Dancing in the Grass

I taught an HDR class yesterday and took my students to the trolley museum in Colorado Springs. We had a great time, and this is my favorite shot from the day. This is the side of an old Denver Transit Company bus, and it’s a hand-held, 3-exposure image. I had to lend my tripod to one of my students, which gave me the opportunity to check out Photomatix’s feature for blending images not taken on a tripod. It looks like someone dancing in tall grass.

Turtle

I couldn’t help but fall in love with this seashell turtle that someone brought to one of my macro-photography classes. I especially like the glasses and the hat.

Hey, guess what? I only have one day left to see the completion of this project!

I made basic adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw. In Photoshop I added a curves adjustment layer.

Isn’t There a Joke About an Elephant with a Camera?

It would appear that this elephant is a Canon shooter. Did I mention how much fun my macro classes are because of the things my students bring in to photograph?

I made basic adjustments and reduced noise in Adobe Camera Raw. In Photoshop I used the Spot Healing Brush to remove some artifacts. I added a curves adjustment layer.

After the Storm

This is a shot of Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point after a snowstorm. It’s a 3-exposure HDR image (+/-1 EV) blended and tone mapped in Photomatix.

After blending I made basic adjustments and applied a gradient to the sky with the Camera Raw filter. In Photoshop I added black & white and curves adjustment layers. I selected the mountains and added an exposure adjustment layer to them. I then cropped.

Can You Smell the Popcorn?

It’s 8:20 PM

This is the clock on the Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs.

I made basic adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw and added a black and white adjustment layer in Photoshop.

Blanca and Ellingwood

I shot this photo standing next to the Huerfano River as the first light of the day hits Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point. This is a 3-exposure HDR image (+/-2EV) processed in Photomatix.

After blending in Photomatix I used the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop to make basic adjustments and adjust the color with the HSL tool. I selected the sky, inverted the selection and added a hue/saturation adjustment layer to the resulting mask to reduce the blues and cyans in the shadow areas. I added a curves adjustment layer.

Huerfano River Sunrise

I shot this photo standing next to the Huerfano River as the first light of the day hits Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point. This is a 3-exposure HDR image (+/-3EV) processed in Photomatix.

After blending in Photomatix I made basic adjustments in Photoshop with the Camera Raw filter and added a curves adjustment layer.

Iron Nipple Sunset

Sprinkles Make Everything Better

I love when my students listen to my not-so-subtle hint to bring edible things to our macro-photography sessions. Someone made these caramel/chocolate/sprinkle-covered popcorn balls just for class, and I got to take some home.

I made basic adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw. In Photoshop I use the Spot Healing Brush to remove some unwanted spots.