Tones on Tuesday #25 3.06.12

Welcome back! I am so excited to be back on track and able to share with you the images that inspired me from last week's Tones on Tuesday. Thank you to those who have stuck with this link up and to those who are joining for the first time! Now on to the showcases, which all happen to be black and white this week (not intended, but I do love black and white)...


Clairejustine at Clairjustineoxox

I love this sort of shot - the hallway, a tree lined path, etc. - there is something about the solitude and the invitation to walk down and see what is on the other side. The light in this photo is perfect and I love how the black and white adds a sense of drama. Thank you for sharing Clairejustine!

Daogreer Earth Works

Another instance of amazing lighting and dramatic black and white. I love the detail in the glass and the imperfections. If you have not read the story behind this you should check it out, it brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Michelle at Photography by Michelle

This shot is breathtaking! I love the eye contact with the camera she has and how you can see an innocence, but yet a wiseness. Not to mention the catchlights in her eyes and the light in her hair. Beautiful softness with the black and white. Thank you for linking up Michelle!

Clairejustine, Daogreer Earth Works 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 am sharing a photo I took following my brother's birthday celebration on Saturday. After we finished at Alki we headed to REI (his favorite store) where I got the coolest camera backpack I will share later this week and then we headed to Kirkland for one more store stop. We ended the day with a visit to the Marina Park in the middle of downtown. It was amazingly windy, but the sun was shining and the park was full of life. On one of the docks there was a line of lights. I was fascinated by the sun shining through the light from behind. My goal was to capture the effect that enthralled me as well as the lines of the light. I think the silhouette worked out well and I love how the imperfections in the light can be seen and give some grit to the photo. In processing I did a color edit where I worked with the basic settings to make the blue more vibrant and a black and white edit where I wanted to play up the light. I am not sure which I am more partial to, what do you think?

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/3200, f/8.0 (full manual, sunlight wb)

"The difficulties you meet will resolve themselves as you advance. Proceed, and light will dawn, and shine with increasing clearness on your path." - Jim Rohn

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

    

Cormorant on Alki 3.03.12

This weekend was my brother's birthday. My brother is younger than me and as he has grown up I find it strange to remember him when he was younger and see the person he is turning into. A kind, wise person who I look up to (both literally and figuratively) and who I could not be prouder of. Happy Birthday brother of mine!

In celebration of his birthday my mom, brother, his girlfriend and I headed to Salty's on Alki for their famous weekend brunch buffet. It was amazing! The carmel cinnamon rolls, the chocolate fountain, the mac and cheese and the eggs benedict were just some of the delicious food we got to sample. And all of it was enjoyed while looking out over the water at the Seattle Skyline on the other side. Following the meal we drove a little ways down from the restaurant and stopped to take pictures (one of the hazards my brother faces with a sister and a girlfriend who love photography). 

I even took a family photo using my tripod, which means I am actually in another photograph and I am willing to post it on my blog. Small steps toward those goals of mine :o).

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/320, f/7.1 (full manual, cloudy wb)

It had actually turned into a pretty day with a bit of blue sky breaking up the overcast clouds. There were some cormorants resting on the pilings and bracing themselves against the wind. This meant their heads were tucked in, but every once and a while they would peek their heads out and the stunning yellow and orange of their beaks would show. That is what happened in this photo. My goal was to capture the cormorant with the Space Needle in the background. I loved the parallel lines and the juxtaposition of nature with the bird versus man-made with the structure. In processing I cropped to fill the frame with those two objects, added some saturation and vibrance and worked with the tone curve to make the colors pop a bit more. 

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

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces." - George Santayana

     

Project 64: Red Orange and Violet Red

Catching up on Project 64 with last week and this week's colors. I had to go into the archives as I have been working to get back on track with everything I am participating in, but it was a fun walk down memory lane. First last week's color was red orange:

This photo was taken on the Long Beach Peninsula during an amazing sunset! My goal was of course to capture the beautiful colors, but also to capture the sun going down with some definition, which I have not been able to do before. I think I accomplished that here. Other than a slight straightening this photo is SOOC.

Settings: ISO 200, 163mm, ss1/250, f/10 

(full manual, sunlight wb, SOOC with cropping)

And now, this week's color is Violet Red:

This photo was taken at Balloons Over Bend in Bend, Oregon. This was taken before I started my journey into photographing on manual. My goal was to capture all 3 balloons lit up and the beautiful colors. In Lightroom, I did minor work with the tone curve, upped the blacks and the saturation and vibrancy. 

Settings: ISO 1600, 18mm, ss1/15, f/3.5 (full auto)

"It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade." - Erno Rubik

  

What I Learned From Critique Me

I often mention Courtney and her site Click it Up a Notch here on the blog. I cannot say enough good things about what it has done for me. It gave me the confidence to try manual with Courtney's information and her support and feedback. I love her information and the way she looks at all aspects of photography in the types of topics she covers. She also hosts a weekly feature called Critique Me, where photographers submit a photo and other photographer's critique the image. I have participated by providing critiques for many images and I feel like it has helped me to see things I otherwise would not have seen. It really does help train your eye as Courtney says :o).

So I decided to submit an image. I was a little nervous, but at the same time I was looking forward to seeing my photo through other's eyes. I find that critiques done in a positive manner are an amazing way to learn and grow as a photographer. I must say that I was not disappointed :o). In an effort to process what I gained from the experience I am going share the things I learned about my image and about my photography. 

First of all, here is the image I submitted:

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/1250, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb, SOOC)

It was taken on New Year's Day at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park in the town of Cannon Beach, Oregon with my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Lens, a Christmas present. It was a beautiful day on the Oregon Coast, my favorite place to travel to take photos and I spent a lot of time walking the beach and photographing the different views and the changing light. What I liked about this photo was the way it captured the bit of the stormy feel to the clouds, the colors of the sky, the feel of the waves and the reflection on the beach. I first posted this photo with my photography goals for the year. You can see more photos from this adventure here, here and here. 

With that said, I went into the Critique Me process wanting to know what I wasn't seeing because I was so enamored with this photo and the experience it captured. 9 people responded with wonderful compliments and suggestions for improvement. I decided to take each critique and edit the photo and then do a final edit combining what I gained from the experience as a whole. 

Here are the edits based on the critiques. Click to make them bigger...

In order - 1. cropped and upped the saturation/vibrance, 2. cropped out some of the beach, 3. cropped out some of the sky, 4. less severe crop, 5. upped the saturation, blacks and contrast and adjusted the watermark, 6. subtle crop and adjusted the watermark.

Based on the critiques and the editing process here are just a few things I learned that I want to put into practice as I go forward:

1. Being more cognizant of the whole frame and of the rule of thirds - I am aware of the rule of thirds and the power it has to draw the eye in a photo. When I am out "in the field" so to speak :o), I am often so focused on getting the settings right that I am not conscious of looking at the whole frame. I try so hard to capture the landscape as it and as it feels to me (hence the focus on the settings) that other aspects fall away. My goal going forward is to be more aware of the whole frame and of the placement of the horizon and other key parts of the scene in the frame. 

2. Trying to capture "less" in one photo - Since I began this photography journey a focus of mine has been to identify my intention or goal with a photo. This has been coming easier to me, but I often find that I have more than one intention. While this works for me as I know what I want the photo to say and why I made the choices I did, I don't think it translates as well when I am trying to evoke a feeling with a photo. Therefore, I am going to try to hone in on one thing that I want to communicate with each photo. Less can be more :o).

Hopefully you are still reading or maybe you just scrolled down to the results of my Critique Me journey, which works too :o)! Lastly, I want to share a final edit I did after the critiques and thank each and every person who provided feedback. The process has been invaluable and one of the most powerful catalysts for growth I have encountered on my photography journey thus far. Thank you Erica, Amber, Kim, Laura, Benita, Rachel, Laureen, Alessandra and Beth for your positivity and suggestions! And of course a huge thank you to Courtney for this opportunity!

For this final edit in Lightroom I did a slight crop to a more natural break in the rocks and to break up the photo more by thirds. I upped the saturation/vibrance, blacks and contrast and did some work in the tone curve to decrease the lights and shadows and increase the darks. I also decreased the size and opacity of the watermark.

"Feedback is the breakfast of champions." - Ken Blanchard

I would love to know what you think of the final image in order to continue this unique chance for growth!

Linking up to SOOC Saturday, check out the other SOOC shots! Also linking up with The Simple Things and Scenic Sunday. Be sure to take a look at the beautiful photos there as well! And of course Click it Up a Notch :o). 

  

Favorite Photo of the Week: Portland at Night and Eagle Eyes

I tried really hard to pick one photo to post as my favorite, but I felt compelled to pick two. In both cases, I felt really proud of the shots I was able to capture and the experience of these moments. I hope you don't mind the double favorites :o).

Portland at Night

Settings: ISO 400, 18mm, ss3.2sec, f/7.1 (full manual, on tripod, tungsten wb)

 

Bald Eagle in a Tree Over Siletz Bay

A leap forward on my bucket list...

Settings: ISO 200, 250mm, ss1/640, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)

     

"Every great work, every big accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement." - Florence Scovel Shinn

Bucket List: A Bald Eagle in Siletz Bay 2.19.12

There is a place in Lincoln City tucked in the middle of sea side houses where the Siletz Bay moves in and out over the driftwood covered beach. I go to this place every time I visit Lincoln City and I am never disappointed. One of the best parts of this area is the amazing wildlife that I see each time. In past visits I have seen cranes and various sea birds, as well as seals. This time I was lucky to see a bald eagle and even more amazing to capture a few photos.

My dad has a background with birds of prey and his passion has led me to be fascinated with these amazing animals. Photographing a bald eagle has been on my bucket list for a while now and I felt privileged to get this opportunity. I noticed a larger bird flying with the seagulls and being pestered by them. When the larger bird landed I was shocked to see it was a bald eagle. Despite the wind and my telephoto lens being a difficult combination, I feel accomplished to have got this shot before the eagle flew away.

I am pretty pleased with these images, what do you think?

Settings: ISO 200, 250mm, ss1/640, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)

I could not resist taking the above photo and cropping it.

I love the texture of his or her feathers!

I think he was checking out the lady with the camera :o)!

Settings: ISO 200, 250mm, ss1/640, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)

And the cropped close up...

"It's a great event to get outside and enjoy nature. I find it very exciting no matter how many times I see bald eagles." - Karen Armstrong