March 2, 2012 – A year of portraits – Gabe Dillingham

03.02.12 Gabe Dillingham

Today’s portrait is Gabe Dillingham. Many of you may remember that I spent a month in 2010 photographing him daily for that year’s photography project. Gabe is the son of Matt and Tina Dillingham. Tina works for The Messenger in our Advertising Department.

Gabe was visiting our office today as the schools were dismissed three hours early due to the storms that were forecast to pass through our region and The Messenger has a good area for weathering out tornado warnings and other types of severe weather. The PJ’s were because his school was participating in the Dr. Seuss Read Across America event and the kids were allowed to come dressed in their PJ’s for the day.

What you see here with him, he calls his tornado kit. iPhone to play video games, a laptop computer, flashlight, food and a Dr. Pepper, all setup on one of the small tables in our Advertising Department. I think they had to take cover once during the storm that passed through and he along with everyone else rode the weather out safely.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @24mm
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/50, f/3.5 with an ISO of 5,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

Post Processing
Photoshop CS5 using auto levels

Filters Applied
Topaz Adjust, Exposure Correction and Photo Pop

 

 

March 1, 2012 – A year of portraits – Gregory Acker

03.01.12 Gregory Acker

Today’s portrait is of Gregory Acker at Jesse Stuart Elementary School in Madisonville, Ky. Gregory teaches world music at local colleges and universities, and is an artist-in-residence in community/educational settings around Kentucky. He served two terms in the Peace Corps in Africa, and continued his studies with master drummer Abraham Adzenyah of Ghana. He is also a musical instrument-builder. He is a member of the Kyene Drum Ensemble that is devoted to the study and performance of West African and African Diaspora Music. For more information about his work visit their website at: http://www.kyeneonline.com

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @24mm
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/400, f/2.8 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

Post Processing
Photoshop CS5 using levels, and slight dodging and burning

Filters Applied
Topaz Adjust, Exposure Correction and Clarity

 

February 29, 2012 – A year of portraits – The Christian County Colonel

02.29.12 The Christian County Colonel

Continuing with my mascot portraits, today’s picture is of the Christian County High School’s mascot, the Colonel during their 2nd Region basketball game against the Webster County Trojans at Madisonville, Ky Wednesday night.

Post processing was done in Photoshop CS5. Photo was cropped from it’s original horizontal format, levels were adjusted slightly and the Topaz Adjust Clarity filter was applied for this final look.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 18mm f/2.8
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/500, f/2.8 with an ISO of 4,000 – File Type: Nikon RAW

 

February 28, 2012 – A year of portraits – Dave O’Connell

02.28.12 Dave O'Connell

Today I decided to do an environmental portrait of Dave O’Connell, one of our sports reporters at the Messenger newspaper where I work here in Madisonville, Ky, at his desk in the newsroom. He is originally from York, Pennsylvania where he graduated from York College of Pennsylvania and loves covering the sports beat for the paper. He has a blog at http://www.the-messengerblogs.com/oconnell/ if you’d like to follow him.

Post processing was done with Photoshop CS5 where I adjusted the mid-tones using the Levels command, a little color correction and I applied the Topaz Adjust “Simple Pop” to sharpen the final image.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @34mm
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/80, f/4.5 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 27, 2012 – A year of portraits – UHA Fans

02.27.12 UHA Fans

Today’s portrait is of two UHA fans at the University Heights vs Livingston Central girls regional basketball game at Christian County High School in Hopkinsville, Ky. I’m not sure if they were representing the team mascots or what, but I think they made for a good picture either way.

Post processing was done in Photoshop CS5 with adjustments in Levels, some slight burning in on the background and in Topaz Adjust I used the Exposure Correction and Photo Pop filters to achieve this final photo.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @31mm
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/200, f/2.8 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 26, 2012 – A year of portraits – Taelor Morse

02.26.12 Taelor Morse

Today I captured this portrait of Taelor Morse, a young member of my church here in Madisonville, Ky. He’s in the fifth grade at Pride Avenue School and his teacher is my niece, Kelly Gates. A nice young man that is full of energy and seems to be on a quest to acquire all the knowledge he can as he’s always asking questions, which in my book is great!

Photo was processed using Photoshop CS5 with no cropping from how I shot the original photo. We were standing at the entrance of the sanctuary and the lighting was really nice. By using a f/stop of 2.8 I kept my depth of field really shallow to blur out the background. I didn’t have to make much in the way of levels adjustments on the mid-tones, but I did do some burning down a little around him to help draw the focus to him. For the final touch I applied the Topaz Adjust filter called “Simple Pop” to apply a little bit of snap to the sharpness.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/30, f/2.8, ISO of 1,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 25, 2012 – A year of portraits – Ashley Rose

02.25.12 Ashley Rose

This is my great niece Ashley Rose. Last week I had a portrait of her son to be, Damion, for my portrait of the day and this time I chose her for my subject. She’s a hard working mom to be that attends college here in Madisonville, Ky and works at Kroger while doing so. She’s a very loving and strong woman and I’m proud to call her mine!

I captured this portrait in the living room of her grandmother’s house as she was setting on the couch reading a book. I really liked the strong back-light that was coming in from behind her which gave this high-key portrait look. I wanted the portrait to have a soft portrait look to it and after some minor exposure adjustments in Photoshop CS5 I used the Topaz Adjust Film Collection called Retro Style I combined along with the Soft Focus I filter for this final effect.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/60, f/4, ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 24, 2012 – A year of portraits – Jim Pearson

02.24.12 Jim Pearson

I shot this self portrait using the iPhone Hipstamatic camera using the James M Lens and the Rock BW-11 film. I wanted something radical for this self portrait so I shot several images using some radical cropping in the camera to capture this shot.

I did most of the post processing of the image using Photoshop CS5 after I loaded the image to my computer from the iPhone. I did some burning in on the highlights to tone them down and also on the mid tones and shadows to darken them as well. For the final image I played around with the image using the Topaz B&W Effects plugin until I got a look that I liked and added the warm tone.

Technical Details:
Camera: Hipstamatic for the iPhone 4
Lens: Built-In Camera lens
Exposure: The iPhone doesn’t record shutter speed or aperture information
Apps Used: Hipstamatic and Photoshop CS5

February 23, 2012 – A year of portraits – Paula Pace

02.23.12 Paula Pace

Paula Pace has been a waitress at the Dixie Pan Restaurant in Nortonville, Ky for more than 20 years and as you can see she’s fond of ear piercings. Always cheerful and mindful of the people that come in and out of her life on a daily basis. If you stop by for a meal pick her station and you won’t be disappointed… breakfast is my favorite.

Today’s portrait was done mostly using the iPhone for shooting and processing. Post processing was done using the Snapseed app and the Crossprocess app combined and then I boosted the saturation up slightly using Photoshop CS5.

Technical Details:
Camera: Built in iPhone 4
Lens: Built-In Camera lens
Exposure: The iPhone doesn’t record shutter speed or aperture information
Apps Used: Snapseed, Crossprocess and Photoshop CS5

February 22, 2012 – A year of portraits – Nathan Justice

02.22.12 Nathan Justice

Nathan is the 8-year-old son of Roxann Foster, one of my co-workers at The Messenger newspaper. As with most kids his age he’s full of energy and lets the world know that he’s around, where ever he is. He’s in the second grade, loves video games, basketball and his favorite player is Michael Jordan.

Post processing was done with Photoshop CS5. I cropped the photo slightly from it’s original, adjusted levels and did some dodging and burning on the background and in the shadows. For the final look I used the Topaz Adjust filter “Detail Light” to do my final sharpening. I will note that I had a very high shutter speed because I shot a few pictures indoors first and forgot to change the ISO when we moved outside behind the paper for a better background and lighting.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @56mm
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/2500, f/2.8 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 21, 2012 – A year of portraits – Mike Howton

02.21.12 Mike Howton

I captured this informal portrait of a friend Mike Howton as he was covering the Dawson Springs boys District 7 basketball game for the Dawson Spring Progress newspaper at Caldwell County High School in Princeton. Mike has been hooked on the photography bug ever since his mom let him start using her Argus at the age of 8 or so. He got his own camera, a Patrika, at the age of 9.Today his camera of choice is his Nikon D700.

This portrait was processed using Photoshop CS5 using levels, a little burning in on the wall behind him and the Topaz Filter “Photo Pop” was applied for the final touch.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/640, f/2.8, ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

 

February 20, 2012 – A year of portraits – John Earnest Jr.

02.20.12 John Earnest Jr.

John Earnest Jr. has been a part-time police officer with the city of Princeton, Ky for 22 years. His primary job is that of a Agriculture Engineer with the University of Kentucky’s research center which is located in Princeton and he’s also been doing that job for 22 years.

The photo was processed using Photoshop CS5 where I make adjustments using the levels command, did some darkening of the wall surrounding him by using the burn tool and then finished off the portrait by applying the Topaz Adjust filter called “Photo Pop.”

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/640, f/2.8, ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

 

February 19, 2012 – A year of portraits – Damien Rose

02.19.12 Damien Rose

Today’s portrait is the first one I’ve taken of my new great, great nephew Damien Rose, because he hasn’t been born yet. He’s the son of my great niece Ashley and still likes about 5 months or so before he makes his entrance into the world. He will be my second great, great, which is great!

I used Photoshop CS5 to make some minor adjustments to the photo in levels and applied the Topaz Adjust filter “light pop” to round it off. I also cropped it in a little bit and did a little dodging on the midtones of the sonogram.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/60, f/3.2 with an ISO of 800
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 18, 2012 – A year of portraits – Abraham Browning

02.18.12 Abraham Browning

I was on the way to the zoo in Evansville, Indiana today and I came to a screeching halt almost when I saw Abraham Browning on the side of the road and I knew I had to capture him for my portrait for the day. Sometimes you just stumble across pictures… just gotta keep an eye out for them. He was advertising a tax preparation business called ‘Liberty.”

Today’s photo was processed using Photoshop CS5 with some slight adjustments in levels, cropped the image slightly and applied the Topaz Adjust Clarity Filter to finish it off.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/320, f/9 with an ISO of 500
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 17, 2012 – A year of portraits – Mike Griffith

02.17.12 Mike Griffith

I captured this portrait of Mike Griffith as he was waiting to enter the gym at Hopkins County Central High School in Mortons Gap, Ky for senior night. His son, Landon, is a senior on the Storm’s basketball team. Mike is retired from the Hopkins County Health Department and was a basketball referee for 35 plus years.

Photo was processed using Photoshop CS5. Color balance was corrected, levels were adjusted slightly and the wall in the background was toned down some using the burn tool. Also, some fill light was applied using the RAW plugin. The Topaz Adjust “Detail Light” filter was applied to sharpen the final image.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm F.1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/400, f2.8 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 16, 2012 – A year of portraits – Lee Carter

02.16.12 Lee Carter

Lee Carter was a 3rd Class Petty officer aboard the USS Sigourney (DD-643) Destroyer from 1950-1955. During this time he circled the globe twice while in the Navy and served a tour with his ship off the coast of Korea during it’s war there leading up to the signing of the cease-fire treaty. A man proud to have served his country.

Photo was cropped slightly from the original photo to remove a bright window in the background.  Post processing was done with Photoshop CS5 with levels being adjusted, slight burning in on the background to darken it down and then I applied the Topaz Adjust “Simple Pop” filter and applied a black edge to the photo.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/4.5
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/80, f/4.5 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 15, 2012 – A year of portraits – Jim Pearson

02.15.12 Jim Pearson

As part of this year long project I plan to include at least one self-portrait each month. For this one I used my iPhone 4 and a app called 6×6. You can shoot with it’s native camera in color or B&W and apply a border if you like. I like the square format that it shoots and how it handles the black and white photos. It brings back memories of the days of shooting with 2 1/4 film cameras. Find out more by visiting the apps website at http://jag.gr/6×6/

I did do some post processing with this image in Photoshop CS5 also. Mostly because I wanted to darken down the hooded jacket I was wearing to make my face stand out more and I also applied the Topaz Adjust Filter “Simple Pop.”

Technical Details:
Camera: 6×6
Lens: Built-In Camera lens
Exposure: The iPhone doesn’t record shutter speed or aperture information
Apps Used: 6×6 and Photoshop CS5

February 14, 2012 – A year of portraits – Jason Carl

02.14.12 Jason Carl

Jason Carl is with Trover Health System Sports Medicine in Madisonville, Ky and the athletic trainer for Hopkins County Central High School in Mortons Gap, Ky. An outstanding individual that always has the interest of the athlete at heart and keeps an eye out for their well being in all sports.

Photo was cropped slightly from the original photo to remove a distraction in the background. I usually like to shoot in the camera the way I want the final photo to look, but sometimes that doesn’t work. Post processing was done with Photoshop CS5 with levels being adjusted, slight burning in on the background to darken it down and then I applied the Topaz Adjust “Simple Pop” filter to provide the final look.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 50mm F.1.4
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/60, f/4 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

Jason M. Carl

February 13, 2012 – A year of portraits – Dick Dodds

02.13.12 Dick Dodds

Today’s portrait is of good friend and fellow photographer Dick Dodds. I’ve know Dick for a long time as he used to be my mothers doctor and as the years have gone by he’s retired from that profession and pursued the passion he’s had since the 1970’s… photography. I asked him when he started in photography and his reply was, “I got serious about photography in the mid-70’s when I bought a camera that I could focus.”

Well, he’s been focusing a lot since then and has opened his own photo printing and restoration business called Southside Prints, in Earlington, Ky. His love is shooting a broad range of photography from nature to portraits and everything in between. His camera of choice is a Nikon D3S and for this portrait he’s leaning on his Nikon 300-800mm f/5.6 lens.

Lighting was available light from a window with a white board to bounce some light back into his face to fill in the shadows.

I used Photoshop CS5 to do the post processing on this portrait, however, I didn’t do much other than adjust the levels slightly and a little bit of burning in around the edges of the photo and applying the Topaz Adjust “Simple Pop” filter. The photo was used as shot without any cropping.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm F.2.8 @ 65mm
Exposure: Spot Metering, 1/100, f/10 with an ISO of 4,000
File Type: Nikon RAW

February 7, 2012 – A year of portraits – Scott Schaefer

02.07.12 Scott Schaefer

When I started this year long challenge I said I was going to photograph the interesting and inspirational people that I meet along my daily travels and Scott Schaefer has to be one them. I have already posted one portrait for this day on this year long challenge, but since the paper’s story about Scott wasn’t scheduled to run until the 11th I didn’t use his portrait till today.

Scott was missing part of his heart when he was born and the doctors never expected him to leave the hospital.

In his 11 years, Scott has had five heart surgeries, 14 heart catheters and one bilateral hernia repair. He also suffered a shower of strokes during one surgery in 2007.

“I made it through because Jesus was with me,” he said.

He is called Scott Awesome by many of his friends and the short time I spent with him for the interview and pictures last Tuesday was enough for me to understand why he’s called that.

He’s a well spoken, well adjusted and compassionate young man, that loves going to school, Kentucky Basketball, football and NASCAR.

His mom, Kim, says Scott rarely gets upset about his condition and is more disappointed if he has to miss school.

It was an honor to help tell his story.

February 12, 2012 – A year of portraits – Justin Randolph

02.12.12 Justin Randolph

Justin Randolph is a senior at Hopkins County Central High School in Mortons Gap, Ky. I captured this “high key” stage portrait of him during rehearsal of “Little Women” by the school’s drama department Sunday afternoon.

He plays the part of Mr. Lawrence in the play which will be performed in the school’s auditorium February 12th and 13th night at 7pm.

Photo was processed using Photoshop CS5 using levels, a little bit of dodging and then I used the Topaz Adjust FIlm Collection’s filter called “Retro Sytle IV.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8
Exposure: Matrix Metering, 1/200, f/4 with an ISO of 5,000
File Type: Nikon RAW