Posts in Category: lighthouse
2/23/2010
Lighthouse over Rocks
Wood Island Light, at the mouth of the Saco River, off East Point in Biddeford Pool, ME. The flip out LCD on the Canon SX20IS got me down low, sitting on one of these rocks. I experimented with Program Shift for greater depth of field, but really did not need it in this situation. The metered f4 at this 60mm equivalent gave sufficient depth for the scene. In lower light, program shift would have been essential, since the SX20, like all P&Ss, favors wider apertures and faster shutter speeds in Program mode.
As above, Canon SX20IS at 60mm equivalent. F4 @ 1/250th @ ISO 100. Programmed Auto.
Recovery for the sky and Lighthouse highlights. A touch of Fill Light. Blackpoint to the right slightly. Added Clarity and just a tiny amount of Vibrance. Sharpen landscapes preset.
From Around Home 2010.
For comparison, here is wider shot with more rocks.
11/9/2009
Rose Hips at Sunset
I previsualized this shot, walking back to the car from my late day, cloud’s-closing-in visit to the beach…but getting it right was not so easy. There were lots of rose hips, just at their best, and lots of beach, but finding the right combination proved more difficult. And then exposing the thing: that was a challenge.
Still, with a little help in Lightroom, it just about works.
Sony DSC H50 at just under 40mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/500th @ ISO 100. Programmed auto.
I took two exposures, one metered more for the sky and one more for the rose hips. When I got home, I actually chose the lighter of the two to work with as the hips were just too dark in the sky shot.
Recovery for the sky, Fill Light for the hips. Blackpoint slightly right. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Sharpen Landscape preset. I pulled a Graduated Filter effect down diagonally from the top left corner, ending just at the hips. I reduced Exposure and Brightness, and increased Contrast under the filter. Finally, I increased overall Exposure slightly and cropped from the top to eliminate some distracting elements on the right and improve overall composition.
From Around Home Kennebunk ME.
11/3/2009
Cape May Lighthouse over Water
This is, I am pretty sure, the last Pic of the Day from this year’s visit to Cape May…and, fittingly it would seem, it is another image of Cape May Lighthouse. This time I am far down the beach, just inside the dunes, looking back over one of the small ponds that from there. I found the sky interesting and exposed to keep all the detail in the clouds.
Sony DSC H50 at about 90mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/800th @ ISO 100. Programmed auto.
Recovery for the sky in Lightroom. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Blackpoint just slightly right. Sharpen Landscapes preset.
The last from Cape May 10/09.
10/29/2009
Cape May Light over Cattails
Yes, it is another view of Cape May Lighthouse. Another. But honestly, it is a photogenic light and this year there were simply lots of good views.
For this shot, I used the flip out LCD on the Sony again to get down lower, placing the cattail heads and foreground grass as a strong element in the composition. The Light holds it own on the horizon (carefully placed according to the rule of thirds), and the heavy clouds add drama. I used Program Shift to select the smallest available f-stop for greatest depth of field to keep both foreground and Lighthouse in focus.
Sony DSC H50 at about 60mm equivalent (zoomed up for framing). F8 @ 1/125th @ ISO 100. Programmed auto with program shift.
In Lightroom I did my usual Clarity, Vibrance, blackpoint to the right, Sharpen Landscape stuff…but then I drew a Graduated Filter effect down from the top to darken the sky for drama, and one up from the bottom to increase both clarity and contrast for that chiseled by light look. This is as close to HDR as I get.
From Cape May 10/09.
10/27/2009
Trees of Flame Framing Lighthouse: Cape May
You may get tired of this Lighthouse, but I seem to have shot it from all angles on this trip. I could not resist these very bright trees and finding an angle that would frame the the lighthouse. I got down low and used the flip out lcd of the H50 to compose the shot.
Sony DSC H50 at 35mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/400 @ ISO 100. Programmed Auto.
Recovery in Lightroom for the sky. A bit of fill light to pick up the leaves in the tree and the textures of the tree trunks. Blackpoint to the right to intensify the image. Added Clarity and Vibrance and Sharpen Landscapes preset. Finally I went in with the selective HLS tools and increased the luminance of the red of the leaves.
And, for contrast, here is a shot with more lighthouse and less trees, taken from the same spot by zooming in.
Tighter Frame of Flame
This is at 120mm equivalent. For this shot I used Program Shift on the H50 (easy to do as it is one of the on screen options accessible without opening the menu system) to select the smallest aperture and increase depth of field to keep both foreground and the lighthouse in focus. It received very similar treatment in Lightroom.
So what do you think. Wide frame or tight?
From Cape May 10/09
10/26/2009
Cape May Lighthouse: Autumn
Cape May Light on moody Autumn afternoon. A touch of color in the trees with the lacy phragmities reeds (of questionable parentage…native or invasive??) form a intricate cup to support the solid shaft of the light standing tall against the cloudy sky…classic stuff!
Sony DSC H50 at about 135mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/500 @ ISO 100. Programmed auto.
Recovery in Lightroom for the sky and clouds. A touch of Fill Light for the foreground. Blackpoint to the right for intensity. Added Vibrance and Clarity and the Sharpen Landscapes preset.
From Cape May 10/09.
10/22/2009
Cape May Light
In honor of my trip to Cape May today, an image from Cape May. Cape May light from the north, looking back over the inner dunes and ponds.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/640th @ ISO 100. Programmed auto.
Just my basic added Vibrance and Clarity in Lightroom, along with the Sharpen landscapes preset.
This is from my flickr site.
10/16/2009
Jekyll Island Driftwood and St. Simons Light
I take a few shots of the driftwood on the north end of Jekyll Island every year. Due, by some theories, to global warming, the sea is rising and slowly the beach is cutting back further and further into the forest. More trees fall every year. There are always new shapes to photograph by October when I visit. Often, as here, I find a formation to frame the light house on St. Simons Island across the channel.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/800th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
A bit of Recovery in Lightroom for the highlights on the bleached wood. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence panel. Sharpen landscapes preset. Cropped slightly from the top for composition.
From Colonial Coast 09.
9/17/2009
Marblehead Light, OH
Sometimes there is no choice but the straight on tourist shot of the famous landmark. Time is limited. The vantage points are limited by the park management. Essentially you “stand here and take your shot.” The weather and the light are what they are. So you make the most of it. And maybe plan to come back for better light and weather…if you life allows.
This is Marblehead Light, in Marblehead OH, out on the peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie above Sandusky.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/800 @ ISO 100. Programed auto. -.7EV exposure compensation.
A bit of Recovery in Lightroom for the sky. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence Panel. Sharpen landscape preset.
From Lakeside OH.
9/16/2009
Portland Head Light: the other view
Shooting against the light, the problem is always balancing the exposure and using post-processing to bring up the whites of the Lighthouse to some semblance of reality. They eye, of course, has no difficulty seeing the brightness of the foreground and the brilliant white of the white-washed stone, but no photographic medium, be it film or digital sensor, can do that trick. So I exposed for the scene and trusted I could “pull it out” in Lightroom. And of course in this shot, the sky behind the light house is just as much the subject as the light house itself.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/1600 @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Heavy Fill Light in Lightroom for the light house, as mentioned above, and some Recovery for the sky. Added Vibrance and Clarity in the Presence panel. Sharpen landscapes preset.
From Portland Head Light.