Roman Female Bust #1, SLAM

A remarkable specimen from the antiquity collection at the St. Louis Art Museum, this small bust is dated from 200 BC.  I subjected the original image to much torture.
Technical: Nikon D100, AF Nikkor 50mm f1.8D, ISO 800, f1.8 @ 1/200s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 to crop and adjust color temperature, with further editing in Nik Silver Efex Pro to apply the dark sepia preset and apply the Ilford HP5 Plus film profile.  I'm using the 15 day free trial and must say that I'm very impressed with the results.

Water Lily Blossom Study #7

A fallen blossom in late afternoon light at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/1250s, circular polarizer, tripod.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2 to crop, apply Nikon Landscape setting and minor retouching.

Egyptian Bust #1

Study of an Egyptian bust dating from about 1300 BC.  I've almost have enough of these to mount an exhibit.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.8G, ISO 800, f/2.8 @ 1/45s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 to crop and apply a develop preset I've created to give stone a uniform tone and emphasize texture.

Roman Male Head Detail #1, SLAM

Rummaging through some older shots from the St. Louis Art Museum, I came across a number of pictures I took in the antiquities section.  I remember shooting this Roman bust from a number of angles, trying to deal with the missing nose.  For my aesthetic, confronting the problem head on usually works best.

Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 50mm f1.8, ISO 800, f/2.0 @ 1/160s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 to correct color, do a bit of dodging and burning, and apply my version of Mike Lao's 300 preset.

Found Still Life #2

My "found still life" rules stipulate that elements can't be added or removed.   I might clean up one or two minor distractions before I make a print, but I find that disturbing the "find" usually results in ruining what caught my eye in the first place.  The seed pods are resting on a concrete walkway along the Meramec river, which is not without some irony.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, macro focus mode, 80mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/1000s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5.  I shifted the color a little to enhance the concrete's inherent green tones.

Silhouette of St. Louis

I thought this angle made a strong silhouette against the wispy clouds.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4G, ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/1000s, handheld at dusk.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 to crop and convert to sepia using a develop preset I've been working on trying to imitate the look of the old Ilford Gallerie F silver paper processed in Kodak Sepia Toner.  Can't say I miss the hydrogen sulphide smell :)

Pipe #1

This is the top of a large pipe of some sort standing in the Missouri river.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/2000s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 to crop and apply my modified version of Mike Lao's "300 v2" preset (comment here if you'd like a copy of the preset).    

Pink Cloud

View of the sky from my back yard just after sunset.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/400s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 3 Beta.

Telephone Wires Study #3

I'm starting to get quite a collection of telephone poles.  This one reminded me of a punk crucifix.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", ISO 200, f/8.0 @ 1/2000s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 to crop and convert to sepia.

Bridge + Water #1

Valley Park train bridge over the Meramec River as viewed from a point about half way up the levee, captured in the waning minutes of the "golden hour".
Technical: Nikon D700, 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", IS0 200, f2.8 @ 1/1250s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5. 

Simple Telephone Pole

This is the least complex set of telephone wires I've seen in a while.  It sits in the corner of a rural field and looks like it stepped out of 1920.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/2000s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 3 Beta to convert to sepia.  This is my first picture edited on my new monitor, an NEC P221W-BW, just calibrated with an X-Rite Colormunki Photo.

Railroad Track Detail #1

The sculptural quality of this railroad track hardware near the Valley Park rail bridge really appeals to me.  I considered brushing off the rock flakes, but was able to stifle the old product shot pro.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni" lens, ISO 200, f4.0 @ 1/1000s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 3 Beta 64-bit to crop for 4x5 and adjust color starting with Mike Lao's 300 preset.

Cement Factory, Valley Park, MO

A back view of a cement plant in Valley Park as seen from the Meramec River levee just before sunset.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni lens", ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/6400s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5.

Electrical Wires #3, Valley Park, MO

I can't pass a tangle of wires without taking a snap and thinking of my former photo assistant, Kiyoshi Kodama.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni lens", ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/1000s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.5 64-bit.  I started with Mike Lao's "300" preset, then backed off some of the more extreme settings.

Valley Park Train Bridge

"Golden hour" light can't be beat.  Even the dingy Valley Park train bridge takes on an aura of faded elegance.  I focused mid-bridge to let the background trees go a little soft.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni lens", ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/1000s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 3 Beta 64-bit.

Tree in Fall 2009 Meramec River Flood

Fall colors are being swallowed by a freak flood of the Meramec River.  About ten feet of this tree is under water.  The vantage point is from about half way up the Valley Park levee.

Technial: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens", ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/800s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.4 64-bit.

Grid #6, Flooded Park Bench

Back view of a half submerged park bench near the flooding Meramec River, taken November 1, 2009.
Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8, ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/640s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 3 Beta 64-bit.

Meramec River Flood, Fall 2009

Last flood shot of the day, November 1, 2009, view from the Valley Park side of the river.  The flood crested today, November 2, 2009.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4.0, ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/2000s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 3 64-bit Beta.