Crow Kit - Some Assembly Required #2

Susan and I returned to the crow later in the afternoon to get a softer light, hoping for more detail in the bones.  To tonality is much better, but in color, the scene is still rather deadly because the sidewalk texture overwhelms the the carcass.  In monochrome, it is possible to apply a strong blue filter to darken reddish brown sidewalk for better contrast.  

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4G

Exposure: ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/60s, handheld

Lighting: Skylight 

Location: GPS

Processing: RAW in Lightroom 3, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Crow Kit - Some Assembly Required

On our way to have lunch at Nadoz Ero Bakery and Cafe, Susan noticed this sight on Spring Avenue across the street from the Contemporary Art Museum.  The bottle and carcass are exactly as we found it.  Had it been 200 ft. farther East, it would have had a $20,000 price tag.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4G

Exposure: ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/800s, handheld

Lighting: Direct daylight 

Location: GPS

Processing: RAW in Lightroom 3, Nik ColorEfex Pro

Dominique #2, White Veil

This turned out kind of creepy, newly minted zombie look, so I had to share it.  While I was working on another pick of Dominique demonstrating the use of the veil in belly dancing, I noticed the red tips on her nails and decided to use the "Color Isolate Red" preset.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 D

Exposure: ISO 200, f/5.0 @ 1/50s, tripod, tethered

Lighting: Calumet Quattro Fluorescent Beauty Lights 

Location: Grand Center Artist Loft Studios

Processing: RAW in Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, Nik ColorEfex Pro

Dominique #1, Fresson

Susan and I booked Dominique, the excellent model and belly dancer, for a sitting at our Grand Center studio yesterday afternoon.  I'm a bit rusty, but we had quite a bit of fun and I feel like I had a good warm-up session.  Here, Dominique was demonstrating her veil manipulation technique.  I can't begin to express the how fantastic it is to shoot tethered.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 D

Exposure: ISO 200, f/5.6.0 @ 1/8s, tripod, tethered

Lighting: Calumet Quattro Fluorescent Beauty Lights 

Location: Grand Center Artist Loft Studios

Processing: RAW in Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, Nik ColorEfex Pro

Infrared Trees, Tower Grove Park

A high contrast version of this picture posted earlier as Infrared Tree Abstract #1. In the post, I mentioned a Photoshop tutorial on the Life Pixel web site that explains how to process digital infrared captures.  The picture I posted, however, ultimately had very little to do with the tutorial.  I also had a few questions about the infrared processing, so I thought I'd post the intermediate steps.  This picture is a more conventional monochrome conversion with a sepia highlight/blue shadow split tone, much like a print on Ilford Multigrade FB that has been bleached in Farmer's Reducer then toned with Selenium.     

Above left is the straight color shot.  Center was shot using a Cokin P007 infrared filter.  On the right is the output of the center image in Photoshop after applying a custom white balance and swapping the red and blue color channels. 

Here is a runner up version I like quite a bit.  It is based on the color corrected output, processed as a Polaroid transfer in Nik Color Efex Pro, then a split tone applied in Lightroom.

Camera: Nikon D100 

Lens: AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 D

Exposure: ISO 200, f/11.0 @ 1/2s, Cokin P007 filter

Location: Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, MO GPS

Processing: RAW file in Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Sharpener

Tripod Weight

I thought you guys might like to see this new piece of gear. I shot a time lapse project in NE Utah last week and it was the windiest place I've ever been. This is how I kept the camera from blowing over.

Skull Study #4

After researching the properties of an alternative printing method called the "German Two Color Bromoil Process", I decided to see if I could reproduce the effect.  This picture is the result of my first attempt.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens"

Exposure: ISO 200, f/4.8 @ 1/30s, handheld, window light

Location: Grand Center Artist Lofts

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite.

Fallen Tulip Petal #1, Monochrome

I can't resist trying B&W versions of flower pictures, possibly due the influence of Karl Blossfeldt's amazing book, Urformen de Kunst - 1928, which might not have been as compelling had color film been available to him.  As a bit of trivia, I've read several places that Blossfeldt's masterwork is the best selling photography book of all time.  I have a great Tachen version, Karl Blossfeldt: The Complete Published Work, that I visit frequently.

I had a blast shooting a heap of dead tulips, and would like to give public thank to my wife, Susan, for bringing them into the house,  pointing out their spectacular demise and suggesting that I might like to take some pictures.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Silver Efex Pro

Decaying Tulip #3, Solarized

While the color is nice, I think I like this Man Ray version with split tones better.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite workflow

Decaying Tulip #3

Still standing on the mantel, but only just, these two tulips collapsed moments after this picture was taken.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite workflow