I don't think I ever posted these before...I may have...but I came across them again today and I love them...took it back in November 2007 on the way home from a friends house in Flemington, NJ.
The clouds and the rays of sun really get me every time I took at them.
Just felt like sharing them...
I stopped at the park for a little while on the way home today to capture the most beautiful day with a beautiful sky...full of amazing clouds!
I started with some HDR shots with my Nikon 18-200mm VR.
WHen I was here I felt like I was walking throuhg a Fairy Tale!
And then I switched to my Nikon 105mm f/2.8 AF-S Micro Lens to give it a run for it's money!
I'm trying to get the hang of shooting REALLY close with the lens to get that really abstract-y look for flower photography.
The hardest part was focusing on the flowers when the wind kept blowing (Grrrrrrrrr!) AND I was using a tripod! So many were sent to the recycle bin when I got home but these were the ones that I kept that I loved!!
The ones that appealed to me most today were the very abstract flower shots below. I just feel like they would make great abstract art pieces to hang on the wall. 
A little more realistic macros for you:
What a beautiful day to be out and about! I need to go back though and keep practiing and practicing these abstract macros. The focus is the hardest part!
After my day of running around doing errands I was determined to find a photo opportunity. I brought my camera and tripod with me because I was hoping to find SOMETHING...Nothing crazy...I didn't want to be out for hours....I just wanted something to photograph today...I guess I just had the "itch" to take something. Do you know that feeling?
When I was driving I spotted something YELLOW our of the corner of my eye that grabbed my attention. I memorized where I saw that pop of color along the highway and then on my way back from shopping I pulled down the main street that takes you into Princeton, NJ and I found what caught my attention.
It was a long line of forsythia in bloom running along the side of a farm that I actually photographed a while back. 
Next to the line of forsythia was the line of beautiful trees that leads you all the way into Princeton that I always enjoy seeing as I ride along this road. It got so cold by this point and I was wearing a light jacket. I stood there praying that cars would stop coming down the VERY busy road on the left so I could snap my photos and get back in my warm car!
You can check out my entire HDR Gallery by clicking HERE.
I took these photographs back on October 21st, 2007. I never had a chance to edit them until yesterday and today.
I'm actually glad that I didn't get to. I'm happy that I am backed up. The reason I'm actually happy about my back-up of 2007 photos to process is because since the time I took them I've learned a lot more about post processing then I knew last year - so waiting to edit them has let me try so many more things to increase the impact of the photo.
It makes me think that if I had more time in the world that I would go back and re-edit so many things I took last year to see if I could enhance them even more. But since I have a full time job that doesn't leave me much time for re-editing older work let alone finish processing new work along with work from 2007 that I never even go to yet!
Let's get back to the photos...so I took these photos the same day I took my first paying portrait shoot. When I left the shoot I decided to take the LONG WAY HOME and explore a town I hadn't spent much time until this day. I'm so glad I decided to do so...look at the results!
Let me start with 2 that are my favorite edits of the series. I'm so proud of these two photos and the look I achieved in Photoshop:
There ther was "the tree" - another favorite subject of mine. I applied the "Technicolor Dream World" action that Julie has been using and then I applied a B&W filter over that. The "Technicolor Dream World" action is what gave it the softer dreamier look.
I'm getting there! I'm really trying to catch up as fast as I can and I don't have much more to for the weekend shoots I've done with my sister but after I'm finished with those I still have a huge number of flower shots to go through, edit, add to my website and then catalog the type of flower...that's going to take me a bit...
There are all from May through July 4th of 2007.
A couple shots of a furry fella:
And a bench that I am fond of - that I applied an action to - to give it a desaturated look (and then I burned and dodged it):
And a lovely landscape scene:
And a couple waterscapes:
And a few cemetery scenes:
And lastly a composite of fire work photos from July 4th, 2007:
These photos area also from my photo excursion from 10/28/07 from out trip to the Mulica River and the Pine Barrens.
On our way home we stopped to take the barn and silo from yesterday's post and I noticed this house on the farmland across the street. I might not have given it a 2nd glance until I notice the roof was completely missing on one side. I took this from across the street: 
Then I decided I wanted to get closer we drove up the long driveway and I took some shots from my car (I always get worried about trespassing...how do I explain... "Oh sorry, I just like to photograph old abandoned things" LOL!)
I love this conversion!!
Some details on the house:
I love the fall leaves reflected in the window:
I always find it a shame when you see houses like this....so sad to see homes go to waste like this...
I don't know if anything like this has every happened to any of you before but it's happen to me many times in the past year.
I started working in a new office and someone gave me directions for a shortcut home that I decided to try...well I went the wrong way. I kept driving until I realized that I better turn around and decide where I went wrong.
As I made a u-turn on this twisty, turny, curvy toad with woods on both sides my eyes glanced to the left and fell up what I felt was a beautiful site. It was a huge tree in the middle of a field all by itself. It was massive in size but looked so alone in the middle of the field. I just saw it's beauty for a fleeting moment as I quickly drove away because I was in the middle of the road. I knew immediately that I must get back to this tree in the daylight and photograph it. I imagined it in B&W.
All the way home I wished I had my camera but since I get out when it's almost dark I don't bother bringing it everday anymore.
I brought about photographing the tree alot the next day (Thursday) and since I brought the camera with me I thought I would stop to snap a photo on my way home....well I forgot which road I took on this new short cut that would take me past the tree and I missed my opportunity because I was too far away to turn around and go back to find it.
I figured I would try again today but woke up to rain but I brough the camera anyway. It poured all day but by some great luck when I drove home it wasn't raining and I headed off to find that tree.
I got there and realize the muddy road right off the main road where I made the quick u-turn the other day said "private property" and I was instantly disappointed. I had no idea how I would get a good view of the tree without tunrning onto the dirt road. I was faced with the dilema of a road with no real shoulder or parking at the end of this mud filled road with a chain blocking the path. I decided what the heck...I'd only be a minute or two and I figured no one would bother me. In my nice work outfit and boots I carefully walked down the path of this muddy road and saw what I was hoping to see.
I find it really hard to explain how or why I felt this way in words about a tree...but ever since I really got back into photography I found myself more and more awestruck by nature sometimes. I will look at the sky and gasp, or a sunset, or even a simple tree. Even though it may seem simple and be ignored by others I could see a photograph opportunity even with a fleeting glance.
When I made it back today I had a minute or two to spare before the sun completely set. I snapped away as many as I could....for one I was standing in mud trying to hold my pants legs from touching the mud and trying not to let my boots sink to deep in the mud, I was also on private property, and my car was running at the end of the road about 50 feet away.
It turns out the rain and mud helped to make for a much more interesting photo. The reflections in the puddles added to the interest. I think it turned out just how I imagined the composition of the photo to be. The only issue is picking the best post processing for the picture to really show what I was imagining.
VERSION 1 with 2 post processing techniques:
I like the darkness for this photo so I went dark on the B&W with a hint of a brown tint to it. I also burned and dodged it a ton (click to view larger)
For this one I used a photoshop action to keep it in color and then burned and dodged the heck out of it (click to view larger)
VERSION 2 with multiple post processing techniques
I cannot decide between them...I need time to think on it.
(click to view larger)
I like the comp of Version #1 much better but #2 afforded me with seeing various post processing techniques to decide from.
Don't ask me why I was crazy about a tree...but I was. After 2 days I finally got to photograph it. If it snows I will be right back there again to get it in the snow...I think that would be even better than it was today!
Ok...now that you think I'm a complete nut it's time for me to say goodnight!
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