Sunset Lobstermen

While standing on the Bar Harbor Pier shooting sunset, a lobster boat pulls up and starts hauling their traps off the boat and on to a trailer. I imagine their season is winding down. All of the sudden, the framing, the lighting and the action came together and I started focusing on them, rather than the landscape/sunset. There's so many clichés about photography that happened with this image: being at the right place at the right time, lighting is everything, you have to go out shooting to get pictures ... It was cold and windy (22° F and 15 mph) and there I was snapping away.

About the lighting, the sun was setting - however the golden light on the subject was from the boat deck below him (thought it looks like sunset lighting). Here's my shot with some post-processing steps below.

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

Raw image:

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

A small crop from the upper-right in Lightroom. Ran through Nik Define, due to the higher ISO. In Nik Color Efex Pro: added Tonal Contrast and Skylight Filter.

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

In Nik Veviza: adjusted the sky for a richer blue color.

Sunset Lobstermen, Pier, Bar Harbor, ME

In Lightroom, toned down the gold areas of the machinery (so they would not compete with the lobsterman's face), toned down the brightness on the sliver clip on the right wooden pole and add a slight vignette. I also ran through Nik Sharpener Pro.

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 24-70mm @ 42mm, f/5.6, 1/2 sec, ISO 250, 12/7/13, 4:27 PM

Seal Harbor Dusk

The daily chore of getting the mail interrupted our drive up to Cadillac Mountain for sunset. To make the most of the mundane task I always continue my drive by this beautiful vista and turn around in the beach parking lot. Those clouds and low tide were begging for this picture to be taken. We did make it to Cadillac for sunset, one of the last times this season. The road closes December 2, one day later this year!

Below are my post-processing steps. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

Raw Image: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

The raw Fujiflim X100S image:

VSCO Preset: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

Applied the VSCO Fuji Velvia 50 Landscape+ preset, starting to bring back some of the color.

Lightroom and Nik: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

In Nik Color Efex Pro applied Tonal Contrast and Skylight Filter.
In Lightroom: 

 - Unsharpened the water for smoothness
 - Brighten and warned the stream
 - Added contrast and saturation to the clouds
 - Added a half-stop graduated filter to the clouds
 - Added vignette

Final Edit: Seal Harbor Beach, Seal Harbor, Maine

After a quick critique with Doug, these were the final edits:

 - In Nik Veviza: added slight orange to the sun
 - In Lightroom:  lightened bottom and cropped bottom

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/8 (&B there), 1/400 sec, ISO 200, 11/16/13, 3:41 PM

Bassist Emerges From Shadows

Friday night I decided to challenge myself with a different genre - concert photography. They say it's good to step out of your comfort zone. For me it was a pleasant distraction, from my usual landscape photography. Below is an image to demonstrate how post-processing can really change the look, feel and mood of a photograph. I envisioned this look and feel as soon as I saw the photo, then it was just moving the sliders in Lightroom to create my vision.

 

Gordon Fellis, The Crown Vics, The Grand Auditorium, Ellsworth, Maine

 

Version 1

Here's the shot straight from the camera. A typical shot, well lit with nice composition - but honestly nothing very special/dramatic.  

 

Version 2

All edits were done in Lightroom. I wouldn't really know how to improve the image with the Nik software - it would take just too long for me to figure it out. First I removed the microphone with the Spot Removal Tool. 

 

Version 3

Now turn everything dark, dark dark.  In Lighroom:

 - Increased Contrast (+50)
  - Dereased Blacks (-84)
  - Decreased Highlights (-12)
  - Decreased Shadows (-17)
  - Decreased Whites (-100)
  - Decreased Exposure (-0.85)

 

Version 4

Onto the skin tones for a more natural look. In Lightroom: 

 - Decreased Saturation (-47)
  - Increased Vibrance (+20)
  - Increased Clarity (+12)

 

Gordon Fellis, The Crown Vics, The Grand, Ellsworth, Maine

The finishing touches, in Lightroom:

 - Warmed up the bass with Brush Tool
  - Cloned out white dot near the elbow
  - Added a heavy Vignette

 

EXIF data: Nikon D800, 300mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO 1600, 11/8/13, 8:48 PM

Jordan Pond Lawn

We were on the verge of rescheduling the safari due to the on and off afternoon rain. The rain held out for the safari and Katelyn, the youngest participant, was a great model and all around good sport about the afternoon. As we walked out onto the Jordan Pond lawn in Acadia National Park, we were greeted with red blazing bushes everywhere. I had the group jump right into the middle of them and start shooting. Here's one of the shots I snapped as an example with my Fuji 'point and shoot'.

Jordan Pond Lawn, Acadia National Park, Maine

Jordan Pond Lawn, Acadia National Park, Maine

Here's the raw image. 

Jordan Pond Lawn, Acadia National Park, Maine

I wanted to see what the difference between convert the image with VSCO and using the X100s in-camera jpeg Velvia processing engine. I like the in-camera processor better. Here's what it produced (don't tell anyone I'm shooting jpeg). 

Jordan Pond Lawn, Acadia National Park, Maine

For the final image I brought it into Nik Color Efex Pro and applied the Tonal Contrast, Detail Extractor and Sunlight Filter. 

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/8 (&B there), 1/25 sec, ISO 200, 10/26/13, 3:10 PM

 

Autumn Palette Panorama

During the park closure I would drive the roads of Mount Desert Island looking for foliage images. I knew about this place so I parked my car on the side of the road and spent about ten minutes snapping away. By the time I left there were three groups of people taking pictures at this 15 foot section of road. I think I started something that foggy day on Route 3 between Bar Harbor and Otter Creek.

Town Line, Bar Harbor & Otter Creek, Maine

EXIF data: Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec, ISO 200, 10/16/13, 9:43 AM