Traveling the Journey of Light | Photoblog Thoughts, feelings, and techniques behind the photography of Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston

Using Photoshop to Lose Weight and Look Great!Posted by drfl on November 3rd, 2009

Back on June 6th I wrote an article entitled Photoshop Ethics in Digital Nature Photography that posed the question, “Where do we draw the line in regard to photoshop usage in nature photography”. It seems that this is a question that is plaguing other industries as well and is even prompting governments to get involved. This is not a new issue, in fact, since the invention of the camera, there has been evidence of manipulation.  A recent set of articles have been written that focus on the extreme photoshopping that has been taking place in the fashion industry, one at the New York Times and one at the New York Daily Post.

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Why You Should Always or Never Listen to Your CriticsPosted by drfl on September 3rd, 2009

For several years I actively participated in a couple of different photography forums in which I would comment on others photographs and post some of mine. For the most part, I would try to offer some constructive criticism and in return I hoped that my images would receive the same type of feedback as well. Along the way I met some great people and looked at some inspirational photography and interacted in a fairly supportive community - fairly being the key word.

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Below the MoonPosted by drfl on July 13th, 2009

Continuing on with my “Missing the Mountains” series, today’s image was another that was hiding out in the archives.  Departing from the wide-angle, this image is one of those long lens “Landscape” photos.  I had previously processed this image and had never really liked the results, nor the composition - it seemed to “simplistic”.  This time, though my mood has changed and I feel the simplicity is what makes this image. 

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/11, 1/250 sec.
Kootenay Plains, Alberta

This image can be viewed on my website at: http://www.journeyoflight.com/journey06/photo.asp?pictureid=BelowtheMoon&xmlfile=/journey06/xml/color/northwest.xml&x=18

2008 Lunar EclipsePosted by admin on February 21st, 2008

Last night there was a specatcular lunar eclipse that was visible from several continents including North America. Normally, I do not do any astronomy type photography, but the night was clear enough that I decided to give it a go. I don’t have very long lenses or a camera-compatible telescope, so I used my 300 f/4,coupled it with my 1.4 tc, and used my Canon 20d. This is a pretty standard setup for me for wildlife and it allowed me to go a little closer to our closest celestial neighbor. This is a pretty liberal crop as well and left me with a little more than a 2 megapixel image from an 8 megapixel sensor. Additionally, I had to bump the ISO level to 1600 which is higher than I usually allow for my photography in order to keep the moon from blurring too much. Remember, the moon and the earth both move and this is evident when the shutter is open any length of time in night photography. Even about a half a second is too long! This photograph was taken right before the moon began to enter totality at 8:58 PM CST.

Technical Details:
Canon 20d, 300f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/5.6, .6 sec.
Near Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

To view other photographs, order this photograph as a print, or purchase licensing rights, please visit my website at http://www.journeyoflight.com/.