Cozumel

Caribbean Skyline

February 11, 2013 by Justin Balog 1 Comment

Sorry about the delay today. I was at my cycling team’s training camp and I wasn’t about to pay the asking price for wi-fi. Wow that’s expensive…didn’t see that coming.

Today’s Photo – We are looking out over the Caribbean towards the skyline of Playa del Carmen. Total distance is about 11 miles. I often wonder if I could swim across the channel. Anyone out there swim an open ocean channel before?

Photographer’s Note - this is a single image processed in Lightroom 4. I’ve been working on some new thoughts about night photography. Once they are more coherent I’ll try and share them with you.

Filed Under: Cozumel, Lightroom 4, Mexico, Nikon 14-24mm 2.8, Nikon D700, One Click, Really Right Stuff, Sunsets, Tips, Travel

Good Friends

February 7, 2013 by Justin Balog 2 Comments

Does anyone else excuse themselves from the dinner table when you are out with friends, so you can go take a photo? I’m glad I have the friends I do. They let me sit the front seat of taxis so I have room for my camera bag and tripod, they point out cool photos, they even order for me if the waiter comes by when I’m off making a photo. I sound kind of high maintenance? I try to return the favors as best I can. Friends are a precious gift, no doubt!

Today’s Pic – This the view of San Miguel on the island of Cozumel. All the commerce here is a product of the cruise ship ports. Someday’s up to 8 ships, that’s close to 25,000) descend on the island. I try to avoid the town on those days. No way do you want to get mixed up in that nonsense.

Photographer’s Note – This is single image processed in Lightroom 4 and stylized with Nik Software CEP 4.

Filed Under: Cozumel, Lightroom 4, Mexico, Nik Software, Nikon 14-24mm 2.8, Nikon D7000, RRS Versa 24, Travel

Ocean Breeze

February 4, 2013 by Justin Balog 4 Comments

Howdy! I hope you all had a great weekend. I started filming my next workshop. I’m pretty excited about this one. If you want to know when it’s live and get a discount code, make sure to sign up for our ‘Good Newsletter‘.

Today’s Photo – I soooo wanted to jump in these hammocks and watch the sunset, but I wasn’t a guest at the hotel. I was just checking it out and shooting some photos. When I was leaving the hotel, I asked someone what they thought of it…their answer…”I not a guest, I’m just poaching their beach”. I guess I could have stayed, but two wrongs don’t make a right…right?

I guess that is a little travel tip for you. When you are visiting somewhere, pop over to other hotels…sometimes they have some cool photos for you to make!

Photographer’s Note – Yep, another image from Nikon’s 14-24. Love this lens! This is a single image processed in Lightroom. I then applied a new Nik Software CEP 4 Recipe I’ve developed. I call it ‘Ocean Breeze’. I posted a preview of the recipe over on our FB page if you want to take a look.

Filed Under: Cozumel, Mexico, Nik Software, Nikon 14-24mm 2.8, Nikon D700, One Click, Processing Notes, Tips, Travel

iPhone Friday

February 1, 2013 by Justin Balog 2 Comments

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Here’s a few more iPhone Photos from Cozumel, MX. Thanks again for joining in the adventure this week. I appreciate all your feedback and suggestions to recover my lost photos. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Discoveries From The Creative Frontier

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Ever Surfed a 100ft Wave?

From The Archives

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Filed Under: Cozumel, iPhone Friday, iPhone Photography, Mexico

Destination Palapa

January 29, 2013 by Justin Balog 11 Comments

After returning from Cozumel on Saturday, I began importing my images. The first couple of cards imported just fine, but the third card…well, let’s just say it was a nightmare I have luckily never experienced for 15 years. THE CARD WAS CORRUPT! Nope, not once in 15 years of digital shooting have I come across a corrupt card. Not until Sunday. It was at that moment, I wanted to go back to where I shot this photo and relax a little while. Serenity Now!

Here’s a few things I’ve learned about corrupt cards.

I believe I corrupted the card by turning off my camera in the middle of a long exposure. I wanted to quit it early and move on, so I turned it off. Therefore the file was only partially written and corrupted all the images.
Yes, there is image rescue software out there but it doesn’t work on everything. Especially when you can’t even get your computer to recognize your card.
Thankfully, I have always shot on smaller cards and swap them out everyday. I normally shoot about eight gigs worth of images a day. So, for a week-long trip I bring seven, eight gig cards. That way, if I have a corrupted one, I only lose a days worth of images. Well, the one card I lost was completely full…Murphy’s Law I guess?!?

If you have any recommend image recovery methods…PLEASE let me know! I will happily send a print to someone who can help me save the rest of the images. Thanks much!

Screen shot 2013-01-27 at 10.51.26 AM

Photographer’s Note – This is a single handheld image shot with the bulbous Nikon 14-24…wow what a cool lens! I balanced the exposure as best I could in Lightroom, then added two great Nik filters to enhance the summer breeze. First…some warm glamour glow…second…sunlight! That’s about it. Well, I did use the warp tool in Photoshop to correct a few lines.

Filed Under: Cozumel, Mexico, Nikon 14-24mm 2.8, Nikon D700, One Click