Tarn In The Rain

Every day I drive by the Tarn on my way to work. I couldn't pass up the rain, fog, wind, and foliage that intersected at the Tarn in Acadia National Park on Friday; I just had to stop. The image is a bit blurry, I was holding the Fuji X100S over my head with my arms extended trying to find the correct angle and protect the lens from water drops. Blurry or not, I still like the shot. 

The Tarn, Acadia National Park, Maine

The Tarn, Acadia National Park, Maine

The raw image from the Fujiflim X100S. 

The Tarn, Acadia National Park, Maine

Applied the VSCO preset FujiFilm Velvia 50- and increased the exposure in Lightroom. 

The Tarn, Acadia National Park, Maine

Then Nik Color Efex Pro using: Tonal Contrast, Sunlight Filter and Detail Extractor.

The Tarn, Acadia National Park, Maine

The foreground grass seems over saturated. In Lightroom toned down the saturation on the foreground grass creating a more natural look.

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/13 sec, ISO 200, 10/18/13, 8:30 AM

Indian Point Autumn

Brenda and I were driving around the other afternoon, looking for autumn trees reflected in water. This was the last day of the Acadia National Park closure, so we were scouting locations outside of the park. We stopped on Indian Point Road, when I spotted this scene to photograph as the light drizzle turned to rain. I'm trying out some new VSCO presets, it sure speeds up my post-processing time.

Indian Point Autumn, Mount Desert, Maine

Indian Point Autumn - Raw

Here's the raw file from the D800. 

Indian Point Autumn after VSCO: Provia 00+

All I did was apply the VSCO preset Provia 100+, boy that was easy!

Indian Point Autumn, Mount Desert, Maine

And finally, the Nik Color Efex Pro (Howie Trio): Tonal Contrast, Skylight Filter, and Detail Extractor. This is a painless workflow. I'm lovin' it!

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 24-20mm @ 56mm, f/10, 1/6 sec, ISO 100, 10/16/13, 1:26 PM

 

Autumn Sunset

Last evening the autumn colors were in the sky! Heidi joined us for a sunset cruise on our boat and we were presented with glowing clouds filled with amazing colors. I only brought my Fuji X100S along, nonetheless a beautiful shot. Folks comb the island this time of year for New England foliage photos and all we have to do is look towards the sky. Here's the final shot:

Autumn Sunset, Mount Desert Island, Maine

Autumn Sunset, Mount Desert Island, Maine

The raw shot from the Fuji: 

Autumn Sunset

In Lightroom:
  - Increased:  Contrast, Vibrance, Saturation
  - Decrease exposure
  - Increased the area with hints of blue sky with the color picker

Autumn Sunset, Mount Desert Island, Maine

In Nik Color Efex Pro I used the trio of Tonal Contrast, Skylight Filter and Detail Extractor for the final image.

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/170 sec, ISO 200, 10/11/13, 6:04 PM

Aurora In The Park

Brenda's friend Gordon posted that he saw the Northern Lights out on Islesboro Island. I checked the Aurora forecast and it was 1 out of 10, so I was playing it down. Brenda knew better; we donned warm clothing and headed out to our favorite north-facing star photography location. We may or may not  have been in the park - just saying.  Enjoy!

Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 24mm, f/2.8, 20 secs, ISO 2000, 10/8/13, 10:26 PM

Sargeant Drive Sunset

Another day of searching outside of Acadia National Park for interesting photographic subjects. This evening we were driving down Sargeant Drive in Northeast Harbor, when I saw this scene coming to life with the crescent moon. I asked Brenda to pull over and we waited about ten minutes for the sunset to light up the clouds. It isn't my best shot of the year, but I enjoy going out and taking pictures on this beautiful island. Do I dare say, 'I'm back shooting with the Nikon'?  

Sargeant Drive, Northeast Harbor, Maine

I'll just mention that I did some post processing using Lightroom, Photoshop and Nik software.

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 34mm, f/10, 1/4 sec, ISO 100, 10/8/13, 6:15 PM