In the olden days of Adobe Photoshop upgrades, all we had to worry about was if our actions and brushes still worked. Now though, we fret more about our precious plug-ins whenever Adobe decides to upgrade either Lightroom or Photoshop. I currently own three plug-in bundles and I’m about to purchase the fourth and final package [...]
Mar 22, 2012 | Categories:digital darkroom, photography, ramblings, software review | Tags: Adobe, Alien Skin Software, apples, beta, Color Efex Pro 4, danilew-flickr photos, Dfine 2, HDR Efex Pro, market, Nik Software, Nikon D300, pears, Photoshop CS6, Photoshop Lightroom 3, plug-ins, screenshot, Sharpener Pro 3, Silver Efex Pro 2, Tamron 17-50, Topaz Labs, upgrade, Viveza 2, Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit | 10 Comments »
If you’re following my blog then you’ve probably noticed that I’ve taken the last 3 months off. I do apologize to my readers. The delay has not been due to a lack of shooting; it’s because I’ve been working so hard at my day job that I just haven’t had much to say. Recently though, [...]
Mar 01, 2012 | Categories:digital darkroom, photography, ramblings | Tags: Alien Skin Software, danilew-flickr photos, flower, inspiration, Nikon 105 macro VR, Nikon D300, Oil Paint, painting, Photoshop Lightroom 3, rose, Snap Art, Valentine's Day, van Gogh, writer's block | 4 Comments »
Autumn is my favorite travel and photography season and this year has been no exception. I enjoy travelling this time of the year rather than in the summer because: (1) the weather is still nice, (2) children are (or should be) in school, (3) there are no lines on rides or at popular tourist sites, [...]
Nov 06, 2011 | Categories:photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: autumn, book club, Chanticleer Gardens, costume, danilew-flickr photos, danilew.com photos, fisheye, friends, Graffiti Underground, Halloween, infrared photography, Jamaica, makeup, Montego Bay, Nikon 10.5 fisheye, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, NikonCafe.com, October, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, photographers, photowalk, portraiture, Stafford, travel photography, Valley Forge National Park, villas, Virginia, zombie | 2 Comments »
Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk occurred much later in the year than usual. For the first three years, this event took place in July but since it has been brutally hot in the USA and other countries, instead he announced just a week before the anticipated July date to move it to October. Thank you, [...]
Oct 05, 2011 | Categories:infrared, photography, ramblings | Tags: #WWPW, abandoned, autumn, black and white, Capture NX2, colonial, color, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew-flickr photos, Donald Sturgis, false color, foliage, Fredericksburg, hitching post, house, infrared photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Occoquan, panoramic photography, Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Lightroom 3, photowalk, reflections, river, Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk, Silver Efex Pro 2, Tamron 17-50, Vincent Knaus, Virginia, water | 5 Comments »
When a mature single woman goes to Vegas for her birthday it’s assumed that she had the time of her life. Well, I did, and it had absolutely nothing to do with scantily clad men, er… almost nothing to do with scantily clad men! Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Tamron 17-50 [...]
Sep 25, 2011 | Categories:guru conference, photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: #PSW, black and white, body paint, Capture NX2, conference, convention, D-Town TV, danilew-flickr photos, Dave Black, Gregory Heisler, Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino, infrared photography, instructors, Jay Maisel, Jeremy Cowart, Jim DiVitale, Joe Glyda, Joe McNally, Julieanne Kost, Kelby Media Group, keynote, Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, model, Moose Peterson, Nevada, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, panoramic photography, photographers, Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Lightroom 3, Photoshop World, Scott Kelby, summer, Tamron 17-50, travel photography, Westcott | 2 Comments »
The Lord giveth and He taketh away and in my fickled existence He also taketh away then He giveth it back. Make sense? No, I didn’t think so. Well, let me explain… A Lose-Lose Situation In February of this year, my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV (45) to the Green Bay Packers. My team [...]
Sep 03, 2011 | Categories:guru conference, photography, ramblings | Tags: #PSW, conference, D-Town TV, giveaway, Kelby Media Group, Las Vegas, loser, luck, Photoshop World, winner | 5 Comments »
I don’t know about you, but for me, entering photo contests seems to be fraught with danger and peril. Around every corner lurks a heinous consequence that could make all the blood, sweat and tears I poured into my image seem like I helped sentence it to life in prison with no possibility of parole. [...]
Aug 06, 2011 | Categories:photography, ramblings | Tags: Air Force Memorial, Arlington, Capture NX2, Color Efex Pro 3, concerns, costs, couple, danilew.com photos, fine print, focus, husband and wife, images, issues, kissing, legitimacy, man and woman, newlyweds, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D300, partners and affiliates, perpetuity, photo contests, Photoshop CS5, rejection, rights, Sigma 10-20, spires, submissions, time and effort, two people, Virginia | 7 Comments »
On one cold rainy Funchal, Madeira December night in 2008, I was enjoying the fruit of the gods (some smooth and sweet concoction with not enough honey, citrus and ginger to cover the distilled alcohol aftertaste) with some new friends. The Poncha mixture, as explained by my hosts Tadeu and Jacinta, had not fermented enough [...]
Jul 02, 2011 | Categories:photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: Achadas da Cruz, adventures, Capture NX2, danilew-flickr photos, dinner, friends, headlands, island, Jesus statue, locals, Madeira, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D300, Photoshop Lightroom 3, Ponta do Garajau, Portugal, road kill stew, sheep, Sigma 30, stairs, travel photography, unfinshed house | 6 Comments »
No matter where I go, what lenses I bring, which bag I use, or even if I carry a speedlight, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 goes with me. But, but… why you may ask? It’s my normal view. Lots of photographers will tell you that your normal view with a full-frame camera is around 50mm. Well, [...]
Jun 05, 2011 | Categories:lens review, photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: baby girl, Best Western Hotel Cantur, candles, Capture NX2, church, clay pipe, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew.com photos, Dirty Thirty, fast glass, Gran Canaria, handheld, illumination, lowlight, museum, National Museum of the American Indian, newborn, Nik Software, Nikon D300, Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom 3, prayer candles, prime lens, Restaurante Gauguin, salmon crepes, Sigma 30, slow shutter speed, travel photography, Washington DC, Washington National Cathedral | 6 Comments »
I can shoot birds when they’re sitting still or slowly circling. Well, actually, the longest lens I have is the Nikon 70-300 VR so I can truly only shoot slow birds at a certain distance. Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 70-300 VR lens Obviously, I don’t do it that often. The first weekend [...]
May 16, 2011 | Categories:guru workshop, photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: Alligator Farm, Better Beamer, birds, black and white, borrowlenses.com, Castillo de San Marcos, cattle egret, Charles (Chas) Glatzer, danilew-flickr photos, ESVNWR, flash, Florida, foliage, Fort Matanzas, great blue heron, great white egret, infrared photography, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon 300 f/4D, Nikon 70-300 VR, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Nikon TC-14 II, Photoshop Lightroom 3, reenactment, rookery, SB-900, shootthelight.com, speedlight, springtime, St. Augustine, Tamron 17-50, teleconverter, tourist, travel photography, wildlife photography | 8 Comments »
Normally this time of year, members of the DC/MD/VA NikonCafe.com photography group travel to the Eastern Shore for a long weekend of spring migration shooting. Well, this year we decided to go north to Philadelphia and shoot some lesser-known but just as memorable city scenes. Yes, we did the Cherry Blossom trees in Fairmount Park’s [...]
May 03, 2011 | Categories:digital darkroom, infrared, photography, travel | Tags: 5 exposure, abandoned, Capture NX2, danilew-flickr photos, decay photography, derelict, false color, foliage, Graffiti Underground, HDR Efex Pro, hdr photography, high dynamic range, infrared photography, landscape photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, NikonCafe.com, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Lightroom 3, pier, springtime, travel photography, trees, urban decay, urban exploration, urbex | 5 Comments »
Yesterday, I travelled a mere 60 miles south to see one of my favorite authors, Bryan F. Peterson. Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 85 f1.8 lens The Camera Club of Richmond brought the famed photographer to the historic Byrd Theater in Richmond, Virginia for the day (9:00 am to 4:00 pm) and I [...]
Apr 10, 2011 | Categories:guru seminar, photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: Bryan Peterson, Byrd Theater, danilew-flickr photos, Learning to See Creatively, lecture, Nikon 85, Nikon D300, Photoshop Lightroom 3, Richmond, Understanding Exposure, Virginia | 2 Comments »
It is now peak Cherry Blossom week in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. However, the weather in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA has not been very cooperative this early spring season; most days have been cold, windy and/or rainy. It’s been so drab around here that I have not even felt like trudging my [...]
Apr 01, 2011 | Categories:infrared, photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: black and white, Capture NX2, close up, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew.com photos, false color, foliage, infrared photography, Japanese Cherry Blossom trees, Jefferson Memorial, landscape photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D300, Photoshop CS5, Silver Efex Pro 2, springtime, Tidal Basin, travel photography, Washington DC, Washington Monument, water | 4 Comments »
Almost two years ago, I took my first steps in learning model photography at the now defunct Pinhole Box Studio in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was a great day and I learned a lot of lighting techniques from the instructors but much more so from the model. Meet Roxie: beautiful, sweet, effervescent, and a natural in [...]
Mar 02, 2011 | Categories:photography, ramblings | Tags: Capture NX2, cheerful, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew.com photos, female, flash, Fredericksburg, headshot, model, model photography, Nik Software, Nikon 105 macro VR, Nikon D300, Photoshop Elements, Pinhole Box Studio, playful, posing, red hair, redhead, Roxie, smiling, studio, studio light, twenty-something, Virginia, Viveza 2, woman, young adult | 3 Comments »
Textures are ‘in’! According to my Clicky Web Analytics data, it seems that in January 2011, “peeling paint” and “rust textures” were the most used search terms to find my website. Moreover, based on those search terms, the image below – taken inside the Administration building of the now abandoned Forest Haven Asylum – was [...]
Feb 01, 2011 | Categories:photography | Tags: abandoned, building, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew.com photos, decay photography, dilapidated, flash, Forest Haven Asylum, hospital, hvac, Laurel, macro photography, Maryland, mental institution, Nik Software, Nikon 105 macro VR, Nikon D300, peeling paint, Photoshop CS5, rust, SB-900, speedlight, suburban decay, textures | 6 Comments »
After listening to the Keynote speaker, Bruce Dale, at the 2009 Meadowlark Nature Photography Expo (March 2009) where he presented some of his famous cemetery panoramas in infrared, the seed of an idea was born. I had just received my infrared converted camera and was thrilled at the possibilities in front of me: one of [...]
Jan 01, 2011 | Categories:infrared, photography, ramblings, travel | Tags: Arlington National Cemetery, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew.com photos, false color, headstones, infrared photography, landscape photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Photoshop CS5, Tamron 17-50, travel photography, Virginia, winter, wreaths | 12 Comments »
I’m a landscape photographer. Okay, I’ll throw in some flower macros or animals on occasion but, basically, the majority of my images are landscapes. People, whether portraits, lifestyle, or street sniping just isn’t my thing. However, since I would like to become a professional photographer when I retire, it’s a credo of some sort that [...]
Dec 26, 2010 | Categories:photography, ramblings | Tags: autumn, blue jeans, boy, Color Efex Pro 3, danilew.com photos, flash, footbridge, lifestyle photography, Nikon D300, Photoshop CS5, portraiture, SB-900, speedlight, Tamron 17-50, toddler, toy fireman's helmet | 4 Comments »
Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera, a Tamron 17-50 lens, and a Nikon SB-900 flash In late May of 2009, a small group of intrepid photographers from NikonCafe.com drove up to Forest Haven Asylum in Laurel, Maryland to have a look around the abandoned mental institution. We all met at the administration building [...]
Dec 01, 2010 | Categories:photography | Tags: abandoned, broken, building, burned, Capture NX2, chair, charred, danilew.com photos, decay photography, dilapidated, fire damaged, flash, Forest Haven Asylum, hallway, hospital, Laurel, Maryland, mental institution, Nik Software, Nikon D300, NikonCafe.com, Photoshop Elements, red, SB-900, speedlight, suburban decay, Tamron 17-50 | 4 Comments »
Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 70-300 VR lens During the last 5 years, the DC/MD/VA sector of the NikonCafe.com internet photography group have traveled to Virginia’s Eastern Shore for a Spring and Fall Migration weekend shoot. One of our regular venues is sunrise at an Oyster, Virginia marsh then we [...]
Nov 02, 2010 | Categories:photography, travel | Tags: abandoned, autumn, boat, boat graveyard, Capture NX2, danilew.com photos, decay photography, derelict, Eastern Shore, fall migration, foliage, landscape photography, marsh, Nik Software, Nikon 70-300 VR, Nikon D300, NikonCafe.com, Oyster, Photoshop Elements, rural decay, Virginia, wetlands, wooden | 5 Comments »
Amtrak passenger train pulls into Fredericksburg, Virginia railway station – infrared Image above made with a Nikon D200 IR-converted camera and Nikon 18-200 VR lens The above photo was taken towards the end of Scott Kelby’s 2009 Worldwide Photowalk in Fredericksburg, VA. Our walk leader, Rachel, had chosen a route filled with fantastic photo opportunities [...]
Oct 01, 2010 | Categories:digital darkroom, infrared, photography | Tags: #WWPW, Amtrak, Capture NX2, Color Efex Pro 3, Cross Balance Filter, danilew.com photos, false color, foliage, Fredericksburg, infrared photography, landscape photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Photoshop Elements, photowalk, Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk, summer, train, train station, trees, vintage, Virginia | 12 Comments »
Driftwood stuck in the mud of a marsh in the wetlands of the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge – infrared Image above made with a Nikon D200 IR-converted camera and Nikon 18-200 VR lens
Sep 01, 2010 | Categories:infrared, photography | Tags: black and white, Capture NX2, danilew.com photos, Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, ESVNWR, foliage, infrared photography, landscape photography, marsh, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Photoshop Elements, Silver Efex Pro, spring migration, springtime, trees, Virginia, water, wetlands | 15 Comments »
Riverboat awaits repairs at the city dock in Fredericksburg, Virginia – infrared Image above made with a Nikon D200 IR-converted camera and Nikon 18-200 VR lens
Aug 01, 2010 | Categories:infrared, photography | Tags: boat, Capture NX2, city dock, danilew.com photos, false color, foliage, Fredericksburg, gangplank, infrared photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Photoshop Elements, Rappahannock River, river, riverboat, sepia, Silver Efex Pro, summer, Virginia, water, wooden | 3 Comments »
Infrared photography is often described as “invisible light” or light that we humans cannot see. So, how do we take a picture of what we can’t see? Easy. We see everything in Technicolor brilliance but some scenes and subjects, in our mind’s eye, look better in black-and-white. Infrared is very similar to black-and-white photography, so [...]
Jul 18, 2010 | Categories:digital darkroom, infrared, photography, ramblings | Tags: Capture NX2, channel mixer, color, danilew-flickr photos, false color, foliage, Great Falls Park, infrared photography, landscape photography, Maryland, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, overlook, Photoshop Elements, summer, Tamron 17-50, water | 7 Comments »
Close-up view of pinning a boutonniere on to the jacket of prom date Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera, a Nikon 18-200 VR lens, and a Nikon SB-900 flash My most viewed and requested photo for the months of May and June 2010.
Jul 01, 2010 | Categories:photography | Tags: boutonniere, Capture NX2, close up, danilew.com photos, flash, flowers, formal attire, formal dance, hands, high school students, jacket, life events, lifestyle photography, Nik Software, Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikon D300, Photoshop Elements, pinning, prom, roses, SB-900, speedlight, tuxedo, two people, young adults, young man, young woman | 10 Comments »
