Oregon - Its Not Florida!!

Thanks to my day job I just had the opportunity to spend a few days in Oregon.  After a couple of days of meetings I headed to the mountains to the east of Portland to see what I could see.  There were lots of evergreen trees, waterfalls and mountains.  I was lucky as the weather was unusually clear (per the residents) and so got to see much that is usually obscured by clouds or fog.  

Multnomah Falls

I drove up the Larch Mountain Rd and then walked up to the Sherrard Viewpoint where I was able to see all 5 of the mountain tops in the vicinity.

Mt Hood

The next day I spent some time in Portland checking out the Japanese Gardens and the International Rose Test Gardens.

Then I headed for the coast on the rollercoaster Route 26 for the sunset.  I pulled into Cannon Beach and started walking.  The sunset was awesome!  And they have some BIG rocks on their beaches!!

Check out more images on my website.

That's all for now!

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

Nik Silver Efex Pro- Its a Good Thing!

I have only had Nik Silver Efex Pro for a short time but I have found that I really like it!  It is a plugin for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture.  I use it in both PS and Lightroom depending on what else I need to do to the image.
I take a pretty good image and, I feel, make it even better by converting it to black & white in Silver Efex Pro.  B&W lets the mood and emotion come through that is somewhat overshadowed by the color.   Give it a try!  They have a free trial download available. 

That's all for now.  Check out my website for more B&W images created with Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

Old Images- New Life with Current Software & More Knowledge

Back in the spring of 2008 I participated in a Photo Workshop up in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and other areas close by in TN with Tony Sweet.  I was pretty disappointed when I got home and had a chance to view the many images I made on my desktop.   I had a few that were OK but not as many as I had thought I would have once I did my post processing with Lightroom 1 and Photoshop. 

Last week I decided to go back and take a look at those images in Lightroom 3 and I was very surprised to see that the changes in Lightroom's image processing of NEF files made a big difference in the preview images.  With some tweaking in Lightroom and then some work with Viveza 2 I brought those images really to life. 

Moral of the story, due to improvements in the available software and in your knowledge over time...go back to those old images and see what you can do with them.  There may be some treasures back there!!

To see some of the other images I updated and gave a new life to, please check out my website. 

Enjoy!

That's all for now!

Lynn W

HDR at the Auto Salvage Yard

I joined a group of folks from The Tampa Bay Strobist & Photoshop Collective Meetup Group at a local auto salvage yard to get some HDR images.  It was hot and muggy but worth the trip!

Try out a local salvage or junk yard for some different subjects!

More images from this meetup on my website.

That's all for now. 

Lynn W. 

Black Skimmer Babies

I recently joined a small group of photographers to get images of baby Black Skimmers.  Even though is was a dreary rainy day I was still able to get some great images.  The birds nest in a group on the sand at the beach.  The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary which happens to be close by has cordoned off the nesting area to keep people back a reasonable distance.   The birds create a shallow depression on the sand and then lay their eggs.  

The chicks are the color of the sand so you have to look closely to see them.  But with time and patience (and staying low and still) you can get images of the chicks interacting with the adults and other chicks.  Also, the adults will bring in small fish which the chicks swallow whole.

If you find a nesting site be sure to stay back and stay low as the adults will fly at you and peck your head defending their young.  Also, move slowly and avoid floppy apparel as the last thing you want is to scare the adults away and leave the chicks alone as they are defenseless.  There are always predators waiting for an opportunity. 

So far this part of Florida has not been affected by the oil gusher, so we can only hope that these birds live to breed and raise more chicks in the future.

See some more Skimmer and other shorebirds images at my website.

That's all for now!

Lynn W.

HDR at the Beach

Spent a few hours at Clearwater Beach last week and got some great HDR images!  Check them out at my website.  Here is one of them.

Enjoy!

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

A Model Week - People Photography

After last Sunday's model shoot at the local winery, the same Meet Up group put on a practice model shoot in Ybor City here in Tampa.   Ybor has some back alleys that are "decorated" with graffiti.  So they split the 40 plus photographers in to groups each with a pro and split the models up to sections of the alley.  The photographer groups moved from station to station and the models moved in the opposite direction..   It was controlled chaos but allot of fun and actually quote educational.   Our pro Bryan Leighty, was very informative and helpful.  I, along with the other 5 in my group were able to get some pretty nice shots as a result of Bryan's set up of the speedlights and his softbox.  We were able to quickly move to the next station as we were working with only 1 or 2 speedlights on stands.  Thank you Bryan and all the models!

Then yesterday, I attended a model shoot workshop put on by Robert La Follette. 

Robert gave us some great instruction and then the 6 other students and I got to work with the 8 models

Robert had obtained.  Even though the day was hot and the crowds were huge at Clearwater Beach, we still got some great images!  Thanks to Robert and all the models!

For more models and their shots please check out the "People" gallery at my website.

That's all for now. 

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W

Meetups- Skyway Bridge and Keel & Curley Winery

I just joined a local Meetup Group, The Tampa Bay Digital Photography, Strobist & Photoshop Collective, and have had great fun already on 2 outings they organized.   

Last weekend we met on the North Fishing Pier at the Skyway Bridge!   Drove right out to the end of the pier and along with at least 100 fishermen, enjoyed a great sunset and watched the Skyway bridge light up from the sun and then the lights.  More images on my website. 

This weekend we met at the Keel & Curley Winery, Plant City, FL for their Blueberry Festival.  We were treated to a tour of the distillery by Oscar the winemaker and then went out into the Blueberry fields.

 

We were joined by 3 great models so we could get some shots of them in the various areas at the venue.  See some more images of our models on my website.

I am looking forward to some more adventures with this fun and helpful group of photographers!

That's all for now!

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W

Partly Cloudy with a High Chance of Rain- Perfect for Backyard Photography

Is the weather looking a bit iffy?   Stay at home and use the giant soft box the an overcast day gives you!   Go out into your backyard and make some images of the flowers, insects, etc. that are right there.  

The images attached are flowers I have growing in 

my backyard!   If the conditions are windy, either block the wind or wait until the wind lessens and take a series of images. At least one is bound to be right.

Look for other things in your yard to shoot.  The everyday things around us can be interesting to others especially if we show them from a different perspective. 

Use an overcast sky to diffuse the sunlight to eliminate those harsh shadows that the direct sun gives us.   Colors are richer and it is harder to blowout highlights under these conditions.   This is the cheapest diffuser available!  

So don't let the threat of bad weather keep you inside.  Get out make some images!  Just keep an eye on the sky in case those overcast skies turn in to stormy skies!

Check out my website for more flower images.  

That is all for now!

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W. 

Downtown Tampa at Night - Photowalk

Took my first photowalk with the Tampa Photography Forum group this week.  We took a walk along the river front as the sun set.   Photowalks are a great way to see everyday sites in a new way!  

 You take more time and see images that you rush by everyday!  Try a Photowalk soon!

 

HDR is a great way to get more detail and color on photowalks so be sure to take your tripod!

Check a few more images on my website.

That's all for now.

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

Gatorland Revisited - Late Afternoon - Birds in Flight

I decided to make another visit to Gatorland as I was on vacation this week.  This time I went late in the day to take advantage of the setting sun.   At this time of the day many birds are coming back to the rookery to roost for the night after spending the day out feeding in the surrounding areas.  From the boardwalk that borders the west side of the long pond you turn and face the east side of the pond.  With the setting sun at your back the light is great for catching those flying birds as they come in to roost or move from tree to tree.   I have not attempted getting images of flying birds much before as it is not the easiest think to do but with practice it gets easier.  The trick at Gatorland is to use the boardwalk and long pond to your advantage.  I watched for birds flying the length of the pond, locked in on them when they were too far away and then tracked them as they got closer.  I started hitting the shutter repeatedly until the bird either landed or flew out of range.  I used a high shutter speed and continuous AF to try to stop the motion and get the bird in focus.   Be ready to take a lot of images and only a few will be what you are looking for.  Those pixels don't cost anything, so go for it!

There were a number of other photographers there and some were using a tripod, as I was, and some were not.  The tripod is a bit constricting when following flying birds even with an Wemberly head but, at least for me, I feel like I am steadier and it is sure less tiring than holding that camera & lens the whole time. 

I once again used my Nikon D200 with the 80-20mm f2.8 lens with the 2X teleconverter.  

Here is one last non-flying image that was just too funny!   It's a Cattle Egret in full breeding colors showing his stuff!

If you get a chance to visit Gatorland be sure to go to the rookery in the back and see all the birds and the chicks that are hatching daily!

Check out my website for more flying bird images.

That's all for now!

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

Gatorland - A Great Place for Bird Photography!

This weekend I made my first visit to Gatorland in the Orlando, FL area for this year.  Every year during bird nesting season this is a wonderful place to get great images of a number of wading birds.  In the Rookery area of the attraction, back behind the more touristy areas, there are hundreds of birds, feeding, nesting and taking care of their young.  There is a spacious boardwalk that goes the full length of the marsh and pond that they have for their breeding alligators.  The bushes and trees that grow along this pond are a perfect place for nesting as many of the predators that go for nests are not an issue here due to the presence of the alligators below.  In many spots you are within a few feet of active nests.   Gatorland has several special access deals for photographers that allow you to come in early and stay late so you can take advantage of the better light.  These times are also when the greatest numbers of birds are in the Rookery.

 Things are running a bit late this year due to the unusually cold weather we have had in FL but there were several Great Egret nests with chicks.  The Tri-Colored Herons are displaying and a few have started nests.  The Snowy Egrets, Wood Storks and Anhingas are in various stages of the process.  Only a few Cattle Egrets were around and one or two Great Blue Herons.  There also several Roseate Spoonbills.

Breeding and chick rearing will be going on into June so if you are in the area, Gatorland is one place you should checkout for birds!

There are more bird images on my website, so check them out.  I will be making more trips to Gatorland as the season progresses so check back for even more images.

That's all for now.

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

More Spring Flowers!

I made another trip to Kerby's Nursery this weekend and here are a few more flower images that I made! 

Enjoy!  Even more images on my website.

That's all for now.

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W. 

Spring has Finally Arrived in Florida!

I felt somewhat like a bear coming out of hibernation this weekend, finally, Florida like temperatures and weather!  I decided to make a trip to my favorite local plant nursery to see how they fared through the very cold temperatures we've had and to see if they had any spring flowers to shoot.   

Kerby's Nursery in Seffner, FL is turning 30 years old next week!  It is a family owned nursery.  The kids are running it now and they have gone all out.  If you are in the Tampa area I suggest you check it out.  They are very nice to photographers, especially if you buy a few plants now & then.

Each year they have been bringing in more plant species that are not that common in Florida. Icelandic Poppies are not really a flower you would expect in Florida but they have found a grower that is producing them!  So I get to shoot one of my favorite flowers I remember from my childhood days up north, at least for a few weeks before it gets too hot.

They also try to have unusual varieties of common flowers.  See the strange Pansy below.

They have a large number of other colorful flowering plants.

 Check out your local plant nursery for those spring flowers!

I have added a bunch more images to my Flower Gallery so check it out! 

That's all for now!

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

My First Snow in Many Years!!

I made a business trip to Ohio last week and as luck would have it (not according to the Ohioans) there was still a couple of feet of snow on the ground!  Even though we lived in upper state NY when I was a kid I have not been back up north or anywhere when there was more than a dusting of snow since my family moved to Florida.  So our 2 day trip to the Cleveland area was a chance for me to try my hand at shooting snow images!  I had to use the exposure compensation and do a bit of post processing work.  In the short amount of time I had I was able to get a few shots of Westfield Center, OH.  I small company town about 30 miles from Cleveland.  

 

It was fairly cold for as Floridian but I ran around and captured some of the quaint buildings and the "SNOW".   

 

There are a few more images on my website.  

Enjoy!

That's all for now.

Turn that camera on!

Lynn W.

Kaleidoscopes- More Fun with your Images

Here is another fun Photoshop plugin!  Kaleidoscope 2.1   This is a FREE PS plugin!   Take any image into PS and convert is to 8 bit if it is 16 bit. Pull down the Filter menu and pick Mehdi-

Kaleidoscope and the fun begins.  There are endless combinations and even dice to try your luck!   

 

Just about any subject can make a good kaleidoscope.  I have found that the best  images to use are those that have some contrast and color.

 

Building images work well especially if there is some color but a relatively boring building image can make a very interesting kaleidoscope.  

 

So download this free plugin and give it a try!  I know you will have fun!

For more of my Kaleidoscopes, check out my website.

 

That's all for now!

Turn that canera on!

Lynn W.

Classic Cars- Another Great Photographic Subject

Classic car shows and sales are a great place to get great images of these American icons.   The trick to getting great car shots is simple!  Get down on your knee(s) & use a wide angle lens!   The big grills and bumpers look so much better when they are viewed from a level that is not normal eye level.  They are exaggerated and wider and give you the character that these old cars have.  You may have to get within 2-3 feet of the car. Shot straight on and at an angle to show the depth of the car along the side.  

I use my tripod with the legs not extended at all.  This is especially critical as I usually shoot 5 images at 5 shutter speeds to combine in Photomatix Pro for HDR.  HDR gives much more detail especially if you have to shot at times in the day when the light is pretty harsh.   I then use Focal Point 2 to blur out the distracting background.  You can use Topaz Adjust or Detail to bring out even more details.  Sometimes I combine the car image with another background (I learned this trick from Deb Sandridge) or texture in Photoshop.  This adds even more interest to the image.  

I have really enjoyed shooting cars since I learned to get down at that lower level!  I can't wait for the next car show/sale to come along!  Check out more of my car images on my website. 

That's all for this week.

Turn that camera on!

Lynn