The Eyes Tell it All

The thing I love about photography is capturing a moment in time that will last forever...

The Man in the Window

What grabbed me about this photo, other than the window of the boat this guy was standing in, is the guy's head of hair. Being bald myself, I envy this guy's massive head of hair....ha ha...

This is another photo that was processed using layers of textures in different blend modes...the options are limitless of what you can do with textures...

Ok, I know I promised I would tell where I got these textures, and about a great tutorial on how to use them, but, well....I forgot to do some things first...so, tomorrow??

Playing With Textures

Recently, I bought a collection of textures to compliment what I already had. By blending textures with your photographs in Photoshop, you can create some very cool effects. I used two different textures in this photo which changed my drab sky into something more painting-like.

Tomorrow, I will post some other photos that I have used textures with, and will tell you how and where you can get your own set... and a nice tutorial on how to use them...

This photo was taken in Chaing Mai, Thailand...by the way...

Your Classic Clown Fish

All underwater photographers love clown fish...they are very addictive to take photos of, and often I will spend up to an hour taking photos of these little guys. They are tricky to shoot though as they never sit still, and they are always ducking in and out of their anenomie...so what do you do? You keep firing away until you get lucky...

Life's A Beach

Usually, in my day to day life in Jakarta, I dream of being back here at this beach...no traffic, no pollution, no noisy motorcycles, and no one asking me where I am going. The last few days, however, has been bliss in Jakarta...almost as good as this beach. Millions have left Jakarta to visit family in the village elsewhere in Java leaving the streets empty of cars. We MIGHT get two more days of this bliss, but come Monday, things will most likely return to the normal mayhem...ah, Life's a Beach...

Krabi, Thailand

One of my favorite places in the world...Krabi, Thailand

This was before the tsunami hit Koh Phi Phi a few years ago...I have some friends going back to Koh Phi Phi next month...I hope all has recovered there. This photo is not of Koh Phi Phi, but an island nearby...just a gorgeous place to hang out...

Hanoi Street Scene

Hanoi is one of those cities where you can sit in one spot, and just watch all the stuff going on around you...and there is always stuff going on 24/7.

Something Is Funny

I can't remember what it was that was making these two kids laugh, but I love it when people have no idea I am snapping a photo of them at a precise moment in time...

Bajais With Texture

I made this print for a good friend's birthday...it was created from one photo and mixed with about 6 different layered textures at differing blend modes...

Skywatch Friday - Sunset Over Annapurna

Happy Friday !!

This week's Skywatch photo comes from Nepal. We had just made the trek from the Annapurna Base Camp to Chomrong just in time for sunset. I quickly set up my tripod, and caught the light at the right time...

Be sure to check out all the skies from around the world HERE...

The Sweet Lips Invade

On most dives, you would be lucky to see a couple of Sweet Lips together, but in Papua, there are several spots where you can see hundreds clustered together in the current. It's like an army of them coming over the hill...

Making Repairs

Speaking of big wooden boats...they need a great deal of maintenance.

A BIG Bugis Schooner

These boats have been around for a long time. They are made of wood, and are still used to move cement, wood, and other things from Sumatra, Sulawesi, and other islands to Jakarta. They are like a look into the past...

The Benefits of HDR Photography

Many of you probably already know that I am really into HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography. If you are just learning Photoshop and other photo editing programs and plug-ins, learning the technique of HDR will be well worth your time and effort....it will do amazing things with your photographs. I will admit that HDR is not for everyone...some do not like the surrealistic feeling, and others don't like the illustrative look it gives...but it is a great tool if used right, and I think it can turn an otherwise ordinary photo into something special...

For example, look at the photos below. The top photo is after I processed the photo as an HDR in a program called Photomatix, and then did other adjustments in Photoshop. The bottom photo is the untouched RAW photo from my camera (the middle exposure). In the old days, I probably would have tossed the photo...but processing the photo as an HDR, brings out all the detail in the shadow and highlight areas. Your digital camera actually captures all the detail, but with a single exposure, the detail is lost in the darkest and brightest areas of the photo. So, when I took this photo, I took 5 different exposures (using a tripod of course), and then, opening the different exposures in Photomatix blends the different exposures into one photograph that resembles more what your eye would see (high dymamic range)...

Give it a try yourself...you will be amazed!!


Here is the final version...notice the detail and colors that come out after processing...

This (below) is one of the exposures I took...I bracket the shots in aperture priority at -2, -1, 0 ,+1, +2...this is the "0" shot which properly exposed some of the photo, but the top part of the photo is blown out and the areas under the roof and bottom left are lost in the shadows. With the bracketed shots, the darker exposures takes care of the blown out top part of the photo, and the brighter exposures takes care of providing detail in the shadow areas. Photomatix blends these exposures into one photo bringing back all the detail I saw with my naked eye...

These Trees Are So Cool

I don't know what kind of trees these are, but I think they are very cool trees...and I am sure they have been around for a very long time...these are in Singapore...

Family Portrait

It was a nice day today, so I took some family shots, and then played with some textures and On-One's Frames (On One makes some very cool Photoshop plug-ins)...what do ya think?

Skywatch Friday - The Sky From Below

Happy Friday!!

Be sure to visit skies from all over the world HERE...

This shot is from Papua...my favorite place in the world to dive...

A Couple of Birds Flew Into Our Yard

I am not a bird expert, but I THINK these are Lorikeets? My daughter came running to me saying there were some pretty birds in the garden...I rushed to grab my camera when I saw what she was talking about...it's not every day when birds like these pay a visit...

Tune Hotel - Kucing, Malaysia

Yes, I know, it is just a boring little hotel...

Funny, I took this photo from my room at the Hilton, just across the street...somehow, Tune Hotel made for a better photo than the Hilton...

Tunicates Glowing

Underwater, it's like Christmas 24/7...

Elephant Dives Into Mud

It's not something you see every day...an elephant head first into the mud. When we first saw this massive animal, I thought maybe it had died, but then we saw the elephant driving his head into the mud...maybe he had an itch?

Hong Kong Mall

A pretty impressive atrium in this mall...I am always amazed at what man can build...

Skywatch Friday - Orange Cloud Over Nepal

Happy Friday!!

My skywatch photo today comes from Nepal. It was early in the morning, and this big, soft orange cloud appeared over the mountains as I came down from Anapurna Base Camp...it only last a few minutes, and then it turned white...

Be sure to check out skies from all around the world HERE...

An Underwater HDR From Under The Pier

I was experimenting tonight with creating an HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo from underwater...obviously, I am not able to put my camera on a tripod underwater, so I processed this one from a single RAW image with Photomatix, and then did some color adjustments in Photoshop...I like the way it came out...

Sargasm Frog Fish

I was getting tired of posting photos from Jakarta...time for an underwater photo...

This is actually an older photo that I took with my film camera a few years ago...took it with Fuji Velvia...remember that great film??

We had an earthquake today in Jakarta...well, the epicenter was some four hours away in Western Java, but we felt it well here...very strange sensation if you have never felt one before. Apparently it was a 7.0 quake...I hope those near Tasikmalaya (near the epicenter) are all ok...

He aint pretty, but still a very cool lookin' fish...you can find them in Sargasm Weed floating on the surface...

A Boy and His Anchors

Here's another shot from the Photowalk last weekend...

As you know, I like nice textures, and always have an eye open for them when hunting for photos...the young kid kneeling down was a bonus...