Gary Muth.... is a self certified master photographer and artist living in his own reality. Enjoy my works, maybe learn a few tips.
Tunnel View for the Billionth time
This is called the tunnel view at Yosemite National Park. I was looking for a dramatic image of this magnificent scene so I shot in B&W. The overlook was crowded with many tourists, like me, trying to get that epic image that Ansel Adams has made so iconic. One could only hope he would be flattered that so many people want to emulate him. They say copying is the greatest form of flattery. I would guess this image is only one of the billions of images taken from this spot.
Feeding Nuthatch
Our resident nuthatch prefers C&S High Energy Suet Cakes during the cold winter months. While feeding this guy still has time to ham it up for the camera. Quick shot in our backyard with Nikon D3 with 70-200mm 2.8 lens. Iso 800, 1/800 at f-4, -0.33 exposure compensation. Raw conversion with Aurora HDR Pro with additional exposure and color adjustments in Photoshop CC.
Too Late Almost
I had plans to visit New York on January 23rd but winter storm Jonas made me wait until the weekend after. One, glad I did because the streets were clogged with snow. Two, regrets because by the time I got there the park was trampled. Here are a few I got in Central Park on the 31st a week later.
On Broadway
This interesting building was on Broadway and 73rd St. in NYC. What I love most about the Canon powershot hs50 sx is the zoom. The small lightweight camera zoom is perfect for travel photography. Saves me from carrying a lot of gear. I was very unhappy when Canon butchered the new model. As a real photographer I would gladly give up all the gimmicky gadgets meaning the scene modes, face detection, and so on and keep the real stuff like raw format, flash mount, faster focusing. Just my opinion.
Who You Gonna Call
My recent trip to New York City I got a chance to photograph the famous apartment building that was possessed by Zuul the Gatekeeper of Gozer in the 1984 Ghostbuster movie. I took a few creative liberties and added some effects to the images.
Tips for Birding in Florida
Things you need to get right when photographing birds. Always have the eyes sharp. Make sure the bird is showing a frontal or side view. Always get a proper exposure. This white egret is very difficult to capture all it's details in the white feathers against the blue background, but when done right it looks awesome.
Race Day
This image is one I shot last year at Presque Isle Raceway in Erie. I wanted to re-work it with new Aurora HDR pro software.
Lucy.....I'm home
I just had to stop and grab this picture. I was in Jamestown,NY the birth place of the great comedian Lucille Ball and I saw this mural and just couldn't resist snapping a picture. Everyone my age grew up watching episode after episode of I Love Lucy. This mural depicts Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel driving in a convertible having a great time. Such great comedians and such great memories. The mural is huge and painted on the side of a three story building on Harrison Street right across from Friendly's Restaurant.
Who Stinks ?
Halyomorpha halys - brown marmorated stink bug. I used focus stacking for this guy. I took 55 images at varied focus depths and stacked the images in zerene stacker. The image was then finished off in Photoshop CC. Canon powershot SX50 HS w/ Raynor 250 ISO 80 f-8 @ 1/400 sec. Two SB600 speedlights @ 1/64 power, focus rail.
Using HDR for Depth and Detail.
You can use HDR photography to bring out depth and detail. This image was made using 5 bracketed shots at -1 stop intervals. I merged these images in Aurora HDR Pro and over saturated some of the colors to broaden the tonal value of my image. I finished it in Photoshop CC by creating a new adjustment layer in B&W and adjusting color tones individually until I got the desired result.
Foggy Morning at Martins Mill
Don't let the weather control when you shoot. Often inclement weather like rain or fog will add dramatic impact or interest to your photos. Just make sure you protect your equipment for the conditions you are shooting.
Martins Mill Bridge
I love to photograph covered bridges. It just makes good sense to find as many interesting angles of the bridge as you can. I walk the banks up and down the creek on both sides until I find the right place to plant a tripod. This Greencastle bridge was made in 1849. It is no longer in use and closed off to traffic. The early morning fog gives these images added appeal.
Sach's Bridge, Gettysburg
When I got to this bridge it was raining and getting dark quickly. I used my Nikon D3 with a 24-85mm at f-8, iso 200. I mounted the camera on a tripod so I could drag the shutter to pull in all the ambient light I could catch. I then used a micro fiber clothe to cover the lens and camera and also used it to clean rain water from the lens. I bracketed five exposures and merged them in Aurora HDR Pro and finished off the image in Photoshop CC.
Chambersburg Christmas Tree
Evening shot of the town square in Chambersburg, Pa. I used three -1 stop exposure bracket and merged them with Aurora HDR Pro.
Always Protect Your Gear
The falls attract many gulls because the food is plentiful. Occasionally you can spot a peregrine falcon in the gorge. Niagara Falls always has something interesting to offer. This image was taken from the Maid of the Mist. You will get very wet on that boat so make sure your equipment is well protected. I used large zip lock clear bag to cover my camera. Snipped a corner off just big enough to squeeze the lens through then capped the lens with a clear UV filter. Make sure to bring a micro fiber clothe to wipe the lens of water droplets frequently because the mist is fierce down there.
American Falls
Dramatic image of Niagara Falls. I prefer to shoot my falls images from low angles to show power and impact in my images. This image was taken from the Maid of the Mist boat passing by the American falls in the lower gorge. I converted it to black and white for more impact.
Central Park in New York City
I used a R79 filter on my camera to get the wintery effect while on a recent trip to New York. The R79 filter is a very deep red piece of glass and you will need to use a tripod and longer shutter speeds to get correct exposure. Your image will be red and white if your in color mode on camera so you either change the camera mode to black and white or convert to black and white in post processing later. These images benefit greatly with a boost in contrast.
Waterfalls and Photography
Waterfalls and photography go together like peanut butter and jelly. The falls come in all shapes and sizes and each one presents a different challenge. Large waterfalls like Niagara photograph better with shutter speeds around 1/4 sec or faster while smaller waterfalls have less volume of water photograph better at speeds of 1/4 sec or longer.
Aurora HDR Pro First Impressions
I have been using Aurora HDR Pro since it became available. You can purchase it at https://store.stuckincustoms.com/aurora-hdr-pro-holiday-bundle . Trey Ratcliff and the McPhun team have a winner here. This software is easy to use, has some awesome presets and with Trey's tutorials you can do your own style with ease. I like HDR but I am not a fan of the extreme HDR where photogs do the sky to dark and there are halos along the tree lines and way too much noise in their images. I am more of a perfectionist, I hate noise and I hate when images look too fake. This is all subjective and really just a matter of taste in what you prefer, so this is just my prefererences. This program converts RAW images seamlessly to the point I really don't need to convert with Adobe Camera Raw first. The bottom line is I may never use my old trusty standby, Photomatix to make an HDR image again. This new software is that good, buy it now and never look back. The only draw back is it's only for Mac users. One really cool feature is you can add a glow to highlights in your images without making the whole image ghostly looking. Here's a sample below of the glow look.
More of Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Here are a few more pictures I took of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York, New York. As we maneuvered around the tree through the crowds of people I looked for flat areas to set my gorilla pod on or clap it to. There was no way anyone would want to try to get a tripod through this mob of people. Settings were ISO 80 f 5.6 at 1/8 sec. And just for fun I added snow to an animated GIF. on the last image.
The Most Famous Christmas Tree in the World
New York City, Rockefeller Center, Giant Christmas Tree...its doesn't get any better than this. I fought my way through thousands of people to get this shot. Anyone wanting to shoot this famous tree will need to travel light and quick. I used my trusty Canon powershot SX50 hs because it's a great travel camera. I mounted the camera on a gorilla pod and shot this at ISO 80, f-5.6 at 1/8 sec using the self timer to get a sharp picture. The image was then finished in Aurora HDR pro and Photoshop CC.
Holiday Season
It's been awhile since I posted here. I have been dealing with some issues, but I think I am over the hump now and I can begin to blog on a regular bases. Thanks to all for your patience and support during this brief period. To kick off the holiday season I thought I'd post a picture of our Christmas tree. I used a Canon powershot SX50hs on a tripod for this shot. With the tree lights on, I took 3 shots and highlighted the top, bottom and background with a Nikon 910 speedlight. I merged the 3 images with Aurora HDR pro. I then added falling snow with Photoshop CC and made the image in to an animated GIF.
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