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26
Feb 2013

Follow Your Heart | Positano

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Lately, I’ve had some pretty bad luck with the weather. In the past 2 weeks for example, I’ve only seen the sun come out twice. It’s unfortunate but it’s all part of the game of full time travel and destination photography. Sometimes you win with epic skies, and sometimes you lose with solid grey overcast and rain. There’s really nothing to be done about it but accept it – or in my case, use it as an excuse to take shelter in my little hotel room and catch up on some much needed photo editing.

Since the constant grey sky has been so persistent, I wanted to edit a photo that would help lift my rain drenched spirits. So of course, the first Lightroom Catalogue I browsed was from Italy, specifically my summer visit to the beautiful Amalfi Coast. It instantly made me feel better when I remembered an entire trip of warm and perfect weather.

In my opinion, Positano is one of the most photogenic Italian cities and certainly one of the most beautiful along The Amalfi Coast. With it’s southern positioning, it can be equally beautiful at sunrise and at sunset, with each time of day providing unique and interesting lighting scenarios. On a clear night after the sunset, the blue hour can also be extraordinary. In that case, my recommendation would be to find a restaurant with a nice view and enjoy the scenery with a good bottle of local Italian wine… On second thought, make that two. :)

After the sun sets in Positano, one of the most beautiful towns along the Amalfi Coast.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo || Before and After

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: 24-70 f/2.8 (Shot at 28 mm)
Tripod: RRS TVC-24 / BH-40 Ballhead / RRS L-Plate
ISO: 100 at f/8
7 Exposure Brackets

Location: Shot in Positano, Italy - August 2012, and post-processed in Yangshuo, China - February 2013.

Hardware: 15” 2011 Macbook Pro, Wacom Intuos5 Small Tablet

Software: Lightroom, Photoshop, NIK Color Efex Pro 4

Technique and Details: Manual Exposure Blending using Luminance Masking

To blend 5 of the 7 exposures together, I used a new Luminacne Masking Technique that I’m developing. Once I finish fine tuning the process, I’ll create the video tutorials.

Espresso: Lavazza Oro! Zoooooom!

Filed Under: Amalfi Coast, Architecture, Before & After, Blue Hour Photography, Italy, Landscape, Night Photography, Travel
08
Nov 2012

Radiant Flow | Seljalandsfoss Iceland

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So there we were, driving around the south of Iceland inside of a campervan we affectionately named Truck Norris, fully stocked up on pre-brewed espresso, and eager for the photographic discoveries to come. Seljalandsfoss — one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland — was one of our first destinations on what turned out to be an extraordinary 6 day “on the road” adventure, as we toured the stellar Icelandic Countryside.

One of the most extraordinary things about Seljalandsfoss is that you can walk all the way around the waterfall, finding many great vantage points along the way. The only tricky part is finding spots that aren’t being saturated by the swirling mist in the wind. I spent an entire hour back there waiting for the right light and when I was done, I was completely soaked and chilled to the bone. Thankfully Truck Norris was waiting in the parking lot to help warm me up. ;)

Technical Mumbo Jumbo || Before And After Comparison

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: 14-24 f/2.8 (Shot at 14 mm)
Tripod: RRS TVC-33 / BH-55 Ballhead / RRS L-Plate
ISO: 50 at f/22
5 Exposure Brackets ( -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 )

Hardware: 15” 2011 Macbook Pro, Wacom Intuos5 Small Tablet

Software: Lightroom, Photoshop, NIK

Technique and Details: Digital Blending using 5 Bracketed Exposures at f/22. ISO 50 was used to extend the exposure times and create the soft water effect.

In photoshop—using Hand Painted Masks—I blended all 5 exposure brackets together. Exposure 0 made up the base with a blend of +1 and +2 for the landscape elements, followed by -1 and -2 for the sky and waterfall. The green and gold tones were natural vibrant so aside from a bit of touch up, very little color correction was applied. I did however have to paint out a lot of dust and water spots. f/22 is a great tool but it really shows how dirty your camera sensor is.

Espresso: Cafe Bustelo (Since I was processing this in South Florida)

Filed Under: Before & After, Iceland, Landscape, Sunrise and Sunset, Travel
25
Oct 2012

Beyond The Rialto | The Grand Canal

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As photographers, do you think we create our own luck? By placing ourselves in the right place at the right time, do we create our own opportunities for success or are we simply ruled by earthly variables like the weather? And most importantly, does my reverse naked raindance actually work?

Sadly, no matter how fun and visually mesmerizing my naked raindance may be, I’m fairly sure it’s not altering the weather. However, I do believe that it’s these uncontrollable variables that have the potential to create the magic in a photograph and give it that special something. And while we can’t control certain variables, we can learn to understand and recognize them.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Venice quite a few times and each time I’m always looking for the perfect amount of variables to line up, especially in places like The Rialto Bridge and views down The Grand Canal. The boat and gondola traffic, the clouds, the light, the turbulence of the water, the restoration projects and scaffolding – getting all these things to work together in harmony can be tricky business but when it all works out, you can come away with something truly unique. This is probably what compels me to visit Venice year after year; that pursuit of that one magic shot. Well, it’s either that or the abundance of amazing (and cheap) pinot grigio.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo | Before and After Comparison

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: 14-24 f/2.8 (Shot at 17 mm)
Tripod: RRS TVC-33 / BH-55 Ballhead / RRS L-Plate
ISO: 100 – 400
4 Exposures at f/8, 1 Exposure at f/6.3, and 2 Exposures at f/2.8

Hardware: 15” 2011 Macbook Pro, Wacom Intuos5 Small Tablet

Software: Lightroom, Photoshop, NIK Software

Technique and Details: Dynamic Blending using 4 bracketed exposures and 3 manual exposures, shot at different times over the course of 30 minutes. The aperture and ISO settings were changed on the fly to compensate for moving objects and fading light. With shooting, the tricky bit was keeping the mob of people from bumping into my tripod since The Rialto Bridge is one of the busiest places in Venice.

In Photoshop—with the help of my Wacom Tablet—I was able to manually blend in the exposures together using hand painted masks. I started with a base of exposures 0 and +1 before brushing in the sky with a blend of exposures -1 and -2 for. Using more hand painted masks, I then brushed in the 2 separate f/2.8 exposures to create the water. Lastly, I brushed in one more exposure at f/6.3—shot 15 minutes later—adding the lighting on the buildings.

Espresso: A lot of it! Thankfully, I packed accordingly.

Filed Under: Architecture, Before & After, Italy, Sunrise and Sunset, Travel, Venice
04
Oct 2012

Venetian Blues | San Giorgio In The Distance

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Today is my last day in Italy and even though I’m sad to leave, I’m happy to get one more day to explore the fascinating city of Venice. With each visit, I learn more and more about the culture, the history, and the world class architecture. It’s also interesting that no matter how many times I visit Venice, I still get completely lost trying to navigate the narrow streets and bridges. In the end, I always end up where I’m going but I’m never able to take the same path to get there. I’ve never had so much fun being lost.

Ciao Italia! Fino alla prossima volta.

Before the sun rises, all alone, and overlooking San Giorgio in the timeless city of Venice.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo || Before and After Comparison

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: 24-70 f/2.8 (Shot at 30 mm)
Tripod: RRS TVC-33 / BH-55 Ballhead / RRS L-Plate
ISO: 100
2 Exposures: 5 seconds at f/8, 24 seconds f/14

Technique and Details: Digital Blending using 2 manuel exposures, equivalent to bracketing -1 and 0. While I was shooting a +1 equivalent long exposure, a garbage hauling boat pulled right into this slip, leaving a long glowing light trail and ruined the shot. Thankfully the Camera RAW files already had plenty of data inside the shadow regions and with a bit of color correction in Adobe Lightroom, I was able to recover all the luminance data I needed. After that, it was blending as usual. The Before and After comparison should help shed light on the rest. (no pun intended) ;)

Software: Lightroom, Photoshop, NIK Software

Espresso: Lavazzo Oro – My very favorite.

Before the sun rises, all alone, and overlooking San Giorgio in the timeless city of Venice.
Filed Under: Architecture, Before & After, Blue Hour Photography, Italy, Travel, Venice
26
Jun 2012

Along The North Wall – Forbidden City, Beijing

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Along The North Wall || Forbidden City, Beijing

While my wife and I were in Beijing, we rented a little apartment right across the street from this view of the Forbidden City. China has some really strange weather so it was nice to be able to easily access this spot over the course of a few nights. Out of my 3 attempts with this shot, this was by far the best sunset. To be fair though, I think it was the only sunset. Every other time I shot here the sky was completely coated with a thick smog.

The weather wasn’t the strangest thing though. Every time I visited this spot, there was this old man doing the most obnoxious duck calls I’ve ever heard. The first time I heard it, I swore he had Tourette syndrome. There was no way that all those crazy grunts and belches had anything to do with duck calls. But the more he made these noises, the more admiration he seemed to receive from the people around him. So, bravo Mr. crazy tourettes duck belch guy. Apparently you earned it. ;)

Along The North Wall - Forbidden City

Post-processing Before and After Comparison

Shooting into direct sunlight is always a tricky operation. When the light is this intense, I’ll usually shoot 9 bracketed exposures instead of my normal 5-7. Even if I don’t use them, it’s always good to have the data just in case I need it.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo

Nikon D700 |&| 24-70 f/2.8 at 28mm
Exposure: 1/125 at f/8.0
ISO: 200

Filed Under: Architecture, Before & After, Beijing, China, Sunrise and Sunset, Travel
19
Jun 2012

Above The Trees || Kyoto, Japan

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Above The Trees – Kyoto, Japan

Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto is very beautiful. With its tremendous architecture, It’s easy to see why it’s one of the most beloved structures in Japan.

I’m not much of a history buff but during the Edo Period, there was a tradition held that if one could survive the 13 meter jump off the stage of Kiyomizu, one’s wish would be granted. Out of the 234 recorded jumpers, 85.4% of them survived. My question is, what the hell did they wish for after the jump? New legs?

It’s also interesting that the expression “to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu” is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression “to take the plunge.” I wonder if the english expression “do-over” translates into Japanese. ;)

Above The Trees - Kyoto, Japan

Post-processing Before and After

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is a very popular and easily accessible tourist attraction. This makes it very difficult to get a clean shot. I woke up early and arrived when the temple opened at 6am. Unfortunately, it was about 8:00am before the sunlight started hitting the structure and trees. By that time there were already quite a few people around. I had to time things just right to minimize the crowds. Thankfully most of the traffic was in the background and shadows so It wasn’t much trouble to clean them out with the clone stamp.

The final image is a Digital Blend of 4 exposures with some very simple color and contrast corrections applied. As usual, no plugins or presets were harmed in the making of this photo. No magic buttons and no special tricks. Just simple color and contrast. There was some Sharpening applied but no Noise Reduction.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo

Nikon D800 |&| 14-24 f/2.8 at 22mm
Exposure: 1/100 at f/8.0
ISO: 50

Filed Under: Architecture, Before & After, Japan, Kyoto, Travel