My favorite "take" so far......

...and yes, it is cropped :)

Photographer of the Week  #7

Kathleen Carr

http://www.kathleentcarr.com/-/kathleentcarr/

The first photo is what I was looking for the first week we were assigned "Photographer of the Week," but couldn't find it. I like the serenity, the tones, the stillness. In the next few photos, I like the infrared technique. It gives the image a subtle look and makes you look deeper into it because it's not what we normally see with the naked eye. Then there are a couple portraits...just for "portraits" sake.

Lightroom 4 

 A great video of "how-to" in LR4, including how to save a JPEG snapshot from a video

http://laurashoe.com/videos/whats-new-in-lightroom-4/whats-new-in-lightroom-4.html

LR4 review - http://mansurovs.com/lightroom-4-vs-lightroom-3

Here is a list of some of the new features in Lightroom 4:

1. Updated Lightroom storage engine
2. New Image Process Version 2012 that unlocks new LR4 features (see below)
3. Better highlight and shadow recovery
4. New White Balance capabilities, including a White Balance brush that allows changing white balance selectively on images with mixed lighting sources
5. New editing brushes for noise reduction and moiré removal
6. Better GPS integration with maps
7. Extended video support, including limited video editing capabilities, playback and video export
8. Built-in soft proofing capability (previewing images for print)
9. Capability to create Photo Books/Albums
10. More online sharing options and integration
11. Ability to email photographs directly from Lightroom
12. Ability to import and convert LR3 databases
13. One click Chromatic Aberration removal
14. Ability to burn CD/DVD disks in Lightroom
15. Support for Nikon D4, D800, D800E and Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G
    
    

I was really missing the Fill Light and Recovery in LR4, but I found this on Adobe's website http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/:

What happened to Fill Light and Recovery?

Recovery and Fill Light are popular and powerful tools. However, they also have some limitations. For example, Recovery can result in muddy highlights, and Fill Light can lead to visible halos at high-contrast boundaries. Furthermore, it is difficult to transfer the technology behind these controls to local adjustments.
With Process Version 2012 in Lightroom 4, we have introduced a new set of Basic tone controls that overcomes these limitations and results in much higher image quality. For example, the Highlights and Shadows tools are optimized for very high contrast images, produce much smoother highlight and shadow gradations, are available as local adjustments, and minimize halo artifacts.
We recommend starting at the top of the Basic panel and working down through the controls. Start with the Exposure and Contrast controls to set the overall desired image brightness and contrast. Proceed to the Highlight and Shadow controls, using them to establish the relationship of the highlights and shadows in your image to the midtones. If needed, fine-tune your image’s tonal end points using the Blacks and Whites sliders.  Note that Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, and Shadows are also available as local adjustments.
There is a bit of a relearning process, but once you have become used to the new controls we think that you’ll love them.  Of course,  you still have access to Fill Light and Recovery if you so choose by changing the Process Version to PV2010 in the Camera Calibration panel on the bottom right hand side.

 WHAT IS A GREAT PORTRAIT?

As I contemplated the assignment, I was unsure of what a "portrait" actually was:

...Does it have to be close up?
...Can it consist of more than one subject?
...How much of the background can be included?
...Does the background need to be out-of-focus?
...How far away can the subject be before it's no longer considered a portrait?

After seeing other students' portraits, I really had doubts that mine qualified as a true portrait. So, I googled it for a definition, and found out that there really is no straight answer, that none of the answers were definate, that like most art, the finished product is the interpretation of the artist.

This link answered a lot for me:

 http://billhurter.com/best-of-portrait-photography.html

The great portraitist is one who sees things others don’t. Portraiture is a visual art form that describes a person’s likeness. The least a portrait will do is to define how a person looked in a given time and space. It is a story-telling device, a sort of time capsule holding treasured totems of a time that may someday soon be lost, a likeness that comes close to the person’s own self-image; flattering and idealized. As important to the portrait as the expression, so are the details of the portrait: the nuances of pose, the blending of tones to form a cohesive palette, and a myriad of other technical and aesthetic details contribute towards the successful fine portrait.

Photographer and author J.J. Allen thinks the definition of a portrait is a bit more complex. In his words, “it is an image that invites your imagination to reach beyond the obvious.”

Tim Kelly, a modern day master, says, “Watch your subjects before you capture the image. Sometimes the things they do naturally become great artistic poses.” For this reason, Kelly does not warn his clients when he is ready to start a portrait session. “I don’t believe in faking the spontaneity of the subject’s expression.”

 

Reflections in a Raindrop

These type of photos fascinate me... obviously, since this is not the first "reflection in a water drop" I've posted.... just may have to try it

Photographer of the Week    #6

William Neill  

http://williamneillphotography.com/-/williamneillphotography/galleryindex.asp

 

 

 

Photographer of the Week  #5

Deborah Sandidge

http://www.deborahsandidge.com/

Bio: http://fstopgear.com/fr/news/882-deborah-sandidge-bio

"I find inspiration in the world around me, the beauty of light, the smile of a child, the power of the ocean. I love how the night sky takes on a rich blue color, and how balanced the light is during twilight - everything looks magical. I feel that inspiration is somewhat synonymous with passion. I love what I do!"

Cuba

 

Grafetti

Stars at night over Ireland

Infrared

Infrared

8300 miles and 1400 shots later.....

It's amazing what getting out of your everyday element will do for your inspiration. Around Missouri, everything looks the same: brown and wintery. In Hawaii... or anywhere... there are so many things to photograph. It rained for 4 out of 7 days, so in 3 good days I still took 1400 photos. I tried not to be a hinderance to the other 3 that I was traveling with. While driving around, I saw soooo many things I would've liked to have stopped to photograph, but couldn't. I got teased OFTEN: "What is she taking a picture of NOW?"... "She needs a quick-draw holster. teeheehee"... "It's only a TREE!"... "Keep walking, she'll catch up."... "I hear clicking back there." ....

These are the unedited "raw" shots. I can't wait to add highlights, lowlights, color...

Turtle at Black Sand Beach

(This is why NOT to set your ISO at 3200. This would have been an awesome shot if it weren't so grainy)

Thurston Lava Tube at Volcano National Park