Well it appears that I have been ignoring my website/blog for quite some time now. Unfortunately I have been extremely busy lately, and it has not been in the photo side of things. Over the next few days the plan is to post a few of my favorite photos from my recent trip to Philadelphia.
Here is the first.
Path to the city...
there are very few things that i enjoy about winter. one of them is the beauty and randomness that it produces. no matter how many times you see ice, snow, or frost it is never the same. constant change and transition is something that makes for beauty in the smallest things.
in this shot i used my 50mm f1.8 to shoot a very large icicle coming off our roof. i had the aperture maxed out to get the fastest shutter i could to freeze the drop as it fell. i took plenty of shots of this and loved the macro style of this shot.
Jon
well i only have a couple weeks left on this project. this year has flown by, and i am still deciding if i will continue with the same project, or do something new... only time will tell.
Jon
this was shot on a short vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota. i took a trip out there with my girlfriend for the 4th of July in 2012. this was out by Jewel Cave.
i shot SO MANY photos out there and i am just now finally getting around to taking a peek at some. pretty sure i over shot. this was back when i was on my HDR kick and everything was bracketed. this is not and HDR shot, just a single exposure.
shot at F22 1/8th of a second ISO 250 using my Sigma 17-35mm lens.
this week i am using an image from a recent et i shot for a local tattoo parlor.
the media guy for Vishnu Bunny Tattoo sent out a Facebook post asking for some help with an upcoming shoot. they are working on monthly shoots that showcase the talents of their artists. in this case i was teamed up with another local artist named Arianna. she is a clothing designer in Sioux Falls, SD. she does some amazing work and is super creative.
unfortunately the original shoot we had planned fell through due to a winter storm that occurred. so this shoot was %100 on the fly and made in the moment. we moved a few thing around in her home workspace, and she wore a set of lingerie that she had recently created. i had to rely on 2 speedlite flashes and one shoot thru umbrella to get this set done. lucky for me she was into the idea that i presented and we were able to get it done fairly quickly, with no hassle.
please check out the Vishnu Bunny website at http://vishnubunnytattoo.com and if you are in town, stop by for a visit. they are also a local art gallery that showcases talent from Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. they art changes monthly and usually has a certain theme or featured artist.
here is a link to the full set on their website: http://vishnubunnytattoo.com/?page_id=695
Jon
alright... sorry for another delay. my computer decided to let its power supply shit the bed. so i was out of commission for a bit. out of my frustration... i logged on to ebay and got a new computer. i have not fully converted to the darkside. i got an amazing deal on a mid 2009 13" macbook pro and i could not be happier. i have installed my photo stuff on here now too, so i will always be able to do my photography..... hopefully.... knock on wood. so this week i decided to introduce my new toy in the photo above.
thanks again for reading. as always, please comment and give me any feedback you wish.
Jon
and here is the view from my hotel. this was a pain to shoot due the the fact i did not have a tripod. this was a 15 second exposure, handheld, with my fisheye lens. i literally had to push the lens against the window and just hold it.
the more i bumped up the ISO and took shorter shots, the more gunk on the window would show up. so an ISO 100 at 15 seconds was about the only way i could get the shot and the light trails helped too.
thanks again for looking.
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so this week my work sent me to Orlando, FL. no vacation allowed, because i was too busy. i still bring my camera to see what i can capture in the few moments i have. in this case... it was a nap at the Atlanta Airport. i have 2 more photos i will be posting this week from my work trip. nothing too special, but they were all i could get as i was traveling and working the entire time. hopefully on the next trip i will have a few more minuets to try a couple more shots.
as always thanks for looking and post comments for anything you might like to see in the future. i am open to all ideas.
Jon
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here is a shot i did on the same day as 40/52...
literally a short walk on my local bike path, led to many beautiful photos. this one is not HDR, the wind was too high for me to get a decent bracketed exposure. so i shot to the left and really underexposed the sky. the sun was shining directly on the trees so that helped a ton. all post was done with lightroom. i added a graduated filter to the bottom to lighten it up a bit, and boosted the vibrancy and saturation a little. probably one of the most simple photos i have taken in a while, but it turned out amazing.
thanks again for reading.
jon
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oh man, how i love HDR. i am still very addicted to HDR, and my fisheye lens. for some reason i just love the perspective that it is capable of delivering.
jon
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some new toys i got...
this week i did a sunset silhouette. i went east of Sioux Falls to Arrowhead Park and shot towards Sioux Falls. nothing too special about the shot technical wise. i just waded for the sun to set below the horizon and snapped away.
i chose a tight/narrow crop on this, because i am debating on getting it printed on either Fuji high gloss, or a metallic paper, and encapsulated in plexiglass. this is very similar, ok its actually the same thing Peter Lik does for his prints. over the weekend i met a local photographer that does the same thing and was able to look at a few of his encapsulated prints. they were AMAZING. the look and reflection are so awesome. it gives a different dimension to the print. the other thing is the fact the prints last longer and can not be damaged as easy!
as always, thanks for looking/reading.
Jon
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shutter speed: 30 sec aperture: f2.8 ISO: 6400 focal length: 17mmdecided to revisit an old spot. this spot has been featured on my blog twice. i took my first panorama photo here, and my first star shot. the star shot was the most memorable. i have included the link to both posts below.
i went back because the last time i was here was October of 2011, since then i have gotten a WAY better camera, and have learned a ton of new tricks to composition and editing. thankfully my camera has a bit higher ISO speed, granted its not as nice as i wish but it does the job. this will be a favorite spot of mine for a long time. its in the middle of nowhere and super peaceful.... well except that one night... read Stars to see what i'm talking about.
Stars: http://jonseaton.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/stars/
country evening: http://jonseaton.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/country-evening/
this week i did some shots of my son doing some "light painting". i have a few friends that do Poi, and my son has always loved watching them spin fire, and LED lights. a few months ago i found this toy at a local store, and purchased it for my son. after it being neglected for a while we took it out the other night and snapped a few pictures. i will be posting some of the other pics from that night in a few days. the big boys were plating with fire.
the best part of the whole night was the adults giving my son high 5s and genuinely being stoked on my son spinning. the smile on my sons face was priceless. I'm sure there will be some new LED toys coming soon.
Jon
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4 shot HDR image. using my 8mm fish eye lens. post process with Photomatix for the HDR, cs5 to remove some ghosting, and light room for final touch up.
this happens to be one of my dream bikes, for the last couple years i have wanted to buy and old Honda CB or CL to turn into a cafe racer. my only issue would be if i happen to buy one this nice!! i don't think i could rip a beautiful bike like this apart.
jon
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ok, so i had the chance to edit a few photos from my trip.... so i decided to make today a double post day.
this was on the way back from Devils Tower, WY. the whole day was overcast and spitting. there was literally no good shots all day. i spent a better part of a 4GB CF card trying to catch something. needless to say i was upset. i had never been to the Devils Tower, it has always been something i wanted to see. i wanted to take some amazing photos, but i had such crappy weather.
on the way home the clouds broke, and the most amazing landscapes started popping up. i was just in awe! i saw this and pulled over. i had been looking for a safe place to stop for about 10 miles. i have about 40 photos all AEB for HDR to go through. this was the fist batch i decided to look at. i didn't have much time, the sun was already behind a large hill behind me. i did what i could to compose about five different angles, and spots. hopefully the rest turn out as good as this one!!
thanks again for looking.
jon
@jonseaton- instagram @thejonseaton- twitter
nothing special this week, just a shot of my son and one of his friends at the park. shot with a vintage 70-210 f3.5 at 210mm
Here is the photo I set out to take, when I also took 24/52... I literally just took off in my car, and drove until I found something beautiful. I knew it would be a sunset photo, and that I would probably try an HDR shot. What I don't know is how many fun shots, and experiences would come of this drive.
The skull on the fence in 24/52... Was what got me to stop, and the field with the beautiful view, and power lines got me to stay. I sat in the ditch takin photos for over 2 hours. In that time I spoke with the owner of the farm, got attacked by some ants, and had a deer jump the fence 15ft from where I was standing.
I watched that deer run through the field for a good half hour. I tried my best to get a photo of him, but I was too slow changing lenses. I got a few shots with him about 100 yards out. I was not prepared for something that far away, but couldn't resist trying.
I don't care how long you have lived somewhere, or of you know every nook and cranny of a place. Go shoot anyway! Think of a different angle, drive an extra 10 minuets, or go without a plan. Those have always helped me with any block of creativity, or in my case, helped me think through things.
Thanks again for looking.
Random drive in the county, leads to this shot. Went out on a drive earlier this week to try an HDR sunset photo, and came across this skull on a fence. The farmer that owns the land stopped by to talk while I was setting up. Turns out his son put it there a while back.
I will be posting the sunset I shot as well. That will be posted tomorrow.
Jon
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