#620. A Salute

Taken last night at a local church. I recently volunteered my humble photography skills at the church I attend in Houston. I have since been asked to take photos a couple of times. Last night the request was to pop out on the stage and take a few quick snaps of the congregation holding a sign congratulating their overseas sister church on their one year anniversary. It was a fairly simple assignment and I initially thought the thanks I received were unearned. After I thought about it a while though I gave myself a little more credit for the job I did. First of all, there is pressure. I volunteered so there was no money or contract involved but I still felt pressure to deliver a usable photograph. I've taken more than a few unusable photos in my day so my concern was certainly warranted. I had a brief conversation with the program director in which I persuaded him to give me full house lights for the shot. I was shooting at ISO 1600 as it was and I really didn't want to go any higher than that which would have been necessary at less than full house lights. Even at ISO 1600 I was underexposed but I knew the photos would end up being usable because I was shooting in Camera RAW which allows for exposure adjustments in post-processing. I arrived at the church early and determined the placement of the banner. I had to make a lens selection and a camera selection. I had to take my shots (about 10 I think) in about 6 seconds so the service could continue with as little interruption as possible. And I had to process the photos when I got home. I didn't end up with a work of fine art but the photo is, I think, usable for the church's intended purpose and, in retrospect, I feel that I can give myself a little credit for that! :-)

Title: "A Salute"


Shot data: 1/40s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso1600
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#619. Pretty Flowers

Taken Saturday at Galveston Island State Park in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Pretty Flowers"


Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/800s f/5.6 at 115.0mm iso125
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#618. Lifesaver

Taken on the Seawall in Galveston, Texas on Saturday morning.

Title: "Lifesaver"


Camera / Lens: Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 5 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin