The Calm Before The #NNVStorm Pt. I

#NNVStorm Pt. I
#NNVStorm Pt. I | Click to Enlarge

OK, so here’s the deal.  I haven’t been shooting very much with my Nikon D7000 and it’s been getting me down.  Not in a depressed sort of way, more in that “I spent a bunch of money on this thing that isn’t getting as much use as it should be” kind of way.

Recently, an Instagram user I have come to find a deep respect for turned me on to a piece of HDR software for Mac/PC that has pretty much blown my mind titled Photomatix Pro.

Basically, this application allows you to take several (3 preferred) bracketed DSLR shots (0, +2,-2 exposures work EXTREMELY well) and combine / tone map them to HDR perfection within moments.  There is an anti-ghosting feature which also seems to work wonders, even if you weren’t shooting on a tripod with a remote control, although this is my preferred setup for HDR styling.

Within the app, you’ll find many preset templates for different HDR styles, all of which are customizable and allow for your own custom presets to be saved and used again in the future.  The software also doubles as an Adobe Lightroom plugin, which is another great way to include Photomatix Pro in your everyday workflow.

Using my standard concert photography setup of the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens attached to the Nikon D7000 body, now coupled with tripod and wireless (ML-L3) remote control for HDR landscape shooting, I embarked on creating some dark and eerie HDR shots of the impending #NNVStorm set to hit our area over the weekend.  For the shots comprising this image specifically, I was shooting in shutter priority mode, at 1/80th of a second, with an aperture of f/2.8 and an (auto) ISO range of 1100 – 6400.

What you see above is Pt. I of several more forthcoming shots in the series.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I have in their creation.  Have questions about the process?  Drop me a line!

Note: The only difference between this post and my recent Instagram post of this same image was (square) cropping using the iOS app Camera+.

Camera(s) Used:

Nikon D7000

Lens(es) Used:

AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED


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Netflix Halloween Envelope Mailers

Netflix Halloween Envelope Mailer
Did you receive one (or more) of these in the mail today?

My daily trip to the mailbox was WAY cooler than most others today when I found a super-spooky, Halloween-themed DVD/Blu-ray disc envelope mailer from Netflix!  The traditional Netflix red color was there, but on top was a black print of a crow (raven) and scraggily trees without any leaves on the branches.

Reflecting back on my Netflix subscription throughout the years, I can’t seem to remember them doing this kind of promotion around different holidays.  I can’t help but question: Did I miss earlier mailings this unique?  Will these super-cool mailing envelopes be present in/around other future holidays as well?  Do you happen to remember seeing anything like this before in your area?

If you can answer any of the above questions, I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts!

Oh, and what do you think of the edit posted above?  This was shot on a Nikon D7000 using a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens, then transfered to an iPhone 4S and edited using Camera+, Photo FX and LensLight.  A cropped version will probably make it onto Instagram a little later this month…