Shooting the West…and a little reflection…

March 10, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Hawks, night photography, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, railroad photography, Raptors, Shooting the West, trains, Wildlife photography, Winnemucca NV | 2 Comments

I had the most wonderful experience this week – I attended ‘Shooting the West: The Nevada Photography Experience’ (www.shootingthewest.org). Mere words can not adequately describe this event, and I don’t have the photographic skill to do it justice, either. I attended a couple classes, met several people that I ‘knew’ through Facebook, made many new friends, and saw some amazing pictures.

My experience started Wednesday evening, with a class called ‘Winnemucca @ Night.’ Instructor Craig Moore led our group into the chilly Winnemucca evening and gave us great information and ideas for taking pictures in low light conditions. Here are a few of my ‘experiments.’

We started with ‘flash techniques’ for taking pictures of bright lights (such as casino lights) with a person in the foreground. Craig taught us a technique that allows the lights to shine but the person to be seen in the image. I have an image in mind – stay tuned. Then we played with long exposures, capturing lights from cars and nearby signage. I only took a few shots, but I enjoyed the technique. Visit my Shooting the West page and look at the image with the Winners Casino sign and the traffic signal – I got all the lights in the traffic signal.

We stopped by a local night spot. The patrons were very accommodating and allowed us to take lots of pictures. I saw this great image in the mirror.

Experimenting with long exposures again, we learned how to make ‘ghost images’ on the court house steps. Can you see the mere shadow of myself? This was very fun.

The local Catholic Church has this beautiful display outside. I made several images using different settings. This was the best image out of the camera, but still took a little work to bring out the colors on the walls.

It took most of the night to warm up from the ‘chilly’ evening, but my camera and I were ready for the Composition class on Thursday. M.D. Welch taught us the basic elements of composition, and then cut us loose to practice. I traveled to Winnemucca often when I worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation, but I looked at the community with different eyes on this trip. Here are a few of my images from Thursday.

This is an image that I made for my weekly photo challenge – mirrored images. Winnemucca has these beautiful light poles, but they only have the light, flag, and Chief Winnemucca gusset on one side. I copied and flipped the original image to create this interpretation of their street lights.

The Martin Hotel is one of the best Basque restaurants in which I’ve had a meal. We were near the end of the class when Michelle, one of my new friends, pointed out this beautiful reflection. Thanks Michelle for sharing. I have to start looking around more…

I went back to my architectural roots with this building. This beautiful Art Deco style is home to Winnemucca’s Volunteer Fire Department. The blue tint to the picture was quite accidental, as I had the white balance on my camera set for the previous evening’s light. Sometimes those accidents work, but most of the time they don’t – at least for me. Take a look at the ‘not blue’ image on the Shooting the West page to appreciate the building in more natural light. I kind of like this one.

As with many cities in the western U.S., the rail road is a big part of Winnemucca’s history. Amtrak still stops here, but the train station is more of a covered waiting area than a traditional train station. In my mind, the architect successfully integrated traditional elements of railroad stations into the design. In this image, two diesel engines on a siding are seen from inside the station. On the left, the sign identifies this stop as Winnemucca.

And then came two days of presentations by world class photographers, with subjects that included the California Missions, aerial photography, landscapes, time lapse, and trail camera photography. Using images submitted by attendees, one presenter showed how to use Photoshop to edit and repair images. As part of STW, participants can enter a picture in a competition titled ‘Give It Your Best Shot.’ The presenters and participants choose their favorite pictures and the images were breathtaking. No matter your interest, experience, or skill in photography, Shooting the West is a ‘must do’ for anyone with an interest in photography. I encourage you to go to http://www.shootingthewest.org to experience this great event for yourself, and consider attending next year, April 25 to May 1, 2016.

Oh yeah, during my R&R time, I bumped into a Hawk on a snowy morning. I just can’t make a post without including a Raptor picture or two.

Yes, it was a cold morning and, amazingly, we had snow on the ground and in the trees.

Same Hawk, different tree. I’m not sure if he was making sure I saw the liftoff or if that was his way of telling me to leave him alone.

As you can see, I was blown away by my STW experience. On the 3 hour drive home, I reflected on the things I’d seen, the information I received, the people I met and talked to. I found myself thinking about the possibilities and direction I want to take my photography. I haven’t yet decided what direction I will take as I continue this journey. I guarantee that you will continue to see images from the Carson Valley and surrounding area – the raptors, wild horses, and beautiful scenery. But you will also see me try new techniques and new subjects. I have an image in my mind outside a local casino, and I have a starting point to begin the exploration of that image.

Hang on, because this ride is only going to get more interesting from here. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

A little R and R…

February 27, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Bodie State Park, Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles, Eagles & Agriculture, Hawks, photo editing and composition, Raptors, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

It’s a nice Friday morning here in the Carson Valley, but the weatherman says a change is coming. We may get some much needed moisture and will definitely get some cooler temperatures in the next couple days. I’m listening to one of my favorite soundtracks, The Last of the Dogmen. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should (you should also listen to the soundtrack). The story is excellent, the scenery is phenomenal, and I like Tom Berenger and Barbara Hershey, who play the main characters. With a successful Eagles & Agriculture in the rear view mirror, I’ve slowed my picture taking this week and continued preparations for next week’s Shooting the West photography experience in Winnemucca, NV. I also caught up my checkbook (aggghhh) and made sure the bills were paid, renewed my driver’s license, and made time for a few pictures.

In military parlance, the term ‘R & R’ refers to rest and recovery, or rest and rehabilitation, or rest and…well, pick your favorite ‘R’ word. The key to R & R is ‘rest.’ As you will see, I tried to rest, but there’s just no rest for the wicked, or when you’re wicked, or if you’re wicked. Let’s face it, I’m no singer (I won’t try to type her name, but Travolta butchered it – she sang in Wicked on Broadway, get it?) and I’m having a little too much fun (just ask my lovely bride), and I’ve been called worse than wicked – but I digress. You’re interested in my pictures, not my meandering thoughts!

Here’s what I did this week. And don’t forget to watch The Last of the Dogmen! You’ll love it.

Enjoy – Photorogr

My photo challenge last week was ‘black and white.’ With my busy schedule, I used some images I made in Bodie State Park, http://www.parks.ca.gov/bodie/, last summer. This image was my submittal. After desaturating (removing all color), I adjusted the image to maintain the reflection of the mountains and clouds in the window while trying to enhance the details of the products that have been on these shelves for more than 70 years.

This beautiful old stove is in one of the few buildings that the public is allowed to enter. I also experimented with a sepia tone on this image. For those of you unfamiliar with Bodie, it was a mining ‘boom town’ in the late 1800’s. When the mining stopped, the town was finished. People literally locked the doors and walked away. There are similar stories all over the western United States – thanks to those who work to preserve these historic places!

Some of the old mining equipment. I tried to bring out the shadows in this equipment, but I overexposed the original image which made those adjustments impossible. I guess I’ll have to go back and shoot Bodie all over again – darn it!

I was on my way home from the store with a car full of fresh fruits and ice cream bars, when I spy a Golden Eagle floating on the wind currents. He disappeared behind a house, so I went looking for him. I found him in a pine tree. He made the obligatory adjustment before taking off…

…so I followed him skyward. There I see several more Golden Eagles enjoying the wind currents – like a convention up there. And then they were gone and the sky was empty. That allowed me to get home in time to save the ice cream bars. It was the best of both worlds – great pictures AND ice cream bars!

I went out yesterday with some friends. The birds were skittish and wouldn’t let us get close. I did the best I could. Love this Bald Eagle in the air…

…and this Marsh Hawk taking off – away from us, of course. Fun day with good friends!

I took a quick trip down Mottsville Lane this morning while Edsel was at the groomer. I went to the groomer, too, but Edsel came home much cuter than I. I was on the hunt for pictures for this week’s photo challenge – Abandoned. I found this Hawk on a fence post along the road, and I’m a sucker for a chance to get a Hawk up close. I found some good shots for the challenge, but I’m still working on them. Stay tuned!

IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!!

February 19, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles, Eagles & Agriculture, Hawks, photo editing and composition, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 4 Comments

I’m starting to feel a little relief because it’s finally here – Eagles and Agriculture kicks off tomorrow! Yesterday, we set up the opening reception/art show display at the Holiday Inn Express in Minden (of course, some of us had to go back today to finish – no names, but you know who I am). Here’s a quick shot of my display. I hope to see many of you at the reception tomorrow evening.

The Record-Courier said there are still a few tickets available, so if you’re in the area and want to play, go to http://www.carsonvalleynv.org, see what’s available and come on down!

I split my available time this week between last minute preparation for E&A and a little bit of shooting. I was able to locate a juvenile Bald Eagle this week – exciting for me as I’ve been having an eagle drought lately. This raptor is about 4 years old, just on the cusp of full adult colors. You might have seen similar images on Facebook. We have a little group that shares locations of Eagles and other subjects. I let my friends know, and a couple of them came by. When the bird doesn’t leave the fence post, the images all start to look the same.

My favorite of the images I made. Classic Eagle pose, interesting color, but his chest feathers are a little rumpled. He reminds me of a pre-teen child who wants to be seen as an adult, but is still enjoying the fun of his youth.

I couldn’t resist playing with the editing a bit here. I ‘desaturated,’ or removed the color from, this image. I have a lot more that I want to play with on this image, but black and white works here. B&W also happens to be this week’s assignment in my weekly photo challenge – how lucky for me!

I like this image, too. I was trying to bring in the agriculture aspect by including the cow in the background, but it’s not as strong an image as I’d like it to be.

I also found a few Hawks and an American Kestrel.

I like this image for a couple reasons – he just finished eating and still has a little something on his beak, and he looks like he just got out of the shower. The colors came out well and I got good detail in his eye.

And with a nod to last week’s theme of launching birds, I had to include this Red-Tailed Hawk in flight!

Every now and then I find something really interesting and unusual. This Hawk was preening and his tail feathers rotated as his head reached to the left. In my years of watching the Hawks in the area, I’ve never seen this.

Who doesn’t love an American Kestrel. Some day I’m going to find a male in a tree or a bush, anywhere but a wire. Some day!

I’ve been looking forward to this year’s Eagles & Agriculture show for quite some time. The next few days are going to be busy, without much opportunity to go shoot. I hope to see many of you there. Behave as best you can! And I hope you enjoyed this week’s images!

PHOTOROGR

Flying high!!

February 12, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles & Agriculture, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 1 Comment

For many years, the Air Force used the catch phrase ‘Aim High’ to recruit airmen. I think I still have my Aim High hat, although it doesn’t get worn very often. After highlighting my efforts to get better at photo editing the last couple posts, this week I decided to share images of birds in flight. Most are Hawks, because the Eagles are keeping an extremely low profile this year. We’re not sure if it’s due to the drought or the ranchers keeping the new calves away from the public roads. Regardless, Eagle pictures have been a premium this year.

For those of you near the Carson Valley, next weekend is the annual Eagles and Agriculture celebration (visit the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce website, http://www.carsonvalleynv.org, for tickets and more information). The festivities open on Thursday, February 19, with an art show at the Holiday Inn Express, 1659 State Route 88 in Minden. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and they have munchies. I will have several pictures on display, so come on down. I will also have pictures on display and for sale at the Carson Valley Inn, 1627 Highway 395 in Minden, on February 20 and 21. If you haven’t been on one of the E&A tours, you should go. It’s a lot of fun!

Okay, that’s enough unpaid advertising. Let’s get to this week’s images.

I saw this Blue Heron along Mottsville Lane. He took flight when I stopped the Expedition, but didn’t go far. I got a couple nice images of him in flight.

Also on Mottsville Lane, this Hawk had just launched from the fence post on the left, and he crossed the road in front of me.

When I first spied this Hawk, he was sitting on a cowpie, keeping an eye on his surroundings. He lifted off, flying fairly close…

…and promptly landed on another cowpie. Sometimes, you gotta’ wonder what they are thinking.

This Hawk was sitting at the very top of this tree. He allowed many pictures and then…off he went. This image is not cropped.

I drove by this Hawk once, but stopped on my way back. I was just putting glass on him and he launched. I didn’t get an image of him sitting on the fence. Shot south of Minden on SR 88.

I saw this Cooper’s Hawk on a utility pole on Jacks Valley Road. He posed nicely and then got a little fidgety (I’m starting to recognize the signs), so I changed focal length and began shooting just as he lifted off. These images of birds just taking flight are becoming my favorites.

Obviously, this is not a bird in flight. This was my submission to last week’s photography challenge – the theme was one shape. My shape is the circle of the wheel on the irrigation system.

This is also not a bird in flight. This is an image I made today of Job’s Peak – the premiere scenic element of the Carson Valley. I drove by this location many times and never saw this image, until today. The pond had water from the recent rains and it was reasonably still for the reflection. I’m not done editing this image – I may remove the fence post in the bottom right corner and make some other edits – but I am excited to have made the image and wanted to share it with you!

It’s been a good photography week, and pretty good away from the lens as well. I made contact with several people with whom I was on active duty. I haven’t heard from them in 25 years, so it’s great to connect. I’m looking forward to Eagles and Agriculture next week, and to seeing many of my friends there.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

…in control for now…or am I???

February 3, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Adobe Bridge, Carson Valley, Eagles, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Raptors, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

For most of my life, no one has successfully accused me of being in control. The whole concept of ‘in control’ is akin to other concepts, like growing up or being nice. Yes, avoiding these labels is a source of great pride for me. Thanks to all those out there who are vigorously nodding in the affirmative, and who would testify in support if needed. Now that I’ve taken my bow, it’s time to get serious.

I brought the fire hose under control, but it’s still flowing fast. I’m still in overdrive, but I’m learning to apply the brakes and control the skids more effectively. I’m watching more tutorials for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Bridge. These are great software packages for managing and editing pictures. My fear of the Camera Raw format is decreasing, and my memory cards will likely take a big hit as a result. (I’ve already gone from filling up an 8GB SD card in 4-5 months to consuming a 16GB SD card in 2 months and, in January, I filled one-third of a 32GB SD card. Now, before you get all impressed, please understand that it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. At this point in my development as a photographer, however, I need to experiment and learn the things that work and those that don’t. As my knowledge improves, so will my memory management efficiency. Note – my memory will not improve, but I will use the memory cards in my cameras more efficiently. I had to say that to preclude the rude comments from many of my friends.)

Back to being serious. As I explore these software packages, I’m trying new and fun editing techniques. I have to be careful, though. The teacher/moderator of my 52 Week Photography Challenge keeps reminding us that “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you have to.” Having the ability to make an adjustment is vastly different that making that adjustment well. Like photography techniques, editing requires a measure of experimentation as well. And control. As uncomfortable as I am being in control, I have to do it. A little.

So, here’s a couple fun things I did this week. The eagles have been hiding from everyone. I found a few hawks and some wild horses. New images, however, are not numerous, so I’ve had lots of time at the computer. In addition to trying new editing techniques, I’ve also continued my experimentation with replacing backgrounds, specifically skies.

I made this image on a cloudy day last September. His belly is horribly underexposed and the sky can’t get any more blah.

So, I turned it into this. I improved the color and detail in the bird and put him into a pretty sky. Yes, it’s a Nevada sky. I also used a ‘healing’ tool to clean up a spot in the bird’s wing. Photoshop is so cool!

I found this eagle a year ago, on a really cold and snowy day. He posed for me for quite a while. In fact, I was taking Susan to work and we blocked traffic for a short time.

I did a little editing and inserted a pretty Nevada sky. In my mind, this image asks if I went too far with my editing? I’d love to hear your opinion.

And one last set of before and after pictures. I tried some new camera settings when I was out in the Pinenut Mountains with the horses. As you can see, the new settings did not work (insert Thomas Edison wisdom here). Using new editing techniques, I was able to rescue the image. I’ll be really happy when I can remember what I did and rescue the image again.

This is the original image. When I rolled up, I saw these two. The rest of the band was screened from view by the tree on the left.

I edited and cropped. I was happy with everything but the color of the horses. Hmmmm…what to do???

Those tutorials paid off. I tried a new color editing technique and voila, a really nice image from a very bad original. I was very happy with myself.

Well, that’s what I’ve been doing with my week. You decide if I’m in control or not. Let’s leave the growing up and being nice questions alone. Thanks for reading and following my blog!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

…and serious work to be done…

January 26, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Hawks, Owls, photo editing and composition, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

The countdown is on! It’s D-25 to Eagles & Agriculture, and D-38 to Shooting the West. Of course, Eagles & agriculture is the priority, as I’m showing at the Holiday Inn Express in Minden on Thursday, February 19, and setting up a vendor booth on February 20 and 21 at the Carson Valley Inn. I’m trying to select the pictures for display, which will also be on sale, and create enough inventory for the booth. E&A is a big event in the Carson Valley, and I want to put my best foot forward. Any input from my friends is welcome.

As I discussed last week, I am also trying to learn Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, which is a full time job by itself. A big thanks to my Photoshop mentors, who let me pop in to ask questions and also take the occasional telephone call, and who don’t pull any punches in their critiques. I really like it when I don’t have to guess at the message.

These two images consumed a lot of my time this week – an entire afternoon and into the evening, in fact. This is my first effort at replacing a blown out sky with something better. It’s not perfect by any means, but I learned so much and the next one will be better.

I had to overexpose the image to get any detail in the Hawk and the cupola, at the expense of the sky.

I imported a new sky and spent a long time softening the ‘halo’ that occurs between the new and the old. I will improve my halo removal skills, and work to match the exposures of the subject with the sky to make a better final image. This editing thing is work!

I made time to get out a few times this week, as I can’t sit inside all day. I think that’s why I enjoyed my career doing construction management so much. Outside is much better than inside! I had the pleasure of shooting with my friend, Steve, early last week. Steve is a retired Navy engineer (no, he didn’t slosh when he walked), so we compared notes on our military time while we were out. I showed him a few places in the Carson Valley, and found some hawks, owls, eagles, and a coyote. I wanted to find an American Kestral for him, but that wasn’t in the cards. Thanks for the great day, Steve!

Here’s a few from my day with Steve and the rest of the week.

Enjoy – Photorogr

Nope, he’s not walking the plank. He was getting ready to take off.

One of my best shots of these guys. I processed things differently, with better results.

Just a pretty picture.

Again, some new editing techniques. Don’t ask me what I did, because I don’t remember. I have to start writing things down as I edit. Sadly, the trees are starting to bud around here. I don’t think I like that – it’s still January!

I really like these Red-Shouldered Hawks. They are very photogenic and allow me to take lots of pictures before they leave.

Fire Hoses and Overdrive…

January 17, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Eagles, Geese, Hawks, photo editing and composition, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 4 Comments

So, there I was – the new year started with a bang and I was on fire. I was finding subjects in good light and making great images. I was in a good groove editing pictures like mad. Every new technique I tried was working. And then, I had to take care of something and wasn’t planning to take pictures. I took my cameras anyway, and it happened. I got an awesome shot.

I was very excited. It looked great in the camera. It looked great on the computer at home. I applied my newfound editing skill and made what I thought was a great image. Chest puffed and very proud of myself, I took my image to get it printed. When I showed it to my friends at the printer, I asked what they thought. They answered and, thankfully, told me the truth about my image. They agreed that it was a great image with tremendous potential. I learned about the potential in great detail. Not crushed but somewhat deflated, I tried to absorb every detail. I had a few other images, and we went through them, too. I found myself drinking from the proverbial fire hose of photo editing information (nice segue, right?).

I know I didn’t absorb it all, and I’m not going to try to recite everything I learned here, with one major exception: pictures showing motion are supposed to go left to right. Motion ‘right to left’ is unsettling. (Of course, this explains a lot about Mustang people – the running horse logo in the grill of my car is running right to left. Go figure.) I went home and tried again, starting with rotating the image, and I came up with this image.

I have received further feedback on this image – all of it positive and all of it aimed at helping me make a better image. And that brings me to the Overdrive (another nice segue, eh?) portion of this post. I am kicking my study of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements into overdrive to improve my editing skills sooner. I found a couple great books so I don’t have to bother my friends with questions all the time, and I’m going places in these software packages that I’ve never been. Time will tell if I am making progress.

Meanwhile, my photo challenge this week is ‘Find a Line.’ At first glance, that sounds very easy. Lines are all around us – sometimes in places we don’t always recognize. The challenge is further complicated by the caveat that the image be very simple. No lines with extra stuff – just a line. I have an image – not quite ready, and I’m keeping my eyes open for other lines. I’ll share my image next week.

But, here’s a few more of my successes from this week. It’s a mix between Eagles and Hawks, with one ‘guest shot’ of a Goose. Please also take a look in the Birds page. I’ve added a few pictures there. Enjoy – Photorogr

I don’t normally take pictures of Geese, but I missed the Coots that were there when I stopped the car. The Goose was walking by, begging me to make the image.

I think this is a Golden Eagle, but the jury is still out. My friends are almost evenly divided between Golden Eagle or juvenile Bald Eagle. The tie-breaker would be legs and feet, but they are not visible. It really doesn’t matter, however, as this Eagle is up to no good. None at all! Just check the posture and look on his face.

I was trying to get this juvenile Bald Eagle (I know because of a different picture) when this Magpie came into the shot. Oh yeah, I don’t normally take pictures of Magpies, either.

The PHOTOROGR Project

A Journey in Creative Photography!

Tag Archives: photo editing and composition