Reverse 365: Catch Up

I have been in an editing rut lately. I haven't found any new tutorials to inspire me and the point I am at in looking back through last year's photos was a time when I was not inspired by what I was shooting. That coupled with a lack of time has me behind once again. Oh well, there is nothing to do but move forward!

Settings: ISO 800, 100mm, ss1/250, f/3.5

Date: September 29th, 2012

Location: Volunteer Park Conservatory

Macro Fun with the Clickin Walk Ladies

128/365 - May 8th, 2013

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss1/500, f/8.0

Date: September 29th, 2012

Location: Louisa Boren Park, Seattle, WA

After the Clickin Walk

129/365 - May 9th, 2013

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1.3sec, f/9.0 (on tripod)

Date: October 7th, 2012

Location: Kerry Park, Seattle, WA at Sunrise

130/365 - May 10th, 2013

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/250, f/11

Date: October 14th, 2012

Location: Mount Rainier National Park, Before the Storm

131/365 - May 11th, 2013

 Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/160, f/11

Date: October 14th, 2012

Location: Mount Rainier National Park, Before the Storm

132/365 - May 12th, 2013

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/100, f/11

Date: October 14th, 2012

Location: Enumclaw, WA

133/365 - May 13th, 2013

"Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." - Oprah Winfrey

Project 52: Week 18/52

I mentioned on Tuesday that I had an amazing photography experience on Saturday. Let me set the stage, on Friday at 8:00pm I saw on Facebook that the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival would be having balloons launching the next morning starting at 5:45am. The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm is located in Woodburn, Oregon and that is a 3 1/2 hour drive from my house. I had seen the same post last weekend, but I had other plans. With weather conditions being ever changing in the Pacific Northwest, the balloon pilots only give notice the night before. I said at the time I would go the next time around, not expecting it to be the very next weekend. 

Upon seeing the post, I went to bed immediately. I woke up at 1am and my wonderful mother and I left at 2am. I am so glad she came along as she drove down while I slept and I drove back while she did. We arrived after 3 1/2 hours right as the balloon pilots were pulling in and the sun was just coming up behind Mount Hood. It was quiet in the field, with only the sounds of the balloonists firing up the hot air and other photographers talking about how to get the shot. It was one of those experiences where you marvel at the fact that you get to be there as you take it all in. 

Below is a collection of images from the morning, including all 4 of the balloons that took off that day. I was cursing the fact that I did not have a wider angle lens because my best photo came from my iPhone. I used PicTapGo for editing. If you have an iPhone I highly recommend it! It is amazing!

Even so, I feel like I was able to capture some of the magic with my 50mm and 100mm. After shooting at the tulip field we tried to go see Mount Hood near some lakes, but the roads were closed for the winter. So, I climbed a trail up near some power lines where the road was closed and was able to get the last two shots of the mountain. There is something so elegant about Mount Hood and I just loved those clouds. It was such an amazing day even with the lens issues and struggles with light. The challenges just added to the experience!

I would love to know your thoughts and favorites! 

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss0.4sec, f/16

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/5sec, f/22

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss1/10sec, f/14

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/160, f/14

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/250, f/9.0

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/400, f/9.0

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss1/400, f/9.0

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss1/800, f/4.5

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/1000, f/4.0

Settings: ISO 400, 100mm, ss1/400, f/16

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/400, f/16

"A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety." - Ansel Adams

          

Reverse 365: April 2013 Wrap-Up

Number of Photos: 30
Locations: Illwaco, WA / Pacific Science Center / Seattle, WA / Commencement Bay, Tacoma, WA / Point Defiance Gardens / Oregon Coast / Sunset Lake / The Cove Normandy Park, WA / Wenatchee, WA / Lake Chelan, WA / Vancouver, WA / Washington Coast / Puyallup Fair / Louisa Boren Park, Seattle, WA / Issaquah, WA
Editing Techniques Used: Lightroom Tips
Tutorials Used: 10 Quick and Easy Lightroom Tricks

What I Learned: Lightroom is even more amazing than I knew it was! The tutorial I used above was filled with a bunch of tricks with features I hadn't used in Lightroom before. My favorites were stacking brushes and the luminance sliders. It opened my eyes to the potential that exists in the program. I can't wait to learn more uses for it as the year continues. I also discovered this month the power of RAW I was not taping into. I have shot RAW for a long time, but when I open them in Lightroom I usually leave the default settings the program puts on the photo. This month I started "zeroing" out the photos and it has allowed me so much more flexibility with my photos. I have been able to save some that I thought were not savable. It has really helped me in my present day editing as well.

Reverse 365: February 2013 Wrap-Up

Another month, another wrap up of my Reverse 365 Project for February 2013. I am still amazed that I am keeping up with and enjoying this process so much. I am looking forward to Month #3. 

Number of photos: 28
Locations: Tolmie State Park near Olympia, WA / Around my house / Semiahmoo, WA / Birch Bay, WA / Lincoln City, OR / Siletz Bay, Lincoln City, OR
Editing Techniques Focus: Gradient Tool in Lightroom and HDR Process in Photoshop
Tutorials Used: HDR Process for Photoshop and Creating a Collage Template in Lightroom 

What I Learned: There will always be people who don't like your work or who don't see your photographs the way that you do. And that is ok! I am beginning to discover through this process that photography is truly an art form. Especially when it comes to the editing process. I know there are people out there who don't believe that but art is expression of vision and that is what I try to do with my photography. Express what I see. I have also learned this month that editing is a valuable part of the process. I love getting it right straight out of camera and I always will, but I am starting to value editing more and more and not see it as a scary thing that might "ruin" what I trying to express. Instead it can and does often enhance and better portray my vision. 

Reverse 365: Creative Spirit - Day 32/365 2.1.13

New month, new editing focus for the Reverse 365. I am working on becoming familiar with the gradient tool in Lightroom. I am still searching for something to work on in Photoshop. With this photo I was trying out the Zone System when shooting, which made the editing fairly simple. It only needed a quick pass with the gradient tool on the sky and mountains. 

Settings: ISO 200, 146mm, ss1/400, f/13

Date: April 6th, 2012

Location: Tolmie State Park near Olympia, Washington

"From inaccessible mountain range by way of desert untrod by human foot to the ends of the unknown seas, the breath of the everlasting creative spirit is felt, rejoicing over every speck of dust that hearkens to it and lives." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Reverse 365: January 2013 Wrap-Up

I cannot believe that I did it, I posted a photo a day for a month! I am doing a Reverse 365 where I edit a photo from last year that I have not edited or posted previously. Each month, I plan to reflect on my progress and showcase the month of photos in a collage. So here goes January 2013...

Number of photos: 31
Locations: Around my house / Tokeland, WA / Long Beach, WA / Siletz Bay, OR / Beverly Beach, OR / Alki, WA / Kirkland, WA / Clark Lake Park, Kent, WA / Seattle Ferry Terminal, Seattle, WA / Seattle - Bremerton Ferry, WA / Bremerton - Seattle Ferry, WA / Mount Vernon, WA / Chuckanut Drive, Mount Vernon, WA
Editing Techniques Focus: Adjustment Brush in Lightroom and Soft Glow in Photoshop
Tutorials Used: Soft Glow in Photoshop and Creating a Collage Template in Lightroom (though I did the text in Photoshop as I could not make it work with the Slideshow mode)

What I Learned: The biggest thing that I learned during this process is that I find many more photos I "like" when I give it a little time. Initially after a shoot I often look at the photos and feel disappointed that I didn't get more "good" ones. I think that is because my goal is to get my shots to be the best they can SOOC (straight out of camera). With this process the goal is to edit photos so they don't necessarily have to be the best SOOC. That coupled with some time away from the images has made this whole thing a truly enjoyable process. I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

*I also learned a lot about the adjustment brush and the soft glow that I will be sharing in a future tips and tricks post.*

I am looking for more Project 365, Reverse Project 365 and Project 52s to follow. If you have one and would be willing to share let me know in the comments or on the Facebook page.

Wordless Wednesday: The Ever Changing Sunsets

One of the most majestic things about sunsets is that they are always changing. From one day to the next, from one moment to the next, there is stunning beauty and a timeless feel. I love the challenge of capturing something that utterly captivates me and how each time I set out to photograph it is a unique experience. These photos are two different sunsets - one on Friday at Birch Bay in northern Washington and one from Saturday in Lincoln City, Oregon on Siletz Bay.

ISO 200, 240 mm, ss1/500, f/9.0 (sunlight wb)

Intent: The amazing color of the sunset and the light against the clouds

LR Processing: Clean edit to add pop to the color balance

Location: Birch Bay, WA

ISO 200, 41mm, ss1/160, f/7.1 (sunlight wb)

Intent: To capture the beautiful colors and the texture of the silhouette

LR Processing: Clean edit to make the colors more vibrant and the blacks darker
Location: Birch Bay, WA

ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/250, f/11 (sunlight wb)

Intent: To convey the beauty of the soft sunset

LR Processing: Clean edit to balance the foreground with the background

Location: Lincoln City, OR - Siletz Bay

ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/40, f/11 (sunlight wb)

Intent: The vast feel of the space and the lovely array of colors

LR Processing: Clean edit to make everything more vibrant

Location: Lincoln City, OR - Siletz Bay

"I love to be here at the beach to watch the sunset - the greatest performance of Nature.  Like in a theater, but it’s free." - Gina De Gorna

     

Favorite Photo of the Week: Lake and a Sunset 2.11.12

An extremely busy and stressful week ends. It was a week filled with disappointments, but also with moments of blessings that filled me with hope. While I may not have captured those moments with my camera, I love that I am able to capture the same feelings in my photos. The two photos below do just that, the first seems like a physical manifestation of radiant hope and the second is just one of those blessed moments. 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/100, f/7.1 

(full manual, spot removal and a bit of a creative edit in Lightroom)

    

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/100, f/7.1 

(full manual, cloudy wb, preset applied in Lightroom)

  

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all." - Emily Dickinson

Tones on Tuesday #19 1.24.12

I am so glad the snow, ice and power outage did not keep me from getting Tones on Tuesday up! I know I say this every week, but I so enjoy seeing your work, learning from you and being inspired. Thank you for linking up! Now on with the showcases from last week (which seems so long ago due to the week I have had)...

Kristy from LifenReflection

Kristy is one of those photographers who has a distinct style. I love the collages that tell a beautiful story and the softness and texture of her photos. Another stunning job Kristy, and just what I needed after the crazy winter weather!

Melissa at Serendipity is Sweet

I love the power of black and white to freeze time in a way that color photos cannot. This photo is a lovely example of that. Not only is the subject adorable, but the combination of tones and contemplative expression makes this one of those photos that tells a story. Thank you for sharing and linking up Melissa!

Nancy at A Rural Journal

What a beautifully simple photo! And yet it is so dramatic with the tones and the texture. Great job Nancy!

Kristy, Melissa and Nancy please go HERE to grab your showcase button. 

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!

<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.

One of the positive byproducts of the snow week was having the opportunity to spend time taking pictures around my house. One Wednesday, day 4 of snow and day 2 of snow days, there was a group of at least 30 robins who were flying among the trees in the back yard presumably trying to stay warm. My goal was to capture the robins, the snow on the trees and the snow falling. I must say that wildlife photography is difficult, yet rewarding. What I learned from shooting the robins is try to set your setting as quickly as possible and be patient. It took a while for the robins to become comfortable with my presence and the zoom lens sure helped :o). The first shot is SOOC and the second is a black and white conversion in Lightroom with the basic settings adjusted. 

If you love snow and ice shots be sure to come back this week as that is all I from the past week. I am glad to be decompressing and thawing out! I would love to know what you think and if you prefer the color or black and white. 

Settings: ISO 400, 250mm, ss1/160, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Converted to black and white in Lightroom

"Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain." - Doug Coupland

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