Posts in Category: autumn
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.
10/28/2009
Pond, Swan, Fall
We seem to be getting a lot of these moody fall days. I manage at least two falls each year. One in Maine, one in New Jersey, and one in New Mexico: mid-October, late-October, and mid-November. This year I will be in Germany in mid-November. I am not sure if that is fall there or not. We shall see.
This is a little pond on the back side of Lighthouse State Park in Cape May, New Jersey. I have never seen as may Mute Swans as there are this year. They are everywhere there is fresh water. A touch of fall in the foliage on the far side and the cat-tails in the foreground give the image some depth.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F4.0 @ 1/250th @ ISO 100. Programmed Auto.
Recovery in Lightroom for the sky. A touch of Fill Light for the foliage. Blackpoint slightly right. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Sharpen Landscapes preset.
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.
10/20/2009
Back to the Fall in Maine
From my photo-jaunt out to my favorite fall spot, along the Mousam River in West Kennebunk, a few miles from home. Still that same moody day. Trying for extreme depth on this one.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm apparent. F8.0 @ 1/100th @ ISO 100. Programmed auto.
Some Recovery in Lightroom for the sky and reflections. Blackpoint slightly right. Added Vibrance and Clarity. Sharpen landscape preset.
From Fall 09 Maine.
10/14/2009
Fall Mood
Okay…we all need a break from birds! As you can tell, most of my photography over the past few weeks has been PhotoScoping and I still have a whole set of birds from Green Cay Wetlands in FL from Monday to share…but enough birds already. Lets look at a scenic. Fall. Heavy weather. Mood. (Which seems the norm for fall in Maine this year.) Actually, of course, by the time I get home tomorrow the leaves will probably be gone. This was taken a few weeks ago, just at the start of the turn. I could not resist the sky and the reflections in the water, and that small band of color in the trees.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F4 @ 1/250th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
In Lightroom, Recovery for the sky and clouds and reflections. Blackpoint just slightly right. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence panel. Sharpen landscape preset.
10/9/2009
Autumn Angler
I was down at the river looking for a view, when I turned to see this fisherman in the stream. I had only time for one shot before he became aware of me. To me it captures a moment and a feeling. Just enough autumn color to give you the when, and yet a king of timeless quality in the activity. The reflected colors in the water, the little fall behind the fisherman…I could not have posed it better…and yet it just happened. To me those are the best shots!
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F2.7 @ 1/60th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Cropped slightly in Lightroom for composition and to eliminate a light sky expanse. Recovery for the highlights in the falls. Some Fill Light to open shadows. Blackpoint to the right very slightly. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence panel and Sharpen landscape preset.
From Fall 09 Maine.
10/8/2009
Mousam Pond: Moody Fall
Just down river from the falls (yesterday) there is a dam that backs up this pond (by Maine standards…perhaps a lake elsewhere). I also have many, many images taken from this spot. This is by far the moodiest. The light makes the foreground almost as prominent as the foliage. I like the subtly of the reflected clouds and the few floating leaves.
Sony DSC H50 at 31mm equivalent. F5 @ 1/250th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Recovery in Lightroom for the sky and reflections. Blackpoint just barely to the right. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence panel. Sharpen landscapes preset.
From Fall 09 Maine.