Sunlight

Today I decided to take advantage of the sun coming in the window of our kitchen door.

I had my mom sit on a chair in the entryway and used the kitchen wall for my backdrop. It was hard getting her to behave as she alternated between sourpuss, goofy, and laughing pictures. She is such a troublemaker!

At one point, while I was figuring out my next shot, she decided it was time to take off her glasses and clean them. Quick on the draw, I managed to get a shot of her mid-puff.

For some reason I really like this picture. Especially the fact that even the fog on the lens shows up. I also like the way the sun highlights her left hand and the left side of her face. The sunlight also bounced off a glossy wooden door, which really warms up the right side of her face with a honey glow.

Techie Corner

Available light diffused through a reflector disc and bounced off a shiny wooden door. (see example) Cropping for 8x10, some sharpening, and a slight amount of retouching were the only edits.
Shot at 1/45 Sec @ F2.8, ISO 200

Stillwater Sunset

It was still below zero today, but the wind wasn't quite as bad.

Went back to the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice sculptures this afternoon to see if I could get more pictures. Unfortunately, our one 43 degree day had taken it's toll. All the sculptures were melted, refrozen blobs and broken pieces. The carnage!

So I ended up in Stillwater just before sunset and took this picture of the lift bridge. It has an artsy, grainy effect by accident, but I kinda like the extra grain anyway, so that is ok.

Techie Corner
The sun was already pretty much behind the bluffs, so the shade made everything blue/gray and dull. I used the eyedropper in Lightroom to get a custom white balance, which fixed the blue/gray. I also made heavy adjustments with the tone curve settings (which greatly emphasized the grain in the picture.) Some minor cropping was also done.
Shot at 1/750 Sec at F6.7, ISO 800

Thinking Warm Thoughts

I'm cheating a little bit. I've been very busy today and haven't had time to take pictures or post sooner.

It's also 12 degrees below zero right now with a wind chill of 39 degrees below zero. (A far cry from yesterday's high of 43 degrees!)

So I think it is a fine time to dream about warmer days. I dug into the archives and pulled out a picture I took at the Minnesota Zoo this past summer. This beautiful eagle was very talkative.

Techie Corner
The trainer and eagle were in the shade and the background was in full sun, so the background got blown out pretty bad. Did some exposure changes to help some. Also did some cropping.
Shot at 1/90 Sec @ F6.7, ISO 200

On Ice

We checked out the ice sculptures at the St. Paul Winter Carnival on Saturday night.

When I got home, I discovered that none of the ice sculpture pictures were in focus. How disappointing! I still have a lot of practicing to do with my new lens. Most of the sculptures weren't lit very well either, so I think my camera was having some problems focusing on the intricacies of the ice.

So I wasn't going to post any of the pictures, but then I was shocked to see 42 degrees on the thermometer this morning! The sun is beating down and I'm sure the ice is suffering. So much for getting better shots! I guess I'll just use this as a representation of what it will look like after melting for a day.

Techie Corner
I kicked up the "blacks" and "vibrance" in the image. I did some sharpening of the sculpture. I also cloned out some distracting yellow sand bags and some plastic straps around the tree.
Shot at 1/90 Sec @ F2.0, ISO 800

Another Day, Another Kitty

Not every day will be kitty pictures, but guess what, today is another kitty picture. I'll try to get a different subject for Monday.

Still practicing with my new lens. Today I used my off-camera flash and bounced it into a photographic umbrella. This did not please Jewel one bit! Her sensitive kitty eyes put up with this for 8 shots. Then she decided she'd had enough, hopped off the chair, and stalked away in disgust.

If I could change one thing, I would have brushed the fur under her chin. It gets so ratty! The eyes are tack sharp though, which pleases me greatly.

See you on Monday!

Techie Corner
I took a custom white balance reading off the carpet, which was blue, adding some warmth to the picture. The umbrella did make the image very "hot" so I bumped up "blacks" and "recovery" in Lightroom. I also did a little cropping.
Shot at 1/60 Sec @ F2.8, ISO 200