Month: November 2013

Last night I took a class at Action Camera called “Stunning Portraits” with a photographer named David Guy Maynard. The class was part lecture, part instruction, part sales hype, part hands on photography. We had an opportunity to try some of the gizmos that photographers love to buy, whether they ever use them or not.

He was adamant about setting custom white balance, and, after I tried it, I now own my very own Expodisc (my photo buddy, Melinda, has used one for a couple of years). I have tried custom WB before but was always frustrated by the randomness of my results. The Expodisc works every time. I also used a Flash Bender to bounce the flash instead of directing it at Jesse, the model. I wish I had Flash Benders when I photographed the wedding in September. It would have made my life much easier. Of course, I now own one of their Large Soft Box Kits.

This shot is straight out of the camera. It is a bit overexposed and there is a harsh shadow under Jesse’s chin but I am generally pleased with the outcome. The WB is perfect and if I had played with the Flash Bender a bit more, or posed the model differently, I think I could have reduced that shadow.

While I was in Arizona, Melinda showed me lots of things I didn’t know about Lightroom and she encouraged me to actually use some of the plug-ins I have had for months but haven’t learned. One of the plug-ins is Perfect Effects 4 which has an HDR filter and a Grunge filter, both of which I used on one of my recent hummingbird shots. I liked the effect so much that today, when I finally set up my Pixma Pro-10 printer that has been setting in its box for eight months, the first thing I printed was the grunge hummer.

This is a toy I got for Bobo when I returned home from trip to Arizona. So far she has ignored it but its bright colors attracted me since I hadn’t taken any photos today and I’m determined to get back into my routine of one photograph everyday.

Last evening was my last in Arizona and because the sky is relatively dark there and it was clear, I decided to try photographing heavenly bodies which we were hoping to do in Wyoming but the weather didn’t cooperate while we were there. I was expecting to see the Milky Way and after some manipulating, I exposed a bit of it but most interesting to me was the odd UFO-looking thing that I didn’t see while I was outside but which was revealed in post processing. Could this be an extension of Area Fifty-one? Perhaps, Area Fifty-two?

Melinda, Lonnie, and I spent Saturday in Sedona. The red rocks are breathtaking and the vivid blue sky is stunning. But both Melinda and I worried that the cloudless sky would result in mediocre shots. We were pleased that late in the afternoon, clouds suddenly appeared to stud the azure sky with cottony wisps that set off the red rocks even more stunningly and enhanced the blue of the sky.

I took all of these shots at The Chapel of the Holy Cross, a Catholic chapel that emerges from the red rocks outside of Sedona. It was built in the early 1950’s and its setting is awe-inspiring. While I am not remotely religious and I am certainly not Catholic, it is set in such a beautiful location that one cannot help but be spiritually affected. I was pleased that when I entered the chapel, lightening didn’t strike me dead. Perhaps it was my contribution to the alms box that kept me safe.

I spent the day laughing, reminiscing, and enjoying  my old college roommates Melinda and Susan in Prescott, AZ yesterday. What a fun day.  No wonder we all got along so well and are still friends after all these years.

I’ve been spending a few days with my friends Melinda and Lonnie at their new home in Prescott, Arizona.  Melinda was my roommate in college and is also my photography buddy and mentor.  She inspired me to get my first (and second…and even my third) Nikon DSLR and helps me focus (pun intended) on what I need to do to improve my photography, including starting this blog.  Thanks, Melinda.