Tag Archives: HDR

Black & White, HDR, WordPress Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Green

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

Moments after learning about this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge, I was in my car heading to a meeting in downtown Salt Lake City. As usual, I had my camera bag in the back seat, so once my meeting concluded, I took a short walk around Temple Square, shooting things that were green.

My initial idea was to get a great shot of a traffic light sporting some green, but I saw so many other cool shots of green, that I ended up with more than just traffic lights.

111812 WPC-Green

During my quick excursion, I had my 55-200mm lens hooked up so I could get close enough to objects without standing in the middle of the road. I put my camera on AV (aperture priority) so I could have better say in the depth of field.

For a couple of the shots, I tried bracketing a series of three photos so I could merge them together using Photomatix and capture a better dynamic range. Of the four photos above, can you guess which two are HDR? The traffic light, along with the white snow melting in patches to reveal the green grass below.

For the traffic light photo, I converted the three bracketed photos to a single HDR photo, converted it to Black and White using photo shop, then imported the photo in color and used that to make the green light green. I felt that offered more contrast to help the green light pop out a little better.

Green lent itself to so many options, and I still have another idea up my sleeve, which I will probably photograph later today and share tomorrow. Stay tuned for that one.

~signed, Carltonaut

HDR, Just for fun, Travel

Take me out to the ball game… for the first time!

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

I’ve been to some minor league baseball games in Utah. Lindquist Field hosts the Ogden Raptors and Spring Mobile Ballpark hosts The Salt Lake Bees. The games have been okay, but a little slow. So when I had the chance to attend a Major League Baseball game last week, I took the opportunity, even though I would be sitting by complete strangers.

The field: Citizen’s Bank Park. The teams: Phillies v. Red Sox. Start time: 7:05 pm. The photo I shot shows the view I had from my seat. I think it was one of the best spots in the ballpark to sit – great views, lots of activity when the balls hit, and no long stairways to climb.

051812 Phillies Field HDR

Canon 60D | HDR processing of 3 bracketed images

What I will say about the game is that Phillies are major fans of their teams. There was an excitement in the ballpark. There were cheers and boos all around. When the Red Sox hit a homerun, the crowed chanted, “Throw it back. Throw it back. Throw it back!” Needless to say, the guy pocketed it. I guess that means he wasn’t a true Phillies fan!

The other thing I found different, and maybe it’s just because I only have minor league games in Utah to compare it too, but drinking seemed like a major part of attending a major league game. I passed my share of beers down the row, then passed the $20 bill to the seller, and the change back to the buyer.

I did end up buying a bag of peanuts, though I think I should have gone with cracker jacks instead. I guess I got at least 50% of the line, “Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks!”

Either way, it was a great game and I am very glad I went. I will remember always remember my first-ever Major League Baseball game, and this photo proves it!

NOTE: I wanted to whip out the zoom lens and try to grab some great shots of the game in action, but I think there were restrictions on photographing players of the games, and even restrictions on the size of the lenses allowed by patrons of the game. I erred on the side of caution and settled with wider shots.

~signed, Carltonaut

Alphabet Photo Challenge, HDR, Travel, WordPress Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments

During a trip to Philadelphia, I wandered around the University of Philadelphia under the assumption that I would be able to find a historic looking clock or clock tower. After a three-mile walk around campus, I gave up and headed back to my hotel.

Why was I looking for a clock? For the CTE Weekly photo challenge for the letter T (Time), but also for the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge (Hands, interpreted as in the hands on the clock). One photo covers both challenges. That saves… time!

The next day I transfered to another hotel closer to downtown Philly and noticed this clock on top of the City Hall building. I thought about photographing it at night, but took the opportunity to take a few shots during the day.

051812 Philly Timeclock HDR

Canon 60D | 3 bracketed photos | HDR

My initial thoughts on capturing T for Time was to do some time-lapse photography of a clock, but my time wasn’t readily available (it was a very busy week). Since I was in Philly, I felt like Time would mean much more than the hours on the clock, but The time that’s written in the past, the present time we live in and the future that only time will tell.

Philly has a lot of history, and I was excited to check out some of the sites – like the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross’ house, and Elfreth’s Alley (the oldest residential neighborhood in the United States). I wish I would have made it to more sites, but hey… I did get to eat an original Philly Cheesesteak!

~signed, Carltonaut

HDR, Travel

The Amazing Colors in Haleakala Crater

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I was amazed with all the colors my wife and I witnessed when we made it to the top of Haleakala and looked down into the dormant volcano.

050612 Haleakala Crater-HDR

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | HDR | ISO 200 | Polarizer Filter

My goal in taking this photo was to share with other the beauty of Haleakala and the vibrant colors found inside the crater. The standard photos with a Circular Polarizer filter looked okay, but I also took some bracketed photos and used Photomatix to add HDR processing into the photo. While that photo looks great, it still can’t capture the true beauty of Haleakala, so I highly recommend the crazy drive to the top to check it out in person.

The other neat point of this experience is that the only time I have been above the clouds, looking down on them, I was traveling in an airplane 30,000 feet in the air. But today, as soon as we reach 6,000 feet, we were officially above the clouds. We continued another 4,000 feet up to reach the summit of Haleakala, so we were well above the clouds and blue skies surrounded up.

~signed, Carltonaut

HDR, WordPress Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sun

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

I usually don’t capture the photo challenge so quickly once it’s announced, but yesterday was a beautiful sunny day at work. When I got back to Intermountain Medical Center from a lunch meeting, I figured the sun and building would make a great composition, so I set up the shot.

However, I know that photographing the sun can cause havoc on proper lighting in a photo, so I figured I would go for the HDR setup again. I leaned up against my car so the camera would be still enough to grab three identical images, then processed it using Photomatix Essentials. I was really pleased with the outcome.

042012 Sun at IMC - HDR

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 1/640 | f/14 | ISO 100 | HDR
Exposure Compensation -2 | 1/1250 | f/20
Exposure Compensation +2 | 1/320 | f/10

Is it bad for a camera sensor to be exposed to directly to the sun? I’ve seen many photos of the sun, but if it can ruin a camera sensor by doing it, I think I’ll avoid it in the future. I know that astronauts on the moon had to be careful, because pointing their camera at the sun from the moon, or even space, could fry a sensor. But, I guess there is no atmosphere on the moon, so…

~signed, Carltonaut

HDR, Travel

HDR in Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

During our weekend trip to St. George, we spent Saturday indoors because it was cold and rainy; even terrential at times. But on Sunday before heading back home, the rain stopped and the temperature was just right for a hike in Snow Canyon State Park. It was a beautiful day, and I thought I would try taking some HDR photos.

So at various points along the trail, I would stop, adjust the exposure stops to -2 and +2, hold the camera really steady, and snap the three pictures needed to later compile an HDR photo. While not all of them came out good, here are the two that I thought came out best.

041512 Snow Canyon HDR1

041512 Snow Canyon HDR2

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | Bracketed Exposure -2, 0, +2 | Photomatix Essentials

If you’ve ever been to Snow Canyon State Park in St. George, which trail is your favorite? We despise the Three Ponds trail. Hiking through sand to see what ended up being Three mud puddles was not worth the effort. But the scenery along the trail was nice. :-)

~signed, Carltonaut

HDR

3 questions to consider when shooting HDR

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Earlier this week I wanted to try and see what all the HDR photography was about. I had seem some that were really awesome and I was hoping to get some that I thought would compete with the stellar ones I had seen. Well, after an hour shooting inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (yes, I have used other photos from this in previous posts, but this was the true HDR I was attempting with this one), I had some shots that I later took into Photoshop CS5 to merge together and see what appeared.

Here is the result.

JSMB_HDR

I like it, but I don’t at the same time. Here is a cross comparison of the HDR photo and the one with a more normal curve histogram.

JSMB_HDR_Pre-Post

The HDR photo has a second floor that is pink in color. The bottom floor isn’t as white as the non-HDR photo and has a sort of green tint. I do like how the furniture on the bottom floor looks in the HDR photo, along with the chandelier, but overall, I maybe have a few things to learn about HDR. I guess I had to start somewhere.

Here are the three things I think I will need to consider next time I try HDR.

  1. Does the view I am shooting have a dynamic range, or is lighting already pretty consistent?
  2. As I capture the three shots (-2, 0, and +2), how do the histograms of each photo look? (if I understand correctly, the -2 histogram should spike on the far left, the 0 have a sort of bell curve, and the +2 spike on the far right)
  3. Should I use Tv, Av, P or go all manual (including focus) so I have more control over the camera and what “normal” light it wants to use?

So, photography is a lot of trial and error – I don’t know if many people get it right, right off the bat, but I think I am willing to try again, just in a different setting that warrants more of a HDR look.

~signed, Carltonaut

HDR, Just for fun

Starbursts on the chandelier

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The other morning, while photographing in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, I noticed the chandelier  hanging in the center of the room. How could I not photograph something so elegant?

Chandelier_HDR

The longer exposure allowed the lightbulbs to have that starburst effect, which I really liked with this photo. Otherwise, it would have just been any other chandelier, right?

That morning I was also playing with some HDR in the grand lobby (which I will share in another post), so I gave this chandelier a shot, too. When I combined the photos in Photoshop CS5 today, the third +2 exposure compensation photo made the whole photo look terrible – which means the above photo is a combination of only 2, but I think it turned out pretty snazzy.

~signed, Carltonaut

Travel

Gotta learn HDR photography

, , , , , , , , 4 Comments

One of Utah’s biggest tourist attractions is Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Since I work in Salt Lake City, I drive by the Salt Lake Temple almost daily. I have often sought to photograph the temple in an effort to capture its beauty, and maybe even have one that looks good enough to frame for my house.

HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography  is something that I would like to get into a little more. While I like how the temple looks in this photo, I often wonder how much better it could look if I used some HDR techniques with it.

Salt Lake Temple - 2010

I captured this photo one morning in March 2010 following a meeting at the neighboring Joseph Smith Memorial Building. At the time, I thought it was a great photo. But how much better would it have looked if I had the HDR skills to add to it? My goal in the next month is to learn more about HDR photography and photo-processing, so as I move down this road, I will be sure to share.

If you have tips on processing the photos in Photoshop CS5, send me the link so I can check it out – I’ll be sure to share the results. Thanks.

~signed, Carltonaut