A Lot of Texture

This picture started as a simple door that I shot early this year at the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.  The roof above the doorway had been removed since my last visit in 2012.  I made the shot using a Lensbaby, but I still think the picture needed something else.  So I processed the picture using the new Flypaper Presets for Nik Color Effects and then finished it off with a texture from Flypaper Textures.  Now I think the image has sufficient texture and that something else!  

You can get a discount on flypaper products if you use the code “donr”.  

P.S.   I will be teaching a light painting workshop at this awesome location in late April.  Drop me an e-mail if you would like more info.  

Learning to Paint

          

      

Last winter I was on Skyline Drive with Denise Silva (my partner at Road Runner) and we pulled over to shoot these fantastic crepuscular rays of light.  For the last couple weeks I have been going through images from this year and decided to see what I could do with this one.  The original image was a little noisy due to shooting at ISO 800.  The shadows also lacked detail, but what is important are the horizontal lines of the mountain ranges contrasted with the beam of light.  I decided that reducing the detail by using Alien Skin Snap Art could help me achieve the desired look I was seeking.  While Snap Art gives you plenty of presets, in this case I felt it necessary to do manual adjustments to give a painted look and also achieve the necessary level of detail.

I have taken a class on photo painting and with a lot of time and effort can do some of this by hand in Photoshop, but Snap Art saves a ton of time!  If you are interested in a discount on Snap Art, please send me an e-mail. 

Light Painting

  

A couple weeks ago I took a group from our Meetup to the Lonaconing Silk Mill.  At this point I have been to the mill more times than I can count, however, I seem to always find something new to shoot.   In the light painting above I can’t take credit for the arrangement.   I had found some items arranged on this shelf and told one of the participants, suggested she give it a try and I would help with the light painting.  The participant was a teenager and in this case I really enjoyed watching the creative process.  She started out by looking at the arrangement of items in front of her and after what seemed like a few minutes started rearranging items to suit her taste.   In my opinion she came up with a much stronger design than what was on the shelf a few minutes earlier.   I found it fascinating to watch this young talent at work! 

By the way, I used the new Perfect Photo Suite from OnOne Software to process this image. 

We will be going back to the Silk Mill on March 29th, so check out our Meetup page if you would like to join us!  

Winter has arrived

 

 

 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking a road trip with friends Donna and Jeff.   Our eventual destination was Johnstown, PA for a little Urban Exploration, but along the way we had a great time shooting barns and frozen lakes.   I live in the Washington DC area and some winters it does not get cold enough for the streams and ponds to freeze.   It was a real bonus being able to get in a little macro ice shooting.