A new day... a new beginning... and a new webinar with Nik Software!

Sunrise on the beach, what a wonderful way to start the day. Watching the sunrise makes anything seem possible. It's a brand new day - you own it! I grew up on the east coast of Florida, each sunrise is like a poem to me.

What do you need to capture a sunrise? A tripod, cable release, and a graduated neutral density filter can be helpful balancing light in the composition. The sky can be most expressive before the sun actually rises, a tripod is key here. Clouds can make all the difference. Cinematic clouds add drama, an empty sky doesn't have quite the same impact. In that case, the waves and shoreline can be the main subject.

Polarizers work well to darken a blue sky and to reduce glare. Nik Color Efex Pro has a polarizer filter, while it doesn't reduce glare, it works beautifully creating the effect elsewhere as you see here. I also used Viveza on selected areas, so easy to do! (You can use DSANDIDGE your coupon code for anything Nik). Experiment with a few ideas and see what works for you!

Please join me for a webinar with Nik Software! I'm very excited about this, I'll post more soon. Here is a direct link to sign up for the BetterPhoto.com Series: Creativity with Nik HDR Efex Pro. I hope to see you there! ~ Deb

Aspen Path in Rocky Mountain National Park

More fun with a circular fisheye, creating a snow globe effect without the snow! (On my way back from Rocky Mountain National Park, I noticed airport security has quite the collection of snow globes)! I liked the way the fisheye wraps around the aspen trees and pulls everything close together for an interesting canopied look. It's so hard not to get my toes or tripod legs in the picture, but it's worth the effort. This image was taken with a full frame sensor camera (Nikon D3s) and a Sigma 8mm fisheye lens, producing an entirely circular fisheye photograph. The aspen are turning orange and gold in the higher elevations around Bear Lake and are really quite beautiful. Enjoy Autumn!

Welcome to my World... Fisheye in the Rockies...

I made a little self portrait on an aspen lined hiking path near Bear Lake (9,500 ft) in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's beautiful up in the higher elevations, lots of color, orange, yellow and green. I always like the fisheye view of things, pulled together in a perfect circle. My portrait is in HDR, you can pick up the clues from my tripod, cable release and the inside of the barrel of the lens (it's usually black). I liked the way the colors looked inside the fisheye lens, kind of fall, kind of cool! So I left it the way it was processed in Photomatix. This was just one of many photographic explorations that day, but one of my favorites! Have fun shooting!

Orlando at Twilight...

Twilight provides a wonderful opportunity for cityscape photos, such as this one taken in the downtown Orlando area. During the week, the office lights are still on creating a more interesting image. Passing cars create trails of light moving throughout the city. What do you need for twilight photography? A tripod, remote release (or your camera's self timer) and a great vantage point.

I used Nik Viveza 2 to enhance the color and detail in this image. This plug-in couldn't be easier. Adjustments to color and detail can be placed where desired by using Control Points. I enhanced the Structure in the buildings and brought out selected areas with color. The darker shadow areas were brightened using the Shadow Adjustment slider. Now I'm done, I can go take more pictures! Happy Friday...

The eyes are the window to the soul...

"The eyes are the window to the soul"- one of my favorite quotes. This man is a sugar cane farmer in Cuba. He took a moment from his work to allow his picture to be taken.  I thought he had the most expressive eyes, which revealed much about his life. It's remarkable how much communication can take place without saying a word.

Optimizing this image in Photoshop required only a few basic adjustments and filter choices. I wanted to enhance his weathered face, and also soften the background slightly. This is easily accomplished with Nik Viveza 2, which eliminates a lot of work with layers and layer masks.  It's a very straightforward, time saving, and powerful editing tool.

Global adjustments were made to the image such as Contrast, Saturation, and Structure along with targeting specific areas using Control Points. Two control points softened the the background by reducing Structure, while adding another control point to the face enhanced detail by increasing Structure. The eyes were brightened up by using control points and the Shadow Adjustment slider.

Viveza 2 made editing easy, fast and effective! Try the 15 day free trial and here's a coupon code for you, DSANDIDGE. Make great pictures...