" Stand By Me"

Gathered together in friendship to celebrate a special day!

Lady Liberty

"Lady Liberty" photographed in Las Vegas in front of New York New York with a Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 lens. Standing 30-40 feet away the statue and buildings were captured using a technique called HDR photography.

"Forever"

A piece titled "Forever" as the groom is pondering the journey ahead. Photographed with a single on camera flash bounced into a reflector to my left.

"With Me"

Photographed at a recent wedding I wanted to show that our best friend is always with us. There is always light to guide our path.

Blood Moon

1 of 4 Blood Moon sequences taking place over the next year and a half. What an incredible site to see. The image below depicts the sequence of events on 4/15/2014.

Shell Shock

From ordinary to extraordinary for this little ladybug.
Photographed with a Nikon D7100 at ISO 100
50mm lens with extension ring, 125th @ F/22 with flash and fill card
And the obvious - Photoshop

Backyard Guardian

I love photographing all sorts of things. From tiny creatures to majestic landscapes. Weddings, portraits, families and sports. Everything captivates me when I'm behind my camera.

Into the Unknown

Decided to take this engagement couple into the world of the unknown. They will be facing many things together as they stand by each others side protecting each other. Looking down the road no one knows the future, however it's always easier as someone stands by your side.

Before Spring

Trees make great subjects for graphical expressions, especially during the winter. This piece is titled "Before Spring"

Paintings made easy in Photoshop

I learned a little while ago you can use Photoshop to create some spectacular painting effects. If you use the texture tool and applying a burlap map and layer the craquelure and a glass effect you can have some pretty cool results. I also added pixel bender oil painting effect to this image also. 

Caesars July 4th, 2013

My wife and I managed a trip to Las Vegas on July 4th. After standing in front of Caesars Palace for 4 hours I managed to capture what I couldn't the previous 2 years. This image is a composite of 5 images using HDR photographic techniques. The exposure of Caesars with the lights was captured before the fireworks display. Four other images added to complete this awesome display of pyrotechnics.

California Adventure

I stumbled across this image I took a few years back on my first Nikon D100 digital camera. Amazing how things change over the years including California Adventure at Disneyland. You will never see this perspective at the park again.

The Photo Argus

Found a great website that has all sorts of photographic information. It's called The Photo Argus. Check it out and see if this jars a few creative ideas.

http://www.thephotoargus.com/

Donna Meade Photography

Donna Meade Photography shared this on facebook and I thought I would pass it along. If you would like to brush up on your Photoshop and Lightroom techniques or learn some new ones she recommends it highly.
Thanks Donna! http://www.donnameadephotography.com/

http://www.beyondlayers.net/registrationoptions/

68 Degrees

You've probably wondered why a blog titled "68 Degrees". As a photographer from a very young age nearly 4 decades ago I learned very quickly that this temperature would resonate through most of my photographic career. Countless hours spent in a darkroom developing black and white film at - you guessed it "68 Degrees". If your new to photography or been around awhile you know that digital photography is here to stay and the "old ways" of manipulating your images through chemical degrees or waving your hands in front of the enlarging lens to burn or dodge an image is all but a fading memory. Most if not all of us have replaced our film cameras for digital monsters which can outperform, expose endlessly, and create beautiful works of art at little to no effort when combined with programs like Photoshop and Lightroom. On the other hand I can't stop thinking of my time spent manipulating images the old fashioned way, smelling and putting my hands into a cold mixture code named Dektol which was about to reveal a new masterpiece in 90 seconds. So in honor of my roots and where it all began I've started this blog to post a little photographic information, share whats on my mind and above all have a little fun.