The Heart of Times Square... #HDR

The heart of Times Square... this is the place to be at twilight in New York City! I enjoyed walking in the cool crisp air and seeing all the colorful lights. I can only imagine what it must be like to be here during the holidays! For this image, I used a Nikon 14-24mm lens with a tripod and cable release and made several exposures to merge to HDR. 

Shooting people in low light levels creates a bit of a challenge. (Which reminds me of the great t-shirt that Joel at Adorama gave me at PhotoPlus Expo emblazoned with "I shoot people for a living" - too funny and thank you, Joel!) In Photoshop, I placed one of the original exposures under the HDR image, and used a layer mask to reveal clarity on some of the faces in the crowd. The image was processed with the new Nik HDR Efex Pro.

Happy Friday, and enjoy the weekend! ~ Deb

  

Single exposure HDR processing with Nik HDR Efex Pro... Fall in Central Park

Single exposure HDR processing through Nik HDR Efex Pro worked beautifully for this photo that I took in New York City's Central Park last week after PhotoPlus Expo. Fall color was just beginning to pop out and air had a wonderful crisp feel. To emphasize the wonderful colors and textures in this photo, I used Nik HDR Efex Pro and chose Vibrant Details and Color as the preset to start with, fine tuning the sliders to create an artistic look. A subtle texture layer was added to the HDR image for more warmth and depth in the sky area. To use Nik HDR Efex Pro with a single image, from the Photoshop Menu choose Image>Mode>32 Bits/Channel. This will allow you to choose Nik HDR Efex Pro from Filters and process as a single image HDR. How cool is that?  Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

Create a cool tilt-shift look with Alien Skin Bokeh 2...

I would love an ultra wide 24mm perspective control tilt shift lens. It's on my Christmas list! Until Santa finds out, I'll be creating a toy model tilt shift look with Alien Skin Bokeh 2. This is such a creative tool for Photoshop, very easy to work with and a favorite of students in my Enhancing Images course at BetterPhoto.com.

This scene was photographed from the window of my hotel during PhotoPlus in New York City. You can create the same effect with any image that was taken from up high or far away. The trick (and technique) is to fool the eye by creating selective focus from an all in focus image, which Bokeh 2 does easily. You can also simulate creative aperture shapes for interest and texture (try stars for the holidays). For a "realistic faux" finishing touch, add saturation and contrast  Make great pictures! ~ Deb

Jazzin' it up in Central Park with Nik HDR Efex Pro - Vintage Style...

I loved listening to these street musicians in New York's Central Park recently. What fun, energy and great music! The park was absolutely packed with people and activity, and there were touches of fall color everywhere.  The cool weather made everything absolutely perfect. This scene had a nostalgic feel about it, which I thought would be perfect for processing as a single exposure with a vintage look. I tried out some of the presets in Nik HDR Efex Pro, and chose Granny's Attic which had the look and mood I was going for. I was so excited about the results, I forgot to save my fine-tuning adjustments and tweaks as a preset! I did make a quick screenshot while the image was processing so I can at least see and recreate the settings used. I liked the faded and retro look produced by the preset, and the HDR look is realistic enough without going over the top. There are so many great presets to use as springboards to elaborate on, the hardest part is just choosing what you like! You can try out Nik HDR Efex Pro and use this coupon code for anything Nik - DSANDIDGE. Make great pictures! ~ Deb