Images at Work

Well I've been hard at work on my images from my big trip to Europe. I think this is definitely my best work to date, and hopefully other people will feel the same.

Above are two examples of what I captured while overseas, both HDR. As I mentioned before, I brought my tripod on this trip so I could bracket my shots in sets of 3, each exposed 1 step above the next so I could combine them to create HDR images. When comparing my "regular" non-HDR shots to the HDR version, I'm finding I really love the texture and detail of the HDR version and prefer it. I hate to be a 1 trick HDR pony, but I have to go with what I feel is the best quality image. However, I do have some great non-HDR shots that I'm proud of and should have ready soon.

I'm also preparing to submit 3 images to this year's Orange County Fair. I've decided on a different strategy this time around. It seems to me there aren't as many photos in the division where you can submit highly modified images compared to the regular portrait and landscape divisions, so I'm thinking I will submit 3 HDR images into the one division in the hopes of winning something. I also think they are the 3 strongest images I took over the entire trip. I'll be putting them up on another post after I've submitted them.

Fortunately the due date was moved from May 22 to June 1st. For the first time photographers are allowed to submit their images to the fair by e-mail. The judges will review the images and let us know if we are accepted into the contest. With the date being moved out, it gave me time to get the images printed before I submit them. They all look fantastic on the screen, but it occurred to me they may not translate so well in print, and that's what really counts when it comes to judging. I was delighted to find out they look as amazing in print as they do on the screen, so I think I have a good chance of winning something.

My only concern is the competition is pretty strong at the fair, and sometimes the judges award images that I personally don't find terribly impressive. If I'm not on the same page as the judges, that may not bode well for me. Time will tell. I'm still proud of what I've done.

Steven M. Johnson - International Photographer

My wife and I returned from a 2 1/2 week trip through Europe on Monday, 5/12. It's a trip we've been talking about doing, and my wife has been planning (she's a fantastic planner) for a long time now, and it finally happened!

She visited Europe a long time ago with a large tour group, and I had never been before. Together we thought we would conquer the major Europeon cities so get a basic flavor of each country. We started in London, then took the Eurostar (or "chunnel" as it is sometimes referred to because it goes under the English Channel) to Paris. From Paris we flew to Venice, then took a train to Florence, then took a train to Rome, then flew home.

Naturally, being a photographer, I had to bring my gear, which I keep in my photo backpack. For this trip, I brought my 28mm prime lense, my 50mm prime lens, my Tamaron 28 - 105mm zoom, and my Cannon 70 - 200mm zoom. Unfortunately, I broke my 28mm prime lens in London as I was going through my backup, but it turned out to be ok because my 28-105mm zoom was great for letting me crop my landscapes in the camera, giving me more options.

I knew in each country I wanted to get shots of the most famous landmarks, weather permitting. In London, I was able to capture the Tower Bridge perfectly, but due to rain it was difficult to get a whole lot more. However, I've done a rough draft of the image and I think it turned out great. In Paris I was able to get shots of the Arc du Triumph, Notre Dame, and Eiffel Tower. In Venice I got shots of the Plaza San Marcos and, of course, the gondolas. In Florence, I got shots of the Pontevecchio bridge, the Duomo, some other famous churches, and some statues. In Rome I got shots of the Collosseum and all kinds of other famous landmarks.

On this trip, I specifically brought my tripod because I planned on doing HDR shots of most of the iconic landmarks in Europe. I really like the HDR look because it's a hybrid between a photograph and a painting. It also gives objects a dreamy sort of etheral effect. There are a few methods to create an HDR photo, but my preferred method is to auto bracket 3 separate shots, each separated by one stop, and then combining them together to make the HDR image. This allows me to get a far wider range of shadows and highlights than just one image (be it digital or film) is capable of getting. In fact, if you look at my gallery, you can see some HDR images I've done in the past of the Manhattan Bridge, the Ruby's on the Balboa Pier, and Balboa Pavilion.

Besides the fantastic scenery and history in Europe, my wife also did a ton of research and found some fantastic restaurants for us to try. We were not disappointed, and had some of the most amazing food either of us have either experienced.

A preview of some images and a review of the restaurants will be coming up in future blog posts. For now, it's great to be back home!