Photo Editing Style

I like to edit older photos from time to time. Here is a photo of my daughter from several years ago that I really like. Her expression and sense of peacefulness caught my eye as I was sifting through my hard drive of older photos. Over the years, I've noticed that the way I edit photos has changed a bit. When I first got into photography, I made the mistake of cranking up the colors to an unrealistic level. The problem with that is skin tones start to turn a nasty orange color. I think that it is most important to get skin tones that are as realistic as possible. I still like bold colors, but as you get more advanced in your photo editing, you learn how to keep skin tones where you want while making the rest of the photo bold and vibrant.

Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine Photo Contest Winner

Every year the Wildlife in NC magazine holds a photo contest. This year I came in first place In the bird category and third place in the invertebrates category. HERE is the link for my picture on the NC Wildlife Resource Commission Facebook page. Ten years ago I also came in first place for the bird category, with a black crowned night heron coming in for a landing on a branch.

Here is the description I gave in the magazine. "I was near a pond that had several birds perched on sunken tree branches. I made sure to walk slowly and take a few steps at a time so as to not startle them. My technique wasn’t quite good enough because all the birds except one flew away. Lucky for me, this egret hung around for portraits. I took a few shots and noticed that if I changed my angle the lighthouse would be in the background. I got some good shots of the bird with the lighthouse before moving again, a few more steps around. I noticed that the calm water and unique branches would frame the bird even better. The lesson I learned is always search for different angles because it can take a good photo and turn it into an extraordinary one." 

(Nikon D750, Sigma 150–600mm lens at 280mm, f/8, 1/800 of a second, ISO 1,600)

A Happy New Year at the Mount Olive Pickle Drop 2018

 I was bundled up to my eyeballs as I photographed the Mount Olive new years eve pickle drop at the Mount Olive Pickle company. This is the second time I have photographed the event but this was definitely the coldest event I have ever photographed. It isn't all that easy to work a camera with gloves on. The pickle drop is very festive event, with live music, dancing, shopping, a food drive and best of all free pickles! The cold weather did not keep the participants away from the event. There were several hundred people attending who watched the 3 foot glowing green pickle slowly descend into a giant pickle barrel. To the surprise of the crowd, the barrel sprayed water into the air at the stroke of midnight. If you donated canned food at the food drive, they give a raffle ticket away for prizes. The most coveted prize being the 3 foot plastic pickle that was dropped into the barrel.