Monday, November 29, 2010

Art 247 Final: My Photos

I started off the semester shooting only in JPG which I soon found out was a disadvantage when editing in Photoshop. I started to shoot in RAW format making all of my pictures much easier to edit. All of my pictures were shot in RAW unless specified. Also, when I was first shooting my camera was set on a setting that made the camera think that I was shooting in shade making all of my shots look washed out with a burnt weird color. After finding this out and fixing it my picture taking has gotten better and my editing time had been cut in half, on average.
Camera: Nikon D60
Lenses: 1) 18-55 mm
            2) 55-200mm

Beartooth Pass
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 20mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
shot in JPG
I used these settings to capture the light reflecting off of the water but since I did not have a graduated filter on me the sky turned out kind of bright. So in Photoshop, I added a levels adjustment layer to bring out the blue in the sky a little more. By painting the foreground white with a soft light I brightened the hills and water so that they are not so dark.


Yellowstone Park
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
shot in JPG
Since there was fog present that morning I was shooting in aperture priority hoping that the fog would make a cool soft look to the the photo. I felt that I accomplished just that, so I did not edit it and left it the way it was.

The Yellowstone River
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 200
Shutter priority
I was shooting in shutter priority to try and capture an abstract blur of foam on a pool off of the Yellowstone River. The picture turned out very washed out and the water was not swirled at all. In Photoshop I turned down the exposure to darken everything in order to make the picture the right color. Then I turned the recovery up to further darken the water. Then by adding a little clarity the reflection of the rock cliff behind the water started to show up more clearly.

On the Yellowstone River
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 140
Automatic
I was out trying to learn how to use my camera by comparing the different settings with the auto setting and I ended up trying this really dark picture. When I opened this picture in Photoshop I really liked the composition but did not like how dark it was and failed at fixing it, so I decided to play with it instead and make an abstract photo. I turned the exposure down a little to get the sky right, then I turned the recovery all the way up and it looked alright. Next I turned the fill light up so that the little black dog buddy's features showed up better. Then I turned down the contrast all of the way and the photo looked kind of 3D so I kept it there.

West Billings
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 34mm
ISO: 200
Shutter priority
I was out taking photos with my friend while he was hunting and captured this beautiful sunset. I shot this in shutter priority in order to have a slower shutter speed so that the colors would come out better in the sky. It turned out well but the colors were faded a little because I do not have a graduated filter. In Photoshop I darken everything by lowering the exposure and adding a little recovery. I think it turned out pretty well.

Yellowstone National Park
Lens: 55-200mm
Focal length: 110mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
shot in JPG
I used aperture priority to try and capture the color from the sunrise on these mountains but failed miserably because of the bright hazy light conditions. This one was a pain in Photoshop because I had to considerably darken the background while keeping the foreground the same. I added a layers adjustment layer and made the background darker. Then I painted the foreground white with soft light while slowly reducing my opacity as i move up the picture so that the light and color is correct throughout.

Tree at RMC
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
This was taken on a nice sunny day on the RMC campus. I used aperture priority in order to capture a shallow depth of field so that the sap droplet was only in focus. In Photoshop I increased recovery a little to bring out the colors. Then I added fill light so that the cracks in the bark would show up a little better. Finally I boosted the contrast  and cropped it to organize the vertical composition of the picture elements.

Beartooth Pass
Lens: 55-200mm
Focal length: 90mm
ISO: 125
Automatic
shot in JPG
I took this photo in auto because I was getting sick of failing at every other setting since I was still learning. This was a photo that I really liked composition wise but i didn't like it because it was a little out of focus and a little washed out. First I cloned out the road sign that was at the bottom of the picture and then added a levels adjustment layer to darken the sky. Then in order to keep the foreground the same I painted over it with a white soft light at 30% opacity.

Red Lodge area
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 44mm
ISO: 100
Automatic
shot in JPG
This was taken in automatic because I was trying to take action shots with Rob's dog Rudy but ended up taking a posed shot anyway. In Photoshop I used a levels layer to darken Rudy a little and then used the clone stamp to get rid of some slobber on his ear that was distracting.


Yellowstone River
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 45mm
ISO: 200
Automatic
This is a photo of some cool rusty spring I stumbled upon on the Yellowstone river. This was once again taken in automatic because I was sick of trying to use some other exposure program.  All I did in Photoshop was add a hint of recovery, contrast, and clarity which made the colors pop so I kept it that way.

A Flower at RMC
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
This photo was taken outside of the computer lab at RMC during a free work day in photo class. I took this shot in aperture priority with a shallow depth of field so that the flower was in focus but the background was blurry. In Photoshop i added a hint of recovery, contrast, and clarity making the color pop and then I cloned out a few distracting white spots on a few of the petals.

West Billings
Lens: 55-200mm
Focal length: 120mm
ISO: 200
Shutter priority
This was shot while my friend rob was hunting on a cold and windy day in shutter priority in order to capture the motion of the cattails. This turned out so well that all I had to do was crop it so that the background was less distracting.

West Billings
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 200
Automatic
This was taken in automatic because I wanted to see how well it would turn out in the the low light. I started by cropping some of the foreground and some of the left side to get rid of distracting parts on the frame. In Photoshop I reduced exposure and boosted recovery to darken and bring out the colors of the sky. Next I raised the fill light to brighten the foreground and finally used the clone stamp to get rid of sensor spots.

Beartooth Pass
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 22mm
ISO: 100
Automatic
This was taken in outside of Red lodge up heading up the main fork in soft morning light and heavy wind. Once again taken in automatic just as an experiment, which ended up turning out well. In Photoshop I turned recovery up about half because it seemed to bring out the colors of the sky well. Next I added fill light to lighten the trees and a little contrast and clarity to make it look better.

Main Fork, Red Lodge
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
This photo was taken on looking up the main fork in Red Lodge. My idea was to get a good landscape shot with lots of layers and perspective making it all the more impressive. The lighting was so soft and overcast that it was hard to get everything in focus so I tried to use aperture priority which helped. In Photoshop I lowered the exposure to darken the sky to make the bleak color more appealing, but then had to add a little fill light for the foreground. Finlay I boosted recovery, contrast and clarity a little making the picture come together.

Beartooth Pass road
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 400
Aperture priority
The focus of this photo was all composition of the wind carved snow, the sky, and the low angle. I shot in aperture priority trying to make everything in focus with a wide depth of field. In Photoshop I first moved recovery to max in order to darken the sky and the snow a little. Then added a little fill light for the dark trees and a little contrast because most pictures can use it. Finally I used the clone stamp to get rid of the sensor spot in the middle of the sky.

Beartooth Pass
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 100
Automatic
This photo was taken in automatic because the light was okay for it for once. I was trying to focus on a neat scenery including the really blue sky and crazy looking tree and I think I captured it pretty well. In Photoshop recovery was maxed out again to boost the color of the sky, then a pinch of fill light was added to brighten the tree so that all of its interesting features could be seen.

Main Fork
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 200
Aperture priority
This was shot in aperture priority in order to have a shallow depth of field with everything in focus. I had a hard time trying to get everything in focus especially in the foreground. By adding a pinch of contrast and boosting the recovery for the bleak sky color I made the picture turn out fairly well.

Mossy Branch
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 200
Aperture Priority
This picture was difficult to capture because all of the background kept turning out to be very distracting. I captured this and decided I like it the way it is. I used aperture priority to capture the moss in focus but nothing else. All I did in Photoshop was add a little blacks to make the branch a little darker and a tiny contrast boost as well.

Dark Green
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 33mm
ISO: 200
Aperture priority
I also had a hard time trying to capture this darker green moss while having a good non distracting background. I took this in aperture priority in order to get the same blurred background effect. In Photoshop I added a little fill light to brighten the branch and used a little recovery to bring the green out in the lichen. Like usual I added slight contrast and also cropped most of the background in order to focus more attention on the portrait subject.

Rock Creak
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 28mm
ISO: 100
Automatic
This was shot in auto because I felt like trying it. This picture turned out very well for how much I played with it in Photoshop. First I turned recovery up all of the way to make the sky and the water darker and more vibrant. Next I gave it a contrast and a clarity boost just for kicks and giggles. Lastly, I moved blacks up 50% making the photo look really cool.

Side Mirror
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 30mm
ISO: 125
Automatic
This shot was shot in automatic because it was a quick spur of the moment shot while I was driving to Powell, WY.  All I added in Photoshop was a little recovery and a little contrast. There is always room for a few artsy shots.

Ribbon River
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 24mm
ISO: 110
Shutter priority
This was a very exciting shot for me because it was something I have wanted to try since the beginning of this class. I finally captured the ribbon effect of water by using  a slow shutter speed in shutter priority. I used a tripod and a .8 second exposure time making for the soft look of the water. I added about 75% recovery making the snow color detail and the color of the water pop. I also added a little blacks to add darkness to the water and a little contrast because it make it always look a little better.

Up the Main Fork
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 200
Aperture priority
I took this photo in aperture priority in order to get as much in focus as I could. This photo turned out too bright in the harsh light so I had to turn down the exposure as well as turn up the recovery do darken and bring out the color of the ice. The clarity and contrast were boosted a little as well.

Around the Bend
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 200
Aperture priority
I used aperture priority to once again capture a wide depth of field so that everything is in focus. The harsh light made it difficult to get the background in focus. A graduated filter would have been nice here so that the sky and mountain were not so bright. I had to darken the sky using a little recovery while brightening the trees in the midground with some fill light. Contrast and clarity were also added like usual.

Mountain
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 360
Aperture priority
This was a photo where I wanted a good composition, using aperture priority to obtain everything in focus. The plant in the foreground was less in focus than I wanted which means I needed to be further back when I took the picture or a large depth of field. In Photoshop I added a little recovery for the sky and and some clarity and contrast as usual.

Ice droplets
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 200
Shutter priority
This photo was taken of ice stalactites hanging from an ice sheet over a river in Red Lodge. I thought I would go for the ribbon like texture with the water while capturing this ice in focus. The water turned out well but the droplets were not as in focus as I wanted them to be. I used a tripod and a 5 second timer to reduce camera shake. In Photoshop I added a pinch of recovery, blacks, and contrast.

Light green
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 200
Automatic
This was shot in automatic because I could not get a good picture right away with aperture priority, which is what I was trying and should have used. The moss is not in focus all of the way but I liked the composition of the portrait. The branch also brings out the diagonal lines are better than vertical ones rule. In Photoshop I boosted the recovery because it seems to always help, and a little blacks and contrast to bring out the colors and definition of the branch.

Stumped
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 100
Automatic
This was once again foolishly shot in auto because I was too frustrated with the cold to take my time with any other setting. I was going for a portrait style picture with the log as the center of attention while getting a foreground and everything else in focus. In Photoshop I added recovery to darken the sky, fill light to brighten the foreground and contrast and clarity because it looks better with just a little bit more.


Abstract
Lens: 18-55mm
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 200
Aperture priority
This was a photo I wanted to make look really weird, which I think I accomplished very well. I was not incredibly impressed with the photo and nothing I did to it made it look better so I decided to make an abstract using the effect toolbar in Photoshop. I tried various effects but the one that I liked the most was called "difference clouds" which is the one I used.


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