http://theobviousphoto.com/ Photography by Titus Bartos http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss pixelpost Copyright © 2007-08 Titus Bartos, All Rights Reserved <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/2368445/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091105170312_untitled tree 2.jpg"><br> The other day I had the very rare privilege of taking my wife for a walk downtown Murfreesboro, and that&#039;s when I took this photo. I say rare, mainly because I have been working at the studio day and night to prepare everything for the Grand Opening, and Laura has been up day and night with our three children, (three, two, and one month...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2368445/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2368445/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&title=Untitled+Tree+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&title=Untitled+Tree+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&t=Untitled+Tree+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&title=Untitled+Tree+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&t=Untitled+Tree+%232?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&title=Untitled+Tree+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Untitled+Tree+%232+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&title=Untitled+Tree+%232&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d463&t=Untitled+Tree+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2368445/swr3p/theobvious~Untitled-Tree.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091105170312_untitled tree 2.jpg"><br/> The other day I had the very rare privilege of taking my wife for a walk downtown Murfreesboro, and that's when I took this photo. I say rare, mainly because I have been working at the studio day and night to prepare everything for the Grand Opening, and Laura has been up day and night with our three children, (three, two, and one month old). <br />In case you haven't read my older posts, we are going to officially open our photography studio, called Made in Murfreesboro Photography, downtown Murfreesboro, at 123 E. Main Street. If you live in Murfreesboro, you are more than welcome to come join us for the Grand Opening. We will be having an Open House from 2-7pm, where people will come and socialize as they wish, and from 7:30pm, I will be doing a presentation on some of our favorite photos from The Obvious, which will be exhibited on 20x30" prints. <br />Needless to say, I am pretty excited and overwhelmed at the same time... those of you who own your photography studios understand me, I'm sure :). <br />OK, back to today's photo - I uploaded the original version here. As you can see, with the exception of the sky and a couple of masked curves, the two versions aren't all that different. I used a tutorial found here to add the sky without any damage to the leaves, which I have used in the past, and proved to be very good. <br />As always, thanks for stopping by, and if you live in the Murfreesboro area, hope to see you Sunday. <br />Titus <br /> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:03 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=463 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/2172971/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091029230104_too good to be true.jpg"><br> We recently moved into our new house, not too far from where we used to live, but in a completely different type of neighborhood. There are dozens of gorgeous, old trees all around our new lot (and on it too), which makes for great photos in the Fall and Spring. Today&#039;s shot is just a quick snapshot of what the trees around our house look...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2172971/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2172971/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&title=The+Gold+Tree"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&title=The+Gold+Tree"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&t=The+Gold+Tree"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&title=The+Gold+Tree"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&t=The+Gold+Tree?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&title=The+Gold+Tree"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=The+Gold+Tree+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&title=The+Gold+Tree&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d462&t=The+Gold+Tree"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2172971/swr3p/theobvious~The-Gold-Tree.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091029230104_too good to be true.jpg"><br/> We recently moved into our new house, not too far from where we used to live, but in a completely different type of neighborhood. There are dozens of gorgeous, old trees all around our new lot (and on it too), which makes for great photos in the Fall and Spring. Today's shot is just a quick snapshot of what the trees around our house look like. And if you question the reality of the photo, have a look at the original photo, just as it came out of my camera here (the in-camera JPG version - Saturation & Contrast set to 0, exposure to -1/3, f/8, 250s, ISO 200, all EXIF included). With the exception of removing the electricity pole, wires, and the car, and a few very delicate curves in the darker areas, this photo is exactly as shot. When I looked at it on my monitor, I couldn't believe how bright these colors were. <br /> <br />On a different note, in spite of the trees being in their prime outside, over the next week and a half I will pretty much be stuck in front of the computer all day and all night. Not only are we planning our grand opening for Made in Murfreesboro on November 8, but I am also preparing the final draft for four limited edition books with photos from The Obvious and Made in Murfreesboro, as well as 20 large prints to exhibit at the opening. I am also completely redesigning the MIM website (taking it from completely html based, to Wordpress), and restructuring our pricing & marketing strategy for the studio. Not to mention the many weddings and portraits that are waiting for me in "To Process" folder. <br /> <br />That being said, if you ever wandered how it feels to be a full time photographer... now you know :). Photography in itself is a luxury rather than the main object of your work. God willing, in the future we will hire a couple of people to help us with the non-artistic things, so that I can focus fully on developing and improving my photography. <br />If I can cheat my conscience, I may be able to sneak outside and take a couple of photos of the colorful trees, so check back over the next few days to see if there are any new posts. As always, whether you are a regular visitor or this is your first time on The Obvious, thanks for stopping by! <br />Titus Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:53 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=462 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/2037509/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091026135246_ocean_mountain_color.jpg"><br> Here is the color version of yesterday&#039;s shot. Click on the photo to go back and read the Info & Notes on yesterday&#039;s post.<br> Thanks,<br> Titus</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&title=Ocean+Mountain+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&title=Ocean+Mountain+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&t=Ocean+Mountain+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&title=Ocean+Mountain+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&t=Ocean+Mountain+%232?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&title=Ocean+Mountain+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Ocean+Mountain+%232+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&title=Ocean+Mountain+%232&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d461&t=Ocean+Mountain+%232"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/2037509/swr3p/theobvious~Ocean-Mountain.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091026135246_ocean_mountain_color.jpg"><br/> Here is the color version of yesterday's shot. Click on the photo to go back and read the Info & Notes on yesterday's post. <br />Thanks, <br />Titus Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:52 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=461 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/1905290/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091022122434_water mountain.jpg"><br> Today&#039;s post is one of those (rare) times when I am pleased enough with a photo, that I want to post it both in black & white and in color :). It is the second photo from my recent trip to Florida, and another one that almost destroyed my camera.<br>Go to the next photo to see the color version, which is very close to the original. I...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1905290/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1905290/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&title=Ocean+Mountain"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&title=Ocean+Mountain"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&t=Ocean+Mountain"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&title=Ocean+Mountain"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&t=Ocean+Mountain?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&title=Ocean+Mountain"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Ocean+Mountain+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&title=Ocean+Mountain&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d460&t=Ocean+Mountain"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1905290/swr3p/theobvious~Ocean-Mountain.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091022122434_water mountain.jpg"><br/> Today's post is one of those (rare) times when I am pleased enough with a photo, that I want to post it both in black & white and in color :). It is the second photo from my recent trip to Florida, and another one that almost destroyed my camera. <br />Go to the next photo to see the color version, which is very close to the original. I don't have time right now to write any more details, but I will later on today. In the meantime, if you think you can figure it out why this shot was such a big deal to take, and what makes it relatively unique, I will send you a signed 8x12 copy of it (obviously I am looking for more than the fact that I was in the water :] ) <br />Thanks for stopping by! <br />Titus <br />Update: I ended up posting the color version as a separate post. Click on 'Next' to see it. Thanks! Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:24 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=460 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/1846089/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091020151832_gulf sunset 2bw.jpg"><br> We were down in Panama City Beach last week for a couple of days shooting a wedding on the beach, and right after the ceremony, there was this magnificent sunset unfolding behind us. Luckily the bride & groom had just sat down to eat their meal, so I had a couple of minutes to shoot some photos, out of which I think this is my favorite.<br> ...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1846089/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1846089/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&title=Gulf+Sunset+2"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&title=Gulf+Sunset+2"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&t=Gulf+Sunset+2"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&title=Gulf+Sunset+2"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&t=Gulf+Sunset+2?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&title=Gulf+Sunset+2"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Gulf+Sunset+2+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&title=Gulf+Sunset+2&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d459&t=Gulf+Sunset+2"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1846089/swr3p/theobvious~Gulf-Sunset.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091020151832_gulf sunset 2bw.jpg"><br/> We were down in Panama City Beach last week for a couple of days shooting a wedding on the beach, and right after the ceremony, there was this magnificent sunset unfolding behind us. Luckily the bride & groom had just sat down to eat their meal, so I had a couple of minutes to shoot some photos, out of which I think this is my favorite. <br />Since sunsets are such a common subject for photos (and I, myself, have quite a few of them posted here), it is getting increasingly hard to create a unique and sensational photo of a beautiful sunset. So I spent quite a few hours today trying to come up with the best post processing method that would do justice to what I witnessed in person. <br />You can see the original file, just as it came out of the camera here, and the first version I wanted to post here. I like both versions, but I decided to go with a black & white version simply because it is more unusual than the first two. In terms of post processing, I didn't play as much with the photo itself as I did with adjusting local contrast with masked curves. I also spent quite a bit of time making sure I get the best possible RAW conversion in Adobe Camera RAW, especially when I decided to go with a B&W version. That being said, I am curious which version you prefer better. Shoot me an email or leave a comment below. <br />I have several other photos that I took down in Florida (much more unusual than this one), which I am planning on posting very soon, so be sure to come back or sign up for email updates. <br />Many thanks for stopping by! <br />Titus Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:18 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=459 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/1617971/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091012010136_hay queen.jpg"><br> I had the interesting experience of visiting a pumpkin patch yesterday for a birthday party where Sonia, Eva, and David were invited. Much to my surprise, about a third of the families that were there were caring digital SLRs, mostly D40s and Canon Rebels, but I did see a guy with a 5D (probably Mark II) and a bulky battery grip that almost made...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1617971/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1617971/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&title=Hay+Queen"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&title=Hay+Queen"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&t=Hay+Queen"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&title=Hay+Queen"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&t=Hay+Queen?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&title=Hay+Queen"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Hay+Queen+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&title=Hay+Queen&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d458&t=Hay+Queen"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1617971/swr3p/theobvious~Hay-Queen.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20091012010136_hay queen.jpg"><br/> I had the interesting experience of visiting a pumpkin patch yesterday for a birthday party where Sonia, Eva, and David were invited. Much to my surprise, about a third of the families that were there were caring digital SLRs, mostly D40s and Canon Rebels, but I did see a guy with a 5D (probably Mark II) and a bulky battery grip that almost made me think it was a 3Ds or something similar. I chose to carry only my 50mm f/1.8 lens, although I had the rest of my equipment in the car as well. In any case... I felt quite awkward among the multitude of expensive cameras... it's very strange to see all these people walking around with what used to be "professional cameras". <br />This photo was taken right before we left. The light balance and colors were simply magical, so I snapped a couple of shots of my hyper-three-year-old daughter who had just discovered that there was another exit in the hay labyrinth :). <br />You can see the very similar original file here. Other than a couple of local curve & sharpening adjustments, the two versions are pretty much identical. I did spent quite a bit of time working on the color balance on the face, but that's about it. <br />On a different note, I am very glad to have the time to post today's photo... not because I haven't taken any photos, but simply because our lives have taken a completely different turn over the last few months. Back in May I was very certain that I was going to get my doctorate in Piano Performance at some fancy university up North. At that time Laura was pregnant still with David, and our business was running quite nicely, with about 10 weddings over the summer. Well, in July I met with a friend of mine who told me that offices were relatively cheap downtown Murfreesboro, and that he was thinking about renting one. That thought inevitably made me look for "For Lease" signs, which weren't very many in any good locations. We did find one, which we visited, but decided it was way too expensive and poor location for what we needed. <br />Just as we were driving home from one of the streets downtown Murfreesboro, we noticed a "For Lease" sign on Main Street, right across Bank of America, and close to the most popular restaurant in town. Long story short, we met with the landlord, rented the place, and started taking apart a 100 year old office (which by the way, was one of Al Gore's first offices). I had never worked anything in construction due to my "fragile" piano hands... so when I picked up a 10 pound hammer to completely demolish our studio in order to make it look like I envisioned it. That happened at the beginning of July... and four months later we are ordering prints, books, and our very first Made in Murfreesboro window sign. <br />For those who don't know what Made in Murfreesboro is, it is our photography studio & gallery, where we do lots and lots of weddings, portraits, sell prints from The Obvious, and also teach digital photography classes. We started it in our home, mostly online, without knowing anything about running a business and what it meant, and here we are one year later opening the doors to our very own photography studio on Murfreesboro's busiest and most popular street. <br />I am writing all this not only to thank those of you who have encouraged me to pursue photography, but to also encourage those of you who are just now getting started, or dreaming about opening your own studio. And if you are a photographer, more than likely you have a dream. It's simple: if you love what you do, you will get better at it. Once you get better, people will start paying you. And once people start paying you enough, you get to choose what you want to do, whether it is weddings, editorial, fine art, or advertising photography. <br />Our dream started last August - we wrote everything down, read a bunch of books, asked hundreds of annoying questions, paid everything out of pocket, and prayed consistently for God's guidance, which we got abundantly. It may not be what most people write nowadays, but in spite of all our planning and dreaming, all these events could not have fallen into place except through God's providence. Yet one more reason for Laura and I to stay humble and be thankful that we don't have to take any credit for our accomplishments. <br />Titus Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:01 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=458 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/1450079/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090929160643_toks.jpg"><br> If you are an MTSU student you will probably see this photo printed on a banner somewhere around campus. Toks is running for freshman senate, and wanted to "replicate" a photo he saw of Lebron James, except this time he wanted to throw powder in the air, which is a habit of Lebron James&#039;.<br>The photo was lit with two SB900 flashes, coming...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1450079/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1450079/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&title=Toks"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&title=Toks"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&t=Toks"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&title=Toks"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&t=Toks?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&title=Toks"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Toks+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&title=Toks&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d457&t=Toks"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1450079/swr3p/theobvious~Toks.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090929160643_toks.jpg"><br/> If you are an MTSU student you will probably see this photo printed on a banner somewhere around campus. Toks is running for freshman senate, and wanted to "replicate" a photo he saw of Lebron James, except this time he wanted to throw powder in the air, which is a habit of Lebron James'. <br />The photo was lit with two SB900 flashes, coming from a 45 degree angle, above Toks. Since I didn't want to get baby powder all over our studio, we decided to do it at my house, under the carport. What you see is pretty much the original photo, with bits and pieces added from extra shots we took. Post-processing was straight forward too - B&W conversion, one curve for contrast, and unsharp mask to bring out detail in the powder cloud. <br />Speaking of studio, by tomorrow the construction at our studio will be officially over. By the end of the week we should order prints, books, and advertising material, and if all goes well, by the middle of October we will have a fancy opening night. So, if you are in the Murfreesboro area, look out for Made in Murfreesboro Photography on Main Street ;). <br />As always, thank you for stopping by, even if photos are very scarce lately. In two weeks I should be back to a much more photography=oriented normal. <br />Titus <br />10/01 Update - I uploaded a cropped version of the final photo, as well as the original file (here). Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:04 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=457 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/1292314/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090922095930_david_augustin.jpg"><br> As the title says it, this is David Augustin Bartos, our third child and first son. He was born Saturday morning after only two and a half hours from the time the contractions started. For those who care for these details, he weighed 9 pounds and 4 ounces (9.2Kg - just as much as I did when I was born) and was 20 inches and a half long.<br>This...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1292314/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1292314/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&title=David+Augustin+Bartos"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&title=David+Augustin+Bartos"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&t=David+Augustin+Bartos"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&title=David+Augustin+Bartos"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&t=David+Augustin+Bartos?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&title=David+Augustin+Bartos"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=David+Augustin+Bartos+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&title=David+Augustin+Bartos&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d456&t=David+Augustin+Bartos"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/1292314/swr3p/theobvious~David-Augustin-Bartos.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090922095930_david_augustin.jpg"><br/> As the title says it, this is David Augustin Bartos, our third child and first son. He was born Saturday morning after only two and a half hours from the time the contractions started. For those who care for these details, he weighed 9 pounds and 4 ounces (9.2Kg - just as much as I did when I was born) and was 20 inches and a half long. <br />This photo is pretty much just as shot with my D300 and 18-70mm lens, hence the vignette; should I have used my 50mm or 80-200mm lenses, the vignette would have been much less noticeable. The nice thing about the 18-70mm lens is that it focuses much closer than any of my other lenses (except the 11-16mm). <br />I am hoping to have more photos of David (at least) to post on The Obvious, but nothing is certain at this time. I am working on finishing/editing several weddings we shot in the last month, plus finishing up things at the studio, which is almost done. Although it may not sound like a big deal to you, for a guy that has never had to do any type of construction, remodeling a 100 year old office is quite a big deal... <br />Thanks for stopping by! <br />Titus Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:59 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=456 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/966204/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090829160129_murfreesboro_city_court.jpg"><br> I have been wanting to take a more "artistic" photo of the Murfreesboro Square ever since I started photography. I have had several attempts in the past, but the more time passes since I took the photos, the more I look back and dislike them. Today&#039;s photo is nowhere close to what I have in mind, but it is (IMO) better than my previous...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/966204/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/966204/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&title=Murfreesboro+City+Court"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&title=Murfreesboro+City+Court"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&t=Murfreesboro+City+Court"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&title=Murfreesboro+City+Court"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&t=Murfreesboro+City+Court?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&title=Murfreesboro+City+Court"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Murfreesboro+City+Court+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&title=Murfreesboro+City+Court&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d455&t=Murfreesboro+City+Court"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/966204/swr3p/theobvious~Murfreesboro-City-Court.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090829160129_murfreesboro_city_court.jpg"><br/> I have been wanting to take a more "artistic" photo of the Murfreesboro Square ever since I started photography. I have had several attempts in the past, but the more time passes since I took the photos, the more I look back and dislike them. Today's photo is nowhere close to what I have in mind, but it is (IMO) better than my previous attempts. <br />I did quite a bit of editing on the photo, but most of it had to do with small details (left buildings especially) and in spite of the many hours I edited it, it really looks very similar to the original photo. I don't have time to post the original version now, but I will come back to this entry and write more about the post processing. <br />One thing that I do regret, is that I didn't frame the photo around the road rather than the building. I think the reflection on the street is much more interesting than anything that is happening in the sky, especially since it was still raining. Perhaps if the sunset had "grown", I would have thought of different angles/framing, but as it was, everything happened within 5 minutes. <br />Anyway, I have to go for now, but I will come back and edit this post in a couple of days or so. There are a couple of really exciting things going on in our lives right now, and I don't think I will have much time to post new photos over the next couple of weeks, but you never know. I do have at least two other photos from yesterday's sunset that I will post later on this week. <br />Thanks for stopping by! <br />Titus Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:01 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=455 <font color="#06427F" ><p><Img align="left" border="0" height="1" width="1" style="border:0;float:left;margin:0;" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/i/909411/swr3p/theobvious"><img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090821122857_sonia asleep.jpg"><br> This is our almost three year old (her birthday is tomorrow), and yes... she is sleeping. Sonia is going through the stage where she will stay up quite a while after we put her to bed, but at least she stays in her room and plays quietly. Every now and then we find her asleep in some weird, un-natural position... like last night.<br>As soon as...<p><a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/909411/swr3p/theobvious">Read the whole entry...</a> <!-- _!fbztxtlnk!_ http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/909411/swr3p/theobvious -->&raquo;</p></font> <div style="clear:both;"><a title="Add to Delicious" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&title=Sleeping+Sonia"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/delicious.jpg"></a> <a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&title=Sleeping+Sonia"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/digg.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to FaceBook" href="http://facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&t=Sleeping+Sonia"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/facebook.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Google Bookmarks" href="http://google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&bkmk=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&title=Sleeping+Sonia"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/google.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to My Space" href="http://myspace.com/modules/postto/pages/?l=3&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&t=Sleeping+Sonia?&c="><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/myspace.jpg"></a> <a title="Stumble This" href="http://stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&title=Sleeping+Sonia"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/stumble.jpg"></a> <a title="Add a Technorati Favorite" href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/technorati.jpg"></a> <a title="Tweet This" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Sleeping+Sonia+http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/twitter.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Windows Live" href="http://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?marklet=1&mkt=en-us&url=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&title=Sleeping+Sonia&top=1"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/live.jpg"></a> <a title="Add to Yahoo Bookmarks" href="http://bookmarks.yahoo.com/toolbar/savebm?opener=tb&u=http%3a%2f%2ftheobviousphoto.com%2findex.php%3fshowimage%3d454&t=Sleeping+Sonia"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/icons/yahoo.jpg"></a> <a title="Subscribe by email" href="http://feedblitz.com/f?Track=http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious&publisher=14593420"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/email.gif"></a> <a title="Subscribe by RSS" href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/theobvious"><img height="16" border="0" src="http://assets.feedblitz.com/images/rss.gif"></a> </div> http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/909411/swr3p/theobvious~Sleeping-Sonia.php <img src="http://theobviousphoto.com/thumbnails/thumb_20090821122857_sonia asleep.jpg"><br/> This is our almost three year old (her birthday is tomorrow), and yes... she is sleeping. Sonia is going through the stage where she will stay up quite a while after we put her to bed, but at least she stays in her room and plays quietly. Every now and then we find her asleep in some weird, un-natural position... like last night. <br />As soon as Laura called me I knew there was a memorable photo waiting to happen. As I got my gear ready (Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens and SB-900 flash) I begun thinking about framing, lighting, etc. and I realized it would be very hard to take a plausible photo that shows the exact context Sonia was in. There is about one foot (12 inches) between her bed and an old chest, so I didn't have much room to play with other lenses, and that's why I chose the 11-16mm. The first photo I took was OK, but not convincing enough. You can see it here. I lit the room with a Nikon SB-900 flash, but there was too much light, too many details, etc. So I brought in an umbrella and set it up on the opposite side of the bed. This time the photo looked much more like what I had in mind, but there were still too many details and the light was still too bright in the background. I should mention that the flash was zoomed out at 200mm, relatively close to the umbrella. Here is the second shot. <br />What I really wanted for this shot to turn out perfect from start, was a softbox, but "with the way things are with the economy..." (you get the point). So I settled for an improvised snoot, since I am too cheap to buy a pre-made one. Usually when I am on location, I find the closest cardboard box and transform it into a snoot that meets my needs for that particular situation. In this case, there was no box around, or time to look for one (wife recycles...), so I grabbed my camera bag padding and improvised quickly something that proved to work quite nicely. You can see the ghetto snoot here. I promised the Wife (due to deliver any day now) that I will paint the baby room in our new house and I got her to hold the umbrella stand (support legs closed) above Sonia, and Voila! the photo turned out exactly as I wanted it. See the original here. A little curve adjustment, color balance, and pasting here and there, and the photo was all done. <br />And here I did it again... simple photo, obvious lighting, and long description. Sorry ;). I am getting to the stage where I know what I want my photos to look like, I have (somewhat) the necessary equipment, and I am beginning to get them right after several tries. That is huge! If you don't believe me, try it yourself :). <br />In any case, if you think my insights are helpful in any way, follow me on Twitter for daily, sometimes hourly advice on photography. I am not the greatest technician or artist, but I enjoy sharing my progress with people who are one step or more behind me. Follow @titusbartos. <br />Many thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think about today's photo, or if you have similar photos, feel free to post a link in the comment area. <br />Titus Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:28 -0500 http://theobviousphoto.com/index.php?showimage=454