Uploads from Fresnatic, tagged westcoastlighthouses

Winter Sunset at the North Head Lighthouse

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:23:48 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

With the weather not being conducive for photography when I am not working, I needed to dig into my archives today. It may be the first day of Spring here in the Pacific Northwest, but we have a storm rolling through and producing very high winds, rain and snow like it was the middle of November! So I decided to peruse my archives and find something worthy of posting. This is from a trip I made to the Oregon Coast back in February of 2011! Yep I had to reach back that far!

Of course I had to return to a lighthouse shot too! I miss the ocean and hope to get out there soon...okay after the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival! I am typically not lucky when I make it down to Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment, or the North Head Lighthouse, so I was pleasantly happy to have had these conditions when I arrived. Of course what you don't see at this point is that the Coast Guard was performing a rescue training exercise when I was trying to capture this sunset. The conditions were a bit better before this shot, but they would not let us go down to the lighthouse for safety reasons. Totally understand and was happy when the exercise wrapped up and they let the few photogs who had gathered for sunset, to make our way down to the lighthouse.

This is my standard three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I moved to Photoshop and removed a trashcan and a couple of people. I ran through Topaz Adjust to bring back some detail, pulled back the saturation just a tad...I mean just a tad. I then did a little noise removal, sharpening and added a little grain in Lightroom. The slightly over the top coloring is intentional as I wanted to convey more of a painting here.

I hope everyone is doing great. Thank you for your continued support, views, comments and faves. I appreciate it. Some exciting things are starting to happen, but I won't spill the beans until they actually DO happen!

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. I own the copyright to all of my RAW and final images. All images are available for sale or for licensing through either Getty Images or myself. Thank you.

Winter Sunset at Alki Point Lighthouse

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:10:56 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

Well I hope everyone is settling into the new year and sticking to their resolutions! I am trying to stick to my resolution of at least posting one image a week or more. I have been out a few times in between storms and work to try to capture some of the beautiful winter light. One of the reasons I love photography and the art I try to create is the fact that I can share a moment with everyone. I say this as I was the only one at this lighthouse for this sunset. I was the only one that witnessed this and now I can share the beauty of that brief moment with you.

Why was I the only person out there? Could be the fact that it was probably 36 degrees and the wind was blowing. Could be the fact that the tide was still going out and nobody wanted to get their shoes wet...which I did! Getting to this lighthouse is a feat by itself because of all of the private residences around it. Normally walking along the beach is good enough to get here, but one house has a concrete foundation that drops right into Puget Sound at high and medium tide. When the tide recedes, you can walk along the rocks and sand next to the foundation. Well I did my homework and knew that the tide was going out. When I arrived it was mostly out, but still was occasionally splashing up against the foundation wall. So I took my chances and got my shoes a little wet. I carefully climbed over the rocks and straddled them as little waves would occasionally wash up. Then it happened! A larger wave happened to hit the flat side of the rock I was standing on sending up a great splash mid way up my back!!!! The things we do to get the shot! Thank goodness I had some time to dry out in the chilly air and then get nice and toasty with the heated seats in my car!!!

The color show that I witnessed was very brief, but I was so glad that I made the trek out to West Seattle! Sunset can be a hit or miss proposition as I live almost 25 miles east of this lighthouse. It was overcast and ready to snow where I lived. I checked the local NBC affiliate's radar and webcams to plan my trip to Seattle. It paid off!

This is a combination of three images (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I then moved to Photoshop and removed a couple of dust spots, a sign and some styrofoam trash amongst the driftwood. I then added a bit of noise removal as well as sharpened a tad in Lightroom.

Thank you for all of your support. With my images hitting Explore last week, I had a ton of contact requests, which I have barely been able to respond to and some exciting licensing requests. Will keep you up to date on that! Again, thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them and I am humbled to be the source of inspiration to some of you as you are all inspiration for me.

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. I own the copyright to all of my final HDR images and the original RAW images. My images are available for sale or license through me, and some are licensed through Getty Images. Thank you.

Another Alki Lighthouse Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 08:47:55 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Wow! Highest Position Explore #1 Front Page My first number one! March 10, 2012 Thank You!

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

I know, I know, another shot of the Alki Point Lighthouse! When ever I go to Alki Beach located in West Seattle, I am pulled to the lighthouse! I can miss all of the other possible comps in the area because the magnetic pull coming from the lighthouse is too strong for me to overcome!

I texted a couple of Flickr friends that night and my Flickr friend Jason Hoover came out to meet me! He is the reason I started with HDR photography and it was great to finally catch up with what he has been up to! It has been a lot too! Here is a link to his fantastic photostream, which I think represents some of the best artistic HDR look in the world! www.flickr.com/photos/surrealize/

As you all know, this can be a tough lighthouse to shoot with the eyesore of a fence and prime location right in the middle of million dollar properties, I say properties, because the houses don't all look like a million dollars! I did take a shot from the other side and will post that at another time as the color was good earlier from there! This particular composition is not unique, as Jason was the inspiration for it! Here is his shot from a couple of years ago: www.flickr.com/photos/surrealize/3304226438/

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I shot this handheld with my wide angel lens wide open and at a higher ISO than I normally use. I have a special tripod that attaches to the fence that I have used before, but I figured, just try and shoot it handheld. I don't need a deep DOF here! I did perspective crop the image to straighten the lighthouse, due to the distortion of the lens. I ran through Topaz Adjust to get back details and removed the noise. Final adjustments in Lightroom for highlights and colors, as well as an added vignette.

For those of you waiting for my time lapse video of the Lenticular clouds illuminated by moon light over Mt Rainier, I will post that in a couple of days. So thank you for your patience! Thank you also for your comments, views and faves! I appreciate them! I am finally getting back to a regular presence here on Flickr, so I am perusing more f my friends photostreams! Thank you again for your patience and support!

Please do not use my images on blogs, websites, tumblr, Pintrest, and others without my permission. All images are available for license and sale. Thank you.

Winter West Point Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:43:07 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Wow! Highest Position Explore #8 December 21,2011 Thank You!

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

Well hello again everyone! Sorry I have been absent for a long time, and even a worse Flickr contact! I started a new job back in October and have been very busy since then. Also, we have been dealing with a foggy inversion for most of December, so I just have not had a chance to get out and shoot much.

After two stunning sunrises last week, that I had to miss because I was working, I was not about to miss Saturday's sunset! So I headed out to Discovery Park and parked where I should not have parked, however, when I went back to my car, there were five other people that had the same idea!

All I can say is that I was so happy to be out shooting again! I had so much fun taking different angles of the lighthouse, some great some...uh...not so great! Anyways, it was great fun. I would like to dedicate this image to my friend Patti www.flickr.com/photos/photopatthomas/ whom has kept up the pressure for me to post something these past two months! Here is looking your way Patti!

As it is looking good later today and I am off, I need to get out and shoot some Christmas scenes! Our local NBC affiliate is using my picture of the Mukilteo Lighthouse at Christmas www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/5267813297/ to promote their Holiday Photo Contest on their website: www.king5.com/your-news/133974233.html?contest=learn Pretty cool!

I also donated some photos to the Fred Meyer in Issaquah to help raise money for "Relay for Life," and about 7 have already sold! All of the proceeds go to the "Relay for Life," a worthy cause. I also have about 8 photos for sale at a new art gallery located in Fall City, Washington. The art gallery is called "Quirks of Art" and is located right on the main street across from the Snoqualmie River!

As I have said, I have been busy in my hiatus from Flickr and here is another reason! I shot some photos for Fabri Fine Jewelry located in Bellevue Square Mall earlier this fall for their new Facebook Page, which you can view here: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.305213632840343.90468.1...

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I used the "De-ghosting" tool to prevent artifacts from being created from the merging process, right where the bright yellows of the sunset occur on the horizon. I did a little perspective crop and dodging and burning in Photoshop. I ran through the new Topaz Adjust 5 to regain details. I pulled back the greens and overall saturation in Lightroom, as well as added the slight vignette.

As always, thank you so much for your views, comments, faves and support. I will be around a little more to look at your photostreams. Please be patient as it takes me some time to catch up! Again, I am happy to be back posting and to be out shooting!

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. The images you see here on this site are available for licensing, so please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.

Alki Point Lighthouse Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:54:39 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

After driving around a little yesterday and noticing the wispy clouds in the sky, I figured the sunset was going to be "Epic!" I texted several friends to see if they wanted to meet up for sunset and was able to meet up with photographer extraordinaire Dene: www.flickr.com/photos/denemiles/ She is a real trooper as she was sick and braved the biting wind last night!

I have waited for two years to get this shot! I even purchased a special tripod last year that wraps onto the chain link fence. The wind was buffeting the camera so I stood next to it and used my hood from my jacket to keep it from moving! The sunset was extremely intense and I had to dial back the saturation a bit from the HDR merging process.

This is three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I then had to straighten the crop and do a perspective crop of the tower, hence slight distortion. I then did some selective "Dodging and Burning" and selective desaturation of the colors in the sky. I moved to lightroom to adjust contrast and some noise removal.

Thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. Looks like we are about to head into a ten day stretch of showery weather here in the Pacific Northwest-typical for October!

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. Contact me if you would like to license and image. Thank you.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:36:05 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

Well this image could be the first wildlife shot I have ever posted! I am usually okay with landscapes and architecture, but am lousy at shooting wildlife (with a camera)! So I was very surprised that this little seagull stayed still while I fired off my bracketed shots! Here is a shot from several years ago from my old "Point and Shoot" camera just after a storm: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3626612696/

There are many shots from this location, as this is one of the most photographed locations on the Oregon Coast. So this just happens to be my shot from here! We all have to have certain images in our portfolios, if you are a Pacific Northwest photographer, this is one of them. I don't get to make it down to the coast that often, so I had to contend with the storminess of the sky and sea here.

This shot is from my two week exploration of the Oregon Coast back in February of this year. It is a combination of three exposures shot on a tripod (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I then cropped and did some dodging and burning in Photoshop. I also ran through Topaz Adjust to bring back some details. Final adjustments in Lightroom included a slight bump in contrast, added vignette and a little grain. I also toned back the color for a slightly subdued look.

Thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. Autumn has certainly made itself known here in the Pacific Northwest. Just two weeks ago I was shooting wildflowers, and now I am gearing up for the color displays that are starting in the mountains! Paradise, on Mt Rainier, even got a light dusting of snow today!

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. Contact me if you would like to license an image. Thank you.

Point Wilson Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:12:34 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

Here is a shot of the Point Wilson Lighthouse located in Fort Worden State Park, in Port Townsend Washington. Yep! That is the place that they filmed "An Officer and a Gentleman." My photographer nephew, Jared www.flickr.com/photos/56845130@N06/ was following me around as I taught him a little bit about composition! He was having fun just like my other nephew and nieces exploring the peninsula that the lighthouse sits on.

I was able to corral them long enough to get a couple nice family portraits that my sister will love! We continued on to Sequim after this to see the New Dungeness Lighthouse www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3840497376/ from across New Dungeness Bay. We continued to La Push and car camped on the beach! What an adventure that was and one my nieces and nephews will not soon forget or probably repeat! Come on! Car camping is fun!!!

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I used the "Content Aware" tool extensively to clean up the bird "Doodie" on the rocks and straightened the horizon. I pulled back the color in Lightroom, especially on the oranges, reds and yellows, but left the blues a little more intense. I also added a bit of grain and a slight vignette.

Thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. A little news: Getty images has accepted 19 of my photos for licensing. Three of them I will have to hunt down the owners of the property to get releases to license. I hope that this goes well, as I have heard a few horror stories about Getty. I figured that they have a farther reach than just my own marketing and website. Also next month my "12th Street Bridge Sunset" www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/5716737126/ will be on display at the Art East Gallery located in Issaquah, Washington. This will be the first time a piece of my work has hung in a gallery! So I am pretty stoked about it!

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. Contact me if you would like to license an image. Thank you.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:22:41 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

www.davidrironsjrphotography.com

Here is a shot of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse located in Newport, Oregon. I realized I did not have a real close up of this beautiful lighthouse, so this shot was a must! I spent a good four and a half hours wandering around the grounds, the tide pools and the inside of the lighthouse.

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse on the Oregon coast. It sits out on the Yaquina Headland and is surround by rich tide pools and nesting grounds for birds. Seals also make their home on some of the offshore rocky islands.

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I then cropped in Photoshop as well as removed some signs and rails from in front of the lighthouse with the "Clone Stamp" tool. I ran through Topaz Adjust to help bring in some detail and to highlight the clouds a bit. I did process wanting this sort of "Painted" look here. I also added a bit of grain to the image in Lightroom as well as a subtle vignette.

Thank you to everyone for the tremendous response on my previous post of Palouse Falls www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/5752198182/ Heading back over for the Memorial Day weekend, so am pretty excited!

Also, thank you for the views, comments and faves. I appreciate them and I hope everyone is having a great week.

Please do not use my images on websites or blogs without my permission. Thank you.

West Point Lighthouse Sunset HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:02:05 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

I met up with Aaron www.flickr.com/photos/aaron_eakin/ and his daughter Ella, at the West Point Lighthouse last Thursday for a sunset shoot. It was our first day in about a week that the sun finally had decided to come out and play so we wanted to take advantage of it! It was kind of cold and windy and Ella was a real trooper sticking with us as we shot the fading light!

I wanted to shoot the Alki Point Lighthouse but the tide was at it's highest. I would have needed a wetsuit to swim to it! So I am still eying the tides for a return trip. Still the sunset was a nice change from the cloudy grayness that has typified this long winter...oh wait...it is now Spring! Here is a sunset...an epic sunset... from last year from the other side: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/4953043333/ One of the things I really like about this shot is the subtle rays of light radiating from above the clouds!

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photmatix. I then cropped in Photoshop CS5 and also did some desaturation of the blues in the rocks. I also puched the image through Topaz Adjust for a color bump and then also adjusted the contrast a bit. That bump also created a slight halo over the top of the lighthouse, but in this particular image I felt it was okay. Final adjustments in Lightroom and added vignette.

I am getting closer to having my website done. Of course I am rushing as the Zenfolio tryout period ends tomorrow. So when I do have it up, I will still be adding images to it! Thank you for your views, comments, and faves! I appreciate all of the honest feedback and support.

Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. Thank you.

Admiralty Head Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:10:18 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

I think everyone knows that lighthouses are my passion and I was not about to skip the opportunity to take some more pictures of one of my other favorite lighthouses in Washington State. Admiralty Head lighthouse is one of the more architecturally beautiful lighthouses we have here in Washington.

An interesting note is the attached house was also the plan for the Keeper's Houses at the North Head lighthouse located in Ilwaco, Washington. That is one where I have been skunked each time I have gone for a sunset! Oh well one of these days!

I was hoping for a cool sunset but the clouds looked like it was to put a damper on that thought! So Chris www.flickr.com/photos/ixfe/ and I were photographing parts of the guns at the partially restored bunkers. As sunset approached, the sky started to lighten up and it turned out to be a great sunset. I just was not near the lighthouse! So we raced back over to the lighthouse, but most of the color show was gone! At least I know where the sun is setting right now, so I need to return with in a week before it slips too much farther north. Here is a shot from a couple of years ago, shot with my 18-55 kit lens, as I did not have a wide angle lens yet: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3854922221/

This is a combination of three exposures (_2,0+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I moved it to Photoshop to do some dodge and burn. I also removed some handrails and ran through Topaz Adjust for details. Final color tone down and added vignette in Lightroom. I also added a bit of grain to the picture as well.

Thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate and value them. As today is one of the first days we have had sunny weather, I am headed out to see what I can find! Hopefully the sunset is epic, as I am planning on trying to get a shot at the Alki Point Lighthouse like this: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3604716454/

Battery Point Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:25:24 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

I finally made it to the Battery Point Lighthouse and not during the middle of a storm, like the last time I was in Crescent City. February 10th was one heck of a beautiful day. I started in Yachats, Oregon and drove all of the way to Crescent City, California, then back after sunset! I logged a bunch of miles and some beautiful views of the coast! I seriously need to go back!

The Battery Point Lighthouse is located on an island just off the coast and is connected by a little land bridge which is exposed only at low tide. So I was happy to make the trek to the island and capture a few shots! The sun was really bright, so I thought it would be kind of fun to shoot this angle with the sun behind the lantern room!

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I then did a slight crop in Photoshop. I used the "Clone Stamp" and Content Aware" tool to eliminate some of the distracting utilites (ie: telephone wires, a gas meter, etc). Love those tools! I then ran it through Lightroom to pull back most of the individual colors and to darken the edges with a vignette.

Most of the pictures I have seen of this lighthouse are from the jetty about a half mile away or looking straight at the lighthouse. Yeah! I took a few of those too! This was one of the more creative, yet maybe still kind of dull compositions, but I felt it worked.

Thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. I did add just a little more processing to this HDR as I wanted more of a painted, or artistic look. So I hope you like, and I know if you don't, you will let me know! :)

Cape Blanco Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:31:56 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Like I prepared everyone, most of my shots from my Oregon trip will contain a lighthouse! Not all of them, but most of them. As you all know, my passion is for lighthouses. I am enamored with their architecture, the history behind why it was built, the technology of the time that it was built and the fantastic settings most are located in. It is unfortunate that a lot of the lighthouses were built due to a tragedy at it's shores.

Cape Blanco is the first lighthouse that you will encounter if you are driving from the south. It is located on the bump out that you will see on a map of Oregon. This is the first time I have ever visited and was surprised to see how far back from the edge of the cliffs this lighthouse was built. Here is a bit more information on the Cape Blanco Lighthouse en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Blanco_Light

I started this day up in Bandon for a sunrise shot of the Coquille River Lighthouse and before the day was over, I had traveled all of the way down to Crescent City, California. What is there, you may ask? The Battery Point Lighthouse and the St Georges Reef Lighthouse about six miles off of the coast. I followed beautiful scenery all of the way down and will have to come back and spend some more time on this stretch of the Oregon coast. There are all sorts of seastacks and vantage points, and more importantly, beaches that I would like to explore!

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I cropped in Photoshop and used the "Content Aware" tool to eliminate a few metal posts on the ridge next to the lighthouse. Final adjustments and sharpening and noise reduction in Lightroom.

Thank you to everyone for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

West Point Lighthouse by Moonlight

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:11:34 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Hey everyone, thought I would throw up one more moonlight image. I took this last Saturday at around 2:30am! Yes I was traipsing through Discovery Park, located at the north end of Elliot Bay while everyone was sleeping! There is something about moonlight photography that has me hooked right now.

I am busy working through my Oregon images, so be patient on the morsels I post. Most everything will contain a lighthouse in it, as it is my passion. I am happy that they are pretty much done with the renovations to the West Point Lighthouse. For the longest time it had a big tent around it. Now I hope that they finish up the restoration of the Point Robinson Lighthouse www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3896335627/ located on Vashon Island in central Puget Sound.

This is SOOC with an adjustment to the White Balance. I cropped in Photoshop CS5 and added slight vignette in Lightroom3.0.

Thank you for your visits, views, comments and faves. I have been working through everyone's photostreams and have seen some outstanding and inspirational work. Have a great Friday!

Sunset at Yaquina Head Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:24:55 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

As I was driving to Yachats, where I was staying, I saw that the clouds were looking like they were going to set up for an epic light show at sunset. As I have always wanted a sunset shot from the north side of Yaquina Head, I seized the opportunity. I found a little street that had beach access, although it was still a half a mile from where I wanted to be.

So I grabbed the gear and ran to a nice outcropping of rocks in the way of the incoming tide. At the same time, I was trying to outrun some heavy rain that was heading right for my treasured spot! So I quickly set up and snapped off the shots for this image.

I also wanted to see if I could get a longer exposure, so I pulled out my ND 8 filter and attached it to the front of the lens. Just in that short period of time, about a minute, the light was gone and the gray storm clouds to the right enveloped the scene!

Oh well, I was happy to have gotten off this shot! I packed up and then slipped on a slimy rock! Almost went face first into the rocks, but fortunately my left knee caught the rock! Ouch! The excruciating pain in my knee could have been worse if it would have been my face! At the same time, the sky opened up! So I was drenched by the time I got back to the car! Oh well, what we go through to get the shot.

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. I cropped the image and did a little dodge and burn in Photoshop CS5. Final adjustments with vignette and tone down of some of the colors.

Thank you for visiting my photostream. I appreciate your views, comments and faves.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:13:43 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Here is another one from the archives! This was taken on my driving trip from San Diego two years ago! I drove all of the way from San Diego back up to Washington state! What a fantastic trip it was! As it still has been kind of rainy here in Seattle...hey it is the rainy season right now...I have been going back into the archives and reworking some of my older shots. I have this same shot earlier in my photostream www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3604999090/

One of the greatest things about HDR photography, is that through the tonemapping process, I can create a "Painterly Feel" to my photograph. For some people, they hate it because they don't think it is a photograph. Photography is an art, so it is subject to people's opinions and I respect that. I can go from a totally "Natural" HDR to a "Painted" look depending on my feeling at the time I am processing the image.

I have also learned quite a bit in two years...I am certainly not an expert...but I like to experiment! I feel this looks better than my first attempt as I dialed back most of the saturation in the hillside. I did up the blue just a bit, which I feel gives this image a richer look. It is sad to see the state of this mighty lighthouse. Pieces of the ironwork are falling off and part of the foundation stones were crumbling. They do happen to light it only once a year, but I heard that because the state of California is low on money, they may not be doing that anymore!

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix 4.0. I cropped and dodged and burned in Photoshop CS5. Ran through Topaz Adjust an Topaz InFocus. Final adjustments in Lightroom 3.0 to add vignette and dial back some of the colors that were saturated from the HDr processing.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. As always, thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. Just two more weeks and I will be spending an entire week on the central Oregon coast! The lighthouses and the coastline are calling my name!

A Mukilteo Christmas HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:22:17 -0800

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Highest Position in Explore #88 December 17, 2010 Thank You!

I have always wanted a shot of the Mukilteo Lighthouse with it's Christmas lights on. I really wanted some snow on it, but the lights were not on it when we had our last snow in November. I usually will not do a straight on shot of a building because of the distortion that is created by the camera lens, which I fixed somewhat in Photoshop with a perspective crop.

As I might create a Christmas card out of this, I did not want one of the Washington State Ferries in the shot. I have another from my usual side angle that has a ferry in it, but I thought it would distract from the lighthouse in this case. Here is one of my older shots: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/4832194029/

This is three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix 4.0. Oh how I love the new de-ghosting tool in Photomatix 4.0. The wind was blowing at a good clip, so those icicle lights were moving during the lengthened exposures. I perspective cropped in Photoshop CS5 and erased some of the ghosting that Photomatix did not take care of. Added the Vignette in Lightroom 3.0.

Thank you for the views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. I also want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

West Point Lighthouse Sunset HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:52:23 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Totally worth the trip! This shot was totally worth the 1 1/2 hours it took me to drive through traffic from Issaquah, which is located 17 miles east of Seattle! I thought I was going to miss the sunset and it looked like it was going to be EPIC! Got there just in time to snap off quite a few photos. A tourist visiting from Utah was asking me questions about the beach and the sunset. I answered them and told him that the sunset would really start putting on a show of color now that the sun had set. We were not disappointed as the sky put on an INTENSE show of color! Wow, what a show it was!

This is the first shot I have been able to grab since the extensive restoration was completed! I have been staking this lighthouse out since last November, but it was covered in a big tent so that they could repaint! The lighthouse looks great! The West Point Lighthouse is located at the extreme northwest point above Elliot Bay. The Alki Point Lighthouse www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/4597540059/in/set-7215762... marks the southern extreme point of the bay.

Should view this large to see some more of the detail in the clouds!

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. Cropped in Photoshop with a little dodge, burn and actual DESATURATION of some of the colors. The HDR processing on this really caused the color to "Pop" on this one, so I toned it back a little. Also had to play with the Luminosity slider in Photomatix as it tended to blow out the color in the clouds and create some artifacts. These clouds were moving so I had a lot of ghosting to clean up, so the Clone Stamp in Photoshop helped. I ran the photo through Topaz Adjust for details, and Topaz Denoise, then vignette in Lightroom2.

Thank you for viewing my photostream, and for the comments and faves. Have a great Friday!

Two other views: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3664585219/in/set-7215762...
www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3584229900/in/set-7215762...

Sunset at Mukilteo

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:37:01 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

With the new software I got several months ago, I have been going back into the archives to look for photos that I could improve. This is a shot from last June, and is a later in the evening shot versus the one that I posted much earlier in my stream. This one includes the Whidbey Island car ferry.

I remember that sunset was awesome, but I was hell bent on not moving my camera from the position I thought was the best! I have learned a lot since then. Don't just take all of your photos from one spot! Get some variety! The only things that changed in this particular series of photos I took that night, was that the light changed in the sky and the clouds moved, and I either had the ferry in the shot or not! Not much variety! I do move around now to get all sorts of angles when I shoot photos.

This is actually one image tonemapped in Photomatix, and then cropped in Photoshop. There was some up and down motion with the ferry, so I thought one image would be better here! I also ran the photo through Topaz Adjust and then ran the photo through Topaz Denoise twice, to clean up the sky. Some dodging, burning, and spot desaturation of color were also done in Photoshop. Final adjustments were completed inLightroom2.

I know there are some in the photographic community whom frown on so much postprocessing. To them I would say that everyone is an artist and sees things differently. I am a color junkie, so I like to create images that are full of color and life. I do wait for the "Perfect" conditions to take my photos and do not add or Photoshop in the sky or other major features. I use the software to clean up artifacts, such as an unwanted telephone pole, or correct the perspective that sometimes results from our lenses. I feel that all of us here on Flickr are artists, and somewhat could be called "Digital Artists."

I thank you for your views, comments, and faves. Have a great day.

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse HDR

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:21:04 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Kind of tired today. Out late last night with fellow Flickr friend Chris: www.flickr.com/photos/ixfe/5586755756/ shooting at the Alki Point Lighthouse. We also met up with Matt: www.flickr.com/photos/37126998@N08/5582510679/ and his daughter for a little night time photography at the lighthouse. Got up super early this morning for a potential sunrise which never materialized.

It is dangerous for me to get in my car and to start driving as I never know where I might end up! I wound up in Bellingham this morning, but really just did not find anything that excited me photographically speaking. So I wound up in the Skagit Valley to check on the tulips. NOTE: tulips still have about another week to two weeks before they are worth photographing. The daffodils looked good, but the ones I was shooting would not cooperate...They would not stand still!

Anyways, this is a shot from two years ago when I drove the entire west coast from San Diego all of the way up to Washington. I wanted to reprocess this shot with my newer skills verses two years ago, and was able to bring out the layer of fog on the ocean...which moved in very shortly after this shot...and to bring out some of the subtle colors in the sky. Here was my earlier processing attempt: www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/3621331530/

The lighthouse was unfortunately closed, but I did learn something about the Fresnal Lens in this lighthouse from my recent trip to the Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon. The yellow color in the lens is actually from sulphur which was infused into the glass when making the prisms. The Heceta Head lighthouse and one other east coast lighthouse...I don't remember which one...are the only three lighthouses with this yellow glow to the lens in the United States. The rest of the Fresnel Lenses have a greenish color to the crystals but give off a white light.

This is a combination of three exposures (-2,0,+2) merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. Cropped in Photoshop and ran through Topaz Adjust for details. Final color adjustments and vignette in Lightroom 3.

Thank you for your views, comments and faves. I appreciate them. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Please do not use my images on websites or blogs without my permission. Thank you.

Summer Photo Contest Entry PLEASE VOTE

nobody@flickr.com (Fresnatic) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:01:40 -0700

Fresnatic posted a photo:

Hey everyone, I normally don't like to campaign for votes, but I am campaigning right now! :) I was invited to submit my Pt Robinson Lighthouse photo into the Summer Contest sponsored by Hot Shoe Cards, and it is a finalist. If I win, this will then be featured in a box of note cards available for purchase from the company. I can win a prize and my work is then finally published. I have had a few photos featured on websites, but this would be the first work of mine that would be available for the public to purchase.

The voting is until August 14th and you can vote once per day. You do not have to sign in or purchase anything. I have included the link. www.hotshoecards.com All you have to do is vote for your three favorite, hopefully this photo is one of them! :)

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN VOTE ONCE EACH DAY UNTIL AUGUST 14TH!

This photo is my most popular and faved photo on my photo stream, which I thank you all for. Remember that you can vote once per day until August 14th at www.hotshoecards.com. Thank you all for your support and your votes. I really appreciate them!

Just go to www.hotshoecards.com and then "Click" on the "Vote Now" button. It will bring up the photos in the contest, and you just click on your three favorites. Again, I can't say it enough, thank you for your daily votes and support!

This is a repost of this photo that can be found in my Lighthouse Set, www.flickr.com/photos/fresnatic/sets/72157620726862385/. Once the contest is over, I will probably pull this post off of the stream, as it is already featured. I did re-edit the photo to submit in the contest. You do not need to "Fave" this photo as you can "Fave" it from my earlier post. I don't know how many times I can say "Thank You," but I will say it again! Thank you for your support!