Nik Software

Photography Should Be Fun!

April 9, 2013 by Justin Balog 4 Comments

Photography should be fun…right? Taking photos, exploring new places, meeting new people and even post processing should be fun. Like today’s image, I had a blast turning the secret beach house near Scripps Pier into something from another world. I did it all using the Complete Nik Collection by Google. First I used HDR Efex Pro 2 to tonemap a single image and give it an otherworldly look. Then I applied some additional creative styling from the Color Efex Pro Suite. I share this information with you because the price of the Complete Collection was once $500, and is now only $126.65 if you use this link…

http://hossedia.com/nik

Yep, the good folks over at Google gave me a special link that will allow you to save some money when you check out. Normally it would be $149.00, but with the discount they are giving all of my readers, it’s only $126.65 when you use the link.

It is an awesome tool set and I know you will love it! If you were wondering where this image started…here you go!

Nik Complete Collection Before & After

Filed Under: California, La Jolla, Nik Software, Nikon D700, Really Right Stuff, RRS Versa 24, Sigma 15mm Fisheye, Travel

Little Lodge In Talkeetna

April 7, 2013 by Justin Balog 4 Comments

Is anyone else excited for season three of Game of Thrones? I just got done watching it and almost fell asleep on the couch but remembered I hadn’t posted Monday’s image…no way would I let that happen!

This is a lodge just north of Talkeetna Alaska. When I travel various places, I’ll usually go on short little photowalks by myself. It’s a fun way to explore new areas, relax and shoot a few photos. In Alaska, I was always worried about bear, so my walks were a bit shorter and quite a bit closer to home. Has anyone ever visited Alaska? If so do you need to worry about bears?

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

Filed Under: Alaska, Lightroom 4, Nik Software, Nikon 28-300 VRII, Nikon D700, Talkeetna, Travel

Fallingwater – Part I

April 1, 2013 by Justin Balog 4 Comments

Howdy! I hope everyone had a great weekend. As I mentioned last week, we’ll spending the week at Frank’s House. Yep…this is his house. This is Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwaters and we’ll be spending the week exploring it.

CLICK HERE to view the entire series!

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…

Filed Under: Fallingwater, Gitzo Traveler, HDR, Nik Software, Nikon 28-300 VRII, Nikon D700, Pennsylvania

San Francisco Sunrise

March 26, 2013 by Justin Balog 9 Comments

This was one of the most creatively heartbreaking images I had ever shot. The night before, the staff of the Fairmont (find out more about it in our travel guide) arranged for me to photograph the sunrise from the hotel’s roof. Pretty cool right?!?! After hanging out and chatting with a very friendly security guard, the sun slowly made its way up. Not being familiar with a San Francisco sunrise and not wanting to overstep my welcome, I gave up, shot this photo and returned to my room. I peeked out the window only to see a hint of what I was sure was the most incredible sunrise I have ever seen. Imagine all those clouds lit up as if they were on fire…well, I never made it to the roof in time to photograph it. That sunrise will forever be my white whale…it was the one that got away. Ah well…it made for a good story and this photo turned out alright.

Photographer’s Note – This is a single image shot with a Nikon D700 and 17-35mm 2.8 (I longed for that lens for over a decade). I brought it to life with Lightroom 4 and a few Nik Software filters. Did you see that you can get the entire Nik Collection for only $149.00 now…WOW!!!

Click Here To Get It – If you use the coupon code LIGHTASMAGIC you save even more money and get it for $126.00…yesterday it was $500!

Filed Under: California, Gitzo Traveler, Lightroom 4, Nik Software, Nikon 17-35 2.8 AFS, Nikon D700, Processing Notes, San Francisco, Travel

Visions of Belize – Xunantunich

March 20, 2013 by Justin Balog 5 Comments

Belize is also a major zone of Mayan civilization. Actually, 12% of the population is pure Mayan. At one time, the ruins around the southwest part of Belize supported a population exceeding a million people. Now the entire population of Belize is about 350,000. There are quite a few theories regarding the demise of the great Mayan civilization, and I’d suggest you investigate them. There is a lot to be learned from them. The ruins of Xunantunich, pictured here, are a must visit for anyone traveling to Belize. They are some of the few remaining ruins you can still climb and explore. I made a few photos while visiting them, but I thought this one did the best job of taking us into the adventure. What do you think?

Filed Under: Belize, Lightroom 4, Nik Software, Nikon 14-24mm 2.8, Nikon D700, One Click, Travel, Visions of Belize