Golden Sun

©JP Parmley
There is nothing like that first few minutes of light from a sunrise and the last few minutes from a sunset to just make everything fall into place.  Shooting at Cox Arboretum in Miamisburg, OH this evening provided one of those opportunities.  As I type this, I have the 19x13 image coming off the Canon 9500 Mark II printer so it can be mounted in the office in the morning.

Canon 5D Mark III, 70-200mm L IS, 1/200th, f/4.5, ISO 200

Here are the elements that bring this shot together.  

1) Timing!!!!!  With about 10 minutes of light left in the day, we are seeing that "Golden Hour" color just shine through the shot.

2) The arrangement of the shot has the sun at about 10 o'clock  and low in the sky. Shooting at this angle gave the large sun flare spots just to the left of the subject.  I was shooting with a 70-200mm L IS on a 5D Mark III body to also give the shot some compression.

3) I added a fill flash just slightly off camera left

3) I added some vignetting in Lightroom 4 to help bring the focus to the center

4) The color of the dress and flowers matched

5) Finally, remember the rule of thirds!


The whole series of pictures came out amazing.

Enjoy!

JP

Canon Lens or Coffee Mug?

©JP Parmley
Here is something only the hardcore photography fan will want......that is why I got one.  I don't normally endorse online stores but this one was too good to pass up.

It took about 3 weeks to receive it, but I think it was worth the $12.



http://nomorerack.com/daily_deals/view/310709-slr_camera_lens_stainless_steel_travel_coffee_mug_with_leak_proof_lid

Enjoy
JP

Editing Overcast / Cloudy Pictures in Lightroom 4

©JP Parmley

Here is a quick way to convert photos taken on cold, overcast days to something a bit warmer.  This particular photo was taken in between the wedding and the reception at a local park.  It was about 35 degrees and complete overcast.  Because of the cold temperature, we were trying get a few quick pictures. 

For this example I used Lightroom 4, my primary workflow tool for color, exposure, and noise editing.  I have created a preset that I apply to pictures taken in this type of situation.  I can then fine tune them to meet the specific pictures needs.

The preset has the following settings:

Contrast +33

Highlights -88

Shadows +45

Whites -34

Blacks +34

Clarity +7

Vibrance +7

Saturation +8

 To create the preset in Lightroom, set the sliders where you want them, then click the "+" icon above the preset pane.  Give it whatever name you want, then it will be available for you to apply on future pictures. I have also added a little vignette after the fact as well.

In a perfect world, I would have adjusted the white balance to a set of portable strobes and reflectors, but the wind was blowing making the wind chill probably in the low teens. With us just getting a few pics, we opted to edit the look after the fact and save the bride from freezing in her strapless dress.

After

Before

Enjoy

JP