Monday, February 27, 2012

Bridalveil Fall


_DSC1660_DxO ps nx 72dpiB, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Captured this view from Tunnel View in Yosemite NP. Half Dome is seen in the background. I think we made 3 or 4 visits to this location during our stay and on this visit we arrived a bit early and were rewarded with this fleeting slash of light across the waterfall. We really did have some magical weather conditions during our two days there. The clouds and fog was moving quickly yielding a new composition as fast as I could aim and shoot.

Processed with my usual mix of Topaz and NIK plugins.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Mountain Sunset


IMG_9397, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

El Capitan had been mostly obscured by clouds at sunset when another subject was suddenly bathed in this glorious light. It pays to keep scanning the scene when the light is changing fast. If Ryan had not pointed it out, I would have missed it as I was focused on Bridalveil Falls to the right. There were many photographers lined up just a few minutes prior who assumed the show was over and had packed up and left. Their loss!

I'm starting to work on the Nikon files this evening and wanted to share this iPhone capture of the scene. I used the app Painteresque to create the painterly layer wich was blended back with the original with Blender, then finished off in SnapSeed.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Yosemite Visit


IMG_7996, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Ryan and I were in California last week for the Corn Party (otherwise known as the Maze Conference) and we took the opportunity to visit the iconic National Park for a couple days since we flew into Fresno. It snowed the night we arrived and this is the spectacular scenery we awoke to the following morning. Can't get luckier than this!

I'm just getting started on processing my Nikon files and I thought you would enjoy one of my iPhone captures. I shared this early morning scene with a friendly raven before the tourists arrived a short time latter.

The views are really as awe inspiring as the photos I have seen over the years.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Back down to the basement...


_DSC0828_DxOpsnx 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

...at the silk mill. This huge floor scale sits at the intersection of what i surmise was the shipping and dye treatment areas of the factory. Old documents laying around show dyeing formulations. Another work station shows shipping and receiving records. Apparently the commerce flowed over this scale, now only weighing dust and falling paint chips; manned by spiders in the window for over 5 decades.

This is a long exposure- it was very dark down there at teh time. I used a Rouge grid on my speedlight to light the scale face. A number of NIK and Topaz filters finished it off. This image might have passed through Red Giant's Photo Looks as well.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

"There's nothing like a Coke"


_DSC0769_DxOpsnxB 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

This must have been the ad slogan for Coke before I was born back in '57. Reminds me that when I was a kid, it was a rare and real treat to have a soda. And the bottles were much smaller than today's plastic version. As was my waist. Hmmm....

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Snow at the Mill


_DSC0810_DxOpsBWnxsa 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Naturally, the mill located in the town of Lonaconing, Maryland, experiences a bit more winter than Tidewater Virginia (where I live). Lonaconing is in western Maryland, in the mountains. Being we have had such a mild winter it was especially delightful to have some snow during my last visit just before Christmas.

I have read this region's economy had strong ties to the coal industry at the turn of the century when the mill was built and the mill's investors chose to locate here to tap the labor force already in place. Even with some heat in the building, it must have been a chilly place to work on a brisk winter's day.

One of my goals for this last trip was to capture some exterior images as the previous visits I had not done so. For this image, I used my usual mix of NIK and Topax filters, making the BW conversion with Silver Efex Pro. Then I blended in some Snap Art 3 to finish.

Monday, February 6, 2012

TP, well aged


IMG_0534, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

This roll is over 50 years old. I wonder how many years before it completely disintegrates? This is another one of Donna's shots. Well, I thought about shooting this one! Skunked again by the wife. Back to my work next post....

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Bathroom Mirror


IMG_0538, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

Another one of Donna's iPhone shots from the silk mill. This was one of the shots I wanted to get and didn't.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Top Floor Scale


0598-600hdr ps nx 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

There is something appealing about this old scale found in the silk mill that I can't quite put into words. Today's digital scales just don't have the charm that these old analog models have. Is it the nostalgia of days gone by or the sense of feeling "real" due to the construction from glass and cast iron? I think for me, it is all of that and more. Somehow the plastic and LED displays of today's scales just feel "flat", even if they are more accurate.