March 27, 2025
Atlanta Meet-up is Open for Registration
We invite all interested Nikonians members to sign up for our first face-to-face meetup of the year in Atlanta Georgia USA. We have a full day planned for Saturday April 26 that includes field photography, social interaction and classroom learning at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in suburban Roswell.
The registration fee is $75.
For more information see:
25th Nikonians Anniversary Meet-up in Atlanta - April 27
We hope to see you there!
Posted by dm1dave at 3:37 PM
March 24, 2025
Behind The Image Weekly - Raccoon Cub
Raccoon Cub by Barry Higgins (bhiggins) This raccoon cub was photographed late in the day in January with the D500 and the first edition of the Tamron SP 150-600 lens.
The full framing of the original mage is shown below as well as the capture EXIF information. The sun was setting given the time of 4:00PM in January here in the Northeast. The direction of the low angle light however was favorable being off the left side of the subject on a slight diagonal to direct. Although the shutter was on 1/250th and I shoot hand held I accepted the settings preferring not to raise the ISO any greater than 1600 (my D500 preferred routine threshold for acceptable noise). Below is a screen grab of the Un-Edited RAW capture in camera.
From previous experience with the subject I knew how close I could get before it disappeared UP inside the hollow tree. As you can see there is a rather distracting branch running across the opening which I was prepared to have to work on cloning out in the final post processing after cropping for composition. It is a pretty big crop for a D500 image and hand held slow shutter image but the detail was there. So you see can in the original to which I added a rectangle outline to show the cropped area and the extent of the cloning performed. I feel strongly it was worth the effort and with practice takes less time than you might think.
It is important to share that my use of Lightroom is limited by comparison to many. I use it for file management, cataloging, and basic processing for exposure, tone and color. I do not use it for brush work, cloning, sharpening, or noise reduction. For those features I rely on Photoshop and external specialty software. Cloning out of a moderate large area of branch has me digging into my artist skills and focused attention which is why I do not use Lightrooms implementation. I am very care to pick my section area carefully selecting the "from" area to be similar on DOF plane, color and light and texture. It is especially important to me to to observe the random nature of say background bark looking at the bark patterns, color, natural fissures. I never use large sample and cloning areas preferring to keep the randomness of nature while maintaing the flow of the textures and features. I use a smaller sized brush with a soft edge to prevent the brushwork from creating hard edges. The opacity of the sample stamp I keep somewhere between 50 and 80%. I rather use frequent clicks on the mouse to build the opaqueness of the cloned area stopping when it appears natural..... Like birds in flight.... a lot of clicks often gets you a better results.
Final Color Crop and Edit
The conversion as I indicated was done using Nik Collection Silver EFX. I work on robust but aging Mac platform circa 2011 and all my apps are old standalone with the exception of the speciality software for noise reduction. I prefer to use the standalone versions for improved performance over the plugin versions. While I know this is a lot of steps and apps to process an image I have been using this workflow for so long I can do it efficiently. My average time to process a single image is about 3-5 minutes with moderate edit requirements. This image probably took me about 10 minutes total to finished jpg. Used the default "Natural" preset as my starting point and then made the following adjustments (see screen grab to the raw B/W conversion to maximize the tonal range of the gray scale. The image got some final adjust meant of the gamma in Photoshop before resize and sharpening for posting. Going back to my B/W film days I used to carry a full range of colored filters to give the in camera capture an artistic boost. As you can see I used a green filter despite the lack of green in the original capture. Here I was using it to enhance the textural properties of the tree bark and mid tones of the fur. With software filtering don't have to go with your first instinct give them all a try and check how they work with your image and elect the one that gives you the result you are looking for.
Final Conversion - Keep in mind this was a re-do the edit for this posting so differences are likely to be present between it and the original B/W posting.
Hope this has given you all some food for thought, I enjoyed sharing it with you.
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
March 17, 2025
Behind The Image Weekly - Mid-Century Industrial Transportation
Behind The Image Weekley - Mid-Century Industrial Transportation by Brian Wong (blw)
Moving vast quantities of raw and finished materials was one of the essential parts of the industrial transformation that occurred in the west between about 1850 and 1950.
Most of that was accomplished by railroads, particularly propelled by steam locomotives. That era ended in 1949, when the last commercially built steam locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.
To me, steam locomotives tell you more about what they're doing and how they're "feeling" than their diesel successors. You can see that they're working hard, or not. You can often tell if they're hungry (needing fuel). Sometimes you can see if they're impatient, or if they're feeling a bit under the weather.
This locomotive is that very last Baldwin steam locomotive. It spent decades on static display at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, before the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad undertook what turned out to be a $4.5m restoration. This is its first revenue trip since it was retired in 1956.
I learned about steam locomotives from books full of black-and-white pictures. Color pictures of the 1930s and 1940s are rare, so pictures of steam locomotives look wrong to me when they're in color, hence the choice of B&W rendering here.
Technical details: D850 with Sigma 70-200/f2.8 Sport at about 150mm. The f/4, 1/400th shutter speed required ISO 2000, which on the D850 is not problematic at all. (There is no noise reduction applied.) The processing is done in Lightroom and is pretty simple:
- lens corrections
- convert to B&W
- lower black level to achieve at least some small patches of full black
- raise white level to achieve very small patches of full white
- pull down highlights to assure that the full white areas are very small and only in the areas that "obviously" blow out, such as the lighted headlamp.
- there is very slight cropping
The only controversial edit is that I cloned out another fan's camera that was sitting on the ballast right in the frame.
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
March 12, 2025
25th Anniversary ANPAT - Maine
Celebrating our 25th anniversary, we are going to Maine this year with team lead and moderator Eric Bowles and co-founder Bo (bgs). We will be shooting a wide variety of photography at great locations.
Right after our Boston meet-up, we are taking off on Sunday 12-OCT-2025 for a week of shooting and camaraderie. We're going up to Boothbay Harbor area staying three nights and then to Acadia NP area for another three nights.
We have a total of 12 slots available for this trip to stay agile at the various locations -- first come first serve.
If you are interested to join, please fill out the Boston survey which is prompting the interest for the ANPAT as well.
Maine being on the US East Coast with only six hours time difference to Europe, we anticipate that some of our European based Nikonians will join us on this ANPAT as well.
We hope to see you there!
Posted by bgs at 8:31 AM
March 10, 2025
Behind The Image Weekly - Caddo Lake
Behind The Image Weekly - Caddo Lake by James Knighten (emi_fiend)
This image was shot at Caddo Lake in Northeast Texas - very near the Louisiana border. This lake is a large cypress swamp and photography is best done from a boat. Having never been to Caddo Lake before, I signed up for s photography workshop which allowed us to be on the water twice a day for three days.
I used a Nikon Z8 camera with the Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens. I also shot a lot with the Z 100-400mm, but not for this image. My shutter speed was 1/125 sec. Aperture was f/8. ISO was 1600. Our leader had recommended a shutter speed of 1/100, but I was concerned about camera motion. All shots were handheld. In addition, at our leader's recommendation, I shot bursts at 3 fps so that one shot may be sharper than the others.
In the swamp, I looked for shapes, patterns and color. This particular shot was of a cypress tree whose lower limb formed an arch over the water. There was mist rising from the water.
For post processing, I processed the raw image in Lightroom Classic with a Camera Neutral picture control so as to avoid the colors becoming too bright. I also used the Nik Tonal Contrast filter to add some contrast, but I only used a partial opacity so as to not overcook the image.
I recommend the Caddo Lake location to landscape photographers. It is an out of the ordinary landscape. You must be on a boat to get good images.
Thanks for looking.
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
March 5, 2025
March 2025 Contests Updated
The contests for March are all open. Silver Gold, and Platinum members are eligible to join.
Here at Nikonians we have 5 monthly competitions and our monthly photo assignment. The winners will be recognized in our blog and will receive a printable Certificate of Photographic Achievement.
These monthly contests are the preliminary rounds for Nikonians 25th Anniversary Contest.
Special Editions:
Monthly - Master Your Vision:
Wildlife - The color Blue
Landscape - Paths Through the woods
Close-up/Macro - Tools and Machines
Travel - Wide Open Spaces
Digital Artistry - Flowers and Floral Manipulation
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Online Assignment:
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) or Creative Blur
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Please vote in the polls for last month's contests.
All registered members can vote.
Wildlife - Photobombed
Landscape - Built in Nature
Close-up/Macro - Vivid Color
Travel - Cityscapes
Digital Artistry - Abstract Reflections
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An up-to-date list of all Contests and online assignments can be found at the link below.
We look forward to seeing your work.
Posted by dm1dave at 7:44 PM
March 3, 2025
First cities for meet-ups set - Will you be there?
The first cities for our meet-ups in 2025 celebrating our 25th anniversary have been scheduled. The event will be a combined half-day learning in a class-room setting followed by the afternoon being out shooting together while having a good time. The detailed agenda is still being worked on and will be announced as soon as ready. Please help us by filling out the interest surveys.
We want as many as possible to be able to join the meet-ups, celebrating the community and friendship. The anticipated participation fee, to cover the cost for the room we'll rent and snacks provided, will be as low as possible, in the neighborhood of 50-80 USD/CAD/EUR/GBP per person and anyone can participate, no matter membership level.
A valid Nikonians membership is required and once the agenda has been set, all who have participated in the interest survey will receive an invitation link to the meet up. We are working strictly on a first-come-first serve basis.
If you potentially will participate at one (or several) of the meet-ups, please fill out our short survey (link below, opens a Google form in a new window) for each location and let us know including what you shoot and want to learn. Please fill out as soon as feasible since this helps us plan the event.
I am interested and maybe I will participate:
Atlanta, GA, USA on Saturday 26-APR-2025
Please indicate your interests by filling out the Atlanta survey
London, UK on Saturday 31-MAY-2025
Please indicate your interests by filling out the London survey
Montreal, QC, CA on Saturday 09-AUG-2025
Please indicate your interests by filling out the Montreal survey
Athens, Greece on Saturday 13-SEP-2025
Please indicate your interests by filling out the Athens survey
Chicago on Saturday 20-SEP-2025
Please indicate your interests by filling out the Chicago survey
Boston on Saturday 11-OCT-2025
Please indicate your interests by filling out the Boston survey
Note: You can combine Boston with our 25th anniversary ANPAT to Maine with Bothbay Harbor and Arcadia NP 12-18 October. See the survey for additional info on this.
Maybe extend to a full weekend?
The date mentioned is for a Saturday, which is the main day of the event. Members coming in from further afar are likely coming in Friday evening and should have the chance to get together that evening. Some might stay on until Sunday and go out shooting together again.
Other cities being in an early planning stage
As soon as we have dates set for more cities we'll send out an update on this where you can respond. These cities are in an early planning stage:
- Chicago - 20-SEP-2025
- Denver - Q3-2025
- New York City and/or larger area NY. Q3-2025
Europe:
- Athens, Greece (mid/late September 2025)
We expect several more cities to be added this year. Next newsletter update should be out in the next approx two weeks from now. Please make sure you are reading our newsletter :-)
Discussions
We discuss our meet-ups in the Nikonians Trips and Workshops forum
Posted by bgs at 9:27 AM
Behind The Image Weekly - Psychedelic Wine Glasses
Psychedelic Wine Glasses by Darryl Hodson (skibreeze7)
Background....Back in my film days, I had attempted my hand at shooting table-top glassware photography, and quickly learned that you can get some interesting visual effects with the refraction of background elements if the glassware is filled with some sort of liquid.
I also learned that repeated patterns in a given background will add to the visual impact of any liquid-filled glassware. This was exemplified when I placed a plastic dimpled ceiling panel as my backdrop, and was pleasantly pleased with the resultant combination of a patterned backdrop and water-filled glass refraction, as well as employing back-lighting for illumination of the image.
Two decades later, I again tried out glassware photography with my digital camera gear, and quickly realized how much I could improve this sort of photography, if one had an interesting backdrop for this type of table-top photography. I had this same realization with regard to macro photography, in that I was trying to figure out how to come up with some interesting backdrops for a macro subject, with an appealing out-of-focus background if one was shooting macro in an artificially controlled environment.
In the past, a number of macro photographers were using colorfully patterned fabric that they had picked up at a fabric store, or had purchased art posters for an artificial backdrop to photograph their macro subjects. I decided that I wasn't too keen on purchasing a bunch of backdrops for my photographic needs, and started brainstorming how I could achieve the same result at a much cheaper cost.
It was then that I came up with the idea of using my computer monitor as a backdrop, and merely going through my archived images to come up with a colorfully patterned background for my table-top glassware images. After spending some time going through my "Backgrounds" folder, it soon dawned on me that I really didn't have any images worthy of a backdrop for my glassware photography.
That led to me having to start from scratch, and come up with a background pattern utilizing an image software program such as Photoshop. So, I created a blank canvas in PS, and just kept manipulating its tools and filters until a came up with a pattern I liked. I repeated this process, coming up with a variety of backgrounds, both in pattern and color. An examination of a number of my other glassware images will see this similar technique.
(Note...although I came up with this concept on my own, other photographers have been employing this same technique, and have actually superseded me by taking advantage of their HD flatscreen tv's, instead of a computer monitor.)
Having said that, this particular background for this image was an image from my archives, that I heavily manipulated in PS to come up with a vividly colorful background.
Setup....The background pattern you see is actually on my computer monitor. I placed a scrap piece of black plexiglass that I had picked up at our local glass shop on my computer desk, and then put a couple of books under it to raise the plexiglass a few inches from the desktop to hide the bottom of the frame of the monitor.
I then placed the wine glasses on the plexiglass, filled them with water from a separate container, and then wiped away any water drops off the glasses with a paper towel. I moved my computer chair out of the way, set the camera and tripod up just inches from my computer desk, and purposefully lowered the camera to a height just high enough to get a decent reflection of the wine glasses in the plexiglass. I did my best do align the stem of the center wine glass to match the center pattern of the background image. To my surprise and delight, the refraction from the center wine glass further transformed the refraction from the back two wine glasses.
At the camera angle that I chose for this shot, you can see that the glasses actually protrude a bit higher than the top of my computer monitor. I didn't mind too much, however, because I liked the rim-lighting (literally) of the rims of the glasses on a black background.
Post-processing: Because the colors, saturation and vividness of the background image on my computer monitor were accentuated enough, I didn't really have to enhance the image in post-processing with regard to those settings. What I did do, however, was spend a considerable amount of time cloning out air bubbles, dust spots and scratches from all three glasses, as well as any extraneous light reflections that were in the original image.
I've suffered from OCD since childhood (before OCD was even a diagnosis-think Howard Hughes), so it's not unusual for me to spend an hour just getting rid of dust spots, air bubbles, raindrops and scratches in an image.
Nikon D800, 16-35VR @ 17mm, F/16, 10 seconds, ISO 100
God bless,
Darry Hodson
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
March 1, 2025
Nikonians 25th Birthday Contest
Let's celebrate Nikonians birthday on April 30th by showing us some of your best photos. The top 3 photographers will receive a 1 year membership extension at the Gold level.
This is an open theme contest, all subjects and styles of photography are acceptable.
Open for entries until April 15. Winners will be announced on Nikonians birthday, April 30.
The contest is open to Silver, Gold and Platinum members.
If you are currently a basic member there is still time to upgrade your membership and join the competition.
The Nikonians team will choose three images as winners.
We are looking forward to seeing your best work!
Good luck!!!
Posted by dm1dave at 4:04 AM
February 24, 2025
Behind The Image Weekly - Mystic Horse
Mystic Horse by Tom Egel (tegel)
This photo was taken in 2016 on a trip to Iceland. I had recently started doing a lot more photography after purchasing a Df and a few manual focus lenses. This was my also first photography workshop trip, so I was excited for the opportunity to photograph that amazing country.
I was out for a walk one morning and came across a pasture with some horses. One of then was quite curious and came over to check me out. I used my 50mm f/1.2 Ai-s lens wide open from just a few feet away with a fence separating us. The light was quite flat and overcast, so I thought it might work well in black and white.
I had actually forgotten about this photo until recently when our local camera club announced they were looking for prints for an exhibition. I found this in the archives and wanted to see what I could do it with some of the new AI enhanced tools. The 50/1.2 has never been described as sharp wide open, but Topaz AI Sharpen was able to provide just enough extra detail around the head area. I also experimented with the new Lens Blur tool in Lightroom. The DoF was already quite shallow due to the aperture, but the tool was able to soften some of the background ever so slightly to help improve the image.
I entered it as a 10x15 print framed and matted and many people commented that it was one of the highlights of the exhibition. Fortunately, no one purchased it, so now I have it hanging on my wall .
Df + 50mm f/1.2 Ai-s | 1/125s @ f/1.2 | ISO 1600 | Handheld
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
February 18, 2025
Nikonians Meet Up 2025
We are meeting up in several cities throughout the US, Canada and Europe in 2025.
We are in the planning stage for several "Nikonians City Meet-Up's" where we'll be getting together face-2-face this year with the chance to get to know each other a bit better, to learn and to go out and shoot.
Are you able to help?
For this single-day event we are looking for members with organizational talent who are willing and able to volunteer to the org-team.
Are you interested in participating on the Nikonians Org Team to help organizing this? Your physical presence is required on at least one of the locations, no matter if you are helping organizing more than just that event.
Send team member bgs a private message or post a reply in one of the threads linked at the end of this post.
The basic idea
We would book a conference room in a hotel for a Saturday morning, where we get to know each other, have some good learning opportunities with presentations and then go out shooting some target rich areas in the afternoon. Some members would arrive to the hotel/conference area Friday afternoon/evening already. Some members probably end up going out for a trip on Sunday as well.
The idea is to be open for all members, no matter membership level. We anticipate a small participation fee to support coffee/tea/water, snacks and the conference room.
More info on US and Canadian cities
Posted by bgs at 12:05 PM
February 17, 2025
Behind The Image Weekly - I See You
Behind The Image - I See You by Pat Husband (Second Hand Pat)
Have you ever seen an image where you said to yourself, I would love to create something like that? This happened to me during one of the competitions at my local camera club where an entry was a close up portrait of a flamingo. It was beautiful and intimate with beautiful subtle details. I wanted something like this and bad.
So the only flamingos nearby are at Gatorland which is a rookery and gator farm with some captive animals. Florida does get wild flamingos but they are rarely seen. So after one of the early morning shoots at the rookery I headed for the flamingos on my way out. I had my D850 and the 80-400 lens. The flamingos are pretty close and the surroundings are not great. There is spot where you can get a dark background so I setup and waited.
I do not recall if I shot from a tripod. I generally don't. Just seems to get in the way and slows me down lol. The settings are in the EXIF. I am a manual shooter so adjust accordingly for the spot. I took several images. I was lucky that the light was soft. The images I took were close up of the head with the bird interacting with it's feathers against the darker background.
Once I got home and looked at the images in LR I knew this image was "the one". It need very little PP except to darken the background. I added a brush and bumped up the texture and a bit of clarity to the neck area. At least that is what I remember. Sorry I could not be more detailed.
D850 | 80-400 @ 400mm
1/250s | f/5.6 | ISO-400
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
February 10, 2025
Behind The Image Weekly - Within The Oculus
Behind The Image Weekly - Within The Oculus
by Shari Wilkinson (BelleInPA)
We arrived in NYC by train. Our final stop was at The Oculus which is the new transportation hub home to subway lines, The World Trade Center PATH, shopping, dining and art displays.
The architecture in fantastic and I could have spent hours taking pictures in this masterpiece. I won't go into it here, but if you have an interest, look up the thought behind the design - very interesting.
This picture was taken while walking after deboarding from the train. I used a D500 with a Nikon 18-140mm @18mm, ISO 2000, 1/60s, white balance-auto and RAW.
The picture straight out of the camera was a little underexposed, with a warm tint. Because I used such a high ISO, there was a little noise, not a lot, but I knew I was going to want some contrast which would accentuate the noise, so I processed the RAW image in DxO Pure Raw. I exported from there into Lightroom Classic. I went to Lens Correction and checked the Remove Chromatic Aberration and Enable Profile Corrections boxes to correct lens distortion. Because the picture was all about the lines and angles, I went to Transform and auto corrected the Vertical and Horizontal lines. I autocorrected the White Balance and pushed the Highlight slider all the way to the left and the Shadow slider all the way to the right. I brought the exposure up to about +.99. I then exported to Photoshop.
There were people in the right side of the picture - I wanted them out and I wanted the arches and the right angle of the structure to lead directly into the upper right corner. I used the original 4:6 ration and cropped to make sure the leading lines of the roof, the grout line of the tile floor and the glass railing all led the eyes to the end of the hallway, all while taking out the distraction of the people.
I went into Camera Raw in Photoshop and moved the Clarity slider and Dehaze slider to the right for more contrast in the steel structure (which will also lower exposure slightly). I then imported into Nik Collection Sliver Efex Pro2 and chose High Structure Smooth. Once back into PS, the picture still looked a little underexposed., so I moved the exposure slider to the right making sure I didn't expose to the point of losing the light of the structure to the light coming in the upper left corner. It sounds like a lot of PP, but all were subtle, however, they did make a difference in the final picture.
The Oculus is a beautiful piece of architecture and a pleasure to photograph.
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM
February 3, 2025
Behind the Image Weekly - Night Vision
Behind the Image - Night Vision by David Soderlund (DaveSoderlund)
This photograph is from a IR photography workshop in Joshua Tree National Park led by Penelope Taylor. One of her specialties is night (actually, very early morning) IR photography of the desert under moonlight. Accordingly, we were on the road into the park by 4:30 am for three consecutive days.
Photographing the desert under moonlight was extremely challenging because it is impossible to see what you are shooting through the camera. Penelope would say "There's a composition over there" and we'd set up our tripods, choose an arbitrary (long) exposure, shoot, and then review the image to figure out what we'd actually photographed. Achieving some sort of acceptable composition was an iterative process of shooting, reviewing, and changing the camera position, focal length, and settings -- all while hoping that the pre-set manual focus of the lens was accurate. Needless to say, "keepers" were few and far between. By the time this photograph was taken (not long before sunrise) the stars had faded and there was enough light to see, more or less, what I was doing.
Here is the original image, with minimal processing in Lightroom: application of a custom camera profile to achieve correct white balance; adjustments to highlights (set to 0) and shadows (set to 100); and small amounts of clarity and dehaze.
Z5 (720nm IR), Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 s @ 27mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/15 sec.
I developed the image using a Photoshop workflow taught by Penelope during the workshop, which involves three successive adjustment layers: (1) Channel Mixer (red and blue channel swap); (2) Black & White (no adjustments to this layer at this point); and (3) Gradient Map (selecting "Classic" under Method and "Black and White" from the Basic options under the gradient pull-down menu). After that, I returned to the Black & White layer to make minor adjustments using the color sliders. (This is also part of my basic B&W workflow in Lightroom for both visible light and IR images.)
After these Photoshop adjustments I returned the image to Lightroom for further processing. I applied a tone curve to increase contrast and cropped the image to a square format (the left side of the image was boring!). To finish the image I applied two masks: (1) Select Sky (reduced Exposure, boosted Whites, added Clarity); (2) Radial Gradient on the large foreground rock formation (increased Highlights and Texture). The final touches were selective sharpening and a slight vignette. Here's the final image:
Posted by dm1dave at 2:00 AM