September 28, 2010

Flora & Fauna

"Cozy Cosmo". 9/26/10, 7:26 PM. Cut flower gardens, Thomas E. Ricks demonstration gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/5. 1/40 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod, silver reflector card--which gives the warmth in the petals. For this image I also created an adjustment layer and changed the exposure, offset and gamma to brighten and then masked everything back in except the main flower at about 50%. I then came back with a 100% mask in the corners to create a slight vignette.

Cosmos are my favorite flower. :)


"Sun Ladies". 9/26/10, 7:31 PM. Cut flower gardens, Thomas E. Ricks demonstration gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/5.6. 1/40 sec. - Nikon D60. No edits.

I was trying to get a different perspective on some sunflowers, and happened upon these little ladies. Love it when that happens.


"Veronica Tea". 9/27/10, 10:46 AM. Thomas E. Ricks demonstration gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/8. 1/200 sec. - Nikon D60. I cropped the image slightly and also created an adjustment layer and changed the exposure, offset and gamma to brighten; then I masked back in the corners slightly.

I'm a lover of my aperture mode, but have difficulty getting really close to anything with it, so I decided to try out my macro mode on this shot--happily.


"In the Nasturtiums". 9/27/10, 10:55 AM. Thomas E. Ricks demonstration gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/5.6. 1/125 sec. - Nikon D60. I cropped and rotated the image and again created an adjustment layer and changed the exposure, offset and gamma to brighten (it's kinda my favorite); then I masked back everywhere but where the grasshopper is.

Flexible Edits

Adjustment layers

"Snapdragon Sunset". 9/26/10, 7:34 PM. Cut flower gardens, Thomas E. Ricks demonstration gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/5. 1/400 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod. This is the original image with no edits.

To get this much of the shot back I changed the exposure, added recovery, fill light, brightness and clarity, and lessened the blacks in RAW.

Once I brought the image into Photoshop, I used a non-destructive exposure adjustment layer to bring back the foreground while keeping the sky from blowing out. I raised the exposure more, the offset only slightly, and lessened the gamma. By doing this I totally blew out my sky, but thankfully the layer comes with a mask that I painted the sky back in with black paint at 100% opacity.

Flexible Smart Filters

"Golden Fall". 9/27/10, 10:22 AM. Thomas E. Ricks demonstration gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/4.8. 1/1250 sec. - Nikon D60. Original image, changed color balance to cloudy in RAW.

When I brought the image into Photoshop I first converted the image to a smart object by selecting Layer, Smart Object, Convert to Smart Object. Then I added a new layer (apple/control+j). Next I twiddled around with the different filter options and decided to use the Grain filter because I wanted the image to maintain its vibrant colors.

For the final image above I used the free mask to paint back in the highlighted leaf and branch for a slight contrast against the grain filter.

September 21, 2010

Blending and Type

This assignment was something completely new to me, so I hope you all like how it turned out!

"Flower Child". 9/15/2010, 7:59 pm. Past Lyons Creek Rd., Rexburg, ID. f/22. 1/2 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod. Color adjustments in RAW.


I did a repeat and fade type on this picture starting with a textbox that covered the entire page, and spilling over the edges slightly. I then added about a line and a half of text, increased the spacing between the lines through the character palette, and copy and pasted the text across the entire page. Next I made a new type layer (ctrl+j), changed the font type and color, widened the text box farther off the page, and moved the text box into the free space between the lines. I then lowered the opacity of both layers and created a mask on both layers so that selected parts of my subject isn't covered with type. I also added an additional couple of layers for the main text, "Flower Child", and made those layers the top-most layers.


"Breezy Face". 9/15/10, 7:56 pm. Past Lyons Creek Rd., Rexburg, ID. f/25. 1/4 sec - Nikon D60. Tripod. No edits.


"Pampas". 9/21/10, 9:23 am. Spori Quad, Rexburg, ID. f/8. 1/320 sec. - Nikon D60. No edits.


I used blending modes to put these two images together, choosing overlay. The top image is at 70% opacity and I did a mask of 100% over her face, and about 50% around her body to let her shine through a bit more.

Color Study

This was an interesting assignment for me because of the color that I used, orange. It's not a color that I'm usually drawn to--I don't have any orange clothing or accessories in my wardrobe, and it's just about the last color I will usually use when I'm color coding a list or something.

Last week while I was riding my bike around town however, orange was what kept catching my eye. By the time I got around to taking pictures I didn't get any of my inspirations though . . . perhaps we'll see them later in the semester.

"Rusty Lid". 9/20/10, 5:23 pm. BYU-I campus, Rexburg, ID. f/36. 1/5 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod. Minor color adjustments in RAW.

The rusty orange caught my eye and I love the texture.


"AnnaLisa". 9/20/10, 5:35 pm. 1st West, Rexburg, ID. f/25. 1/13 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod. Red color adjustment in RAW.

A friend of mine saw me shooting and inquired as to what I was doing. When I looked up and explained the assignment and knew I had to capture her book and shirt. Texture and rusty orange! YES!

"Water". 9/20/10, 5:45 pm. Stadium parking lot, BYU-I campus, Rexburg, ID. f/4.2. 1/400 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod. Changed white balance in RAW.


"Tail Light". 9/20/10, 5:52 pm. Stadium parking lot, BYU-Idaho campus, Rexburg, ID. f/5.6. 1/500 sec. - Nikon D60. Tripod. No edits.

When I started shooting the tail light the pictures all looked a bit boring. It wasn't until I remembered that sometimes a bit of a tilt is all I need to create interest . . . and I like the result.

September 13, 2010

Past Photos

After much deliberation and posting my top thirty on Facebook for my friends to vote on, here are my top ten.

"Rodent". 4/2/09, 2:41 pm. San Simeon, California. f/3.8. 1/640 - Nikon D60. No edits.

This was taken while on a field trip with my department in California. My teacher had been there before and liked to stop at this particular pullout on the ocean and feed the rodents, so we decided to get in on the action. A friend of mine was feeding the rodent peanuts so that I could get some shots. This one was the most fun.


"Dandy". 5/18/09, 5:17 pm. Pole Line Road, Rexburg, ID. f/4.0. 1/3200 - Nikon D60. No edits.

I spent a lot of time on Pole Line Road last summer doing a "Monet" project for my color photography class. After getting the shot of my Monet spot, I was still looking for something interesting to shoot for another assignment, color harmonies. I liked the analogous colors of the dandelion and grass, but it wasn't an interesting shot until I got down on the ground and changed my perspective. I also entered this picture in a Photographics Society competition, "Up Close and Personal", and won second place. :)

"Hosta". 6/3/09, 6:03 pm. Portland International Rose Garden, Portland, OR. f/5.6. 1/100 - Nikon D60. No edits.

Another assignment, but sweet success. I was looking for something abstract. When I saw the back lighting on this Hosta leaf I knew it would work.


"Ghost in the Graveyard". 6/16/09, 9:39 PM. Sugar City Cemetery, ID. f/20. 30 second exposure - Nikon D60. The light on the headstone is from the headlights on my car. Tripod. No edits.

By using a long exposure I was able to get the blurred "ghost"; my husband walked back and forth slowly behind the grave to get the blur. This is his great grandfathers grave.


"Broken Snowball". 6/28/09, 9:00 pm. Trejo Street, Rexburg, ID. f/5.6. 1/40 - Nikon D60. No edits.

This image was one in a series of weeds. As a student of horticulture I naturally tend to take pictures of flowers and plants. Most people see weeds as a nuisance, but my objective was to show that they can also be beautiful.


"Young Love". 5/10/10, 7:39 pm. Idaho Falls, ID. f/5.6. 1/50 - Nikon D60. Slight recovery in RAW.

This is my brother-in-law, Alan, and his wife Rhonda. I took it along with many others for their engagement pictures. I focused on the ring and placed it in a sweet spot because it was important to them that she had a particular setting, and this is it. I also saw a picture with this kind of styling a few months earlier, and wanted to see if I could pull it off. I was laying on the ground. I love that their noses are just touching, it's so cute.


"Like the Old Days". 5/25/10, 7:40 pm. BYU-Idaho Gardens, Rexburg, ID. f/4.8. 1/250 - Nikon D60. No edits.

This is a professor of mine in the Horticulture department and his wife. He was doing me a favor because I needed to take a picture of a group of five or more. I first took a few pictures of the whole family but the five kids were getting restless, so we let them run free. This picture is the favorite that I got of Daniel and Lindsey while the kids were getting their wiggles out. When I showed it to Lindsey, she gasped and said, "It's just like the good old days! Like we're taking our engagements again!"


"Give me Attitude". 6/16/10, 4:34 pm. McKay Library, Rexburg, ID. f/16. 1/125 - Nikon D60. Main, fill, hair, and background auxiliary lights, tripod. No edits.

This is Kaylee. She thankfully let me take pictures of her MULTIPLE times last semester for my Studio Lighting and Photojournalism classes. I think her eyes are stunning. I had just told her to give me some attitude and this is her attempt at a glare. Beautiful.


"Metal". 7/2/10, 1:02 pm. Romney Studio, Rexburg, ID. f/10. 1/125 - Nikon D60. Main and fill auxiliary lights and tripod. Aside from cropping there are no edits.

Until I was presented with the challenge, I had no idea that photographing a reflective metal subject could be such an ordeal. To get this shot I had to make a "tent" of white plastic around the table that would still let the lights through. By doing so the shots look clean and there are no crazy reflections on the flatware. I also used brand new silverware, right out of the box, and polished them all with a soft cloth before taking any shots. Aside from removing reflections of other objects in the room, getting the reflection of the lights to align with my lens took time.


"Texture". 7/16/10, 6:00 pm. Romney Studio, Rexburg, ID. f/14. 1/125 - Nikon D60. Main and fill auxiliary lights and tripod. Aside from cropping there are no edits.

For my Studio Lighting portfolio I needed to wow my professor with six shots; which were 40% of my final grade. The other five I figured out what to shoot long before the due date, but I could not for the life of me figure out what to shoot for the concept of texture. It wasn't until four days before my portfolio was due that I received my inspiration. This fly.

He had spent most of an afternoon buzzing around my apartment, driving me crazy. Once I'd had enough, I got my trusty flyswatter and ended his annoying reign. Maybe I'm weird, but I wanted to see how he looked up close, so I carefully brought the squished specimen close to my face and it was perfect. He stuck to the flyswatter perfectly, wedged in between the holes, and his guts were squished and exposed. I rushed to the studio, praying that it wouldn't be in use, toting my dead fly along with me. Thankfully the studio was empty and I had exactly fifteen minutes to set up, shoot, and clean up before it closed. My main light was positioned underneath the flyswatter, which I taped to a pole, and I had a fill light directly to the right of the fly. I think that sometimes a crazy idea can be real genius. Thank heavens for the concept of Art.