The Light in Bisti

Amazing landscapes can be found outside the boundaries of Bisti Badlands.  We had spend a considerable time scouting the fenced-in areas but exited the park before sundown so as to explore what was outside.  The warm colors of sunset were great but the light after the sun had dipped below the horizon was just exquisite.  These formations are about 1/2 mile from the parking lot.(Please click on the image for a larger version)

Ridgeway, Colorado - Sunset

After driving to Mesa Verde and then scouting for hours in wet and snowy weather we never thought there would be any sunset.  We drove onto one of the county roads off the main highways into farmland.  The road, if you can call it that was a very wet and slushy dirt road with minimum traction even for a AWD SUV that we had rented. It was least expected but the skies showed signs of some light just before sundown.  In a few minutes a spectacular and most dramatic sunset unfolded.  It just got better and more expansive as we watched and photographed.  This image is the culmination of a sunset to remember.(Click on the image for a larger rendition)  

Lightroom 6.3 Released

Adobe has released Lightroom CC 2015.3 and Lightroom 6.3.  These are available via the update feature in Lightroom and on Adobe.com.  This update/release brings back  the "Import" features that were removed when the last grand version was released.  It also addresses many of the bugs that were introduced with the prior release.

In addition, this release provides additional camera raw and lens profile support.

Rainbows

Traveling from Albuquerque to Farmington (during the Bisti scouting trip) it was all cloudy and raining till we were a little over an hour from Farmington.  The rain stopped and clouds opened up to let the sun shine through.  I have wanted to capture a full rainbow (end to end) but on this occasion a double was just serendipitous.  though the double was not complete (a 10mm lens would have worked but all I had was a 14mm) I am happy with what I got.  (Please click on the images for a larger rendition) This next image was shot at 60mm.

Happy Diwali

Badlands, New Mexico

This was taken after the sun had set on our last evening at the Badlands (November 1, 2015). Definitely an addition to next year's late fall workshop. (Please click on the image for a larger rendition.)

ON1 Photo 10

ON1, Inc. announced ON1 Photo 10, the next generation of its photo editing and effects app for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, is available for purchase or download for those that pre-ordered. Version 10 is a ground-up rework of Perfect Photo Suite 9, optimized for performance, stability and ease of use. Up to 4x faster than the previous version and requiring less memory to run, ON1 Photo 10 also includes an integrated mobile workflow, a modern user interface, and the essential ON1 photo editing tools photographers have come to love.Click on the banner above or belo to order a full version or to upgrade.ON1 Photo 10’s enhancements include: (see a video of what's changed: http://www.on1.com/learn/video/whats-changed-in-on1-photo-10/)

• A significantly improved Effects module. Filters respond faster than ever before and presets are easier to find and apply. New preset categories have been added for popular photography genres, and include settings for color grading and haze reduction. The Perfect B&W module has been fully integrated into Effects, which lets you apply any filter—including the popular Dynamic Contrast effect—to your monochrome images. Lastly, you now have complete control over the organization of your presets and preset categories, making it easy to customize Effects to work the way you want.
• Two-way syncing of photos between ON1 Photo 10 and mobile devices with our free Photo Via app for IOS. Photo Via lets you share albums, smart albums and folders of photos between your desktop and your iPad or iPhone using Dropbox or Google Drive. With Photo Via, you can search, rate and share photos easily from any iOS device, and have the metadata synced back to your desktop.
• Better and faster workflow tools for working with faces in the Portrait module. Find facial features quicker, even with side views or faces at an angle. Portrait is faster and better than ever. The new way of working with facial features makes it easier to retouch the areas you care about.
• Access to Resize from any module, which lets you use the photo enlargement features of Perfect Resize from any part of ON1 Photo 10. Sharpen, add a watermark, or create a gallery wrap when you want, without jumping to a different module.
• Color and tone controls that make sense. Use Enhance’s exposure adjustments, better color controls, and improved highlight and shadow recovery to make your photos pop before taking them into other editing modules.
• Browse’s new Smart Albums feature, which lets you put your most important photos—wherever they are—at your fingertips. You can even automatically publish your Smart Albums to your mobile device with Photo Via.
• A new export feature, which automates the process of creating photos for printing and sharing. Take a single photo, or a group of photos, and create whatever size and file format you need. Combined with our improved batch processing options, we make it simple for you to print, share and manage your photos without undue complexity.Throughout ON1 Photo 10, you will find an improved user experience, with more responsive sliders, tools that won’t stick, and a user interface that is snappy, modern and easier to use. Most of ON1 Photo 10’s image processing algorithms utilize modern video cards (GPUs), providing better overall performance, a new sharing feature for posting photos directly to Facebook®, Twitter®, Messages®, Mail®, Flickr® and more.About ON1 Photo 10:ON1 Photo 10 is a full-featured photo editor that works either as a plug-in editor to Adobe Photoshop® and Lightroom CC, or as a standalone application. ON1’s open system allows access to your photos no matter where they are stored: your computer, your network, or on cloud-based storage services. We support all of the key online storage services, including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft’s OneDrive. ON1 Photo 10 works on both Mac OS X (10.9, 10.10, 10.11) and Microsoft Windows (7, 8, 10), while Photo Via requires iOS 8. Version 10 supports Photoshop CC 2015, CC 2014, and CS6; Lightroom 6, 5, 4; Photoshop Elements 13, 12 and 11.Availability and pricing:ON1 Photo 10 is available today and you can download the 60-day trial which is fully functional. Photo 10 has an introductory price of $109.99 for the full version (normally $119.99) and $89.99 for the upgrade (normally $99.99). For a limited time, ON1 Photo 10 is bundled with bonuses which include: “The Ultimate ON1 Photo 10 Training,” 10 in-depth video courses from Matt Kloskowski; and a Landscape Pro Preset Pack that includes 18 presets for Effects by Scott Davenport.

Ithaca, NY - A Waterfalls and Fall Foliage Workshop

Just concluded an incredible workshop in the Finger Lakes region of NY State. October 8th through Columbus Day October 12th, 21 photographers and two spouses hiked through the gorges of some of the most beautiful parks in New York.  The first night we attempted some Milky Way and light painting photography in the upper lot of Taughannouck Falls Sate Park. The following day, we had an early start to Buttermilk Falls.  Buttermilk Falls is the largest of the 10 falls of Buttermilk Creek.  Larger versions of these may be viewed by clicking on the image. Following Buttermilk Falls we drove to Ithaca Falls but access was restricted as there was construction on the access way to the river bed. Next option - into Robert Treman Park aka Enfield Glen.  Though it rained all morning the water helped saturate the color and the clouds helped defuse the light.Here are some images from Enfield Glen:   Later in the afternoon we went back to Ithaca Falls, a 150ft cascading fall at the end of Fall Creek before the creek empties into Cayuga Lake.  Ithaca Falls is 175 wide and considered the region's most powerful.I had left my ND filter in the car so Nancy Marshal was kind enough to let me borrow her Big Stopper that I hand-held against the lens to get the following image: 

Death by Selfie

Check out the latest episode of TWiP where Frederick Van Johnson, Martin Bailey and I have a great discussion:TWIP 433

Adobe joins the ranks of Microsoft with a truly botched release

In my opinion and the simplest of terms ADOBE has really messed up this time. CC was a bad move and now LR6.2. How does a company let this product get to their users. No beta testing it appears. No prerelease user acceptance - what a fiasco.I am glad I never subscribed to CC and now have to downgrade/roll back LR6.2. Time to rethink my workflow. May be go 100% to Capture One Pro.The library module in 6.2 is really - cartoonish and so many decent features have just been eliminated. I shudder to think what I might unearth with the Develop and other modules.Microsoft botched up Windows 8 and now they are in good company with Adobe and LR 6.2.In my opinion Adobe should make the CC subscription $0.00 till they can make the product worth paying for again.Adobe profits dropped as per their earning report this week. CC was not such a good idea and now this ................  I wonder what the next quarter will look like.

Review of the Hähnel Captur Module Pro, Captur Module - IR and the Captur Receiver

Hähnel Captur Module Pro remote trigger with sound, light, laser and IR triggering.Hähnel of Ireland has replaced the wonderful Giga T pro with Captur Module Pro.  Capture is high-speed trigger system that will provide remote triggering, intervalometer functions, delay triggering, long exposure and will will also work as an ordinary flash trigger.Some of the more interesting features are sound, light, laser and infrared sensors for high-speed or wildlife photography. What is even better is that  the system has an auxiliary port.  This allows you to use any third part triggering devices to be connected to the Captur Module Pro  that in turn will trigger your camera.The basic kit comes as a set of two devices. A hand held control unit and a IR transmitter.  You will need an optional wireless unit to control your camera wirelessly.  The controller is a 2.4GHz transmitter with a range of 320 feet. It will work with either shoe-mount flashes or studio lights as there is a hot-shoe and a sync port. There are models for Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus/Panasonic. Best of all the modules all use AA batteries.Features:

• Captures Time Lapse Photography, High Speed Photography, Motion & Wildlife Photography
• Four built-in sensors (light, sound, Laser & IR). The package indicates five built-in sensors however there are four sensors (three windows) and an auxiliary port that can accommodate an infinite variety of sensors and triggers.
• Auxiliary port allows to connect 3rd party sensors such as pressure plates, humidity & temperature sensors
• Fully programmable timed sequences including delay, interval timer, exposure count & exposure length setting
• Shutter release button with autofocus, single & continuous shooting & bulb mode
• Connect wirelessly to camera using the Captur Receiver (sold separately)

Construction:The Captur Module Pro and the IR Transmitter are encased in rubber shield that covers the unit with the exception of the display and control face.  Each has a 1/4 20 thread that lets you mount the units on a tripod, light stand or clamp.  The IR Transmitter mounts inverted to protect it from the elements. The Capture Receiver is not rubber encased.Module Pro:  The face of the unit has the display window, three buttons - Lock, Trigger and Start/Stop.  Blow these is the four way rocker and a center “set” button.  The left side has the cameras cable release port and the auxiliary port. The top has the microphone, IR sensor and Light sensor. The right  side has a micro USB port that can be used to power the device, and the on/off switch.  Note the micro USB port is covered by the rubber enclosure.  The underside of the unit has the 1/4 20 mount and the battery compartment also accessible by removing the upper enclosure.The Module IR has a high/low switch on the front face and the 1/4 20 mount.  The IR bean is emitter from the top of the unit.he On/Off switch is located on the left side and the batter compartment is in the bottom also covered by the rubber enclosure.The Capture Receiver has a flash hot shoe on the face a test button and an indicator light that flashes green when the unit is ready and turns red when the unit is activated. The left side has the remote trigger cabe port while the right has the On/Off switch. The bottom of the unit has a combination hotshot mount and a 1/4 20 mount. Also on the bottom is the battery compartment. Note: this unit does not have a rubber enclosure.Using the units:The handheld remote controller can be connected to your camera with a remote cable or wireless is used with the wireless receiver unit.  The controller will allow you to configure various shooting scenarios that require precise delays and also works as an intervalometer for time-lapse photography. Unlike the Giga T Pro, Captur Module Pro will work as a conventional flash trigger in addition to the remote triggering functionality when paired with a Captur unit.The control unit has settings for Hours, Minutes and Seconds (HH:MM:SS) and a mode delay of 00:01 through 10:00 seconds (duration in 1/100th second).  A 4 way rocker for modes and a central push button for setting the parameters. Buttons for triggering, start/stop and lock. There are four configurable options:

• Delay - lets you set an interval between the time the trigger is fired and the shutter is activated.
• Long - allows you to set a long exposure duration - the camera must be set to bulb mode.  It is also possible to do long exposures without programming.  This is achieved by depressing the release button for 3 seconds and the bulb function will lock and you can release the button. Depress the button once more to end the bulb exposure (long exposure).
• Interval 1 - is configured to set the interval between shots and then N1 sets the number of shots to take.
• Interval 2 configures the time between interval (Interval 1) activation sand N2 configures the number of times the Interval 1 and N1 sequence is repeated.

Using the Captur Module pro is easy if you are familiar with the Gia T Pro system. There is an online manual that is reasonable week detailed for those who have not used a Giga system or are new to Remote triggers and intervalometers.Configuring for various modes:All modes have some common options: sensitivity, amount of delay before the unit will trigger the shutter, the duration of shutter open when the camera is in bulb mode and the number of allowed activations. To enable a mode all you need to do is to press the Start/Stop button to start the process. A ready LED turns green and when the mode is triggered the LED turns Red as a verification.To set the mode, use the rocker switch to get to the sensor mode you want. The modes are in the following order:Sound mode- adjust the sensitivity of the sensor as needed.Infrared (IR) mode, (you need to use the Module - IR).  Set the Module - IR and the Module - Pro so they are aligned with the IR beam lens in line-of-sight with the receiver window of the Module Pro. When the IR beam is interrupted the unit will be triggered.  The Module IR has High/Low setting.  Use the low setting for a beam length of 4.5 feet or less and the High for lengths greater than 4.5 feet.Light Mode - here the sensor is activated when there is a change in light level - bright to dark, dark to bright. Ideal for fireworks, lightning, or indoors with any light being turned on or off.Laser - this mode requires a laser beam to be pointed at the receiver window and works the same way as the IR beam but with a much greater distance between transmitter and receiver.AUX - this mode requires you to connect any triggering device to the Captur Module Pro via a 1/8” Tip-shield plug.Pricing:The Captur Pro Module is $120, Two receiver modules are $45 each; A pair of flash triggers not reviewed are $100 and the Capture Timer Module also not reviewed is $60.Conclusion:In my opinion the Captur system is probably the most versatile triggering system I have used and as it uses AA batteries it will last through extremely long time-lapse sequences without having to worry about a premature shutdown. The construction is solid as is the performance. In all of the tests performed the unit did not miss-fire.

Eclipse and Echelman - Colors Unified

Nature's Art one with Human Art - The September Blood Moon and Echelman's Rope Sculpture across the Greenway in Boston. 

Photographing the Super Moon, Lunar Eclipse & The Blood Moon

We are about to witness a rare celestial event on September 27th, when we will get an opportunity to see a "Total Lunar Eclipse" that will give a coppery red color to the moon thus earning it the designation of a "Blood Moon". Besides which, the moon will be closest to Earth earning it the distinction of, "Super Moon". Finally, because of the time of the month/year that this event occurs it has the unique distinction of being referred to as a "SUPER HARVEST BLOOD MOON". (How cool is that?)To make things even more interesting, sunset will occur at 6:33 p.m. on the 27th and moon rise will occur at 6:24 p.m.  and will reach full moon status in 4 hours which coincides with the total eclipse. That means that conditions for photographing this event should be perfect.  (Weather permitting)I will also provide you with the basics of creating a time lapse of the event.  You will need the right equipment and patience.Key times of the evening:• Partial Eclipse begins at 9:07 PM• Full Eclipse begins at 10:11 PM• Maximum Eclipse at 10:47 PM• Full Eclipse ends at 11:23 PM• Partial Eclipse ends at 12:27 AMI have made a few revisions to my tips page on this topic to help you capture this Sunday's event.Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon Photography

ON1 PHOTO 10 Announced

Perfect Photo Suite is now called ON1 Photo 10. It will be available in late October, and you can order it today by clicking on the banner above. If you order ON1 Photo 10 by September 24th you will receive several bonus extras for purchasing early.The new ON1 Photo 10 will deliver seamless app integration, up to 4x faster performance, fast module switching, an integrated mobile workflow, modern user interface, require less memory, and will still include all of the essential ON1 photo editing tools photographers love. Included are major improvements to Browse and Portrait, and overall enhancements that will make your workflow smooth and efficient.Key new features/selling points:

• Browse module - Lightning fast. New Albums and Smart Albums features. Access to photos on popular cloud devices. Sync photos with your devices using the new Photo Via mobile app.
• Portrait module - Faster speed, performance, and overall quality has been greatly improved. Completely redesigned for optimum workflow efficiency. Finding multiple faces in a portrait image has never been this fast or efficient.
• Photo Via - Sync your albums, smart albums and your favorite folders of photos with your mobile devices with our new Mobile App. We will be rolling out Photo Via in two phases, the first will be this fall with ON1 Photo 10 and the second in the first quarter of 2016. Taking your desktop photos with you and syncing your mobile camera shots back to your desktop is nothing new. Having complete flexibility to use ANY mobile editing app with your favorite desktop editing app IS new.
• New Export Features - Take a single photo, or a group of photos, and create whatever size and file format you need. It does the important file conversions, color conversions and file renaming you need when printing or sharing. It will also include all the power and features of ON1 Resize (aka Genuine Fractals) for cropping and resizing.
• Presets & User Extras - All presets and user extras that customers may have on their machine from previous version will all automatically integrate and merge into the new version.

** Pre-sale Campaign Extras - All included with purchase during the pre-sale for free:

• 3 months of ON1 Photo Magazine ($10 value). Exclusive training and content in a monthly eMagazine for ON Photo 10 Users
• The Ultimate ON1 Photo 10 Training ($50 value). In-depth video courses from Matt Kloskowski. Over 10 hours of ON1 Photo 10 training.
• Family License Pack ($200 value). Install ON1 Photo 10 on up to 5 computers. Mac or Windows.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO OR TO ORDER

Think Tank Retrospective Leather - just released

Think Tank Photo just announced the release of two new product line extensions as well as a new “free gift” offer.The first are the Retrospective® 5 Leather, Retrospective® 7 Leather, and Retrospective® 30 Leather. These upscale, rugged shoulder bags maintain the Retrospective’s casual, form-fitting design. A new Dual Cross buckle on the front flap provides an extra measure of security. The new shoulder bags are designed to hold tablets and laptops in dedicated zipper pockets.Click here to shopThe new Mirrorless® Mover 25i fits one medium to large mirrorless body, plus two to four lenses, an 8” tablet, and additional accessories. It features metal hardware, high quality fabrics, YKK® zippers and a magnetic closure.Click here to shopAnd, through the end of September, whenever you buy an eligible backpack from Think Tank you will receive the  Camera Support Straps V2.0 along with a Camera Strap V2.0 free!  Think Tank offers a wide variety of innovative, high quality transportation and field photography backpacks.  Order one and you will get to experience something really unique, which is having the weight of your camera shifted from your neck to your backpack harness system.  With the Camera Support Strap V2. no more sore shoulders or neck aches!Click here for this offer

Battle of the Barges - Boston Sept 5, 2015

After a very long time the Battle of the Barges returned to Boston.  Piers Park would have been the ideal location but the crowds were overwhelming. Alternate East Boston location provided good views of the North End Barge.Please click on the image for a larger version. 

Iceland August 2015 - Day 4 and a Resolution Test

 Today was a travel day to the highlands with a few stops en route.Here are a few images and an experiment seeking detail.This image above was taken as an 8 image pano and stitched in Photoshop.  The resulting image is 23,881 pixels by 7680 pixels.  This equates to an image 100 by 32 inches (approx) at 240 dpi.  There is a farm in the distance that I have applied a red stroke to in the image below (this has been reduced to 500 by 1600 pixels.  Please do click on the image below for a larger rendition. Equipment: Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.4 at f8, Sony A7R ISO 200, 1.6 sec using a 6 stop HiTech ND filter.I cut and pasted this stroked area onto a new image layer in Photo shop. The crop is about 1936 by 479 pixels. The crop section is below - please click on this for the full scale view.The new mirrorless sensors are amazing.

Iceland August 2015 - Day 3

 This the last full day in the peninsula (rain and wind aside) was spent exploring the far west and the northern coastline.       

Iceland August 2015 - Day 2

Day 2 was not much a far as the weather but a good day for photography in the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. An area with a diverse landscape of fjords, dramatic volcanos, sheer sea cliffs, beaches and lava fields.Here are some images from day 2. Click on the image for larger rendition.           

MacPhun updates Noiseless Pro

NOISELESS PRO UPDATE - get an improved Creative Kit at 73% OFF with this new app version inside!The major news is that Noiseless Pro, which provides a one-click solution for eliminating digital noise, now includes the option of BATCH PROCESSING.Key Improvements:Noiseless remains the fastest noise reduction software for Mac, with the update bringing a 14% speed increase.With Batch Processing, users can process a number of images at once, resizing, renaming and saving files in popular image formats (JPG, TIFF, PNG)You will have the option to select from automatic noise reduction, use a built-in preset, or even create their own custom preset. Custom batching presets can also be saved so a combination of options chosen previously can be used again.The Light, Moderate and Medium presets have been improved to give even better results with portraits and photos where the noise is minimal.The new Noiseless Pro will be available for $49.99 as a limited time offer, with a possibility for upgrade from standard Noiseless for $29.99.You can purchase Noiseless Pro - for $49.99 you only get one app, while $99.99 will get you the complete Creative Kit all 5 Pro apps together!If you own the standard version of Noiseless, you can get Batch Processing via an in-app purchase for only $7.99 or by upgrading to Noiseless Pro. Owners of the Pro version will receive a free, automatic update. CLICK ON THE Noiseless Pro Icon to get the product.Also check out FX Photo Studio and its stunning filters.  All for just $9.99 at the app store. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ho9OhgM2Rk&feature=youtu.be[/embed]