Going back through all of my Italy photos has really brought back the great memories from that trip. I had a fantastic time with my whole family over there and I can’t wait until I get to do something like that again.
]]>One thing I’ve noticed going back through these photos is how different my style of photography was a year ago. Interestingly enough, I think it mostly has to do with the lenses I had in my bag at that point in time…a 24-105L and a 70-200L. For most of the trip I had my trusty 24-105 glued to my 50D, and I think that lens really helped shape what kind of shots I was able to get in Italy. Since then I’ve sold my 70-200L and bought a Sigma 10-20mm…the latter is what I shoot with most often now and I know it’s had a big impact on my style of photography. What are your thoughts…has the gear in your bag ever changed your style of photography?
]]>Although I already processed the keepers from that trip last year, I’ve been having some fun going back through them and running a few of the single RAW files through Photomatix to see what kind of results I can get. I’m hoping that this exercise is fruitful enough for me to keep posting some of my re-processed Italy shots over the coming months. Last night I worked on a couple and I’m quite happy with the details I was able to pull out in this shot of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
]]>To be fair, this was only one of two times I was told I couldn’t use my tripod in any of the hotels in Vegas, and the vast majority were more than welcome to accommodate me. But it’s those few bad experiences that stick with you. So…if any of you have some good tricks for getting in under the radar or how to approach security about permission to shoot I’m all ears!
One very early morning (4 AM) while staying at the MGM Grand, I went downstairs and explored as much of the hotel as I could before it got too busy. Eventually I made my way down a long corridor past the pool and ended up in the conference center which is absolutely enormous! We definitely don’t have hotels with conference centers like that here in Calgary. After snapping a few brackets in the main lobby area I made my way upstairs to where they have some of the smaller conference rooms…and stumbled into this really cool lounge type area. Anyway, enough rambling. Here’s the shot:
]]>The details: 3 exposure HDR tonemapped in Photomatix, Photoshop for some masking, Lightroom for catalog, color correction, sharpening, and Noiseware to finish it off.
]]>The ambiance and decor in Fiamma is absolutely amazing and made for a wonderful place to propose. To make sure Brei would be surprised, I got her into the restaurant under the guise of me getting the chance to photograph the place. I won’t tell the whole story here, but I will show you the spot in which I proposed:
The details: 3 exposure HDR tonemapped in Photomatix with a few tweaks in Lightroom.
I’d like to give a special thanks to Jeffery Metcalf (the assistant manager of Fiamma) who granted me access to the restaurant after hours.
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