Category: Location (Page 5 of 8)

Juried Artist Exhibition Selection

June 4, 2011 / Hitzeman Photography / 0 Comments

Water Color, Cannon Beach, Oregon

My image “Water Color” was selected for the Open Lens II exhibit at Gallery 7, Joliet, Illinois.

Open Lens II is Gallery 7’s 2nd Annual Juried Exhibit of Photographic Fine Art. Over 535 images were submitted by more than 90 artists from across the country. The exhibit features 68 images selected by 2 jurors with a Best of Show Award, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Awards, 6 Honorable Mention Awards, and Purchase Awards honoring more than 10 Artists and images. The exhibit features an Opening and Closing Reception and is open for viewing by the public and invitees over the course of the exhibit.

The Exhibit Opening Reception is today, June 4, 2010 from 6:00 PM to 9:00PM. The exhibit runs through the July 15, 2010 Artists Closing Reception.

About Gallery 7

Gallery 7 is a Fine Art Gallery in the Rialto Arts District in Historic Downtown Joliet. Located just one door north of the historic Rialto Theater, Gallery 7 features Fine Art Photography, Fiber Art and other artworks. It is a collaboration of nine member and associate member artists. The gallery is open 11 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Friday, for receptions and by appointment. Call 815.726.1840 for appointment openings. Address: Gallery 7, 116 N Chicago St, Suite 102, Joilet, Illinois.

Mesa Arch Sunburst — Sunrise on Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Mesa Arch Starburst

May 22, 2011 / Hitzeman Photography / 0 Comments

Sunrise on Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Mesa Arch is such a popular location in Canyonlands National Park, I had to get up very early to get a spot to photograph the arch before all the other photographers and tourists arrived. Ahhhh — Nature!

It was a beautiful sight. This image is actually an HDR composite of 2 images. The trick is to take one shot exposing for the close side of the arch before the sun comes up, and another when the sun comes up with the aperture closed down to about f3o, which makes the arch look pretty black.

Muley Point Red and Blue

January 23, 2011 / Hitzeman Photography / 0 Comments

It’s funny how we humans like to rate other humans with “best” lists like the Academy Awards, or the Person of the Year, or the Superbowl winners, or even The Biggest Loser. Maybe we just need to deal with a finite number, because we would feel overwhelmed by considering everything or everybody.

“Muley Point”

To manage our comprehension of the wonders of nature, we have them in a list called the Seven Wonders of the World. Really? Are there only seven? Of course not. Every day there are wonders all around us if we but open our eyes to them.

My practice of creating landscape photographs has made me more aware of seeing what is around me, and I am hyper-aware when on a trip to a place I’ve never seen before. My last trip to parts of Utah and Colorado was to photograph some of the most beautiful and spectacular sculptures of nature I had never seen.

Trust me, there were many more than seven wonders! Here’s one of “The Seven” — watch for the other six that I’ll post over the next few weeks.

Moon Landscape Photography

January 16, 2011 / Hitzeman Photography / 0 Comments

“Moonlight Beach”, Moonlight reflections on Cannon Beach, Oregon

As a landscape photographer, I track the date of the next full moon in the hopes of getting it into a photographic composition. If the clouds cooperate, seeing the moon low on the horizon is always a thrill and it can add dramatic interest to a photograph. I have learned that the shot does not have to be taken on exactly the day of the full moon. It can be taken a few days earlier or a few days later and still be what I’m looking for.

I created a mnemonic device to help me remember when to shoot: B-E-A-M.
It stands for

BEFORE the full moon date, shoot in the EVENING toward the east.
On the days leading up to the full moon date — the BEFORE days — the moon is full-looking and bright and low in the eastern sky right around sunset — in the EVENING — and for a few minutes the sky will be a muted pastel blue, with possible orange sunset light illuminating clouds or objects in the landscape below the moon.
AFTER the full moon date, shoot in the MORNING toward the west.
On the days after the full moon date — the AFTER days — the moon is full-looking and bright and low in the western sky right around sunrise, in the MORNING, and there the sky will be a muted pastel blue, with possible orange, pink, or yellow sunrise light illuminating clouds or objects in the landscape below the moon.

Either occasion makes a nice tonal composition without the extremes of a too bright moon and a too dark sky.

“Moon Moment”, Moonset near Millenium Park Tower

B-E-A-M

Before Evening, After Morning

Now it’s easy for me to remember whether I need to get up early or stay out late.

Good luck on shooting the moon!

HDR Software Comparison

January 9, 2011 / Hitzeman Photography / 0 Comments

I’ve heard and read so much about HDR photography that I wanted to do a quick comparison of the leading software packages – Adobe Photoshop CS4 HDR component, Photomatix Pro 4, and Nik Software HDR Efex Pro.

The image below is my favorite from the three software packages, expressing a light-filled and colorfully fun place, inviting the viewer to come and sit and have a cooling drink with friends. Read on to see which software package was used to create this image and where it was taken.

Processed in Nik HDR Efex Pro, Default, with 50% Compression, curve adjustment, control points on windows to lower exposure, add structure.

“Bode’s General Store”

For those unfamiliar with High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, it is a set of techniques that allow an image to portray a greater range of luminance between its lightest and darkest areas than current standard digital imaging techniques. HDR images can more accurately represent the range of light and shadow levels that the human eye can perceive in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight. For reference, a digital camera can record a range of about 5 exposure stops in one scene, while the human eye perceives about 11 exposure stops.

The scene I chose for this comparison was this colorful scene inside Bode’s General Store in Abiquiu, New Mexico. It contains a range of luminance too great for the camera to record. It includes light coming in through two walls of windows, and the dark interior shadows beneath the tables.

If I set my camera to expose for the window light, the interior shadows are black with no detail.
If I set my camera to expose for the interior shadows, the windows are white with no detail.
Since I wanted to create a single image with detail in both light and dark areas of the scene, I knew I had to take multiple exposures over a range and combine the images using HDR software.

Below are the three exposures I took of this scene using ISO 100, aperture f/16, at shutter speeds of 1/3 second, 1.3 seconds, and 5 seconds.

A Comparison of the Results

Adobe Photoshop CS4 HDR

Editted in Photoshop CS4 HDR, with additional edits in Lightroom
I found this software to be the most difficult to work with. Instructions on controls were unclear. The image coming out was muddy, and required additional processing in Lightroom to bring back color and contrast. I was still not happy with the results.

Photomatix Pro

Processed in Photomatix Pro 4
To be fair, I only ran this software once, and I need to study it more. However, I was surprised at how easily it produced a nicely balanced image on the first try. I did not need make many adjustments. This is probably the most “realistic” looking interpretation.

Nik HDR Efex Pro

(See image at top of this post.) I liked this software the best for now, mostly because of the understandable interface and the great results. It also has the greatest control with the ability to edit localized areas of the image using Nik’s control point technology. I took it a little beyond “realistic” for a more artistic effect.

Conclusion

For now, I recommend Nik HDR Efex Pro, with Photomatix Pro a close second. It may be worth more study to get good with Photomatix Pro. I would forget about Adobe Photoshop CS4’s HDR. (I have not tried Adobe Photoshop CS5’s HDR, but have read that it’s not that much better than CS4.)

Next time you are in Abiquiu, New Mexico, be sure to visit the 110 year old landmark, Bode’s General Store, and enjoy this colorful place for yourself!