Brazos Bend Bird

Here is a photo from a trip the Bay Area Photo Club took to Brazos Bend State Park in Needville, Texas yesterday. I have to admit I don't know what type of bird this is so if anyone can identify it for me I would appreciate it. Is is a heron?

Title: "Brazos Bend State Park Bird"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

1/125s f/9.0 at 400.0mm iso250

Post-processing: Photoshop CS3 > Curves Adjustment Layer to improve overall contrast > Hue / Saturation Adjustment Layer to increase saturation a little > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust plugin "Clarity" preset for sharpening > Merge Visible to New Layer > Nik Viveza plugin to increase brightness on the bird and decrease brightness of the background in order to help bring the bird forward from the background > Merge Visible to New Layer > Distort Lens Correction Vignette

Family Pics

Here are a couple of photos I took of family members while we were out running around weekend before last. The photo of my daughter Emma was taken in a gazebo at a park on Toddville Road in Seabrook and the photo of Emma and my wife Laura was taken at Armand Bayou Nature Center on the Prairie Trail. These are just "grab shots" and I know they aren't great portraits but I wanted to include them to demonstrate how HDR (first photo) can be used for portraits in harsh lighting conditions and to show off the beauty of the Prairie Trail (and my family :-) at Armand Bayou Nature Center (second photo)!

Title: "Emma - Seabrook Gazebo"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix HDR from three handheld (camera propped up on the ledge of the Gazebo and set to use the two second timer) exposures (-2, 0, +2) > Photoshop CS3 > Curves Adjustment Layer for overall contast enhancement > Levels Adjustment Layer to set a black point > Merge Visible to New Layer > Nik Viveza plugin to brighten the face which was still a little dark even after HDR processing due to the extreme contrast caused by the severe backlighting > Topaz Adjust plugin "Simplify" preset with mask to block the effect from the eyes, nose, mouth, and hair

Title: "Emma and Laura - ABNC"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS3 > Duplicate Layer > Free Transform to level the horizon > Nik Viveza to brighten the subjects > Curves Adjustment Layer for overall contast enhancement > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust plugin "Simplify" preset > Duplicate Layer > High Pass Sharpening in Hard Light blending mode > Merge Visible to New Layer in Screen mode at 49% opacity to make the whole image brighter

Turtle Soup

Here's one last shot from our trip to Armand Bayou Nature Center the weekend before last. There are a couple of small ponds near the end of the Discovery Trail that are home to many turtles. This green algae covered pond was so thick with turtles it made it easy for me to come up with the title for this photo: Turtle Soup.

Title: "Turtle Soup"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS3 > Duplicate Background Layer > Topaz Adjust plugin "Mid-Color Pop" preset to increase saturation > Curves Adjustment Layer to improve overall contrast > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust plugin "Clarity" preset to sharpen details > Merge Visible to New Layer to do some cloning work on the water surface between the turtle and the leaf (there was a hole in the algae between them that was distracting) > Selective Color Adjustment Layer to increase saturation on the red leaf and orange markings on the turtle > Merge Visible to New Layer > Distort Lens Correction Vignette > Brightness / Contrast Adjustment Layer to increase overall brightness of the image

No Crows in Sight!

Last weekend when we visited Armand Bayou Nature Center, I noticed this scarecrow in a little garden near the Prairie trail. I know it's a good scarecrow because there were no crows to be seen anywhere nearby!

Title: "No Crows in Sight!"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix HDR from three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) > Photoshop CS3 > Duplicate Layer > High Pass Sharpening in Hard Light blending mode > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust pluding "Spicify" preset > Free Transform to level the horizon > Duplicate Layer > Nik Viveza Plugin to lighten and brighten the hat > Curves Adjustment Layer for overall contast enhancement > Levels Adjustment Layer to set a black point > Merge Visible to New Layer > Change to Screen blending mode at 59% to improve overall image brightness

Windmill

This shot was taken at Armand Bayou Nature Center this past weekend.

I intended this to be an HDR from three handheld exposures but the exposures were to far off (due to my not holding the camera steady enough) to work out. This photo was processed form the underexposed (-2) photo from what was intended to be one of the photos in my HDR set. If you want to try HDRs I highly recommend that you take your bracketed exposures from a tripod or other flat stable surface where you can avoid having to handhold it. Use the timer to fire the shutter to further reduce camera shake. When I use the term "handheld" I use it to mean "not on a tripod". In other words I will use "handheld" even if I used a table or bench or fencepost on location to avoid actually holding my camera in my hands while I take the three required exposures for a High Dynamic Range (HDR) set of photos. It is possible to take the three required exposures while holding the camera in you hands but it requires a very steady hand and therefore your odds of success are decreased.

Title: "Armand Bayou Windmill"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS3 > Curves Adjustment Layer for overall contast enhancement > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust pludin "Simplify" preset > Curves Adjustment Layer to brighten the highlights in the image > Levels Adjustment Layer to set a black point > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust "Dramatic" plugin to darken the sky and provide overall pop > Nik Viveza plugin to locally brighten the red areas > Merge Visible to New Layer > Topaz Adjust plugin "Simplify" preset to reduce grain > Merge Visible to New Layer > Distort Lens Correction Vignette

Prairie Grasses and Bokeh

Bokeh (for the non-photography types who don't know) is a photography word that refers to the aesthetic qualities of the background blur one achieves with a given lens. Using my Canon 100-400mm zoom this past weekend at Armand Bayou Nature Center I was extremely pleased with how the bokeh in these shots of prairie grasses turned the backdrop of grasses into a smooth curtain of fall colors.

Title: "Prairie Grass 1"


Title: "Prairie Grass 2"


Title: "Prairie Grass 3"


Title: "Prairie Grass 4"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS3 > Duplicate Background > Topaz Adjust plugin "Spicify" preset > Nik Viveza plugin to brighten the subject and darken the background