Taken at Road's End Park in Lincoln City, Oregon
Post Processing: Basic settings adjusted in Lightroom

Settings: ISO 100, 27mm, ss1/1000, f/10 (full manual)

Taken in Bay City, Oregon (I think?)

Post Processing: Basic settings adjusted in Lightroom

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss1/200, f/13 (full manual)

Taken in Wheeler, Oregon

Post Processing: Basic settings adjusted in Lightroom

Settings: ISO 100, 36mm, ss1/100, f/14 (full manual)

Taken in Cannon Beach, Oregon

Post Processing: Basic settings adjusted in Lightroom

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

Linking up with What's Up Wednesday and a new find Wild and Wonderful Wednesday. This certainly was a wonderful day. Take a moment to check out the other shots!

Tones on Tuesday #7 11.01.11

It's time for Tones on Tuesday! I am excited to see your altered tone photos. But before we get to the link up, here are the showcased shots from last week. Such amazing shots made it very hard to choose! If you are showcased, be sure to grab your showcase button below!


Lynette at Lynette Batton Photography

I love the feel that the black and white edit gives this shot, a bit desolate but also intriguing. Thank you for sharing and linking up Lynette!

Kim at Little by Little

Such an adorable shot! He looks like such a little man and the soft tones adds a great vintage feel. Thank you for joining us Kim!

Lisa at Lisa Gordon Photography

It was wonderful to see some altered tone photos that were still in color. The soft and dreamy nature of this shot with the simple subject and the bright tones is simply stunning! Thank you for sharing Lisa. 

Be sure to grab your button if you were showcased! (button for linking up can be found after the guidelines)

<br /> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nb2adXWvuDU/Tp0bdkcJBlI/AAAAAAAAAM8/34ueiklmgZc/s1600/showcasedtt.jpg"></a> <br />

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here is 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.
• 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 to your post
• Leave comments for the other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<br /> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oheKkR_BFoQ/ToqWTprynwI/AAAAAAAAAJE/eQ5mj0lgqx4/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> <br />

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

During my exploration of the Oregon Coast this weekend my mom and I drove up US Highway 101 starting in Lincoln City and ending with a stop in Astoria, Oregon to show off my new car to my dad who lives there. Along the way we stopped in Rockaway Beach, Manzanita and Cannon Beach. In Cannon Beach we ate at my favorite restaurant Mo's and then spent some time on the beach. I captured this shot of the sun filtered through the clouds behind this interesting plant. I thought it was so cool the way it turned out SOOC, almost black and white. To alter the tones I upped the vibrance and saturation in Lightroom. If you have been following along with my blog you are well aware of my love affair with the beach, which brings me to my photo tip for this Tuesday. I have been stretching myself as a photographer lately by trying out other types of photography such as portrait photography and going to unusual places to shoot such as the Tmobile Office Building. I love what I have been learning, but there is something grounding about shooting what you love. I will continue to stretch and grow, but I will always be drawn to the beach. Photography is all about balance!

Settings: ISO 100, 27mm, ss1/1000, f/18 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Edited in Lightroom

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." - Oprah Winfrey

Joining the link ups below, Sweet Shot Tuesday is back :o)! Be sure to check out the beautiful shots!