Category: HDR

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Vermilion Lighthouse

When we lived in Cleveland, we would visit Vermilion a few times a year.  It has a nice old downtown with many shops to explore and great places to eat.  Each time we came, I would take a picture of the lighthouse.  I never realized until recently that it is actually a replica of a lighthouse that used to sit there (no wonder it’s so small).

This picture is a 5 exposure HDR.  I used a wide angle lens for the shot and corrected most of the distortion in photoshop.  Most people probably think that I shrunk the lighthouse but in reality it is very small.

P.S.  Here is another post of mine taken at the same spot.

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The Rustic Barn

Last summer I was driving around trying to find old barns to take pictures of.  It’s getting more and more difficult to find these old structures and when you do they are typically surrounded by other buildings or homes therefore it’s very difficult to get an isolated shot.

I came across this barn that set well behind the owners home.  I went up to the door and inquired if I could take a few pictures.  They initially questioned if I was trying to sell them something (I guess they have people come by inquiring about taking “fly over” pictures of their farm).  After I informed them I was just an avid photography with an interest in old barns, they had no problem letting me walk around their property.

This was a 7 exposure HDR.  I used a wide angle lens and made sure that there was something in the foreground so that I could add depth to the image. The only downside is that a wide angle lens causes “distortion” to the structures.  This can be fixed in photoshop but often adds a nice effect to the image.

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The Orange Sunrise

Sunrises and sunsets are always amazing to watch.  The surrounding environment is calm, the sky undergoes multiple changes in color, and the rush of daily life has either not begun or has ended.

When I was in the Outer Banks taking pictures of the Avon Pier I witnessed one of those moments.  As the sun began to rise, it cast an orange glow in the sky.  I was able to line the shot just center and below the pier.  I didn’t realize until later that there were two birds posing for the pic.

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Old Xavier Church

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography has gained a lot of interest in photography.  HDR Photography is where you take multiple exposures of a image and then stack them on top of one another to create one picture.  By doing this you create an image that often times is very similar to what our eyes see.  Most digital cameras can do this by using the auto bracketing function.  For best results you need to use at least 3 exposures.  If you are shooting in very bright or low light then you often times need to use 5, 7, or 9 exposures.  Unfortunately, you typically need a semi-pro or pro dSLR to do this.

After you take the pictures, you then need software to stack the pictures on one another.  The best way I’ve found is using Photomatix or you can use Photoshop CS 5.  If you want to see some great HDR pictures you need to check out Trey Ratcliff at Stuck in Customs.  He does phenomenal work and has many tutorials.

My wife grew up outside a very small town in Southern Illinois called St. Francisville (well known for the scariest bridge to cross in Southern Illinois/Indiana).  In March, we were there for my wife’s baby shower.  There is a very old Catholic church that sits down town.  I decided to take a 7 exposure HDR pic using my Leica M9.  Most of the time when shooting in HDR you want to create a color image, I think in this case monochrome works very well.

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Faith

Up until our move last year to Fort Wayne we would make the trip from Cleveland to Illinois a couple times a year to visit family. We always took a shortcut on US Highway 20 that would allows us get on I-69 in Angola, IN. I must have never paid much attention to my surroundings because on each of these trips we would pass this old white church that set off the main road about 1/4 of a mile. One afternoon, while driving back to Cleveland after preparing for our move to Fort Wayne, I noticed the large white church. I pulled over and liked its simple architecture and its weathered look.

Recently, the caretakers found me and commented on a picture I took of Powers Church on flickr (they said it was one of their favorites). Anyway, I never realized the importance of this church to the local community until I read a few articles about it. It was built around 1875 for less than $2000 by one of the original settlers in the area, the Powers family. At one time it set unused for over 20 years.

If you want to read more information about the church, you can find great articles in the USA Today and the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Also, there is information on wikipedia.

Below are a few pictures I took, including the picture the caretakers liked.

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Indiana Sunset

Living in Cleveland, OH for 5 years I got accustomed to grey skies. It seemed as if we would have one blue sky in the winter maybe 1 or 2 times a month. When I moved to Fort Wayne, I was hoping to see more blue skies and fortunately I do but still not as often as I would like (I’m sure others agree in Northeast Indiana). One evening in January, while driving home from work we had one of those rare events. I was driving on the interstate staring at the sun and noticed 2 trees in a field with nothing around them. I immediately took the next exit and drove into the field where they were located. Fortunately, I was able to catch one of these rare Indiana sunsets.

P.S. This is a good reason why you should always carry your camera equipment, you never know when you will find a good picture opportunity.

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