Day 156: Don't Be Such a Moraine

Yeah, that title's pretty lame, but it was the only thing I could come up with that put Moraine in the title. I stopped at Moraine State Park, near Butler, PA, on my way back from Ohio. I didn't take a whole lot of photos there because it was warm and I didn't feel like lugging everything around. But I took this one, and the one after it was from my car as I was driving home and pulled over to take it.

Photo composited in Aperture using Photomatix HDR Plug-In.
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1/250 sec. exposure at F/6.3. ISO 100.
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The first one is pretty good, except for the slight shadowing of some of the branches in the foreground. I like the second one too, but I wish the colors (blues and greens) were a little more rich.

And abruptly... goodnight.

Day 155: Poolio

We had a family reunion today, and I was able to snap quite a few photos. Sooo.... congrats on getting two posts in a row with lots to look at. I'm going to be brief in writing because I'm wiped from spending most of my afternoon in a swimming pool.

The first few are of some flowers around my aunt's house.

1/250 sec. exposure at F/5.6. ISO 100.
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1/250 sec. exposure at F/4.5. ISO 100.
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1/80 sec. exposure at F/9. ISO 100.
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The rest are of my cousins.

1/400 sec. exposure at F/5.6. ISO 100.
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1/500 sec. exposure at F/4.5. ISO 100.
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1/250 sec. exposure at F/4.5. ISO 100.
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1/640 sec. exposure at F/5.6. ISO 100.
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1/400 sec. exposure at F/4.5. ISO 100.
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This is only the tip of the iceberg, and if I had more time I would have posted more, but that's enough for today. Ta ta!

Day 154: Just Beachy

Holy guacamole! You all are getting spoiled today! I went nuts photographing today! Exclamation!

I'm back home in Ohio for the weekend, and I went to the beach as soon as I got home. Here are my favorites from my mini-adventure.

1/100 sec. exposure at F/9. ISO 100.
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1/80 sec. exposure at F/9. ISO 100.
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This next one is of a heron that flew by. I tried to get it when it landed, but I spooked it before I could get close enough. I like how it's silhouetted against the bright sky.

1/80 sec. exposure at F/9. ISO 100.
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Photo composited in Aperture using Photomatix HDR Plug-In.
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I'm really happy with how this next one came out. Surprised, but pleasantly so. Once again, HDR really made this image what it is. The normal exposure image was really washed out on the top, but I was able to get a nice warm tint with the HDR. Hooray me!

Photo composited in Aperture using Photomatix HDR Plug-In.
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1/200 sec. exposure at F/9. ISO 100.
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I also like how that seagull one came out. I saw a huge flock land, and I noticed a group of people walking towards them, so I sat down on a piece of driftwood and waited until the people spooked the gulls. Then I cropped it down in Aperture. Also, pretty happy with that one.

This last photo is also and HDR image that once again really came into itself only through merging. This is a composite of nine different exposures. There were a whole bunch of tire tracks in the sand from the ranger's carts, and I really liked the way the sun was hitting the water behind this particular one. I also cropped it into a panoramic-esque frame.

Photo composited in Aperture using Photomatix HDR Plug-In.
Click image for larger version.

I'm exhausted from this today, but I hope you enjoy looking as much I had fun taking them. Then my being pooped is totally worth it. Family picnic tomorrow, so I'm sure my photos will be from that in some capacity. I'll try my best to get them posted tomorrow night, but it may have to wait until Sunday if I can't get online. Adios!

Day 153: Starry Night

Tonight was an experiment night. I'm not calling it a total failure, but it wasn't exactly a success either. It was a clear night, so I decided to try some long exposures to get some star shots. Unfortunately, our backyard isn't the best place for night photography (due to the street lamp washing everything out). Oh, and it's really hard to get things in focus when it's so dark. But doing these tonight (I'm only sharing one, though) at least showed me that these things need to be taken into consideration, so hopefully my next attempts will be much better.

50 sec. exposure at F/3.5. ISO 100.
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Not terrible for my first try, I suppose. I'm heading home to Ohio for the weekend, so the good news is that I'll have some new places to photograph. The bad news is, I might not be able to post everyday (though I will do my best). If I can't get to them, I'll post everything when I get back. Have a good one! Or two, if you'd like!

Day 152: Rockin' Out In the Early Morn

When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining through my blinds in just the right way that it caught my eye on my keyboard and headphones (which I set up last night to do some much needed recording). Needless to say I grabbed my camera and took a few photos while it lasted. They are, of course, found below these words.

1/80 sec. exposure at F/3.5. ISO 100. Monochrome in Aperture.
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1/80 sec. exposure at F/3.5. ISO 100.
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I know it's kind of silly to make something that is already black and white even more black and white (as I did in that top one), but I really like what the monochrome does for it. So there.

Day 151: Streetlight Manifesto

I glanced outside of my bedroom window today a little bit after sunset and saw this. Great color in the sky, and since I can't get away from streetlights and powerlines I decided to incorporate them into the photo. They're not too bad.

1/10 sec. exposure at F/5.6. ISO 400.
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1/10 sec. exposure at F/5.6. ISO 400.
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I didn't do anything to these in Aperture; it's all in camera for these. I particularly like the deep color of the top photo, but I also enjoy the "dark" cloud just above the telephone pole in the bottom one. Too bad I can't put them together...

Goodnight! Good morning? Whichever....

Day 150: Objects In Mirror

Went down to see a movie today (Bridesmaids; I really enjoyed it), and I snapped a couple of photos on the way back of/through Adam's rearview side mirror. They's okay. Nothing spectacular, but whatevs. Actually, I only have one to share, so I'm not sure why I'm pluralizing today...

1/100 sec. exposure at F/3.5. ISO 100.
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Hasta mañana.