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28
Mar 2011

Door Number 3

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magic mouse fail

With absolute frustration in cutting photoshop masks with a mouse, I give you something simple today. A door.

And, In order to vent said frustration, I’ve also prepared a short letter to Apple Computers.

Dear Apple,

I hate The Magic Mouse. It must die.

Yours Truly,
Eli Locardi

Wow, I feel better already…

Technical Mumbo Jumbo:

- Nikon D3 – Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8@ 24mm f/2.8 Iso: 100
- 5 Exposure Brackets (-2,-1,0,1,2)
- HDR Photography Processing & Tone Mapping using Photomatix Pro
- Post Processing & Color Correction in Photoshop
- Enhanced detail with Nik Software Sharpener Pro
- Didn’t make a single mask. Take that Magic Mouse!

Daily Banana – Door Number 3

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HDR Photo - Barcelona, Spain - Door Number 3
Filed Under: Architecture, Barcelona, Before & After, HDR Photography, Spain, Travel
21
Feb 2011

The Pillars of Guell

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Shapes and contrast

This is an odd angle view of the entrance to Park Güell in Barcelona. If you’re curious what the whole thing looks like, check out the photo, “Waking Up Gaudi.”

After I took all the establishing shots here, I decided to have a bit of fun with shapes and compositions. This is one of the photos that actually worked out.

Technical Mumbo Jumbo:

- Nikon D3 – Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 @ 14mm f/2.8 Iso: 100 / 5 Exposure Brackets (-2,-1,0,1,2)
- HDR Photography Processing & Tone Mapping using Photomatix Pro
- Post Processing & Color Correction using Photoshop
- Enhanced detail with Nik Software Sharpener Pro
- mispronounced Güell a few times

Daily Banana – The Pillars of Guell

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HDR
Filed Under: Architecture, Barcelona, Before & After, HDR Photography, Spain, Travel
04
Feb 2011

Arches of Highlight

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Post processing fun

Can anyone guess where this is? I’ll give you a hint, it’s somewhere in Barcelona.

Some additional texture and contrast was added to the shadow regions of this image giving it a more dramatic look. I also cloned out a few lens flairs & halos. I even had to correct some distortion caused from the wide angle (14-24) lens. I did all this before I finished my first cup of coffee.

Ah, the joys of post processing. ;)

Daily Banana – Arches of Highlight

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HDR
Filed Under: Architecture, Barcelona, Before & After, HDR Photography, Spain, Travel
02
Feb 2011

A Path of Shadows

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Triple espresso FTW

You can find these amazing structures at Park Güell in Barcelona. They were created by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí in the early 1900s & unlike most of the other Gaudi exhibits, this one is absolutely free. It’s also affectionately (I’m lying of course) referred to as Dr. Seuss Land.

Now, free is good but it comes with some side effects… Crowds. So, go early and you’ll be happy; it’s well worth the effort. Thankfully, the coffee shops open early, and with the money you saved by hitting a free exhibit you can afford the triple espresso.

So, if you can get there before the tour buses do, you win a prize. You’ll have the whole place to yourself; an HDR Photographic playground with no messy people to cleanup. If you can get there before sunrise then you also earn the Golden Hour power up! Be careful though, this power up also makes you spit fireballs like Mario. Or was that the espresso? I can never tell because they usually wear off at the same time.

Daily Banana – A Path of Shadows

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HDR
Filed Under: Architecture, Barcelona, Before & After, HDR Photography, Spain
25
Jan 2011

Good Gothic

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Jet Lag & Neck Cramps

Travel photography, above all else, requires (you guessed it) travel. I don’t mean to be captain obvious here but seriously, it’s absolutely essential in the process. Plus, I’m about to make a humorous (and possibly ridiculous) point here.

Travel = airplanes and airplanes essentially = giant flying metal containers of people, and the last time I checked, giant flying metal containers aren’t our natural habitat.

So, traveling in a giant flying metal container = neck cramps. Neck cramps compromise sleep. Compromised sleep = jet lag.

Now, travel photography = a lot of walking & Barcelona’s Gothic District = narrow streets and tall structures which causes you to look up. Looking up too much = even more neck cramps. Add lots of walking + jet lag + neck cramps and you get…

Crap, what was I talking about?

So, anyway, about the photo: This is one of the sides of the beautiful Santa Maria del Pi in Barcelona’s Gothic (Neck Cramp) District.

Daily Banana – Good Gothic

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HDR
Filed Under: Architecture, Barcelona, Before & After, HDR Photography, Spain, Travel
19
Nov 2010

Waking up Gaudi

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5am!? Really!?

Aside from Composition, another extremely important element to photography is good lighting. When I scouted this location the previous afternoon, not only was the lighting flat, but I found it crawling with people. This same shot would have had at least 300 people in frame. Seriously.

Fact: Sunrise and Sunset produce the most desirable lighting effects.
Another Fact: There are way less people around during sunrise than sunset.
An unfortunate Fact: Waking up early sucks. Big time.

No matter how well I mentally fortify myself the night before, my brain always looks for excuses not to get out of bed at 5am. It’s in this AM twilight that I ask myself, “why am I doing this again?” In this case as I was drawing open the window shades, checking the weather, I was secretly wishing for rain.

Ultimately, and always reluctantly, I drag myself out of bed and trudge through the streets in full zombie mode. Once I’ve had an espresso or two I’m usually fine. Before that though, It’s like night of the living dead.

Does anyone have any tips for waking up early? Any mantras or mental tricks?

Daily Banana – Waking up Gaudi

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HDR
Filed Under: Architecture, Barcelona, Before & After, HDR Photography, Spain, Sunrise and Sunset, Travel