Some kind of turtle

Most mornings I walk our 3 dogs at our subdivision retention pond, right next to Clear Creek, and we have many turtles that live in the pond. Every spring I see the females laying their eggs near the woods, or in this case near the entrance in someone's flowerbed. I try to remember the area so I can check back to see if any eggs have hatched but usually cannot remember the exact spot. When I was working on the Selective Focus assignment I tried to take an interesting shot of one of the females as she returned to the pond but she was not very cooperative and this was the best I got. Our neighbors call these "snapping turtles" but when I looked that up I do not agree that these are that kind of turtle. Maybe a box turtle, but none of the pictures I found looked right either. I finally managed to note an exact spot where I saw a female laying eggs and returned for several days to check and on the 3rd or 4th day found the hole excavated and small rolled-up rubbery white eggshells so I thought the babies must have hatched already. However, reading one site it said that the eggs don't hatch for 9 to 13 weeks! Maybe a raccoon or some other critter had found the eggs.

Nikon D200, 60mm macro lens at f3.5 and 1/1600, ISO 320, sunny whitebalance

Post processing: increased blacks, vibrance and clarity in ACR, in Photoshop ran Punch Drunk action by Kubota at 20% opacity, sharpened with the highpass filter.

Calla Curves

Now for a flower with no color. I am always trying to find a new perspective to shoot calla lilies from, so this is another attempt.

Nikon D200, 60mm macro lens at f3.2 and 1/4000th, ISO 320, handheld

Post processing: added blacks in ACR, in Photoshop removed spots, Black and White Modern Warm and Deep action by Kubota, added a fill layer with a sepia tint and changed the blending mode to Softlight, sharpened with the Edge and the Highpass filter.

Nature's palette

Red? Orange? Coral? Whatever name you want to call it, I love the vibrant colors of these Ixora plants. When the bloom is new, it is lighter in color and as it ages the color deepens to the darker tones. In the shade the velvety blossoms almost seem to glow against the deep green leaves.

Nikon D200, 60mm macro lens at 3.2 for the top images and 8 for the bottom one

Post processing: Increased the exposure and blacks in ACR, in Photoshop cloned out distracting spots, Touch of Dark around the lighter bloom on the bottom image, sharpened with the Edge and the Highpass filter.

Spiderman Lives Here

One more interesting find that Shirley and I came on after our Bay Area Photo Club trip to Discovery Green and the Co-Cathedral. She may remember what street this was on, but I was lost. Not a soul was around except for us and I was really glad it was daylight.

Nikon D200, 18-70 lens at f4.5 and 1/45th, -.67 exposure compensation, ISO 100, shade whitebalance
Post processing: increased the exposure, blacks and vibrance in ACR, in Photoshop adjusted for perspective and cropped, ran Enter the Dragon's Lair by Kubota and reduced opacity to 45%, FudgeSickle by Kubota at 40%, Touch of Dark on lettering above gate, sharpened with the highpass filter in Overlay.

Freebird

On the same trip as the previous posts, we found this building with interesting blue painted plywood covering the doors, I think it is abandoned. While I was framing a shot of the architecture, birds started flying between the buildings and for some reason I can't put my finger on, I liked this frame. Probably a different time of day would have given me better light on the structure, and maybe it should be cropped to just below the arched windows, I am not sure. I tried to process it for a gritty, urban look and used an action from Kubota that I have not liked on images before but cut the opacity back.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 18-70 lens at f6.3 and 180th, ISO 100, -.67 exposure compensation, shade whitebalance

Post processing: Perspective adjusted, removed part of a building above the arched windows, duplicated the background in softlight at 50%, curves layer in luminosity to brighten the shadows, Enter the Dragon action by Kubota, vignette by Kubota, Fibrous Edge by Kubota, sharpened with the highpass filter.

Mosaic Mirror

The same day I shot the red stairs, I also found this decrepit wall with the mosaic mirror. I think this is near the Cotton Exchange building, and a small park with a sculpture but I do not know the street.
There are many birds nesting in the slots at the top of the wall, above the mirror.

Camera info:Nikon D200, 18 - 70 lens at f4 and 1/200th, ISO 100, -.67 exposure compensation, shade whitebalance
Post processing: perspective adjusted, duplicated background in softlight, Curves for colorbalance, ran Lovely and Ethereal action from Pioneer Woman, Hue/sat layer to reduce red, sharpened with the Edge and the Highpass filter on the mirror.

I didn't mean to...

break his antennae. I saw this Praying Mantis on our iron gate, but although the subject was very interesting, the background wasn't so I put on a garden glove and gently picked him up to move him to a better location...I didn't know those things can fly! And then he had to go and land on my leg. We both survived but he was a little worse for wear. In the last image he has grabbed a broken antenna in his front legs and mandible (do these insects have mandibles?) so zoom in for a better look. I hope he can re-grow it. I guess Larry gets all the pretty insects over on his side of town and I get the less attractive ones, though I do think Praying Mantises are carnivorous and eat mosquitoes so he can stay.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 60mm macro lens with +2 closeup filter, at f3.2 and 4.0, ISO 400

Post processing: increased exposure, blacks and clarity in ACR, in Photoshop duplicated the background layers in softlight at 50% or less, sharpened with the Edge and the Highpass filter in softlight

The Red Stairs, Redux

I agree with Doug's comment yesterday that there was something off with my compostion of the first red stair image I posted. Yesterday's image is the original one I processed but my sister wanted a print so I thought I would crop it to a size she could easily frame but I think the stairs in the center of the image is not the best composition and then cropping some of the height did not help. Here are a few more versions but these make me wonder if keeping another side of the building in the frame makes it too busy and takes some of the attention away from the stairs which were what originally drew me to take the shots. Also, I think I had to shoot from an angle because I do not have a wide-angle lens that will let me stand across the street and get much of the building in the frame...but if I get back over there it deserves another attempt.

The Red Stairs

Another image from a while back, 2006. I was still taking film classes and learning to use my Nikon D70 and went downtown to shoot with a friend. I am not sure why I did not photograph this building directly head-on instead of at an angle, but all of my shots are like this although some were horizontal and included the left side of the building. Someone who knows Houston may know what this building is, but I do not --- apartments? Offices? I don't think it is a hotel. The stairs really are a vibrant red.

Camera info: Nikon D70, 18 - 70 kit lens at f4.5 and 1/50th, ISO 200, auto whitebalance, jpg.
Post processing: cropped and corrected for perspective distortion, cloned in missing bricks and removed bright white labels on doors, ran PopSickle for details, merged and changed the blending mode to Vivid Light at 40% opacity, duplicated again in Multiply at 40% opacity, darkened stairs with Touch of Dark action, Hue/Sat layer to reduce red to tone down the vibrancy of the stairs.

Spikey abstract

This image is from a year or so ago, when the photo club had an assignment coming up of "Abstraction". I remember a shot by Craig Tanner of a similar plant and while I was at our lakehouse near Burnet I saw these century plants and tried my version. When processing it I thought maybe it was too recognizable as a plant to be an abstract and tried some treatments to emphasize the radiating lines of the leaves. The lower image is the result of a black and white adjustment layer with the blending mode changed to "difference" --- yes, changing from "normal" to "difference" turned it blue. I have since tried to start from the original raw file and recreate this look, but have not been able to. It has been over a year since I first processed it and I can no longer remember what I did.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 60 mm macro lens at f3.2 and 1/500th with a -.33 exposure compensation, ISO 100, sunny whitebalance

Post processing: lower image: duplicated the background in multiply at 12% opacity, Levels for global brightening, black and white adjustment layer in Difference blending mode, another Levels for brightening, sharpened with the Edge

Make My Day

Ok, I will give those people who are not fans of the Lensbaby a break, even if I do like all the distortion and blur. This image was another attempt at selective focus but then I thought too much and decided it was just a shallow depth of field shot and did not meet the criteria for the assignment. Mike wanted me to get more of the inside of the barrel, but for me this is plenty!
Camera info: Nikon D200, 60mm macro lens at f3.2 and 1/13th, with a flash in a softbox on camera left at 1/8th power.
Post processing: Touch of Light on the barrel, Touch of Dark on the textured area below the barrel, Fade to Black and White by Kubota at 50% opacity, the Edge and the highpass filter in overlay blending mode for sharpening.

Let Saints On Earth In Concert Sing

Or play the keyboard. Another Lensbaby image from the Galveston cemetery. I don't think I have ever seen this sight before --- a keyboard leaning against the side of a mausoleum. No, I did not try to play it. I thought this made a pretty interesting selective focus image, but my husband does not agree...

Camera info: Nikon D200, Lensbaby Composer at f4 and 1/2500, ISO 100, sunny whitebalance
Post processing: cloned out dark spot on column, Luminizer from Kubota to open shadow areas, the Edge for global sharpening, Touch of Light on flowers and keyboard, Levels for global lightening, highpass filter on the keyboard only.

Resting Place

This was another attempt at a selective focus image, this time I used my Lensbaby Composer. I have had the 3G Lensbaby(aka the Frankenstein lens) for a couple of years and always struggle to get any part of the image in sharp focus so when they came out with a new model that was supposed to be easier to focus I had to have it. I do think it is easier, but still not easy. I was focusing on the statue on the roof of this mausoleum in the Galveston Cemetery when a Mockingbird landed on her head! It may not be very clear in the smaller image so check out the larger one. I also tried black and white and sepia versions of this shot, but prefer the color for the blue sky and the wash of color at the base which was the blooming yellow Coreopsis.

Camera info: Nikon D200, Lensbaby Composer with the f4 aperture ring at 1/3000th, ISO 100, sunny whitebalance
Post processing: increased exposure, blacks and vibrance in ACR. In Photoshop ran the Edge for global sharpening, TechyKolor from Kubota at 50% opacity, Touch of Light on the side of the mausoleum and the flowers, sharpened with the highpass filter in softlight.

Focus on Xander

This image works better for me as an example of selective focus because more of the cat is in focus than just the eyes were on the treefrog post yesterday. But, maybe using a shallow depth of field (which I did again here with my widest aperture but no closeup filter) is just a method of achieving selective focus.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 50mm 1.8 lens at f1.8 and 1/th, ISO 400, cloudy whitebalance
Post processing: In ACR processed for more exposure, blacks and vibrance. In Photoshop desaturated and lightened part of the background, duplicated the background in softlight at 20% opacity, ran Bring Out the Eyes, the Edge for global sharpness and the highpass filter in softlight for the kitten's eyes.

Selective Focus?

Or shallow depth of field? I have been struggling with this latest assignment for the photo club. I am not sure of the difference between the two. I tend to think of selective focus more as the whole subject is in sharp focus compared to the rest of the image which has some degree of blurriness but enough to recognize some elements that tie into the subject. So, with that interpretation, since the tree frog's eyes are really the only sharp part of the images posted today, I don't think they are selective focus. It will be interesting to see how the judges interpret this assignment.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 60mm macro lens with closeup filter attached (+1 or +4, can't remember which filter) at f3.2 and 1/80th, ISO 400, Cloudy whitebalance

Post processing: In ACR processed for more exposure and blacks. In Photoshop, used Luminizer from Kubota or levels for global brightness, Touch of Light if needed, sharpened with the Edge or Popsickle from Kubota

Finally Worn Out

When Xander finally got tired I was able to get some shots with him in focus. He was very comfortable on his new mommy, my sister who is 20 years younger than me.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 50mm 1.8 lens at f1.8 and 1/60th, ISO 400, cloudy whitebalance

Post processing: In ACR processed for a little more exposure, blacks and vibrance. In Photoshop, selected a portion of the neck and used the warp tool to shrink it in, cloned out distraction in background, selected yellow area in background and desaturated it some, Touch of Dark to darken neck area, Bring Out the Eyes, the Edge to sharpen

Meet Xander

Short for Alexander. He is named after a Russian friend of the family because (according to my sister and his owner) he looks distinguished like he has on a tuxedo...however I have never seen our friend Alex in a tux. What a precious kitten he is! And fast --- even using a flash most of my shots are blurred because he wasn't still long enough for me to get focused. He is more entertaining than any show on TV and a lot more laughs.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 50mm 1.8 lens at f1.8 and various shutter speeds. Window light only in these 3 images.

Post processing: increased exposure, blacks and vibrance in ACR, ran Bring Out the Eyes action, sharpened with the Edge and the highpass filter in Photoshop

Patriotic Parade

Both of these images were shot at last year's 4th of July parade, it was too hot for me this year! The club assignment that was coming up in '08 was Motion but I wanted blur to give more of a feeling of movement to the image rather than freezing the action, so I used a slow shutter speed with panning. Since I do not have a ND filter to darken the scene further I used my smallest aperture, f29 so that my shutter speeds would be longer to allow the motion to blur.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 18 - 70 mm 3.5-4.5 lens at f29 and 1/8th (top image) and 1/4th (bottom image)

Post processing: Top image -- processed for more exposure and more blacks and a little more vibrance in ACR, in Photoshop cloned out sensor spots, Touch of Light on her face, Touch of Dark on background, Boost action from Pioneer Woman for more color but masked off face, Levels for global brightening, Curves to lighten her face further, the Edge and the High Pass filter for sharpening. Bottom image -- in ACR increased the exposure, blacks and vibrance, in Photoshop cloned out a distracting long white streak, Levels to darken the background, Touch of Light on horse's face and legs and man's face, Touch of Dark on background, sharpened with The Edge and the High Pass filter, then merged all layers and changed that layer to softlight at 25% opacity for more richness.

Waterlily

The light was hitting this water lily and making it glow. I have no idea what was going on in the background, to the right. I think this flower was in a fountain so maybe there was running water on that side...but not on the left, which seems a bit strange.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 70 -200mm 2.8 lens at f3.2 and 1/1250th, ISO 200, cloudy whitebalance

Post processing: Processed in ACR for more blacks and a little more vibrance, duplicated the background and removed specular highlights and a large unfocused yellow spot, sharpened with the Edge

In the Mirror

This image is of a young girl, maybe almost a teenager, after she had just had her face painted and was admiring herself in the mirror. I think the uncropped version tells the story better, but the closeup lets you see her eyes a little more clearly, so I couldn't choose.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 70 -200mm 2.8 lens at f4 and 1/50th, ISO 100, cloudy whitebalance

Post processing: duplicated the background layer and cloned out some bright neon string bracelets on her wrist, duplicated that layer in softlight at 70%, selected and attempted (unsuccessfully!) to change the blue lines in the upper right but did manage to darken them, Touch of Light on her face, Levels for global brightening, Creamsickle by Kubota but masked off skin, Bring Out the Eyes, the Edge for global sharpening, the High Pass filter in Overlay for more detail.

the Flowergirl

I thought I remembered Larry taking a wonderful portrait of this girl but for some reason he did not include it in his Body of Work. It has been so long since we went to the Festival that I cannot remember which shots I used my flash on a stick with...possibly on this one but I am not sure, it could be just ambient light. I really need to take a notebook and record such things but that makes another piece of gear to juggle also.
Camera info: Nikon D200, 70 - 200mm 2.8 lens at f3.5 and 1/350th, ISO 400, cloudy whitebalance
Post processing: duplicated the background layer and used the spot healing brush to touch up her face and the clone tool in lighten to lighten her undereye area, Touch of Light on her eyes and teeth and Bring Out the Eyes, Punch Drunk to boost colors but masked off face, the Edge for global sharpening and the High Pass filter for sharpening her face.

The Feathered Hat

Another portrait from the Renaissance Festival. Shirley had just taken this woman's portrait and they were looking at it on the LCD when I noticed her interesting profile and how the sun was filtering through the feathers on her hat. She makes and sells those hats, and I can't remember the price but do recall that they are not inexpensive, to say the least. I also shot her looking straight at me but prefer this perspective more although I wish it was a complete profile and that I had not caught her right eye at all. I like this portrait in both black and white and in color and wondered what others think of the two versions.

Camera info: Nikon D200, 70 -200mm 2.8 lens at f3.7 and 1/80th, ISO 100, cloudy whitebalance

Post processing: cloned out distractions, selected her lime green glove and changed the hue to dark green, merged the layers then duplicated it in softlight at 60% opacity, Colorbalance layer to reduce the orange/gold cast a little, Levels layer to reduce brightness but masked off face to retain it there, Levels to brighten her face a little more, Curves for more contrast, created a new layer and used a brush in softlight mode to darken some bright feathers, sharpened with the Edge. For the black and white version I added an adjustment layer in black and white with the green filter.

Gypsy

After Larry Patrick's spectacular Body of Work presentation to our photo club a couple of weeks ago I went through my folder of portraits from that trip. I have a long way to go to shoot portraits that are close to his level of expertise, but by following his teachings I got a few that were an improvement for me. This gypsy was very interesting to watch because she had a very expressive face and movements. My raw file of this image was dark with blown highlights on her fingers, part of the violin and the crown of her head from direct sun that was coming from behind her on the right. I tried various things in Photoshop and this is my final version.
Camera info: Nikon D200, 70 - 200 mm f2.8 lens at f2.8 and 1/1000th, ISO 200, cloudy whitebalance.
Post processing: cloned out blurry accordian player from the background and used the clone tool and a soft brush in skin color to fix the highlights on her fingers, levels adjustment layer to tone down the scarf on the crown of her head and used other parts of her scarf to replace areas, levels adjustment to brighten her face, merged layers and changed blending mode to softlight at 25%, levels for global brightness, darkened background by using a brush in softlight mode on a new layer to paint a vignette, sharpened with the highpass filter in overlay mode.

Galveston sunrise

About 6 weeks after Ike hit Shirley, Steve and I went to Galveston to shoot sunrise landscapes. I had been wanting to try long shutterspeeds to blur water and this trip was my first attempts at doing that. Unfortunately I don't think this is printable because there is red and green fringing along the edges of the piers. These piers are next to what was once Murdoch's and I think were part of its boardwalk.
Camera info: Nikon D200, 18-70mm lens at f16 and 3 seconds on a tripod
Post processing: Adjusted sliders in ACR for a good exposure in the sky, in PS selected the sky and multiplied it at 25% opacity, ran Luminizer from Kubota, Levels for brighter foreground but masked off sky, merged and cloned out bright white spots from the sand