Mc Henry Redux

About as good technically as I manage to get.  Back to McHenry for these two shots from the tripod with focus stacking using Heliocon Focus. The 5D Mk II (no bracket yet for the Mk III) in portrait orientation with the 45 TS-E mounted and shifted as needed.

Garrison Flag replicas in color

Garrison Flag replicas in faux PlatinumThe Prison in color

The Prison in faux Platinum

Technically correct

Not so artistically intesting.  Practice again.  This on the 5D Mk II (can't do this without the grip and RRS L-Bracket which are backordered for the Mk III) and the SmallHD DP-4 for focusing.  Shot with the 45 TS-E, in portrait orientation, manual exposure at f/11.0 at 1/80 of a second, ISO 100.  In the RRS macro rail (mounted sideways) with production stops set at 11mm to the left and right of center.  Six shots taken, two each at three positions.  The two shots were focused near and far and combined in Helicon Focus to increase the DOF.  The three images rendered by Helicon Focus were then flat stiched in Photoshop CS-6 as they were shot (i) left lens and camera rail shift 11mm (ii) no camera or lens shift and (iii) right lens and camera rail shift 11 mm.

Afterwards a shot of Velvia 50 emulation with Alien Skin Exposure 4, then Pro and Tonal Contrast with Nik Color Efex 4, noise reduction with Nik Define constrainted by a surface mask and sharpened with USM constrained by an edge mask.  Resulting image is about 1.75x the width of a normal portarit orientation snap on the 5D Mk II and would "contact" print at 300ppi at 21.7 x 17.5 inches (slightly cropped from the top only to a 5x4 aspect ratio).

Etude for DOF in Flat Stitch

Is better in faux infrared from Exposure 4.

34161 - Vinalhaven

Printed 34161 from the September Peter Ralston workshop in Maine, along with a bunch of others to hang around the aerie.  Did 34161 two different ways, liked them both.  Interesting the difference in mood. Snaped from a lobster boat just before 8:00AM on a foggy Spetember 13th morning in Carver's Harbor on Vinalhaven.  5D Mk II, ISO 100, 310mm (100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS), f/5.6 at 1/800.  Printed 12x18 on the Epson 4900 with the Imageprint RIP on Epson Exhibition Fiber. Post processing principly in Alien Skin Exposure 2 and Nik Color Efex 4.  Framed 18x24, matted with Rising Museum Board cut on the Easterly SpeedMat. Stunning!

 

Big numbers...

Long focal length: 310mm, Long exposure: 485 seconds, Decent sized aperture: F/8.0, ISO: 100, with a Singh-Ray Vari-ND on the pointing end of the 100-400. Vari-ND turned as dark as it would go — that is supposed to be about eight stops.  A little over four minute exposure, the little over is due to multi-tasking, was surfing the web on the treadmill, while the 5D Mk II was making the image — took a while to from the treadmill to the camera.

Domino Sugar with a ship at the dock.  Was looking for more cloud movement need to work on that.

Offloading at Domino's

Mark Supik Co.

Got this incredible invite from my neighbors, Mark and Nancy, to visit their wood turning business. They do architectural wood work and beer taphandles, mostly for emerging breweries.  Mark started the day off with a tour, noting that only one machine in the shop was purchased new — at least one is a centagenarian. I don't have the whole scoop but in the boiler room out back is the studio of an artist who is a friend of Mark's from MICA. I spent a combined two hours in both spaces today, in what was some pretty intense heat. I had long since forgottten that a lot folks work in places that aren't air conditioned. I haven't done it since a summer job when I was 18.

So there were a lot snaps taken, both spaces are pretty dark so I bracketed a bunch of them and the processing includes some that were treated with mild HDR, some with exposure blending and some I just used the best exposed of the bunch. I started out handholding the 45 TS-E, 35 f/1.4, 135 F/2.0, 85 f/1.2 and 70-200 f/2.8 IS. I finished off in both spaces with the 45 TS-E on the tripod.  All were taken with the 5D Mk II. I had the X100 with me but I just stuck with the 5D.

I have processed about most of the snaps and there only a few more to go, there is a large number of them so, only two are posted here, one each from the shop and the boiler room studio and the rest are in galleries. Clicking on the link or the "anchor" snap will take you to the gallery. I plan to add more over the next few days as I get time to do more post processing. (In the galleries click on the first thumbnail to get a full size image — use the symbols to navigate back < and forward >.)

Mark and Nancy also own the incredible Chey truck that has made several appearances on these pages. Their web site is here.

For the shop snaps click here or the snap for the gallery.

For the boiler room studio snaps click here or the snap for the gallery.

Last snap of the day

See the Denver to KC photo dash described in the prior posts below.  It all came to a pretty abrupt end right here.  The stop was for roadwork but it also foretold the end of the US 24 snapfest. I drove thru the edge of this a few miles ahead but really got nailed once on I70 between Manhattan and Topeka. I can't remember ever being in a storm like this — the temperature drop was stunning as well, from just under a hundred to just under seventy. Finally, it caught up with me again about an hour after I checked into the Marriott at the KC airport.  

I did pass up a couple of very nice opportunities just down the road from here in Clay Center but I wanted to get to KC ASAP.  Rather than continue the B&W streak this one is in color. Living color, cropped to 16x9 which is rather unusual for me.  

Canon 5D Mk II, EF24-70 f/2.8 L @ 70mm, F/8.0, ISO 100, 1/2500.

Cawker City

A "city" on US 24 in the middle of Kansas — 1999 population 595.  Home to the "World's Largest Ball of Twine". Missed that but found this, among others.  Lots more to post from todays traverse of Kansas from west to east — mostly on US 24.

 

 

So more from Cawker City, the home of Detritus Motors.

First one way...

then the other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more.

and then some more...

 

 

The trains they don't run no mo...

Union Station Denver — Sunday morning.

Sign over the door says Amtrak has moved to a cinder block building a fews blocks away.  5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/3200, -1ev.

Everybody got baggage.  5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 1600, f/8.0, 1/60.

 5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 1600, f/8.0, 1/80.

Be needin' to send a Telegram.  5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 1600, f/8.0, 1/60.

and use a pay phone too.  5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 1600, f/8.0, 1/60.

Where have all the passengers gone, long time passing.  5D Mk II, TSE-45, tilted, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/800.

A sharp canopy.  5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/1000, -1.67ev.

Two flat tires seems apropos given the trains don't run no mo. 5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/1000.

Looking down Wynkoop Street, toward Coors Field.  Done with the station — off to the alleys. 5D Mk II, TSE-45, shifted, ISO 200, f/8.0, 1/200.

On the fly...

decision. Decided to forgo the buildings that normally show up here after a neighborhood camera walk and add some cars to the truck in the last post.  Usually, I don't like snaps with cars in them but today it is all about selective focus with the 45 TS-E and I like the results.  So here they are:

45 TS-E, Canon 5D Mk II, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/320, tilted.

45 TS-E, Canon 5D Mk II, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/2500, tilted.

45 TS-E, Canon 5D Mk II, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/500, tilted.

More practice

with the 45 TS-E.  The idea here was selective focus, specifically, to get the diagonal row of houses in focus and everything else out of focus.  This can't be done without a camera with movements or a lens that tilts. Worked quite well, the crazy sky with the light shafts is a plus.  

45 TS-E, on the 5D Mk II, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/5000 (-1 EC), MLU, tilted as needed, no shift.

Tilt-Shift Practice

After flying in from the Hub in the storm a few shots in its wake, in preparation for some neighborhood shooting in 80203 on Sunday.  

This one is close but not quite right as the foreground is out of focus still but looks pretty good.  45 TS-E on the 5D Mk II at f/4.0 1/320, ISO 100, MLU, atop the Gitzo.

and a couple where tilt was used to force out-of-focus.  At the time tilt was set perpendicular to shift, since been changed to parallel.

45 TS-E on the 5D Mk II at f/2.8 1/800, ISO 100, MLU, atop the Gitzo.

45 TS-E on the 5D Mk II at f/4.0 1/125, ISO 100, MLU, atop the Gitzo.

Last one as darkness fell, almost there needed some tilt to get the railing in focus.

45 TS-E on the 5D Mk II at f/8.0 1/50, ISO 2000, MLU, atop the Gitzo.

Yet one more...

from Veranda #4.  Different approach for this one though — 5d Mk II, in portrait orientation with RRS L Bracket on the floor.  Three shot exposure bracket around 1/60 @ f/16.0 and 17mm with the 17-40mm f/4L. HDR Efex and Silver Efex.  Basically something to do between the LAX games and the Colonial going on.  Bit of a dilemma in the the last LAX quarter finals — why can't both Duke and ND lose?

Planned Pano

So this is a better prepped pano.  5D Mk II, 45mm TS-E with some plus shift applied. Thirty nine shots, thirteen frames each bracketed with three images then combined using HDR Efex pro. Stitching in Photoshop CS5 as Panorama Factory kept running out of memory. This thing is big, just under 7' x 1.5' — I wonder if I will ever try to print it, I could and then what.  The mounting fees would be astronomical.

Anyway, Canon 5D Mk II, 45mm TS-E, HDR Efex, CS5 Photomerge and the usual Nashification recipe.  The B&W Version via Silver Efex Pro.

Throwback

somewhat reminiscent of the 2006 Nebraska snap that got a runner up in a AAA contest.  Both happenstance, this on the way to Great Sand Dunes National Park the Nebraska one en route to the Ogalalla National Grasslands.  I guess I get better stuff by accident on the way to to places that only sometimes work for me.

Off CO 17 on LN6N north of Alamosa.  5D Mk II, 17-40mm f/4L @40mm, ISO 100, f/8.0, three shot HDR, handheld, out the Hertz SUV window.

Off NE 2, West of Hemingford, NE, ZCBJ Lodge #298, 5D with 17-40mm f/4L @ 40mm, ISO 100, f/16, on the Gitzo, July '06.

Castlewood Canyon

State Park, south of Franktown, east of Castle Rock and at the very end of the plains.

Most with the 5d Mk II mounting the 24-70 f/2.8L and the 17-40 f/4.0L, the picnic shot with the 7D and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. 

The east side of the Park, HDR processed

The Lucas Homestead (west side) — not much between here and Kansas actually not much between the front windows and the Mississippi

Tree in front of the Lucas house.  This image down sizes horribly

South side of the Lucas house, HDR processed

Picnic on the East side, the tarp is to block the persistent wind.  Lots of local knowledge