Month: July 2017

Alaskan Wildlife

My friend Tamra is leaving for a cruise to Alaska this week. I hope she gets to see lots of Alaskan Wildlife as we did when we sailed on Silverea’s Silver Shadow in 2004. We loved watching bears grab salmon from the stream and eat them, leaving leftovers for the bald eagles near Wrangell. July is a great time to visit Alaska.

#eagles, #bear, #salmon, #July, #alaska, #wrangell, #silversea, #wildlife
Silent teamwork: Bears grabbed salmon from the rushing stream, while Bald Eagles waited nearby for their turn to feed.

Whales were bobbing and breaching as well near Juneau, and in Sitka, we observed some colorful starfish.

#starafish, #alaska, #nature, #wildlife
Colorful starfish in Sitka where we took a bike hike.

As for me, I’ll be departing for Iceland this week, where I hope to photograph the Puffins as well as many waterfalls and volcanic landscapes.

Hydrangea Twins

Just outside my back door, I found fraternal twins on my hydrangea bush: a pink and a blue blossom on the same plant. All the rain in the past few weeks are helping the blossoms last. Stay away, hungry deer!

#hydrangea, #july, #pinkandblue, #favoriteflower, #nature, #flowers, #nikon, #sewickley, #pennsylvania
Fresh pink and blue blossoms on my hydrangea bush. Shot with Nikon D800, at 1/500 second, f 2.8 and ISO 100. Shallow depth of field gives the photo an intimate feeling.

The hydrangea may be my favorite flower, thanks to associations with my daughter’s  June wedding as well as memories of seeing them on Cape Cod.

Waterfall Wednesday

This waterfall from the Hawaiian Island of Maui is getting me excited about my trip to Iceland, which is just around the corner — next Wednesday. Waterfalls are plentiful in a volcanic landscape, so I expect Iceland to bear lots of resemblance to Maui, except colder.

I’m ready for rain, waterfalls everywhere, a black sand beach and a few extras like puffins, the midnight sun and some glaciers. I’m packing lots of lenses and guide books and layered hiking clothes, and I am hoping for lots of good photography to share with you.

#waterfall, #waterfallwednesday, #maui, #iceland, #tropical, #hot, #volcanic
The Travel Channel declared today Waterfall Wednesday, so I’m happy to share a waterfall I shot in Maui along the road to Hana in September 2016.

Pittsburgh Gallery Crawl

Friday July 7 is a great evening for a one-time photography show in Pittsburgh. The ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) photographers will be exhibiting their recent personal work in the Cultural Trust Building, 4th floor: 807 Liberty Avenue. We have an annual tradition of putting on this one-night exhibit. Each year the art is diverse and fascinating, and most of the artists are there to talk to. We start at 5:30 pm. Please come meet us and enjoy dinner in the neighborhood.

These five of my prints will be on display and for sale. Hope to see you!

#white, #flowers, #may, #spring, #bluesky, #icm, #unique, #art, #nature
White dogwood in bloom on a perfect Spring day.
#pinkandgreen, #abstract, #design, #mosaic, #murano, #photography, #inspired, #VIDA, #shopvida
Murano mosaic, my new silk scarf design. Will these colors work with your summer fashion?
#newborn, #portrait, #blackandwhite, #motherandchild, #borntoday, #joy, #pride
Just a few hours after giving birth, my daughter admires her newborn baby girl. (Not for sale.)
#pittsburgh, #skyline, #mountwashington, #circular, #art, #print, #sunnyday, #photograpy
My own artistic interpretation of the Pittsburgh skyline, as seen from Mount Washington. Want a print?
#icm, #nikon, #flower, #blueandgreen, #composite
Creative shooting and processing are behind this unique image that features a peach colored flower.

Turtle Independence Day

July 4 is a date that holds special meaning for all Americans, and for Sea Turtles, too! The Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii has celebrated Turtle Independence Day on July 4 every year since 1989.  They raise a group of baby Green Sea Turtles, known as “honu” in Hawaii,  in salt water ponds acquired from Oahu Sea Life Park. On July 4 the Mauna Lani celebrates their release into the ocean.

This photo is a sea turtle I found taking a nap on the beach in Anaehoomalu Bay ( a.k.a. A Bay ) on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have also seen large sea turtles swimming around me while snorkeling in Hawaii. Pretty cool creatures!

#seaturtle, #turtle, #wildlife, #hawaii, #bigisland, #donotdisturb, #independenceday
Sea Turtle found napping on the beach in Hawaii.

To Make (not just take) an Image

In the age of iPhone photography, most people seem to think that shooting a photo is all there is to it. Well, first you have to see the image, that is pre-visualize it as an interesting two dimensional image. Next, you have to have a camera or iPhone with you. Third, you need to compose the image and click. Then, many will share the image instantly on social media. Done.

Often you will get pretty cool results with that workflow, but professionals know there is much more to image making. Much expertise goes into lens choice, camera settings for depth of field, selective focus, and then processing. My workflow includes processing first in Adobe Lightroom, then Photoshop, and sometimes even a third application such as Topaz or Nik/Google applications. The impact of this tulip image is the result of my experience with shooting choices as well as processing choices.

#NYBG, #tulip, #green, #greenandwhite, #bicolor, #contrast, #sony, #spring, #may
This high contrast image of the rare green and white tulip encourages the viewer to enjoy the detail and shape of the petals.

A non-photographer will often ask the question, “Is that photoshopped?” as if the question were really, “is it real?” I like to explain that processing a digital photo with image editing software like Lightroom and Photoshop is an essential part of the creative process. I MAKE an image. I don’t just TAKE and image. Using Photoshop to process images is, in fact, my job.