Fun with Photoshop

Today my mom and I visited Brookside Gardens and I took some photos with my GoPro HD2 then played around in photoshop with layer mask and this is what came out.

Flower Power

You wouldn't think to travel to a store that sells pond plants and related items to do photography but that is where these pictures came from. Valley View Farms in Maryland has quite a setup of almost any thing that you might need in the way of plants and tree's both indoor and out to decorate your yard including pond plants. I got some very helpful advise on how to plant my water lotus seedling as well as the right kind of pot. I found that taking these pictures was very easy because the plants were in wooden ponds elevated off the ground ( so I didn't have to stoop down and get on my knee ). Gary Gillis

Camera Nikon D-300 Lens Tamron 18-270mm / ISO 200 / f-16 / 1/125 sec.

Camera Nikon D-300 Lens Tamron 18-270mm / ISO 500 / f-32 / 1/60 sec

 Camera Nikon D-300 Lens Tamron 18-270mm / ISO 200 / f-20 / 1/125 sec

Waterfalls in Ithaca New York

One of my favorite places to go and shoot pictures is Ithaca New York. Their you can find many different waterfalls to photograph, and these three are within 10 miles of each other. Get up early before the sun becomes to bright and have some fun. They are all New York State Parks once you pay the 7 dollar entrance fee hold on to your ticket it will allow you to enter the other parks for the rest of the day...

This is Taughannock Falls main entrance off NYS Rte. 89 or follow signs from NYS Rte. 96 to park.
Nikon D-300/Lens Nikon 70-300mm / f-32 / ISO 100 / 1/3 sec.

I can't remember the name of this waterfall but it is found in Robrt H. Treman Park, Main entrance off NYS Rte. 327. Go to the upper entrance to see waterfall it is off Rte. 327, 3.5 miles west of NYS Rte. 13
Nikon D-300/Lens 70-300mm / f-32 / ISO 100 / 1/3 sec.

This is Buttermilk Falls main entrance off NYS Rte. 13. Their are 5 or 6 waterfalls one after another, you wont believe your eyes. A path runs along the side of the river the walk up the steps is not easy take your time.
Nikon D-300 Lens Nikon 18-35mm / f-16 / ISO 100 / 2.50/sec.

If you stay at the Super 8 motel Buttermilk falls is 2 or 3 city blocks away. Gary

Dinner

The other day I was outside and looked up and this is what I came across. Whats for dinner? Locus

Whiteface Mountain, Upstate New York

I have always wanted to create a panoramic photograph, this is my first one. Two years ago while traveling in upstate New York I took four overlapping landscape shots. I finally got around to putting them together in Adobe Photoshop (tips on how to do it on this web site www.wikihow.com). The individual pictures were shot in aperture priority at f-16, I guess I'll have to try more panoramic shots...Gary

Aquatic Gardens Washington D.C.

The early morning light is just right for macro photography of aquatic plants (also probable no wind blowing the plants around). These pictures were taken starting at 6:40 am untill 8:oo am.I had my tripod in the trunk of my car as well as the timberline boots, and I felt the call of the plants telling me to stop by the Aquatic Gardens as the conditions for photography were ideal. This is some of what I found.

Nikon D-300 lens Tamron 18mm-270mm/ f-22 / ISO 320 / 1/20 sec.

Nikon D-300 lens Tamron 18mm-270mm/ f-25 / ISO 320 / 1/20 sec.

Nikon D-300 lens Tamron 18mm-270mm/ f-20 / ISO 320 / 1/10 sec.

Nikon D-300 lens Tamron 18mm-270mm/ f-7.1 / ISO 320 / 1/200 sec. low f stop blurs background
Dragonfly name: Widow Skimmer  Libellula luctuosa

Nikon D-300 lens Tamron 18mm-270mm/ f-22 / ISO 320 / 1/20 sec. 

All photographs were shot in manual mode except for dragonfly...Gary

My Summer Vaction in Virginia Beach...

I had a chance to travel to Virginia Beach for alittle rest and photography here is what I discovered.

Ok well if you take two pictures that don't quite make it on their own and photoshop them together sometime the end result is better. The background was a sunrise taken from the 8th floor off of a balcony at f-32, ISO 200, and 1/250 sec. Neptune was photographed at f-13, ISO 200, 1/60 sec. Although the direction of light is wrong (Neptune has light on his chest from the wrong direction), I still like the picture.

This Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) was photographed at ISO 320, f-6.3, and 1/125sec.

This Waterlilly photographed at ISO 200, f-22, at 1/60sec.

You can do some great Photographic work at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. They have a butterfly house, a very large rose garden, multiple forest areas and water treatments. A tram carries you around and you can jump off at various spots to enjoy the scenery (it's only 20 minutes from the beach). This pic photographed at ISO 200, f-13, at 1/60sec.