Took a trip to Bedford, KY where a friend works for the Sheriff’s Department.  Spent some time cruising around the rural area and visiting acquaintences of his.  A few of these spots were simply right off the road.  The tractors, however are owned by a collector named Bobby True.  This nice man not only allowed us access to his collection but started a couple of them up for positioning and topped the visit off with an armload of fresh produce!

(Shameless self promotion: These are for sale on the site by the way.  You know you want a canvas print in your den, don’t you?) 

High Dynamic Range Imagery (HDRI)  ENJOY!

In the past year and a half I’ve noticed an increase in a particular “style” of digital processing called HDR (High Dynamic Range).  Think of it as a way to bring details into the photo that cannot be captured in a single shot.  This style of digital processing gets mixed feedback and it’s usually when it’s overdone.  When I was learning how to shoot in Infrared I went through similar trials and errors.  I’m trying to learn the ins and outs of this process to use it as a tool to make some of my images scream with high contrast.

I’m going to try and fine tune my methods in monotone first and then work toward adding more and more detail into each image while keeping noise levels down.  I think once I do that I can move toward adding more and more color into the shot.

Until then, enjoy!

P.S.  Forgive my lack of a decent subject for this shoot.  It was a matter of convenience and it follows me everywhere.

~J

You can see more in the Client section of our website here.

This shot was set up at the top of the staircase above the lobby on the mezzanine.  I wanted to use this area because it had a little more open space and the fact that it had interesting shapes that I new I could use to bounce shadows everywhere.  This would give the image more depth.

I asked Erica to act like she was giving her best ZAP while showing off the cool backpack.  These guys put a lot of work into it and I wanted to show it off.   I place my SB-800 off camera again.   This time on the floor pointing toward the Mrs.   I thought this would help give off directional light I would need if I’m going to edit some plasma beams in later.

Tada!  Looks like I got a nice strong directional shadow I wanted so we packed up and left for the day.  As in the case with Ann (our hallway ghost) I needed someone to play Ghostbuster bait.   Niles, Ann’s husband and fellow actor, stepped up to the plate in full costume.  Feigning surprise in a defensive posture I captured Niles with, you guessed it, more directional off-camera flash.

Into editing we go!

So I made a layer cake in Photoshop once again with all sorts of bells and whistles.   Plasma rays are fun.   I could make dozens of these things they’re so easy and never get bored with it.   In this case I decided the Niles was going to get it wrap style as seen in the movie.   I almost added a vortex of light surrounding him but I thought maybe I would reserve that for a future shot (maybe) when a Ghostbuster can actually use the “trap”.   Keep it simple, Joey.  Okay.

Enjoy!   … and don’t forget to scroll down for the first part.

Cool.   I love ghosts and I love creating images so finally I get a chance to marry the two.

The logistics were simple in my head.   I needed to shoot in an environment suited for the theme and I needed ghosts to later insert into the photo.   We didn’t have much time so my wife suggested a spot she’s previously used for a zombie flick she was in and we headed downtown, Louisville.   We arrived (sound buzzer) WRONG.   The area was off-limits and gated up.   Hmm.   Well damn.   Now we have these guys dragging Ghostbuster gear all over town looking for us over the phone and no place to do the shoot.   Quick thinking lead me to suggest the Seelbach Hilton hotel in downtown, Louisville.   The Seelbach has plenty of ghost stories and is rich in local folklore.    I’ve visited the Seelbach on several occassions, the latest being on a walking “ghost tour” by a local story teller Robert W. Parker.   aka Mr. Ghostwalker.   I know, campy, right?   … but it was a lot of fun and I love a good history lesson.

I digress.

The Seelbach agreed to let us shoot and upon arriving, making introductions, etc. we were given free-reign over the mezzanine leading around the lobby and to the famous Oak Room.  (Al Capone’s old hang out by the way.  Secret passageways.  Automatic doors that blend with the wall.  Fun stuff)

The most interesting angle I could find was that leading to a hallway where guests could catch an elevator.  Dark stained walls.  The smell of old wood and steeped in mystery.   We had a winner of a site.

I composed my shot by placing my SB-800 flash unit on a nearby table pointing towards the model (the wife) and diffused it using something out of Gary Fong’s kitchen.   I also used the green flash gel, not to equate white balance but to actually knock it off balance with a green cast.   Hey it’s supposed to be ghostly, right?

My Nikon D80 was tripod mounted and I used my faithful 50mm to shoot at f/2.8.  The idea having our Ghostbuster in focus awaiting an approaching spirit.    Piece of cake.   I grabbed multiple exposures for proper light balance while I was there.

My wife also has a married couple of friends that are responsible for the Whodunnit Murder Mystery dinner plays.  I couldn’t think of anyone better, already having costumes for hauting hotel hallways I asked them nicely to pose for me and they obliged.   Ann is our first ghost that you will see here.

Several layers of careful retouching in produced this which I present to you today.   My wife the Ghostbuster.

More to come …

Bound and determined I grabbed my gear and got in my car. A bite to eat for some energy and I made my way to the river. But a disaster awaited me upon my arrival, the trees on the edge of the river had grown out and now completely obstructed the view of the water. NO! I couldn’t recreate the image without a view of the water! So I did what any good (and maybe somewhat insane) photographer would do… I got in the car and headed to Wal-Mart to buy a hacksaw. And, before you ask why, it’s because Home Depot was closed. (Cause I KNOW you were going to ask). But Wal-Mart was great ’cause I got to watch a fist fight break out between two older ladies. Oh, the fun at Walley World.

My girlfriend acted as my lookout as I braved my way down through the brush and thorn bushes, hacksaw in hand, to find and destroy, pulverize, demolish, and/or obliterate the trees that stood in my way from the perfect shot. Yeah, ok, maybe I’m being a little dramatic but you have to understand my determination here! The sight had to have been somewhat humorous to the people in their cars up on the hill. A grown man in flip-flops, standing in the water, cutting down a tree with a Wal-Mart hacksaw.

I got my shot! ..Just to let you know.

(You can check out larger version in our nature gallery here.)

And here is the original that I was trying to recreate;

I hauled my large camera bag out and we had a nice walk around the park.. well, that is until I pulled my back. Word of warning to other photographers; get a ROLLING bag if you are hardheaded like me and insist on hauling your entire arsenal of gadgets with you on a 4 hour walk. I won’t complain, however, because the time I’ve spent out-of-commission the last couple days gave me some time to set up this blog :).

The photos turned out alright. I didn’t get everything I wanted because the animals were lazy and, apparently, didn’t realize I was coming for their photo shoot. I could have gotten a nice close-up of the orangutans but some middle-aged lady thought the zoo was her personal exhibit and spent 30 minutes with her face pressed to the glass giving them kisses (I guess no one told her how disgusting it is to have your face pressed against the glass at a monkey cage).

Anyway, I’m posting a few of my favorites here. You can check them out in our nature gallery.