Street Pics

Some street pics taken this holiday season, highlighting a cafe and Apple Store. Starting with this embroidered Christmas scene. The holiday season seems to bring out the best in folks as they catch a quick respite in the Copenhagen Bakery in Burlingame, California. The pictures in the Apple Store feature youngsters enjoying exploring Apples latest products.
All photos were taken with the Leica M-9 and post processed using Adobe Lightroom 3.3, Silver Efex Pro, Topaz Lab or Adobe CS5.

Children and their wonderment highlight the season.

Stopping in for a quick pick me up.

Enjoying the company and moderate weather.

Reflections, the mirror is a useful prop.

Youngsters are not intimidated by the latest tech toys.

Trying out the Macbook Air

I-Pods and I-Phones are intriguing.

Barely able to see over the table.

Parents can't believe what the kids are capable of.

Sights

Cornucopia of images taken with the Leica D-Lux 4. Everything from lovely skies, trees and landscapes to a interesting building and friends.
First on a quiet lane colorful trees highlighted by the blue sky and clouds. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

Fallen leaves lead up to the estate gates. I got a little damp while taking this photo as I had to get the camera very close to the ground to get the perspective I was looking for. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

One of my dogs special friends just waiting for another treat. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

While wandering down a private road I saw this house under going renovation and just had to have a closer look. What I found was that the exterior had been decorated with artwork etched into the exterior coating. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

Who ever the artist was they certainly were talented.

Last of the wall etchings, you just never know what you will find when you are out exploring.

A special friend Daisy who just can't wait for her carrots. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro.

Shopping Center

A visit to our local shopping center  was another opportunity to get a few quick shots of people, animals and places with the Leica M-9. All photos were processed using Adobe Lightroom 3.3 (the latest update). Black and white photos were processed with Silver Efex Pro.

 Interesting window display taken through glass with reflections.

 Women and child enjoying the sunshine and the water fountain.

 The Apple Store shoppers checking out the I-Phone.

 A students mode of transportation.

 Lounging around enjoying the ambiance of this quieter location.

Close up of a fixed gear bike with lots of white to contrast the dark burgundy frame color.

 Santa was there in spirit.

 More reflections are highlighted in this stores mirrored layout.

Shoppers checking out the tree as the Santa ornament pictured above looks on.

 A power shopper looks thrilled to be there.

Oh yes here is the cutest shopper in the mall.

Altered State

I thought that you might be interested in a image I took yesterday with my Leica D-Lux 4. The image is nothing special but it does act as a platform to illustrated what you can do to alter the statement you want to make with your photo.
Ok lets get started by looking at the original image converted from raw in Adobe Lightroom 3.

What was I looking for when I took this picture? First I wanted to highlight the leaf in the foreground and its raindrops. I secondly wanted to use the background to add contrast and interest. When I opened the picture in Lightroom I thought what can I do to enhance my original idea. So off I went to Nik Software Color Efex Pro to add some glow to the photo, here is the result.

I then took the original image again and went back to Color Efex Pro and added the bleach bypass filter to whole photo.

Then using Adobe CS 5 I isolated the leaf that was the main subject of the picture and blended it into the above photo.

Now not leaving black and white out here is the original image processed using Silver Efex pro.

I guess what I'm trying to illustrate with this post is you can enhance your vision with the use of all the amazing software tools available to all of us in the digital age.

New Leica Images Site

I have been using a new Leica images only site to post and share pictures, Leica Images.Com. When you sign up you get your own gallery with sub galleries that you can use for any purpose you need to. Share pictures with friends, social media sites or just post them for other Leica fans to see. Here is a random picture from a Swedish members gallery.

As you can see in album view you get a nice presentation of your work and below the photo is all the data about the camera, lens and exposure used.

The service is free and I highly recommend you try it.
I have had a very busy two weeks with lots of family birthdays but here are a few pictures taken with the Leica D-Lux 4. All were post processed using Adobe Lightroom 3.

 A leaf on a moist background of fallen and rotting needles.

 A crooked fence, enhanced with Color Efex Pro by applying a small amount of the Glamor Glow filter.

 A calm day at the pond enhanced with Topaz Adjust 3.

A quick portrait taken on her second birthday enhanced with Silver Efex Pro for conversion to black and white and then using Color Efex Pro add some skin softening to the image.

 

 A close up of leaves turning from green to red enhanced using Topaz Labs detail filter.

Another look at the pond through the reeds, across the water to the colorful trees. Enhanced with Viveza 2.

Halloween

Pre-Halloween Eve photos taken with the Leica D-Lux 4 during my daily excursions into the haunting season. A floating ghost and his shadow flying low in anticipation of all those little ghosts and goblins inhabiting the neighborhood. Photo processed in Adobe Lightroom 3 and Silver Efex Pro.

 A interesting pumpkin sitting on the fence showing the ravishes of time. Lots of mold gives the pumpkin some natural hair contrasted by some scribbled eyes, nose and mouth. The glow was added with the use of Nix Software Color Efex Pro and then was further enhanced with the use of Topaz Labs Detail plug-in.

 Have you seen the black and white version of Nosteratu ? A great move from 1922 well here I may have spotted him lurking in the shadows of the valley. Actually the picture is of my shadow and was refined with the use of Nik Color Efex Pro Glamor Glow filter and then processed into black and white using Silver Efex Pro.
Happy Halloween and have fun getting those scary party and trick or treat pics.

Gazo Creek Cutoff

More beach pictures this week in color plus some interesting apps for your I-Pad. LFI the international Leica photography magazine has just updated its free I-Pad, I-Phone app to include not only a great photo database but also now you can read the current issue of the magazine for free on either device. The other interesting app is Air Display which will allow you to use your I-Pad as a 2nd monitor. I have been using this app to watch video blogs etc. while I work on my photos. It works great but is expensive for a I-Pad app at $10.00.
Now back to Gazo Creek Cutoff which is located on the San Mateo County coast in California. The day was comfortable for a Northern California Beach, meaning the temperature was in the middle 60's. There was sun, fog and very little wind. The sun, water and fog all tend to intensive the light and not always in a good way which calls for shooting at higher speeds and f stops than normal (f-11 to f 16. The camera was the Leica M-9 fitted with Summarit 35 mm lens, post processed in Adobe Lightroom 3 and Nik Software plug-ins.

Looking north towards the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

 Fog rolling in towards shore.

 Fog bank in the distance contrasted by the blue sky.

Light peeks through the overcast and highlights the white water.

Manresa Beach

Manresa Beach is located south of Santa Cruz, California and photographed on a foggy morning in October 2010. Today I'm sharing all black and white images that seem to work well in depicting the mood of the beach on that day. Next week I will share some color photos taken up the coast at Gazo Creek Cutoff in San Mateo County which were taken on the same day.
All photos were taken with the Leica M-9 fitted with the Leica Summarit 35mm lens processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.0 and Silver Efex Pro for conversion to black and white.

The view as you walk down to the beach.

Surf Fishermen

 A look down the empty beach

Light attempting to break through the fog.

A friendly Dachshund comes to see what we were doing.

Solitary Log