Columbus, Ohio - Playing in Lightroom

I took this image a few weeks ago while walking in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was later in the evening and I had some time to enjoy the city. [I was in Columbus on a business trip.] The lines and shapes of the building caught my attention. However, regardless of how I took the picture, I could not capture it in the manner I saw it in my mind.

However, after some 'playing' in Lightroom 2.1 I was able to create the second image that matched the drama I saw in my mind. I envisioned a building from the turn of the century with late night meetings and discussions concerning the future of the area.

The first image is directly out of the camera and the second image is after some 'artistic' liberality was used. :-)

Silver Ring Thing - Myth buster tour and 20 something event

The Silver Ring Thing returned to Victory Family Church in Cranberry Twp., PA, Friday night 9.19.08.  This was the first presentation of the 20 something event and as always, an excellent event.  [Yes, I cried many times during the testimonials and laughed at the videos.]  The SRT team did an amazing job presenting the facts about sex outside the marriage covenant and the value of waiting until marriage before having sex.  However, they also emphasized it is not too late to 'start over'.  Today is the day to draw the line in the sand and declare before God and man to stay pure until marriage.  If you never attended a Silver Ring Thing event, it is well worth the time invested.  Click here for more information and to find an event in your area.    

Their 'normal' event is geared toward the teenage crowd but this event was designed to reach the twenty something crowd.  I talked to a few of the attendees after the event and they all stated it was a tremendous event and they would recommend it to their friends.  [Parents, I recommend this event for you to attend with your son or daughter.] 

If you have a son or daughter in the teen years, I encourage you to visit the SRT site and find an event in your area.  No event in your area!  Fill out the online form or contact their office to schedule an event.

The event is a multimedia event that will get YOUR attention!  If you attend an event and your emotions are not challenged, check your pulse!  Call 911, you might be dead!

Watch my site over the next few days for more pictures of the event!

As always, grab your camera and capture the beauty of life that God gave to each of us!

Stormy skies and God's protection!

 

Sunday night the winds were becoming stronger and stronger until they reached 55+ MPH with gust up to 70+.  This is the sky we saw as the winds grew stronger and stronger.  [The weather channel warned of high winds.  Why do they call them high winds if they are on the ground too?  High winds would be a problem for aircraft?]  The clouds were moving and changing so fast that pictures I took a few minutes later were 'boring' compared to this dramatic image.  [Very little post processing done in Lightroom 2.0.]  The border and text was added in Photoshop.

Although the image contains tremendous color, it does not display the beauty we saw painted in the sky that night.  The second image image is a black and white version of it.  I added some matting in Photoshop to 'enhance' the image.

Although we were without power for the first part of the week, we suffered no damage.  Earlier in the summer, my wife had the trees close to the pool removed and a few tress up the driveway.  No doubt if they were not removed we would have received damage in some manner.  One of the trees removed was near the power line that comes into the house.  {Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.}

There was a tremendous amount of debris in the pool which we cleaned out by hand Tuesday night.  We 'cranked' up the heater and spent the evening cleaning out leaves and acorns.  

We thank God this wind storm did not occur in the winter [when a power outage could have been disastrous without heat] or associated to any 'water'.  No blowing rain, sleet, hail, or snow occurred which reduced the after effects of the wind!

Have fun and enjoy the beauty of life!

Adding color to a black and white image

Both of these images are converted from the same file.  The second image has slightly 'stronger' red tone added to the flowers than the first image. 

To create these images, I started in Lightroom 2.0 and right clicked on the 'full' color version of the RAW file and created a virtual copy.  I converted the virtual copy to a black and white image and adjusted the black and fill light to enhance the image.  In the original file, I boosted the hue and saturation [red] to bring out some of the color in the flowers.  I was cautious not to adjust the color too much to avoid a cartoonish or fake look.  After both images were modified to where I liked them, I right clicked on the image and selected edit in Photoshop [CS2].  This next technique works in any photo editing software that supports layers.  [PS Elements, etc]. 

Photoshop steps:

1. Drag the black and white image to the color image and rename each layer to identify the layer [e.g. the bottom layer = color, the next layer = b&w, etc.
2.  Create a mask on the b&w layer.  Hit the 'B' key [brush] and ensure black is selected in the color pallet. 
3. Adjust the brush size to a comfortable size to 'paint' over the flowers.  The shortcut key for adjusting the brush size is the '[' and ']' keys.
4. Paint over the flowers and the color from the first layer will show through to the second layer.  The trick is not to paint too much to the hands or clothing.  Use the 'z' key to zoom in and out when needed.
5. In this image, I wanted to 'black' out the couple's jeans to add some 'pop' to the flowers.  I created a layer above the black and white layer and painted black over the jeans.  I did not paint the black on the black and white layer because I did not want to alter the 'original' layer.

When either image is printed, a white mat and black frame would accent the flowers and the couple's hands.

Thanks for viewing and remember, get out and capture the beauty of life!

Check out the Great images of Alaska

Check out the bear images [and other images from Alaska] from a friend of mine and fellow photographer. The bear images are some of the most unique images and they are so close and crisp, I feel like I am within inches of the bears.

Sara & Dustin Engagement shoot

I had a great time shooting the engagement pictures of Sara and Dustin this past week. Their wedding is scheduled for June 09. The weather was beautiful and we could not ask for better conditions.

This is one of many images I took during the shoot. I took it along the shores of Lake Erie [Cleveland side]. The sunset was beautiful and glistened off the lake. To obtain the silhouette, I exposed for the sky and shot in manual.




The second image is exposed in the same manner but the color was modified in Lightroom. Notice the bird flying over head.




















The third image I converted to a B&W in Lightroom and added some -[negative] clarity to soften the image.

Tenba Messenger Bag [Digital 2.0] review

If you are like me, you are on an never ending journey to find the 'perfect' camera bag. I have a great backpack from Kata. {which I will review in a future post} It is nearly indestructible an works great when I travel via an airplane.

O.K. back to my newest bag, the Tenba Digital 2.0 Messenger bag. My first question is this, do the folks that have version 1.0 get to download an upgrade for their bag? :-)


This review is after doing two shoots in two different types of conditions. The first shoot was a photo walk I did in Columbus. [Hey, I needed to try it somewhere after I bought it.] I was on a business trip and the night was beautiful and I could not pass up the opportunity to shoot some pictures of Columbus. {which I posted earlier in the week}.


The second shoot was an engagement shoot along the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio. The bag proved to be an excellent bag and very simple to utilize. It has many pockets [many of which I have no idea what I will put in them but there are plenty]. There are two zipper pockets on the outside front of the bag that the video demonstrates can be used for a wallet and/or iPod, etc. I found them to be very useful for my spare battery and extra memory card case. I like to be able to access both items without searching in my bag.


The other item I like about the bag is the zipper on the flap that when opened enables the user to access anything in the bag without opening the large flap. This is great when you want to avoid putting the bag down or you do not want others to see what is in the bag. The third item I like is the removable dividers in the bag. I was able to put my Nikon D200 with a 17-50 f/2.8, 70-300 VR, 50 f/1.8, and SB800 comfortably in the bag with room for at least one or two smaller lenses. I also had a 67mm polarizer [in its protective case] and a few micro cloths in the main compartment. On the front of the bag under the flap, I had a lens pen and a few other items.


This bag has a compartment for a laptop but I doubt I will use the space for the laptop. It seems as if I put in my 15 in. Dell it will make the bag too bulky. Which takes away another item I like about the bag. It is not too bulky like a 'typical' over the shoulder camera bag. The strap works great when it goes over the neck and rest on the opposite shoulder. Hence, when I carry it on my right side, the bag strap rest on my left shoulder. It was very comfortable and neither my shoulder or neck was tired or sore after using it a few hours. [an all day shoot such as a wedding or sporting event might prove this to be different but...]

There is a section close to the body for magazines, papers, etc.. This is another item I like about the bag. It is close to the body and anything you put in it [e.g. map, notebook, instructions, etc.] they are within easy reach without the need to open the bag and search for the item.


The bag as a waterproof bottom to prevent damage if you put it on a damp surface. However, there is one major item I do not like. When the make flap is over the bag there is no flap or overlap to prevent water [rain, snow, sleet] from getting in the bag. When I was shooting the engagement shoot at the beach my first thought was will sand get in the bag if it [sand] blows around. I noticed some [maybe all] of the crumpler bags have a flap that folds over when the main flap closes.

I am sure I am not the only one that was caught in a storm when out on a shoot. When I was shooting the Bridgestone Open in Akron, OH, the skies opened and if I had this bag my thought would be to somehow protect the openening from water getting in it [maybe version 3.0 will have a fix and I can download it for free].


There have been other shoots where the weather turned sour very fast and there was little time to protect the gear. Although the opening is small and in most situations the opening will never come into play, it is a concern. However, even with that stated, I give the bag a rating of 8 out of 10. For most of my work, this fault will never come into play. When the situation arises where it could be an issue, I will use my rain gear to keep the opening protected.


The retail price of the bag is $100 [give or take a few dollars] and it comes in many different colors. Would I purchase it again or recommend it? Yes! Is it a perfect bag? No, but if there is one then write me a note!

Please vote for my pictue on Photrade! :-)

This Week in Photography is having a contest on photrade with the theme entitled "decay".  Please click on the link below to vote for my entry.  :-)  While you are there, enter one of your pictures in the contest!

Vote for my photo!vote

This is the image I submitted for the contest.  Unfortunately, this is an example how people destroy the property of others.  We found this on the far side of our property.  There was an access road to the property [it is now chained off] that folks would drive up and dump their 'trash'.  So sad.

  This is another image from the same area that I considered submitting for the contest.  Both were converted to an antique B&W in Lightroom.