Animal Cracker box, graffiti style...

In the photographic world, there is an expression that goes something like "shoot it when you see it" which is very true. What you see at the moment, may not be there when you get back. This applies to most every type of subject, landscapes, cityscapes, street photography and even these trains with this fantastic "animal cracker box" urban art painting. I loved animal crackers in those little boxes when I was little! I was glad to get a few shots before the train moved on.

To photograph the trains, I made several exposures and merged them to HDR using Photomatix. The area I was shooting was dark in places, and this helped create a better balanced overall exposure. I try to use a variety of techniques and lenses with a good subject. This 8mm Sigma circular fisheye lens created an interesting viewpoint.  Photo tip: Always carry a camera! Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

Graffiti art - Creative, colorful, and very cool...

  

One of my graffiti artist friends mentioned how artists take on new names, and dubbed me "Photo-graff-er" which I rather like! Urban art is definitely one of my favorite subjects to photograph. I'm fascinated with the color and creativity that goes into a painting. The art is ever changing, and a location is never the same twice. This first wall belongs to artist Dolla Lama, one very cool and creative dude!

This wall is incredible. The gradient from red to yellow, vivid purple stencil work, and the anthropomorphic tree are all magnificent! The scale of the art is also makes it impressive, a small photo can't capture how it feels to see it. I'm compelled to photograph graffiti/urban art as walls are painted over frequently, the art I like might not be there when I return.

I couldn't leave this location without putting together a few images for HDR. The graffiti walls were photographed early in the afternoon. HDR allowed a little leeway for creating a balanced exposure in the bright sun. Nik HDR Efex Pro was used to merge the images to HDR. To photograph this location, I used a Nikon 14-24mm wide angle lens, and 24-70mm zoom lens. Gotta be well rounded, I also used my iPhone, and a cool app called Pro HDR.

Paint isn't isolated to the just the walls, the pavement has very interesting artwork as well! So how does a graffiti wall come together? With a lot of inspiration, creativity, and hard work... see the mini time-lapse below. Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

Hello, my name is... #HDR - Creating a High Dynamic Range Image

High Dynamic Range imagery (HDR) allows the photographer to create exciting images that are not always possible with a single exposure. For example, if I exposed for the highlight areas, detail was lost in the shadows. Exposing for the shadows leaves the composition with a white sky as shown below. A graduated neutral density filter wouldn't help because of the angle of the building, HDR is an elegant solution for a tricky exposure.

One of the good things about HDR is you just basically need your camera, tripod, and processing software. There are several options for the HDR photographer as far as software goes. Photomatix, the new Nik HDR Efex Pro (which was used to make this image) along with Photoshop's HDR Pro and several others. HDR enhances color, detail and exposure, creating a very dynamic image. Below are the exposures that went in to making the single image above. The creative part of HDR is deciding how you want to artistically present the image, photorealist or more on the illustrative side. You get to be the artist! I went with an edgy, more defined look which suits the colorfully painted architecture.  Have fun making pictures! ~ Deb