Little RED Streetcar

The above streetcar photograph was taken in Woldenberg Park on the banks of the Mississippi River in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Woldenberg Park is a great place to get away from the sometimes crowded and noisy streets of the French Quarter. Plus, there are expansive views of the river.

I first processed the above image in Photoshop CS5 and Color Efex Pro 4 as I would any color image. I then continued to process the photograph as a black and white image in Silver Efex Pro 2. Silver Efex Pro 2 offers many monochrome pre-sets to choose from. The pre-sets can give you a good starting point to begin your processing. I chose the “Full Dynamic (harsh)” preset.  After choosing the Full Dynamic (harsh) pre-set, I then selected the “Yellow Color Filter” to enhance the tonal color of the streetcar. Next, I further adjusted the Brightness, Contrast and Structure of the image. I then brought the RED of the streetcar back into the black and white image by placing “Control Points” on the streetcar and then sliding the “Selective Colorization” slider to a 100 percent. I had to use about a dozen Control Points to bring the red of the streetcar back into the black and white image. Lastly I used the “Color Replacement Tool” in Photoshop CS5 to remove any unwanted color distortions. Silver Efex Pro 2 is an indispensable tool for any photographer looking to step-up their post processing.

See Nik Software's web-site for additional information about Silver Efex Pro 2. 

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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: 1/60s at f/6.3, ISO: 400, Focal Length: 75mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2, Date: 01/17/2012 at 9:49 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

Texas Wildflower Shoot

I took the above photograph in a field of wildflowers at Baylor University State Park, in Brenham, Texas at the end of March 2012. My NIKKOR 70-300mm zoom lens created a great depth of field effect in this image. The depth of field effect in photography can help to emphasize your subject while de-emphasizing your foreground and background. Even though the depth of field de-emphasized the foreground and background they contribute to the mood and artistic value of the photograph. The out of focus areas give the flowers and the tree in the background a somewhat painterly look.

For an in-depth explanation of Depth-of-Field see Wikipedia.

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To view my Photographic Art visit: Windows of Photography

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 9.4 meters, Exposure: 1/400s at f/10.0, ISO: 1000, Focal Length: 250mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nik Softwar’s Color Efex Pro 4, Date: 03/31/2012 at 9:21 am

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

 

Rule of Thirds

The “Rule of Thirds” in many cases makes for a more appealing image. This rule segments your image into nine equal parts with two vertical and two horizontal lines as above. The idea behind the Rule of Thirds is that your subject occupies one of the four intersecting guidelines. This technique is said to create tension and interest within the composition. The Rule of Thirds can turn a center-weighted (mundane) image into an image with emotion and feeling.

 

Please note that the Rule of Thirds is only a guide and is not written in stone. It would soon become very boring if every photograph was processed with the Rule of Thirds. You should always use your own artistic eye and values to create images of interest.

See my Facebook page for additional Photography and Photographic Art discussions.
 

To view my Photographic Art visit: Windows of Photography
 

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, Subject Distance: 5.96 meters, Exposure: 1/60s at f/8.0, ISO: 400, Focal Length: 110mm, Filter: Ultra Violet, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 2, Date: 02/25/2012 at 5:22 pm

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved