Splash!
I still have images from my trip to Bruce Peninsula that I haven’t processed yet so thought I’d share another today. While it was a beautiful morning the wind had picked up and at one point my tripod almost toppled over, camera and all. Talk about a scary moment. Luckily I was right there and grabbed the tripod before disaster happened. Needless to say I now have a new tripod but more about that in a later post. I took close to 20 shots of this scene looking to get the perfect wave/splash.
Click on the image to enlarge (it really does look better) or to Purchase a Print.
You can still save an all prints and products in the gallery. Use the code Holiday2012 for 20% savings.
Time to Simplify
Over a month ago Topaz Labs released an update to its popular Simplify plugin – Topaz Simplify 4. I updated the latest version when it was released but really didn’t have time to test it out although it was on my to-do list. Well I finally had a chance to try it out this weekend and I was really pleased with the changes that Topaz made to this plug-in.
Aside from some new adjustment sliders and the addition of an edge aware selective brush to dodge, burn, smooth and brush out effects they’ve also included over 100 new presets.
I decided to try out some of the new presets with an image that I felt was just “ok.” I wouldn’t have normally posted this image because I feel there are too many things wrong with it but I really like how Simplify helped me salvage this image. With each of these presets I’ve also used the adjustment sliders to adjust contrast, saturation, curves, etc, depending on what I felt the image needed. Let me know what you think.
If you already have Topaz Simplify and you haven’t upgraded then what are you waiting for…it’s a free upgrade. If you don’t have Simplify then you can download a free trial from the Topaz Labs site…here. If you decide to purchase the plug-in then you can use the discount code ELPHOTO to receive a 15% discount.
Original RAW Image
Topaz Simplify – Watercolor Preset
Topaz Simplify – Oil B&W Preset
Topaz Simplify – Dynamic Boost Preset
SEA-nic
It pays to get out early, even when the forecast the day before says its going to rain. You never know when Mother Nature will smile down on you. While the title of this post suggests otherwise, this is actually a bay…Georgian Bay to be exact. Georgian Bay is referred too as the 6th Great Lake but in the 1800’s a decision was made that it should be part of Lake Huron. While it acts like a Great Lake, creating its own weather, waves and current its separated from Lake Huron by the Bruce Peninsula.
That is a natural color variation in the water. I did use a 2-stop ND Grad to darken the sky.
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Puddled Reflections
Here’s another image from Little Cove in Bruce Peninsula National Park. The ripples you see in the dolomite bedrock are called conchoidal fractures. Conchoidal fractures are a curved breakage on the surface of the bedrock which occurs over time from the crashing of the waves. The resulting effects are ripples in the rock that create pockets of water.
Forest Mist
I’d like to thank everyone for the responses to Monday’s post, asking for your opinion on either the colour or black & white version of “Swirls.” So what did everyone think?
66% liked the colour version
22% liked the B&W version
9% liked both.
It looks like the color version was a favorite. Thank you again for taking the time to visit and providing your feedback.
On to today’s images. The start of our Tobermory weekend was, how shall I put it…soggy. We had to delay our start on the first morning because of the pouring rain. When we did finally head out, close to an hour behind schedule, the rain had subsided. It actually subsided up until we parked the cars and were ready to start hiking. That’s when the sky opened up again. Our workshop leader and photographer, Ethan Meleg, quickly put plan B into action…we would hike to a wooded area where we could at least get some shelter from the rain. This provided another photographic opportunity.
There was this wonderful mist in the air and the the rain and dampness made the colors of the forest pop.
Click on an image to enlarge (it really dies look better) or to Purchase a Print.
Tobermory – Black & White or Colour?
I took this image last month while attending Ethan Meleg’s workshop in Tobermory. This is a single exposure shot with my 10 Stop ND filter. I processed it initially in colour (which I was pleased with) but thought it might work well in B&W. Now I can’t decide which one I like better. Or really the question should be “which one works better?”
Would love to hear your opinion.
Click on either image to enlarge (it really looks better) or to Purchase a Print.
Edith Levy Photography 