In terms of processing
These are 18 brackets (9 per panel) that were tone-mapped in Photomatix and then stitched using Autopano Giga (the best stitching product out there). It was stylized using a combination of effects in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Softwareand touched up in Lightroom 3.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (1 photo)

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I think we all have a tendency and inclination to present our viewers with a path that is clean and straight and direct. After all, it is the shortest distance between two point. However, this removes an element of surprise. This curve is a dynamic element in the scene. Whereas most of this image consists of straight lines going in various directions, this path bends and meanders, offering up some nice curviness. It engages the viewer because their eyes will inevitably follow the path. It activates the viewer’s imagination because they will conjure up some ideas over what may lie beyond the horizon. All of these things are ingredients for a fun image and should be considered when you’re out shooting.

In terms of processing
Because there was such a huge shift in tonal range from the bright sky to the dark forested areas, I tone-mapped this image using nine brackets in Photomatix. This gave me a solid, even baseline to stylize on.

For stylization, I used Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. I applied a Green Enhancer effect to bring out the foliage and blended it using a custom Black and White effect layer using Soft Light. This helped bring out a contrasty mood. I also applied the aptly named Deep Forest glow to add lushness.

For the path itself, I selectively masked in a combination of the Grunge Goddess and Cyberpunk effects at various strengths. This helped me contrast the color and tone and make the path pop off the screen.

To simulate a shallow depth of field and render the vanishing point out of focus, I applied three focus bugs in FocalPoint 2, also by onOne.

Finally, I did a Free Transform and warped the lower corners of the path by dragging them outward a bit. This gave the path a wider ‘mouth’ on the bottom of the frame.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (1 photo)

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I love his style, his grit, and the way he presents his art – so much so that it often times influences everything about my photography, from the point of capturing the frame all the way through saving the edited image back into Lightroom. I love that his style influences mine. I love this his illustrations bleed into my photography because it makes me feel greater than the sum of my parts.

It’s something that I see in a lot of people here in Googlevillez and it’s awesome. Being able to look through your own eyes and channel the spirit of someone you admire, paying homage to them – it really is a wonderful thing. It shows gratitude of the highest order – that their art resonates so profoundly with you that it actually shifts how you create your own art.

For this image, I was wholly influenced by one of my favorite Frank Miller comic book story series slash hollywood movie, Sin City. I thought that this hotel sign and building facade served perfectly to drop against a pure black sky.

In terms of processing
I shot it with my Fuji X100, intentionally terminating the edge of the building into the lower right corner of the frame. I processed it with a very heavy contrast custom Black and White effect in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. I also adjusted the white and black points accordingly in Adobe Photoshop CS5.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (1 photo)

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Now, it is critical for me that I do my best to offer viewers a starting point that gives you a logical place for your eyes to begin exploring from. I try to do this as often as I can. And this shot serves as a good example of that. I felt that by framing my shot so that the street light was anchored in the upper third and center of the frame, the eyes could branch out to the left and right, exploring the texture and curving nature of the bridge. The road with the moving traffic is a secondary thought – offering a complementary curving element whose shape contrasts nicely against the curve of the bridge.

In terms of processing
This is a 9-exposure HDR tone-mapped image. I used Photomatix for the tone-mapping. Stylization was fairly straight forward. The majority of the look for this scene was achieved by applying the effect called Moulin Rouge and the street light color was altered slightly with Urban Sickness. A custom Tone Enhancer was masked onto the bridge and road to boost local contrast and texture. All effects were rendered in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software.

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I love it because I can create my own perceived reality by manipulating the capabilities of my camera and lens. A lot of getting this shot boiled down to being at the right place at the right time. So much of life follows that same rule of coincidence, doesn’t it?

If you happened to be standing next to me as this train passed by, you’d actually fall over with boredom because as it passed right through downtown Portland, its speed was reduced to a crawl. But that is where the fun begins!

By combining some creative framing (kids, exercise caution whenever opting to shoot two feet from a moving locomotive) and dragging the shutter (to about 10 seconds), I was able to create the impression that this train was busting through town on a mission. It’s this type of in-camera manipulation of the actual scene that makes me chomp at the bit for the next shoot to occur.

In terms of processing
Not too much to say here. I achieved the starbursts in the scene by closing the aperture of my lens – no software used there. The overall look of the image wasn’t changed too much. I applied Blue Dawn Leonidas and two custom Tone Enhancer and Glow effects from Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software.

Finally, I wanted to simulate a shallow depth of field and blur the vanishing point. I achieved the desired look using FocalPoint 2.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (128 photos)

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In any case, often times when I’m standing at a location getting ready to shoot it, I’ll look at what is given to me in terms of the natural elements within. For example, I saw all of these curving lines – the curve of the bridge above, the curve of all the support beams below, the curve of Storrow Drive, and the curve of the pedestrian walkway. All of these lines were speaking to me.

The responsibility of the photographer is to listen and decide how to best respond. Response is dictated by how you execute the shot. From the angle of the camera, to the height of your tripod (if you’re using one), and the lens you decide to slap on. All of these factors directly correlate to what you heard from your scene.

For this shot, I decided that the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens would work best. Most of the lines in the scene were radial in nature and the Fisheye lens does a perfect job of accentuating them via distortion. Next, it was a matter of figuring out the best placement of the camera and getting the exposures.

You listen. You respond. Money in the bank.

In terms of processing
This is a tone-mapped HDR image taken across nine exposures. I found the best single exposure that had good motion trails with the traffic and masked that in using Perfect Layers 2 by +onOne Software.

Next up was stylization. That was all fielded by Perfect Effects 3. I applied some Fashion Passion and two custom Tone Enhancer and Glow effects to get the overall look locked down. After that, I decided to grunge up the shot by overlaying a stock texture file using the Hard Light blending mode in Perfect Layers.

Add the final touches in the Develop Module of Adobe Lightroom 3. Reduce heat to medium. Bring to a boil. Season to taste. Serve hot.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (127 photos)

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Now, don’t misinterpret my words. I have nothing against selective color. In fact, when used effectively, I think it can be a gorgeous addition to a black and white image. I just think that it requires a soft touch and this is a tip that can be applied to all sorts of life lessons – everything in moderation.

For this image, I initially worked the entire scene in black and white. However, after reviewing the original color image, I realized that I loved the beautiful landscape that was painted on the wall. It really deserved to pop off the screen a bit more, so I masked back a small amount of the vibrant and punchy color, just enough to let it register to the viewer. I also think it contrasts very nicely against the stark, monochromatic sky and lights.

I think what I’m trying to say is that the application of subtlety often times will have a stronger impact than slamming your viewer over the head with blatant changes.

In terms of processing
I initially converted this image to B&W using a custom build effect in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. I also applied the Lighter effect under the Color & Tone category and selectively masked it onto the overhead lights to make them more pronounced. You will also notice that I masked just outside of the light housings, as well, to give them the appearance that they are glowing.

Next, I returned back to Perfect Layers and used a 10% opacity masking brush to restore some of the original color from the wall. Each stroke was iterative and compounded on itself so I masked in until I was happy with the output.

Finally, I added some contrast and clarity using the Develop Module in Adobe Lightroom 3.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (126 photos)

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So, what’s a boy to do here? Well, I know that a large majority of people tend to shoot a scene like Multnomah Falls with a wide lens. It makes sense, right? You want to capture the whole scene with all its beauty. And that iconic bridge – come on! So, does that mean that veteran MF photographers should just sit idly by? Not a chance!

I had my Canon EF 70-200 2.8L IS on, a lens that I had never used in this location. Fresh eyes. It didn’t take long at all to compose a scene that I was really excited about. Because I knew that I already had shots of the entire falls back at home, I was free to take my time experimenting more with other focal lengths. It opened me up to new possibilities. It reminded me that none of us should ever be done with a location.

In terms of processing
This is a single exposure image that I processed pretty much exclusively in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. The first effect I applied was Tonal Contrast because it instantly cut through the haze caused by the misting water. Next, I applied a Cooling Filter to the entire image, masking out the boulder in the foreground. Finally, I added a Green Enhancer effect to bring out the beautiful color of the moss.

I sent it to FocalPoint 2 afterwards to add a 3% blur to the background and gave the image its final touches in Ligthroom 3′s Develop module.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (125 photos)

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While the Giants were going on to win the championship (w00t New York!), I was meeting up with my two newest friends, +Karen Hutton and +Ben Canales, to shoot sunset atop Crown Point at the Vista House. I have to say that these two photographers are just fantastic to shoot alongside with and exude creativity and tons of comic relief. It was an absolute pleasure and I look forward to more encounters with these characters.

I cannot begin to accurately tell you how strong the winds were up there last night. It was almost comical – laughing so hard while your eyes involuntarily stream tears from the whipping cold air. And the thing was that if you didn’t brace your tripod down with your own weight, it’d simply blow over. But that’s what we, as photographers, do to get our shots, right?

I pondered this a lot last night over coffee at Stumptown with Karen and +Jeffrey Yen. We were discussing the differences and similarities of photographers versus other type of artist. Now, this isn’t meant to be a debate. I am not trying to deliberately spew incendiary opinions, so please don’t react as if that was the case.

My point is pretty simple – as photographers, if we want to create our work, we have to go out to where the work is and create it. If that means hiking through chest-deep water, blistering cold, or across some sandy desert dunes, that is what we have to do. It’s a pay-to-play art form. Whereas a painter, for instance, has the freedom and the luxury to create wonderful and epic work from the comfort of a controlled environment. If a painter wanted to paint the Grand Canyon, he or she isn’t required to be sitting or standing on the rim to do so. If a photographer wants to capture the same place, there really is no other option but to be there. We need to study and master our cameras and the environment all while knowing how to manipulate the camera to best exploit whatever the current environmental conditions are. And really, would we want to have it any other way?

It’s a fairly straightforward opinion and as I was standing atop Crown Point, trying to keep my camera from blowing over in the middle of a bracketed sequence of exposures, I was reminded of just how lucky I am to be a photographer and how much I love my craft.

In terms of processing

This is a nine exposure tone-mapped HDR image using Photomatix. I processed the image primarily in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. Not much done, though – mostly accentuating the warm tones in the building and sunset horizon while cooling off the rest of the sky. I also selectively added some tonal contrast to the Vista House itself to bring out some more texture. I toyed with applying a FocalPoint layer to the sky but I ended up losing a bunch of that gorgeous shape to the clouds and opted to delete that layer.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (124 photos)

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Now, the potency of the effect will surely vary based on the individual but it’s definitely hitting home for me. I took this shot near Rockefeller Center in NYC in early January using my Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L Prime with the intent of getting this sort of reaction and I’m glad I was able to succeed with it. I’m sure that tilting the shot helped increase the effect, too.

In terms of processing:

I tone-mapped this image in Photomatix because there was too much tonal range to capture in one shot. I did end up masking back the original sky from one of the brackets because I wasn’t happy with what the tone-mapping did to ghost the moving clouds. Stylization occurred in Perfect Effects 3, by +onOne Softwareand I added some final touches using the Develop Module in Adobe Lightroom 3.

In album Pic Picks Over The Years (123 photos)

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