A few weeks back, we stayed in room #6 next to the old, well manicured cypress tree at the far end of this little scene. Though the original shot was well exposed, I couldn’t resist tweaking it a bit with Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex Pro (version 1). Layering the original shot over a black and white conversion produces an interesting faux HDR effect.
Lens: Canon EF-S 15-85mm at 24mm. 1/30 second at f/16, ISO 200.
Canon T2i making the scene.
Because it’s raining buckets today I’m going to the well (so to speak). These are a couple of shots I took before a gig at a San Francisco watering hole a couple of weeks ago. With a steady hand, the G11 in “Manual” mode, white balance set to “Cloudy” (which tends to saturate the colors), and the flash turned off, I got several night shots I liked.
Inside: 10.8mm (49mm equivalent), 1/8sec at f/3.2, ISO 800.
Outside: 6.1mm (28mm equivalent), 1/30sec at f.2.8, ISO 400.
Canon G11 at a watering hole.
I’ve been seeing patches of these blue flower spikes for years but never bothered to find out what they are. The solution? Take a photo! For several weeks, I’ve been eyeing this patch near where I run during my lunch breaks. The blooms burst this weekend, so today I stopped and grabbed a few quick shots with the G11. The large perennial is called “Pride of Madeira“. They are quite stunning, even under a bright, overcast sky in the early afternoon. I gave the image a bit of a faux HDR effect by converting a Photoshop layer to black and white with Nik Silver Efex Pro (version 1). During the conversion, I boosted the “Structure” 30%, “Contrast” 9%, and took the “Brightness” down to -5%. Happy with the black and white layer, I then duplicated the original layer, moved it above the Niks layer, switched it from “Normal” to “Color” in the layers menu at 100% and merged down.
Canon G11 filling in the gaps.
On weekends when I’m chilling at the homestead I rarely feel the urge to get in the car to go out on a photo expedition. But, more often than not, I do get the urge to use the camera. That means I have to focus on what’s immediate in my surroundings.
Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM. Both shots were taken at the same settings–300mm, 1/500 second at f/5.6, ISO 200.
Canon T2i seeing what’s close by.
Other than changing the clocks for daylight savings time, one sure sign that Spring is coming to Northern California is blooming sourgrass. This afternoon I grabbed the G11 and walked the perimeter of the house looking for some nice patches for close ups. While on my hands and knees snapping shots of the yellow blooms, I happened on this fresia (the first one to open in the yard) and got up close and personal.
And for the sourgrass:
Canon G11 getting close to Spring.