Category: Blog

Shooting At The Arizona Renaissance Festival

Published / by adminjc

The Arizona Renaissance Festival is back. If you have not been to the Festival, you should go as there are so many diverse things to shoot there. You can photograph: performers, arts and crafts, buildings, people in costumes, weapons and much more.

I photographed this crystal at a booth that sells all kinds of crystals. I tried several different presets in ON1 Photo RAW to bring out the colors, and went with Vivid Landscape #VL7, then used sliders to boost the Saturation and Vibrance a little. I also used the healing brush to remove some scratches from the crystal.

You can check out ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz Use my 20% discount code, colburn20 for ON1 Photo RAW, or its plugins. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

colorful crystal
Click to enlarge

You can purchase this image, and many other images of mine, on various products at my RedBubble shop here www.redbubble.com/people/jeffcolburn/shop

If you visit the Festival, post your comments and/or advice to other photographers in the Comments section.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Old Spring Houses

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Here you can see two of the several old spring houses made by early settlers along the Lamar Haines trail in Flagstaff, Arizona. There is one on every spring in the area. The openings used to be covered by a door. Settlers would create them to keep the springs clean by preventing falling leaves and animals from getting into the water.

Click to enlarge.

While this was great for the settlers, it suddenly removed the water supply for the animals and insects. This would mean the animals, like deer, elk, rabbits and birds, would have to move elsewhere to find water. And the settlers wouldn’t have any animals to hunt for food.

The spring houses aren’t very large, and I would have a hard time fitting through the door. But you can usually reach the water without going inside.

The Lamar Haines trail is a very nice hike and we have taken it several times. If you know where to look, you can also find Native American pictographs. But be aware that parking is very limited.

You can purchase this image, and many other images of mine, on various products at my RedBubble shop here www.redbubble.com/people/jeffcolburn/shop

Have Fun,
Jeff

An Old Water Tower, In Sepia

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Lately, I’ve been getting the urge to do some black and white images of modern looking architecture. There’s nothing in my town, or within a half hour drive. Just old buildings from a ghost town and Native American ruins. But nothing modern looking.

So I drove an hour up to Flagstaff, Arizona, but nothing modern there either. I did see this nice water tower. It looked old, so I decided to give it a sepia look. I processed it in ON1 Photo RAW and tried several different sepia presets with a film look, and settled on this one, “Black and White Alternative BA10.”

an old water tower, in sepia
Click to enlarge

I finally managed to find some nice modern architecture an hour away, in Phoenix. I just took a few images on my trip there, but will be going back in February to take many more photographs. I’ll be posting some after I process them.

You can purchase this image on various products at my RedBubble shop here www.redbubble.com/people/jeffcolburn/shop

Check out ON1 Photo RAW at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Use my 20% discount code, colburn20 for ON1 Photo RAW, or its plugins. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

I hope you have a great New Year.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Photo – Red Hand Pictograph

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

ancient red hand print
Click to enlarge

This red, ancient, Native American hand print is near Flagstaff, Arizona. I came across it on a hike, and found several other pictographs next to it. It’s amazing to stand there and realize that someone, maybe 1,000 years ago, created this, and I can still see it today. You feel a bond between some person you never met, and realize that all people are connected across time and geographic locations. It was a humbling, and unifying, experience.

I processed this image with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Use my 20% discount code, colburn20 for ON1 Photo RAW, or its plugins. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Photo – Water Lilies

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Here’s another photo I took last year at one of the fountains at the Huntington Library and Gardens in southern California. I really liked the tranquil quality of the lily pads, water lilies and water.

water lilies in a pond.

The ripples in the water gave a feeling of movement, yet the water was still smooth enough to reflect the water lilies, adding more of their vivid color to the scene.

This image was processed in ON1 Photo RAW.

If you want to save 20% when you purchase ON1 Photo RAW, or their plugins, just use my discount code, colburn20. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

You can purchase ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz or sign up for a free 14-day trial.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

P.S. Due to a medical issue, this will probably be my last post until sometime in July. I’ll try to post sooner than that, it just depends on how everything works out.

Video – How I Processed This Image – Aspen In Fog

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Check out my latest video, “Aspen In Fog” and learn how I created this image, then processed it using ON1 Photo RAW https://youtu.be/J3D6jz0Za4U

You can see all of my videos on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcd8nqgH0CiaveaIlKbE1mA

Aspen in fog
Click to enlarge

I process my images with ON1 Photo RAW editing software. You can visit ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz Using this link will give me a little money, costs you nothing and lets me keep making videos.

You can also use my 20% discount code: colburn20

This discount code is not applicable to subscriptions and cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.

ON1 also offers a 14-day free trial and 30-day money back guarantee.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Floating Purple Flowers

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Last year we took a trip to southern California. One of the places we visited was The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. When I lived in California I visited here often. If you go, and really want to see and photograph everything, give yourself at least two days to see the gardens, and one day to see the museums. You won’t be disappointed.

Be aware that cameras and tripods are not allowed in some museums.

This photo was taken at a fountain near the main entrance. The blue flowers had fallen off of a bush, and the moving water in the fountain pushed all the blooms against these green plants. I also liked the shadows on the bottom of fountain. You will often see dragonflies and damselflies at this fountain too.

Click to enlarge

Also, check out their special events. I went there once for a Bonsai show, and stumbled onto a display of office furniture that belonged to William Herndon. He was Abraham Lincoln’s law partner, wrote the first biography of Lincoln and he’s my uncle. That was a very pleasant surprise.

This image was processed in ON1 Photo RAW.

If you want to save 20% when you purchase ON1 Photo RAW, or their plugins, just use my discount code, colburn20. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

You can purchase ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz or sign up for a free 14-day trial.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Click to enlarge

Here is the greenest picture I have to celebrate this day. I took it last week at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Arizona.

Yes, the trees are really that green, and due to all the rain we’ve had, there’s a carpet of green clover-like plants covering the ground.

The trees are Chilean Palo Verde, Geoffroea decorticans, and are amazing to see in person.

Have Fun,
Jeff