Bar in the Wall in Trastevere
I wanted to start today by first thanking all of you for taking the time to vote and providing me with feedback on my logo options. Wow…the consensus was overwhelming and the clear preference was the second version which you can now see prominently in my header. Now for today’s image we travel to Trastevere…..
Trastevere is located on the west bank of the Tiber river in Rome. I just loved the just little bar located not far from the Basilica of Santa Maria.
Click on the image to enlarge or to Purchase a Print.
Bringing Italy to the Carolinas
Towards the end of last summer I was contacted by The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas with an inquiry about licensing one of my Italy images.
They were holding an Italian themed fundraiser and they thought one of my images would make a perfect backdrop for the event. They already had an image in mind and after a couple of weeks of email correspondence we had reached an agreement. They printed the image as a 10 foot by 8 foot banner and I was thrilled when the send me the picture below so that I could see the final product and the set-up.
I also donated a matted print of the same image for their silent auction. You can see the original image here.
Please click here for information about image licensing or you can contact me directly.
2014 A Year in Review
It’s that time, when I sit back and reflect on the year that’s behind us and the work that I’ve done. I’ve been fortunate this year to have had the opportunity to do quite a bit of travelling and to document those places with my camera.
It’s also been an incredibly busy year both on the home front, at work and photographically speaking. Earlier this year I launched a pet photography business, PhoDOGraphy by Edith but at about the same time I did that things started really heating up at work which left me with less time then I had hoped to start building my business and marketing it. I intend to change that in 2015. On the positive side my print sales were up this year and I was fortunate to have some of my images licensed for book covers and fundraising events.
I’ve become more critical of my work, which I think is a good thing and I’m always looking to change and improve, which in essence helps you grow both as a photographer and as an individual. This year I became a member of Professional Photographers of America and I will be attending their Imaging USA conference in Nashville at the end of January. This will enable me to immerse myself in 3 full days of learning the business side of photography, photographic technique and post-processing techniques.
I always find it difficult to narrow down a years worth of work into my “favourites” but here it goes. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy 🙂 You can click on any of the headers to view the original blog posts.
Down Under the Manhattan Bridge
Over Christmas and New Years last year we took a family trip to New York. As I always do on family trips I try to find some time to sneak off and take photographs. We were staying with family in Brooklyn and I had to opportunity to explore DUMBO quite a bit. This was one of my favourite shots from Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.
City on the Edge
This was taken on the same trip but along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
Tiny Bubbles
We had a very different winter last year. We were hit by an ice storm in Toronto just before Christmas and the months of January and February we saw most days in the -20C range. One very cold February day I decided to start experimenting with some macro photography and oil and water. I really liked the final result.
Mush, Mush
I did end up braving the cold one weekend and headed out to photograph dog sled races in Cannington, Ontario. I’ve always wanted to do that and wasn’t going to let the -12C forecast get in the way. I bundled up tight and headed out….brrrrrr!
Pets in Studios
Last March I attended a Pet Photography workshop in Houston, Texas given by the Paw Print Divas. It was an incredible experience and I learned a lot. It was also he first time I had attempted pet photography in a studio and fell in love with the process and the control that I had over the setting and lighting. This is Gilley.
Hey….Looking at me?
Here’s another favourite from the workshop. This is Jiff!
Watch Out for the Jellies
Toronto’s newest attraction open last year, Ripley’s Aquarium and I joined my camera club for a photo outing there. It was a tough shoot due to the lighting conditions but the Jelly Fish exhibit was my favourite.
Upstairs Downstairs
In April I once again attended a photo outing with my photography club, this time to the Toronto Centre for the Arts. This was taken from the upper lobby and I loved all the converging lines.
Old Jaffa Arches
The month of May found me travelling to Israel, for a family function, with a side trip to Petra Jordan. This image was taken in the old city of Jaffa.
Tel Aviv Sunset
The best views of Tel Aviv are from a top the hills of old Jaffa.
A First Look at the Treasury
Petra is a place that I’ve been wanted to visit for a very long time. I flew from Tel Aviv to Eilat in the south and then walk across the border (yes walked) and then I boarded a bus a drove 2 hours to the ancient city of Petra. It was incredible! It was another hour-long, hot walk in the desert before getting to the Treasury but it was well worth it.
City of Lights
This year I celebrated a big birthday and when my wonderful husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday I promptly answered that I wanted to go back to Italy…what else. As an extra treat we stopped in Paris first for a few days. The images I took in Paris and Italy are some of my favourite and it was difficult to narrow it down. This one was taken on our first night. We were exhausted from travel and jet lag and sunset that evening was at 9:53pm but I wasn’t going to miss photographing the Louvre at night.
Bay of Poets
You can travel to Italy every year and still not see all its beauty. With the exception of Rome every place we visited this year was new to us. One of the towns we visited was Lerici. We stayed in a wonderful hotel over looking the Bay of Poets and it was one in many spectacular views we enjoyed on this trip.
Bellagio Street
Lake Como is a place that I’d wanted to go to for a very long time and it was our first stop when we arrived in Italy. We stayed in Bellagio with its narrow, multi-stepped streets.
Manarola Blue Hour
Our base in Cinque Terre was Manarola.
The Bistro
This is one of my favourite images that I came back from Paris with.
Tourists at the Louvre
Some images just work better in Black & White and these tourists strolling through one of the many arches at the Louvre fit the bill. I love how having the tourists there really gives you a perspective on the scale of those arches.
Rolling Hills of Tuscany
Nothing says Tuscany more than rolling hills, hay bales and cypress trees…oh and wine of course but you can’t see that in the image 😉
Distillery Bike
This is one of my favourite images that I took at a shoot at Toronto’s Distillery District this fall.
So this is it folks, Happy New Year to you all. I look forward to seeing what 2015 brings.
The Woman at 2949
Keeping watch on the street below in Trastevere, Rome….while I keep watch above.
Click on the image to see a full resolution version (it really does look better) or to Purchase a Print.
Topaz Glow
To say that I’m excited by the release of Topaz Labs newest plug-in would be a huge understatement. This week Topaz Glow was released and what a great addition to Topaz’s arsenal of great tools.
Topaz Glow can be used as a stand-alone or a plugin (for PC & MAC) to transform your photos from dull to dazzling. Containing more than 70 unconventional and quirky filters, you can infuse your images with neon, graphic, liquid and other electrifying effects. Glow reveals hidden textures in your photos that aren’t visible to the naked eye. While you may not want to apply Glow on every image, you can take your creativity to the next level with this awesome plug-in.
Glow comes packed with 70 filters which you can use as is or you have complete artistic control to customize, combine and tweak to make your vision come to life.
Topaz Glow is regularly priced at $69.99 but until December 31, 2014 you can pick up Glow for $49.99 using the coupon code INTROGLOW.
Here are a few of my images processed with Topaz Glow. Click on each image to see a larger version.
Lens Correction in Lightroom 5 – Fixing Rome
I don’t know what it is, but when handholding my DSLR, often times my horizon isn’t straight. I don’t know maybe I’m a little off kilter 🙂 In any case in a lot of shots I have to straighten my horizon in post. The other problem I sometimes face when shooting buildings is that the perspective is off and the building looks like it’s leaning backwards. If I had a Tilt Shift lens I could take care of that problem in camera but alas I don’t. This is where the Lens Correction panel in the develop module in Lightroom 5 comes in.
I have to say that LR5 has become not only an organizational and cataloguing tool for my image library but my go to post processing software as well. The power of LR5 never ceases to amaze me. I would say that 85% of my images are processed in Lightroom alone and I only use Photoshop now for detailed cloning work.
The image below was taken while I was walking around Rome. This is the original RAW file, straight out of camera.
As you can see it needs some work. Not only is the building leaning a bit sideways but it’s also leaning back. I first used the “Level” tool in the Lens Correction panel then the “Vertical” tool to straighten the building. Then I opened up the shadows which brought back all the detail inside the windows and the tables of the restaurant. I then increased the clarity and vibrance slightly, made some adjustments with the Luminance sliders in a few colours and added a bit of detail.
Here you have it…the final image. Click on the image to enlarge.
