Chippin' Away At New Years

Photography is like life, it's all about perspective. In this case, everyone was taking photos from the front of the ice sculpture (including my first photos). By walking behind the ice, I was able to silhouette the ice carvers. Consider changing your perspective to create interesting photographs. I was the only one behind the ice.

This was part of Boston's First Night Ice Sculptures located close to where the Boston Marathon bombing took place.

Chippin' Away At New Years, Copley Plaza, Boston, MA

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/50 sec, ISO 400, 12/30/13, 5:15 PM

Blue Line Poinsettia

Over my left shoulder I spot a dapper-dude carrying an umbrella in one hand and poinsettia in the other.  He walks right past me and stands in a 'clean spot' awaiting the blue line train in the subway. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Most of my landscapes shots require 'good light', this time it was all about the subject. I had adjusted my camera for subway shooting before he arrived and I was fortunate to grab this shot before he turned and posed for me. I tried something a little different for post-processing.

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO 4000, 12/29/13, 11:40 AM

 

Blue Line Poinsettia, Government Center Subway, Boston, MA

 

Blue Line Poinsettia, Government Center Subway, Boston, MA

Raw image from the Fujiflim X100S:

Blue Line Poinsettia, Government Center Subway, Boston, MA

Given the high ISO, I ran the image through Nik Define.

Blue Line Poinsettia, Government Center Subway, Boston, MA

In Lightroom: 

  • Cropped the ceiling and some of the blue column
  • Toned down the white poster on the column
  • Adjusted temperature and tint for more natural skin tones
Blue Line Poinsettia, Government Center Subway, Boston, MA

Blue Line Poinsettia, Government Center Subway, Boston, MA

In Nik Color Efex I cranked up the Detail Extractor for the gritty look and finished with a small vignette in Lightroom.

Penobscot On Blocks

Brenda wisely took refuge in the heated terminal and waited for the Swan's Island ferry to arrive in Bass Harbor. Meanwhile, I was determined to find an interesting composition of the boat, despite my numb fingers, the 5° F temperature and stiff ocean breeze. After deciding on the composition, then it was just a matter of waiting for the clouds to drift across the sky to complete the shot. 

 

The Penobscot, Bass Harbor, Maine

 

The Penobscot, Bass Harbor, Maine

The raw image with a small decrease of exposure, black clipping and shadows in Lightroom.

 

The Penobscot, Bass Harbor, Maine

In Nik Color Efex Pro I added Tonal Contrast (maybe the balanced setting) and Skylight Filter.

 

The Penobscot, Bass Harbor, Maine

In Lightroom:

 - Straighten the horizon
 - Increased exposure
 - Brightened the sky
 - Darkened and desaturated the green tarp
 - Added small vignette

 

 

The Penobscot, Bass Harbor, Maine

Final step: ran the image through Nik Sharpener Pro.

 

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, 12/14/13, 8:37 AM

Sunset Lobstermen

While standing on the Bar Harbor Pier shooting sunset, a lobster boat pulls up and starts hauling their traps off the boat and on to a trailer. I imagine their season is winding down. All of the sudden, the framing, the lighting and the action came together and I started focusing on them, rather than the landscape/sunset. There's so many clichés about photography that happened with this image: being at the right place at the right time, lighting is everything, you have to go out shooting to get pictures ... It was cold and windy (22° F and 15 mph) and there I was snapping away.

About the lighting, the sun was setting - however the golden light on the subject was from the boat deck below him (thought it looks like sunset lighting). Here's my shot with some post-processing steps below.

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

Raw image:

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

A small crop from the upper-right in Lightroom. Ran through Nik Define, due to the higher ISO. In Nik Color Efex Pro: added Tonal Contrast and Skylight Filter.

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

In Nik Veviza: adjusted the sky for a richer blue color.

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

In Lightroom, toned down the gold areas of the machinery (so they would not compete with the lobsterman's face), toned down the brightness on the sliver clip on the right wooden pole and add a slight vignette. I also ran through Nik Sharpener Pro.

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 24-70mm @ 42mm, f/5.6, 1/2 sec, ISO 250, 12/7/13, 4:27 PM

Seal Harbor Dusk

The daily chore of getting the mail interrupted our drive up to Cadillac Mountain for sunset. To make the most of the mundane task I always continue my drive by this beautiful vista and turn around in the beach parking lot. Those clouds and low tide were begging for this picture to be taken. We did make it to Cadillac for sunset, one of the last times this season. The road closes December 2, one day later this year!

Below are my post-processing steps. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

Raw Image: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

The raw Fujiflim X100S image:

VSCO Preset: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

Applied the VSCO Fuji Velvia 50 Landscape+ preset, starting to bring back some of the color.

Lightroom and Nik: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

In Nik Color Efex Pro applied Tonal Contrast and Skylight Filter.
In Lightroom: 

 - Unsharpened the water for smoothness
 - Brighten and warned the stream
 - Added contrast and saturation to the clouds
 - Added a half-stop graduated filter to the clouds
 - Added vignette

Final Edit: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

After a quick critique with Doug, these were the final edits:

 - In Nik Veviza: added slight orange to the sun
 - In Lightroom:  lightened bottom and cropped bottom

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/8 (&B there), 1/400 sec, ISO 200, 11/16/13, 3:41 PM