This week Tina is up to bat with a real challenge to pick our favorite photos that have a technical reason for being so. She explains it better than I do. “This week, we challenge you to choose up to a MAXIMUM OF TEN images which are your all-time favorites. No matter the subject or how long ago they were taken, you need to TELL US WHY you chose them. If you select images for their sentimental value they should still be strong from a technical perspective.” You can read her entire challenge post here.
I scanned my library of processed final images from the last fifteen years and selected a batch that I could call my all-time favorites. Thirty-seven images… that’s a long way from ten. I decided to limit my choices mostly by processing techniques. I found eight images that worked out really well (in my mind, anyway), after either attempting a new technique or applying a technique that worked especially well for me. For example, the opening photo features one of my first starry night images where I tried to capture the stars in the New Mexico sky as well as the dimly lit abandoned motel. Click on the image to open it in Flickr and the black background there will better show off the star field in the background. By the way, that abandoned motel is now under new ownership and is completely remodeled. We drove by it a couple of weeks ago on our way to Carlsbad Caverns.
One of my first forays into HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging was at an antique farm equipment and steam-powered engine show held annually in northern Minnesota. I captured this image of the steam engine getting a final tweak or two before loading passengers for a ride around the showgrounds. This image really showed me how details can show up in darker areas under the engine, for example, while at the same time keeping from “blowing out” the sky when blending three exposures into HDR.
When we visited Canyon de Chelly, I captured several images of the beautiful canyon. This image features leading lines in the canyon walls and the paths and river at the canyon bottom. I used Nik Color Efex to do a two-tone process and frame the image. For me, it lifted the image from being “just another canyon photo” from the same viewpoint everyone else uses. You may think otherwise.
I don’t have a lot of opportunities for action shots, but a trip to an outdoor rodeo gave me plenty of opportunities. This is my favorite shot from that event in 2017. My lens doesn’t have a wide lens opening so I used Photoshop Elements to blur the background allowing the viewer to focus on the rider. I also converted the image to black-and-white. The exercise was a great learning experience. Today’s editing tools would make this processing a lot easier.
In 2018, on a business trip to California, I was up early and captured a view of the Anaheim Convention Center on my cell phone. I liked the photo, but I started experimenting with high-key processing and the sun behind those palm trees on the left helped to give the image a mystical look that appealed to me.
In 2020, we traveled to Glacier National Park in Montana. Unfortunately, most of the images were marred by smoke from Canadian wildfires. Most of the images were unusable, but something about this view of Saint Mary Lake got me thinking about processing it with a combination of high-key in the background and changing the tonal values of the smoky mountains.
In 2019 we visited an animal rescue center in Costa Rica. I recently experimented with reducing the exposure in the background to nearly black to focus on the subject. This image of the scarlet macaw is my favorite of the group.
In 2012, a wedding brought the family together in San Diego. I tried my hand at a few family portraits. The harsh midday light was a challenge, so I put the subjects in the shade of a large tree and then used the camera’s flash to provide fill lighting for the faces. The two subjects happened to both be wearing black dresses with white highlights and that gave me the idea to make the entire portrait black-and-white. Silver-Efex was helpful in this conversion.
That’s my top eight images for Tina’s challenge. I have posted these images on my Flickr site for those who like to pixel-peep or see each photograph’s other technical issues. You can find the album here. I hope I met her description of qualifying on the technical aspects of each image. Thanks to Tina for allowing me to share some of my favorite photos.
Last week, I really enjoyed Edigio’s Recharge challenge and found so many ways people refresh in their challenge responses. On Saturday at noon EST, Patti of the Pilotfish blog will host.
John Steiner
Flare Legend Adventures
Wonderful post, John and nice to see a variety of subjects too. I love how you process your photos, you adapt to the photo in question and it shows how much you care about it. The canyon shot is superb, the Anaheim centre magazine/print worthy. Saint Mary lake is my favourite, even or because the difficulties, it’s beautiful. Have you gone through the other ones from that day and try the same processing? It really works on this one.
Thanks, Sofia! I did try similar methods to the other smoky images with varying degrees of success. I think this one really worked because I happened to include a large foreground area that was clear and in sharp focus.
It’s a wonderful photo.
Great post John and some wonderful images. Would be quite hard to pick them though
Thanks, Alison!
Great choices, love the rodeo rider!
Thanks, Dawn. It is truly a favorite of mine. I was lucky to capture the determination in the face of the rider.
Brillian photos John. I got intrigue with HDR as most photos I saw using it feels like heavily post-processed unlike what you did with the steam engine. My personal favorie is the Saint Mary lake. Thank you for sharing these photos.
Thanks, Dan. I fell into the grungy HDR trap myself for a time, but have since gotten over that stage. I should go back and rework some of my grungy images to be more like this one.
These are all excellent photos, John.
Thanks, VJ!
Welcome
i like how you explained your thought processes on this John, especially for the star field photo and the canyon photo. These are all great shots and I enjoyed viewing them.
Thanks! I enjoyed writing the descriptions.
What a varied selection John – I like how you’ve focused on showing us a variety of techniques as well as images. It you asked me to pick a favourite I’d go for the opener, I think, but I have to admire the effectiveness of your rodeo action shot too and I like the edit on the Canyon de Chelly 🙂
Thanks, Sarah! They were all fun to process. I find it more fun to edit the photos than taking them. 🙂
This must have been some exercise for you John. You found 37 favorites and whittled them down to 8! I should say 8 awesome images. I appreciated your editing descriptions. I’m going to have to play around with high and low key for a more artistic view. Great job!
Thanks, Anne! It’s the old story of picking the best of your children. >grin<
That gave me a chuckle John. I guess you have 29 unhappy and jealous kids.
The abandoned motel beneath the starry night looks intriguing.
Lovely action shot of barrel rodeo.
Thanks, Hammad!
Fantastic photo. I so love the barrel rider 😀
Thanks, Cee!
What a great selection of photos! I love how you are able to do such wonderful things with the effects you use from different processing tools. That action shot at the rodeo is an award winner!
Thanks, Linda. I really enjoy the processing of images.
Terrific John – I’d have been VERY disappointed if you hadn’t included a train 😊. Loved your opener especially – amazing how different it looks on Flickr vs WP. Great job describing what drew you to each image of your terrific set.
Thanks, Tina! I did my best to not include a cruise ship. 😎
Flickr’s black background really helps night images look their best.
Great choices, John – I must say I like high key and low key treatment too. Your rodeo rider is fabulous and landscapes brilliant. Now you show portrait photography too. You are both varied and skilled.
Thanks, AC! I do need to do more portraits. I was lucky the image worked worked out so nice with the flash.
Always nice to learn different techniques from you John. The mountains at St Mary Lake, Glacier, are unique with creative use of high-key and tonal values.Blurring the background of the barrel racer photo certainly brings more definition as you had hoped.
Thanks, Donna! I enjoy sharing the things I have learned by experimenting. It is fun when things work to bring out unexpected details in an image.
Great selection, John! Your explanation is easy to understand, too. I especially love the Macaw and the abandoned motel under the starry sky!
Thanks, Yanti! I am glad I did well in explaining the edits I made.
You are a master of your craft, John!
Thank you very much, Dries!
Great photos John. Looks like quite a starry night behind the abandoned motel. Love that action cowgirl shot too. Excellent.
Thanks, John. With a 15 second exposure, even that dimly lit hotel didn’t wash out the many stars in the dark New Mexico skies.
I like your cowgirl and the Saint Mary Lake most. The first has a lot of action and drama, while the monochrome conversation supports the message. Well done 👍. The other one is a good example that it’s possible to get good images even at the wrong time of the day. I suppose, it’s taken around noon. I love the brightness and calmness of the scene. The lake is nicely framed by the trees although they are decently in the edges. But the layered mountains are IMHO the most exciting element. 👍 have you tried adding a gradient gray filter? I guess with such a filter you could probably get a bit more contrast in the background. Anyway, well done 👍
I will try that gradient gray filter. That’s a great suggestion! You hit the time almost dead on, about 1:24 CDT (or 12:24 Standard time). Thanks for taking the time to comment!
you’re welcome, John 🙂 Someone told me once I should lern to read the light, and I did.
So many good ones John, great start but for me the Barrel Racer is fantastic 🙂
Thanks, Brian!
Excellent choices John! I love the high key image, the rodeo image is wow! Enjoy your Beautiful landscape, as always.
Thanks, Amy!
Great choices John. I think I’m going to struggle with this one
Thanks! I am sure you will do fine!
Beautiful photos. I’ve seem to have seen both your landscapes before and liked them. You don’t show portraits often, so this one is a new aspect of your work for me. That parrot is pretty impressive.
Thanks, I. J. At some point, all of those images appeared on my blog, most in photo challenges.
I don’t do many portraits mostly because I haven’t developed the skills necessary. I’ve been experimenting in the category a bit, but I do the occasional family portrait. The one included is the best one I’ve done.
Canyon de Chelly has a special place in my life. Beautiful photo!
Thanks!