Houston, Texas – University of Houston (HDR)

From the University of Houston…this is the Light Sculpture called “A, A” located at MD Anderson Library.   So very cool!  We were just in Houston for a quick stop over last weekend and I only had time for one shot, this was my target.  We pulled in on a Friday nite and students were walking around enjoying the beautiful 80 degree evening.   I had no worries about them as it was dark and I knew my exposures would be long enough not to include them in the shots.   I had seen a photo of the sculpture in a magazine and noted it for my next visit.  The U of H is about 10 minutes form downtown and easy to get to!  Parking is somewhat fun as it is a major college…especially a Friday nite…we ended up taking some reserved spot…as I only needed 20 minutes of photo time.  Luckily we received no summons! Ah to be a rebel!  LOL

I basically know nothing about U of H or this spot…so here is some info from the web:  The A,A is a sculpture by artist Jim Sanborn located at the University of Houston.

The A,A is located outside the University of Houston’s M. D. Anderson Library. Completed in 2004, it was installed on campus at a reported cost of $240,000. The work of art took the sculptor a year to complete. The A,A is composed of portions of poems, novels, and prose from a number of different languages from different parts of the world. Some languages included on the art includes Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. At night, a built-in light projector casts light through the sculpture. This causes the effect of illuminating the sculpture’s text onto the outside of the library’s walls.

In addition to the sculpture in front of the Anderson Library, there are two additions from Sanborn within the library. These include a 24-ft.-long bronze scroll detailing the history of papermaking that hang from the ceiling of the first floor and bronze panels along some of the guardrails containing portions of poems and other literature.

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 14.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)

Aperture:  f/11

Gear:  Tripod

Post Process: Adobe CS4, HDR Efex Pro

 

Everyday Objects

This shot goes out to all those photographers that have the skills to go around the house and take shots of simple objects and make them look cool!   I had to give it a another try!  I bet if you have been in a photography school, one of the early stages is a project like this?  I just did a walk around with my Nikon 50 f/1.4 lens and grabbed some shots.   Expanding ones photography horizons is all good!   I am curious to learn more about portraits (as you see by my new home studio set up pos t below), street photography, macro and simple abstract photography.

So much to do in so little time!  LOL  I have shot my share of landscape and nature shots…so why not give other styles a try?  Of course I will continue to take my landscape shots, but I’m hoping to branch out in the next year!  Above it a photo of our window blinds with some nice bokeh.  Hope you don’t mind the shot? I’ll get back to the landscape shots tomorrow!  I have a cool one from Houston!  Enjoy!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1/4

Setting: Manual  Mode

Focal Length: 50.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  1/50 second

Aperture:  f/5.0

Gear:  Hand held

Post Process: Adobe CS4, Silver Efex Pro

Home Studio!

I recently added a few soft boxes and now have my small home studio ready to go!  Lots to learn on the portrait front!   A nice understanding of White Balance/Kelvin usage will come in handy based upon available light.  Once I feel as though I can get some solid pics, I’ll post a few here!   Look out Joe McNally!  LOL

Rochester, NY – High Falls (HDR)

If you are every in upstate New York, Rochester is a nice little city.  I have quite a few customers here and have been traveling to Rochester for many years.  Rochester is known as the home of Eastman Kodak.  Many years ago Kodak’s business was booming and Rochester was enjoying the growth.   Now with Kodak shifting more business overseas, the Rochester location is basically a museum.  I wanted to take a few shots of the Eastman Kodak building, but it was being refurbished.  I’ll take some shots there one day soon.

Just near Kodak you can find the High Falls Historic District.  This view is from a bridge overlooking High Falls.  Near here you can find shopping, restaurants, and the Red Wings baseball stadium is in walking distance.   Here is some info from the web:

Once a booming mix of mills and factories, Rochester’s Brown’s RaceNeighborhood has gone through drastic changes in the last two decades. The city has invested millions in cleaning up the old brick buildings, attempting to  revitalize the area as an entertainment district. Bars and restaurants come and go, with few successfully maintaining a steady business. A massive parking structure was built, as well as a pedestrian bridge that not only allows people to traverse the Genesee Gorge, but also to observe the 96 foot High Falls and the massive Genesee Gorge walls, scarred with the constructions of industry past. Old mills that lined the gorge were refurbished into a Visitor Center, complete with a museum documenting the district’s past.

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 35.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)

Aperture:  f/22

Gear:  Tripod

Post Process: Adobe CS4, Photomatix, Color Efex Pro

 

Spicewood, Texas – Krause Springs (Infrared)

From the fantastic Krause Springs in Spicewood, Texas…one of my favorite IR shots!   I love this place for photography.  I have visited a few times and always come out with cool pics!  I enjoy this little river that trails down from the swimming hole.  My tripod seems to set up shop here!    It is almost time for another visit here…the leaves are due to change colors in Texas in the next few weeks.

Talke Photography Settings:

• Camera:  Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
• Infrared Conversion:  D70S modified by LifePixel
• Lens: Nikon 12-12 f/4
• Setting: Aperture  Mode
• Focal Length: 18.0mm
• ISO: 200
• Exposure:  1/5 second
• Aperture:  f/22
• Gear:  Tripod
• Post Process: Adobe CS4, Color Efex Pro, Viveza, Silver Efex Pro

Happy Halloween!!

Only 5 days til Halloween…so here is a spooky fractalius photo to get you ready!  If you have kids or are a kid…have a great time Trick-or-Treating!!   Have a ghostly good time!   For the shot above…a skull I bought for $5 at a local store with an added texture, then a touch of fractalius.  Save some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for me!   My favorite candy!   Hope the Great Pumpkin pays you a visit!

San Francisco, CA – Cupid’s Span

Congrats to the SF Giants in making the 2010 World Series!  Here is a shot from this great city by the bay…Rincon Park’s Cupid’s Span.  A sculpture that was added in 2003.  A great place to lay out on the grass and enjoy the waterfront views on a lazy afternoon.   The statue might symbolize where Tony Bennett left his heart?

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 24.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)

Aperture:  f/22

Gear:  Tripod

Post Process: Adobe CS4, HDR Efex Pro

Coronado, CA – Hotel Del Coronado (HDR)

If you are ever in San Diego, just a few minutes away is Coronado.  Here you can find the amazing Hotel Del!  We stopped by for dinner outside on the patio the nite before. I had never been, so I scoped out the place for shots.  I woke up early…around 5 AM this day and drove over for a photo run!  It was very quiet and this fantastic room was open for me to HDR!   It is called the Crown Room (see the lights above…crown shaped).  This would be a great spot for a wedding reception!  I can imagine its booked often and always filled.  I was lucky after I did a few shots I went elsewhere in the hotel, came back to this room and it was locked for an upcoming preparation.

When you walk into a place like this all you can think about is the history!  Here is some info from the web:  The Del’s visionary founders – Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story – dreamed of building a seaside resort that would be “the talk of the Western world.” Since then, the resort has become a living legend, visited by celebrities, dignitaries and U.S. presidents. In fact, publisher Rand McNally recognized the Hotel del Coronado for enjoying “more fame and historical significance than perhaps any hotel in North America.”

Eleven U.S. Presidents have visited The Del, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. One of the resort’s most famous visitors was England’s Prince of Wales in 1920. He would later become King Edward VIII, only to give up his throne in 1936 to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. Many have speculated that they may have first met at The Del. Hollywood has been making movies at The Del since 1901. In 1958, The Del was the backdrop for the comedy classic “Some Like It Hot,” starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The resort has also seen a steady stream of celebrity visitors – from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna.

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 12.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)

Aperture:  f/11

Gear:  Tripod

Post Process: Adobe CS4, HDR Efex Pro

Orlando, FL – Tricolored Heron

Here is Tricolored Heron from the Gatorland Rookery in Orlando, FL.   I hope to back in the spring to catch more birding shots.  I need lots more experience shooting birds, I’d consider my skill level…a beginner!  But it is fun and you have to be patient.  And here at Gatorland, the alligators are just a feet away, so you also have to be careful!  Hope your day flys by!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 150.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  1/500 second

Aperture:  f/8

Gear:  Hand held

Post Process: Adobe CS4

NIK HDR Efex Pro – settings

I have had quite a few people ask what settings I am using in NIK’s HDR Efex Pro.   You can use whatever works for you…my choice fav filter is

03 Realistic (Strong)

This filter choice makes the photo a little dark, so it needs brightening. I then play with the “Whites” slider and “Exposure”.

I then continue with more post processing to finalize the photo. I’ll add a new HDR Tutorial for HDR Efex Pro in the next few weeks and will add it here. Have fun!