The Best of Bannack

Apparently I have a problem with indecision.

1. Reflecting the Past: 5/25/11, 12:24 pm, Bannack Montana; f/2.9; 1/250; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

2. The Hot seat: 5/25/11, 1:12 pm, Bannack Montana; f/2.9; 1/30; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

3. Rusted Gold: 5/25/11, 1:20 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/320; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

4. Gateway to Home: 5/25/11, 3:20 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/250; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

5. Tools of the Harvest: 5/25/11, 3:45 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/30; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

6. Home Cookin’: 5/25/11, 4:45 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/20; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

7. Home in the Sage: 5/25/11, 5:15 pm, Bannack Montana; f/2.9; 1/250; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

8. Where to go?: 5/25/11, 5:05 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/125; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

9. Bannack Barbers: 5/25/11, 12:32 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/4.1; 1/13; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

10. Ghost Garden: 5/25/11, 11:56 am, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/40; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

11. Nailed to the Sky: 5/25/11, 3:00 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/5.6; 1/500; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

12. Three Wheels: 5/25/11, 4:00 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/8; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

All of these shots were edited in Photoshop except for #5. All of the images received a saturation and level adjustment. The black and white and sepia photos were edited with adjustment layers. I adjusted the colors of those layers. # 3 was given a Gaussian blur that was brushed away using the brush tool. #9 had a text box placed in it with a Stencil Stud font I reduced the opacity of it to give it a ghostly feeling. Bannack was a great place to do a photo shoot. Ghosts and ticks aside, this was an amazing place.

Bannack HDR

Triple Exposure:

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Single Shots:

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Triple Exposure

The Hotel: 5/25/11, 5:17 pm, Bannack Montana; f/5.6; 1/400; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Single Shot

Empty: 5/25/11, 3:02 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/5.6; 1/250; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Glimpse into the Past: 5/25/11 pm, 2:56 pm: f/2.9; 1/125; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Let me make a confession. I am addicted to Dymanic Photo. I downloaded this free, never-ending trial from the Internet, and I cannot get enough of it. I am pretty sure I have tried HDR-ing everything. The first shot was uploaded into Dynamic Photo on the eye-catching filter and I didn’t even need to edit it. For the second I adjusted the vibrant colors a little and then changed the dramatic light.

The third was a combination of 3 different shots, all at 3 different exposures (as seen above). It was uploaded into Dynamic Photo with the same filter. I adjusted the vibrant colors and the dramatic light strength a little. I used an Autumn Morning match color filter to give the sky the yellowish look.

Macro Abstract

Image:
Texture:
Blend:

Gun: 5/25/11, 3:57 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/500; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Door Texture: 5/25/11, 12:25 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.9; 1/40: KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

In Photoshop I took the gun and made it a sepia shot. I think all of Bannack looks great in sepia. I did that by giving it a black and white adjustment layer and then tinted it. After it was tinted, I adjusted the colors to make it look as old as possible. I brought the texture shot over the image and reduced the opacity, until I had the desired texture to make this shot look like a crumpled up photo from the 1800’s.

Reverse Shallow Depth of Field

The House Hole: 5/25/11 2:47 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/2.6; 1/400; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Hole House 5/25/11, 2:45 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/3.4; 1/500; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

I thought that this angle, looking through the railing of Hotel Meade, would make for an interesting depth of field shot. Laying down flat on the porch I was able to see that this particular hole provided a great view of the house across the street. The first was taken on my Auto mode, thereby focusing on the house and blurring the hole. The second was taken on my Macro setting, thereby focusing on the railing and blurring the house. These were not edited in Photoshop.

Action Blur/Freeze

These photos we done by blurring action and freezing action.

Blur.

Ghost on the Wall: 5/25/11, 11:45 am, Bannack, Montana; f/4.8; 4.0; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

After lots of tries and tears this shot finally worked out. There was enough light shining into the hallway to create an almost eerie glow in this shot. There was enough darkness however that I could have my shutter open for four seconds without it absorbing too much light. I did not edit this shot.

Freeze.

Make a Splash: 5/25/11, 11:15 am, Bannack Montana; f/5.6; 1/200; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Rope it in: 5/25/11, 11:30 am, Bannack Montana; f/5.6; 1/400; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our group had a hard time trying to figure out what we could do to freeze action in a ghost town; not too much going on…not a lot of movement. But we got a little creative. With some help of a few rocks and a lasso we were able to create some great shots. Both of these images were taken into Photoshop and received some level adjustments.

Bannack Portraits

In Bannack, Montana there is an old town that is now a ghost town. It makes for some great shots as you will soon see in the next six posts or so. These are portraits of some classmates taken in the old saloon in town.

Ain’t Coming Back: 5/25/11, 12;45 pm, Bannack, Montana; f/4.1; 1/25; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

This was a great pose and it had great lighting in the saloon when we were there. In Photoshop I did some tweaks. All I did was change the levels a little. After that I changed the photo to black and white on a new adjustment layer and tinted it to give it the sepia look. I changed a few of the color intensities to give it a real old-time look.

Tending to Business: 5/25/11, 1:05 pm, Bannack Montana; f/4.1; 1/10; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Good lighting came here from the back window behind him. I loved the fact that it was hitting both him and the glasses in this shot. He wasn’t looking at the camera or even doing anything and it still makes for a good shot. I created a new layer in Photoshop and made it into a unsharp mask. I changed the levels a little bit as well to darken the light from surrounding windows.

Portrait Edits

Special thanks again to my lovely wife Lisa for letting me take photographs of her. She is amazing.

1. Enhancements:

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2. Color Replacement:

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Color Match:

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Color Match Source
After:

1. Enhancements; 5/18/11, 6:32 p.m.; Seed Mill, Rexburg; f/5.6; 1/40; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

For the enhancements I used a brush tool to soften the bags underneath Lisa's eyes. Using the luminosity brush, with a lighter opacity and flow, I lightened her teeth. I selected and lightly saturated her eyes as well to help them stand out. I used the clone stamp tool to remove the writing on the train, creating less distractions in the portrait. An adjustment layer was used to enhance shadows and mid tones.

2. Replace Color; 5/18/11, 6:21 p.m.; Porter Park, Rexburg; f/4.8; 1/15; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

I used the Quick Select tool to select Lisa's shirt. I used the replace color tool to change the shirt from red to its opposite green. I wanted the shirt to match the blurred green leaves in the background. It also created a nice contrast with the gray stones.

3. Match Color; 5/18/11, 5:43 p.m.; Nielsen's Frozen Custard, Rexburg; f/5.6; 1/80; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

I loved Lisa's facial expression in this shot. My only regret was the momentary cloudy conditions that created a gray flat light through the window. I decided that I wanted a brighter light. There was a better picture taken later on that day, in which the sun was out and creating a bright light on Lisa's face. I used the match color tool to use the other picture's brightness in the original. Using the luminosity tool I decreased the highlights to make it look more natural.

3.5 Match Color Source; 5/18/11, 6:25 p.m.; Porter Park, Rexburg; f/4.1; 1/50; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

Portraits--with Lisa

Special thanks goes out to my wife Lisa for this post. She was so kind to be the subject of my photo shoot this week. She is beautiful and makes for some beautiful photos. Thank you Lisa for always supporting me. The majority of all these photos involve her...she is a great sport.

1. Side Composition; 5/18/11, 6:33 p.m.; Seed Mill, Rexburg; f/5.6; 1/60; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

2. Head; 5/18/11, 5:44 p.m.; Nielsen's Frozen Custard, Rexburg; f/5.6; 1/60; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

3. Full Body; 5/18/11, 6:13 p.m.; Porter Park, Rexburg; f/2.9; 1/125; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

4. Group Activity; 5/21/11, 2:47 p.m.; My Apt, Rexburg; f/4.0; 1/6; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

5. Posed; 5/21/11, 2:50 p.m.; My Apt, Rexburg; f/4.0; 1/5; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

6. Group Environment; 5/8/11, 2:50 p.m.; Springville, Utah; f/5.6; 1/60; KODAK EASYSHARE M1073 IS DIGITAL CAMERA

For all of these shots I did minor edits in Photoshop. I created adjustment layers for the levels and brushed back in some original color. For a few shots like the first three and the last I added a little bit of Gaussian blur.

My wife was a great subject for these shots. I thought that with her red shirt, taking her to the train tracks would create a nice contrast for this shot. There was a nice depth of field there too. In Nielsen's Frozen Custard there were some big bay windows that let in a very nice light. At one point it cast a very good shadow onto my wife's face. I had to put down my sandwich to get this shot, but it was worth it. Porter Park provided great backgrounds for photos and I thought that I would take this one a a different angle.

The next two shots are my wife and I making the final preparations for our new family addition: Macey Claire Bagley. She is due soon and we are getting her room ready.

The last photo was taken at my brother's baby blessing two weeks ago. My older sister, Holly loves little kids and they love her. This was her fan club all sitting in a circle, pretending it was a campfire and telling ghost stories. Priceless.

Edits

Camera Raw:
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After:

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Signs of Spring: 5/12/11; 5:08 pm; Stone Brook Apts., Rexburg; f/2.9; 1/13; Kodak Easyshare M1073 IS.

I had to stand up on a stool to get this shot. But even then I wasn't tall enough to actually see into the nest. So with lots of faith and lots of shots I was able to get some really nice ones. I love the contrast that the eggs give with the nest.

I took this image into Adobe Bridge and used the Camera Raw program to do some quick edits. I used the gradient tool to create the dark edge on the left side of the shot. I wanted the eggs to really stand out. I also used an adjustment brush to darken the exposure of the nest. Using a saturation adjustment brush on the eggs, they really brightened up nicely.

Temple Blossoms: 5/12/11; 11:11 am; Rexburg Temple, Rexburg; f/3.6; 1/320; Kodak Easyshare M1073 IS.
I didn't really want to take a traditional temple shot. There are just too many of them. When I was walking around I thought it would be great to get the windows in with the blooming bushes that are there. I did have to get down and dirty for this shot. But the final product made it worth it.

In Camera Raw I darkened the exposure of the whole shot. Going back with a lighter and slightly more saturated adjustment brush I brought back the vibrant blue of the windows. Luckily it didn't take too much away from the blooming bushes.

Home Tweet Home

Panoramic Shots

Home Tweet Home: 5/12/11; 5:09 pm; Stone Brook Apts., Rexburg; f/2.9; 1/50; Kodak Easyshare M1073 IS
I was working and saw this nest underneath the covered parking space by one of the building where I live. I thought that it would make a great shot, especially with the angles and position of the nest. There was a bird in it but obviously to flew away before I could get a photo of it. So I settled with just the nest. It is so great that signs of spring are finally here.

Photomerged:

Once I uploaded and photomerged all the pano-shots into Photoshop, I applied the newly formed image into a new layer. Using adjustment layers I changed the levels and saturation of the nest making it the brighter focal point of the shot. I also used the clone-stamp tool to erase any dulpications or masking lines created by Photoshop when it merged the photos together.