In the Dunes on Amelia Island

Photo above was taken last month on Amelia Island, Florida. This was the second morning shoot at this location. The first was full of frustration and awful photos, no foreground objects, nothing really inspiring. Then I really did a dumb thing, out of sheer frustration I began playing with a neutral density filter, which made things even worse since I really haven't mastered that piece of gear. So as I dejectedly walked back to the hotel through the dunes, I came across these fences that I assume are there to promote dune building. I later saw some mostly covered to the top with sand. So the next morning I planted myself in front of the fences as the sun came up determined to get a better photo. 44mm at f/11, 3 bracketed photos at 2 EV apart. Merged together with Nik HDR Efex, further enhanced with Nik Color Efex 4.

Shriners Hospital

I was leaving work a little late last week after taking photos at a guest lecture and came up on the scene above -- Shriners Hospital in Galveston. Couldn't pass up the moment of getting an exterior shot since there is much cooperative research and care provided between the staff at Shriners and the Department of Surgery where I work. Seems like there is always a need for photos like these for Powerpoint presentations and other publicity-type efforts. 21mm, f/8 at 1/400 sec, -0.7 EV, perspective correction in Photoshop along with a touch of Nik Color Efex 4.

Jordan

Photo above is of Jordan from a photo shoot back in mid March. This was taken in front of the large gold scultpure in front of the University of Houston - Clear Lake. While that was a fine background, I enhanced it with some extra tone and texture. There was a time that day when the wind picked up and I could tell Jordan wanted to stop and adjust her hair, but I encouraged her to go with it. This is from that sequence -- a shot where light, tone, and gesture somehow come together. Maybe making a posed head shot into something a little different.

Egret in Flight

Egret in flight, taken March 24 at the Alligator Farm Rookery in St. Augustine, Florida. I've been to the High Island Rookery a few times in the last five years, and there is a pretty good distance between bird watchers and photographers and the nesting birds there. In St. Augustine, it was just the opposite. Many times I felt like I could almost reach out and touch the birds, literally there must have been 5-6 feet between us. I proably could have used an 85mm lens and made decent bird photos. I was reviewing photos and this one crossed my screen. Normally I would have thrown it away since the wing tips were clipped off, but I remembered our photo club had an assigment of "Big" in April, so I thought the size and the outstretched wings made for an interesting interpretation. Maybe even helped it. Go figure. 300mm, 1/1000 sec at f/7.1, handheld; toning and tint added in post.

Old Red

I got to work early on Tuesday to shoot a group photo at Old Red on the campus of The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. I was so early no one was there yet, so while I waited for people to arrive, I took a couple of shots before the sun rose over the hospital, off camera right. This plaza is filled with mid-day light, so working here is a challenge -- either with portraits or architectural shots. You can see the top left roofline just starting to get hit with a little sunlight even at 7:15 am. Three handheld frames merged together with Nik HDR Efex Pro, 18mm at f/6.3.

Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida. Detail shot of one of the turrets at sunset. 62mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec.

Low Tide at Driftwood Beach

Low tide at sunrise, Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, 3/31/12. 48mm, f/14, 3 bracketed exposures merged together with Photomatix Pro 4.2, further enhanced with Nik Color Efex 4.