Today Was Going to be a Lazy Day

I'm just so tired lately. I guess I don't get enough sleep as I truly need but I can't help it. There's just so much I want to do but so little time. So as I've said in the past "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

I was going to stay in all day but I decided to drive around the neighborhood and look at houses for sale. While I was out I decided to keep on driving until I got to a great little town called Rocky Hill.

I spotted this water tower with the clouds behind it and knew it would make a great tonemapped photo. The tower was at the back of a parking lot for a tire shop so I quickly snapped a few shots off from my car so that people didn't wonder what the heck I was doing. LOL.

As I was driving through Rocky Hill I saw an open field next to a small airport where I thought I would be able to capture the clouds so I got out of my car really quick with the tripod and did some multiple exposures and then ran back to my car.

When I got back home and pulled them up on my computer I saw something that I can't quite explain. Maybe someone else can tell me what I've captured here?? It was barely there the first exposure, it was larger in the 2nd & huge in the 3rd. Mind you I took these in the super fast frame mode (well that's what I call it when I hold down the button and take 3 in a row without letting go - LOL! Yes, another "Jen-ism") Then I took another photo right after these bracketed ones and it wasn't there... What is it? A ghost? LOL! I don't believe in ghosts but WHAT IS THIS??

(CLICK ON EACH ONE TO SEE THEM VERY LARGE)

And the 4th one with NOTHING there??

Man lives in the sunlit world
of what he believes to be reality.
But, there is, unseen by most, an underworld,
a place that is just as real,
but not as brightly lit.....
A DARKSIDE.

The dark side is always there,
waiting for us to enter,
waiting to enter us.
Until next time,
try to enjoy the daylight.

-Tales from the darkside

I took this amazing sight right after the ghostly photo:

Then I headed back to my house past the D&R Canal that runs through a huge portion of NJ. The canal has become one of my favorite parts of living where I do...there is always part of this canal nearby. Whether I stay 2 hours or 5 minutes I always seem to find something interesting photographically to capture.

I met 2 fishermen while I was there. The one in this photo asked me if I was a land surveyor or was I taking photos. I laughed when he asked me that because that was one I hadn't heard yet in my photo travels. I told him I was taking photos for hobby. I asked him if there was an easy way over to this great part of this body of water they were fishing at where the water was fast moving and he showed me a spot and offered to carry my tripod across this rocky part over the water but then I decided I better not. I was afraid of trying to get across the water on rocks without an "incident" (maybe if I had some hiking boots on...but no in my sneakers). A short time later I snapped a quick on if him relaxing while he was fishing:



I chatted with his friend for a while when I headed over to another great area while I took the next shots. He asked if I was a "professional" and I said maybe "one day" and he described his love of fishing while I described my love for photography.

His fishing area was set up a distance away from where his friend was and I thought about what an idependent thing most hobbies really can be. They were together but not sitting with each other and would yell over to one another every now and then and that was good enough company for them. I guess it's like being "alone together".

I love going out photographing with my sister but then sometimes I don't mind going out alone with my photography to really be alone with my thoughts. Time alone with ourselves is sometimes necessary. But then there is always the good company and being able to discuss the mutual love of the hobby and explore new places together.

3 exposures merged to HDR in Photomatrix and tonemapped:

















I'm glad I didn't stay in the entire day. That's just too depressing to me. Getting out was helpful and I got some fresh air and some great photos!

Portrait Retouching Tutorial / Back to the Farm

LOOKING FOR A PHOTO RETOUCHING TUTORIAL?

The following link was shared with me today that's really helpful for retouching portrait or glamour photos.

Click here: http://www.perrush.be/ps_glamour_retouching_01.html

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Other than sharing that information....tonight I worked on some more of the horse photos that I took on New Years Eve. Thought I'd share some of these wonderful animals with you!

The first 3 photos below are tonemapped (using a single RAW image in Phototmatrix):





The shyguy series:









And lastly....the "intense stare"



To view more horse photos check out my horse gallery: http://jenweaverphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/2955359/1/244256037

To RAW or Not to RAW? ...... and HDR!

Well....I finally came around and decided that I would try to shoot in RAW format. I was on the fence about it for months and while I had off from work today I decided to do a test shot in RAW out my front door and then I sat at my computer and viewed the file in Abode Bridge.

Adobe Bridge allowed me to do some basic adjustments and then I saved the file as a jpeg and opened it up in Photoshop for some tweaks.

The next thing I tried was opening the RAW image in Photomatrix and "tonemapping" the photo. Again, I didn't chose the best image but I was able to get the "idea" of how it worked.

This really sparked my interest so I decided to leave the house and head to a favorite photography spot I found a couple months ago. I brought the tripod for once and got all set up. I set the camera to RAW + jpeg fine (because I just can't give up on jpeg yet and why not have the best of both worlds?) and I read the manual regarding bracketing while I was standing there to figure out how to set the camera for that as well. I also remembered to bring my remote shutter release (that I purchased with my camera at B&H Photo in New York City) with me to minimize the chance of camera shake.

Once I was all set up I was ready to start framing shots and taking photos! I wasn't sure if what I was doing was right because I'm still shaky on figuring out aperture and understanding what bracketing setting I should be using. So, today was really just a test.

When I got home and started working with the RAW files as well as the multiple exposures in Photomatrix I was shocked and amazed to see the details the RAW file includes (I should have listened to what everyone was telling me forever!!) and I was also extremely impressed with the HDR conversions....as a matter of fact - after only 4 times working with HDR in Photomatrix - I am officially hooked!

RAW shot with 3 exposures:


RAW shot with 3 exposures:


RAW shot with 3 exposures:


RAW shot with 3 exposures (I'm going to get this one printed!):


RAW shot tonemapped in Photomatrix:


So, as I said...I'm over the moon about HDR. They just look so surreal...like a painting. I just love what I've done so far and I have a lot more to work on to add to this.

I created a gallery on my website specifically for HDR. To view it click HERE.