BWR Observation Platform – 24mm

While we were at the Wildlife Refuge, I was looking along the Observation Platform to see if I could find something interesting to photograph. As I was walking down, I looked back and thought the platform itself was interesting. Plus I had a fairly Dramatic Sky to work with. Then I tried a series of effects in Photoshop, blending color and monotone into 1 image. If nothing else it kept me amused for a while trying different colors, tones, masks & combinations together. Plus it was fun to see different effects and how they work together.

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Sunset Sanibel Beach

Here is a colorful sunset from our trip to Sanibel, Florida. We spent 5 days on the island between J.N. Ding Darling NWR and the beaches. Even though I like the Colorful Sunset, I think I like the B&W versions more. The image was converted in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

Color Image: Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105 L f/4 lens @ 93mm, f/4.5, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, -0.33 Exposure Compensation to saturate the colors slightly.

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B&W Conversion in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
Full Dynamic Smooth with minor tweaks

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Above settings with Coffee Tint Added

Sun Reflection Peaking Through Clouds

This landscape was taken at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland in Dec. 2011. Heavy cloud coverage hid the sun, but the colors shone through the clouds and reflected in the water. Usually we photograph Wildlife at Blackwater NWR, but you can also get some great landscapes with water or wooded areas. I also especially like the colorful sunsets with birds flying through them. This image was taken with a Canon EOS 1D MkII with a Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5 – 5.6 @ 12mm, 1/1000 sec, f/16, effective focal length 15.6mm,  aperture priority -0.67 exposure compensation. Below are a series of B&W versions using Nik Silver Effects plug-in in Photoshop. The next to last one is using a Black & White adjustment layer in Photoshop. The last is just an adjustment of contrast. I usually do not think to use B&W images anymore for myself, (too many long hours, years ago, in the darkroom for commercial clients), but I thought this image might be interesting in Black &White.

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