Basketball HDR Composite

Just like HDR’s for landscape photography…HDR Compositing in portraiture is growing! I am still a beginner and do not have all the gear the pro’s have, but make the best of what I have. The Pro’s use a pair of grid soft boxes on each side and a large octabank above the camera with super strobes. For my shots…I all used were 2 Nikon SB-700’s and 2 Westcott shoot thru white umbrellas on each side. I recently had a chance to meet and talk to the master of this style Joel Grimes and he liked my style and said that the harsh light for these composites is not nec on every shot. Compositing is art and you create it however you like! Wonderful guy! One day soon I will have the proper gear…I am getting close!

I am just about to announce a new product for sale…my next post will be the formal post…but if you are reading this today…you can get a first look…On Thursday, Jan 26th I will make available many of my HDR’s for sale as HDR Composite Backgrounds. Prices are 10 HDR’s for $99 and 15 HDR’s for $149!! For the full digital files! All purchasers must agree to my terms and then they can download the files from my site. You can take a look here…Talke Photography HDR Composite Backgrounds

For this shot of Logan I used on of my Warehouse backgrounds. Enjoy!!!

Georgetown Eagles – Composite (HDR)

Finally finished my composite for the Georgetown Basketball Varsity team! This should be the center photo for their media guide! 14 players (each individually shot) + HDR of the Oakley Building + an HDR of the Georgetown Basketball Court + Nik Software + onOne’s Photo Tools 2.6: my fav filter “Brian’s TKO” made by Brian Matiash & a few late nite hours processing = a fun shot!!! A real challenge…not perfect, but with 14 players…hopefully not too bad! Good luck this season Eagles! Enjoy the shot! To all the HDR photogs out there…see your HDR’s can be utilized in other shots! If you are interested in any of my HDR’s for digital usage…please feel free to contact me at any time!

Georgetown, TX – Georgetown HS Basketball Court (HDR)

This past weekend I photographed the Georgetown High School basketball teams for their 2011-12 Media Guide. We had a blast and took tons of great shots! The first game of the season was last nite and I headed up to grab an HDR of the court after the game. Maybe they can use it in the guide as well??? It was my first HDR of a basketball court…pretty cool! The wood grain is wonderful to see in HDR! Good luck this season Georgetown Eagles!! This shot is a closeup of the Eagle in the gym in HDR as well.

Georgetown, Texas – Inner Space Caverns (HDR)

If you have any caverns near you…they are always a cool place to take photos.  This shot above is from the Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown, TX about 20 minutes from Austin.  This day I took a tour first thing in the AM…and it was just me and the guide!  He allowed me to take photos with my tripod (usually they do not).  These caverns are slippery, so be careful!  There are few more around here in Texas…one day I will get to them all!

Info from the web: Explore this limestone cavern and discover beautiful examples of nature’s perfect artwork such as “The Flowing Stone of Time”, the mysterious “Lake of the Moon” and the intricate “Soda Straw Balcony”. Among the amazing variety of formations found within the cavern you will see beautiful helictites, ancient flowstones, and giant columns. Our tour guides will take you back in time so you can experience the fascinating story of the cave’s history and discovery.

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 19.0mm

ISO: 800

Exposure:  HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)

Aperture:  f/4

Gear:  Tripod

Post Process: Adobe CS4, Photomatix

Georgetown, TX – Inner Space Cavern (HDR)

NIKON D300, NIkon 12-24, HDR in Photomatix

I had never visited a cavern before and the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown, TX is located about 20 minutes north of Austin.  I decided to take a work break yesterday and head up for a few photos.  Nature in amazing!    These caves were found by mistake years ago (story is below)!  I took the Adventure Tour which lasts about 1 hour.  I was there early and beat the crowds – I was the only person on tour and had a great guide named Brad.  This shot was 5 exposures, tripod and cable release.  If you click on the photo and see it larger on my site…you can see a nice natural water pool in the middle of the shot!  98% pure water…good enough to drink!  This pool here is actually 2 feet deep!  Amazing!

Tripods are usually not allowed due to time constraints and the concern about people tripping over them…but luckily they got me in early enough before other visitors arrived and I had a chance to use my tripod.  I told him they were for my blog and said it free advertising for them, so he allowed me to use it.  Thanks Brad!  My guide was great and pointed out some great shots and even a few bats a foot or so right above our heads hanging upside down as we walked down the paths.   Cute small little guys.   He said there are about 100 bats inside the cavern.  While walking and taking pics I did see a few cruising around.   Very cool!

As it is nearly winter, we are getting rain in Texas and any water in the cavern is 98% pure!  Good enough to drink!   So there are quite a few little pools and water drippings throughout the cavern.   I took quite a few HDR’s here.  After post processing them…wow…add caves to a great spot to use HDR!!!!  The dynamic range inside is perfect!   I’ll post another shot from here next week.

Here is some info from the web on how these caves were found:  Inner Space Cavern was discovered by a Texas Highway Department core drilling team in the Spring of 1963. While drilling through 40 feet of solid limestone, the bit broke into what is now known as Inner Space Cavern. An adventurous employee of the highway department was lowered into the hole while standing on the drill bit and holding tightly to the stem. He was the first human being to enter INNER SPACE. What an exciting voyage this must have been!

I’ll post more details about this cool spot next week.   Whew I am so glad I didn’t see the Geico Cavemen in here!