22 Apr 16. I had worked up a display of tulips in the form of a classic still life which I thought was a good subject for a close up Friday but was overruled in my decision on the basis that a classic still life did not constitute a close up subject, so this image was selected instead on the basis that it was a far more fitting subject for closeup/macro Friday. Since you don't have my still life for use in comparison, you'll just have to accept Jan's decision, even if it is wrong! This shot was made in the studio from one of the sets of cut daffodils we purchased at our local food store before they decided that they were a good mover and raised the price by a significant amount at which point I decided that they should keep them if they were that proud of them. Sorta like the price for crossing one of N.Y. city's several bridges. I shot this subject under ambient light and was surprised to see how much green was present in the yellow - somewhat the reverse of what one would normally expect in that one manipulates yellow to adjust the green in a digital image - that the naked eye did/does not pick up. Of course much of that is due to our tendency to see what we expect to see, but as a photographer who is accustomed to looking for what is there vice what is expected to be there, I was very surprised at how much green was present. In the versions of this shot where I used fill flash, the green is no longer present so the majority, if not all, of the green had to be present in the light coming in through the skylights and windows which may have been the source of the green. Next time you view daffodils, or any other flower, give some thought to how much of the particular color you are seeing at the moment is due to the light bathing them. The base image received a tiny amount of global micro contrast enhancement and that was it. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/6 sec @ f / 9 on a tripod.
25 Apr 16. A few days back I shared an image of a leaf with the outline of a tree superimposed on it. As I mentioned it was composed of two layers, the leaf and the tree. Shortly thereafter I shared the tree from which I made the silhouette. Today's submission is along the same lines, only this time just the silhouette as a simple line drawing. You are free to create anything you'd like with it and as the copyright in just sitting above pure white you can easily remove that to make it your own, which of course, it would be. You will need to blend together the two objects (images) and there are several ways to do such; the possibilities are unlimited. It was originally a shot of a grouping of sea grasses I believe in front of a seawall, with a very stormy sky in the background. That may give you and idea for a starting point if playing around with images is something you like to do. Cropping it into different dimensions will also make a difference in what you create. As I write this I'm moving the text file off and on the screen with the image beneath it; each time I remove the test I'm visualizing a different image. So have some fun with it and see what you can create. The base image was adjusted to remove a few distractions, then a filter (Topaz Glow) was run against it to create the outline. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f /11.
26 Apr 16. Today's shot is another from the Great Falls area of the Potomac River but this time a little further up river from where I took the previous shot. I particularly liked the location both for the trees and rocks, as well as the water as it all seemed to come together at this spot. The arching trunk framed everything nicely while the variety of trees made for a more dynamic presentation. The color version of this shot was relatively easy to work with, but the conversion to B&W presented two challenges which were the sky and water. The sky was basically bland and as such did not convert well in the monochromatic arena, while bringing the water to the full white it deserved left it looking out of place. So what you see is the best comprise I could come up with, and while it isn't quite what I'd like it to be, it is very close. But I thought it made for a reasonably nice image anyway. Feel welcome to add your personal touches to it!! The base image was given a small amount of contrast enhancement in the sky and water and then converted to monochrome. Nikon D70; 24 - 120; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/320 sec @ f / 5.6 .
