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Mural

Mural

I’m sure the mural on the side of this service station in Cisco, UT was once the the jewel of the desert. Now the store stands empty, but the artist’s pride carries on.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler

Aperturef/4.0
Focal Length30 mm
ISO Speed200

Processing Notes:

Capture – 9 images @ 1 EV
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Photoshop – Curves adjustment
Nik Color Efex Pro – Tonal contrast
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

Lounge Chair

Lounge Chair

My good friend Fred once asked me while we were out on a photo adventure, “Justin, have you ever thought about the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on U.S. history?” I’m pretty sure I did in high school history class, but I haven’t given it much thought since. It was a bit of a departure from our usual discussions concerning lens selection and metering modes. However, Fred offered some interesting insight into the railroad as we drove on to our next subject of interest where the conversation quickly went back to image making. Why this story of railroading you ask? The town of Cisco, UT, whose gas station pictured here, is proof of this impact. This town’s rise and fall was dictated by rail. All that is left now are a couple of abandoned buildings, free range animals, and the occasional photographer who happens to pass by.

Note: As promised, this in an image I have been working on as part of my work with David Nightingale from Chromasia.com. David and I have been doing some back-n-forth on images as he shares his eyes and insights. So far, in round 1 alone, I have learned several valuable lessons. I am looking forward to round 2. Remember, if you are interested in getting a lifetime membership to Chromasia.com, and access to all of David’s tutorials, use the coupon code C7164B8543 to receive a 15% discount.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler

Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 19 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Processing Notes:

Capture (9 images @ 1EV)
Photomatix – RAW conversion and HDR/Tonemapping
Photoshop – Smart Sharpen Layer
Photoshop – Curves adjustment global contrast and color correction
Photoshop – Curves adjustment to sky based on Luminosity mask
Photoshop – Curves adjustment to lounge chair selective by brush
Photoshop – Curves adjustment to left and bottom left side of image from Luminosity Mask
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

Tip: It is always better to invest in yourself rather than your gear. Never stop learning.

Welcome


Greetings! I have decided to post a quick intro to LightAsMagic.com. I will probably post this every quarter or so. That way all the new subscribers can catch up, and not feel as if they walked into the wrong movie theatre.

First of all, I would sincerely like to thank everyone that has visited LightAsMagic.com. This site has offered me the opportunity to meet a lot of talented and interesting folks. All of which continue to raise the bar of creative vision.

Secondly, I figured it would be a good idea to give you a brief overview of the site and its mission. Here on the site you can find everything ranging from my gear and video tutorials to reviews and travel guides. To stay up to date, there are several different methods you can use.

1) Bookmark the site and visit it – I try to post a new image, associated capture/processing notes, relevant tip, and the story behind the image 3-6 days a week. 6 in the winter when it is too cold to shoot. 3 in the summer because I am behind the camera more than the computer.
2) Subscribe by Email – If you choose to subscribe by email, you will receive an email the morning after I have posted something. If you like getting a photo and story delivered to your inbox several times a week, just follow the steps outlined here. Make sure you lookout for the double confirmation email that is sent. Your spam filter might grab it. If you don’t confirm, you won’t be subscribed.
3) Twitter – You can follow me on Twitter here. Like email, every time I post a new entry, a Tweet is sent out with a link to the post. Unlike email, I will Tweet on location images, inspiring or noteworthy links, and ‘Best of Day’ images from my iPhone. I occasionally ReTweet message from those that I follow. Also, I send out TweetUp notices inviting you to join me on a photo-walks. If you aren’t on Twitter, you can just look at the bottom of the right hand column of the site to see my most recent messages.
4) RSS – Like any other blog, you can add LightAsMagic.com to your favorite blog reader and get access to the new content when it is posted.

The mission of LightAsMagic.com is simple; Actively seek out and share creative inspiration through photography. It could be Black & White, Portrait, HDR, Landscape, iPhone….you name it. Better yet, let’s not name it. Let’s just call it photography. I am an equal opportunity creativist and I believe in the pursuit of photography. I feel that sharing what I find along the way might be able to help others realize their own vision. Others have helped, and continue to help me, so I hope that I can return the cosmic favor.

Other than the daily(ish) posts, there are a couple recurring items to watch out for.

1) Songs For Post Processing – I grew up planning visits to the local record store and I have played in bands my whole life (Spatula, Zizs, Gypsy Whistle, and A Band Called Jim). Music is a great source of inspiration for me. Every month I publish a recommend playlist of artists I feel are worth checking out. You can find my monthly playlists here.
2) iPhone Friday – First there was the wheel, then there was sliced bread, then there was the iPhone. I post the week’s collection of iPhone images every Friday. It is a great way to recap the week and get ready for the weekend. For most of my iPhone photography, I am photographer #15879 @ TheBestCamera.com and you can find me here.
3) Links (and the like) – On Friday I also like to add a couple of links to things of interest that I have found durning the week. It may or may not be photography related. Hopefully it serves the purpose of informing and inspiring.

That is probably enough “LightAsMagic.com 101″ for now. However, feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. I try my best to respond as quickly as I can.

Again, THANK YOU for choosing to follow the site. It is your feedback that continues to push my own creative vision. I hope that I am able to return the favor.

p.s. Please excuse the typos, and be warned, I abuse commas.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler

Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Processing Notes:

Capture (9 images @ 1ev)
NX2 Raw Conversion
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Nik Color Efex Pro – Tontal Contrast selective to walls
Photoshop – A couple selective curves adjustments
Photoshop – Vibrancy boost to window view
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

Cisco

The weather was beautiful, the scenery was surreal, and I was able to visit the small town of Cisco, UT. What more could a photographer ask for while spending the weekend in Moab, UT. Cisco has been on my radar for the last 16 years or so. Ever since I visited it for the first time back in 94. I’m still confused as to what goes on there? The distinction between public and private land is nothing more than the spray painted walls of a building. This building did not have the words ‘Private Property’ painted on it, so I thought it was safe (or at least legal) to enter. I confirmed my last tetnus shot, tried to avoid any encounters with the locals, bracketed a couple images, and got the heck out.

News: Yesterday I was featured on fellow photographer Brian Matiash site. Brian was kind enough to ask me to provide the ‘Alt Perspective’ and share a couple images. Not only was it an honor to be asked, it was a pleasure to write. Please, take a second to jump over to Brian’s site to read the post.Make sure to take a look around at his incredible work.

http://brianmatiash.com/blog/2010/05/02/alt-perspective-justin-balog/


Capture Notes:

Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler

Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Processing Notes:

Capture (9 Images @ 1EV)
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Nik Silver Efex Pro – Wall and roof texture
Photoshop – 5 Selective curves adjustments
Size for web
LightAsMagic.com