Jeff Colburn Photography
A site of Fine Art and stock photographs showing the beauty and wonder of Arizona
Category: Photo
Photo – Shots In The Rain
Published August 10, 2022 / by adminjcHi Everyone,
While shooting on a sunny day is nice, I also love shooting in “bad” weather. I’ve photographed in rain, lightning storms, snow, wind, fog, blowing dust and sand and more. All of these weather conditions really add an interesting element to your photographs.
As long as you have the proper clothes to protect yourself, and covering for your gear, you can have a great time.
These photos were taken near Snowbowl in Flagstaff, Arizona. It had been raining before we got there, and rained off and on all day.
The only scary part of the day was when a large aspen tree fell. We heard it snapping branches on other trees as it fell, followed by a loud thud as it crashed onto the ground. We never did find the tree, but it was close. Nature always keeps things interesting, so stay on your toes.
Equipment used:
- ON1 Photo Raw Photo Editing Software https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz
- Canon Rebel XSi https://adorama.rfvk.net/qnjnVN
- Canon kit lens EF-S 18-55mm https://adorama.rfvk.net/dozo37
- Manfrotto 290 tripod (aluminum) https://aadorama.rfvk.net/gbEbr2
- Op/Tech Rainsleeve https://adorama.rfvk.net/QOrVkz
- Microfiber Cloth https://adorama.rfvk.net/kj3Lxv
- Canon RS-60 E3 Remote Switch (2′) for Sub-Mini (E3) https://adorama.rfvk.net/BXMXGW
- Lowepro Flipside 400AW https://adorama.rfvk.net/Ry9y2v
Have Fun,
Jeff
Posted In Blog | Photo | Photography
Photo – The Old Bell
Published July 28, 2022 / by adminjcHi Everyone,
This photograph was taken at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, https://btarboretum.org. It’s a great place to photograph plants, trees, birds, flowers, old buildings and some great scenery.
I liked the patina on the bell, and the texture of the rocks. The shadows from tree branches also added a touch of mystery. I used the rule of thirds to get good composition, and to make blank space on the right. This space can be used by a business to add text to the image for a sales or marketing campaign, or in a magazine article.
If composition allows, take several photos of your subject, each with space on a different side. And shoot both horizontally and vertically. This increases the usability for any potential buyer.
I processed this image with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz
Have Fun,
Jeff
Posted In Blog | Business Tip | On1 Photo RAW | Photo | Photography
Photos – Beach Sunsets
Published June 16, 2022 / by adminjcHi Everyone,
Here are some sunset photos I took at Laguna Beach, California. What I like about the first photo is how it’s a little blown out on the left. It gives the appearance of the photo fading into the distance.
Do you remember the photo of sunglasses I posted a couple weeks ago? That shot was taken a little to the right of this image.
The second photo uses water on the sand to reflect the colors of the sunset. This brings the colors of the sunset into more of the photo.
When shooting sunsets, don’t stop after the sun goes below the horizon. Some of my best sunset shots, especially at the Grand Canyon, were done after the sun has set. The sky can really light up, especially if there are clouds. And remember to look all around to see what the light is doing both in front of you and behind you.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments about these photos, or photography in general.
I processed these images with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz
Have Fun,
Jeff
Photos – Laguna Beach Kelp
Published June 1, 2022 / by adminjc
Hi Everyone,
Here are some more photos I took at Laguna Beach, California. These are several shots of kelp, also known as seaweed.
Seaweed washes up on shore after a storm breaks it loose, or after a sea urchin eats through the base of its stalk. You can sometimes find barnacles or other ocean life attached to the seaweed. And it often has a fluid or serpentine look to it when on the beach.
A few tips about shooting at the beach.
1 – Always keep an eye on the waves. You don’t want to get knocked over by a wave, or get salt water on your gear. After you have some experience shooting at the beach you get a feel for how far a wave will travel on the sand. Waves come is sets of two to fifteen, with five to seven being normal. And the last one or two waves in a set will be the largest. Before you start shooting, watch the waves for a while to see what they are doing.
It was nice to know that even though I had not been to the beach for 25 years, I could still tell just how far a wave would come up on the beach.
2 – Depending on where you and the sun are, you can use a polarizing filter to cut down on glare, and to darken the sky and foliage near the shore. It also works great for shooting in tide pools.
3 – It’s easy to add a human quality to the photos by including footprints in the sand or people in the background.
4 – Watch the background. You can be so focused on what’s in front of you, that you forget about the background. There could be buildings, people and offshore oil rigs that you don’t want in your photo.
5 – Use water on the sand to reflect things, like I did in my last beach post with the bird.
6 – If you walk around the beach barefoot, and you should, when you’re done you’ll find that sand sticks to your feet like it’s glued there. To easily remove the sand, rub talcum powder or corn starch on your feet. The sand will slide right off.
If you find yourself shooting in Laguna Beach, when you’re done head a little north on Pacific Coast Highway and stop at the Crystal Cove Shake Shack for a date shake. The shakes and view are both great.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments about these photos, or photography in general.
I processed these images with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/Zdvkjz
Have Fun,
Jeff
Posted In Blog | Photo | Photography | Tip
Photo – Sunglasses at Laguna Beach, California
Published May 19, 2022 / by adminjc
Hi Everyone,
The circumstances around this photograph are strange.
We were at Laguna Beach, California, walking around main beach. We went around a tall rock, and my wife, Linda-Ann, spotted these sunglasses. They were sitting on the rock exactly as you see them in the photograph.
At first, I thought someone put them there as they roamed around, but there wasn’t anyone else in the area. And why would someone put two pairs of sunglasses on a rock and leave?
I’ll never know why they were there, but I liked the composition and took this photograph. And yes, I left them there as we continued exploring the beach.
It’s not all that uncommon for me to find things lying around. I’ve found money on the ground, including a $20 bill last week. The most I’ve found was $80. I love windy days that blow money around.
I’ve also found large store-bought crystals, jewelry, wallets with nothing inside but cash, tools, hiking gear, lens caps and filters, fossils and more.
It’s nice to look up, but it pays to look down.
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 at https://on1.sjv.io/Zdvkjz
Have Fun,
Jeff
Posted In Blog | On1 Photo RAW | Personal Note | Photo | Photography | Travel
Photo – Birds at Laguna Beach, California
Published May 3, 2022 / by adminjc
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
Posted In Blog | On1 Photo RAW | Photo
Photo – Bird Of Paradise Flower
Published April 20, 2022 / by adminjc
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.
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
Posted In Blog | On1 Photo RAW | Photo | Photography
Photo – Watson Lake at the Granite Dells
Published March 31, 2022 / by adminjcHi 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.
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
Photo – View To The Past
Published March 16, 2022 / by adminjcHi 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.
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