A Sight to Behold 3.18.12

Many things can be said about the weather in the Pacific Northwest and many people (myself included at times) will lament about the woes of the ever present threat of rain and the overcast skies. When you see this, however, it just all makes sense. Without the bitter, this would not be near as sweet!

Taken from the ferry on the way back from Bremerton to Seattle, WA.

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/500, f/7.1 (cloudy wb)

Intent: The leading lines of the ferry rail pointing to the intersection of the sunset sky and the stormy clouds (where the bitter and the sweet meet :o)

Processing: Basic settings in Lightroom adjusted with emphasis on the upping the colors through the vibrance, saturation and tone curve

"I like this life. I like it when it's hard, and I like it better when it's not, but I know you don't get the sweet part without the bitter." - Holly Near

   

The Charm of Clark Lake Park 3.8.12

charm (noun) - 1. the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration; 2. an attractive or alluring characteristic

There is something so charming about a local park tucked away in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. Clark Lake Park is a peaceful place situated in between two busy main roads. As you walk into the park the sounds of road die away and you are left to explore the winding trails and meander around the lake. Last week as I took a break to enjoy and photograph the park I was drawn to setting sun moving toward the rolling hills. I took this photo and was unimpressed. It just didn't capture what I wanted it to. I wanted to show the vastness of the space and the bright sun. As I looked at the picture on my camera screen it just didn't give me that feel. 

Then I came home and opened it in Lightroom and still felt disappointed by what I saw. I decided to try editing it anyway. I started by removing the distracting flares. I did a clean edit to balance the light and color a bit more. Then for fun I applied a preset called HDR Effect - Medium (which I unfortunately cannot remember where I got at this moment). What do you think? I would love to know your thoughts. Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/50, f/22 (sunlight wb, SOOC)

Intention: Vastness of the grassy hills and bright sun

Clean Edit in Lightroom to remove flares and balance colors

Lightroom Preset applied - HDR Effect - Medium

"The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears"

- The Sound of Music

 

     

Favorite Photo of the Week: Spring Sunset at Clark Lake Park 3.8.12

This week, it was again difficult to pick a favorite photo. I had the opportunity to shoot an amazing sunset in the middle of the work week. And when it comes to sunsets, if you follow along, you know that I can't get enough of them. This means that when I have a week devoted to sunset pictures, I find it nearly impossible to pick just one. However, there was something about this one that spoke to me. For one, I really thought about the angle of this shot and the composition and framing with the purpose of using the lines of the dock to highlight the focal point of the photo, the sunset. This left me feeling accomplished as it is something I was working after being critiqued at Click it Up a Notch. I also love how it turned out and that it is SOOC, which always leave me feeling pride in my work. I also chose this photo as the theme for P52 this week is "Eyes of March." This was the perfect sight to behold as March began. I would love to know your thoughts on this photo. Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/200, f/11 (sunlight wb, SOOC)

Intention: The lines of the dock pointing to the sunset

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein

         

Looking Up at Clark Lake 3.8.12

Sometimes when you look up you see the most beautiful things that may otherwise have gone unnoticed...

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/160, f/22 (sunlight wb)

Intention: The bright blue sky and the wispy clouds

Settings: ISO 200, 28mm, ss1/500, f/7.1 (sunlight wb)

Intention: The vibrant sky against the tree

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/60, f/11 (sunlight wb)

Intention: The texture and shape of the tree against the setting sun

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls." - Joseph Campbell

 

Wordless Wednesday: Clark Lake Park 3.8.12

I love visiting national, state and local parks not only for their scenic beauty, but also for the unexpected places within them that are beautiful in a different way. These shots were taken at Clark Lake Park and were areas I happened upon that caught my attention and pulled me in. I was also able to capture the color for this week at Project 64 in the first and last shots. Clean edits in Lightroom for processing. Do you like to shoot the grand sweeping scenes or the finer details? Or maybe like me both :o)? Happy Wednesday!

Color for this week's Project 64

Settings: ISO 200, 37mm, ss1/250, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Intention: The sun hitting the water amidst the grasses

Settings: ISO 200, 34mm, ss1/500, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)
Intention: The bright sky and the meandering path

Settings: ISO 200, 36mm, ss1/250, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)
Intention: The sun and the shadows on the path

“Let your thoughts meander towards a sea of ideas.” - Leo D. Minnigh


     

Tones on Tuesday #26 3.13.12

It's Tuesday, which means it is time for another Tones on Tuesday! Each week you share the most beautiful images that make it so tough to pick just 3. Alas, that is my task and without further ado here they are!


Giorgio from Foto di Spalle

This photo is exquisite! The ethereal feel of the mist, the stately tree and the sun combine to make an impressive and inspiring photo. Thank you for sharing it with us Giorgio.

Shiju at Cranium Bolts

Stunning vibrant colors and beautiful depth of field! This is the epitome of Spring to me. Thank you for linking up your photo Shiju.

Mindy at A Day With Lil Mama Stuart

This perspective is strong and regal. The drama of the black and white tones along with the lighting make such an imposing photo. Thank you for sharing Mindy!

Giorgio, Shiju and Michelle 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 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.

For my photo today I decided to go a different route than I usually do. I went with a creative edit. To me, a creative edit means that you do not aim to make the photo look as close to the natural scene you saw. Instead you aim to put your artistic interpretation on it. So for this shot of the Clark Lake Park sunset, I decided to take what was already there and bring it out through making the colors vivid and bright, more so than could be considered natural. I did this in Lightroom by upping the vibrance and saturation to the same level (a trick I learned from Ashley Sisk back when she was hosting the edit part of Shoot and Edit) and then by using the tone curve and the HSL levels. This I learned from a friend of mine who is a contributor at Click it Up a Notch. Melissa had some great tips for the tone curve that I also applied to the HSL levels. I think because I do not usually go with creative edits, I kept this a little more on the subtle side in comparison to others' definitions of creative edits. For me, I simply love it! What do you think?

SOOC Photo

Settings: ISO 200, 21mm, ss1/60, f/11 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Creative Edit Photo

"Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties." - Gail Sheehy

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

    

Sunbursts Galore 3.8.12

Whether you call them sunbursts, starbursts or sun flares, there is no denying the beauty of seeing rays of sunlight in a photograph. Ever since I learned to capture them in September I have been fascinated with photographing the sun in this way. I love the magical quality it gives the photo and the way it adds definition to the sun. During my shoot at Clark Lake Park this past week I was once again compelled to shoot the sun with its majestic rays. It was a rare day filled with warmth and sunlight. What better way to photograph it than through sunbursts :o)? My tip for shooting sunbursts is a high aperture. I use some where between 22 and 29 depending on which lens I am using and the available light.

For this first shot, I wanted to capture the reflection of the sun in the lake as the water was still and calm, almost like glass. I purposefully put the tree line in the middle and did not use the rule of thirds as I wanted to play up the duality of the suns. In processing I removed some distracting flare (a hazard of shooting sunbursts that I am not sure how to correct while shooting...tips are welcome :o) and worked with the basic settings for a clean edit.

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/320, f/22 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Intention: Dual suns and reflections

In this second photo, my goal was to capture the colors of the sun sinking below the horizon through the silhouette of the trees. In processing I removed another distracting sun flare (I left a bit of it in this time as it was very difficult to edit out entirely) and added some vibrancy to the sunset sky. 

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/160, f/22 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Intention: Sunset silhouette

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun." - Pablo Picasso