Category Archives: HDR
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” -Charles Dickens
Charleston Lilies
Working on images of Charleston’s spring bloom has been a great way to warm me on the chilly winter mornings.
Charleston Photographic Workshop Tour
April 2 – April 6, 2017
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Leave a comment | tags: Charleston Photographic Workshop, Paul Christopher James, Topaz Clarity | posted in Adobe CS6, Azaleas, Charleston, Charleston Photographic Workshop, F-Stop, HDR, Mirror Lakes, Paul Christopher James, Time exposures, Topaz Clarity, Topaz labs
Sunrise anywhere on the planet is always a great time to start shooting. The rain and mist mixed with this morning’s soft light in Michigan would have made for great location shooting. With a little luck we will have a variety of weather for the Italian and French workshops coming up in 6 weeks.
Awakening – Montepulciano, Italy
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Click here to get to my Links page for the 15% off discount code for any of the Topaz products
Leave a comment | tags: Italian Photographic Workshop, Paul Christopher James, Topaz Clarity, Tuscany photo workshop | posted in Cinque Terre, Cinque Terre photo workshop, Florence, Focus Stack, HDR, lavender fields, Lens Correction, Lightroom, Montepulciano, Perspective, Photographic Workshops, Photoshop, Provence Photo Workshop, San Gimignano, Selective focus, Siena, Topaz Clarity, Topaz labs, Tuscan Photo Workkshop, Tuscan Vineyard, Val d'Orcia, Wheat fields
In the mid 70’s I was a navigator for the Navy and we still had an old chart that actually had “Here Be Dragons” labeled on it. Even though it was more for fun that someone had left an old chart in the chart drawer, it still sparked the fantasy that there may still be a sleeping dragon somewhere in the world.
Sleeping Dragon – Southwest workshop
When I finally found a sleeping dragon, it reaffirmed that there is still magic in the world. In November I will be revisiting him during the Southwest workshop to see what his fire will do to the sky at sunset.
This is a two shot HDR Panoramic processed in Lightroom. After merging the images I popped the contrast and color using Topaz Clarity.
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2 Comments | tags: Digital Photographic Workshop, Paul Christopher James, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity, Topaz Labs | posted in Devil's Fire, HDR, Lightroom, Panoramic, Photographic Workshops, Photoshop CS6, Sleeping Dragon, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity, Topaz Labs
Everyone has surrealistic experiences and we say “wasn’t that amazing?”. Photographers search for places like Mono Lake where we can have that experience as we enjoy a special sunrise, the light changing over ancient lakes and mountain ranges. After these brisk morning shoots as I am relaxing over breakfast, my thinking is usually like that of an excited little kid; let’s do it again!!
Southwest Photographic Workshop Tour March 13 – March 17, 2016
Mono Lake Sunrise
Shooting into the sun created a lot of noise in the shadow areas which I was able to recover using DeNoise 6.
Topaz DeNoise is designed to let you shoot anywhere in any light and still get crisp, clear and noise-free images. Specializing in extremely noisy high ISO images, DeNoise removes distracting image noise while preserving image detail, giving you the image you wanted without the noise you don�t.
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Leave a comment | posted in HDR, High Sierras, Lightroom, Mono Lake, Photographic Workshops, Photoshop, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz DeNoise 6, Topaz Labs, Valley of Fire
One of my favorite images in Venice to photograph is the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, commonly known simply as La Salute, is one of the largest churches of Venice and has the status of a minor basilica. It stands in a prominent position at the junction between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco on the lagoon.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice
When I am on location shooting with clients the two questions I am asked the most are why I pick a location to shoot and why I return to many of the same locations over the years.
The answers to both of these questions are simple. Foregrounds matter! The locations provide some of the most exceptional foregrounds a photographer can capture no matter what the weather conditions. This allows each group to come home with images that can hang on their wall. Often when we are shooting in the morning and evening the magic happens and we capture some of the best sunrises and sunsets that I have ever seen.
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Leave a comment | tags: Digital Photographic Workshop, Italian Photographic Workshop, Topaz Labs, Venice Photo Workshop | posted in Caffe Florian, Doge's Palace, Gondola, HDR, Italian Photographic Workshop, Lightroom, Nik Software, Panoramic, Photographic Workshops, Rialto Bridge, Santa Maria della Salute, Topaz Clarity, Topaz labs, Venice Carnival Photo Workshop
I hate to leave 2015 behind, it has been a year filled with family, new and old friends, travel and wonderful new images. Whether your New Year’s Eve is filled with City Lights or Quiet Meditation, I hope you ring in the New Year with peace and joy in your heart!!
Heaven and Earth – Valley of Fire
City Lights – Las Vegas
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Leave a comment | tags: Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Labs | posted in HDR, Las Vegas, Lightroom, Navajo Nation, Nevada, Nik Software, Paul Christopher James, Photoshop CS6, Pink Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Workshops, Topaz Labs, Valley of Fire
Before the Southwest Workshop started, I was able to spent 5 days capturing images in the High Sierras with my friend Craig Osterloh. On one of our sunrise shoots we caught fresh snow on Mount Whitney.
Morning Light on Mount Whitney in the High Sierras
The Sierra runs 400 miles (640 km) north-to-south, and is approximately 70 miles (110 km) across east-to-west. Notable Sierra features include Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America; Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), the highest point in the contiguous United States; and Yosemite Valley, sculpted by glaciers out of one-hundred-million-year-old granite. The Sierra is home to three national parks, twenty wilderness areas, and two national monuments. These areas include Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks and Devils Postpile National Monument.
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Leave a comment | tags: Paul Christopher James, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity | posted in HDR, High Sierras, Lightroom, Mount Whitney, Panoramic, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity