Weekend Photo Shoot 2/26 - 2/27

Another trip to the small stream near my home to test more of my new equipment.  This time I brought more than I needed and my shoulder feels it.  A backpack with 2 extra lenses and a tripod was good exercise.

I captured this using my new Nikon D700 and a new 16-35 Nikkor lens.  I coupled this with my Singh-Ray gold and blue polarizer to give the water and the rocks a shiny deep look on an average looking February afternoon.

River Rocks

The image takes on an almost 3d like quality and the lens is very sharp.  A great combo that will give me the wide close ups I want.  The Singh-Ray polarizer is a special purpose polarizer that does a better job in worse light.  Even though that sounds strange, it is true. I enjoy using filters, especially polarizers.  Many effects can be done in Photoshop or Lightroom but not a polarized effect.

So far my Nikon D700 has been outstanding but I am really getting anxious for Spring so that I can really test the full frame sensor on some real color.

Until next weekend, keep shooting

Weekend photo shoot 2/5 - 2/6

Saturday was cloudy and rainy.  This caused me to visit my favorite camera shop ePhotocraft, which happens to be local to me and is a great photography shop.  If you have been following my blog you know that I have been looking at the new Nikon D7000.  Since I already own a Nikon D90, the upgrade to a newer DX body with a few nice features was tempting but not very practical.  The other option has always been to move from DX to an FX body.  The full frame Nikon D700 was my other choice for an upgrade.  Full frame has its advantages and disadvantages but I felt for my types of photography the advantages were a positive for me.

Well perhaps it was fortune but I found a deal that I simply could not pass up (thank you ePhotocraft) and I now have in my hand my brand new Nikon D700

Nikon D700

In a word, WOW!  I have only had the body for one day of shooting but I am already very impressed.  Bright viewfinder, excellent control layout, weather sealed ... awesome!  I have a lot to learn at this point but matching this body to my Nikkor 24-70 lens has already gotten me shots like this

Wooded path

I also had the chance to test out my new gold and blue polarizer from Singh-Ray. Amazing what this little beauty of a filter can do.  Some may not like the look but for a quick test I am thrilled.

The effect changes based on the angle to the sunlight and the amount of twist on the filter.  As a polarizer it cuts the glare and enhances the colors.  It also changes the "tint" of the image to give some really dramatic effects.  Of course it also simply adds to the scene by simply being there as in this image

I can see that I have many days of learning ahead.  Perhaps my D90 will go up for sale along with my DX lenses but I am not going to rush as the DX crop factor does have some advantages.  I also like have a backup dslr body but I am going to be hard pressed to take both all the time and the D700 will be getting most of the work.

Until next weekend keep shooting, shopping or practicing something about photography!  I know that I will be waiting to get out and soon!

Weekend photo shoot 1/29 - 1/30. Burke Lake adventure

Cold.  Snow.  Ice.  Grey skies.

All the things that make you want to stay indoors where it is nice and warm at the end of January after a snow storm.  So I decided to venture out to one of my favorite photography spots, Burke Lake park.  Tree limbs cracking under the weight of the snow and ice, Canadian geese honking as they fly overhead and the sound of snow melting in the forest.  There were not many people out so there was time for some humor as I walked.

No skating indeed!

Most of the lake was frozen but the deepest center section was still clear.  Geese and gulls were flying and swimming but there were few other signs of life.  The fishing pier which has given me some beautiful spring moments over the water was now a frozen ramp floating over ice.

Frozen fishing pier

I have fished this lake, biked around it, walked through its trails and this was the first time I have seen it like this.  Frozen, barren and quiet.  I was left feeling chilled and lonely, like I was in a foreign land.  I almost felt like I could walk across the surface.

Burke Lake

Although my Tamrac 5575 backpack was full of gear, I only used a two lenses for this trip on my Nikon D90.  This shot was taken with my Tokina 11-16 wide angle lens to create the spacious desolate feel in the image.  The low light meant a tripod as well, my Manfrotto 190 CXPRO3.

The rest of the shots were taken with my favorite all purpose lens, my Nikkor 24-70 which excels in almost every situation. The images are fast and sharp while the range is excellent across the entire length at f2.8.

I continued to walk, slowly, as the ice was bad in places.  Looking for picture opportunities I happened to spy this rock, which on a summer day would probably not even be noticed.  Trapped in the ice however, the colors pop out and the cracks create some of weird chasms on the surface.

Frozen rock

After an hour I am cold and tired of walking, my backpack is heavy and my shoes are wet.  Kneeling in the snow can create some interesting photographic angles but it reminds me to wear more layers as my jeans are now wet as well.

Iced broken trees

Many trees were down and damaged, the snow and ice covering them in a sort of cake frosting look.  I found the curves of the twisted tree to be almost like a natural roller coaster.  Finally, everyones favorite, big icicles.  They hang down like giant fangs, I would not want to be under them when they fall.

Icicles

A great adventure today, I was happy to get out and find some interesting things to shoot.  Hope you enjoy the images and the story and until next time, keep shooting.

Baby it's cold outside

Well, any thoughts I had about going out this weekend got lost when I heard about single digit wind chills.  Not that I am afraid of the cold temps but the frigid air combined with the drab brown of the scenery and the overcast skies left me less than inspired.

I could take my camera indoors for something fun, like the National Air and Space Museum's annex in Chantilly VA.  The Udvar Hazy center is a great place to view aircraft of all sorts on a cold day but my favorite would be the space shuttle Enterprise.

USS Enterprise

The cold can be good for photos if there is something of interest.  I captured this shot several years ago and still remember that day when I saw these icicles formed on this dead wood.  A very interesting contrast indeed.  This was shot with my Nikon D90 which was but a few weeks old at the time.

Icicles by the lake

I am waiting for some snow, ice or other winter type weather that makes for good photo opportunities.  Until then I will stay inside where it is warm and work on some more old images that need some new life.

Until next weekend.

Early January thoughts

A cold start to the new year and I am spending the time indoors working on some old images.  I find that this helps me to evaluate my progress as a photographer and in addition, it allows me to "rescue" some older images that I may not have had the skill to process properly.  I use a variety of tools from Picasa to Adobe Lightroom to tweak my original RAW files that have been converted to DNG files. The DNG or Digital Negative allow me to experiment and not lose my original data.

A few tweaks to the image here allows the light to stream through across a peaceful lake in early spring.

Then sometimes you can get inspired by the smallest things.  My friend has a garden orb in his backyard that looked interesting.  A closeup shot, a few tweaks through Lightroom and I think this is quite interesting although abstract photography is not one of my preferred types of shooting.

I like the play on the colors, the weathered look of the column and the shadowy figures in the reflection.

Finally another shot from my favorite little camera, my Sigma DP2s.  I cannot recommend this camera highly enough, it is the perfect companion to a large DSLR like my Nikon D90.  The FOVEON sensor captures images in an almost film like quality to the tone and texture of the scene.

This was an early morning shot from my office parking lot.  Handheld without much prep time.  I love my little Sigma camera.  I love the nuances to the reds and the blend with the stark foreground of winter.

Until next weekend.