tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211373912024-03-19T05:06:04.487-07:00Reid's PhotographyBlog and Photography by Reid WolcottReidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-80005957569898833592010-11-21T11:20:00.000-08:002010-11-21T11:46:38.725-08:00Chasing The Stars: A Night Photography Tutorial II<h3>Part II – Trip Planning & The Night</h3><br /><b>TRIP PLANNING</b><br />Before you can begin shooting night images you first need to figure out what it is you'd like to capture, as well as when and how to capture it. Since night images use much longer shutter speeds than daytime images there are a few different factors that must be taken into consideration, like clouds, light pollution, and the position of the moon. In this section I will cover some of these factors and how to think about them before you head out.<br /><br /><b>What to shoot?</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4776213026/" title="Address: Tipsoo Lake Viewpoint, Mt. Rainier N.P, WA, USA, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, Universe by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v13/p875314272-3.jpg" alt="Address: Tipsoo Lake Viewpoint, Mt. Rainier N.P, WA, USA, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, Universe" align="right" height="450" width="300" /></a>This is a pretty open question, and there an infinite number of possible answers. My personal favorite things to capture are startrails, clouds, and the milky way. Other possibilities include traffic, amusement park rides, or pretty much anything involving the movement of light.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 255);">Tip: <i>One thing that is very important to keep in mind while shooting night images is that you are capturing <b>light</b> not darkness. For example, if it is really dark out and you shoot a 10 minute exposure and stand in front of the camera for say a minute of it, you probably won't be able to tell you were there. But, if you do the same thing and shine a light on yourself then you will show up bright as day (actually, you'll probably be over exposed).</i></span><br /><br />This tutorial will focus primarily on shooting startrails, but many of the techniques and ideas apply for most night images.<br /><br /><b>Where to shoot?</b><br />Again, this is a question with limitless possibilities. However, there are certainly some areas that are better suited for shooting long exposures. These places include mountains, deserts, and beaches. These locations tend to have less light pollution so you are able to see more stars.<br /><br />When considering locations you must also consider what type of weather you might encounter as well. For instance, beaches almost always have high relative humidity during the night time hours due to the decreasing temperatures and close source of moisture. This can lead to lenses fogging up quickly overnight. (my anti-fog gear will be discussed in another upcoming post). This problem is also common in the mountains where the temperatures drop rapidly overnight. Another common weather issue is incoming clouds when you are trying to shoot startrails. It is very handy to check out your area's satellite imagery and forecast (available from your local <a href="http://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a> office) prior to heading out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4485092655/" title="Moonlit by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s7/v8/p670480166-3.jpg" alt="Moonlit" align="right" height="450" width="300" /></a><b>When to shoot?</b><br />This is very important question that often is forgotten in the planning of a night photography trip. If you know your destination well you can probably find your shooting spot in the dark fairly easily, but if you are headed to a new location it is a good idea to arrive before sunset so you can get a feel for the area and find a good composition (since this is often more difficult to do at night).<br /><br />Another consideration is the moon. I can't tell you how many times in my early days I arrived at a location and started shooting just to find that the moon was rising right through my image or was moving just out of frame but caused some terrible lens flare. It is important to know where the moon is (or will be) relative to what you would like to shoot and to use that light to your advantage. Since the moon is on a regular 4-week(ish) cycle you can plan this part out well in advance. A good resource for moon phase/rise/set times can he found <a href="http://www.sunrisesunset.com/custom_srss_calendar.asp">here</a>. You can also find sunrise/sunset times at that link as well. This is also handy since you'll want to know how long of a window you will have to shoot.<br /><br /><b>How long of a shot?</b><br />This question is strongly dependent on what you'd like to shoot. For traffic images, 30 second is generally plenty long to get nice fluid motion. Clouds tend to require somewhat longer exposures ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on their height and speed (lower clouds usually <i>appear</i> to move faster when viewed from the ground and thus require a shorter exposure). Startrails (either single exposure or stacked exposures) require even longer shots. Although you can start seeing "trails" in a one minute exposure, I generally make it a rule that true startrails require a minimum of 30-45 minutes of exposure time. Most of my current startrail shots range from 1-2 hours, while my longest to date is 5 hours and 37 minutes. It is important to note that shots of 1 hour or longer on most cameras require a battery grip or external power supply.<table align="center"><br /><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4519297863/" title="Lucky Shot by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4519297863_5de8cc942d_m.jpg" alt="Lucky Shot" height="240" width="160" /></a></td><br /><td align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4951561396/" title="SUPER LONG by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s8/v12/p929586146-11.jpg" alt="SUPER LONG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td align="center"><b>32 min.</b></td><br /><td align="center"><b>5 hr. 37 min.</b></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><b>THE NIGHT</b><br /><b>Composition</b><br />Finding a interesting and creative composition tends to be much more difficult at night than during the day. This is because it can be nearly impossible to see through your camera's viewfinder in the dark. I find it helpful to take a few short exposures (30 seconds to one minute) at a high ISO (3200 or higher) in order to dial in my composition. I generally combine this with the test shot procedure I will discuss later in this tutorial.<br /><br />For startrails is it very important to know where Polaris (the North Star) is relative to your camera, and how to place it as a creative element within (or outside of) your image. The stars rotate about an axis centered at (well... very close to) Polaris. If you include Polaris within your frame you will end up with stars that create a circular or elliptical pattern (depending on the distortion of your lens). On the other hand if your camera is facing away from Polaris the stars will be aligned in a more linear pattern.<table align="center"><br /><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4470808094/" title="Park Avenue by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4470808094_08d843caf0_m.jpg" alt="Park Avenue" height="240" width="160" /></a></td><br /><td align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4475488138/" title="Delicate Arch by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4475488138_a53c98e32d_m.jpg" alt="Delicate Arch" height="154" width="240" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td align="center">Facing toward Polaris</td><br /><td align="center">Facing away from Polaris</td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><img src="http://www.themcdonalds.net/richard/astro/writings/images/Polaris-found.jpg" align="right" height="136" width="150" />So how do you find Polaris? Well, there is a nice little <a href="http://www.themcdonalds.net/richard/index.php?title=Finding_Polaris%2C_the_North_Star">webpage</a> that goes over a couple of ways to find it. I find it easiest to find the big dipper and trace a line from the last two stars (in the "cup" part) towards the "handle" of the little dipper. The last star at the end of the handle of the little dipper is Polaris.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4928683048/" title="Heavenly Rain by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v15/p615290218-11.jpg" alt="Heavenly Rain" align="left" height="133" width="200" /></a>Another feature of the night sky to note is that right at the horizon there is usually and area that is brighter. This is due to the scattering of light from the stars, cities, etc. You also won't see stars right at the horizon because of this scattering, so the stars seem to appear from nowhere a couple of degrees above the horizon. This feature is sometimes easy to overexposure and generally doesn't give the best startrails so I wouldn't suggest making it a focal point in an image.<br /><br />Lastly, it's easy to get wrapped up in capturing the night sky, but don't forget the other useful elements of composition (eg. get low, include a foreground, rule of thirds, etc.) just because it's hard to see.<br /><br /><b>Test Shots</b><br />The most useful technique I’ve found for shooting night shots is first finding the proper exposure by taking test shots. I’ve met quite a few photographers who will set up their camera for a long exposure and fire away only to find that they have either under- or overexposed their shot. Taking test shots should be the first thing you do after you find a composition that you like. In general your test shot will be with the aperture wide open (or around f/4) and at a high ISO. I have dedicated C3 on my mode dial as a general starting point for long exposures. The settings I have for this mode are:<ul><li>Shutter Speed: 30 seconds<br /></li><li>Aperture: f/4<br /></li><li>ISO: 1600<br /></li><li>Delay: 2 seconds<br /></li><li>Long exposure noise reduction: OFF</li></ul><br />After taking the first test shot I make adjustments to the ISO as necessary to find the proper exposure. The proper exposure is one that has the correct amount of light you'd like in the finished product but is probably shot at a much higher ISO and much lower shutter speed than you'd like. Make a note of these exposure settings, either in your head or on paper. When you've found the proper exposure, you should delete these test shots if you're worried about space on your memory card.<br /><br /><br />SINGLE LONG EXPOSURES:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4773870371/" title="Yakima Peak by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s10/v18/p954361442-3.jpg" alt="Yakima Peak" align="right" height="450" width="300" /></a>First start with the test shot procedure outlined above. Once you have the proper exposure at a high ISO you are ready to translate this exposure into the actual shot settings. Change your mode dial to the proper mode (Manual or Bulb depending on the camera) and <b>turn on long exposure noise reduction</b> (Remember this will double the total shot time). If you are shooting startrails I would suggest only changing the ISO and keeping the aperture around f/4 in order to pick up the light from the stars while still being reasonably sharp. Otherwise change the aperture to get the desired depth of field and then adjust your ISO to the desired noise level. This leaves shutter speed, here’s where the math comes in and you have to recall the light doubling (or halving) rules.<br /><br />Aperture & ISO: Each move to the right halves the amount of light reaching the sensor. So to keep the same exposure you’d have to double the shutter speed with each step.<ul><li>f/1.4 - f/2 - f/2.8 - f/4 - f/5.6 - f/8 - f/11 - f/16 - f/22<br /></li><li>25600 – 12800 – 6400 – 3200 – 1600 – 800 – 400 – 200 – 100 – 50</li></ul><br />Example:<br />Test shot settings:<ul><li>Shutter speed: 30 seconds<br /></li><li>Aperture: f/4<br /></li><li>ISO: 3200</li></ul><br />If I knew that I wanted to use f/8 and ISO 100 here’s the math:<ul><li>Going from f/4 to f/8 is 2 halvings<br /></li><li>Going from ISO 3200 to 100 is 5 halvings<br /></li><li>I need to double the shutter speed 7 times, starting at 30 seconds I get:<br /></li><li>1min – 2min – 4min – 8min – 16min – 32min – 64min</li></ul><br />So the proper exposure is:<ul><li>Shutter speed: 64 minutes<br /></li><li>Aperture: f/8<br /></li><li>ISO: 100</li></ul><br />Dial in the proper settings (if you have a timer cable release you can actually dial in the exact shutter speed, otherwise check your watch), and fire away!<br /><br /><br />STACKED LONG EXPOSURES:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/5098156556/" title="Hello Trillium Lake by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s10/v18/p861018376-3.jpg" alt="Hello Trillium Lake" align="right" height="450" width="300" /></a>The procedure for stacked long exposures is very similar to single long exposures above. There are a few differences though first of which is to make sure that you have long exposure noise reduction turned off. If you leave this on then there will be gaps between each image and the star trails will look like dashed lines instead of solid lines. Next you will note from above that a lot of the noise from using a higher ISO will be averaged out during the stacking process so feel free to use a higher ISO (up to around ISO 1600 on a Canon 5D Mark II). Keep in mind, however, that doing this will reduce the sharpness and saturation of the overall image. Again I would recommend using an aperture close to f/4 to keep the stars bright and the image reasonably sharp.<br /><br />If you have a cable release (as opposed to a timer shutter release) then you will be limited to stacking 30-second images. Make sure that you change your shooting mode from single shot to continuous, this way when the cable release is locked down it will fire one 30-second shot after another.<br /><br />If you have a timer cable release then you have the freedom to choose the length of each exposure. This is nice for a couple of reasons; you can choose a lower ISO and regain some saturation and sharpness back, and it doesn’t take up as much memory or time during post processing since you will have fewer shots if each shot is longer. One note--I would advise against setting the exposure for too long as the fewer shots you have, the less averaging occurs, so more noise may creep into your image. I usually try to get at least 10 shots to average together.<br />Now you are ready to dial in the proper exposure and fire away!<br /><br /><br /><b>During The Shot</b><br />So you're all set up and ready to fire. There are a couple other things you should think about before you start shooting.<br /><br />Should I set a delay?<br />If you need to cross in front of your camera (especially with a flashlight) after starting, then you'll want to set a delay. You don't want to have this floating light through your shot because you didn't want to stand in the middle of a snow field for 3 hours when your car is only 1000 feet away.<br /><br />Are there lights that could come on during the shot?<br />This is something to watch for if you're shooting with other people. You don't want someone to turn on a flashlight (or their car headlights) in or around your shot. Unless you'd like to spend several hours in Photoshop afterward to get rid of the light. Coordinate!<br /><br />Will it fog up?<br />This is a tricky one. Keeping a lens from fogging up is difficult. I've found that keeping the lens warm helps delay the formation of lens fog. I found that the air activated hand warmers wrapped in a sleeve around my lens works pretty well for moderately cold temperature (above freezing). I still need to find a good solution for colder temperatures.<br /><br />Will I get bored?<br />One reason people often give for not shooting startrails is the amount of patience it requires if you go out alone. I will confess that there have been times where I've been bored out of my mind while waiting for a shot to expose. Then I bought a smartphone, which changed everything. Now when I'm out shooting I can watch Photoshop tutorials on YouTube while I wait! If I'm out of cell range, I can watch movies or listen to music on the phone, and if the battery dies, a magazine is always a good backup. However, the best treatment for boredom is to BRING A FRIEND!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4552123577/" title="Leader of the Pack by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3315/4552123577_e3bbf67f55_m.jpg" onmouseover="this.src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5195928298_c49429cd56_m.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3315/4552123577_e3bbf67f55_m.jpg'" alt="Leader of the Pack" align="right" height="240" width="160" /></a><b>Coming up next in Part III - Post Processing</b><br /><br><br><br><br />RAW Processing - ACR/Lightroom/Aperture/etc.<br />Startails - Stacking & Foreground Replacement<br />Viveza 2 - General Ideas for Night Photography<br />Dfine 2.0 - General Ideas for Night Photography<br /><br /><i>Mouse over to see the unedited image.</i>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-36921660806896805792010-08-29T15:30:00.000-07:002010-08-31T14:01:58.023-07:00Chasing The Stars: A Night Photography Tutorial I<h3>Part I – Introduction & Tools</h3><br /><b>INTRODUCTION</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4829579950/" title="Crowning Jewel by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s8/v11/p632333773-2.jpg" alt="Crowning Jewel" align="right" height="258" width="400" /></a>I believe that night photography is one of the best ways to learn about photography. There are many reasons for this. One of the most important is that it forces you to learn the mathematical relationships between exposure variables (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO). These relationships are become ingrained in your mind and are eventually transferred to other types of photography. Knowing how to manipulate these variables to create the perfect exposure for a situation is one of the keys to photography. Night photography also requires that you know how to operate your camera in the dark. You should be able to change modes, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focus mode, etc. all by touch. Finally, since night photography with digital techniques is still in its relative infancy, it is still very exciting to see your results. You will rarely find people with the same images which encourages you to take more!<br /><br />In this three part series I will cover some of the basic concepts and techniques of night photography. This will include everything from gathering the necessary tools for a shoot, to taking images at night, to post-processing the images. I will also discuss some frequently asked questions such as:<ul><li>When do I use a single exposure versus stacked exposures?<br /></li><li>How do I find the right exposure?<br /></li><li>How do I create the circular star effect?</li></ul><br /><b>SINGLE EXPOSURES VS. STACKED EXPOSURES</b><br />The question I receive most often is, "How do you decide when to use a single long exposure and when to use stacked long exposures?" First we need to know what the differences are. A single long exposure is exactly what it sounds like, just a standard exposure with a shutter speed measured in minutes (or hours). Whereas a stacked image is one where many long exposures (say, 30 seconds - 10 minutes each) are stacked together with software to create a single image. These two methods can give you very different results and both have associated pros and cons.<br /><br /><b>Single Exposures</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4729264989/" title="Mukilteo Magic by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s8/v12/p999336560-3.jpg" alt="Mukilteo Magic" align="right" height="450" width="300" /></a>Single long exposures have been the standard in night photography since the days of film. It simply requires a shutter (cable) release and some patience.<br /><br /><i>Advantages over stacked exposures:</i><ul><li>You can get a properly exposed image with very little ambient light without using a high ISO value<br /></li><li>Great for cloud motion images<br /></li><li>Takes up little space on a memory card<br /></li><li>Fast post-processing</li></ul><i>Disadvantages:</i><ul><li>Will overexpose quickly with too much ambient light (e.g. cities, full moon, dusk/dawn, etc.)<br /></li><li>More <i>long exposure noise</i> to be subtracted from image (can severely detract from image for shutter speeds greater than 2 hours)<br /></li><li>Total time for exposure is two times the shutter speed with long exposure noise reduction on (a must for shutter speeds over 30 seconds)<br /></li><li>Eats battery life. You risk losing the image if the battery dies in the middle of processing</li></ul><br clear=all><br /><b>Stacked Exposures</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4829625270/" title="Lone Giant by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v13/p903686795-3.jpg" alt="Lone Giant" align="right" height="450" width="300" /></a>Stacked exposures are relatively new with the advent of digital photography. They require special software to stack several exposures together to create a composite image.<br /><br /><i>Advantages over single exposures:</i><ul><li>Great for startrails when there is moderate to bright ambient light (e.g. cites, full moon, dusk/dawn, etc.)<br /></li><li>No long exposure noise reduction is necessary<br /></li><li>You can use a higher ISO value since <i>ISO noise</i> and <i>long exposure noise</i> will be averaged out in the resulting image<br /></li><li>Easier on battery life. You can just shoot until the battery dies or until you're out of memory</li></ul><i>Disadvantages</i><ul><li>Typically doesn't handle clouds well<br /></li><li>Takes up a lot of memory card space<br /></li><li>Takes much longer and is more work during post-processing since the images must be stacked (computers with a lot of memory are very helpful here)<br /></li><li>Really only useful for startrails<br /></li></ul><br /><b>TOOLS</b><br />This tutorial is written for dSLR users, but almost all cameras have the capacity to take night photographs in one form or another. Here we will discuss certain tools that will make life much easier.<br /><br /><b>Cameras</b><br />Most dSLR's will work for night photography. Newer cameras though, generally have better noise properties and built-in noise reduction than older ones. It is important that you know how to access and change the settings in your camera by touch or memory. These settings include: shooting mode, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and long exposure noise reduction. Furthermore, you should also learn where the cable (shutter) release port is and how to plug this in by feel (not a trivial matter on some cameras).<br /><br /><b>Lenses</b><br />Choosing a lens for shooting night images is really a personal choice dependent on the composition you want. I generally like shooting wide angle (12mm - 24mm on a full frame camera) images to get more sky. You should know how to switch your lens from auto focus to manual focus and how to turn image stabilization on and off. Finally, since the goal of many night images it to capture what little light is available, having a wide maximum aperture (f/4 or wider) is very helpful as it reduces the need to use a higher ISO.<br /><br /><b>Other Gear</b><br />Other necessary pieces gear for night photography include:<ul><li>Sturdy tripod<br /></li><li>Cable (shutter) release (with timer, interval, delay settings if possible)<br /></li><li>Battery grip<br /></li><li>Extra (fully charged) batteries<br /></li><li>Calculator (if you don't like doing math in your head)<br /></li><li>Warm clothes (it gets cold at night)<br /></li><li>Headlamp/flashlight</li></ul>I use a timer release since it allows me to program the delay, number of shots, interval between shots, and any shutter speed I want. Without a timer you are forced to use either the longest built-in shutter speed (usually 30 seconds) or time the exposures manually (which means you have to babysit the camera).<br /><br /><b>Applications</b><br />There are a lot of software choices out there for processing digital images. The basic necessities include a RAW converter such as Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) and image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop (PS). Additionally, several vendors sell plug-ins for these programs which can enhance your editing capabilities. I really like Nik Software's Viveza 2 (global and selective editing) and Dfine 2.0 (noise reduction).<br /><br />In order to stack images some special software is required. If you already own Adobe Photoshop there is action that you can download (<a href="http://www.schursastrophotography.com/software/photoshop/startrails.html">here</a>) that will allow you to simple stack all the images in a folder. Otherwise, if you are a Windows user there is the <a href="http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html">Startrails program</a> which can be used. I have never found another option for Mac users.<br /><br />Finally, there are hundreds of other small tools out there to enhance your photographic experience, including applications for your smartphones. I've written an Android application that allows you to calculate equivalent exposures, which as we will see in Part II, is an essential part of finding the proper night exposure. To check it out search for "Exposure Calculator" (by RAWapps) in the Android Market.<br /><br /><b>Coming up next in Part II - Trip Planning & The Night</b><br />Trip Planning - What, Where, When, & How Long?<br />Composition - Polaris, Stars, & Foreground<br />Test Shots - Default Settings (custom settings)<br />ISO & Aperture Considerations<br />The Shot - What to do?Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-76713996202501125052010-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:002010-07-31T09:10:41.459-07:00Coming Soon!<h3>Chasing The Stars: A Night Photography Tutorial</h3><br /><b>Part I - Introduction & Tools</b><br />Introduction - My Philosphy<br />Single Exposures vs. Stacked - When, Why?<br />Tools - Cameras, Lenses, Gear, & Applications<br /><br /><b>Part II - Trip Planning & The Night</b><br />Trip Planning - What, Where, When, & How Long?<br />Composition - Polaris, Stars, & Foreground<br />Test Shots - Default Settings (custom settings)<br />ISO & Aperture Considerations<br />The Shot - What to do?<br /><br /><b>Part III - Post Processing</b><br />RAW Processing - ACR/Lightroom/Aperture/etc.<br />Startails - Stacking & Foreground Replacement<br />Viveza 2 - General Ideas for Night Photography<br />Dfine 2.0 - General Ideas for Night Photography<br /><br /><br />Please let me know if there are any specific aspects of night photography that you'd like to hear about that I may have missed here!<br /><br />Cheers!Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-86778515376490119632010-07-28T23:20:00.000-07:002010-07-28T23:37:28.887-07:00Feedback?I haven't forgotten! I'm just busy right now...<br /><br />I would like to get some feedback from some photographers on what they'd like to see here. Here are some ideas on possible posts in the near future:<ul><br /><li>How night photography (noctography as I like to call it) helps you learn faster<br /><li>Multi-part tutorial series on night photography (noctography). From gear, to shooting, to general post-processing<br /><li>Tutorial on using Viveza 2<br /><li>A "What's in my bag?" post discussing my gear and the reasoning (or lack thereof) behind having it<br /><li>Review of the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM<br /><li>Multi-part series on how to use weather tools to catch the right scene</ul><br />Of course there are many other possibilities and at some point I'll probably hit all of these topics, but for now I'd like to know what YOU want to read about!<br /><br />Cheers for now!<br /><br /><b>Crowning Jewel</b> - from my most recent photography outing<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4829579950/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4829579950_435a7a783b_z.jpg"></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-61512275586248097342010-07-23T10:22:00.000-07:002010-07-23T10:29:50.395-07:00Back by popular demand!It's been forever since I've blogged and I've had a lot of great learning experiences in the past few months that I'd like to share. In the coming weeks/months I hope to post several new reviews, tutorials, and trip logs.<br /><br />In the meantime, if you live in the Pacific Northwest and are on Facebook I would encourage you to stop by our new photography group <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128666123830982">PNW Photography</a>. We are constantly planning photography outings and trips, and the more the merrier!<br /><br />Stay tuned!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4740771552/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4740771552_477766146d_z.jpg"></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-81185314404163755442010-02-25T23:04:00.000-08:002010-02-25T23:27:49.240-08:00Making a Photograph using Adobe Camera Raw and Viveza 2Photography is much more than taking the shot these day with the advancement of digital camera and post processing software. I want to show you how you can transform a seemingly useless shot into something great using Adobe Photoshop CS4's Camera Raw (ACR) and <a href="http://www.niksoftware.com">Nik Software's</a> Viveza 2 plug-in.<br /><br />First we'll start with our photograph straight out of the camera.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4388606493_029aa9909b.jpg" alt="_MG_8300 copy_SOOC.jpg" height="333" width="500" /><br /><br />As you can tell this is a very high contrast scene with potentially a lot of detail in the highlights. When I took this shot I was very careful not to overexpose the highlights because that is where much of the interest in the image lies. You can view this on most dSLR's by enabling the histogram view when you're in playback mode. The shadow regions are indicated on the left while the highlights are on the right. You can see the histogram for this photograph as shot in the first panel below.<br /><br />Here we have screen shots from the sidebar in ACR. The panel on the left shows where the sliders are by default under the first tab (which is where 90% of your adjustments will happen). The right panel shows the same sliders with the adjustments I made. Some of these changes are made to even out the image, for instance increasing the <em>Recovery</em> brings out some detail in the highlights, increasing <em>Fill Light</em> increases the detail and brightness in shadowed regions. I also warmed up the image by moving the <em>Temperature</em> slider to the right (this image was taken shortly before sunset). Finally I increased the <em>Clarity</em> and <em>Vibrance</em> to give the image a little more <b>pop</b>.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4389374370_b7766fd460.jpg" alt="before.png" height="500" width="223" /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4389374306_580afc4b6c.jpg" alt="after.png" height="500" width="217" /><br /><br />Next we have the sliders from the second tab. Again before is shown in the left panel. Here I have increased the contrast between the highlights and the lights enhancing the appearance of the clouds. I've also increase the brightness of the darks to bring out a bit more detail in the shadows.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4388606363_3272db4316.jpg" width="220" height="500" alt="before2.png" /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4388606283_dc045528b0.jpg" width="221" height="500" alt="after2.png" /><br /><br />Saturation Tab - giving the sky and grass a little boost.<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4389374408_850eecb22d.jpg" width="253" height="500" alt="beforesat.png" /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4388606321_a2b738810e.jpg" width="254" height="500" alt="aftersat.png" /><br /><br />Luminance Tab - reducing the luminance of the blues really helps to bring out a nice rich blue sky that can sometimes make the image look as if a polarizing filter was used.<br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4389374392_f65fd97487.jpg" width="257" height="500" alt="beforelum.png" /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4389374328_7a2653fa84.jpg" width="256" height="500" alt="afterlum.png" /><br /><br />Here is the result of these edits in ACR.<br /><em>Mouse over the image to see the unedited image.</em><br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4389339188_5037e8dd99.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="_MG_8300 copy_ACR.jpg" onmouseover="this.src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4388606493_029aa9909b.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4389339188_5037e8dd99.jpg'"/><br /><br />Now we'll open this image in Viveza 2. Here I applied a slight <em>structure</em> and <em>warmth</em> enhancement to the entire image. I then added a control point in the sky and further enhanced the <em>structure</em> in the sky. I added a second control point near the door and enhanced the <em>brightness</em>. A third control point was placed in the grass where I also increased the <em>brightness</em>. A final control point was placed in the lower right region of bright cloud where I reduced the <em>brightness</em> slightly so it did not over power the image.<br /><br />These type of selective edits are very quick and easy in Viveza 2. The same could be done with layer masks in Photoshop but <b>much</b> more time, effort and patience would have been required. I highly recommend trying the free 14-day trial version of Viveza 2 if you are using Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture.<br /><br />Here is the result of these edits in Viveza 2.<br /><em>Mouse over the image to see the imported image.</em><br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2759/4387029962_cd0275702c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="School of Music" onmouseover="this.src='http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4389339188_5037e8dd99.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2759/4387029962_cd0275702c.jpg'"/><br /><br />Just for final comparison here is final result compared with the initial image.<br /><em>Mouse over the image to see the unedited image.</em><br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2759/4387029962_cd0275702c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="School of Music" onmouseover="this.src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4388606493_029aa9909b.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2759/4387029962_cd0275702c.jpg'"/>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-72583480254436934922010-02-21T11:55:00.000-08:002010-02-21T12:19:41.877-08:00Mukilteo LighthouseI really had an itch to get out last night and shoot a startrails image because it had been quite some time. I decided that the Mukilteo Lighthouse was a good candidate. I was very pleased with the results. The image is made up of 20 exposures with the following characteristics:<br />Canon 5D<br />Sigma 12-24 @ 12mm<br />3.5 min., f/4.5, ISO 50<br /><br /><em>Mouse over image to see a single unedited photo</em><br /><br /><b>Mukilteo Lighthouse Startrails</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4375365554/" title="Mukilteo Lighthouse Startrails by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4375365554_56c8045504.jpg" onmouseover="this.src='http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/4376934982_25a40c7040.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4375365554_56c8045504.jpg'" width="333" height="500" alt="Mukilteo Lighthouse Startrails" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-23930115281517911832010-02-21T11:42:00.001-08:002010-02-21T12:02:29.380-08:00New FlashesA couple weeks ago I picked up to used Vivitar 285hv flashes and have had a great time experimenting with them. Many of my latest photos have employed the use of them including one of my new favorite photos. Melissa got her hair trimmed and dyed a few days ago and wanted some photos taken, I took that as an opportunity to also use the flashes in a creative way. This photo uses just one 285hv pointed at the wall behind a white sheet to get a nice silhouette.<br /><br /><em>Move you mouse over the image to see the unedited image.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4367416222/" title="Rockstar I by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4367416222_5e7c8dcc79.jpg" onmouseover="this.src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4376892436_1f6924d9d4.jpg'" onmouseout="this.src='http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4367416222_5e7c8dcc79.jpg'" width="333" height="500" alt="Rockstar I" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-18882657306272406272010-01-05T10:05:00.000-08:002010-01-05T10:13:15.248-08:00Aimless DrivingIt was rainy/misty, cloudy and chilly last night but I decided to go out anyway and try to capture SOMETHING. I drove around for a bit until I ended up at the Space Needle where the lights on the Needle illuminated the passing clouds very nicely. I only had one shot to get this before my lens was speckled with mist.<br /><br /><b>Light in the Clouds</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4247491390/" title="Light in the Clouds by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2522/4247491390_3941b14e12.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Light in the Clouds" /></a><br /><br />I left the Space Needle and drove around downtown more until I came across the Seattle Public Library. It's a gem of a building, and at night it actually looks like a gem.<br /><br /><b>Seattle Public Library</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4246717577/" title="Seattle Public Library by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4246717577_d5cc684374.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Seattle Public Library" /></a><br /><br /><b>SPL Structure</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4247491476/" title="SPL Structure by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4247491476_00d8610acb.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="SPL Structure" /></a><br /><br />I finished the night off by heading to Pike Place Market, which is really quite cool looking at night.<br /><br /><b>Pike Place, After Hours</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4246716973/" title="Pike Place, After Hours by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2488/4246716973_797b6c0232.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Pike Place, After Hours" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-20715228207803230642010-01-03T21:24:00.000-08:002010-01-03T21:38:17.064-08:00Happy New YearYesterday I received my Sigma 12-24mm lens to pair with my 5D. So last night I met up with Kelly, Ed and Tommy at Gasworks Park for some night photography. This lens is SO WIDE!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4239437303/" title="_MG_7102.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2542/4239437303_db962aafe4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="_MG_7102.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4240210962/" title="_MG_7099.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4240210962_fa53580eb4.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="_MG_7099.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Afterward I went over to Log Boom Park and took a couple shots.<br /><br /><b>Steely Night</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4239437479/" title="Steely Night by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2740/4239437479_c3fed1afab.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Steely Night" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4240211182/" title="_MG_7105.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/4240211182_cb82596836.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="_MG_7105.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Today I went over to Kubota Garden south of Seattle, I had never been there. It was very nice, but it'll be great during the spring and summer.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4243393478/" title="Moon Bridge by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4243393478_9d26902c30.jpg" width="500" height="294" alt="Moon Bridge" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4242594767/" title="Kubota Garden by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4242594767_20b131544d.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Kubota Garden" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-32122658853534379722009-12-28T16:45:00.000-08:002009-12-28T16:50:24.935-08:00I love Seattle!I went to the Jose Rizal Bridge last night just after sunset. I met another photographer, Raj, there and we walked down and through a hole in the fence that separates the dog park and the freeway so we could get a closer and slightly different view from this wonderful location.<br /><br />This is the last image taken with my buddy's 5D, now I am just waiting to sell my 40D and 17-55mm lens so I can get myself a new camera!<br /><br /><b>Dusk</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4220950070/" title="Dusk by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/4220950070_866729d52c.jpg" width="500" height="322" alt="Dusk" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-57773512930733143972009-12-27T15:27:00.001-08:002009-12-27T15:45:34.544-08:00Above the Inversion at the Newcastle Golf ClubOn Christmas Eve I got up at about 5am so I could drive out to North Bend and hike up to the top of Rattlesnake Ledge because there was a nice temperature inversion. If there is enough low-level moisture, this is often a recipe for a low layer of clouds and fog. <a href="http://reidsphotos.blogspot.com/2009/01/above-inversion.html">Last January</a> some friends and I hike up Rattlesnake Ledge and were treated to a spectacular sunset above the inversion.<br /><br />This year I was hoping to catch sunrise. However the inversion layer was much shallower than I thought and it only extended east to Issaquah. So I drove around the Sammamish Plateau and then Cougar Mountain trying to find someplace at the right altitude with a view. I was about ready to give up when I found the Newcastle Golf Club. This place has a SPECTACULAR view! I really don't know if I was supposed to be there (there was a sign that said golfers only where I was shooting) but the grounds keeper didn't ask me to leave (in fact he asked for my business card, which I had).<br /><br />I was also shooting with my buddy's Canon 5D, he let me borrow it since I am in the process of moving to a full frame camera.<br /><br />You can see (and order) them all <a href="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/p690324345">here</a>. Here are a select few:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4211849690/" title="Mixing Out by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4211849690_0d0d40472f.jpg" width="500" height="289" alt="Mixing Out" /></a><br /><a href="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/p690324345/h3385f6aa#h29c08168">View Larger</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4211085087/" title="Sunrise Above the Inversion by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4211085087_022d8bd195.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Sunrise Above the Inversion" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4211848898/" title="Above the Inversion by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/4211848898_97f562d588.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Above the Inversion" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4211085445/" title="Newcastle Golf Club by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/4211085445_68fc9e5146.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Newcastle Golf Club" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4211084885/" title="Slanted Cloud Deck by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4211084885_70a72d0bab.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Slanted Cloud Deck" /></a><br /><br />And in this image you can see some nice Kelvin-Helmhotz waves!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/4211084973/" title="Kelvin-Helmhotz Waves at the Inversion by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/4211084973_b68d019f54.jpg" width="500" height="272" alt="Kelvin-Helmhotz Waves at the Inversion" /></a><br /><a href="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com/p690324345/h3385f6aa#h3385f6aa">View Larger.</a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-79018589052118608452009-12-05T01:22:00.000-08:002009-12-07T14:08:06.301-08:00Zenfolio Site (for ordering images) Launched!I've created a Zenfolio site where people can now order both prints and framed art from! It is set up so that you can order a print (or framed art) in the size that you want and it will be printed by <a href="http://www.mpix.com">Mpix</a> (one of the highest quality online photographic printing companies) and they will ship it to your door! <br /><br />As time goes on, the site will be updated with some of my more recent photos while older ones will come down so it won't get too cluttered.<br /><br />It is also now linked with a slightly updated <a href="http://www.reidwolcott.com">reidwolcott.com</a>.<br /><br />Just in time for the holidays too! Happy shopping at <a href="http://reidwolcott.zenfolio.com">reidwolcott.zenfolio.com</a>!Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-82127725119184014972009-08-12T15:44:00.000-07:002009-08-12T15:51:03.818-07:00The Beauty of CloudsWhat can I say, I love clouds. These three images we taken yesterday evening. The first is a 128 second exposure at the Mulikteo Lighthouse, the second is a 122 second exposure from Log Boom Park and the last is from Kerry Park on Queen Anne. I drove all over the place yesterday!<br /><br />"Brush Strokes"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3813391545/" title="Brush Strokes by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2534/3813391545_5c169626fb.jpg" alt="Brush Strokes" height="500" width="333" /></a><br /><br />"Calm Waters"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3814368578/" title="Calm Waters - Take #2 by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2485/3814368578_e1eef01db8.jpg" alt="Calm Waters - Take #2" height="500" width="333" /></a><br /><br />"Hint of Blue"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3813391633/" title="Hint of Blue by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3504/3813391633_34e7acf91c.jpg" alt="Hint of Blue" height="333" width="500" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-39829845730623533902009-08-10T20:53:00.000-07:002009-08-10T21:23:05.053-07:00Before & After Post-ProcessingI have had a couple requests for some before & after post-processing images. Here are some particularly drastic examples from this weekend.<br /><br />Feel free to ask questions in the comments section!<br /><br /><b><i>Dynamic Range</i></b><br />All of these shots were taken just after noon so the sun was almost directly overhead, this is usually the worst time to take photographs. It causes a HUGE dynamic range that cameras just cannot resolve. When working in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) I use the fill light slider to bring back some detail in the shadows and the recovery slider to recover some of the details in the highlights.<br /><br /><b><i>White Balance</i></b><br />Another adjustment made was warming the white balance a bit to get rid of the blues in the shadows, this has the added benefit of warming the highlights too, making it appear as though the photo was taken later in the evening.<br /><br /><b><i>Enhancing the Sky</i></b><br />One trick I learned recently was how to make the sky pop! The trick is to reduce the luminosity and increase the saturation of the blues. This will darken the sky if it is a little overexposed. Note: this will not work if the sky is completely blown out (overexposed).<br /><br /><b><i>Enhancing the Waterfall</i></b><br />In order to bring out the waterfall a little I opened the image up in Photoshop CS4 and used the dodge tool set to highlights (at around 10%) and drew over the top of the falls.<br /><br /><b><i>Vignetting</i></b><br />Another option I've been toying with lately is adding vignetting to my photographs. It is very easy to over-do this option so be careful here.<br /><br />"The View From Above"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3809754143/" title="_MG_2133 ORIGINAL by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2547/3809754143_a6c0faeafc.jpg" alt="_MG_2133 ORIGINAL" height="500" width="333" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3807075732/" title="The View From Above by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2583/3807075732_59b6fca313.jpg" alt="The View From Above" height="500" width="333" /></a><br /><br />"Through the Nooks and Crannies"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3810568648/" title="_MG_2164 ORIGINAL by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2649/3810568648_c7a767a1a7.jpg" alt="_MG_2164 ORIGINAL" height="500" width="333" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3806259613/" title="Through the Nooks and Crannies by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2485/3806259613_31b349165d.jpg" alt="Through the Nooks and Crannies" height="500" width="333" /></a><br /><br />"End of the Trail"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3809753667/" title="_MG_2191 ORIGINAL by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3456/3809753667_86e89ab2fe.jpg" alt="_MG_2191 ORIGINAL" height="500" width="333" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3807077236/" title="End of the Trail by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/3807077236_d4d37c7a6d.jpg" alt="End of the Trail" height="500" width="333" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-70310899381445879672009-08-03T19:41:00.000-07:002010-07-29T22:04:41.020-07:00Blue Angels at Seafair 2009Some shots from this weekends Blue Angels demonstrations. Thursday I shot them from Genesee Park, Friday from the roof of the Atmos Building and Saturday from the I-90 floating bridge. You can see them all <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/sets/72157621776979977/detail/">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3774521660/" title="_MG_1565.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/3774521660_c9b6488a6e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="_MG_1565.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3774521486/" title="_MG_1564.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3583/3774521486_0bff045521.jpg" width="500" height="453" alt="_MG_1564.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3780401076/" title="_MG_1744.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2577/3780401076_4d2cdb9084.jpg" width="261" height="500" alt="_MG_1744.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3780402366/" title="_MG_2098.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2500/3780402366_2937e22f03.jpg" width="500" height="239" alt="_MG_2098.jpg" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-57215128225926227702009-07-25T23:19:00.000-07:002009-07-25T23:22:46.603-07:00Passing ShowersI was hoping there would be some great thunderstorm action here today but I only saw one strike... On my way down to SeaTac (to pick up Melissa from a BBQ) I stopped at the Jose Rizal Bridge and took this image of the showers approaching Seattle.<br /><br />"Passing Showers"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3756488837/" title="Passing Showers by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3756488837_2302bfe84d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Passing Showers" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-84622501250662841592009-07-24T23:06:00.000-07:002009-07-24T23:12:12.572-07:00Richmond Beach Saltwater ParkThis evening I drove out to Richmond Beach Saltwater Park to see if there were any noctilucent clouds (the answer was no). I don't believe I've ever taken photos here before. It's not too far from our place and it has a beautiful overlook of the Puget Sound. I'll have to head out there more often. I came away with these photographs.<br /><br />"Swirling Mass"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3753645069/" title="Swirling Mass by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/3753645069_b04a37cf25.jpg" width="500" height="287" alt="Swirling Mass" /></a><br /><br />"Moonset through the Rainfall"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3753645037/" title="Moonset through the Rainfall by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3753645037_d652414920.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Moonset through the Rainfall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3753644987/" title="_MG_0808.jpg by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/3753644987_80bb2eabdc.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="_MG_0808.jpg" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-91686402716754341192009-07-24T00:04:00.000-07:002009-07-24T00:12:58.764-07:00Noctilucent Clouds (Round 2)Around 9:45 this evening I received multiple phone calls from friends that there were noctilucent clouds (NLC's) out over Seattle. I quickly ran outside to see how interesting they were and was blow away at how bright and structured they were. I quickly grabbed my camera, coat and flip-flops and drove over to Log Boom Park. When I arrived I was amazed at how much brighter they were than <a href="http://reidsphotos.blogspot.com/2009/07/noctilucent-or-polar-mesospheric-clouds.html">last weeks NLC's</a>. Below are the photographs that I took, you can also view the whole <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/sets/72157621454052211/detail/">NLC set on flickr</a>.<br /><br />"Good vs. Evil"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3751717282/" title="Good vs. Evil by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/3751717282_ed881abf69.jpg" width="500" height="247" alt="Good vs. Evil" /></a><br /><br />"Path to the Heavens"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3751717230/" title="Path to the Heavens by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/3751717230_71da8021de.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Path to the Heavens"/></a><br /><br />"Striking a Pose"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3750926287/" title="Striking a Pose by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3750926287_ff26b64b07.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Striking a Pose" /></a><br /><br />"Fading into the Night"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3751717124/" title="Fading into the Night by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3505/3751717124_78d38ac552.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Fading into the Night" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-57990901331754668342009-07-23T01:48:00.000-07:002009-07-23T01:54:55.319-07:00Log Boom TrailsI went to Golden Gardens again this evening with some friends and on the way home I decided that yesterday's startrails image didn't satisfy me. So I drove out to Log Boom Park and set up this 103 exposure image. It doesn't have the dynamic tree that the last one did but there aren't a ton of planes either...<br /><br />"Log Boom Trails"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3748181753/" title="Log Boom Trails by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/3748181753_6eabd4657f.jpg" width="318" height="500" alt="Log Boom Trails" /></a><br /><br />Each exposure has these attributes:<br />Shutter Speed: 30 seconds<br />Aperture: f/4<br />ISO: 640<br />Focal Length: 10mmReidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-6712253242529024032009-07-22T12:19:00.000-07:002009-07-22T12:26:55.459-07:00Magnolia ExpresswayYesterday, Rahul and I drove to the bluff in Magnolia overlooking the Puget Sound a place I haven't been to recently. While my camera was working on this image I helped Rahul learn how to take night shots with his Olympus EVOLT E-510.<br /><br />"Magnolia Expressway"<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3745776800/" title="Magnolia Expressway by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/3745776800_9266e35dac.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Magnolia Expressway" /></a><br /><br />This is a startrails image made up of 143 exposures. I knew there would be a couple planes in this image but there are WAY to many....<br /><br />Each exposure has these attributes:<br />Shutter Speed: 30 seconds<br />Aperture: f/4<br />ISO: 640<br />Focal Length: 10mmReidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-55174487234926756702009-07-17T02:07:00.000-07:002009-07-24T00:18:09.632-07:00Noctilucent or Polar Mesospheric CloudsExtremely rare <span style="font-style:italic;">noctilucent</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">polar mesospheric clouds</span> were visible in the PNW Tuesday and Wednesday this week! These clouds are usually not visible south of 50 degrees north but recently have been seen as far south as Nebraska. These clouds form in the mesosphere about 50 miles above the earths surface in the Northern Hemisphere summer when the mesosphere is the coldest (yes that's right, coldest). The can only be seen after the sun has set (usually about an hour into twilight) when the sun is illuminating them from below (because they are so far above the earth's surface they still receive sunlight).<br /><br />The first sighting of these clouds was in 1885 and there is no evidence to suggest they may have been around before then, so this is a relatively new atmospheric phenomena that is not well understood. Some believe that it is tied with global warming as they have become more are more frequent over time and have moved further south. Whatever the cause, they are beautiful and make for <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/sets/72157621454052211/detail/">great photographs</a>!<br /><br />UPDATE 7/23/2009: More noctilucent clouds (NLC's) formed today that were even brighter! <a href="http://reidsphotos.blogspot.com/2009/07/noctilucent-clouds-round-2.html">Click here</a> to see them.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3728380978/" title="Noctilucent Clouds by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2589/3728380978_0b712621a7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Noctilucent Clouds" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3728380434/" title="Noctilucent Clouds by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2510/3728380434_0bdfa5dac7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Noctilucent Clouds" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3727579817/" title="Noctilucent Clouds by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3727579817_956a230491.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Noctilucent Clouds" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-50245388994681626132009-07-09T15:56:00.000-07:002009-07-24T23:47:43.331-07:00One Fine Day<span style="font-weight:bold;">"One Fine Day"</span><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3705694716/" title="One Fine Day by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2577/3705694716_200aa87788.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="One Fine Day" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-85339870331537441312009-06-29T17:29:00.000-07:002009-06-29T17:30:00.631-07:00"An Eerie Night"95 Second exposure taken from Log Boom Park.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3649330409/" title="An Eerie Night by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3649330409_bd11c39d41.jpg" width="500" height="181" alt="An Eerie Night" /></a>Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21137391.post-18675005106226052822009-06-05T00:07:00.000-07:002009-06-05T17:30:39.256-07:00Marine Push!Update: Scott Sistek from Komo 4 News has posted a weather blog about the push. It has my photo as well as a link to my flickr set. <a href="http://www.komonews.com/weather/blog/47030847.html">http://www.komonews.com/weather/blog/47030847.html<br /></a><br />Update: the photo I took during the most intense part of the push is currently the front page photo on <a href="http://www.komonews.com/">http://www.komonews.com/</a>!<br /><br />Tuesday: 88 degrees.<br />Wednesday: 89 degrees.<br />Thursday: 91 degrees.<br /><br />This is JUNE for cryin' out loud! Well we FINALLY got some relief today around 9:00pm when a VERY strong marine push blew through.<br /><br />My friend Don sent me a text at 8:50 this evening asking me if I was outside. He said that the sky was on fire and the winds had just come up quickly. I knew there was some very strong convection down in northern Oregon today so my first though was a very strong gust front. Turns out it was an extremely strong marine push coming from the ocean! I looked at the radar and sure enough there was a strong signal of very strong winds that indicated it was almost here. I quickly threw my camera stuff together and went over to Log Boom Park at the northern tip of Lake Washington. I got there just in time to see the very end of the gorgeous sunset!<br /><br /><b>9:01pm</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3596701003/" title="9:01pm Gorgeous Sunset Before The Push by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3596701003_5dc4535324.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9:01pm Gorgeous Sunset Before The Push" /></a><br /><br />I then turned my attention to the push that was almost there. It was fairly obvious where it was by looking at both the clouds and the surface of the water. <br /><br /><b>9:05pm</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3596701085/" title="9:05pm Before The Push by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/3596701085_10f94acd9f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9:05pm Before The Push" /></a><br /><br />I ran down to the end of the pier and set up my camera just as the wind started to pick up. Here you can see the surface of the water is starting to get a little rough as the winds pick up ahead of the push.<br /><br /><b>9:10pm</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3596701169/" title="9:10pm The Push Arrives by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3336/3596701169_807ab0f73c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9:10pm The Push Arrives" /></a><br /><br />Then it hit within about 30 seconds. The winds gusted up to over 50 knots and made it very hard to stand, let alone take photos! Below is a 1 second exposure I took during the most intense part. I am holding on the the tripod and camera as best as possible to keep it from shaking!<br /><br /><b>9:13</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3596701235/" title="9:13pm The Strongest Part! by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2428/3596701235_bca437f89b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9:13pm The Strongest Part!" /></a><br /><br />Then as the winds settled a bit (down to 20-30 knots) the enhanced bands of clouds rolled overhead<br /><br /><b>9:18pm</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3597508636/" title="9:18pm Enhanced Clouds Move Overhead by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/3597508636_a4c337bc4d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9:18pm Enhanced Clouds Move Overhead" /></a><br /><br /><b>9:18pm</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3596701489/" title="9:18pm Enhanced Clouds Move Overhead by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3366/3596701489_11a9721d4d.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="9:18pm Enhanced Clouds Move Overhead" /></a><br /><br />After about 5 more minutes the winds settled to 15-20kts where they stayed for awhile. This is the last shot in the series showing the enhanced band moving north.<br /><br /><b>9:23pm</b><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidsphotography/3596701589/" title="9:23pm Push Has Passed by Reid Wolcott, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/3596701589_fa21f21a69.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="9:23pm Push Has Passed" /></a><br /><br />I packed up and left. I have NEVER been on such a photographic AND meteorological high at the same time. It was a meteorologists/photographers dream!Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08773884309896627333noreply@blogger.com2