Hiking Trip Pics

Around Washington

This month I've had a difficult time deciding where to focus -- travel photos, people pictures, landscapes, abstracts. So I've settled on a few pictures I've taken in Washington in the past year or so. I'm still trying to find my way--what subjects to focus on.  Nancy

Iconic Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool

Clouds over the U.S. Capitol

Stained glass window, Washington Cathedral

Gargoyle, Washington Cathedral

Lantern, U.S. Capitol

From A Midsummer's Night Dream, Folger Shakespeare Library bas relief

Oil lamp, Franciscan Monastery

National Museum of the American Indian

Little bridesmaid, U.S. Botanical Garden

Crusin'

Pandamonium

Bao Bao's Good-Bye Treat

Red panda, Smithsonian Zoo

Beginning Macro Work

I just started doing some macro work on March 18 because it was warm and I discovered a cherry tree in my neighborhood with blossoms on it, not kill by the cold.

I'm just getting started and in looking at these picture realize that I need more practice.

Possible PhotoShoot

Folks:

I'd like to go shoot cherry blossoms somewhere possibly at the Tidal Basin on Saturday March 18th or at the National Arboretum and I hope you do too.

Also I got this recommendation from the Hollin Hall Next Door social media site:
Senate Park, around C Street and 1st Street NW, in front of Union Station is also a lovely location for cherry blossoms that tends to be unpopulated on the weekends when the Tidal Basin is mobbed.

Please let me know if you too want to shoot cherry blossoms, what place you want to go to and the time.

Tidal Basin: Yes __ No __ 6:30AM __ 3:30 PM __
Arboretum: Yes __ No __ 8:00 AM __ 3:00 PM __ (They are open from 8AM until 5PM)
Senate Park: Yes __ No __ 7:00 AM __ 3:30 PM __

Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson
c: 571-251-0477
e: mscbill@alsjohn.com

Links to articles on the Golden Ratio

Hi all,

Here are three links to using the Golden Ratio and other compositional schemes.  Hope you find them helpful.

Nancy

https://digital-photography-school.com/divine-composition-with-fibonaccis-ratio-the-rule-of-thirds-on-steroids/

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/golden-ratio-photography/

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/24/golden-ratio-better-rule-thirds/

Utah-Arizona parabo book

Here's the link to the 8x8 parabo book from tonight.

https://www.paraboapi.com/book/11480b23

Images from Chincoteague in February, 2017

Last week Susan and I spent a couple of days at Chincoteague.  In the past I have been really into photographing the island and I brought my camera this time as well.  However,...
except for a couple of hours Tuesday morning, the town and refuge were overcast virtually all the time. A three stop kind of day. Which doesn't mean that there are no photo opportunities, only that they have to be different.  Because it was so gray most of the time, I converted all of my final images to Black and White, and while that helped, I still had to do a lot of post processing.

Here the levels adjustment layer in Photoshop was great.  In one place it let me smoothly stretch the tonality from as black to as white as I wanted it to be, while adjusting the overall tonality with the middle (gamma) slider.  Similarly, the curves adjustment allowed me to adjust overall tonality and contrast.  I didn't use adjustment masks, although they could have made things even better. Lightroom was great as usual for adjusting clarity and sharpening the images without excessive haloing.  Here are my eleven best after all post processing. (You don't want to see the "before" images).