Monday, December 29, 2014

Never Turn Your Back To The Ocean





A couple weeks ago we had waves reach 10ft during a few days of storming. I think these were around 8ft. Large for South Florida. I met a friend for his morning surf hoping to get a some good photos. Running to the beach I dropped my bags at the top of the stairs and checked how far in the water was coming. Seemed ok. I put my GoPro on its tripod 3" in the ground & 25-30 ft back from where the water was hitting the shoreline. Ran up to the steps, grabbed my Nikon and turned around...........(7seconds max)  GoPro Hero 4 I just won in a contest, 64Gs and my tripod gone like they
never existed. 

I am just glad it was not my Nikon

Never turn your back to the ocean.......

~Carl~

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5 Comments:

Blogger Lea said...

Your title takes on new meaning after reading the post. A sharp story of reality. Love the dark clouds and nearness to the trotting dog. I love that third shot.. Mannequin surfer and dog looking for adventure. The low pov breaths the dampness and the awkward tilt in the horizon gives me inspiration to think that this is the weird-world-of-air that a sea creature would take in.. wondering about the two land animals. Most enjoyable.

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:21:00 PM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


Thanks Lea!

A story from my perspective and a story from your perspective. Success from a story teller in training. Best compliment I could get.

~Carl~

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 3:12:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Peaceful feeling at the beach, I really enjoyed those view scene... very nice series capture...:-)

Lena

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 7:23:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Sorry to hear about your equipment. I LOVE the look of the 3rd image! It's different, dynamic, and special, a great composition.

--WT

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 10:28:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bummer Carl

At least the new d810 is safe. I just invested in loss insurance for some of my equipment, the cost is actually not bad considering what the replacement would be. I like the canine image. Nice

Dan

Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 5:55:00 AM PST  

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Ocean Beach Late Afternoon


Lena

5 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice curves, clouds, and light. I like how the pond is perfectly still, very peaceful feeling. :)

--WT

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 12:00:00 PM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...

I am a big fan of the curves & lines in this photo. Nice and Sharp. The mirror like water adds to the effect. My favorite part of the photo is the light to dark water falling on the shore line with the peak of the sand showing how low the sun is.

I am guessing this was gone within a couple minutes of taking the shot. ??

Nice Capture!

~Carl~

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 5:29:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Ooo the golden sand is a gorgeous highlight. Fabulous mood.. *wishing to be out there walking along the water too*

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:13:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Thanks all my friends your nice comments. Yes, Carl, right guessing, clouds reflections was disappeared in 3 minutes after I grabbed two shots...:-)

Happy New Year 2015 ! Wishes all my friends healthy and happiness !

Lena,

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 7:36:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I too, like the curves in this image, especially the way you caught the highlight against the bank of sand. Very appealing

Dan

Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 5:57:00 AM PST  

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Sunday, December 28, 2014

The End is A New Beginning

 This is from Lisbon, Portugal. I shot it through a wire fence. Really liked the open space within the city, despite it being somewhat of an area of ruins. The bright grass, and warm sunshine.. Wonder who was there previously..

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4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice use of geometric shapes and lighting

Dan

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 7:32:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Nice framing and light. great composition.

Lena

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 10:39:00 AM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

There is a ghost town feeling to this image. I agree with the others, nice use of light, shadow, and geometry. :)

--WT

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:59:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Thanks for the comments Dan, Lena, and Warren :)

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:22:00 PM PST  

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Saturday, December 27, 2014

Dynamic Ocean Beach and Land's End

Lumix G5, Lumix 20mm f1.7

It was one of those amazing winter days a couple of weeks ago, in between the rain, when there was an almost perfect combination of sun, clouds, sand, surf, and reflections.

I must say that since I came back from our 2 month trip, I had an urge to do black and white pictures. I shot these two with the intention of making black and white images.

My previous session was with the D200, this time, I decided to take shoot the G5 with the spectacular 20mm f1.7 lens.

Which one do you like (and why)? I would love to know.

--Warren



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4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Warren, I like each equally. Your use of foreground highlights for me makes these images. They draw you into the image and bring you into the moment you captured. I find that often the foreground is not exploited and is often wasted space within the image, but these are beautiful in that they significantly contribute to the overall composition.

Dan

Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 4:08:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

I like the first one for its abstract qualities. The clouds are full of daydreaming shapes, and the waves seem to have made a face there staring off to the left. It has a very timeless appeal.

Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 6:24:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Beautiful View. Amazing scene at Ocean Beach, nice composition, great B/W, excellent capture...:-)

Lena

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 10:34:00 AM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...



I like both photos but the top one is my favorite. The tones are more even while still holding that complete black to light composition.

And now after Lea pointing it out. I see the face in the beach.

So now you have a face in a beautiful place. Cant beat that. =)

~Carl~

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 5:34:00 PM PST  

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Catty Shack Ranch

 March 2014 Lumix LF-1 300mm lens

We were in Jacksonville and our son had volunteered for this facility called Catty Shack Ranch.  He took us to visit the ranch for the evening feeding.  What a treat, and sad at the same time.  All the exotic animals are from people that thought they could raise one of these wonderful creatures.  Each of the animals is given a home, never traded or sold, and is treated with respect from an all volunteer staff. 


Runty - Siberian Tiger






Star - Siberian Tiger






Tucker - Cougar










I'm glad I had the 300mm lens.....


**Dolph

3 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Great shots of these magnificent cats, Dolph! I think you meant to say "GX1", not LF1, right? :)

--WT

Saturday, December 27, 2014 at 5:47:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Excellent portraits. nice shot...:-)

Lena

Monday, December 29, 2014 at 10:37:00 AM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


Thats great your son is volunteering there.

Nice shots. I really like the Siberian Tiger portrait.

What beautiful animals!

Thanks for sharing.

~Carl~

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 3:18:00 PM PST  

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Fun Selfie

Lumix G5, Lumix 20mm f1.7

Part of the fun of playing on Facebook is to update profile pictures on a regular basis. The other day, I picked up my Lumix G5 w/20mm f1.7 combo for the first time in a couple of months, getting ready to take it out for a photo shoot.

I got this idea to take a picture in a picture using the swivel LCD screen on the G5, and my bathroom mirror.

I flipped the image horizontally so that what you see is not reversed in the mirror, and then converted it to black and white in Lightroom.

I'm going to post this as my latest profile picture on FB, and I thought I'd post it here as well.

In fact, I often cross-post my pictures to here, and elsewhere, but the difference is here, we can discuss our pictures in a photography related context.

--Warren

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Lena said...

Excellent ! very artistic, nice created...:-)

Lena

Friday, December 19, 2014 at 6:33:00 PM PST  

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Friday, December 12, 2014

Fort Clinch Florida

Fort Clinch - Lumix LF1

This Civil War Fort is on the very northern point of Florida and the water way is used by the Naval Fleet at Kings Bay.  We were very lucky because most of the time a nuclear submarine does not launch on a clear day, and passes through this water passage every three months.

This gentlemen told me that the ship had to be a Union ship, it was all black and was superior to the confederate ships.

**Dolph

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great capture Dolph

Seasons Greetings

Dan

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 7:27:00 AM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice time warp juxtaposition :), and golden light.

--WT

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 2:18:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Nice light at his face,
great composition, excellent capture !

Lena

Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 5:53:00 PM PST  

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Misty Marin Hills & GG Bridge

Nikon D200, Nikkor 85mm f1.8D

On this day, I noticed the nicely shaded layers in the Marin Headlands, and I tried to incorporate that into a composition with the bridge.

I'm trying different compositions, which one do you prefer? And also please tell us why.

--Warren




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6 Comments:

Blogger Dolph Brust said...

I like the bottom picture. It better leads my eye to wonder what is over the bridge.

**Dolph

Friday, December 12, 2014 at 7:31:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am with Dolph Warren, the foreground in the first breaks the mood for me. Nice Capture.

Dan

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 7:29:00 AM PST  
Blogger kash said...

Don and Dolph are right of course. But I prefer the first one as having the dark foreground is a nice contrast to the mid and backgrounds. And having the foot of the first of the support structures is good as it is echoed in the second support as well.
The shape of the dark foreground echoes the shape of the hills in the background which is another nice touch.
Overall, I think the misty gradations that you have successfully captured are absolutely breathtaking.

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 9:46:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Fantastic misty scenery at Landmark ! I really like the first picture, Great composition !

Lena,

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 11:23:00 AM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for all your comments. I love reading everyone's opinions.

--WT

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 2:20:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

I love the first one. That tall vertical space gives much to appreciate of the structure of the bridge, seeing its feet and limbs.. with room to breath at the top. I do like the second one for leaving that white space though... *imagining the birds*

Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 11:13:00 PM PST  

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Coyote Creek Reflections

Nikon D200, Nikkor 24mm f2.8 AF

After using a pair of tiny compact cameras for 2 months, it was a great pleasure to pick up my D200 again. The ergonomics of the camera were instantly familiar the moment I picked it up, and the resulting image quality of the larger sensor and good optics made the image very easy to work with.

It was a gray day, but it was a nice, calm landscape here with the still water making for very nice reflections.

--Warren

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Lena said...

Nice reflections, great composition and B/W, beautiful scenery, nice shot...:-)

Lena,

Friday, December 12, 2014 at 3:01:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks Lena :).

More commentary and description of this picture:

Here in this composition, I tried to link foreground and background using the graceful and classic S-Curve of the walkway, beginning with the rock in the foreground and ending at the base of the misty hills. I felt that this element of the composition creates a circular eye movement around the image, and adds to the visual interest of the picture which would otherwise have been a rather ordinary reflection shot.

--WT

Friday, December 12, 2014 at 4:39:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Loch Ness Monster lives! He looks very playful .. Fantastical land in the fog and reflections.

Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 10:17:00 PM PST  

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Saturday, December 06, 2014

Photos in the Alley

 I thought these were theeee coolest. And wished this was an alley I could walk and wander through on a regular basis. Any ideas on how they might have printed/protected these to be weather-proof(ish) ? This is Lisbon, Portugal.


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4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Maybe they are metal prints? I've seen metal prints in person, and the luminescence, depth, and color from the process was pretty amazing.

--WT

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 3:54:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Nice angle, excellent composition,very nice framing, great found, well done...:-)

Lena,

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 10:16:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So European. I like the first image best Lea. Many folks are now printing on metal, and other weather proof media.

Dan

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 6:32:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Cool, thank you for the comments and guesses on print materials!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at 4:03:00 PM PST  

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Old Volcano Crater at Iceland



Lena

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Spectacular hole in the ground, LOL :)

Nice composition on the 2nd one as well.

--WT

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9:27:00 AM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


Great shots and color... Thanks for sharing


~Carl~

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9:52:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Beautiful earthy colours in that red crater! Great lines and scale in the second. The rocks look like building blocks (thinking Lego).

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 10:25:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Thanks all your comments. Happy Holiday !

Lena,

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 10:12:00 PM PST  

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Water Falls at Iceland




Lena

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

This is one of the most spectacular waterfalls I've seen. I like how the people in the picture show how huge it actually is. Wow.

Nice shots.

--WT

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9:28:00 AM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


Beautiful Shots Lena


I have to say I miss seeing your photos of the places you visit. If you ever publish a book of your travels I would be a customer. I would love to hear the story behind why your feet go where they go.

Although it would be really neat to hear the story behind many of the others in this group as well.

I just heard a lightbulb go off in my head!


Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9:47:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Hi Carl Dawson,

Thanks for your comments. I am very appreciate. I am still learning my photography technical, hope can get some experience from you are on the blog friends. have a nice weekend...:-)

Lena,

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 10:08:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really like the scale of the people with the falls in the background. The power is emphasized by comparing their size to the water moving. Very nice.

Dan

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 6:34:00 AM PST  

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Friday, December 05, 2014

Palm Trees and Warped Structures




The first photo is a palm tree I saw from across the street and was almost ran over by a seasonal Palm Beach transplant who did not stop for the light. It is by far my favorite palm tree I have ever captured. So I wanted to share.

The second is a building I jumped out of my truck at a stop light to shoot yesterday and for some reason I feel the lines are not correct. I am having issues critiquing it myself. There is something seriously bothering me about the way the building is bowing. I shot it with a 16-35mm at I believe 18mm. I do feel it is over saturated but I am more worried about the strength of the lines and bowing. Maybe someone has some advise for me. I did the best I could manually straightening the lines within lightroom but cant seem to get it right in my head. ---- I am looking at the relationship between the Line of the left side of the building, the street lamp and the top right of the building near the roof that is bending no matter what I do. Any thoughts or maybe a book to reference would be awesome.

Many thanks,

Carl



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9 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Carl,

Nice palm tree composition, almost abstract. :)

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but your distortion question leads to a complex discussion of different types of distortion. Your image probably has differing types of distortion going on: optical and perspective. Some distortion is not completely correctable as you discovered on this image. More reading here: https://photographylife.com/what-is-distortion

--Warren

Friday, December 5, 2014 at 4:53:00 PM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


Thanks Warren!

I saved that article to read later. I appreciate it. I am going to be doing a lot more Architectural shooting and I am finding my perception off a bit when composing. but when looking at some artists who shoot landscape often and for a living I am finding the same in some of their work. I just know I have a lot learn.

thank you for the direction.

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9:42:00 AM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Also read about tilt/shift, perspective control lenses. These are used by architectural photographers since the film days. And use a tripod with a level for more precise camera positioning.

--WT

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9:46:00 AM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


Yea, I almost bought a tilt shift lens before I decided on the 16-35 for Real Estate shoots. Whats the expression? Learn to walk before you can run. I actually ran into my first instance Thursday where I finally understood why the tilt shift is such a great tool. Unless I am jumping out of my car at stop lights. =) I force myself to always use a tripod when shooting Realestate. Which you just reminded me I need to tighten the cheap bolts they put on mine.

Have you ever used a Tilt Shift Lens?

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 11:20:00 AM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

I've never used a PC lens myself. Maybe Dan has?

--WT

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 7:46:00 PM PST  
Anonymous lena said...

Excellent angle and nice sky clouds on the first photo. Gorgeous building and nice composition, wonderful images. awesome !

Lena,

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 10:23:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You make us jealous as we get ready for a winter Carl. I like the palm from the angel you chose. If you are a photoshop user the Building can be corrected via the transform tool. I can walk you through it offline if you want.

Warren is right that you could capture that image with a T/S lens and not do any post processing. Nikon's version is not up to your camera though. Schneider has models that would be up to the d810 though.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 6:41:00 AM PST  
Blogger Unknown said...


**** Did we ever figure out why we can't see comments on posts? ****

I just saw this..

Thanks Lena and Dan!

Yes, I have to admit not dealing with the frigid air is fantastic but now I feel like I am missing out on the changing colors of the world.

- I just started using photoshop or at least playing in it.
- I use Lightroom and it is supposed to have the same correction capabilities. But for the life of me this was as straight as I could get it.
- I may take you up on that offer to see how you would approach it.

I will definitely look into the Schneider lens's for when I can afford it. I am going to take my Architectural and landscaping shots as far as I can go in life.

Thanks for the advise and input

~Carl~

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 3:26:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Carl, I thought the comment notifications are working again. You're still not getting emails when someone posts a comment? If you don't, what email address are the notifications supposed to go to?

--WT

Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 10:31:00 PM PST  

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Arch Series on the Seine, Paris

Lumix LX5

I went for a walk along the Seine one day while we were in Paris. As I walked along the bank, I saw a wonderful mix of curves and lines as I got close to one of the bridges. I took a number of shots, and I picked three to post here.

Which one do you like, and please explain what it is that you like (or not like) about it.

Hey, I missed playing here on our blog, let's get it rolling again!

--Warren

#1


#2


#3


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6 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...


I like # 2 the best... It looks like you took a step back from the first shot to show the relationship from the bridge arch and the first walker to the second power walker also revealing the overhang.

Lots of straight lines and curves, two bridges and now I know what the word Seine means. =)

Great to have you back.

Carl

Friday, December 5, 2014 at 10:58:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

I like #1, and would like to crop the top off a bit to let the underbelly of the bridge reach the edge of the frame as it does on the left and right. It has a long hollow feeling, space to think and daydream into and not worry who my be walking and running by soon.

Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 10:33:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

Amazing ! great view look through the frame and composition. nice shot !

Lena,

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 10:27:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Lena, do you have a favorite one of the three images?

--Warren

Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 11:14:00 PM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For me the last B & W seems to capture the history and moment Warren. Good tonality and actually I like it w/o anyone in it.

Dan

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 6:43:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Lena said...

I would like the first picture of three, the red spot catch my eyes, nice shot...:-)

Lena

Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 5:00:00 PM PST  

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