April 2021 Tens

Here are the stories behind this Salon’s highest rated images:

Assignment – 108 Years Old – Rikki Vandyk

Photography is a hobby, I don’t know a lot about editing. Most of my photos are straight out of the camera, with a little simple editing. I work in a nursing home. I asked this resident, who is 108 years old if I could take a picture of her hands. Those hands tell so many stories. She didn’t mind at all. I brought her by the window for natural light and posed her hands. I did post editing in Lightroom making adjustments to the image. Added some black vignette. Used the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop to hide part of her wheelchair. I can’t wait to show her this picture and let her know how we did.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment – Remembering Dad – Terry Butler

This was taken using window light only on my little tabletop setup.  The tabletop and background are leather-looking mat paper.  Having been born in 1901, he grew up in a time when every man wore a suit and hat when they went out in public.  He took particular care of his hat.  The gloves were included, because he had such big hands from working on the farm in his youth and later at government sponsored work camps following the end of World War I.  He passed nearly 30 years ago and this photograph, hat and gloves are all that I have left of him.

 

Assignment – Sunday Sleigh Ride – Marianne Diericks

 
 
In January, 2020, the St. Paul Winter Carnival sponsored a horse and sleigh competition that was held in Woodbury, close to my home. It was a fun event for photography, a little like watching a Currier & Ives painting come to life! I used my Nikon D850 and chose my 24-70mm f/2.8 lens to capture a wider view of participants as they moved along the route. This image was shot at 70mm, ISO 400, 1/800 sec. at f/11. Although it was overcast, I needed -1/3 exposure compensation for the snow. When editing, I primarily used Lightroom to decrease highlights, lighten shadows, reduce noise and adjust white balance and colors to increase warmth. I also used Photoshop to remove red paint sprayed on the snow to mark the route and to further lighten the women’s faces.
 
 
 

Creative – Basketball Whirlwind – Betty Bryan

 
 
 
I have had an opportunity to do some sports photography which is a totally new learning experience for me.  I never thought I would enjoy photographing people, but kids and sports are awesome.  I love the action.
 
 “Basketball Whirlwind” started with an image of my grandson taken during the team’s warm up.  I used the Canon 1Dx MK II in manual mode  with the Canon 24 – 70 mm lens,  1/800 sec at f/2.8, ISO 5000.  I edited it in Lightroom and then took it into Photoshop and  followed a recipe I saw in the magazine that “Kelby One” produces.  Kelby One is a subscription based education membership. 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Pictorial – Split Rock West Branch Falls – Steve Plocher

I typically would only shoot such a woodland scene on a cloudy day.  On a sunny day, the light has too much contrast for a successful picture.  However, with the recent introduction of High Dynamic Range (HDR) in post processing, I have started to experiment with shooting on sunny days.  I used the HDR feature in Photoshop Elements to process three different exposures. 

The composition is a bit risky in that it may be too “busy” for some eyes, but I like to get lost in the detail of an image as long as the overall composition is good.  In this case I think the composition is successful using an interesting foreground, leading lines, and framing. 

Close Menu