glowing golden…
Ok, ok. I promise. This is the last shot of the Golden Gate Bridge that I’ll post. However, I’m not going to make any solid promises as I certainly hope to get some more shots in the future since I absolutely loved California and am dying to go back! Not to mention, I am still utterly flabbergasted at how the beach bum in me did not know that on the other side of the Presidio lies a beautiful beach where the bay meets the Pacific with a gorgeous view of the bridge. HOW DID I MISS THIS???????? GAAAHHHH!!!!! Oh well. Live and learn, as they say. To salvage my beach bum rep, I’ll have you know that I mapped out all of the best beaches to stop at on our drive towards Long Beach from San Francisco :-)
So enough of the I-can’t-believe-I-missed-this-beach ranting and back to the photo. This one was fun to take. Jay and I hiked up the hill by the bridge and I used one of the wooden poles along the footpath as a makeshift tripod so that I could get a true HDR shot of the bridge. I set up the exposure bracketing in my G12 and let ‘er rip (or snap, as the case may be). It took a couple of tries since the wind kept rocking the camera, but this one turned out pretty darn clear. I love how the “Golden” in the bridge is really accentuated and there is even a golden cast thrown down onto the bay below. :-)
Stay tuned for more San Francisco shots and photos from my journey down the coast!
And, a little teaser for everyone: I have an upcoming trip to St. John, USVI, so keep your eyes peeled for what I expect to be fabulous shots! I mean, how can one take a bad photo in such an idyllic location? Woohoo!!!!!! BEACH!!!!!
miles of manhattan…
And the computer is up and running!! 
I can officially add Tech Master to my skills. Many thanks to Jay for all his help. Pharmacist and doctor-to-be saved a (computer) life!!
Anyhoo, lets get to some photography! This lovely panorama of the Manhattan skyline at dusk was taken from Hoboken, NJ. Click on the image to see it larger. Not much to say about the picture except that it was the grand finale to a weekend in NYC.
Of course, I used the fabulous Canon Powershot G7. I think the image was originally 6 or 7 frames that I then digitally stitched together, adjusted for contrast in Photoshop CS3, and finally, to top off the sundae with a cherry, I transformed the photo into an HDR image. Enjoy!!!
gone fishing…
He’s a man with a mission: to catch his fill of fish! And second to last photo in the “People Series”!! I took this shot down in Puerto Morelos, Mexico while admiring the view from the dock. It was quite a site to see. It was a bit after lunch and many of the fishermen were headed back out to sea for the afternoon catch. One minute all the boats were lined up along the shore, the next, they were zooming off into the distance. I like this photo because its very tranquil with the gradations of blue in the water, but also because I think it shows off just how small people are compared with the vast sea. Whenever I look at this photo, I get a sense of serene isolation and a refreshing dose of perspective.
Of course, the photo was taken with the Canon G7. I adjusted the contrast in Photoshop and also converted the image to an HDR image. Enjoy!!
a stroll down memory lane…
Autumn is my favorite time of the year. It makes me want to study for hours on end in coffee shops. I love pulling out my cozy sweaters. The crunching of the leaves on the ground makes me feel like a little kid without a care in the world. And yes, at the age of 24, if presented with a pile of leaves, I will still jump in and play.
There’s a certain ‘feeling’ in the fall and it just makes me feel happy inside. Whenever I need that feeling at other times during the year, I’ll take a look at this photo. My boyfriend and I embarked on a fall photo shoot in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, and this was one of my favorites. Looking at it evokes that happy autumn feeling and the feeling of contentment that comes with strolling down a colorful leaf-laden path with someone you love…
Taken with an Olympus Stylus 82o and processed as an HDR image to help bring out the vibrancy in the leaves. Enjoy the fall! Get a nice mug of cider, step outside, and breathe in the sweet brisk air that will slowly bring in the winter!
mermaid…
Well, here’s a change of pace. I usually photograph things, places, and my cats…but….omigosh! Its a person!!! My sister and I were having a bit of fun in Playa del Carmen, Mexico a couple of years ago by staging a teensy “America’s Next Top Model”-esque photo shoot out in the water. Naturally, she looked gorgeous. And she’s ready for her close-up now…or at least to have her photo on my blog! You go, pretty sister!
Taken with an Olympus Stylus 820. The photo was played with a bit in Adobe Photoshop CS3 to add a glow, fix contrast, and create a sepia tone. It was then converted into an HDR photo. Enjoy!!!!
bunches of boats…
“Twelve little boats, sitting in a row
Each colorful one with a rope in tow.
Docked for the day and dark starry night
Ready to depart at dawn’s first golden light.”
Okay, okay, perhaps its a cheesy little poem, but whatever. I’m in an artsy mood. I even arranged “Streets of Philadelphia” for SATB a cappella on Sunday with the boyfriend. Photos and poems and songs, oh my!!
Anyhoo, this photo was taken with the amazing Canon G7 next to the fishing pier in Puerto Morelos, Mexico (right in front of the old lighthouse). All of the boats were moored for the night and I was stunned by how much colorful character they all had. That translated to a boat photoshoot! To help you create a better mental image of the Puerto Morelos fishing pier, if you faced the pier (looking out to the ocean), these boats were to the left and the previously-posted pelican was to the right! Alright, here’s the pier:
The boat photo was cropped to remove the gargantuan dead fish that was on the beach and was then post-processed to an HDR photo! Enjoy!!!!!!
on a distant sandy shore…
Ahhh…yes. You can almost hear the gentle waves lapping on the sand. The beach in front of our resort (Ocean Coral and Turquesa) was simply gorgeous. The only bad thing about the beach was that the red flag was flying everyday…i.e. swim at your own risk. I came, I swam, I learned why the flag was red. There was…stuff…in the water. The bits of seaweed? Nah, I could look past those. The biting, stinging things in the seaweed? OUCH. Lets just say that I don’t particularly enjoy the simultaneous feelings of fire and tiny knives in my legs. Naturally, this was a very unfortunate situation for this self-proclaimed beach bum/water baby. This was precisely the reason for repeat treks to the idyllic waters of Isla Mujeres. No problems there, other than it being so gorgeous that I never wanted to leave.
Water complaints aside, the beach was still beautiful. The palapas provided ample shade and the chaise lounges were oh-so-comfy. It pays to upgrade to VIP status at this place. Did I mention that this stretch of beach was completely reserved for VIP guests only? Oh, I didn’t? It was heaven. The beach was the perfect setting for water-gazing, people watching, and sunrise photography. So, stay tuned for more photos of my trip to Mexico!
Almost forgot! Taken with the handy-dandy Canon Powershot G7. But you already guessed that, didn’t you? I used the awesome color-select setting on the camera to capture a bit of the sand color to add some interest to the black and white. Contrast fixed and enhanced using a touch of pseudo-HDR in the Dynamic-Photo HDR program.
New York City: Part 3
Third in the series! Now our little travel troupe had made it over to Brooklyn…and was enjoying some much-needed ice cream. Of course, there was a post-ice cream photo op. So, here we have it. The pylon of the Brooklyn Bridge that is actually in…well, Brooklyn!
Taken with the Canon G7, naturally. Contrast fixed in Photoshop, image transformed into HDR.
New York City: Part 1
I finally made it to the Big Apple! About time, considering I’ve been living a mere 2 hours away from it for an entire year now! The wonderful future Dr. Heather served as one of our guides…and certainly showed us some impressive sights. My next few posts will be shots that I took in NYC.
This photo was taken from on the Brooklyn Bridge, back to Brooklyn, facing Manhattan. A much longer bridge than I thought…nearly 1.2 miles. Guess I’m just used to Pittsburgh’s myriad bridges (446 to be exact) which happen to be a fraction of the length of this puppy.
Anyhoo, I couldn’t resist taking this classic shot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Another classic shot that I couldn’t resist taking was what I call my “chick flick pic”. The boyfriend and me stealing a quick kiss on the bridge with a backdrop of NYC, complete with a popped leg. And no. I’m not posting it. A lady has to leave something to the imagination.
So, enjoy the Bridge. Taken with the fabulous Canon G7 and post-processed into and HDR image. And keep checking back for more city shots!
put a lime in the coconut…
Now for a brief mental vacation!! This stately palm tree (complete with coconuts!!) was gently swaying in the breeze on one of Playa del Carmen’s beaches. Now for a little news update: I will be visiting Mexico once more this August, so stay tuned for new photos! WOOHOO!!!
The photo was taken with an Olympus Stylus 820 and was turned into a high dynamic range photograph when I got back to Pittsburgh . Can’t you just feel that Caribbean tradewind by looking at this picture?
have i told you lately that…
This one goes out to the one I love (sorry for the REM quote). Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I think this one says precisely three. THE three little words. My wonderful boyfriend (of over 3 years!) and I embarked on an adventure out to the Jersey Shore on Friday. I love the beach. I love my boyfriend. I was ridiculously happy. Anyhoo, the water was wonderful, particularly for body surfing, and lounging in the sunshine was simply delightful. He fried to a wonderful lobster-red shade, I turned a lovely golden brown. Ah, the wonders of sunblock. Towards the end of the day, I noticed that the clouds were simply beautiful overhead and I got an idea. I had seen silhouette “writing” somewhere and I thought it would be a cute surprise for the aforementioned man in my life (who will willingly watch the Bachelorette with me while enjoying Chinese take-out and ice cream) if I did a little sky writing myself. The people behind me on the beach obviously thought I was nuts as I kept making contorted hand shapes in the air and then snapping pictures of them, but oh, what one will do for love.
So, now for the specs: Six pictures taken against a beachy sky with the Canon Powershot G7. Compiled and contrast-enhanced in Photoshop to really make my hand-letters pop. Size of final image reduced in Photoshop because the original compilation was over 3oo inches long and my computer was visibly having trouble handling and touching up such a massive photo. Enjoy.
Philadelphia Phood Phun…
Mamma mia! This Italian girl just found her heaven on earth! Fresh produce, spices, cheeses, pasta, and meat as far as the eye can see! All for pocket change! Oh Marone a mi!!!!!! Many thanks to the awesome future Dr. Heather for showing me the things that truly make this town great! Oh…and many thanks to her for watching my back so that I wouldn’t get run over as I stood in the middle of the street to take this picture!
As usual, this image was taken with my beloved Canon G7. Post-processing was done to bring out the vibrance in the photograph that I could see on the street in person, but the sun drowned out a bit on camera! The photo was also done in HDR-style. Enjoy! Eat, drink, and be merry!!
sakura!!!
It is that wonderful cherry blossom (sakura in Japanese) time of year! This little gem was growing, of all places, on a lovely little tree in East Falls underneath the Roosevelt Expressway! I used my shutterbug syndrome enabler, the G7, to snap the flower. Post-processing was done to transform the photo into HDR-style and to bring out the details in the petals!
just add flower and water…
So I went out to my car this morning to start the daily commute to good ol’ med school and it just so happened to be pretty much the one day that I had my camera with me, as I wanted to take some pics of our acapella group (shout out to the Transplantations!!). And, as luck would have it, my windshield presented me with the perfect subject to shoot in the morning light! So, I quickly chose to get on the road a bit late in favor of a bit o’ photography. Thus came this shot. The flower is actually the underside of some flower that had fallen off of a tree and drifted onto my car. The water was courtesy of the veritable 10 minute monsoon that we had the night before. So, here’s the recipe for a photograph:
Add flower to water. Marinate overnight. Capture in the morning light.
steel…er…spring magnolias!
These gorgeous magnolias were in full bloom right in front of my apartment. Endless flowers that seemingly touch the sky–what a wonderful way to bring in spring. The image was taken with a Canon Powershot G7. The photo was then post-processed in Photoshop to fix the coloration and then transformed into a high-dynamic range image. Enjoy!
On distant shores…
This photograph was taken during a lovely trip to Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania last May. The slight glow of early sunset was truly gorgeous as it cast a rosy hue across the island…and I just had to capture it! I used an Olympus Stylus 820 digital camera and color balanced the photo in Adobe Photoshop CS3. Additionally, the image is an HDR (high dynamic range) image. If you have a free summer day, get thee to Erie!!
green with envy…
This little bugger was snapped with my new lover…er…Canon G7. I just can’t get enough of that little gem! The tiny tree sprouting on a wall by the Schyulkill River (in Philadelphia) looked ever so lonely, stuck between essentially a rock and a hard place. I used the color selection capability on the camera, coupled it with the macro setting and just went to town. I also post-processed the image into an HDR photograph.
A little something green to tide everyone over until spring!
Pretty in Pink #2
These beautiful magnolias were captured on a lovely spring day using and Olympus Stylus 820 digital camera. Believe it or not, the white background for the flowers is indeed the sky…just the right combination of sunlight and angling the camera up at the magnolia tree, while using the sky as a background! One of those serendipitous right-place-right-time deals. The image was then processed using HDR software. Keep checking back for a small “Pretty in Pink” series that I am currently posting!
Beauty and the Beach
This shot was taken on a beach of Lake Erie in Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania. Can you find the sailboat (hint: look at the horizon and zoom in)? It was taken using an Olympus Stylus 820 digital camera. The digital image was then processed in Photoshop to adjust color and contrast levels, apply a slight “glow” to the edges, and finally processed with Dynamic HDR software into an HDR image. Isn’t Erie simply gorgeous?
Tulum, HDR style!
This is the HDR version of a previously posted picture (yay alliteration!). For more information regarding HDR, please read the immediately previous post. For the original image of the Tulum cliff-scape, just scroll down the page. It is important to note that this is pseudo-HDR, produced from the original 8-bit image. This is what causes the slight graininess that is most noticeable in the sky. However, it is an excellent example of how HDRi enhances colors and detail while suppressing shadows. Enjoy!
Photographer’s note: I will be visiting Mexico once more this summer, so stay tuned for more great Tulum and Playa del Carmen shots in mid-July!
Pitt is HDR-rific!!!!
Being that I am a brand new alumna of Pitt, I felt it necessary to post a picture of two the campus’s splendors. This is a shot of the University of Pittsburgh‘s Heinz Chapel (foreground) and Cathedral of Learning (background), as seen from Bellefield Avenue. The image was taken using an Olympus Stylus 820 digital camera. Using DynamicHDR software to generate a “pseudo-HDR” image from the single 8-bit picture, this final image was created. For those of you not yet familiar with the wonderful world of HDRi (High Dynamic Range Imaging), I highly recommend Wikipedia’s article on the subject (HDR). It is essentially a method of digitally merging images taken at varying exposures so as to enhance detail, make colors more vibrant, and reduce shadows.
Hail to Pitt!!! Congrats Class of 2008!!!! And particular congratulations to my fellow Molecular Biologists!!
