tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77344351522284293352024-03-13T20:21:31.062-04:00Don Rosenberger PhotographyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-9320808923035919872019-03-30T16:15:00.000-04:002019-03-30T16:15:09.340-04:00We Have Moved<br />
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I have really liked the Blogger Platform, but I have decided
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Check out my adventures on <a href="http://donrosenberger.com/theblog/">http://donrosenberger.com/theblog/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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The Daffodils are blooming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-28825475056267280182019-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:002019-01-18T08:00:00.522-05:00Greenland From Above<br />
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Following up on <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/exploring-greenland/" target="_blank">Denise's blog</a> about our incredible trip this past summer to Greenland, I wanted to write about drone photography during this trip.<br />
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There are considerable limits on the amount of gear you can take to Greenland. This starts with the weight limits imposed by the airline, then of course, space on the boat is quite limited as well. Thankfully the DJI Mavic Pro is both small and lightweight.<br />
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According to our boat crew, about 50% of the people who bring a drone on this trip end up loosing or crashing their drone. Considering this was the trip of a lifetime, I decided to give flight a try on our first morning, but it was not meant to be. The drone had an internal calibration error and required a calibration process that required no movement or vibration. So I had to wait until we went ashore that evening to run the calibration routine.<br />
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The next morning we woke up at the Iceberg Graveyard. This is an area where the currents take the icebergs but there is nowhere for them to escape. The shot above was taken at the Iceberg Graveyard around 4:00am just prior to sunrise. Our ship was anchored a considerable distance away, and we took Zodiacs into this lagoon area and shot from land. It was also my favorite spot for using the Mavic and luckily we spent two mornings in this area and were able to return to this area the next morning. <br />
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I did try one flight a couple of days later from the boat. We were near a glacier and the boat was still but not anchored. Upon return to the boat the drone ended up doing a little bit of a controlled crash upon landing. I chipped a propeller but otherwise the drone was undamaged.<br />
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In addition to the minor crash I mentioned, I also had some times where the Mavic would lose GPS and then inflight control and stability became a bit more erratic. However, the more experienced you become as a pilot the easier these incidents are to handle.<br />
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I'm doing a lecture on <a href="https://www.meetup.com/Road-Runner-Photography-Tours/events/257988154/" target="_blank">Drone Photography for our meetup group</a> on March 30th. Click here for more info.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-80616602643542511102018-12-03T08:30:00.000-05:002018-12-03T08:30:03.775-05:00A Day at the Track<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past Sunday <a href="https://www.meetup.com/Road-Runner-Photography-Tours" target="_blank">RRPT</a> held our first meetup at Summit Point Raceway. The event was called Drift Nirvana and unfortunately the weather kept a number of people away. The number of vehicles, spectators and of course photographers were quite a bit less than what I'm told by others would be normal. <br />
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Here at Road Runner we really don't like to cancel a meetup because of weather, since at least half the time the weather is such the meetup could be held. We won't talk about our last camping meetup, except to say it took a few days to dry out my gear.<br />
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I was hoping to get some great shots that included lots of tire smoke, but it rained the day before so the track was still wet. There was less friction between the tires and the pavement and as such a lot less smoke. <br />
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The Volvo pictured above was not the best looking car of the day, but it was driven so incredibly well and as such, was one of my favorite cars to watch and of course photograph.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-10624876220182655412018-10-18T21:32:00.001-04:002018-10-18T21:32:44.979-04:00No Trespassing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite things to do is explore the back country roads here in Virginia in search of what I call Americana. I was clicking through my Lightroom Catalog and happened across this barn and tractor that I shot this past summer. Luckily this scene was close to the road and the farmhouse that owns the property was on the other side of the road. As I pulled over I noticed a gentleman walking from his car to the house. I inquired if this was his property and if I could obtain permission to walk on the property to photograph the barn and tractor. This answer to my first question was yes and the answer to the second question was no. <br />
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The property owner indicated a concern that I could get hurt and bring litigation. Since I was already standing on the road I just took a couple shots from the road and thanked him for his time. While I can’t imagine getting hurt doing something so simple, and I’m just not the type of person that would sue if something happened, I think it is always good policy to be respectful and courteous. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-41033240774599578492018-09-06T13:01:00.001-04:002018-09-06T13:01:58.676-04:00Good Morning Greenland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our last blog featured a massive iceberg that we shot around midnight on the start of our Greenland Adventure. After shooting that massive chunk of ice we retired to our bunks for the night. The boat crew worked in 3 hour shifts while we slept so we would arrive at the Sun Glacier the next morning.<br />
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The really cool thing about being on a boat was shooting this massive glacier within a few minutes of waking up in the morning. The Sun Glacier was such an amazing sight, the icecap that covers much of Greenland just rolled over the edge of this mountain range into the sea. We watched the glacier calving several times. Often there was a waterfall that would occur after the initial calving and the waterfall would sometimes run for just a few minutes and in other places the waterfalls were constant.<br />
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Little did we know every day for the next week would be an incredible visual treat.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0Sermersooq Municipality, Greenland70.21592989989405 -24.52819678908144970.043903399894049 -25.173643789081449 70.387956399894051 -23.882749789081448tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-71043315517351505092018-08-30T09:15:00.000-04:002018-08-30T09:15:38.751-04:00Number One <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is what I call Iceberg Number One. A couple of weeks ago we landed at Constable Point in Greenland for the start of what one of our participants called “one of the top 5 events in my life”. This tour was over 2 years in planning and simply amazing! We will be writing additional blogs and posting additional images as time goes forward, but we wanted to get an image posted here on our blog. <br />
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Be sure to follow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/don.rosenberger.photography" target="_blank">Don</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Neech2000" target="_blank">Denise</a> on Facebook if you don’t want to miss any of our images from this amazing trip.<br />
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Back to Number One. Our flight from Iceland to Greenland was delayed several hours due to weather in a different area of Greenland and this caused a cascading delay in our departure from Iceland. Once we finally got on the plane and started to taxi out to the runway, one of the plane’s engines died and we instead taxied to the maintenance hangar. After returning to the terminal Air Iceland readied another plane and 30 minutes later we were finally in the air. <br />
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Upon arrival in Greenland we had a 20 minute walk from the airport to the zodiacs, we transferred to the schooner Opal and after dinner started our voyage from Constable Point to the main part of Scoresby Sund. The first thing the crew told us is that distances in Greenland are deceptive. Number One Iceberg was visible to us on the boat almost 2 hours before we arrived. It seemed so much closer. We circled this beautiful hunk of ice between midnight and 1 a.m. before retiring for the night. <br />
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If you would like to be notified when registration is open for our 2020 Greenland Tour drop us an <a href="mailto:info@roadrunnerphotographytours.com" target="_blank">email</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-91602447462641769432018-07-03T08:31:00.000-04:002018-07-03T08:31:06.350-04:00I Love Innovation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have mentioned many times before that "it is a wonderful time to be a photographer”. Usually I’m referencing the evolution and innovation of software, but today I’m talking about filters. Many people probably think that with the advent of digital photography you can apply filters in software. In some cases this is correct, but every serious photographer I know believes in getting it right in camera, regardless of how much work they plan to do later in the digital darkroom.<br />
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The innovation I’m talking about is so simple, I wonder why it took so long. Perhaps a decade ago the Variable Neutral Density Filter was invented and then copied by several others and often advertised as offering between 2 and 8 stops of light reduction. The dirty little secret is none of these gives you 8 stops of light reduction before what I call the butterfly effect happens. After turning between half and three quarters of the indicated range printed on the side of the filter, you end up with an uneven darkness that roughly resembles the shape of butterfly wings. Obviously, this effect is not photogenic. I have never taken the time to actually calculate how many useful stops of light reduction I get when using one of these old style variable ND filters, but I stopped carrying one in my bag and instead started carrying a 5 and 10 stop ND filter instead. After we switched most of our filter use to Breakthrough, I started carrying a 3, 6, and 10 stop filter in addition to a circular polarizer. <br />
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So let’s get back to what impressed me about the Benro Variable ND Filter. It has physical limits on the start and stop position of the filter. You just can't move it beyond its designed range of use. The Benro is advertised as a 2 to 7 stop filter, instead of the more commonly listed 2-8 stops by other filter manufacturers. The physical limits may seem like a small thing, but up until now no other variable filter has this feature.<br />
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This past weekend I took the filter with me while hiking White Oak Canyon in Shenandoah National Park. The filter is fairly thin and caused no visible vignette on the edges of the picture frame. I set up my base exposure at one second using aperture priority. This is so any reductions in light intensity will result in longer shutter speeds. The blog image above was a 30 second exposure. My camera does not meter for longer than 30 seconds, but at maximum density the meter was showing 30 seconds and underexposed by one to two stops. So I backed off a little from the maximum setting so I could get a 30 second exposure. I also took a variety of shots at different density settings and could not see any color casts or any other issues that made me question the quality of the filter.<br />
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The old Vari-ND filter is sitting in a box at home marked eBay. The new Benro Filter is occupying a nice space in my camera bag! <br />
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If you would like to try the <a href="http://www.benrousa.com/" target="_blank">Benro Vari-ND</a> for yourself or any other Benro filter, <a href="http://www.benrousa.com/" target="_blank">Click here</a> and use the discount code Roadrunner15<br />
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<i>Note: A stop is a measure of exposure relating to the doubling or halving of the amount of light.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-19435912207394418032018-04-23T08:30:00.000-04:002018-04-23T08:30:27.507-04:00Spring Snow in the Smokies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just returned from our Spring Smokies Tour. We always hope for certain conditions for our clients, but this year we received a special surprise. It snowed at the higher elevations! In anticipation of this adverse weather the Park Service closed the road that crosses the park and leads to the higher elevations. However, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail remained open and got us up to the elevation necessary to experience and photograph the snow.<br />
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Prior to the start of our tour it rained and as such we had several days of strong running streams. These streams are always a joy to photograph and I never tire of hearing the beautiful sound of running water in a mountain stream. We usually venture out into the water, but this year I stayed close to shore because the higher water levels also bring swift moving water and I don’t want my camera gear to go for a swim. <br />
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We finished off the week with a nice hike to Spruce Flat Falls in the Treemont area. Just about the time everyone was wrapping up their shooting, the sun starting peaking over the top of the mountain and illuminating the waterfall with less desirable light. One of the many benefits of traveling with an experienced guide who gets you to the right place at the right time. <br />
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If you would like to see some additional images from this trip head over to the <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/spring-snow-in-the-smokies/" target="_blank">Road Runner Blog</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-24383524231070329872018-04-09T07:30:00.000-04:002018-04-09T07:30:32.177-04:00What's in your Toolbox?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We live in a wonderful time to be a photographer. The options and creative techniques seem more than I can count. I tend to think of these techniques like tools, and by learning new techniques you add a new tool to your toolbox. <br />
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Several years ago I saw a lot of people online and at my camera club were shooting mirror images. I took the time to learn the technique and tucked it away in my toolbox. A mirror is where you take an image and flip the image so you have two halves that mirror each other.<br />
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Last year I shot this abstract image and it occurred to me that I should try creating a mirror. I think it worked and I'm glad this technique is in my toolbox.<br />
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If you want to try this for yourself, load an image in Photoshop and duplicate the image on a second layer. Choose the second layer and go to the Image Menu and choose Image Rotation, then choose Flip Canvas Horizontal (or vertical) and use the move tool to align the image. From there you may need to adjust the layer opacity or masking to obtain the final result.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-56414540381586659502018-02-12T07:30:00.000-05:002018-02-12T07:30:22.794-05:00It Needed Something<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUQl7QJvKaR5Nwqsv4UzyRkwrmuMGaA3bn8QQzRZvmvLRzFehK5hKJ0pmeqITi9FYkt295UC57_FwA8bvBb14vhT6lx_Mnoq09qwcbLENgd-ewMSsWHN6tvCwtlMAtM3QgLm0mUK9gBEN/s1600/_DTR3882-HDR-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUQl7QJvKaR5Nwqsv4UzyRkwrmuMGaA3bn8QQzRZvmvLRzFehK5hKJ0pmeqITi9FYkt295UC57_FwA8bvBb14vhT6lx_Mnoq09qwcbLENgd-ewMSsWHN6tvCwtlMAtM3QgLm0mUK9gBEN/s320/_DTR3882-HDR-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently I was searching my Lightroom Catalog for some images from Palouse. While the image featured in this blog was not the one I was looking for, it is the one that I decided to work on.<br />
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When I'm in the field sometimes I will take an image that I know exactly how I want to process, but not always. Sometimes it's just about the composition. That was the case with this image.<br />
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I think the composition is fine for the most part. Although I wish there was a little more detail inside the barn on the right side, I don't think this is a deal breaker either. At the bottom of this post is the original unprocessed image for reference. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mlyvlDbPLBTvOpx6b_nBOvtkhf9GfORhKxLDJ9oQa8rv3yH_qHq1oTywgiHIIbKcOsYwa_GTVTYTN0WVSdlv9JO9f_oFKz-57yVS48j86KsE17_SjvEShz_HRenmRnMVn1pgQGj5JEkf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-10+at+1.29.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mlyvlDbPLBTvOpx6b_nBOvtkhf9GfORhKxLDJ9oQa8rv3yH_qHq1oTywgiHIIbKcOsYwa_GTVTYTN0WVSdlv9JO9f_oFKz-57yVS48j86KsE17_SjvEShz_HRenmRnMVn1pgQGj5JEkf/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-10+at+1.29.14+PM.png" width="226" /></a>Here is my layers palette from the finished image. I use layers in photoshop so I'm always working in a non destructive workflow. What this mean is I can always step back or start over without adversely affecting the original image. Since I'm starting from Lightroom you could argue that I always have the original raw file so no harm would come from working in a more destructive manner. While this is true, it would also mean that I need to go all the way back to the beginning. Another option is to use the history palette in photoshop for stepping backward. Then there is also smart objects, but I'm getting off topic. The wonderful thing about powerful programs like Photoshop is there are often multiple ways to reach the same destination.<br />
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Back to the original image (See bottom of page). I found the ladder and the tiny triangle of sky to be distracting. I first tried to remove the ladder with content aware fill in Photoshop. I was not happy with the result so I then tried Snap Heal from MacPhun and it did a perfect job of removing the ladder. The triangle was easily removed at the same time. Some might think the tree overhanging the roof on the left side of the frame is a problem. I don't in this case because the tree leaves are contained within the roof so the roof line is unbroken, also the direction of the truck moves your eye to the left and toward the car in the background.<br />
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Next up I used Nik Color Effects Pro Contrast Filter and the Foliage filter to enhance the green grass behind the truck. The top of the image was brighter due to the reflective nature of the roof so I used a graduated neutral density filter to tone down the roof so your eye would not be drawn up away from the truck.<br />
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At this point I still found the image to be a little uninteresting so I decided to try a painterly effect using Topaz Impression. Upon opening in Impression, I liked the initial look and hit ok and moved the image back to PS. I applied a black mask and at first intended to paint in the background at 100% opacity and the truck at 50% or something less. After doing this and not liking the result I finished painting the truck and the result was 100% painterly effect from Topaz Impression.<br />
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I'm not a big fan of applying a Vignette to my images. The reason is most of the work I see online, this technique is heavy handed and obvious. I want to direct your eye without being obvious. I used Viveza to apply control points to darken the foreground and background without being obvious about my intentions.<br />
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If you want to try adding a painterly look to your images I recommend either Topaz Impression or Alien Skin Snap Art. <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/softwaregear/" target="_blank">Links and discount codes are available on our website</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kEK146KUZ8sn-qgQkl_6KzbBNzph4cMvkp0xrY9zDnvQ3jMVZcSVWN4vHRV2ezyR57fNye_1migo2bsWeeGVaMLphveRf2lDnWGbt8Yh98iFkc2qtOeQStSxflUOziXAZVWqqn54pdwb/s1600/_DTR3882-Original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kEK146KUZ8sn-qgQkl_6KzbBNzph4cMvkp0xrY9zDnvQ3jMVZcSVWN4vHRV2ezyR57fNye_1migo2bsWeeGVaMLphveRf2lDnWGbt8Yh98iFkc2qtOeQStSxflUOziXAZVWqqn54pdwb/s320/_DTR3882-Original.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-86049053182565284662017-12-11T08:10:00.000-05:002017-12-11T08:10:00.214-05:00Why We Fly <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfRQgNB3OFzRnp00FaUrhPYTunT8kZ7qKyTbgk_mQ1AO2nZ2Ra-b5B0U4whvZQR8Yy6s3cZboMnVVW1sMuus7u2gwzj3h5nfBs_Vj7CEEI3wvnbz4GBsi4nxyAmygw6QALIvdZz81Uj4K/s1600/DJI_0061bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1500" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfRQgNB3OFzRnp00FaUrhPYTunT8kZ7qKyTbgk_mQ1AO2nZ2Ra-b5B0U4whvZQR8Yy6s3cZboMnVVW1sMuus7u2gwzj3h5nfBs_Vj7CEEI3wvnbz4GBsi4nxyAmygw6QALIvdZz81Uj4K/s320/DJI_0061bw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As artists and photographers we tend to be an opinionated lot. Some folks are pro this brand of camera and have what appears to be contempt for other brands. I think this is typical of human nature, I have noticed this type of rivalry around favorite sports teams. I think when we become passionate about something, we can not help but be opinionated as well. I'm not seeking to change any of that with a short blog post, but perhaps some perspective on why we fly drones and the occasional push back we hear from photographers and others that find flying drones somehow offensive. <br />
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First why we fly. I must admit I enjoy flying and at this point I'm over 100 flights and it's been a long time since I had an accident. There was the time where I crashed into a tree. I was suffering from a bit of overconfidence in my flying abilities and that was a good lesson. As such I fly a bit more carefully these days. Also I recommend that people get a cheap quadcopter to learn on before spending the big bucks on a real drone. Yes I crashed a couple of times while learning. <br />
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DJI is the market leader in the drone market and their products are very easy to fly. The crafts are GPS stabilized and this makes flying much easier. The craft goes just where you send it and you don't have to worry about the craft drifting or being pushed from moderate winds. Without the GPS, flying under these conditions would be challenging without experience. So yes there is a learning curve and like anything else the more you do the better you get as a pilot. <br />
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Back to the reason we fly (both Denise and I fly). Flying a drone gives us a vantage point that would not be available otherwise. For instance, the roof of the Waterside Woolen Mill feature above. When we were in Palouse this past summer Denise took a shot of the Miller House that is otherwise not available. The reason it is not available is because the family that farms the field the house sits on is adamant that photographers shoot from the road and not step on to the field. Her shot of the Miller house was one of the best taken during that trip in my opinion. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXzBQRZQoCHNOGF8krvpRWqRFeFVvjiTIpQDtdj6AIJxLXDkCtWsZLiviKTKrqKJ8t0IknulpgLzgqTAQzN25hLwlRPlGSMvCg7MU3OXTQSmmP7UFk7ASEj8-eQYjxs2GZmMYFQKX-XFk/s1600/Miller+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1250" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXzBQRZQoCHNOGF8krvpRWqRFeFVvjiTIpQDtdj6AIJxLXDkCtWsZLiviKTKrqKJ8t0IknulpgLzgqTAQzN25hLwlRPlGSMvCg7MU3OXTQSmmP7UFk7ASEj8-eQYjxs2GZmMYFQKX-XFk/s320/Miller+House.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I started flying I liked to shoot down on the subject, what is commonly called top down from altitudes of a 100 feet or so. Denise has a different approach, she prefers to shoot at heights that are much closer to earth, perhaps 10 of 20 feet off the ground, This can give much different perspective than you would get just shooting from a standing height. I find today that I do a combination of top down and much closer to earth. But please don't tell her that she was a positive influence on my shooting style... <br />
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Back to people who do not share our love of drone photography. Most of the time when I'm flying, assuming there is anyone around, people are curious and generally positive. However, I also hear negative comments from time to time. I think the best way is for people who fly to do so responsibly. There are a number of rules and regulations regarding the flying of recreational drones and it makes sense to be aware of these rules and fly responsibly. <br />
<a href="http://click.dji.com/AIcEXmgNDOqaSniGV7ra?pm=link" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://click.dji.com/AIcEXmgNDOqaSniGV7ra?pm=link" target="_blank">If you would like to start flying, DJI is currently having a sale on their products. </a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-73219533015233495002017-11-30T10:21:00.000-05:002017-11-30T10:21:13.501-05:00Return to the Familiar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMLjIRF6EB4x1hqrF4GMtGAXpe7UKOTOZsF13vReP4PjYEfgV9-kif505vHd1C1WMf1EUKY8f6MgOd31p729OJgfd0K79rxyo2VUZ0XMJpVyhGT6d_xef0ymh6c2PPdSGl4qmBnrhOeAJ/s1600/_D755568-HDR-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMLjIRF6EB4x1hqrF4GMtGAXpe7UKOTOZsF13vReP4PjYEfgV9-kif505vHd1C1WMf1EUKY8f6MgOd31p729OJgfd0K79rxyo2VUZ0XMJpVyhGT6d_xef0ymh6c2PPdSGl4qmBnrhOeAJ/s320/_D755568-HDR-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few weeks ago we hosted a meetup at a place we call the Truck Farm. It's a wonderful collection of a couple hundred old trucks. Since I have made several trips to this location it would be easy to say I have all the shots I need and then move on to photographing something else, but I like returning to old favorite locations for a number of reasons. I think first and foremost the thing I like most is sharing really cool places with fellow photographers. Also I usually find some new angles and compositions to shoot. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-24411037898836152242017-07-21T17:11:00.001-04:002017-07-21T17:11:37.730-04:00Crash Test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtNroTzBlHmKUaZoKX1uHDXblql0CrRQTF7-OwaiPSwIGpc7KdUPwdvONiqSq_DyBlC5ylQ6Zw8lwJczpUY0AEZldHM-RkWXYyl6up9EH7rLOQuYwp6l9rsJOLToeclMnSgrJ8J3oD6N6/s1600/Untitled1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtNroTzBlHmKUaZoKX1uHDXblql0CrRQTF7-OwaiPSwIGpc7KdUPwdvONiqSq_DyBlC5ylQ6Zw8lwJczpUY0AEZldHM-RkWXYyl6up9EH7rLOQuYwp6l9rsJOLToeclMnSgrJ8J3oD6N6/s320/Untitled1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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When you are a photographer you like to take pictures. There are different ways to say this, I prefer to make images rather than take images. To me this implies I try to put effort into my craft and not just stand there and click a button. I mean no criticism of others when I say this, it is just how I view the process. <br />
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Several months ago I had an opportunity to watch a crash test at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It was not my first crash test, over the last 20 years I have seen several. But this time I decided to take my camera after first making sure it was okay to do so. I was told pictures are fine, just don’t post online before the Institute releases the crash data for this particular vehicle. <br />
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Having witnessed crash tests before I knew the layout of the crash hall and how the hall will be lit and more importantly the vantage point that is available to spectators. The car is accelerated toward an offset barrier using a catapult. Just a few feet short of the barrier the vehicle is released so it impacts the barrier under its own inertia. The engineers make the vehicle hit the barrier at precisely 40 mph. With the car located down an enclosed ramp from the crash hall, it makes the several hundred feet or so trip to impact. It is worth noting the crash hall and ramps are climate controlled and the crash test dummies are put in the cars only moments prior to the test. The dummies have specific requirements for temperature. This is just a small part the highly scientific work these researchers and engineers conduct. Crash testing is a lot more than just running a car into a barrier.<br />
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Getting back to the crash test and how I planned to shoot it. Remember I’m trying to craft an image and not take myself too seriously when I say this. The car starts accelerating toward the barrier and you only have a few seconds before impact. From my vantage point I figured I would shoot high speed multiple shots and blend them in Photoshop. I could have used the 10 shop multiple exposure setting in my camera, but since I only had one shot at this, I decided I would just let the camera run at 9 frames per second and I would blend them later. My other option would be to use a slower shutter speed and hope for some motion blur, perhaps next time. Hopefully there will be a next time…<br />
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In case you are wondering the photographers at the IIHS use a medium format camera with a digital back that is triggered by a switch placed on the floor just in front of the barrier. They only get one shot, but it is at the decisive moment. The bright lights overhead also allow for incredibly high speed video cameras that shoot the crash from multiple angles. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-61148994883270573732017-07-07T07:00:00.000-04:002017-07-07T07:00:25.940-04:00The Palouse in Color <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv845Wi9Uh0jk24lx2J_W95nuGpPMghRXKsJbVSbtweufiRb8viVxKNaFgRTsSykEozbvXsUI0BhvYVMvNpwAPqmiCMOWXjRaZk2BwONETEh9b6Wn6XOYzYldQQJkvEULhyBWzmmCGelzQ/s1600/_D503535-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv845Wi9Uh0jk24lx2J_W95nuGpPMghRXKsJbVSbtweufiRb8viVxKNaFgRTsSykEozbvXsUI0BhvYVMvNpwAPqmiCMOWXjRaZk2BwONETEh9b6Wn6XOYzYldQQJkvEULhyBWzmmCGelzQ/s320/_D503535-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In my last Blog I focused on the use of an Infrared Converted Camera and how the Palouse is perfect for Infrared photography. In this blog I want to share a few of my color images from this trip. As I mentioned in the last blog we love the Palouse! The diversity of the landscape and almost every day has beautiful clouds. This trip we were treated to some incredible storm clouds as well. <br />
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P.S. If would like to see a few more color images from the Palouse, head on over to the <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/blog/" target="_blank">Road Runner Blog. </a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-14822447403502930002017-06-29T22:51:00.000-04:002017-06-29T22:51:16.746-04:00The Ever Changing, The Ever Constant Palouse<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcDfKilwxLxrqSwuh2EprZ2tXOmdC5tCIb8DpHB_A_xFHFw40yGwPv9PivGamrwXAoV9jnPC9Aslt3H5XnYoBwNva4vAfTC7rr2v_mTLtl1xhIY-7owKtBk7dAl-s6RYvruNrcv7v_VF9/s1600/_D204004-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcDfKilwxLxrqSwuh2EprZ2tXOmdC5tCIb8DpHB_A_xFHFw40yGwPv9PivGamrwXAoV9jnPC9Aslt3H5XnYoBwNva4vAfTC7rr2v_mTLtl1xhIY-7owKtBk7dAl-s6RYvruNrcv7v_VF9/s320/_D204004-Edit.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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We just finished up what has become our bi-annual tour of the Palouse. For those who don’t know the Palouse it is the largest wheat growing region in the country. But we love the Palouse for its large rolling hills that resemble the shape of sand dunes. The farmers in the Palouse also grow a variety of legumes and canola but wheat is the primary crop. The fields are often partially planted which presents a ribbon of color and textures. Throw in some iconic barns and we think you end up with a photographers paradise.<br />
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The ever constant part of the Palouse is its iconic small towns, dirt roads and farms. With each visit so much remains the same. The people are very friendly and welcoming, very little seems to change. <br />
The ever changing part of the Palouse can partially be attributed to its current popularity. During the pre-tour scouting tour we happened upon a favorite old farm site to find the smoldering remains of a beautiful red barn. We asked a nearby farmer if he knew what happened, but he did not. In talking with some of our friends who also lead workshops we heard of a second barn that burned to the ground and we heard rumors of another photographer who was doing woolies in the area. We have no way to know for sure that this beautiful old barn succumbed to a such a fate, but it would not be the first time in recent memory that an iconic location was damaged from this technique. (Full disclosure, we occasionally shoot woolies, but we always do it in a safe and responsible manner.)<br />
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We rolled up on another favorite location during our pre-workshop scouting that had signs posted “No Photos”. This owner has a restored Texaco station on his property with a nice collection of old trucks. We have visited this location several times over the last few years. But it seems a large workshop group invaded the property at 6:00 AM recently, not considering this this is also this gentleman’s home. As I mentioned above, the people of the Palouse are very friendly and will welcome strangers onto their land, but the key is to seek permission. This past trip I had several people thank me for asking. I assume that is because there are others who don’t ask for permission.<br />
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I think most landscape photographers subscribe to the “Leave No Trace” Philosophy that is asked of us when we visit a national park. We need to remember to keep that same philosophy in mind whenever we shoot. If you sign up for a trip with us, please know in advance that we do not trespass on private property and we treat and expect our clients to treat the landscape like the treasure that it is!<br />
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In spite of the bad behavior of just a few, the Palouse is still a wonderful place to visit. The area is so vast and the photographic opportunities so numerous we look forward to returning in 2019.<br />
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P.S. The image above was shot with my Nikon D200 converted to standard Infrared by Lifepixel. We highly recommend Lifepixel for IR Conversions! <a href="https://www.lifepixel.com/?ar=50" target="_blank">Click here for info;</a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-7309000581750244322017-01-27T10:12:00.000-05:002017-01-27T10:12:04.537-05:00Iceland Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmML9MoAubLJlGJ6R8_b3DCLAjt3hlMl6YqJgFXOK9xiGegVbBs89c5jVEgxCjp7pxq01LPgH88YGOzOHRVJQ0bhfFIImQy6D3zCBWoOP_WXEW90aw_CSEKV1NK7iM6CSqiZ8w1FjSinwr/s1600/_D506694-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmML9MoAubLJlGJ6R8_b3DCLAjt3hlMl6YqJgFXOK9xiGegVbBs89c5jVEgxCjp7pxq01LPgH88YGOzOHRVJQ0bhfFIImQy6D3zCBWoOP_WXEW90aw_CSEKV1NK7iM6CSqiZ8w1FjSinwr/s320/_D506694-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We just returned from our second tour to Iceland this winter. Our first tour was in December and our second was about a month later in January. In this case what a difference a month makes. During our first trip temperatures were almost summer like and we had a lot more rain than we would have liked. A month later the temperatures were in the teens for the early part of our tour and instead of rain we had snow. <br />
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The good news was we were finally able to get into the ice caves. Denise has posted images from the Ice Caves on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RoadRunnerPhotographyTours" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>. <br />
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The shot above was from our first afternoon with the group. It was very windy and as a result the seas were quite stormy. <br />
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<a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/tours/2017-photo-tours/epic-iceland-2017/" target="_blank">We will return to Iceland this August and we still have one spot available</a>!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-69053177275517363872017-01-09T09:30:00.000-05:002017-01-09T09:30:08.057-05:00Iceland Bound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUjKY1KSO9rApNANcxPgJ6ytyTmc2WGA6Afw5StYbzERDaUWltB7XPTNKGCLk6tO4c55OKZqyoEKzpx88622Kbp1qnOGAzQZEqE2XEve8PNVe-ZuJ6OzIrZucwS_Nbap6SWGQi1rmXLvB/s1600/_D813354-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUjKY1KSO9rApNANcxPgJ6ytyTmc2WGA6Afw5StYbzERDaUWltB7XPTNKGCLk6tO4c55OKZqyoEKzpx88622Kbp1qnOGAzQZEqE2XEve8PNVe-ZuJ6OzIrZucwS_Nbap6SWGQi1rmXLvB/s320/_D813354-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The blog has been a little quieter than we would like, so an update is overdue. We finished another fantastic year making images and leading photography tours with a week in Iceland being our last tour of the year. The image above was shot at Oxararfoss in Thingvellir National Park in Iceland. <br />
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December was a bit on the warm side for Iceland and as a result there had been no snow. The only disappointment was the Ice Caves were flooded due to warm temperatures and rain. But as a result of the warmer temperatures the glacier lagoon was not frozen and we had lots of ice chunks on the black sand beach. So Mother Nature took one thing from us but gave us another. <br />
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We leave again in a couple of days for another week in Iceland. What a great way to end one year and start another! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-64208998552922329282016-12-05T10:00:00.000-05:002016-12-05T10:00:16.045-05:00The Silk Mill After Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEmuRGZui1-k25AwvJpXNxXcFTm1NB1zxlHxWgxscWq9FhthnuWWaCoVO_TcoPB4LxNJ3O56Bh2_VGWgEJqKWBsOs6blgaqPJnXzWqTo7VfnruzIksOn4CtPL_tQ5SGhrHv87c3NEmeQ8/s1600/_D4S5616-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEmuRGZui1-k25AwvJpXNxXcFTm1NB1zxlHxWgxscWq9FhthnuWWaCoVO_TcoPB4LxNJ3O56Bh2_VGWgEJqKWBsOs6blgaqPJnXzWqTo7VfnruzIksOn4CtPL_tQ5SGhrHv87c3NEmeQ8/s320/_D4S5616-Edit.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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This past weekend Road Runner had two meetups at the Lonaconing Silk Mill. The first group shot in the afternoon and then we had a second smaller group that shot for a couple of hours after dark. I did very little shooting during the day and was quite pleased to just watch the group having fun. A few of the first time shooters at the mill had a look of amazement that I remember having the first time I shot at the mill. The place is truly frozen in time. <br />
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Now after dark is a different story. We limited the number of participants after dark because we did not want each other’s lights to create interference. The group size worked out perfectly and I’m already looking forward to doing this again! <br />
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The image above is of a belt driven drill press in the basement, just one of the nearly unlimited number of subjects possible when the sun goes down.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-73947958921723873042016-11-21T12:29:00.000-05:002016-11-21T12:29:00.922-05:00 Two Nights Behind Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HJcTbd3ttW7-digqtzb2I8TkQ2vmXtsocW9y2g-t_mz6XldW-Spt7m4AdVSq6xXbRbe-RT3fxRtSgH34OmVSEzI_g-wgIjj2iFpSARKqIuYQvQ8PYz1Ji4HaCK6s_bi0zB918fxniBYN/s1600/_D4S5286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HJcTbd3ttW7-digqtzb2I8TkQ2vmXtsocW9y2g-t_mz6XldW-Spt7m4AdVSq6xXbRbe-RT3fxRtSgH34OmVSEzI_g-wgIjj2iFpSARKqIuYQvQ8PYz1Ji4HaCK6s_bi0zB918fxniBYN/s320/_D4S5286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently we concluded hosting 2 nights of Light Painting at Eastern State Penitentiary. This was an afterhours event where our participants pretty much had the run of the prison to take their creativity to new limits. I must admit that I was quite impressed with a lot of the work our participants shared on our Facebook Group page.<br />
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The shot above is of the iconic barber’s chair located in one of the cells. This particular cell is off limits to entry and we always respect such restrictions. While we like most other photographers would love to get the best spot, etc., we also have a healthy respect for limits, whether in this case imposed by Eastern State or usually the National Park Service. All too often photographers disregard such limits and restrictions and end up trespassing or creating damage to natural resources in their quest to “get the shot”. We believe in the quote, “Leave no trace”. <br />
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Back to the barber’s chair. I would have loved to be in close and paint the light on each part of the chair and the cell walls. It would have rendered a much better feel to the image than painting from behind the camera. So in order to work around this obstacle, I first used the light to cast a strong shadow on the back wall. Then I used the light to paint each wall, floor and chair in separate frames. I combined the various images in Photoshop using layers and masks to give it more of a painted feel. I then did a little dodging and burning to add to the effect. <br />
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If you want to spend an evening behind bars, we are already making plans to do this again next year. Be sure to join our<a href="http://www.meetup.com/Road-Runner-Photography-Tours/" target="_blank"> Meetup group if you would like to attend</a>! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-31182050786960935632016-11-10T07:59:00.000-05:002016-11-10T07:59:16.903-05:00An Explosion of Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCJNfmi_oqfI_FW4YoXsjMr4GhCA-kaDLYxOJy3LhVKVIP6apa7P9hQDmi79UcDQtqKM-2Ded2jZJKVGUJKcxxPRhcjBgk-aoJDffddqL-mN-hJYIkR7QgIY6rmvGawskMGK9CSHerFE-/s1600/DJI_0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCJNfmi_oqfI_FW4YoXsjMr4GhCA-kaDLYxOJy3LhVKVIP6apa7P9hQDmi79UcDQtqKM-2Ded2jZJKVGUJKcxxPRhcjBgk-aoJDffddqL-mN-hJYIkR7QgIY6rmvGawskMGK9CSHerFE-/s320/DJI_0132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The shot above is a shot from above so to speak. A few weeks ago <a href="http://denisesilvaphotography.com/" target="_blank">Denise</a> and I spent a week in the Finger Lakes area of New York. The color was quite nice in a couple of areas and in many others areas the trees were early in the process of turning colors. <br />
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The image was taken from a Phantom 3 quadcopter. I have noticed that other photographers either love the idea of these photography platforms or hate them. I totally understand the love portion of this equation. But the hate portion I don't understand. Like all things in life there will always be people who are reckless or careless. I can only speak for myself, but I always check for flight restrictions before flying and always try to fly in a safe and responsible manner. <br />
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To me, aerial photography is another venue to express and exercise creativity. I look forward to seeing where this technology will go next! <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-17406225299644962562016-10-31T07:30:00.000-04:002016-10-31T07:30:16.300-04:00Our Latest Meetup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmz2kQ0hiL52_ybyxz3BRWnwsvEiTKB8ngsGj65mo2JnR-1VaanpQCCjkSLIhzBO-zM_SH-xQW7e_TxqapMnlLc1JqWeYV3huSwMOIA80NrBVTribZXDj-p3nBkuBB9VSQ3nfY9z5dwtB/s1600/_D505326-Edit-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmz2kQ0hiL52_ybyxz3BRWnwsvEiTKB8ngsGj65mo2JnR-1VaanpQCCjkSLIhzBO-zM_SH-xQW7e_TxqapMnlLc1JqWeYV3huSwMOIA80NrBVTribZXDj-p3nBkuBB9VSQ3nfY9z5dwtB/s320/_D505326-Edit-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This past weekend we held a Meetup at the Patuxent Air Expo 2016. Originally the Blue Angels were scheduled to be the main attraction, but their appearance was canceled due to recent changes involving how many weeks they can perform without a break. I was obviously disappointed and suspect many others were as well. As they say the show must go on, and Patuxent River Naval Air Station put on an excellent show! <br />
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The star attraction was the F-22 Raptor. I love airplanes of all types, but to quote a friend of mine who is a pilot, "that plane does things an aircraft should not be able to do". In the shot above the Raptor is participating in the <a href="http://www.airforceheritageflight.org/" target="_blank">Heritage Flight</a>. <br />
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In regard to the shot above, I always shoot propeller driven aircraft at shutter speeds low enough to capture the movement of the props. This is usually around 1/125 of a second. Doing this means that a lot of my shots are going to be blurred and otherwise unusable. It just depends on how accurate my panning is compared to the speed of the aircraft, often times not as accurate as I wish. I have suggested to other photographers in the past that their prop shots should not show frozen propellers. This suggestion is often not welcome. However, when I look at the work of top notch airplane photographers the props are not frozen. <br />
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If you notice the shot above is not the correct aspect ratio for a DSLR. It looks like a panorama crop. It's not a crop. The shot showed the planes too close to the left side of the frame, so I added 5 inches to the canvas size on the left side of the image. Then I used the selection tool to select the blank part of the new canvas and then used the content aware fill to extend the sky. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-50707422069280840072016-10-26T09:00:00.000-04:002016-10-26T09:00:27.680-04:00We Love Cape May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6MNDXeuY1jP8OOEpoK0QViWtNtYMed-4ly4IooUrkbrHu3YhAkx87oQH4gy0jWSN9aV5gcMr3xizOzXPq9GGAUD4faJq-Fgd0JDGk5kDvQywE0E_iGqqdd5Wy_aZxLxsdqmlt7ofZP6N/s1600/_D4S3935-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6MNDXeuY1jP8OOEpoK0QViWtNtYMed-4ly4IooUrkbrHu3YhAkx87oQH4gy0jWSN9aV5gcMr3xizOzXPq9GGAUD4faJq-Fgd0JDGk5kDvQywE0E_iGqqdd5Wy_aZxLxsdqmlt7ofZP6N/s320/_D4S3935-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We Love Cape May<br />
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Each year since we started this adventure called Road Runner Photography Tours we have held a Cape May Tour. But truth be told, Cape May was a favorite of ours long before we started Road Runner. This year Mother Nature was quite nice and provided us with good sunrises and sunsets every day of the tour. But Cape May is so much more than just sunrises and sunsets, with the shore birds, salt marshes, fishing boats, people, and the list goes on. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-31806827890792743172016-10-19T08:51:00.000-04:002016-10-19T08:51:16.489-04:00Playing Catch Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6trfkuqNjwPuDYAvBh92soi34tmcrXfwciMp85-lClDz8NI38ZOO__b56jrEy1DrdkE2sI9YKsrOjdpoMH6WahPuK_DnW38qKB1rlDwlWEb9hEFwCBYRlsnMuQ2-0ni4wkZp4EaXA7I7x/s1600/_D203451-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6trfkuqNjwPuDYAvBh92soi34tmcrXfwciMp85-lClDz8NI38ZOO__b56jrEy1DrdkE2sI9YKsrOjdpoMH6WahPuK_DnW38qKB1rlDwlWEb9hEFwCBYRlsnMuQ2-0ni4wkZp4EaXA7I7x/s320/_D203451-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The last several weeks have been a whirlwind and I have just now found time to update the blog. Our last post was about our annual star party at Spruce Knob. We followed that up with a Labor Day Weekend tour again in West Virginia. A number of our clients were concerned because heading into that weekend Hurricane Hermine was making her way up the east coast and rain was predicted. We were optimistic that everything would be fine and we were treated to really nice conditions throughout the weekend.<br />
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The image above was shot at Seneca Rocks at noon. I used an infrared converted Nikon D200 and then to get the motion of the clouds, I used a Singh-Ray 15 stop neutral density filter. This allowed me to expose for 5 minutes under the bright mid-day sun. We recommend Life Pixel for camera conversions. <a href="http://www.lifepixel.com/455.html" target="_blank">Click this link for more information on LifePixel.</a><br />
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P.S. Don't forget to use our code to "ROADRUNNER10" to save 10% on Singh-Ray Filters!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-16659986659347260452016-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:002016-09-04T08:00:07.165-04:00A Wonderful Weekend<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp6CP0gq2FHXNmMFCzfdUzxdT3YjgKftM8xmiemWa6axII17_41wzm31CiadYODsUzEEI0ZErqXJByB1beYxMLRHt9jSu2D_8IIADYPfK_qAB4e71f2YcljlSiMgbueDTV50VYWjTg2AX/s1600/StarStaX__D508242-_D508295_lighten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp6CP0gq2FHXNmMFCzfdUzxdT3YjgKftM8xmiemWa6axII17_41wzm31CiadYODsUzEEI0ZErqXJByB1beYxMLRHt9jSu2D_8IIADYPfK_qAB4e71f2YcljlSiMgbueDTV50VYWjTg2AX/s320/StarStaX__D508242-_D508295_lighten.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Last weekend we finished our 3rd annual astrophotography and camping meetup at Spruce Knob, WV. Each year the event becomes a little more popular and this year I think was the best yet. <br />
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This shot was taken on the far side of the lake looking north. The exposures were a collection of 2 minute exposures that spanned a period of about an hour and 45 minutes. I would have preferred to let the exposures keep going for 2 or 3 hours, but I was also expecting to get up early for sunrise and unfortunately I’m the type of person that needs a fair amount of sleep. I usually use Photoshop to assemble my star trails but this time decided to try StarStax and really like the little comets on the end of the each point of light. So I think I’ll be using StarStax a little more often. <br />
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If you want to join us on our next camping trip or any of our Meetup adventures be sure to <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Road-Runner-Photography-Tours/" target="_blank">check out our group</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734435152228429335.post-14226078491511671772016-08-15T12:23:00.002-04:002016-08-15T13:35:30.331-04:00Mother Nature Puts on a Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night I had the pleasure of presenting my program on Abstract Photography to the Upper Uwchian Area Community Photography Club (UUACPC). On the drive home I could tell there were storms in the distance.<br />
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As I neared the Maryland border I was finally able to get close enough and find a suitable foreground at the northern edge of the storm.
I did not have my lightning trigger with me, so I just set the camera to take 20 second exposures and just kept hitting the button.<br />
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If you belong to a camera club in the Mid-Atlantic Area and would like <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/about/about-don/" target="_blank">me </a>or <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/about/about-denise/" target="_blank">Denise</a> to speak at your club please drop us a <a href="http://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/contact/" target="_blank">note</a>. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04275523842288429665noreply@blogger.com0