Boulder, CO – Varsity Lake (HDR)

Apr30

From the lovely Boulder, Colorado…at the University of Colorado this is a small bridge on campus located at Varsity Lake. I was out doing business this week and woke up at 5 AM to grab some shot of the Hotel Boulderado (coming soon) and the sun was coming up around 6:45 AM. I drove over to Varsity Lake (I had never been) and loved the view! The reflections were wonderful! Only one person walked over the bridge while I was taking the shots. I sat at waters edge and snapped away. The sun came up and it was back to the hotel to begin my day! As it is early spring in CO, I’d love to see this spot in summer and in Fall! Fall would be amazing! Hope to get more versions one day soon! Have a great weekend!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/11.0
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6

London, England – Buckingham Palace (HDR)

Apr29

In honor of the Royal Wedding today…Buckingham Palace in HDR! I am not there…but just watched the tail end. It will be one of the most watched events in history! If you are there…kudos!! The pubs must be filled by now!!! Cheers to William and Kate! Have a Royal Time!!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 27.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/4.0
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6

Somerville, NJ – Leave the light on (HDR)

Apr28

From the First Reformed Church in downtown Somerville, NJ…one church light left on. I love doors and thought the shot itself would be cool, but knew it needed a little kick. B&W shots are always neat when tones are involved…throw in a selective color and and texture and a simple door is transformed into art! Hope you enjoy!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 24.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/22.0
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6, Silver Efex Pro 2, 1 texture

Whitehouse, NJ – Whitehouse Diner (HDR)

Apr26

A revisit on my HDR form last week…I love this old abandoned DIner! Just wanted to give it that textured look. I will have one more slow posting week on Places 2 Explore…but a few cool shots coming up!! ! Have fun!

Branchburg, New Jersey – North Branch Train Bridge (HDR)

Apr23

My hometown is Branchburg, New Jersey. I was there for 25 years. It is a very small town and used to be made up mostly of farms. These days its developed with housing and corporations. That is the world today! The one steady constant was that you can catch a train into New York City at the North Branch Station on the NJT (New jersey Transit) via the Raritan Valley Line. As I grew up here…there were not a bunch of great spots for photography. After my morning shoot at the abandoned Diner (post this past week)…I drove over the one lane bridge near the station to see if there were any possible good shots.

Once over the bridge I looked over the the left and saw this cool bridge! Had seen it before? I am sure I have, but it never registered as a photo op! As the trees surrounding it were still bare from winter…it was a clear view! I looped back around and parked. Walked about 1/4 mile down the embankment and here was the bridge! A nice calm quiet morning. It was just me and the geese honking. Sweet spot for an HDR! Sometimes taking a drive can lead to treasures!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 14.0 mm
ISO: 800
Exposure: HDR 7 exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/18.0
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6, Silver Efex Pro 2

LA Angles of Anaheim – ECO Bag Giveaway (May 22nd)

Apr22

Thanks to the wonderful people at Nitto Tire they have created a LA Angels of Anaheim ECO Bag giveaway for May 22nd vs. the Atlanta Braves! What makes it cool is that the photo on the ECO bag is my HDR! Sweet! So if you are a baseball fan and live in Orange County and happen to hit the game on the 22nd…enjoy the ECO bag! I am a big sports fan and must admit, I love it! Added to that I took this shot one early Sat AM last summer for my wife as she is a big Angles fan! So it makes it special! If you click on the Angels schedule…then promotions for that day…here is what you see…

Good luck Angels on the 22nd!! Wish I could make it out to the game!! I’d love to see the fans carrying the bags! =))

Somerville, New Jersey – Somerset County Court House (HDR)

Apr21

From Somerville, New Jersey the Somerset County Courthouse is located right off main street. Some famous trials here have been Mike Tyson and the Hall-Mills Murder trial in 1926. Some info from the web: The courthouse, built between 1907 and 1909 in the Palladian style and is faced with marble. The courthouse underwent a $US 6 million renovation between 1989 and 1996. Attached to the courthouse is the First Reformed Church which was built in 1898. It has served as the county’s Jury Assembly Room since it was renovated around 1985.

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 17.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/22
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6

Philadelphia, PA – Eastern State Penitentiary (HDR)

Apr19

On a recent visit to the Philadelphia area…I had a chance to stop by the amazing Eastern State Penitentiary. Now I have been to Alcatraz and was not too impressed. This abandoned prison is super cool! 30 foot walls surround the cell blocks. You cant visit every block, but they have enough available to fill your time and enjoyment! If you are in the area and love ghost stories and HDR’s…this is a must visit!!! The whole place is an HDR in waiting…decaying cells, rock walls, rusty pipes, brick…all the ingredients needed for great pics! Even Al Capone’s cell! Look for more soon!

PS..this was my first ever 9 exposure HDR! With so many details in this place…I decided to go with more brackets. =)

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 9 exposures (+4 to -4)
Aperture: f/11
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6,

Whitehouse, New Jersey – Whitehouse Diner (HDR)

Apr16

While in my home state New Jersey this week I had a chance to stay with my family. I had to hit one of my favorite spots after dinner…the Polar Cub Ice Cream Stand! Tough not to pass up a soft chocolate ice cream topped with a hard chocolate dip! Great stuff! Only 1/2 mile from there…you can find an old abandoned diner sitting and decaying for all to see. On Saturday morning I woke up early and went to grab some pics! I snapped a bunch and as I walked around, I can tell in the back there must have been a fire that shut this place down. The kitchen was a mess.

As I grew up in NJ…Diner’s are a way of life! In our area, there are quite a few! Gotta love stopping by and getting a Pizza Burger Deluxe! So why did this sone not open back up? Who knows? I googled it and found this diner is somewhat of a hot spot for photography diner lovers! I bet you can find it in a NJ Diner book somewhere! I’ll search more and post another shot later. Have a great weekend!

…sorry its a crazy week ahead..my post amount will be slow on P2E

Austin, Texas – Capitol Building (Infrared)

Apr14

Here is an infrared photo from the Capitol Building in Austin ,Texas. Writing is underway for my IR Photography book. Focal Press will be publishing it and the rough plan is to have it available in January 2012! I will keep you posted. I’ll try to fit an IR shot here on the blog every once in a while! Have fun!