Happy New Year!!! (2012)



If 2011 has been a little rough for you as it has been for many this year, remember that New Year's Eve represents an ending, while at the same time it also represents a new beginning. As the clock strikes twelve you can set new goals, fix wrongs or just make your life a little more meaningful by helping someone else who needs it. And, even if you have had a great 2011, may you have an even better New Year in 2012.

I edited the above photograph using Adobe Photoshop CS5 Bridge. I moderately increased the Color Temperature, Contrast and the Blacks of the image. Then I moderately decreased the Clarity and Color Saturation to give the image a slightly dreamy look. When using a digital photo editor remember to have fun. Try different configurations to learn what works and how to use them. Also, remember to always save your edited image with a different file name so you can preserve the original photograph for future editing. I can promise you one thing; you will be pleased and amazed at what you can produce in a digital photo editor.

New Year's Eve is observed on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. New Year's Eve is ofter celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages and watch or light fireworks to mark the incoming year. (Information source: Wikipedia)

For more information about New Year's Eve see the Wikipedia link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve

Visit my web-site: “Windows of Photography” to see more of my photographic art.

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, Subject Distance: 2.0 meters, Exposure: 1/60s at f/5.6, Focal Length: 105mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Nikon SpeedLight SB-800 (slave unit) with an Amber Diffuser Flash Cover and a Nikon Wireless SpeedLight commander SU-800 (master unit), Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Bridge, Date: 12/30/2011 at 11:12 am

Merry Christmas Frosty (2011)

Merry Christmas Frosty! I had a desire to add to my 2011 Christmas images. I used my Nikon D3 and Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8 lens. If you dial this lens in correctly it will produce outstanding images with a great depth of field. That being said, the original image seemed a tad-bit flat to me. So I used Adobe's Photoshop CS5 Bridge to quickly sharpen the edges and to strengthen the color saturation.

"Frosty the Snowman" is a popular song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass Country Boys in 1950. (Information Source: Wikipedia) My favorite version was sung by Burl Ives.

For more information on the origins of Frosty the Snowman see the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frosty_the_Snowman

Visit my web-site: “Windows of Photography” to see more of my photographic art.

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, Subject Disteance: 1.0 meters, Exposure: 0.4s at f5.6, Focal Length: 105mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Bridge, Date: 12/21/2011 at 12:14 pm

Assassin Bug

The above photograph of an Assassin Bug was taken Thanksgiving day in Lake Charles, Louisiana using a Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8 lens. The above Assassin Bug may not look like a predator but it is. Fully-grown Assassin Bugs can range from 4 to 40 millimeters. The above Assassin Bug looked to have been about 25 millimeters (1.0 inches). Assassin Bugs have a long rostrum (feeding tube) which they use to inject lethal saliva to liquefy the insides of their prey for feeding. Assassin Bugs colors can range from brown, black, red and orange.

For more information about the Assassin Bug see the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_Bug

I had recently purchased a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8 lens.  Simply put, I love this lens! But, evan though this is a great lens it is not a forgiving lens. The focal point can be very small and tight (macro) and you must use a tri-pod (maybe a mono-pod could work). I have also read that this NIKKOR lens is a very good portrait lens.

For more information about Nikon's Macro 105mm lens see the link below:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/2160/AF-S-VR-Micro-NIKKOR-105mm-f%252F2.8G-IF-ED.html

Visit my web-site: “Windows of Photography” to see more of my photographic art.

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, Subject Distance: 0.4 meters. Exposure: 1/500s at f/5.6, Focal Length: 105mm, Filter: Ultra Violat, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, Date: 11/24/2011 at 12:44 pm

 

African White Rhinoceros

I took the above photograph of this White Rhinoceros in the late morning heat of August 2009 at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans. By noon most of the animals are looking for a shady place to settle down like the above rhino. The only thing that I did to the above photograph was to crop the image in closer to the subject to bring out the details and to add interest. Sometimes you can improve a photograph by cropping the image which can eliminate distractions and focus on your desired intentions.

The word rhinoceros is derived through Latin from the Ancient Greek which is composed of (rhino - "nose") and (keras - "horn"). The plural in English is rhinoceros or rhinoceroses. The White Rhinoceros are actually gray. The name White Rhinoceros was actually a mistake, or rather a corruption of the word ("wide" in Afrikaans), referring to their square lips. (Informational Source: Wikipedia).

See Wikipedia for more information regarding Rhinos.

 

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To view my Photographic Art visit: Windows of Photography

Metadata: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 17.8 meters, Exposure: 1/320s at f/4.8, Focal Length: 140mm, Filter: Circular Polarizer, Post Processing: ACDSee Photo Editor 2008, Date: 08/05/2009 at 11:49 am

 

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A Nice Nymphaeaceae (Water Lily)

The above photography is another example of what a Circular Polarizer filter can do for your images. The image of the above Water Lily (Nymphaeaceae) was taken at 11:00 am on a clear sunny day in Waikoloa, Hawaii. The sun's glare coming of the water was very strong and would have created light flairs in the image if I had not been using a Circular Polarizer filter. Besides making the sky in your images an appealing deep blue a Circular Polarizer filter can also reduce are eliminate glare and unwanted reflections in your images. In this case I slowly turned my Circular Polarizer filter until the glare dissipated in my view finder and then I framed the Water Lily for the shot. You should always have a Circular Ploarizer filter in your bag for each of your lens.

For more information about Water Lilies see the Wikipedia link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae

Visit my web-site: “Windows of Photography” to see more of my photographic art.

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 1.19 meters, Exposure: 1/200s at f/8.0, Focal Length: 120mm, Filter: Circular Polarizer, Post Processing: ACDSee Photo Editor 2008, Date: 07/28.2010 at 11:00 am