I took this photo the morning after a meteor lit up northern Utah on November 18th, 2009. Here is a link to the news article on KSL
Clouds After Meteor
On: Dec 14, 2009
I took this photo the morning after a meteor lit up northern Utah on November 18th, 2009. Here is a link to the news article on KSL
Concerts and Theater
On: Dec 10, 2009
Here are some of my favorites from my new Events Gallery showcasing concerts, dancing, plays, parties and parades.
This was taken at a concert featuring the bands Silent Envy and Scarlet Grey. I used a flash and 3 second exposure to get the two expressions.
I took this photo at a swing dance club in Ogden, Utah called "The Cowboy."
The comedy improv group known as the Thrillionaires asked me to take some photos of a production featuring Kirby Heyborne.
This photo was taken at Alexander's Print Advantage 30th Anniversary Celebration.
Simple Photograph Enhancements
On: Dec 1, 2009
A friend of mine wanted to know how I made this photo go from this ordinary Snow Leopard Cub photo:
To this enhanced version in under 5 minutes:
So here's my process for basic photo enhancement.
In hindsight, I took quite a few photos of this cat. I try to take several photos of the same subject, that way I have lots of options when it comes time to edit. Sometimes the best photo comes from the most unusual angle, I move around and try different camera settings. Digital media is reusable, and slight variations can make the difference between an OK snapshot and a great photo.
Once I decide on a photo, I open it in Adobe Photoshop. There are many other excellent graphic programs you can use like Picasa, GIMP or Paintshop Pro.
The very first settings I adjust are Brightness and Contrast; its amazing how a little bit of contrast can make details stand out and enrich color. In this photo I increased the contrast and lowered the brightness, notice how the fence in the background almost completely disappears. I like the effect of the brightness and contrast settings, so I might just call it done, but I like to experiment.
In this photo I pushed Saturation nearly to the limit and every tiny bit of color jumps out. I try to keep my photos in a little more realistic hue so I toned it down for my final rendition of the shot. Also, I find the branches in the background suddenly are distracting because of the increased saturation.
Removing all saturation results in a black and white photo, this can have a dramatic impact and is always fun to try. In this particular instance I feel the cub gets a little lost and the impact of the photo is lessened, but still its crucial to experiment and see what works.
The most important thing I keep in mind is the focus of the photo. That is, what do I want people to notice or feel when they look at the photo? Will the change I made help people find the subject of my photo or is it distracting from that focus?
In short, remember these three basic settings: Brightness, Contrast and Saturation. Of course there are thousands of other variables that constitute a good photo, but I like to start with those.
Risenmay Family Photos
On: Nov 23, 2009
Wedding Gallery
On: Nov 12, 2009
California Canyon
On: Oct 26, 2009
via nathantgross.com
Just testing out Posterous.com and showcasing this photo. Enjoy!
Nathan T. Gross
Swainson's Hawks
On: Oct 21, 2009
This pair of Swainson's Hawks were perched and screeching for about 20 minutes; according to a colleague of mine, that indicates they had an eyas or fledging on the ground. Swainson's Hawks are also known as Grasshopper Hawks or Locust Hawks because their diet is not limited to small rodents but includes grasshoppers and dragonflies; this could would explain why they stayed for about a week, there is a large dragonfly population across the road from where they roosted.
The dark coloring of the male is unusual when compared with the majority of Swainson's Hawks.
Lightning!
On: Sep 16, 2009
I was lucky with my first roll of film of lightning, I took four shots that I have yet to duplicate, Check out my gallery for all the photos.
Fortunately, I never have been struck even though I tempt fate standing on open ground with a five foot metal tripod.
Contrary to popular speculation, lightning is extremely simple to capture on camera. You do not need a fast finger, all you need is a tripod and a camera that has a "bulb" setting or can be adjusted to keep shutter open for at least 10 seconds.
I like to leave the shutter open for about 30 seconds and adjust the aperture down if there is a lot of ambient light. I take a few test shots and point the camera towards wherever I think there will be lightning, release the shutter and then wait for lightning to strike.
Tiny Snake
On: Aug 31, 2009
I found this snake slithering into a hole on the riverbank, I caught it and told it that I needed a picture then set it down and I got one shot. The Western Terrestrial Garter Snake went into the nearby river then it warily watched me as I finished with the photos. In these photos the snake is about life size, if it was stretched out it might be six inches long.
A friend of mine suggested the snake looked like a pirate with the spot of green covering its eye.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)