HDR

So, I was asked what the other apple blossom images looked like and whether any of them were the (according to the meter) proper exposure. Here is the series of 5 exposures, each 1 stop apart from slowest to fastest shutter speeds. I think that the middle image is at the "proper exposure according to the meter set in Matrix Mode. I don't think that any one image is better than the composite. What do you think?

Thanks for reading!
Lizz

More D300

Tonight I went looking for some nice sunset images to try out a new technique with the D300. But as I was driving around some of the local apple orchards, the clouds moved in. It wasn't going to be as exciting, but it wasn't a total blow out, though and I got to try a couple of compositions. The apple trees are all in full bloom and they were literally buzzing with bee activity. It's also wildflower season and I'll post some of the new images from last weeks trompabout.

Here's tonight's attempts at HDR (High Dynamic Range) which combines images that cover a range of exposures into a single image. It looks a lot more like what our eyes can distinguish. See what you think.




It started raining as I drove home and it's been gently coming down since. A nice little soak for the grass I just dosed with Weed N'Feed.

Thanks,
Lizz

D300

It's been awhile since my last post here. As soon as I arrived home from the desert, I got sick. Real sick, like walking pneumonia sick. I'm still not 100%. So, the details of the trip kinda languished and I got busy with stuff. like getting images from the trip up onto the website. I changed the portfolios around a little to be able to have a "New works" portfolio. I have about 14 or 15 images there from Joshua Tree and Death Valley. Go to and check the "New Works"portfolio. I hope you enjoy!

So, I finally did it. I caved. I have joined the Dark Side and bought a digital camera. After reading the reviews and doing some shopping I got me a Nikon D300. I'm still on the overhanging part of the learning curve, but I'm doing some things that I never did with film.

Like shooting kayakers in the local rivers enjoying the spring runoff. One of the first days out with this camera I drove up and down along the Cold River looking for boaters. The water was high and there are several ClassIII or harder runs. So I found Pinball and waited for the boats to arrive. Just as I was about to leave, I saw a brightly colored helmet go bobbing across the river and slip in the lee of a boulder. Soon a half dozen or so others joined him. They reconnoitered for awhile and then, down they can one after another. Here are a few of the images.







I was really impressed with the continuous focus feature that allowed me to use Aperture Priority and lock onto a kayaker and follow him through the run, from the top all the way through to the next rest. Also, the light kept changing so I could change ISO settings on the fly and keep my speed to where I could freeze the action. Several of these images are at ISO 800 and there doesn't appear to be much noise. I'm looking forward to more chances to photograph action.

So, that's about it for now. thanks for reading
Lizz

Spring Trip 08, 1st entry

I am back from 3 weeks in the desert (Joshua Tree N.P., Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley N.P. with a side trip to Bishop thrown in for good measure). The few times I had internet service during the trip, I had technical troubles and couldn't upload my entries. Sooooooooo, now that I'm back home, it appears that I'll be able to re-cap for all who might be interested. I'm going to break the entries up into semi-logical bites so it isn't just one HUGE and tedious thing to read. It's good to be home. Now I have over 1000 new images to edit!

So, the big event has finally arrived. I left Boston on Thursday February 28th and was checked in to the Motel6 before midnight, Vegas time. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and I didn’t wake up until after 7AM.

It was OK, though because I had shopping to do. There is a very nice Whole Foods in Henderson, NV and right across the street is the REI. I laid in supplies that would keep without cold, such as Annie’s mac and cheese and pasta with tomato sauce. And I also bought a BIG bag of coffee so that the ritual continues! Bottles of gas and a few other items and I was on the road west.

I drove through the Mojave National Preserve but didn’t see much in the way of wildflowers. I checked out the Kelso Dunes, and also the restored Kelso Depot, a very cool old time railroad station complete with a lunch counter. Unfortunately, the counter is not yet open, though the NPS is looking.

I decided to go to Joshua Tree instead. There were reports of lots of wildflowers throughout the park. They were right! My first exposure came on the drive from Mojave through the town (?) of Amboy on Rt.66. All along the way were fields of what appeared to be Desert Sunflowers and when I got out to take some photos I was amazed at the fragrance. The valley was just alive with the perfume of the flowers.

Anyway, I pulled into the Park after dark and found myself a campsite. I pitched the tent, got out the sleeping bag and made myself a nest. I was asleep in no time, again. Still on that east coast time, I guess. I slept pretty well and was up around 4Am and since I’d been in my bag for 8 hours already I got up and drove to the Ocotillo Patch and waited for sunrise. The dawn was pretty nice and I think I got some nice images.

Ocotillo Patch at Sunrise

Once the light was up a took more images around the patch before moving back north to the Cholla (pronounced Choya) Garden. I took more images there and ran into a guy from Gloucester. Imagine that! Anyway, the sun was up, it was getting warm and I NEEDED some coffee.

The Ritual, JTree Style!

After some oatmeal and some perked coffee I was back out and on my way to the south gate and Cottonwood Springs. I checked in at the ranger’s station and headed on up to Lost Palm Canyon. It’s about 4 miles in from the parking area and it is an oasis complete with a grove of California Fan Palms. I lounged around in the shade, took my shoes off and let the cool breeze dry my back.

Lost Palm Canyon

After about 45 minutes of this, I headed back down to my car. The light was improving as it was late afternoon and that nice low angle sunshine was making the shadows long. I stopped at a few places on my way back to camp and took more images of flowers. The Sand Verbina was blooming in a number of places and I had to stop.

Anyway, I arrived back at camp just as it was getting dark. I fired up the stove and made some dinner. It wasn’t too long after eating and cleaning up before I was ready to sleep again. I was out like a light only to be awakened by my tent shaking in the wind. It just came in gusts and shook the whole thing, even blowing up through the floor! I still slept OK, but I got up once to bring the pots into the tent and make sure that the tent fly hadn’t been torn.

That pretty much summed up today (Sunday). The wind was so strong that I couldn’t even set up my tripod or light the stove. I kept moving around trying to find a place to hike or something that wasn’t getting slammed by the wind. I visited a few of the nature walk loops and did the hikes around them. After yesterday, I needed something easy as my legs were a little bit sore.

So, since Sunday was a breeze, I think I may stay one more day and hope that the wind dies down some. It appears that it is letting up a bit as I type this. I’ll keep you posted!

Lizz March 2, 2008 Joshua Tree National Park

Site of the Week

Last week my website was chosen by liveBooks to be one of their "Sites of the Week"! I'm really honored because these folks see really good photography all the time and so far a few of them have commented favorably on mine. Check it out here http://www.livebooks.com/community/index.php then click on the Sites of the Weektab and choose Week2. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Lizz

Practicing My Scales, Grayscales That Is!

The sun has been absent quite a bit lately. A week ago I was out running errands and I brought along my N80 with the 20mm lens and ISO 100 (Kodak 100VS) color film so I could hand hold the camera. The sun was really just a pale, brighter spot in the otherwise gray overcast. All along the routes I drove, there were just beautiful winter scenes in shades of gray. All the trees were still draped in shrouds of white from the previous storm. The images looked almost like I was shooting black and white except for some hints of color here and there.

Here are some of the images from the day.






Here are a couple leftovers from the fall.

Welcome to the 90's

Well, now I’ve gone and done it. I am now a Dot Com. Check it out! www.lizzbartlett.com I have been struggling for over a year to build my own website so that I would have an internet presence for my photography. It’s harder than I thought, especially having it look professional, work on all the key browsers and be easy to update. After all, I want to be out shooting, not learning HTML!

So, as we approached the New Year I decided that 2008 would be the year that I actually try to make a (at least part-time) business of photography. As part of that decision I hired a developer to build my site. I had been reading Elizabeth Carmel’s PhotBlog about her experience working with liveBooks, a developer for photographers by photographers.

She had had a very positive experience so I started going through their website and learning more. As I did this I also started noticing other folks whose sites I had been admiring and had been built by liveBooks….Robert Glenn Ketchum and Carr Clifton to name but two. The fee was reasonable and the tools for maintaining the site myself i.e. uploading and managing images are easy to use and very powerful. There are also business tools and databases.

I’m very happy with the end result and my experience was excellent. Visit the site and let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Lizz