Tones on Tuesday #38 07.10.12

Welcome back or welcome for the first time! Thank you for sharing your amazing photos. Here are a few from last week that captured my attention...

Bunch of Barrons

I love the whimsy feel of this photo and the bright vibrant colors. It looks like the perfect summer day and an amazing family moment. Thank you for sharing!

Candy at Lazy J Bar C Farm

I love the use of selective color here to emphasize the flags. It adds to the symbolism and patriotism of the photo. Thank you for linking up Candy!

Molly at Mixed Molly Designs

The soft light is beautiful and the depth of field gives the sense of movement that has me imagining I am there listening to the grasses rustle in the wind. Thank you for sharing with us Molly!

Bunch of Barrons, Candy and Molly 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.

Settings: ISO 200, 55mm, ss1/125, f/5.6 (shade wb, lens hood)

"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul." - Thomas Merton

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

      

Favorite Photo of the Week: Fireworks Over the Columbia 7.4.12

This is one of those rare occasions when I knew exactly what type of photo I would pick for my favorite of the week. I knew it had to be a fireworks shot. Not only is it from my favorite holiday, but I did a lot of prep work to get the photos and am really proud of the results. Picking which firework shot was a little harder! I decided on the shot below as it is not only visually appealing, but it captures my perception of the scene so well as it brings together the beautiful setting with the amazing fireworks.

To read about how I got this shot and see others, check out this blog post. 

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss12secs, f/11 (on tripod, shutter on bulb)

"Fireworks are an art form that uses the night sky as the canvas." - Larry Crump

            

Fourth of July 2012!

My favorite holiday just happens to be Fourth of July. I connect with the sense of patriotism and the ideals of freedom, sacrifice and bravery. And then there are the fireworks! There is just something about a fireworks display that makes me happy. The color, the sense of wonder and the sheer beauty is such a wonderful way to celebrate this country that I live in and those who have made and continue to make it possible for me to live free.

For this Fourth of July I am visiting my dad who lives in Astoria, Oregon where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. They have a fireworks display over the Columbia that is done from the East Mooring Basin. I had never been, but was excited to experience a new fireworks display with my dad. We got there a couple of hours before the fireworks were set to start which was perfect timing because we were able to park right across from where the fireworks were going to be set off before the parking lot got full. While we waited I spent some time scoping out the area and photographing the sunset.

Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/320, f/22 (sunlight wb)

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss1/30, f/22 (sunlight wb)

Finally, the sun dipped below the horizon and that meant the second amazing show of the night was going to begin. I wasn't sure where would be the best vantage point to see the display, so I just found where the tripods and photographers were lining up :o). Last year I got a few good firework shots using auto mode. This year I was determined to shoot in manual and be more intentional about my shots. Prior to heading out I read a couple tutorials, one from The Organic Bloom and one from Digital Photography School. 

For my set up I used my tripod, my 18-55mm lens and my remote control. I set the ISO to 100 to prevent grainy images, my aperture to f/11 to get a wide depth of field, manual focused so that the whole scene was in focus and set my shutter speed to bulb (which leaves the shutter open from when you press the remote button until you press the it again). I had never tried this type of set up before so I really didn't know how it would work out, but once the fireworks started I got into a rhythm. With my remote and the timer on my camera I had two seconds before the shutter opened and then I left it open between 3-12 seconds depending on how many fireworks were going off and how many I wanted in the shot. After a while I found that the best timing was to hit the remote right when I heard the boom and to leave the shutter open until the firework(s) began to fizzle out. 

I LOVE the results. They are so different from what I captured last year and I feel like the preparation really paid off. The 3 shots below are from the beginning, middle and the finale of the show. I really like the trails of the firework reaching the sky, the colors and the framing around the fireworks. For editing I did basic settings in Lightroom on all and for the second shot a removal of distractions and the Fresh and Colorful action by Pioneer Woman in Photoshop. I think the first one is my favorite, but that could be due to the sunset :o). What do you think? 

I hope you had an amazing, safe and fun fourth!

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss12secs, f/11 (on tripod, shutter on bulb)

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss7secs, f/11 (on tripod, shutter on bulb)

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss7secs, f/11 (on tripod, shutter on bulb)

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -  The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

    

Also linking up for the Firework Challenge at Kent Weakley's Blog

Tones on Tuesday #37 07.03.12

I cannot believe that June is over! The school year ended, I closed down my classroom and said good bye to another group of students. It is always bitter sweet and usually comes with an illness of some sort. Hence, the reason there was no Tones on Tuesday last week as my body adjusted to the change in lifestyle.

I have big plans this summer for the blog and my photography, including regular posting and keeping up Tones on Tuesday. So without further ado, here are the six photos from the last link up. Thank you for sharing your talent and beautiful photos!

Elena at Cropped Stories

What an adorable little girl and a beautiful photo! The softness of the black and white works perfectly with her curious expression. Thank you for sharing Elena!

Desirae at The Not So Ugly Ducklings

I love how the HDR effect gives such a mood and mystery to this photo. The color and composition are amazing too! Thank you for sharing with us Desirae!

Jaymi at Live, Love, Travel

The detail in this shot is amazing! I love the vantage point and the vibrancy of the colors. I love how Jaymi included information on how she used a polarizing filter to achieve this in her blog post. I am putting it on my list of things to purchase. Thank you for sharing your photo and your information Jaymi!

Mona at Mona's Picturesque

This photo does an amazing job of transporting you to this place and moment. The colors of lovely and the texture adds to the overall feeling of a breezy summer day. Thank you for sharing Mona!

Kelly-Marie at Our Footprints on the World

Could he be any more of a cutie? I of course love the beach backdrop and I love the expression captured. What a great photo! Thank you for sharing Kelly-Marie!

Laurie at Pride in Photos

The title of this photo is "An Aunt's Love" and that is exactly what is captured here. The colors are stunning, the moment priceless and I am so glad you shared it with us Laurie!

Elena, Desirae, Jaymi, Mona, Kelly-Marie and Laurie 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 mentioned last time that I went to a place called the Quincy Wildlife Recreation Area in Eastern Washington near where I went to college. It is no secret that I love sunset photos, but my comfort zone with sunsets is the beach. I always fall into a rhythm that provides me with a sense of success. However, I have lately been wanting to experiment with sunsets and branch out from my typical scenery. Not only was the Qunicy Wildlife Recreation Area an amazing place filled with a ton of lakes and amazing wildlife, it was also the perfect opportunity to stretch myself. I shared another sunset photo taken on the way home here, but this photo was taken in the park before the sun had really begun to set.  My goal was to capture the sunburst and the color and texture of the sky. I had to brighten this up and do some work on the colors to make the sky pop the way it did in reality. I am very happy with how the serenity of the moment is portrayed in the photo, but I am a little unsure of the processing. I would love to know your thoughts!

Settings: ISO 200, 29mm, ss1/160, f/25 (sunlight wb)

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit." -  E. E. Cummings

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