Uprooted Photographer | Eastern NC Photography

Happy Valentine’s Day I thought that in the spirit of...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:08:11 -0500

Happy Valentine’s Day

I thought that in the spirit of today, I’d add a little quote to a previously uploaded image. I was shooting a sunset on the beach when I noticed a couple embracing along the shore. I was able to snap a frame before they continued their sunset walk on the beach.

Hope you all have a great day with your loved ones!

All in a Row | New Bern, NC Along the railing of the New Bern...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:50:30 -0500

All in a Row | New Bern, NC

Along the railing of the New Bern Grand Marina, you can usually find some bicycles lined up. Belonging to the folks who are staying on their boats, they can hop on a bike and take a quick ride to pretty much anywhere downtown.

Walking along the waterfront at sunset, I thought that it would make a neat shot to get right up against the bikes with my wide angle as the sun was setting behind them. I didn’t get as big a sun flare as I wanted, but this turned out just right.

The shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, f/22. 3 exposures, manually masked together in Photoshop.

Lost Buoy | New Bern, NC Recently, on a nice warm morning, I...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:07:19 -0500

Lost Buoy | New Bern, NC

Recently, on a nice warm morning, I decided to take a hike through a local park. Neat clouds blowing across the sky beckoned me to walk along the river bank and shoot some big wide waterscapes. As I turned back away from the water and into the woods, a hint of red caught my eye. Walking further, I found this big, beached buoy laying in the weeds. At about six feet tall and made of steel, this sucker was heavy! I assume that it was drug up there temporarily as it seemed to be in ok condition. But, it was up a hill and quite a ways away from the water, so who knows?

I spent some time shooting around it with various set ups and settled on the 8mm Rokinon lens because of the way it made the sunflare really pop!

The shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, f/22, ISO-100. 2 exposures, manually masked together in Photoshop.

Symmetric Sunset | New Bern, NC After a pretty much grey and...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:26:49 -0500

Symmetric Sunset | New Bern, NC

After a pretty much grey and dismal day, I noticed the clouds moving very quickly as the sky began to brighten up before sunset. I gathered my gear and decided to go try and grab some sunset shots or maybe a timelapse. As I arrived at the New Bern Grand Marina, the sky cleared and the sun burst through giving the entire area a golden glow.

I was walking along the waterfront when the symmetry of this entrance to the dock caught my eye. It’s a little busier of a shot than what I normally do, but I couldn’t pass up this awesome symmetrical scene!

The Shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, f/22, ISO-100. 3 exposures manually masked together in Photoshop.

Splash! | Emerald Isle, NC Playing with the Nikkor...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:31:47 -0500

Splash! | Emerald Isle, NC

Playing with the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 around the legs of the Bogue Inlet Pier. The lens may have just climbed right to the top of my wish list!

The shot: Nikon D90, Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 lens, 1/1250th second, f/5, ISO 200

Early Bloom Thanks to the crazily mild winter that we’ve...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:25:28 -0500

Early Bloom

Thanks to the crazily mild winter that we’ve had here in Eastern North Carolina, signs of spring are already showing up on some confused plant life. In the past couple of days, most of the flowering bushes around my house have bloomed. This morning I woke up and went outside to see that even my Crepe Myrtles were flowering. This is all great until I realize that the grass needs mowed already…

Although I am not sure of what this bush is, it has been my favorite. The flowers resemble roses, although I do know it isn’t a rose bush. There was a morning dew beaded up on its petals and with a beam of sunlight shining down on it, I had to go grab my camera and take a few frames.

The shot on the left was taken with my Nikkor 70-300 VR lens and the one on the right was taken using a Nikkor 50mm 1.8. Both with a Nikon D90 body.

Emerald Isle Photography Workshop

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:58:00 -0500

Folks have been asking me for a while now about offering some photography classes and training sessions. I have always wanted to do something along those lines. Although I’m very flattered that people want to learn from me, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t intimidating. Luckily, in talking with my friend and fellow photographer Brad Styron I learned that he was looking to do the same kind of thing. So we joined forces and co-hosted a beach photography workshop on Emerald Isle. It turned out being a great success and with six attendees and two instructors, everyone got a lot of one-on-one attention. We had two classroom sessions broken up by two beach shoots. I didn’t get as many behind the scenes shots as I wanted, but here’s a little collection. Thanks to everyone who came out, it was a lot of fun!

This is the finished version of the shot I quickly went over before we shot the sunset. I thought that the folks attending may like to see how it ended up.

If you didn’t get a chance to come out, there will be more sessions in the very near future. Interested in a workshop in your area? Shoot me an email and we’ll see if we can set one up!

February’s First Eve Here’s a short video I shot on...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:03:00 -0500

February’s First Eve

Here’s a short video I shot on the night of February 1, 2012. I set out to shoot a timelapse of the sunset, but ended up with a ton of other footage. I put it all together to make a sort of visual narrative. I’m shaking off the video rust, you see, I haven’t done anything since I was in college and even then, I wasn’t shooting with DSLRs as I am now. As anything, it’s a learning process and I like to think each shoot gets a little better!

Shot on the boardwalk behind the North Carolina History Center in New Bern, North Carolina using a Nikon D90, Nikkor 50mm, Nikkor 18-105mm and Rokinon 8mm lenses.

Paranormal Activity?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:39:00 -0500

This was probably the freakiest photo shoot location I’ve been to and am pretty sure I had my first paranormal encounter here. Here’s the story:

This winter, I set out with my friend Ben in Pennsylvania for an abandoned coal facility that I had shot at before. Problem was, I hadn’t been there for over two years. It was a lot freakier this time than the last. To make matters worse, it was cold and pouring down rain. We decided to venture in anyway and immediately I felt some sort of odd feeling that is hard to explain. The whole time I was shooting I felt like I was being watched. People make that statement all the time and it’s easy to roll your eyes at it, but I truly felt that. It seemed as if someone was lurking around the corner at all times.

This feeling of uneasiness lasted the entire time we shot. In the middle of shooting a set of brackets, I started to hear strange metal clanking sounds. (Now is a good time to point out that there was absolutely no wind blowing) Thinking that it was just something swaying or moving from the rain, I kept shooting. The clanking was almost rhythmic, something that a dangling pipe wouldn’t do. It would speed up and slow down, all at regular intervals. Ben and I decided that was a sign that it was time to go. I packed up my gear (at this point the noise stopped) and gathered up my tripod and umbrella. As we stepped outside, the real freak out occurred.

Outside the huge front door, there is an old truck (looked like a 1960’s model) half sunken in the dirt and junk that litters the area. The exposed radiator fan on the truck was spinning full speed, silently. A little taken aback, I walked toward it. As I took a few steps, the fan drastically slowed down and suddenly stopped. Now, being that this truck has been sitting in that spot for all this time, there is no way that rusty fan could turn so easily, right? And what’s the explanation for it’s strange deceleration?

I just wish that I hadn’t put my gear away, who knows what I could have captured if I shot that old truck. It was quite simply the strangest, most unexplainable thing I’ve experienced. Just as the uneasy feeling had swept over me as we entered the property, it disappeared as we left. As we walked back to the car excitement and wonder set in. But the entire time we walked, I couldn’t help but look behind my back…

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

Click image for full-size 1920x1080px desktop wallpaper...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:18:55 -0500

Click image for full-size 1920x1080px desktop wallpaper image.

February 2012’s Desktop Wallpaper Calendar

Occasionally I’ll have some trouble picking what image will be featured on the next month’s desktop calendar. As you know, I choose my favorite shot from the month before. January was a great month in that I got a lot of ‘keepers’ as I call them; solid shots that are portfolio worthy. Any month where I have more than one or two is considered a highy successful month.

You can see the original post and image here.

‘Wet Feet’ is now available as the newest installment in my Limited Edition Gallery Series. You can see more information on that here.

Be sure to share this with your friends and family, it’s FREE!

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

‘Lone Tree’ | New Bern, NC This is the tree that you...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:51:00 -0500

‘Lone Tree’ | New Bern, NC

This is the tree that you may recognize from my Lawson Creek Park time lapse. I couldn’t help grabbing a few stills before I left. The lighting was really neat on the foreground and tree. In addition, water usually surrounds the tree but heavy wind had blown the tide out toward the sea leaving this shelly river floor exposed.

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm lens. 3 bracketed exposures. Middle and brightest exposures manually masked together in Photoshop using a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet. Darkest exposure discarded.

My first HD timelapse! Shot entirely with my Nikon DSLR and 8mm...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:12:00 -0500

My first HD timelapse! Shot entirely with my Nikon DSLR and 8mm Rokinon lens.

Shot at Lawson Creek Park in New Bern, NC.

Standing at the Edge of the World | Emerald Isle,...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:58:00 -0500

Standing at the Edge of the World | Emerald Isle, NC

Here’s a shot of my friend and fellow photog Brad Styron taking in an awesome sunset on the coast. I thought I would use this shot to take a moment and explain some of my post-processing a little more in-depth than usual. My methods have changed recently and this adaptation in processing has helped to strengthen my images. Where I used to tonemap and create HDR images, I now manually blend exposures. Hopefully the workflow breakdown below can explain it better:

Gear: Nikon D90, 18-105mm VR Nikkor lens, tripod

EXIF: Three bracketed exposures @ f/22, ISO-200. (1/6 sec., 1/2 sec., 2.5 sec.) Manual white balance.

Step 1: I opened all 3 files in Photoshop. Adjusted the levels slightly in the lowest and middle exposures to bring out a little more brightness.

Step 2: Masking. How you do this is based on your preference. I like to layer my darkest exposure on top of the middle, work on it & flatten it, then layer that on top of my brightest exposure. I just like to work on a darker image and lighten it as I go.

There was only minor blending on the first two exposures, but on the final mask I brought in the water at 100% opacity. Using a brush of around 15%, I slowly lightened some of the highlights in the sky. That’s it. I then flattened the image.

Step 3: Using Nik Color Efex, I fixed the blue color cast in the image and added just a touch of contrast using the Pro Contrast Filter.

Step 4: With Nik Viveza, I selectively adjusted the structure in the foreground to add some extra sharpness. On a separate layer of Viveza, I dropped the saturation in the foreground sand (again, using the selective area feature). After applying the layer, I then masked a bit of it away in Photoshop to get rid of some of the over spill of the adjustment.

Step 5: I duplicated that layer and used the Dodge Tool to lighten the foam of the surf and the highlights in the clouds. Mind you, the tool was set very low (5-10%) and set to dodge the midtones. This was just a minor tweak to bring the scene back to more of my taste.

Step 6: After this was all done, I flattened the image and added on final filter. Using Nik Color Efex, I added a Glamour Glow (set very low, at 8%) with a very low touch of warmth to bring a calm, minimal glow to the scene. I flattened again and saved.

If there was one theme that you noticed, it was the use of ‘just a touch,’ ‘a little bit,’ ‘very low,’ and ‘light.’ The key to what I’ve been doing lately is to use every effect in moderation. Just because a slider or setting goes up to 100 doesn’t mean it should.

Most of what I do pretty much follows that workflow. Maybe a few less or few more uses of Viveza and Color Efex or a little more dodging and burning, but that’s the gist of it. Also, many times I end up simply blending two exposures rather than all three. It’s usually the darkest exposure that gets discarded in that case.

Hope that helps to explain what I do and can help you make a better image!

As always, you can comment or pick my brain at any of these sites: Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

‘Sleeping Giant’ | Pittsburgh Zoo *Update…A...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:00 -0500

‘Sleeping Giant’ | Pittsburgh Zoo

*Update…A friend on Facebook informed me that this lion, named Juma, passed away last March at the age of 21. That deeply saddens me because that means this was the same guy that I saw each and every time I visited the zoo. I hope this image serves as a remembrance of him.*

Lately I have found myself really being drawn to a more ‘cinematic’ look in my post processing. I’m really liking a flatter, film-like finish. That’s what I was shooting for in this image by combining some Nik Viveza, Silver Efex and multiple texture layers in Photoshop. I finished it with a layer of about -50% contrast to flatten the image out. I then masked out a few portions of the lion and the foreground to bring back it’s contrasty look.

This technique is a work in progress.

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

‘Wet Feet’ Limited Edition Print Release I am proud...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:11:00 -0500

‘Wet Feet’ Limited Edition Print Release

I am proud to announce the release of the second image in my limited edition series, ‘Wet Feet!’ The photo is printed on 8” x 10” 100% cotton rag paper. This stock gives a real feeling of calm and brings out the subdued tones of this relaxing sunset. Each print is signed, numbered and dated and includes a Certificate of Authenticity card which is also signed and numbered to match the print. The first 5 prints in the series are Artist Proofs and are specially marked with an ‘AP.’

I’ll try to keep a running tally here for easy reference of availability:

$50 each
Print Run- 50
Remaining- 50

Email me (zach@uprootedphotographer.com), contact me via Facebook, Twitter or any other media for more info, to order or reserve your print. This image will not be reproduced in this medium and size ever again!

As always, thanks for your support!

Contact- Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

Wet Feet | Emerald Isle, NC This one is appropriately named...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:54:58 -0500

Wet Feet | Emerald Isle, NC

This one is appropriately named ‘Wet Feet,’ because that’s exactly what I got while shooting it. I am also pretty sure this is the same wave that filled the moving parts of my tripod with saltwater and sand. It was all totally worth it though.

This was part of this evening that provided probably the best light that I’ve shot in. The late afternoon sky was deep blue with wispy clouds, the sunset too on the hues above and after the sun went down, the sky turned deep pink and red!

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

The Shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens, tripod held. f/22, 1/8 sec., ISO 200.

Cliffs of Emerald Isle | Emerald Isle, North Carolina These...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:03:39 -0500

Cliffs of Emerald Isle | Emerald Isle, North Carolina

These ‘cliffs’ actually stand five or six feet high in parts and are a product of beach erosion on Emerald Isle. I have seen a few other local photographers sharing images of the beach’s condition in the past few weeks and thought I should head out and see it for myself. It’s certainly a different look for the beaches of this area!

I headed down the beach for a sunset photo excursion with Brad Styron and spent the better part of an hour canvassing these sand formations with my camera. (This is a the same shoot that my ‘Behind the Scenes’ photo came from.)

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

The shot: Nikon D90, 8mm Rokinon lens. 1/80 sec., ISO 200, f22. 3 bracketed exposure. With my three exposures, I made a tonemapped file to use for the portion of the sky with the sun. I then masked in the ‘cliffs’ and blue sky of the middle exposure and the foreground sand and water of the lowest exposure. The brightest exposure was discarded.

For Sale- Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mtn. Ed.

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:46:00 -0500

Well, I’ve decided to sell my ‘photo adventure mobile,’ my 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Edition. This vehicle has made some great memories for me and has gotten me to some awesome places, but it’s time to get into something else. I’ve attached some images of it along with it’s features. Pass this on if you know someone in the market, or better yet, email me for details if you yourself are interested! (Located in Eastern North Carolina)

Interior

Grey leather

Power, heated front seats

Power windows, doors, remote entry

Sliding power sunroof

6 disc in-dash cd/mp3/navigation

DVD/monitor in rear

Note the bit of sand on the floor mat, this shows the ability to go to ‘Jeep-y’ 4x4 places.

Exterior

17” premium alloy wheels

Fog lamps

Full roof rack

Vent shades (the most useful mod you can make!)

Technical Specs

3.7L V6, Automatic

4x4

84,000 miles

20-23 mpg highway

Rocky Mountain Edition

I’m asking $11,900 for it, but willing to listen to offers. Shoot me an email (zach@uprootedphotographer.com) if you or someone you know is interested or would like a little more info. A few days ago, someone asked me if I’d throw in a print of the Jeep with the sale. So…sure!

Craigslist listing: http://eastnc.craigslist.org/cto/2813788213.html

Thanks!

Waves in the Sand | Fort Macon, North Carolina It’s a very...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:09:51 -0500

Waves in the Sand | Fort Macon, North Carolina

It’s a very foggy morning here in Eastern NC, so I thought I’d bring some clearer skies to your monitors today. This scene was shot at the end of last week at Fort Macon, NC. From late afternoon all the way through sunset; I don’t think that I’ve had the privilege to shoot in more perfect light.

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

This was shot with what is currently my favorite and most useful landscape lens in my bag- the 8mm Rokinon ‘fisheye.’ It’s classified as a fisheye, and rightfully so at 8mm, but there’s nothing fishy about it. At the right angle, there is little to no distortion on the edges and it is sharp as a tack. I shoot everything with it at f/16 and up and it produces the sharpest landscapes I’ve made. And at around $300, it’s an absolute steal! Keep in mind, it’s 100% manual, but it’s fun and liberating to not be tempted to fall back into what the camera thinks is best.

The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm lens, tripod held and remote fired. f/16, 1/200 sec., ISO-200. 2 exposures, manually masked in Photoshop. No color correction.

1/19 Sunset (Behind The Scenes) | Emerald Isle, North...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:38:00 -0500

1/19 Sunset (Behind The Scenes) | Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | 500px | Google+

On Thursday (1/19) I headed over to Emerald Isle to visit with my friend and fellow photographer Brad Styron. We had some business to discuss, but more importantly, there were photos to take! We left his studio and hopped in his FJ and a minute or two later were driving down the beach. I’ve never driven over-sand, although I’ve always wanted to get the permits for my Jeep, and it was way cool! A little ways down the beach, we came to a spot where the beach erosion created ‘cliffs’ that were close to six feet high in places. This is where we set up to shoot.

In this image you can see the set up. Brad’s FJ is parked above the surf on the sand. You can see his second camera body set up in the foreground. He filmed video the entire time and came away with an amazing time-lapse video of the sunset! You can see Brad himself is shooting up against the cliff beyond the camera.

You will no doubt be seeing several more images from this sunset (one of THE BEST sunsets I’ve ever shot) in the coming days and weeks!

The Shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm fisheye lens. 2 exposures, manually blended in Photoshop.