Author: adminjc

Photo – Birds at Laguna Beach, California

Published May 3, 2022 / by adminjc
birds feeding on the beach in southern California.
Canon Rebel T5i / Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS at 70mm / 1/250 / f/5.6 / ISO 100 / Hand Held

Hi Everyone,

Here’s another image I took at Laguna Beach, California. I grew up in southern California and spent a lot of time at the beach bodysurfing, SCUBA diving and exploring the tide pools.  

There are several things I like about this photo, including the wave in the background, the reflection of the bird on the wet sand and the warm light of sunset that balances the blue of the water and sky.

I processed this image in ON1 Photo Raw as I no longer use Lightroom or Photoshop. I find ON1 to be faster and easier to use, and it gives sharper images. It costs less than Photoshop too.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments about this photo, or photography in general.

Check out ON1 Photo RAW.

Have Fun,
Jeff

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Photo – Bird Of Paradise Flower

Published April 20, 2022 / by adminjc
Bird of Paradise flower with sunset sky.
Canon Rebel T5i / Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS at 57mm / 1/1600 / f/4 / ISO 100 / Hand Held / Sky added using ON1 Photo RAW

Hi Everyone,

I took this image at Laguna Beach, California. The Bird of Paradise was in a planter next to the sidewalk.

I processed the image in ON1 Photo RAW by running it through the NoNoise AI, and adjusting things like contrast, highlights, midtones, whites, vibrance and saturation. I now use ON1 instead of Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom.

Bird of Paradise flower.
Image adjusted for the flower. Now to replace the sky.

When I was done, the flower looked great, but the flat blue sky wasn’t to my liking. So I used the Sky Swap AI in ON1 and dropped in a nice cloudy sky at sunset. This module does a great job of selecting the sky, but there are adjustments you can make if you want to change the original look and placement of the new sky.

When doing composites, you want to make sure the light on all the layers is coming from the same direction. Since the flower was lit from the right, the sky had to be lit on the right. Fortunately it was, but Sky Swap AI lets you flip the sky horizontally, and make other adjustments. I could have easily made the light for the sky come from the left.

With the sky added, the photo really came to life, and I was very happy with the end results.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Check out On1 Photo RAW.

Have Fun,
Jeff

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Photo – Watson Lake at the Granite Dells

Published March 31, 2022 / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

I love shooting at the Granite Dells in Prescott, Arizona. The choice of subjects is amazing. You can see herons, egrets, ravens, various kinds of ducks, turtles sunning themselves on logs, pronghorn and, of course, the amazing rocks.

Watson Lake in the Granite Dells of Prescott, Arizona
Canon Rebel XSi / Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS at 70mm / 1/125 / f/11 / ISO 100 / Tripod used

There are several entrances to the Dells, and this shot was taken near the furthest picnic area, which is about a three minute drive from the main entrance to Watson Lake Park. The last time I was there, the entry fee was $3. It’s well worth the cost to have access to the Granite Dells, Watson Lake, hiking trails, picnic areas, restrooms and more.

I just made some basic adjusts to the image for contrast, vibrance and saturation.

You can see several videos taken at the Dells on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcd8nqgH0CiaveaIlKbE1mA

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

And check out ON1 Photo RAW.

Have Fun,
Jeff

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25 Places To Sell Your Photographs

Published March 29, 2022 / by adminjc
25 Places To Sell Your Photographs

Hi Everyone,

Are you an amateur photographer, and would like to make some money with your camera?
Are you a professional photographer looking for additional revenue streams?

If so, then 25 Places To Sell Your Photographs is exactly what you’ve been looking for. You will quickly and easily be able to see a description of 25 photography revenue streams, their pros and cons and resources where you can find more information. I include personal stories from my experience in many of these areas. You’ll get inside information that you can’t get anywhere else.

Check it out now at www.jeffcolburn.com/jeffs-ebooks

Have Fun,
Jeff

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Photo – View To The Past

Published March 16, 2022 / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

I took this photo in 2010 at the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, next to Jerome, Arizona. As you can see, the window is very dirty and created a hazy and washed-out view of the outside.

Canon Rebel XSi / Canon EF-S 55-250mm kit lens at 55mm / 1/200 / f/11 / ISO 200 / Tripod used

I really liked the photo and wanted to make it look its best. But back then Photoshop and other software didn’t have Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do a lot of the work for you, including creating masks.

With my pen table I created a mask that would allow viewers to see clearly through the glass. It was a lot of fun, and I even wrote an article about the process. You can read this article, which was published in two magazines and a website, here www.jeffcolburn.com/articles/make-a-complex-photo-mask-with-a-pen-tablet

While AI is amazing, I still enjoy using my pen tablet to tweak masks.  

And check out ON1 Photo RAW.

Have Fun,
Jeff

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Photo – Tree At The Grand Canyon

Published February 23, 2022 / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

I created this photograph at the Grand Canyon. A couple of hours before sunset I scouted the area and found three places I wanted to shoot at sunset. Because I would only have about 15 minutes of shoot time, they had to be close together.

Canon Rebel XSi / Canon EF-S 18-55mm kit lens at 42mm / 1/50 / f/11 / ISO 400 / Tripod used

The tree was the last of the three places I wanted to shoot. I shot the first location, then grabbed my tripod and ran to the second location, then the last one.

To get to the proper vantage point was a little tricky as there was only a narrow dirt path that led to it. This path was covered in tiny rocks, which made it slippery, and it sloped toward the Canyon. Slip on the rocks, or get too close to the edge, and you would fall hundreds of feet into the Canyon. Oh, the crazy things photographers do to get a picture.

But I got the shot, and it’s been a popular photo in the gallery.

If you are faced with a dangerous situation when taking photos, always err on the side of caution. No photo is worth your life, or getting seriously injured.

And check out ON1 Photo RAW.

Have Fun,
Jeff

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