Ok - I really haven't been motivated to process photos or post on my blog, but Anya and I took a trip to Hocking Hills in Ohio this past weekend, so perhaps that will provide the necessary push. Though I am sure it will still take me a while to get through them all.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II at 18mm, 5 sec at f/32. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Landscape photography is not my strongest skill, so it took me about a day or so to actually start putting together some nice photos. This one, obviously, is not one of them. I share it mainly because it is in the first set (processing chronologically) and as an example of the magnitude of the geology we were in (I'm not always good about putting a model into my scenes for scale).

Stay tuned, more (better) to come.

- Bill

Wide angle photography underwater is much more difficult than on dry land. I learned this lesson the hard way for sure on this trip. I took plenty of shots that I just didn't like at all. This one isn't perfect, but I kept it just the same.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM AF at 11mm, 1/160 sec at f/11. ISO 640. Ikelite Housing and Port with dual Ikelite DS 161 Strobes in eTTL mode. Raw conversion Adobe Camera Raw.

The first problem that jumps out of me is the strobe placement - I should have had one pointed at Anya so that both she and the anchor were equally illuminated and therefore avoiding the bluish color cast.

Next, ideally we should have waited a bit longer to let the backscatter particles to settle down after the other divers had moved on to get a clearer shot.

However, the proximity to the anchor lets it be a nice large foreground feature and gets plenty of light from the strobes to reproduce the vibrant colors of the sponges and corals.

It is definitely a challenge... one I definitely need more practice at to improve upon.

- Bill

OK - a quick break from the dive photography today to share a TTV shot that I took a couple weekends ago. Anya and I were doing a short hike along the trails at McConnell's Mills State Park, and I took the opportunity to get a couple shots of her when we took a short break.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Argus Seventy-Five, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/8 sec at f/8. ISO 100. Tripod and handheld. Raw conversion and cropped in Photoshop CS5. McConnell's Mill State Park, Lawrence County, PA.

- Bill

It looks like we're sticking with that vertical format for today's photos... I tend to try using that format often, but for whatever reason, I used it to great extent during the trip.

Today's set comes from our second and third days in Bali. First, we have a Barong costume. This was from a Barong Dance that we attended. Barong is the king of the spirits and protects Bali from evil. After the dance, we went to visit another temple - Pura Desa Batuan. Pura Desa Batuan is actually two separate temples, and the grounds have a great deal of statuary. We also visited several areas to see different Balinese crafts, but I'll save that for another day.

The third day, we visited the Elephant Safari Park where we got to ride an elephant through the jungle.

I like the feel of the photo of the statue (second from top on left), with the just slightly blurred background showing more of the intricate stone carving without being distracting, plus the placement of the statue covering two thirds of the frame provides a nice balance to the photo.

Whereas the first photo of the temple (third from the top on left) is very symmetrical and is generally just a record shot, the second photo (bottom on left) provides a much more dynamic vantage point, and adds a feeling of drama to the scene. I do regret not including a tiny bit more temple and a little less sky in the shot, but I do certainly like how the darker exposure makes for a much more moody feel to the second photo as well.

For the elephant reaching towards the camera (second from top on right), I shot in rapid burst mode while holding a bit of food for the elephant below the camera. As the elephant reached for the treat, I snapped away. I have an entire series of shots from that, but this one was definitely the best. Unfortunately with the overcast sky and bright conditions, the photo is over-exposed (which seemed to be a typical problem for many of the shots from the trip, and I wasn't paying enough attention to fix it - shame on me!).

Lastly, the elephant statue (bottom on right) shot was taken by Anya, and despite it being over-exposed (again, my fault for not adjusting the camera's settings for the conditions), I absolutely love the perspective produced by this shot. Everything in the shot is placed perfectly in the frame, and the exaggeration of the elephant's trunk helps to contribute to it being a nice line to lead your eye through the shot.

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think, and be sure to tune in again soon as I'll be starting into the underwater photos from Wakatobi!

- Bill

So today's photo needs a little bit of an introduction.

Three years ago, Anya and I took a trip to Atlanta for my birthday. We visited the Georgia Aquarium (I'm sure I'll be sharing photos from there eventually) and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

Outside the Botanical Gardens was this huge sculpture that looked like a Dia de los Muertos skull. We instantly loved it, and it only got better when we got closer and realized that we could also go inside of it!

And then super awesome just got better...

Technical Data: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II at 31mm, 1/100 sec at f/8, ISO 400. No post production. Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, GA.

Why This Photo: The numerous mirrors inside this sculpture just made for such an interesting environment. I really am not one to take photos of people, I rarely do so, but when a situation like this happens and I can get what I feel is a creative, unique photograph of someone, I seem to grasp the opportunity.

What Works: Capturing Anya's expression in such a unique way really makes this photo for me. The fact that she is gazing up at this incredible sculpture and not paying any attention to the camera is vital. Though photographs of people usually work best if the subject makes eye contact, I think the fact that she is looking at the rest of the mirrors actually draws the viewers eyes off to look through the multiple additional captured images in each mirror segment, and yet always end up back at the original focal point.

What Doesn't Work: Quite simply, I wish I had framed myself out of the shot. I feel the image would be much stronger if I could have managed to make Anya to be the only discernible person reflected in the mirrors.

We went back a couple years after this, and unfortunately the sculpture was gone. So I didn't get the chance to go back and fix my previous composition. Someday, I hope to find this sculpture again - I think that would be incredible.

Let me know what you think! Post a comment and leave your own critique of this photo.

- Bill

PS: As a parting gift, here's the view through the mouth of this sculpture...