The Digital Photo Guy

Miscellaneous Photo from Past 6 Weeks

Surviving 6 weeks in a 25 foot RV with a wife and an 18 lbs cat has been an interesting experience. Amazingly enough, we’re all still talking to each other and no one has tried to kill anyone else! “T” the Cat is so ready for this adventure to be over so he can get back to his catio on the back patio where he can survey his kingdom. Tomorrow (Sunday, 6/29,) Mary’s retreat is over so we’ll meet up in Petaluma, CA for the ~800 mile drive back to Wickenburg. I had planned to stop in Oatman, AZ to photograph wild burros but Mary (and T) pointed out the temps will be in the low 100s. I’ll plan Oatman for a winter visit.

I went back over the ~1700 images from the trip and found several that could benefit from PP (post-processing.)

These top four were various rock formations around Bishop and Big Pine. The first two are, obviously, HDR using Photomatix Essentials. The last two are SOOC (straight out of camera) with cropping, levels/saturation/contrast adjustments and sharpening. I’m still trying to go easy on HDR because, deep down, it feels like cheating.

The above three are from the Laws Railroad Museum near Bishop, CA. In lieu of HDR, I’m trying more BW and I’m finding more images that “feel” like good candidates for conversion. In the above trio, I think the last two might also work as BW. I plan to try that when I get home.

The last two are mules from Bishop Mule Days. The light colored mule seemed to have such deep, expressive eyes that looked right through me. The big, brown guy was a handsome mule who seemed curious.

All photos were processed in Lightroom 4.4 with HDR taken out to PhotoMatix. Some were also processed in Topaz Labs Adjust 5. The first 2 were made with a Canon 7D and 24-105/4L while the rest were with a Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105. The belts at Laws RR Museum photographed with my Canon EOS-M mirrorless. I’m beginning to love that camera and will try other lenses in the future.

Wickenburg Photography Group Summer Unmeetings

The Wickenburg Photo Group is dormant during the summer but I’ve been trying to schedule activities to keep members and potential members involved. These blog posts are meant to give people ideas for photo trips as well as techniques and gear. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment.

On Saturday, July 19 from 9AM to Noon, I’ve scheduled a model session at the Wickenburg Art Center. The model is Chy Von Sweets, an alternative-style model who does Pin-Up, Rockabilly and High Fashion. As you can see from her portfolio, she’s a mix of Bettie Page, Punk and Vogue. I’ll have my backdrop and lights for anyone who wants to try studio model photography. The cost is $20, payable via PayPal at dp-guy@thedigitalphotoguy.com.

On Saturday, August 9 from 1PM to 4PM at the Desert Caballeros Western Musuem, I’ll show you how to define and develop your own compositional style. To quote Ansel Adams, “The so-called rules of photographic composition are, in my opinion, invalid, irrelevant and immaterial” or, more succinctly, “There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” I’ll, hopefully, demonstrate how you can stop worrying about rules and start making good photographs.

Finally, in September (date TBA,) if there’s enough interest, I’ll conduct a 2-3 hour printing seminar at Wickenburg Art Center. I’ll haul my 45 lbs Epson 3880 printer to the center and demonstrate how to prepare your photos for printing and how to fix common printing problems.

The WPG meetings start again on Monday, October 6 from 6:30PM to about 9PM depending on the agenda. We’ll send out an e-blast agenda to WPG members in Sept.