Energize and revitalize!

August 27, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Aviation Roundup, Beechcraft Twin Beech 18, Carson City, Carson Valley, Genoa Peak, Lake Tahoe, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, sunsets, USAF Thunderbirds, Warren Engine Company | Leave a comment

A little over a year ago, I retired and started a journey to become a photographer. Every time I try to sit back and take stock of my progress, there’s a new subject begging to be photographed. The best part is that I feel like I actually have a starting point to make the image. I’m not always right in my decisions, but I feel like I can make the adjustments and have a successful shoot. I’m still loving my journey and have no regrets about taking that first step.

I have great friends, old and new, and family who have been supportive through it all. Thanks to everyone for helping me along the path, from encouraging words to buying my images to telling me about photo opportunities. It’s not much fun without you. Please stay with me as the journey continues, because there’s lots more to come!

Every now and then, I am unhappy with my images and myself. Sometimes it’s the subjects or the challenges of light and shadow, and sometimes it’s my lack of knowledge in editing. When I get down, I give myself a break, clear my head, and then jump back in. This week, the grind of editing for the Boy Scout car show got to me. I took some horse pictures, and wasn’t happy with the results. Last night, I went on a photo walk with a couple of my mentors and a few new friends. I made images of subjects I don’t normally shoot and cleared my head. The people were fun and the pictures are coming out great. I’m doing a little experimenting with the editing, but I’m renewed and re-energized.

In my last post, I promised more car pictures from the Boy Scout car show. As noted above, it’s become more work than I had originally thought (but it’s providing a great opportunity for learning the business side of photography), and those images aren’t ready yet. I’ve also been distracted by other subjects in the last couple weeks. Here are the images from my distractions.

Lake Tahoe ATV ride: we rode a trail on the east side of the lake, with fantastic views. There are a couple more pictures in the Landscapes and Scenery page.

And the USAF Thunderbirds came to the Carson Valley. See the THUNDERBIRDS! page for more images!

The Thunderbirds were here as part of the Aviation Roundup, with static displays and other flying demonstrations. This is a Beechcraft Twin Beech 18 doing some acrobatics.

Which brings us to the Photo Walk and its non-routine subjects. This is only a sample – there are more to come!

This stained glass piece is in a local antique shop. It was nicely backlit and easy to shoot.

I was intrigued by this street light against the west wall of the original Warren Engine Company fire station. I added the vignetting in the corners, but I’m not sure I am completely pleased with the result.

The sunset was beautiful, and the church steeple made an excellent foreground!

I’m trying several new techniques with this image. I made multiple images from this location, including several bracketed exposures. I’ll let you know how the experiments come out.

I caught the moon over the roof of the Nevada Supreme Court Building. I kept hoping the wind would come up and extend the flag, but it was not to be. I like this image, though.

As you can see, sometimes the distractions are very hard to overcome. They are, however, very necessary to maintain the creative juices. This crusty old engineer needs all the creative juices he can get, because they are sometimes hard to come by. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Happy 4th of July!

July 3, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Ford Ranger, night photography, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, sunsets, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

Can you believe that it’s July? The calendar year is half over, but the business year is not. Next month will be one year since I decided to become a full-time photographer. Am I making lots of money? No, but I’m having a lot of fun and my knowledge of photography and photo editing is growing by leaps and bounds. You’ll see some of that growth in this post. For the business year – It’s time for me to report my business assets to the County Assessor for tax purposes. I think I can get everything together and look forward to the tax bill.

But first, an update on the wild horses. Until last week, I have been photographing four bands in the area. The studs are Blue, Blondie, Socks, and Shorty. Please also recall that we have a group of bachelor studs, the ‘Boys’ Club,’ waiting for their turns to establish a band – Sampson, Jack, Little Socks, and Skip. In a major power move, Shorty stole all of Socks’ mares so Socks is now a bachelor. When I see him, he appears very lonely and forlorn.

A very lonely Socks!

He won’t even look at the camera.

I have a theory that Socks cut a deal with Shorty to look after the family while he took a little break. I’m told that’s not a viable theory.

Here’s an image of Shorty’s band taken yesterday, with all of Socks’ mares and foals in the group. Please don’t ask me which mares formerly belonged to Socks.

They were enjoying a lazy day, just relaxing and not too concerned as I approached on foot.

And my buddy Blondie – remember the butt shot from my last post? Well – late last week I found his band, parked, and approached on foot. Blondie didn’t like that in the least! For the first time, he ‘challenged’ my approach, actually running towards me. He stopped when he could see me and I was never in any danger, but it made me a little more wary than usual of where he was while I made my images.

Blondie keeping a very watchful eye on me!

I only made a couple images due to Blondie’s obvious ‘discomfort’ with me being there. I like this one – I think it’s Little Scarlett and Mama.

Yesterday, Blondie’s band was across a small valley from Shorty’s band. As I approached in the PHOTORANGER, Blondie gathered everyone up and off they went. I’m not sure what I did to make him mad.

Blondie’s band moving off. Horse butt pictures aren’t really exciting, but I like the pattern created by the numerous rears as they walked away.

And Blondie, walking away – keeping himself between me and the band.

And what about the Boys’ Club? Some of my friends have pictures of Socks with the Boys, but I don’t have any as yet. I found the Boys close to some of the houses, just being boys.

Our temperatures have been high the last couple weeks, with intermittent rain and thunderstorms. We have a fire south of us that has burned 18 square miles. Thankfully, the wind has blown the smoke away (and my power bill likes that!). Since I melt at about 85 degrees (figuratively, not literally), my shooting time is short, leaving me lots of time to stay indoors and work on my editing skills. A really BIG SHOUT OUT to my Photoshop mentors (you know who you are!!), who helped me over a giant hump in learning a couple techniques. Here are a couple of images I edited this week – see if you can identify the changes I made! Hint – they’re very subtle.

This is Little Jo with Mom, Dad, and several other members of the band. The exposure is way off and there is the horse at the bottom of the shot who just doesn’t belong.

Through the magic of Photoshop, I removed the horse at the bottom of the picture and rescued my poor shooting. The result is very pleasing, I think. Oh yeah, Blue is facing the camera behind the black horse. That’s not him on the left.

During the winter months, the Raptors migrate through the Carson Valley. Photo opportunities are everywhere. I caught this juvenile Red Tailed Hawk last February at one of the local ranches. Exposure has been one of my greatest challenges, and lately I’m getting a better handle on it.

I think the image works better with him facing right instead of left, and I fixed my poor exposure and got a little closer.

The night skies have also called to me. The sunsets have been gorgeous and I’ve worked on my ‘low light’ shooting while I’m out there. Temperatures are much better when the sun goes down, so why not?

I made this image from my backyard while we still had a hint of smoke from the wildfire.

Another from my backyard, through the trees. The smoke is gone, but the storm clouds made gorgeous light!

Same evening – different vantage point.

…and a little to the right…

A look at the Pergola in our backyard. This is looking northeast, so the evening light is much different.

One final night shot. This is looking southeast from my front yard. My neighbors very thoughtfully built this beautiful scene in the front corner of their yard. I photograph it often.

And I’ll close this post with a couple images of the PHOTORANGER in action. This little truck has been a great addition to the stable, and I continue to be impressed with its performance in the field. I took my father-in-law out to look for the wild horses yesterday. He was impressed with the truck, but said he preferred the ‘softer’ ride of the other cars. I understand completely.

Enjoy – and have a wonderful 4th of July! God Bless America! PHOTOROGR

…you may be in for a shock…

June 25, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged ATV trips, cactus flowers, Carson Valley, Ford Mustang, Ford Ranger, Hoonie Mine, Mercury Cougar, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Quartz Peak, Reno Mustang Car Club, Restomods in Reno Car Show, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

I have no idea where the time gets to. I sat down to build this post and realized that it’s been over two weeks since my last post. I haven’t been sitting around, however, as you will see from the images below. I have made some changes, too. The first change is that I bought a new camera body – a Canon 7D Mark II. To help me learn the camera, I bought a book by David Taylor. I’ve used his books before, so I was confident things would go well. Then I read the first page – “If you’ve just upgraded to an EOS 7D Mark II from one of Canon’s consumer DSLRs you may be in for a shock.” Boy howdy, was he right!! It’s a big learning curve, but the results will be worth the work.

I would also like to introduce you to the PHOTORANGER!

The PHOTORANGER – a 1999 Ford Ranger Sport – in its natural environment. You can see Blue and his band above the bed on the far hillside! This image was made with the new camera body.)

I took it into the Pine Nut Mountains to find the horses and see how it performs. It did not disappoint. I took it to a few places that I wouldn’t take the Expedition. Very fun for me!!

A couple weeks ago, my friend Rich and I went to the Restomods in Reno Car Show. See the Automobiles page for more images, but here’s my favorites from the day.

Who doesn’t love a classic Mustang with a matching pedal car?

Some people just know how to live. The Reno Mustang Club president just acquired this a few weeks before the show.

This Boss 302 belongs to a good friend of mine. He’s still working on his ’66 hardtop.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Cougars. This car was beautiful and I was pleased with this picture. Note the Parnelli Jones tribute car on the left.

And I hate it when I hit the wrong button and publish too soon. My apologies to those of you who will get this again.

I took a ride with my ATV group to the Hoonie Mine on Quartz Peak. The scenery was gorgeous and the quartz formation was awesome. See the Landscape and Scenery page for more images.

The view of the Sweetwater Range from the summit of Quartz Peak.

Who knew that quartz could sustain life?

But plants are everywhere, if you know where to look…

As I said, the quartz formations were great!

I spent some time in the Pine Nut Mountains. When the horses were hiding, the cactus flowers made great subjects. Check out the Wild Horses page for more pictures of the horses, and the Landscape and Scenery page for more cactus flowers.

This is the Boys Club – Samson, Little Socks, Skip, and Jack. These 4 bachelor studs are hanging out together until they get their own mares and start their own bands. They were on the hill overlooking Blondie’s band and lined up for this shot.

This is Blondie, not too worried about the Boys Club (who were behind me) but wanting to know what I was doing.

For my Wyoming friends – a cactus flower shaped like a ‘W’.

I submitted this macro image to a contest – we’ll see how it fares in competition.

Well, that’s it for this post. Enjoy and I’ll try to be more timely with my next post.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

All RAW — All the Time!

June 8, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Cattle drives, Cinnamon Teal, Daggett Pass, Egrets, Finches, Hawks, Lake Tahoe, Marmots, Monitor Pass, Pelicans, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Raptors, Rock Chucks, Scenery, Waterfowl, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography, Willson's Phalarope | 1 Comment

It’s a quiet Saturday morning and I’m not heading out for an hour or so. My friend, Rich, and I are going to Reno to see the Restomods in Reno Car Show. Assuming they come out, you’ll see pictures in my next post. I’m astounded that it’s been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Time really flies when you’re having so much fun!

I’ve made a couple changes in my shooting and editing process since my last post. First, I’m shooting in RAW format exclusively (All RAW – All the Time). I resisted going to RAW for a very long time because I wasn’t comfortable editing in RAW, it consumes massive amounts of memory, and the images can not be used right out of the camera – they must be edited. In the last few months, I made learning to edit in RAW a priority and have gained enough comfort factor to shoot in that format exclusively. Of course, my editing time has increased and I fill up SD cards quickly. The tradeoff is worth it, however, as I was becoming increasingly less happy with the JPEG images coming out of the camera. The second change is my ‘backup’ process. Like many photographers, I have triple redundancy for storing my images. Until recently, I used the SD card from the camera, my computer, and an external hard drive. Since I’m filling up memory cards so quickly these days (a 32 GB card every 3-4 weeks – yikes!), my lovely bride convinced me that buying more and more SD cards was not the most cost effective method for storage. Plus, SD cards can fail and they are not recommended for long term storage anyway. So I purchased another external hard drive and spent some time backing up all my images on it. Fortunately, memory (data storage, not my feeble mind, darn it) is getting better and cheaper all the time.

I’m refining my workflow for editing in RAW, but it’s getting easier and I’m getting more proficient. A REALLY BIG THANKS to all my PHOTOSHOP mentors who cheerfully (at least when I call) answer my sometimes silly questions. We’re usually on the phone, so I don’t see their eyes rolling and their voices don’t betray them. Occasionally, my questions trigger a learning moment for them, too, so I think it’s beneficial all around.

Enough about that part of my creative journey, though. Now I have to remember what I’ve been shooting for the last couple weeks. Because my feeble memory doesn’t feel like it’s getting any better as time goes by, I keep a shooting log to help me remember where I’ve been, when I was there, and what I was shooting – that’s a big help.

A day or so after my last post, a friend texted that a local rancher was moving some cows and it would be a great photo opportunity. I grabbed the camera and ran out the door – well, I did say bye to my lovely bride. As usual, the appointed time was ‘flexible,’ so I looked for interesting shots while I was waiting.

I found this breeding adult American White Pelican in an irrigation ditch.

This is a great shot of Jobs Peak, the Carson Valley’s most recognizable mountain peak.

Oh yeah, I was there for the cattle drive. George Strait sang ‘How ’bout them Cowgirls?’ I always thought the song was for the Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team – turns out it wasn’t. This was an all female crew and they did a great job!

A couple days later, I made a trip to the Pine Nut Mountains and found Blue’s band. The sly devil moved them from open ground and into high brush, but I still managed a few nice images.

I’m not a big fan of horse butt pictures, although I have quite a few. I liked how this little one was just visible above the brush.

Several of the mares and babies. Our bands look very healthy.

Little Jo – my favorite!

And this is Blue. He’s the stud!

In the last couple weeks, I’ve made several trips to Mottsville Lane here in Douglas County. With the rivers flowing well (for now anyway), there’s lots of water for the migrating waterfowl.

My bird book has been getting quite a workout. This is a Wilson’s Phalarope.

In the same pond, a Cinnamon Teal.

This Great Egret posed and pranced for me, then ‘floofed’ itself and flew away. As my followers know, I love it when a bird does something a little unusual for the camera.

The mountains called a couple times, so I made trips up Monitor Pass in California and took a hike at Lake Tahoe with my son.

I took a drive up Monitor Pass for some scenic shots. After driving by it many times in the past, I finally noticed this tree. I have several images to edit, as I photographed the tree from all angles. I liked this shot and edited it first.

This is Lake Tahoe from Castle Rock, just off the Tahoe Rim Trail near Daggett Pass.

This is a California Snow Flower – some call it a California Snow Plant. They are starting to grow in the Sierras and we saw several on our hike.

Sometimes, one finds interesting shots on the side of the road and in the backyard!

Driving in from the Pine Nut Mountains the other day, I saw these Hawks in a tree next to the road. A baby was visible, when I pulled up, but dropped out of sight when I started shooting.

Okay, this wasn’t on a public road, but I shot this from a vehicle. A friend took me on a tour of a highway construction project and this well-fed little guy, along with several friends, make the project home. I’ve never made images of a Marmot (aka Rock Chuck) like this before.

This Robin sat on a rock in my backyard long enough for me to see him, get my camera, sneak out a door on the far side of the house, and make several images.

Another patient little fella’. This Goldfinch sat in one of my Austrian Pine trees long enough for me to see him, go get my camera, and make several images. Although he sat on the branch for a while, he did not sit still. I have several shots of him in motion.

Many of you have seen my night shots of my neighbor’s trees and the moon (one of those is my cover photo on Facebook). The moon was in position the other night, so I made a few more of those shots. While I was out there, I also made some images of the pergola in our backyard. My lovely bride designed the trees and lights very well. While I was shooting the pergola, a playful spirit found his way into the shot! Silly playful spirit.

I’m finishing this on Sunday night, after a busy day yesterday at the car show and a trip to Reno today for a friend’s retirement ceremony. My apologies for the further delay. The car show images are worth the wait until the next post – I promise.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

As promised – car show pictures…

May 18, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged 1928 Franklin, 1928 Lincoln Tow Truck, 1932 Ford Woodie, 1936 Ford Roadster, 1940 Ford Pickup, 1940 Ford Woodie, 1966 Ford Mustang, Big Mama's Car Show, Carson Valley, Holy Smoker's Car Show, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements | 1 Comment

In my last post, I promised pictures from the Holy Smoker’s Car Show (May 2) and Big Mama’s Car Show (May 9). I tried some new shooting techniques at Holy Smoker’s, using neutral density (ND) and circular polarizer filters alone and in combination, with interesting results. As a result, the images you see below and in the Automobiles page took a lot of work in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. This is good in several ways. I learned: 1) how to use these software packages better; 2) the value of shooting in RAW format, and; 3) most importantly, this filter combination doesn’t always work in certain lighting conditions. My journey continues. Let’s look at a few pictures. (Go to the Automobiles page for a few more pictures.)

Who doesn’t love a well done Woodie? This is a gorgeous 1940 Ford.

I don’t remember what year this is, but my feeble memory says 1932…if only I could read that license plate…

This 1940 Ford Pickup belongs to my good friend, Charlie. He went a little wild and widened it several inches. More elbow room, I think…

I don’t normally take pictures of cars that aren’t Fords, but who can pass up a 1928 Franklin that looks this great?

To prove I was there – here’s my ’66 Mustang hardtop. Darn tree put my car in shade all day, and the guys in the background were manning the barbecue grills. Yes, I gave her a bath when we got home.

After working on the Holy Smoker’s pictures, I revisited my shooting techniques and decided I was over thinking and trying too hard. For Big Mama’s, I left the ND filters in the bag and just shot with the circular polarizer. I like the results and the amount of work in post-production much better. As a warning to all of you aspiring photographers out there (and a reminder to me), remove your ultraviolet (UV) filter before you attach your circular polarizer. I used both last year and got a condition called ‘vignetting’ (dark areas in the corners). The journey continues!!!

Here are a few images from Big Mama’s. Those of you who follow me on Facebook have seen these pictures, but you haven’t seen the pictures on the Automobiles page.

I have the filters worked out, but now I need to work on the finer points of composition, like ask the nice people making the shadows on the fender to move out of the way…my ’66 Mustang hardtop.

My good friend, Mike, took second in class (gotta’ wipe off the grass from the tires to win the tie breaker) but was picked ‘Best of Show.’ Fudge will be on next year’s show t-shirts.

Another friend, also named Mike, brought this beautiful 1928 Lincoln tow truck to the show. Last year he brought a 1912 Speedwell (featured on this year’s shirt as the kid’s choice).

Not seen on Facebook – here’s the rear of the Lincoln tow truck. See, it really could pick up your car and take it somewhere.

Here’s a teaser to get you to go to the Birds page. Some of our friends have been watching a Great Horned Owl pair in the tree across their driveway. This Owl pair had two babies about two months ago. I finally made time to get some pictures. This is one of the babies. The rest of the family was off somewhere.

No, this little one’s not glaring at me – that’s just the way Owls look.

Well, that’s the fun I’ve had in the last couple weeks. The journey continues as I try new things – some of which work and many that don’t – but that’s what a journey is all about. Until next time, enjoy! PHOTOROGR

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

…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.

The PHOTOROGR Project

A Journey in Creative Photography!

Tag Archives: Photoshop

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