Post Processing

One picture of my daughter, processed a couple of different ways to showcase how the processing can really alter an image.

The original

The "300" look

Ice Cold

My Very Own Sigma Flash

Back in this post, I talked about how my buddy Scott had lent me his Sigma external flash.  Well, I liked it enough to go and get one of my own.  I ordered it online and it showed up in the mail yesterday.  I'm pumped!  I'm experimenting with it right now and really trying to figure it out.  Scott has asked me to work as a second photographer on a wedding shoot this summer (coming up in a couple of weeks, actually) so I wanted to have a proper flash that I could manipulate to bounce off of ceilings/walls/etc...  I'll post a proper review once I've put it through the gears (say...after the wedding shoot).  For now, here are some pictures of the flash itself:

Pinto Horse

Donkeys

Star Trails, Sigma Flash

Check this article about photographing star trails.  One day I'll get more time and actually get to try this!  The effect is amazing.  I was actually hoping to get out this weekend to try to capture some start trails but the weather has taken a turn for the worse and is supposed to be cloudy until Monday!

On a positive note, remember this post?  Well, I've been saving my nickels and dimes and have ordered an external flash of my own.  I've been tracking it's every move on the UPS site since I ordered it on Tuesday.  It's coming from the Sigma distributor in New York and should be here by Tuesday.  I can't wait!

DIY Flash Ring

Thought I'd share a cool article I found on a DIY lighting site. 

DIY Flash Ring

Grasshopper!

 

I took these photos on the same day that I took the shots of the yellow flowers seen in this post.  The first two were taken with my Canon Rebel XS using a 50 mm, f 1.8 lens with the macro extension tubes that I talk about here.  I used a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil to brighten up some of the shaded areas of the shot.  The third photo was taken by my photog buddy, Scott.  It showcases the effect of using the aluminum reflector.

Southern Alberta Flowers in May

Aztec Curse?

When I was young, I collected all kinds of weird stuff.  This little guy is a left-over from those days.  I have no idea what it is or where it came from .  He sure is creepy though.  Maybe he's an ancient Aztec idol and now that I've taken his picture I'll be cursed forever.  

What the hell is he holding in his right hand?

A Canadian penny in the background for scale

DIY Lightbox

My wonderfully talented and creative wife creates all sorts of crafts and sells them through various avenues, one of which is through a Facebook account.  Check it out here.  We needed a way to get some better pictures of her products.  I found this article on Strobist.  Here are some pics of my version of their DIY lightbox.






The picture of this sock monkey is an example of what this lightbox can do.



I pulled the box out of a recycle bin and bought poster board and tissue paper for about $3 at Walmart.  Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with the money spent and how it turned out!

Vintage Truck on the Praries Pt.2

Vintage Truck on the Praries