This is a blog featuring my personal stories of food, gardening, yachting, photography, travel and life.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

New Photos Out and About Bellingham


Used my new polarizing filter to take a few shots around downtown Bellingham. Then I imported the raw files into Photoshop Elements 6 and did some manipulation of the originals. Here are the results.



UFO's? No, a contemporary chandelier in a downtown office building.

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Quist violin's store window invited this shot.


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The Flatiron Building (what I call it anyway). Shot into the sun with the polarizing filter, then some fun manipulation using the filters in Photoshop.












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My wife getting her hair cut. Norman Rockwell with a little twist!



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A heavily filtered photo of Vancouver jazz legend, Mike Allen. Make a good cover for his next CD?





Do I have a lot to learn, but what fun looking at the world up close and personal and trying to create something beautiful or interesting or bizarre. Having a blast in Bellingham!

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My Review of Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizer II Thin Ring Multi-Coated Glass Filter

I just purchased a new filter for my Nikon D80 from a great NYC company called Adorama. Read my review of this product below and learn a bit about how it works.

Adorama Camera

Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizer II Thin Ring Multi-Coated Glass Filter



Great product!

michaelgc Bellingham, Washington 2/21/2009

5 5

Pros: Easy To Use, Clear Optics, Firm Mount, Strong Construction

Best Uses: Lens Protection, Color Correction

Describe Yourself: Photo Enthusiast

Bought this filter after spending days agonizing over which polarizing filter to buy and where to buy it. I'm really glad I gave Adorama a try. Very professional salesperson, didn't try to sell me more stuff to pad the order. Friendly, quick process. The order got all the way to me in Washington state in only a few days.

As for the filter, it came down to economics and my personal level of sophistication with all things photographic. I love taking photos, trying to be artsy while doing it and I love using technology to manipulate my pictures to make them better using Photoshop. I do like how the filter makes otherwise dull skies pop and water seem more translucent. I am sure there will be many more opportunities for me, through experimentation and reading how others use this filter, to make my photos even better.

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