Workshops for various abilities.

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Starting in January I will be offering small personalized workshops for various levels of photographers. I will cover various topics and leave you with assignments to help hone your skills and grow your confidence behind your lens. My goal as an educator is to help you make great images no matter what you choose to  shoot. A strong foundation to build upon for years to come. Please watch my site for information. I expect these will fill up fast limit 4 per workshop. Also available individual one on one lessons. Please inquire if interested. 

Rock Port Harbor Cape Ann, MA

Rock Port Harbor Cape Ann, MA

Also available Gift Certificates!  

Reservoirs.

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A little brook I found today.

I made this image today up by Otis reservoir. I had reached out to local Facebook Friends who knew about Cobble Mountain reservoir. It had been locked down since 9-11.  I wondered the entire time I scouted the area for potential places to shoot, why just Cobble Mountain? Why not Otis? Ashley or Quabbin? I really can't figure out why this one reservoir is so highly enforced? Anyhow shot taken with a Sony a7 with a Sony 24x240 at f 20 ISO 50 exposure Compensation -.3 resulting in 1.5 second shutter speed. I would have loves a Tamron 15x30 for this shot. Edited in LR CC and On1 Photo 10 

Lowepro Photo Back Packs→

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Good evening everyone. I just finished watching the Giants/Pats game. WOW!  

Earlier today I decided j needed to settle on a bag and use it. I have been in between bags for eons. So much so I literally couldn't find things I needed. Well the Lowepro Flipside AW500 is now my daily gear bag. Everything has a place and I now can find anything at a moments notice.  

Lowepro Flipside AW500  

Lowepro Flipside AW500  

Sunrises

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Rockport Harbor Rockport, MA

A lot of people love sunsets. I much rather watch a sunrise. The start of a new day. There light starts to reveal the things darkness had concealed. Life is very similar. It starts beautiful and reveals what is to come. for many of us we lose loved ones far to early. But I don't wish to dwell on the sadnesses of loss but the beauty of the life light revealed to us while this departed were with us. Remember the smiles and the greatness they offered us! Rest in peace Luca Coppa, we will celebrate you for ever!

On1 Photo 10 and why it's even great for Nature and Animals

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High ISO and Digital Noise 

This is my out of camera Image. Canon 7d ISO 3200 F/8 !/500 second exposure.

This is my out of camera Image. Canon 7d ISO 3200 F/8 !/500 second exposure.

This was edited in On1 Photo 10 Enhance

I took this shot to show you how to save a fairly  poor photo. I shot this with every setting wrong. I had way too high of ISO and also not enough shutter speed for 600mm.  (960mm equivalent) I composed tight because there is  this bark hanging in front of her tail. I could have easily removed it with tools here in On1 Photo 10. But I wanted to show how minimal editing can make the image better. I clicked FIX FOCUS and AUTO TONE. That's it! done in less than a minuet! My friends at On1 have really listened to the photographers out here! My prerelease version has a few quirks for sure. And with every email they work to make them perfect! So click a banner and get your copy today!

Review On1 Photo 10

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On1 Photo 10

Rockport Harbor Cape, Ann MA

Rockport Harbor Cape, Ann MA

I have been working with On1 Photo 10 prereleased version for about 3 weeks or so. They have modernized the over all look and improved the user interface in LightRoom CC. You can access each program as plug ins or bring a file over to the Photo 10 browser and access all the programs without changing back to Lightroom. They have added a lot of new features as far as presets and filters in each of the programs. And combined black and white with effects. I find that particularly useful for a faster workflow. Browsing and creating files is also much better than the previous versions. More information coming as one more build is coming before they release the final edition.  Get a free trial of 9.5 on the banner below.  

 

Review On1 Photo 10

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On1 Photo 10

Rockport Harbor Cape, Ann MA

Rockport Harbor Cape, Ann MA

I have been working with On1 Photo 10 prereleased version for about 3 weeks or so. They have modernized the over all look and improved the user interface in LightRoom CC. You can access each program as plug ins or bring a file over to the Photo 10 browser and access all the programs without changing back to Lightroom. They have added a lot of new features as far as presets and filters in each of the programs. And combined black and white with effects. I find that particularly useful for a faster workflow. Browsing and creating files is also much better than the previous versions. More information coming as one more build is coming before they release the final edition.  Get a free trial of 9.5 on the banner below.  

 

ON1 Photo 10

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Enders Fall Edited with Lightroom CC and ON1 Photo 10

I have set up an On1 page on my website. I will be posting videos and information on the release coming soon on Photo 10. I have been working with it for a few weeks now and the updates are excellent. i will also be posting a link for free LightRoom presets and other discounts so check them out!

Learning to push your comfort zone!

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I have been fortunate along my path of photography. I have been pushed and pushed and pushed to see things in different ways. Here is an image I have passed many times. This is Rockport Harbor. I shot this with an 8 mm Rokinon Fish Eye lens. David Akoubian and Cecil Holmes have bestowed a confidence in me through there teachings. They have asked me to join them as an instructor for their work shop in Acadia National Park next October. I have a link on my "Workshops" section if you are interested in taking your skills to a new level! Join us!  

A Moon Dance

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September Moon

I see a lot of my fellow photographers shooting a lot of moons and Milky Way images. I absolutely need to do more night shooting. I took this image in my driveway with my Canon 7d and Tamron 150x600. Tonight there is supposed to be an eclipse. I won't be anywhere I can actually shoot this. So here is my September Moon.

OnOne Photo 10

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Photo 10 Coming soon! 

Photo 10 Coming soon! 

I'm very honored to be an affiliate of On1! I have been using their software for some time now thanks to Cecil Holmes. It's really is a great system to help you make your images pop. The new program is coming out and I will be working on a beta version soon. From what I have seen WOW! Interested? Click the banner on the bottom of my website or this link.  

http://www.on1.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=631

 

Ask me about ON1's unbelievable library of training videos. Monthly loyalty downloads and more!

 

Creative Editing

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Black and White Edit with OnOne Perfect Suite 9

Birding and Nature photography has become one of my favorite kinds of photography. The topic came up about editing wildlife. So in this image I pushed my creative side rather than sticking with the norm. Art is art. It doesn't have to be part of the perfect nature image to enjoy it. Here is an image I shot with Sony a7 and Tamron 150x600. the image is a fill 6000x4000 file cropped down 20% The meta data is scary to think about. ISO6000 f8 shutter speed of 1/1000. I quickly did the crop and a little tonal adjustments in Lightroom CC and took it into OnOne Perfect Suit 9 for artistic creativity. I tweaked the minor noise in Enhance then did the rest in Effects and Black and White. I am please with the results. 

Freedom isn't free!

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 Carter Shield's Cabin Cade's Cove.

Our freedom is not free. Please remember on a day like today, fourteen years after the attacks on our country, Freedom is not free. Remember those who lost their lives for our freedom. Not just on 9-11, but for hundreds of years before that and the many years since.  Image shown in from the Smoky Mountains. I had never been to a National Park before the day i went to Cade's Cove.  I Learned of a new Freedom that day.  Here is how some of our early settlers lived. Freedom is Not free. God Bless America and all she offers us!

The Carter Shields Cabin is believed to have been built in the 1830s.  George Washing "Carter" Shields, a veteran of the Civil War who was crippled in the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, called the cabin his home from 1910-1921.  

I can see why anyone would want to live here. The place is amzing to see. The dogwoods blooming. The Bears roaming around. Deer everywhere. Bird singing. Just amazing. 

 

 

Amelia Gardens

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Amelia Gardens Westfield,MA

Today we went and spent a little while shooting flowers over at Amelia Gardens. It wasn't a great macro day. But it was a great day to be creative with my equipment. This shot was taken on the Sony a7 with Tamron 180 macro via  Metabone's adapter. I set my aperture wide open and focused on the leaf of this rose.  I planned on making the image soft and pastel like in Lightroom CC and OnOne Perfect Suite 9. 

Today makes our visit a little more special. It is Amelia's 17 month Birth Day! Happy Birthday to Daddy's little girl!

 

 

Learning to See

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Part of growing as a photographer is learning to see light, shapes and movement. We as artist try to show our viewers what we see from behind the lens. This morning I saw this tiny little sun spot on this leaf as I was parking. I took three shots with my Sony a7. As soon as I took the shot I knew I liked it. I knew it was going to be a Black and white image. Sony a7 with Tamron Lenses 180mm Macro via Metabones adapter. On my Vanguard tripod. ISO 400 F22 shutter speed of 1/50th of a second. Edited in Adobe Light Room CC and OnOne Perfect Suite 9 (soon to be 10) Black and White.  

Sun Star Rain Drop.  

Sun Star Rain Drop.  

Artistic Imaging.

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Textures

Sunflower with multiple texture layers. 

I pledged early in the year to become a better at editing. I wanted to learn editing to promote growth in my image making ability. I have for the past few years used in camera techniques to work my way through editing. I do believe it can and should be approached from the opposite angle. Like Artistic editing like this, Or focus stacking or even understanding how to take a picture with the intent of it being a black and white image. Image captured on a Sony a7 with Tamron 90mm Macro. On my Sirui P204s monopod with a -10 Tilt head. ISO 1000 F/16 Shutter 1/100 of a second. Edited in Lightroom CC and OnOne Perfect Suite 9

The Stick

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The Stick

IMG_0840.jpg

I'm just back from our trip to Acadia National Park and Cape Cod and I have wondered what new birds would be on the Stick. The sanctuary is growing like crazy with sunflower about 4 feet tall and ready to blossom. Guess who must had had some babies while I was gone? I had noticed that a male gold finch had been solo a lot before I left.  Solo he is no more. They look to be a week or so old. So that sort of fits the time line of hatching. Canon 7d Tamron 150x600 F6.3 (I like F8 better) at ISO640 shutter speed 1/100th of a second. Mounted on my Vanguard Alta Pro Tripod.

Sun Flowers

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Sun Flower

Sun Flower

I am guessing the birds have dropped some sun flower seed in the shrubs out front. I guess the 100 pound of seed paid off. The Sony a7 is absolutely the best macro camera in my opinion.  I can mount either of Tamron Macro lenses via the Metabones adapter and expect excellent result. taken with my Sony a7 with the Tamron 180 mm Macro vis Metabone's adapter on my Vanguard Alto Pro tripod. ISO 1600 F16 resulting in 1/50th of a second exposure.