Windows of Photography: Jackson Square

Showing posts with label Jackson Square. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Morning, New Year, New Beginning

I don’t have any images that would overtly celebrate the start of this New Year. But, when I was searching for an image to share on the first day of this New Year I came across the above photograph. I remember it well. It was early morning and the start of what would turned-out to be a successful day of photographing captivating images with my wife and daughter. We slowly walked the narrow streets of the French Quarter taking in the sights and sounds. We laughed, talked and enjoyed great New Orleans cuisine together as a family. Now my daughter is away at college most of the time and my wife and I seem to be busier than ever with our careers. So, that being said and New Year’s Day representing the start for new beginning. I have decided that when we are able to get together we should make to most of that time. Just as we did the morning I took the above photograph.

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Metadata: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, Exposer: 1/500s at f/5.3, IOS: 200, Focal Length: 66mm, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority, Exposure Bias: -1.00 EV, Metering Mode: Matrix, Filter: Ultra Violet, Subject Distance: Infinity, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Date: 08/04/2009 at 7:43 am, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Shades of Gray

I am enjoying monochrome photography more than ever. I love shooting in color but, sometimes a mundane color photograph can become an incredible Black and White image. It seems that the lack of color in an image can sometimes help to convey emotion to the viewer. With today’s post processing editing tools you can shoot in color and then process the same color image into an incredible monochrome photograph.

The above photograph was taken in Jackson Square, New Orleans. I am currently using Nik Software’s, Silver Efex Pro 2 in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop CS5 to post process my Black and White images. Silver Efex Pro is a plug-in to Photoshop and Lightroom. In Silver Efex Pro you have many presets to choose from. The presets give you a starting point in the post processing of your monochrome images. If you are considering processing monochrome images and you are using Adobe’s Photoshop and/or Lightroom I would recommend that you consider taking a look at Nik Software’s, Silver Efex Pro 2.

For more information see Nik Software - Silver Efex Pro 2 and the Jackson Square web-sites.

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Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: Infinity, Exposure: 1/400s at f/6.3, ISO: 200, Focal Length: 24mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 & Nik Software – Silver Efex Pro 2, Date: 01/17/2012 at 9:30 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Nik Software - Silver Efex Pro 2

At the 2012 ImageUSA Image Expo in New Orleans I purchased Nik Software's Complete Collection (Professional Photographic Tools). Within the Complete collection of software plug-ins for Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom there is Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro 2. Silver Efex Pro 2 is a Black and White imaging processing software tool. It has over three dozen presets which can make for a great starting point when creating a Black and White image. This software also features the use of Control Points. With a Control Point or Points you can selectively spot process desired areas of your image. The Control Point feature is a very nice tool to have in your tool box. Silver Efex Pro 2 also has a set of adjustable Color Filters, Film Types and Finishing Adjustments tools. Silver Efex Pro 2's extensive features and adjustments allow the photographer the ability to create the exact Black and White image they had envisioned. Nik Software also provides Live Training and On Demand Videos of their products for members over the Internet. You should take the time to learn your software tools, and experiment with them, break the rules. Who knows, you may even invent a new rule.

While at the Expo in New Orleans I took the above photograph of a statue of President Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square. First I processed the color image in Adobe's Photoshop Bridge and then I saved it. Secondly I used one of Silver Efex Pro 2's presets and then i used several Control Points to increase the white and contrast effects of the clouds. And, then I saved this image with a different file name. I always preserve the original NEF (Nikon Electronic Format) image file for future processing. Nikon Electronic Format is Nikon's RAW file format that features image information and metadata received from the camera's sensors.

To learn more about Silver Efex Pro 2 visit: Nik Software's website

To learn more about President Andrew Jackson and Jackson Square, New Orleans, see the links below:

Also, see Widipedia to learn more of Andrew Jackson and Jackson Square (New Orleans, Louisiana).

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