Pic of the Month

Wow, It is March 1st. How fast is this year flying by. It will not be long before it is time to get the Harley out and hit the road, figuratively that is. This image was just after sunrise in Marina Del Rey CA last summer. I took some artistic liberties with is but it makes a perfect Image of the Month for the month of March in Michigan. It just feels warm.

This week is going to be full of short blogs because we have something coming up towards the end of the week that I am not going to say at this time. But then again in the blogging world, if you do not read this on the day it comes out you are reading it after the aforementioned "something" will have already happened. Oh well... I said short and this is the end so take care... Doug

For more information of our photography, visit us at peekfoto.

Patience... Let's go Already!

It is very interesting how God has His way of slowing us down. When we are used to going here and there, doing something every minute of the day... BANG! You get slapped in the side of the head with a nice fever or some other event that makes you stop in your tracks and do nothing except wait it out.

So it turns out I most likely had the H1N1 virus, my daughter called and asked if I had grown a curly tail. I may have but it must have fallen off by now. I am feeling much better bat am still home as I understand I can still be contagious for seven days. Fun it is not!

Ok. So on with some photo-seriousness here. Photography is all about patience also, rarely do you walk up to a scene and snap a great shot. You must observe, survey, frame correctly and then if all the stars, well ok, the sun lines up just right you are blessed with a great moment captured in virtual space. At some point it will make it to a tangible print. Such was the case with the image of the red barn below.

This barn is only about two and a half miles from our house here in Michigan and we drive past it probably two or three times a week. It was fall 08' when the leaves were already off the trees that I got a glimpse of what I wanted out of this red barn. But I also knew there was going to be a chance in 2009 that I would not get "the shot" either.

You can not see the tree but you can see the large shadow just to the left of the barn. Well... that is what I had to be patient about. There were some branches on that tree that threw a shadow on the barn that just would not work in Doug' Red Barn. I was going to have to wait until later in the year when the trees had changed color, the sun had moved far enough south so as not to cast the shadow on the barn and in this instant the sky in West Michigan was a pristine blue.

I was down in the office and looked outside to see the sun casting long shadows to the East. I knew my moment was at hand. I ran upstairs (I really walked), grabbed my gear bag, and rushed off in the truck to see if my precious red bard was ready to display it's beauty. Yes it was but there were circumstances which I am not going to go into at this time as I don't want to ruin the art of the image. Suffice it to say the clone stamp tool is Doug's friend. But then it is art... My art!

Enjoy... Doug

Pic-O-The-Month

I have been running the image of the month on the blog for some time and have rarely had to think hard about what image I liked the most. This month was a little different. All the images came from our time on the motorcycle on our trip around Lake Michigan this past August. Se here are the top contenders.

I have had some good comments on this image. It show a real nice reflection and good color but it just left it there. I like the image but it had to fall.

This one is a nice sunset shot while we were in Leland Michigan on the ride. Colors were good but the sun has that ugly little double vision because I forgot to remove the UV filter.

Bye bye!

The colors in this image are really nice but the shadows are just a little too deep. This was probably my first runner-up

This is special in that it shows the Mighty Mac behind us showing that we had successfully navigated the grate on the bridge. They have been working over the edge of the bridge for a couple of years which blocks the paved lanes. It can be a little un-nerving on a motorcycle.

And the winner is... 

I chose this image because if you were to be standing where I took this photo and removed the camera from your eye, this is the same scene you would have seen with you own eyes. The brightness of the sun created a slight flare effect that looks like haze in the shadows. There was so little correction done on this image it made it an easy winner. If given the opportunity to sell this image I would clone out the post on the left edge of the image as it is just slightly distracting.

There you have it. The September 2009 Image of the month!

Cya... Doug

When You Least Expect It

Photography is one of those elements in life that continue to surprise the participant. Just when you think you have what you came for, there is a little more there. It's the ten minutes after sunset when everyone has taken off that the sky presents its inner beauty. It's that moment that you remember to turn around to find the fabulous view you have been walking away from. These are the giving beyond the capture in photography.

I had two such events present themselves within ten minutes of each other. The first I explained in yesterdays post The Ride. The second opportunity actually happened before the first. I had gone up to Falasburg Park north of Lowell MI for some background shots only to find that the trees had not popped yet. Beautiful blue sky with a lifeless tree line. Sweet, perfect for some black and white images. But that is not the special event of the day.

I was sitting on a bench by the water with my 5D Mk II on a tripod spying a goose floating upstream when I heard a couple of geese honking and splashing further upstream. My EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens with the 1.4 teleconverter was mounted to the 5D2 so I pulled it off the tripod to take a  look at the commotion upstream.

Come to find out, the commotion was avian talk for a pre-departure briefing. They started moving and I stated shooting. The image below is the second of three that was of the takeoff run.

I really did not have the camera/lens combination for this shot but sometimes you take what you get and be happy with it. The 40D with this same lens combination would have made the 320 mm combination into 448 mm on the APS-C sensor. The high speed burst on the 40D may have provided a higher percentage of images to choose from but that was not to be the case.

The image below is just one of those images that pops from the screen when viewed in Lightroom. It say's, "I'm the one..." A touch of vibrancy (what a great slider), a tad bit of clarity, and poof, ready for prime time display. Ok some sharpening if it were going to print.

Well, it wasn't that easy. I had to do a bunch of spot healing as when I was zoomed in there were little white traces behind and below the geese. Take-off must exert a lot of strain on their system. Either that or it was extra thrust. Hmmm.

Hey that will wrap it up for today.

Cya... Doug 

William Porter

This is William Porter. Why am I putting up a post of an individual? Actually there are three reasons why. First Bill was the one to encourage me to press forward with photography when it was a now and then kind of thing to me. So it is he that is responsible for my obsession with this wonderful craft. Secondly the pic-o-month for April is sitting on my CF card at home in the 5D2. There sits at least one great image I was abel to take last Saturday in Maryland. Finally but most importantly he is a great guy!

The photo above was take last year on a trip to Mt. Hood Oregon, it is an image of the quintessential landscape/nature photographer. Actually it amazed me that he did not kill himself walking around with his sticks open.

What is really funny is that I have known Bill for over 35 years and it was not until the past couple of years that we have really become close friends. I guess things can work out that way when you marry into a large family. Oh did I fail to mention, Bill is my brother-in-law.

So I am giving William Porter the honor of siting at the pic-o-month position on the blog... At least until I get home and find that great shot sitting in the 5D2.

Take care Bill, you are a friend.

Cya... Doug

Pic of the Month

I know this was just recently posted but it was a cool shot and I wanted it to be the Picture of the Month for March, you can read the original post titled A Wet Walk. Wow, March already, soon better (read warmer) weather and better shooting conditions, green grass and chirping birds. Ok so we can't capture the chirping birds in stills, I get that!

I'm off to work today so we will see what is out there on the road to capture.

Cya... Doug

Pic of the Month

Again it is another month and time for a new picture of the month.

This time it is one that was posted not too long ago but has a special story behind it. You can read original post right here. The back story to this image being selected is that it has special meaning to my daughter. When I told her this past weekend I had to select a new picture of the month, she said I should use the orchid picture. So I did!

Cya... Doug