Playing with some post-processing tools

I just discovered the grain tool of NX2 and thought I'd try it out with a few files that look so nice with normal enhancement (and typical undetectable noise) ; I find the enhanced grain reminds me of the old days of film, shooting at ISO 1600 or deliberately underexposing to make golf-sized grain stand out.

Moonrise

I am always amazed at the full moon, anytime of the day. It looked especially wonderful in the early-morning moments as the light began to descend. This was a quick grab shot, hand held with the D40 and 70-300mm VR, 1/60th second @ f/8 - Vibration Reduction is a savior for this kind of thing.

Cold and windy drive

After failing to get an H1N1 flu shot due to overwhelming demand and low supply, I decided to take a spin along the Beach Meadows/West Berlin road as I left Liverpool. It was raining and very blustery, but I stuck it out. A little water on equipment doesn't hurt, although I suggest that it doesn't become a habit.

D80 with Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 50-150 zooms.

A few leftover from tree cutting essay

Before my friend had the chance to cut the Christmas tree last Saturday, I patiently waited for the truck to arrive from Halifax that would haul it away. I arrived a bit early and was able to get some nice early-morning rays. D80 and Tamron 17-50mm.

The image of the junked car looks better in b/w.

A few lucky breaks

Oftentimes, I take just a modest amount of images for any given situation, and I can get lucky enough to record some satisfying files. Yesterday's lighting seemed ideal, although I had to snap the ISO up to 400 and, thankfully, the 70-300mm VR works amazingly well at slower shutter speeds. Kudos to technology at times like this........

Yet another blast of early-morning colors

This is almost ridiculous, being able to capture such beauty without suffering from cold weather so close to Christmas. With dawn breaking at 7:45am or so, it's not hard to get in the right position to get the warm first few rays of sunshine. I wanted to get some effective verticals, as well. Things unfold very quickly, I have to be quick on the shutter finger.........

Cutting a Christmas tree - photo essay

My friend Wayne gets the opportunity to cut down a large tree that is purchased by the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), it goes in a prominent market area in the city. This one measured about 45 feet, it would be a blast to decorate it!

Compared to last year's laborious task, this cutting was a snap. The truck driver wisely chose not to back up too far into the logging road.

The weather was amazing, I don't ever recall it being 1o degrees a month before Christmas.

All files recorded with the D80 and Tamron 17-50mm zoom, some benefited by the use of fill-flash from the SB-600.