Feature photo of two college students studying at a small table in Java Central coffee shop in Westerville.
A day of contrasts in lighting
Welcome to Ohio where the weather can change within minutes and usually does in February.
Today was one of those days. Changes that presented radically different lighting.
The day began with strong daylight for the 40 Days of Lent project resulting in this vibrant frame.
Theater marquee in HDR
I’ve photographed this marquee more times than I’d like to admit and more times than you’d like to see. But that doesn’t keep me away.
Usually it hovers over a pedestrian or illuminates the sidewalk where pedestrians or cars are passing. The last time less than two weeks ago.
I don’t remember ever shooting the marquee as the isolated, primary subject. Today I did.
Shot handheld with the D500, three bracketed exposures two stops apart processed in Oloneo PhotoEngine.
Enhanced in Photoshop with Topaz Adjust 5 and a stamp or two to remove a distracting cable.
This ain’t photojournalism so I did it. hope you like it.
When the best fill light is natural light
There is a brief moment in late afternoon in Uptown when sunset reflects off storefronts on the eastern side of the street sometimes becoming the perfect natural light fill light.
One of those moments happened today and I was lucky enough to have it happen with a great standalone feature right in front of me.
Schneiders is a favorite haunt for almost everyone in Westerville. From college students who open the store at 1-o’clock in the morning to commuters stopping in for a quick selection from a local bakery before heading to work. It’s not unusual to see a customer sharing his baked goods with a favorite pet.
What made this moment different was the spectacular light reflecting off the bakery windows and storefront. Perfect fill light that looks like it was created by a photographer well versed in Strobist lighting techniques and light modifiers.
Nightime HDR with pink neon
My plan for the evening was a meeting with some friends and associates to look at a Web site design to suggest edits and changes.
It was a good thing that it snowed because no one showed up for the meeting which meant I could enjoy the great light at dusk with storefronts illuminated by their lights. There’s no better place in Uptown for this kind of light than the marquee at Amish Originals Furniture.
Shot as a three frame HDR edited with Oloneo PhotoEngine, my favorite HDR software.
Also shsot it with theiPhone using HDRFusion app.
Weather cooperates for new personal project

The weather cooperated for one day, just long enough to begin shooting a new project.
Taken with my old but reliable iPhone 3Gs using the Hipstamatic Tintype Film Pak. Working very hard for a good photo of this old church in Uptown Westerville for an art project. The scene is complicated with the front of the building facing north, the sun low in the sky, and trees and power lines partially blocking the front. Will continue to work it for the best image.
Part of “The good thing that happened to me” photo collection.












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