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Tag Archives: Nik Color Efex 4
Going Nowhere Fast
OK Maybe I’m enjoying all this old rust a little too much, but it’s so much fun!
I will admit that I “tweaked” the leaves a bit using Nik Color Efex Pro 4′s Indian Summer preset. The green leaves just didn’t go well. In a week or two it will look like this anyhow so I’m not a cheater, just a time traveller. 
Posted in Pic of the Day
Also tagged cars, HDR, junk cars, mcleans wrecking yard, Photomatix Pro 4, rusty cars, urbex
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Stephen Kings Typewriter?
We had a great weekend with my good friend Rick Sammon and his wife Susan when they came to Southern Ontario for a two day workshop. Rick spent the first day giving a very inspiring photo-essay of his favorite images as well as a brilliant Speed Lite class. It’s amazing what you can do with a single light.
Day two was even more fun. We headed back to the wrecking yard (see previous photos) and taught an HDR class. We were in for a nice bonus when our model from Saturday agreed to join us on Sunday. The class loved being able to practice shooting on-scene model photography. The weather even cooperated.
At the junk yard, I noticed this typewriter piled into one of the rusting car shells. I had to grab a shot. I think it has a cool, spooky look to it. Kind of fitting as we come up on Halloween.
Have a great week everyone. I hope you’rs starts as well as mine ended.
Posted in Pic of the Day
Also tagged HDR, kevin pepper, mcleans wrecking yard, rick sammon, typewriter, urbex
2 Comments
West 6th Street – Cleveland, OH
Sometimes even the most ordinary of places can be magical if the light is right. It was dusk as I was walking down West 6th street in Cleveland a few weekends ago when I noticed the clouds at the far end of the block. The glow had a soft golden\orange hue that was just beautiful. I fired off a few frames to capture the moment and am pretty happy with the results. My only regret is that I wasn’t closer to the lake to get that same look with the water in the background. Oh well – next time.
Enjoy the day everyone.
Posted in Pic of the Day
Also tagged Cleveland, cleveland hdr, downtown Cleveland, HDR, Photomatix Pro 4, west 6th street
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Class Update: North Coast Harbor and Virginia Kendall Park – Cleveland, OH
I’m excited about Saturday’s new Composition in the Field class at Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor. Part class, part photo-walk, it should be a great location to have fun, learn a bit more about photography and enjoy a nice day by the lake. It’s a great location with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, Browns Stadium, etc. If you are in the area and are interested in a fun and informative morning check out the information on the Digital Photo Academy website. (May 5th, 2012)
If nature photography is more your style, I’m also teaching a Composition in the Field class at Virginia Kendall Park in Peninsula, OH from 2:00 – 5:00 pm on Sunday May 6th). It’s a great way to finish off a weekend. Info on this class can be found here.
Happy Monday everyone.
The Wyndham – Cleveland, OH
Posted in Pic of the Day
Also tagged Cleveland, cleveland oh, euclid Ave, HDR, Photomatix Pro 4, playhouse square, wyndham hotel
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The Day After St. Patricks Day – Cleveland, OH
400,000 crazy party goers tend to leave a bit of a mess.
The building in the background is the AT&T Huron Road building, formerly the Ohio Bell Building. It is an art deco style structure – once of very few in downtown Cleveland. Built in 1925, the building is 24 stories high. It was briefly the tallest building in the city, but the Terminal Tower dwarfed it a few years later.
Posted in Pic of the Day
Also tagged art deco, AT&T Huron Rd Building, Cleveland, downtown Cleveland, HDR, Modern American Perpendicular Gothic, Photomatix Pro 4
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The Cleveland Trust Company – Cleveland, OH
Sitting in the heart of downtown is the Cleveland Trust Bank Building. Built in 1908, it was designed by George B Post and features a glorious stained glass topped rotunda. The rotunda is 85 feet high and 60 feet in diameter and is decorated inside with murals by Francis Davis Millet, the world famous artist who lost his life on the Titanic.
It was my first bank branch as a teenager and I was always in awe of how beautiful the building was. Then the bank (Ameritrust at the time) was bought by another bank, which became yet another bank etc etc and the branch closed.
Too bad it is still closed to the public. Cuyahoga County bought it years ago, and in what can only be described as an act of governmental genius, lets it sit vacant most of the time. They do offer the occasional tour (and I do mean occasional – one day every few years it seems) but mostly this architectural and cultural gem sits empty. You would think with all of the effort to “sale” Cleveland as a destination they could find SOMETHING to do with the building.
I would love to shoot the interior one day. Hell I would even pay for the chance to shoot the interior (see pay – as in make opportunity to make money for the County). Until then though, taking pictures of the exterior will have to do.
Getting it in Focus using Helicon Focus
I’m always looking to push the limits of what my camera can do. That’s why I got into HDR photography – I liked the thought of pushing past the sensor limits when it came to light. Now I’m playing with another “limit extender” – Helicon Focus. Helicon focus allows you to create images with “infinite” sharpness throughout the image. Unlike just stopping your lens down, Helicon Focus allows you to shoot a series of shots at your “sweet spot” for sharpness and then combine the results in a way no lens can produce on its own.
I shot the above image with a Tokina 11-16mm lens at F/2.8. Even with the extra DOF shooting a wide-angle lens gives you, at 2.8, you can’t get the whole shot in focus. I think it turned out pretty good for such an early attempt. I created a little demo video to show you how easy it is and walk through the process. It’s easy, pretty cheap, and if you shoot landscape or macro, opens up a whole new world for you.
Posted in Photo Breakdown, Pic of the Day, Reviews
Also tagged extended focus, HDR, helicon focus, infinite focus
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Heading Home! – Cleveland, OH
I’m off to go spend a great early “spring” weekend in Cleveland. Friends, family, and more shooting opportunities. I love going home.
If anyone lives in the Midwest and is looking for a great, affordable place to shoot, it’s Cleveland. Cool architecture, museums, miles and miles of parks and wildlife, a world class zoo are just a few things that the city has to offer. I love New York and Chicago, but for 1/2 the cost you can explore a city poised to make a huge jump into the future.
Yonge & Dundas – Toronto, ON
If Toronto has a Times Square type of place, this is it. Yonge and Dundas teems with activity all the time. Neon and LCD screens light up the sky, music concerts fill the air and people just keep shuffling by.
I shot this just as the sun was cresting the buildings and throwing a pretty harsh reflection off of the white facades. Even though I had my back to the sun, the light bouncing around was pretty blinding. I bracketed 9, used 8 and then played with the image a lot to get something I liked. There was a lot of masking needed on the signs – they changed between frames and that always looks a bit sloppy to me. The people setting up for some sort of show had to be masked in a bit too – for some reason they didn’t stand still while I shot. Go figure!
I tried a few new processing techniques to recreate the feel of the scene. It was bitter cold, incredibly sunny and a bit bleak because all of the trees are still dormant for the winter. It had a desert feel to me. I ended up with an image that almost looks like it was processed with a bleach-bypass filter but with a little more control over the colors saturation.
I can’t wait to head back at night when things are lit up nicely. It should make for some fun photos.
Posted in Photo Breakdown, Pic of the Day
Also tagged downtown Toronto, HDR, Nik Silver Efex 2, Photomatix Pro 4, Toronto, yonge and dundas, yonge street
2 Comments