Christmas Snowmen

Taken at Cornerstone Sonoma

Shot with the RX100. Processed in Topaz Adjust. I've been trialling Topaz (30 day free - ends Dec 23rd) and I haven't been that impressed - it gets some interesting effects but it's a bit gimmicky. Are the photos really any better, or has Topaz just made a boring photo look better? It definitely made this photo, though. Shot in dull light, it now pops. I think I used the Topaz surreal filter - don't exactly remember to be honest. It helps that it's a rather surreal subject to start with. I think I'll use this as my Christmas card.

Raindrops

The Sony RX100 can focus pretty close - not quite macro (although I think they claim it is) but close enough in this instance. I saw this leaf out of the window this morning after the rain had stopped, and liked they way the light caught the raindrops.

A Couple From My Street

Just to show some fall colors against the blue sky. And to show that it does rain in California. Not much, but it does.

The Camera You Have With You – Sony RX100

It’s said that the best camera is the one you have with you. You can own the best camera in the world, but if you don’t have it with you (because, say, it is too heavy to cart around everywhere), it won’t be taking any pictures. With that philosophy in mind, I just bought a Sony RX100 – a pocketable camera with a large(ish) sensor:

This camera has been called the best pocket camera ever made  and and The best pocket digital compact of the year…actually…EVER! Hyperbole aside, its large sensor and fast Zeiss lens makes it a camera worth having, unlike most pocketables.

Anyway, the “best camera is the one you have with you” meme proved true this week. Here in northern California, the sky is usually clear blue from horizon to horizon. (Or occasionally gray horizon to horizon, like now.) Very nice, but boring in photos. This week I arrived at my place of work to the sky you see below.

Before I took the shot, I pictured the scene in black & white. Conversion done in Silver Efex Pro, with heavy use of the red filter.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t have had a camera with me and therefore wouldn’t have this shot. Which do you prefer? Is the B&W over-processed?

Sausalito, California

I took a stroll through Sausalito last weekend with the OM-D my old kit 14-45mm zoom for a change. The harbor has millions of dollars of boats just sitting there unused. Where are the owners of these boats and why do they sit there unused week after week? Hardly seems worth it. Anyway, here is one shot of the harbor.

Then I came upon some sort of custom car show in the parking lot. Not quite the scale of the Bad Ass Car Show Sonoma last month, but it had some interesting vehicles / works of art to look at. As usual, the difficulty in photographing these well is in isolating the cars from the busy backgrounds. And in avoiding getting your own reflection in the highly polished paint and chrome. Here are a couple I was happy with.

 

Chemung and Masonic abandoned California gold mines

I visited Masonic and Chemung mines - two old abandoned gold rush era mines in Mono County, east California. It was an 1½ hour drive up a 15 mile dirt road to get there, with just latitude and longitude coordinates for my GPS to follow. And when I got there I found this old upturned car and a large propane gas cylinder both full of bullet holes (hundreds of them) – someone had been using them for target practice, with numerous empty shell casings everywhere. Not a great photo artistically, but it shows the number of bullet holes:

I wandered in cautiously, hoping I wouldn’t alarm the hillbilly who might be living there with a machine gun for protection. Luckily, no one there.

Here is another car at the same location. Not quite so many bullet holes:

See the full gallery of the Chemumg and Masonic abandoned gold mines.

Bodie, California Ghost Town

Last week I went on a trip to Mono County, eastern California (right on the border with Nevada). I took many pictures of Mono Lake, Bodie (an old wild west ghost town, now a State Historic Park) and of two old abandoned gold mines in the hills beyond Bodie. So far I have only processed the Bodie shots. Here are four examples. The two of the car are tone mapped in Photomatix (five exposures, handheld, burst mode).

The most difficult part of photographing Bodie was to avoid getting any of the numerous other photographers in the shot. The whole “ghost town” atmosphere is rather ruined by stuff like that, especially as some people insist on wearing bright red shirts! (Photographers, at least have the courtesy to wear a color like brown, gray or black.) With patience, you can get a clear shot most of the time, but I would advise anyone else thinking of going to Bodie, not to do what I did, which was arrive at 1pm. For one, the light is at its worst at that time. But also, it is the most crowded. By 4pm, most of the other people had gone. (The park is open until 6pm, May 15th - October 31st.)

See the rest of the pictures in my Bodie gallery.

Sonoma Theatre

Just a quick post today of the theatre (note correct spelling) in Sonoma town. Used the ultra wide angle to give a distorted look, and to capture the unusual cloud formations. It just looked better in black & white.

Five bracketed shots handheld in burst mode, HDR in Photomatix.

Bad Ass Car Show Sonoma

That was the name of the custom car show in Sonoma last weekend, apparently sponsored by Bad Ass Cars – a custom car shop in Sonoma. Many of these cars are works of art, but they are quite difficult to photograph well due to the inevitable busy backgrounds – people hanging around, other cars, miscellaneous objects  - that distract from the car you are trying to capture. Also, if you just photograph someone else’s art, are you really creating anything yourself? Photography becomes an exercise in low angles / getting in close and cropping. The other problem is that with all the chrome on display, it’s hard to get a shot that doesn’t include your own reflection – a fool holding a camera to his face, staring right back at you. I avoided it mostly in these shots, but not so much in all the others. (Note to self – next time, don’t wear an orange shirt! Maybe something in gray.)

Here are three shots I was happy with. PP in Lightroom 4 – mostly more saturation and contrast. The red car interior was HDR in Photomatix – five shots handheld in burst mode. And yes, it really was that red.

 

The rest of the pictures can be seen in the Bad Ass Custom Car Show gallery.

Point Cabrillo lighthouse – Experimenting With Photomatix

Two weeks ago I took a trip up the Mendocino coast (N California) to photograph some of the coastlines and lighthouses. The trouble is, I hadn’t figured in the possibility that the whole area would be fogged in. And where there was no fog, it was completely cloudy with horrible flat light. See the first photo of the Point Cabrillo lighthouse – the only way I could make it remotely interesting is by crouching down and cutting out most of the sky.

So I figured - return at sunset. Maybe the setting sun will be below the clouds. Well, it was – not spectacular, but better light. See pictures two and three below.

Picture 4 shows the setting sun with the lighthouse in silhouette.

Then, on a whim, I put the camera on the tripod and shot 5 bracketed shots, one stop apart. When I got home I downloaded a trial version of Photomatix HDR software and produced the fifth image you see below.

This was produced using the “exposure fusion” option, which (as I learned last weekend, after much Googling) is not quite the same as HDR. It merges the five exposures but gives a more natural look. I also did some HDR with tone mapping, but I like this one the best. I do wonder though if I shouldn’t have increased the red in the sky before importing from Lightroom?

Anyway, my first attempt at exposure fusion / HDR. I liked the software so much I immediately upgraded from the trial. The trouble is, now every scene looks like an HDR opportunity. Expect more!

More Junkyard Equipment

There's quite a supply of these where I live. First, an old truck I found at Sonoma Marina:

Taken with the newly acquired Fuji X-100.

Then there was this collection of trucks and farm equipment off the Adobe Road:

 Taken with the GH-2 with 7-14mm zoom, or the Fuji X-100. Nice having two cameras and not having to change lenses in the field.

Fremont Diner

This well known diner is on the road between Napa and Sonoma. Friendly staff and a great Ruben sandwich.

It has this old truck parked out in front all the time. They say it is drivable, but it's always parked outside every time I go by.

Memorial Day USA

In color and monochrome.

Another Junkyard Vehicle

I saw this old wreck parked on the side of Arnold Road between Sonoma and Glen Ellen. Added to the Junkyards gallery.

Sonoma town - neon bar sign

Walking around Sonoma last Sunday I noticed this sign. I must have walked past this dozens of times and never registered it, but carrying a camera makes you notice things you wouldn't otherwise see. Either that or the light was just right, and not shining directly on  the window. Anyway, I added to my Sonoma town gallery.

Point Bonita Lighthouse

This lighthouse is just north of the Golden Gate bridge. It has just been reopened following completion of the new suspension bridge you see in the pictures. Because of the monochromatic nature of the subject (white bridge, white lighthouse, white misty sky) I decided to convert the photos to B&W. All conversions done in Silver Efex Pro 2.