Picture of the Day (Dial-up internet users enter at own risk!)

[Mosca]

Color, or B&W?

This is a dual exercise; I'm fulfilling part of an assignment where I need to take a picture of a city at night, and I also wanted to take a shot at that HDR stuff.

This is the clock on top of the Lackawanna Radisson Hotel, in Scranton PA. It is 5 images merged.

I think I kind of like it in B&W. It is starker.

Here is a wide-angle of the hotel. The highlights are blown out a bit, but I like that flare of purple at the far right, it gives the shot some flair.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I think I kind of like it in B&W. It is starker.

You can get some very nice B&W effects using HDR. This is a shot of the Alaska Range, near Cantwell, Alaska, on the road to Denali. In this photo the massiveness of the mountains came out much better in B&W than it did in the color version. But looking at the photo, I think that if I were to reprocess it now I reduce the strength of the details enhancer in Photomatix.

++++++++

This is another HDR B&W photo with four tinting layers. This is Ha'upu, taken from the Makewehi Cliffs shoreline east of Gillins Beach. This one just never came out well as a color photo HDR despite multiple attempts with different settings. When I converted it to black and white, the contrasts immediately came out. I then used the tinting layers to add some color back into the photo.

 

[Mosca]

Geez Steve, that could be Tierra del Fuego instead of Hawaii!

 

[prosperitylove79]

A few different pictures

Here are a few pictures of different places I have traveled...

Chichen Itza - Mexico

Oak Alley - New Orleans, LA

White Alligator at the Audubon Aquarium, New Orleans, LA

Sea Horse Audubon Aquarium New Orleans, LA

Cape Cod

Waterfall in the Rainforest of Costa Rica

View from a Hanging Bridge in the Rainforest of Costa Rica

Sunset from our hotel - Villa Sol - Guanacaste, Costa Rica

 

[easyrider]

 

[KristinB]

Kristin,

Your photos are perfect! I'm heading to DC Monday and hope the blossoms will stay intact till then, but with the weather, I'm doubtful. So the photos are appreciated even more.

Thanks! I'm sorry to say that your suspicions are probably right, I don't know how much is left right now. The winds were just crazy on Friday and Saturday (20-30 mph, with up to 50 mph gusts on Saturday ). I went back early Saturday morning (for sunrise) and the branches were a lot barer already. The winds were so bad that the Tidal Basin had whitecaps! I left around 10:30 a.m. and as I walked away, there were even more blossoms raining down around me with each huge gust. The only place that seemed to be somewhat protected was by the FDR Memorial, so if there's any hope of them staying intact, it's on that side...

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Geez Steve, that could be Tierra del Fuego instead of Hawaii!

Here's another shot, taken about five minutes later after I walked off the headland and down to the beach off the right side of the first photograph. The place on the first photo where the waves are crashing is the smaller, brighter cliff located just to the left of center in this photograph.

 

[KristinB]

Gorgeous, Steve!

Here's today's cherry blossom pic:

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Kristin: Here's a Mt. Rainier shot for you:

 

[HatTrick]

Here's today's cherry blossom pic:

Nice shot, Kristin. The Jefferson is my favorite DC memorial. Especially at night.

Roger

 

[easyrider]

east side Raineer

 

[KristinB]

Wow, Steve & Bill -- I really have to get out west! I've never been to Washington state... Just beautiful.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Wow, Steve & Bill -- I really have to get out west! I've never been to Washington state... Just beautiful.

Kristin:

Mt. Adams and the High Cascades:

 

[easyrider]

hey Steve, nice shot, is this the northwest view ?

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

hey Steve, nice shot, is this the northwest view ?

Yeah - that's the northwest face. Photo taken yesterday, April 5, from Silver Queen mountain at about 7000 feet elevation.

Here's a shot of Mt. St. Helens, from near the same location.

 

[KristinB]

Kristin:

Mt. Adams and the High Cascades:

Yeah - that's the northwest face. Photo taken yesterday, April 5, from Silver Queen mountain at about 7000 feet elevation.

Here's a shot of Mt. St. Helens, from near the same location.

Okay, I really have to start planning to get out there... But there aren't any timeshares near there, are there? LOL!

Today's cherry blossom pic:

:

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Okay, I really have to start planning to get out there... But there aren't any timeshares near there, are there? LOL!

There aren't any in the immediate Raineir area. But there are others with good Cascade Mountains access.

There are a couple in Leavenworth, WA. Right outside of Leavenworth are trailheads into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.

There's a resort in Glacier, WA, which is right on the Mt. Baker Highway. That location also gives good access to the North Cascades Highway and National Pak.

In Oregon Whispering Woods is about one hour from Portland, and not far from Mt. Hood.

 

[HatTrick]

Evening in Honolulu

Looking out over the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor.

 

[KristinB]

There aren't any in the immediate Raineir area. But there are others with good Cascade Mountains access.

There are a couple in Leavenworth, WA. Right outside of Leavenworth are trailheads into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.

There's a resort in Glacier, WA, which is right on the Mt. Baker Highway. That location also gives good access to the North Cascades Highway and National Pak.

In Oregon Whispering Woods is about one hour from Portland, and not far from Mt. Hood.

Thanks, have to start thinking about 2012...

HatTrick, love the nighttime Honolulu shot!

So when I was at the Tidal Basin Saturday morning, a young couple were having their wedding photos taken, and several of us couldn't resist the opportunity, LOL!

 

[HatTrick]

So when I was at the Tidal Basin Saturday morning, a young couple was having their wedding photos taken, and several of us couldn't resist the opportunity, LOL!

I did that once on Waikiki Beach and a guy from the wedding party started running toward me. I was quite a distance away, so maybe he was going to allow me closer access. I didn't stick around to find out!

No such problem photographing this couple enjoying a quiet afternoon with Mokoli'i Islet (Chinaman's Hat) in the background.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Frolicking at Secret Beach

Got this picture of a young lady enjoying the surf at Secret Beach. She was standing in that circular area and letting the waves break in around her legs.

 

[Mosca]

This is film; Fuji Superia Reala 100, Canon EOS 1N, Canon 28-135@about 100mm, f/6.3 and maybe 250ish. From this afternoon: two old rangers. Dad is 81, Penny is 9 1/2, very old for an English bulldog. Francis Slocum State Park.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Gillins Beach, Kaua'i

Technical notes. This an HDR composite of three photos, taken at ±0.7 EV. The HDR didn't work well on the sky, but was superb on the ocean and the land. Digital darkroom work on the sky included removing a reddish cast, a general brightening of the sky, and digital noise reduction.

After working on the sky, the overall photo work included adjusting tonal balance and a bit of sharpening.

All of the exposures were shot with a polarizing filter and a UV filter.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Kristin - that is a superb photo!!!

From many bad experiences I know how difficult it is to suceesfully take an outdoor photo like this in direct sunlight. Not only did you manage the lighting, but you created a simply splendid moment for the couple. I hope that you got an e-mail address for them so that you can send it to them.

From our wedding some of our most cherished photos are pictures that were taken by a couple of the guests, and not the photographer. We were fortunate that a couple of guests snapped photos at some almost perfect moments.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Gillins Beach from a different vantage