HDR – Page 2 – Dutch goes the Photo!

Warped Wednesday – pt. 4

Ghost ships on the water…

Part of my thinking behind this series of posts is to get a bit of feedback from all of the readers, which should help me formulate a crisper view on my photography. It’s been very heartening to see your thoughts on some of my abstract images, so I thought I’d also mix something a little different in this week.

As the Tuesday Photo Challenge has the theme of Abandoned, this week’s Warped Wednesday image kind of fits pretty well…

flying-dutchman_14e2341_2_3_4_5 — *Flying Dutchman*

This is an image that I took during a bit of urban exploration a number of years ago in Westborough, Massachusetts. This is inside the farm that was part of the state hospital (I say was, as this building has been razed).

When I chanced upon this interior, I immediately had a sense of being inside the hold of a ghost ship, devoid of life and stripped bare; somewhere, there was the foreboding that all could come back in an instant: crew, canons and full ship to ship combat.

That’s why I decided on a 5 shot HDR series that I processed in a rather stark fashion, using a grungy look to get the desired effect.

I’m curious to find out how this image speaks to you.

Brooding Ambience

Water, sky, a safe haven

The Weekly Photo Challenges posted byWordPress’ Daily Post are always well thought out; despite that I find that this week’s challenge of Ambience really stands out, as it requires a bit of introspection on the part of the photographer. Of course, the ambience of a scene can go into many directions, as it really is all about the character and atmosphere that you are trying to capture or portray.

After a bit of thought, I figured that I’d share this image for its ambience…

cn-20130612-Cape-Neddick-Brooding_57A1833_4_5-12x18 — *Nubble Brooding*

The lighthouse on Cape Neddick, Maine, aka Nubble Light, has been photographed millions of times, as people flock to it for its picturesque setting. As a photographer who likes to create a one-of-a-kind connection between image and viewer, I had been loathe to photograph this scene during my previous visits; just another image of a pretty scene just didn’t speak to me.

However, on this gorgeous June day, I felt something a little different speaking to me from across this little expanse of ocean water. It was a hint of recognition of a story being presented to me that urged me to clamber down the rocks to water level and set up for a series of shots that resulted in this image.

After some careful processing, I arrived at the scene that is presented here, which is very much the story that was being told to me on that beautiful day…

Changing Times

Urban decay at its finest

One of the types of scenery that I enjoy photographing is the changeing urban landscape, particularly when it shows the changes across the ages. In New England one of the most significant developments during the Industrial Revolution is the establishment of cotton and other mills throughout most of the area. In many towns, you’ll see the remnants of this time in mull buildings that are sprawling next to a pond or a power canal.

Luckily, a lot of these buildings have been restored and repurposed for modern usage, be it manufacturing, office space, living areas and many other uses. These buildings are great to behold, but there are also those that have not found new use, such as this one here…

Powers-Street-Decay_14E2072_3_4_5_6-crop — *Powers Street Decay*

This mill was in a state of being demolished, when I photographed it. Its location was right on Powers Street in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. The street name indicates that it was right next to the power canal; in many towns a canal was dug to redirect river water and harness its power for industry.

The treatment for this image was to push it a bit toward the grunge side of life through HDR processing.

Hope you enjoy!

Technical Details

This image was captured using a Canon EOS 5S Mk II and a EF 17-40mm f/4L lens. A series of 5 exposures was taken and combined using Photomatix Pro by HDRsoft.

Daily Prompt – Open

Potty humor?

Today’s Daily Prompt of Open is one of those interesting ones that we can take into multiple directions. We can have Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors, be Open to New Ideas and even work with Open Source.

In today’s image, the Bathroom is Open, and I’d like to suggest that it’s open to all!

Chest-Fair-Bathroom_14E1262_3_4_5_6_update — *The Bathroom is Open!*

This image was taken a number of years back at the Chester Fairground in Connecticut; I got a couple of strange looks for setting up a tripod, but the end result was well worth it!

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 1D Mk III with an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens. It was taken as a series of 5 shots with exposure values of -2, -1, 0, +1 and +2 EV, which were processed in Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image.

Wednesday Wonderment – pt 12

Waste not, want not

There are lots of things in the universe that fill me with wonder, and there are a significant number that make me wonder. Today I present you with something in the latter category.

Chincoteague-Sunset_57A3976_7_8 — *A Vista?*

This was during a photography trip, led by John Slonina, to the Chincoteague area. To finish up the first day of shooting, John had brought us to this beautiful stretch of beach where we’d have a great opportunity to catch the sunset over water.

As I’m not always the one to go for the obvious shot, I decided to add a little point of interest to the stunning beauty of the sunset: the not-so-stunning view of waste receptacles just off the parking lot by the beach.

The human footprint on our planet is something that I often wonder about, as I’m sure many of you do as well. Minimizing our footprint and living in harmony with our space home is in our best interest, as we don’t want to overstay our welcome; the planet will survive, but will humanity?

Technical Details

This shot was captured with my Canon EOS 5D Mk III using a EF 24-105mm f/4L lens. The HDR effect came from the in-camera HDR.

WPC – Landscape (2)

Icelandic beauty

As landscape photography is one of my main areas of interest, I am am truly excited about this week’s Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Landscape. Each day this week, I will share some of my favorite landscape shots.

20150618-Olavsfjordur_57A1794_5_6_tonemapped-2x3 — *Looking across Siglufjörður*

Iceland is a truly beautiful country and just a dream for landscape photography, such as this shot that I captured last year of the view across the Siglufjörður on the north coast of Iceland.

The road in this area follows the coast line, which means it traces the fjords that are prevalent here. Each of these fjords has its own character, with some of the smaller ones without settlement and the larger ones with small towns and villages. The fjord often provides a natural harbor and shelter from the Atlantic storms.

The light off the peak made for a bit of magic in this afternoon image.

Technical Details

This image was shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mk III with an EF 24-105 f/4L lens (circular polarizer attached). This was a series of images with the mean exposure value at 1/100 second at f/11 at 200 ISO; the 3 images were at 0 EV, -1 EV and +1 EV. Photomatix Pro was used to create the final image.

Inspired by Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Landscape

Winter’s Beauty – pt 3

Cool morning beauty

Another entry in the short series on Winter’s Beauty, as tomorrow’s temperature might be positively Spring-like!

Winter-on-Rocky-Pond_14E8662_3_4_5_6 — *Winter on Rocky Pond*

This image goes back to 2010, as I decided to take a little detour during my daily commute. The sky was doing beautiful things, and it came to me that there might be an opportunity at Rocky Pond in Boylston, MA, to get something worth shooting.

Luckily, I had my tripod with me, as I wound up shooting a series of 5 shots around a mid-level exposure to combine them into this HDR image. This allowed me to get the drama in the clouds clearly translated into the image.

I hope that you enjoy this cold shot!

Technical Details

Shot with a Canon EOS 1D Mk III and a EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens. The middle exposure settings were 1/30 second at f/22 at 160 ISO, and 4 additional shots were taken at -2, -1, +1 and +2 EV (Exposure Value). The images were processed in Photomatix Pro.

WPC – Life Imitates Art

Is it life or is it art?

Life is full of art, it creates it, becomes it, displays it, and, yes, it even imitates it.

Are we awaiting the young Sorcerer’s Apprentice to appear on the scene to create mayhem with the best of intentions? Will the broom get a life of its own? Can a dustpan moonwalk?

A little background

This image goes back about 5 or so years, when I was still very active in photography agility trials. Well before the action started on this fairground, I stopped by the bathroom, looked and saw this scene in front of me… The way the light came in through the door and backlit the broom and dustpan; the lines working together turned this ordinary scene into an interesting sight…

I left the bathroom to grab my tripod and camera, so that I could get the shot I wanted before anyone would disturb it, or the light would change. As I was setting up, a trial worker stopped by to hang up a sign; I got a bit of an odd look, but, as I was that weird photographer, no questions were asked.

Technical Details

Shot with a Canon 1D MkIII and a 24-70mm L lens. This was a series of of 5 shots, each 1 EV (exposure value) apart around the correct metered exposure. Processing was done with Photomatix Pro.

In response to Daily Post Photo Challenge – Life Imitates Art

Hope you enjoy!!

All who wander…

While lost, something new is found

Westboro_State_Farm_14E2305_6_7_8_9_tonemapped — Exit

Urban exploration aka urbex has become immensely popular over the past decade to the point that it is mainstream photography. When increases in processor power made HDR processing available to every photographer, dilapidated buildings could be made to look interesting in completely new ways.

Of course, I have been guilty of a little exploration myself, as I love wandering through old, abandoned sites and checking for some unique vista that speaks to me. When moving through a building, I let my mind wander and lose itself within the possibilities of transformation through fantasy.

Part of my process relies on visualization of the alternate spin that I can put on the image, so that viewers can feel themselves transported into an alternate reality. Allowing my imagination to roam free across the landscape of my mind is an enjoyable, stimulating aspect of photography, which is very much enabled by HDR processing, about which I will write more in a future post.

The site of this image was the farm for a state hospital; the structure has been razed since I captured this image. On the day that I captured this image, the outside light was extremely bright and harsh, giving enough light to get the great definition in the floor and walls.

We’re looking past the animal stalls toward an open door, a possible exit from the dark, stark area, where we find ourselves. Is it a safe exit, or will it lead into a dimensional trap/

Just for one day

Perseverance is in order as we move forward each day

Persistence-Tree_14E6659_8_5_6_7-tumblr — Persistence

It’s time to start bringing the mood up again from yesterday’s level of somber.

After a day of reflection, I decided to learn to play ‘Heroes’ on guitar; as always, playing guitar was a great way to unwind, and, while I may still be a novice, each imperfect rendition of a song feels like an accomplishment.

Learning to play the guitar is all about persistence, learning a bit at a time and slowly improving until even you, the student, can no longer deny that you have learned something. It is about building up calluses, muscle memory, dexterity, strength and will power. One item that you will not see in that list is something that is sizable part of my day job in high-tech: stress!

For me, stress doesn’t come from unrealistically short timetables, or work load, but, rather, it comes from the inflexibility within organizations to recognize that new technology requires well-conceived, novel approaches that are founded in the laws of physics. Challenge is great and welcome; rusty, stumbling blocks should be removed.

Today’s image is one that I captured just over five years ago, not far from my home.

My approach tends to be to allow myself to be guided by a sense of connection to the universe and its every component that surrounds me by staying in the moment; combining this sense with a healthy dose of observation helps me find things of interest. Walking into the field, the first thing that caught my attention were the lines that presented themselves: horizontals, verticals and the slight diagonals in the sky.

Add the color palette with the warm tones of autumn and the cooler sky tones, and I felt drawn set up for a shot that has had me coming back to it over the years.

The tree’s exemplary stance against the elements brought the concept of ‘Persistence’ to mind, which I felt would be an appropriate title for this image.