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I’ve enjoyed playing in the sandbox of Photoshop since the first version for Windows was released in 1992, and can imagine there must be a way to digitally create this image if I’d come up with the idea. Instead, what a pleasure it was to look up at this moment—“whoa!”—and simply click the shutter release. Instant gratification.
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Nikon D300; 1/45 sec @ f11, ISO 220 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 105mm (157mm EFL); focus distance 33.5m
Cloud Play №7
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Nikon D300; 1/60 sec @ f11, ISO 560 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 18mm (27mm EFL)
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Cloud Play №6
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Nikon D300; 1/250 sec @ f9.5, ISO 200 (handheld);
70-300 mm f/4.5–5.6 @ 70mm (105mm EFL)
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At this time of year in Chicago, we get to experience amazing cloudscapes along Lake Michigan.
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This was a challenging image to process, with respect to color. When I tried to eliminate color casts—using every trick I know—it looked, somehow…wrong. Too, nature doesn’t always conform to our rules of color harmony. 🙂
Now I’ve reset my camera to shoot RAW+JPEG, so I’ll have a color reference. The JPEG preview on my camera display looked accurate in the field but, working solely with the RAW file next day, it was hard to recall from memory.
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Nikon D300; f8 @ 1/180 sec, ISO 720 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 22mm (33mm EFL)
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This is one of those rare images where very little processing was needed. Other than running the file through the DxO raw converter and boosting contrast a bit, I have not modified the light—it is as seen!
Spot clean one distant black streak of a bird, add some high-pass sharpening, and done. I love when that happens. 🙂
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Nikon D300; f8 @ 1/250 sec, ISO 200 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm (27mm EFL)
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Note the focal length of this image, cropped only from 3:2 to 4:3. The cloud formation was huge.
See the little tiny speck near the lower edge, toward the right? That is a bird. 🙂 There’s enough resolution in the original file to actually discern its shape.
Cloud Play №1 was photographed in the parking lot of a Walgreen’s drugstore, and Cloud Play №2 in the parking lot of a local shopping mall. This was photographed just before 6AM at an intersection one block from my house. Even living in a city, I’m discovering there are pockets of space in which to enjoy such glorious skies!
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Nikon D300; f8 @ 1/180 sec, ISO 1250 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 48mm (72mm EFL); focus distance 21.13m