Barry Armer Photography: Blog

#1026. Feeding Frenzy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 16:48:45 GMT

A shrimper throws small fish and shrimp overboard to eagerly awaiting pelicans in a feeding frenzy. To me this scene illustrates a great example of "gesture" in photography. "Gesture" in photography as defined by photographer Jay Maisel are "those qualities that distinguish a particular subject from the archetypal." To me the distinguishing qualities in this image are light, texture, composition, and storytelling.

Title: "Feeding Frenzy"

#1025. The Fixer-Upper

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 03:53:01 GMT

A pier in Rockport, Texas struggles to keep it's head above the Little Bay water line! There are a little over three zillion piers in the Fulton / Rockport area penetrating the waters of Little Bay, Aransas Bay, and Copono Bay. Like people there are all different kinds each with their own personality. They vary in length, width, age, type of construction and in usability. To me this one tells a tale of survival and I appreciate that it has "fought the good fight" and for the most part still serves it's intended purpose albeit while requiring more determination on the part of the current day user than in days gone by.

Title: "The Fixer-Upper"

#1024. The Dona Celita

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 17:54:19 GMT

This is the motor vessel Dona Celita docked at Fulton, Harbor in Fulton, Texas. To me this photo is all about textures: The textures in the layers of paint on the shrimp boat, the reflection of those textures in the harbor water, and the texture in the clouds.

Title: "The Dona Celita"

#1023. Breakwater Parking

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 03:13:10 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago at Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas.

I've been commenting lately on why I like each of the images I post. As much as anything this is an exercise to help me recognize elements of photography that appeal to me in any given photograph. I hope this eventually helps me to identify a "style" of photography that I can hang my hat on. It's hard to develop any kind of meaningful personal branding without a recognizable "style". It also helps me in my effort to grow as a photography judge, a position I hold in the local photo club I belong to (Bay Area Photo Club in Houston, Texas). It can be difficult in an open critique forum to provide meaningful feedback without this kind of practice.

In this photo I appreciate the color palette and tonality of the texture, and the leading lines and repeating shapes along the horizon. I also like the circular ripples in the water of the foreground which add interest and implied movement to an otherwise static scene.

Title: "Breakwater Parking"

#1022. Margie Coming at You

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 20:24:23 GMT

Taken a few weekends ago at Rockport Harbor in Rockport, Texas. I find this image interesting because of two main compositional elements: Symmetry and Tension. The symmetry is obvious being the left and right hand sides of the boat. The tension derives from the positioning of the boat within the frame; any movable object pointed at you introduces the idea that the object is moving toward you and restraints of the ropes and the obstacle of the dock provide opposition to create the dynamic tension.

Title: "Margie Coming at You"

#1021. A Christmas Stocking as Old as Me

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 14:35:43 GMT

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BARRY ARMER PHOTOGRAPHY!!

This is a photo of the Christmas stocking my grandmother made for me. I'm sure she finished it before my first Christmas so I always consider it to be the same age as me which makes it an antique by any standard! :-) It's very precious of me because it reminds me of her which in turn reminds me of all my grandparents and thinking of them always fills my heart to overflowing!

Title: "A Christmas Stocking as Old as Me"

#1020. Emma

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 02:15:15 GMT

I really don't practice portraiture enough which is a shame considering that 1) portraiture is the bread and butter of many photographers and 2) I have a beautiful daughter willing to pose for me. Time to start practicing again! We made this image at Goose Island State Park in Lamar, Texas a couple of weekends ago. I love the lighting and pose and the organic feel of the image.

Title: "Emma"

#1019. Rarin' to Go

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 04:44:07 GMT

A pair of shrimp boats docked in Fulton Harbor, Fulton, TX. To me this image creates some dynamic tension as I imagine the two boats lined up at the starting line of race. In this instance the "race" is to be the first to find the location with the most shrimp in Aransas Bay.

Title: "Rarin' to Go"

#1018. Fulton Santa

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 03:08:55 GMT

Last night to the delight of everyone present Santa visited Fulton, TX as part of the city's two day Christmas celebration.

Title: "Fulton Santa"

#1017. Ireshko

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 02:29:54 GMT

A sunrise shot of the shrimp boat Ireshko at dock in Fulton Harbor in Fulton, TX. To me the unexpected hero of this shot is the length of rope in the foreground. The rope adds interest in the foreground without distracting from the main subject of the image. More than not distracting it compliments the the image by first in nature by being iconically nautical and second in form by being roughly parallel to the boat. Or maybe I'm overthinking it? :-)

Title: "Ireshko"

#1016. Whooper

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 01:37:34 GMT

A Whooping Crane in flight. Taken this morning on 8th street in Lamar, TX with photographer Kelvin Murphy. This is my first attempt at photographing these rare birds and Kelvin Murphy had us set up is perfect position to get this shot just before heavy cloud cover rolled in and ended our abbreviated photo shoot.

Title: "Whooper"

#1015. Richard Richard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 22:56:39 GMT

Taken this morning at Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas. It was calm and clear this morning which made for perfect conditions to study reflections. I positioned my camera along the bulkhead do get a head on view of Richard and Richard's reflection. Like many of my shots this is an HDR image (a composite of the same image taken at three different exposures) finished off with my new favorite photography software (Topaz Texture Effects).

Title: "Richard Richard"

#1014. Sunrise Surprise

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 16:38:16 GMT

Taken this morning in Rockport, Texas from Fulton Beach Road across from Rockport Beach. The surprise was that there was a sunrise at all! I took this photo and about one minute later clouds rolled in to fill the gap that had allowed some color into my shot! It feels good to get lucky every once in a while.

Title: "Sunrise Surprise"

#1013. Tropical Christmas

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 04:09:12 GMT

Taken last weekend at Rockport's "Tropical" Christmas Festival. If you've ever tried photographing fireworks you know it takes a combination of luck and skill, mostly luck. If you decide to try it do not get discouraged: If you're lucky and have a modicum of Photoshop skills you can create a very successful image.

Title: "Tropical Christmas"

#1012. Margie

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 19:13:19 GMT

The shrimp boat "Margie" at dock in Rockport Harbor (Rockport, Texas). Taken on a cloudy morning this image shows how I use HDR (High Dynamic Range) and other post processing techniques to bring out the exact amount of contrast and details needed to end up with wonderful image in spite of less that perfect lighting conditions. Composition-wise, I love the geometry of this photo (dock and boat angles) and of course the reflections on the water.

Title: "Margie"

#1011. "Those Eyes"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 23:27:01 GMT

Whatever the artistic medium, when it comes to portraits the eyes tell the story! The artist here clearly decided to begin his / her work of art with the all-important eyes!

Title: "Those Eyes"

#1010. "Mom's and Margie"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 18:53:29 GMT

Iconic Rockport, Texas bait shop "Mom's" and the shrimp boat "Margie" at Rockport Harbor.

#1009. Joined at the Hip

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 20:03:37 GMT

The Marianita and Don Angel shrimp boats at Fulton Harbor, in Fulton, Texas. Presumably for a little extra stability, the two boats are tethered together by a single rope between their outrigger superstructures.

Title: "Joined at the Hip"

#1008. View from City Hall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 22:41:21 GMT

A shot taken from City Hall during the Via Colori event in downtown Houston last weekend.

#1007. Via Colori #1

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 04:11:48 GMT

A street artist works on a chalk drawing at the Via Colori event in downtown Houston.

Title: "Via Colori #1"

#1006. Lucky Lady

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 23:40:28 GMT

Another example of why I love Rockport / Fulton! A shrimp boat tied off to the Fulton Harbor breakwater in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Lucky Lady"

#1005. Do Not Be Alarmed! It Isn't Real!

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 23:41:27 GMT

Public art near the entrance of Rockport Beach in Rockport, Texas. This giant crab sculpture has become a favorite spot for tourists to have their picture taken or to grab a quick "selfie".

Title: "Do Not Be Alarmed! It Isn't Real!"

#1004. TX 9033YL

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 23:48:09 GMT

Taken this afternoon at Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "TX 3033YL"

#1003. Richard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 02:22:26 GMT

I took this shot taken last weekend at Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas. Although the shot looks like night photography it was actually an early morning sunrise shot on an overcast day.

Title: "Richard"

#1002. Jonathan

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 17:34:20 GMT

A shot of the shrimper "Jonathan" docked next to the Pelican Bait House in Rockport Harbor, Rockport, Texas.

Title: "Jonathan"

#1001. Morning Walk

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 15:30:44 GMT

Another shot from yesterday morning! Footprints on Rockport Beach heading into the surf, to a sailboat, and beyond!

Title: "Morning Walk"

#1000. Here Comes the Sun

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:41:19 GMT

A sunrise shot from Rockport Beach this morning!

Title: "Here Comes the Sun!"

#999. Star Bait Star

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 01:57:05 GMT

A companion shot to the La Lupita also taken Monday morning.

Title: "Star Bait Star"

#998. La Lupita

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 11:00:00 GMT

Taken Monday morning at Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas. This was the scene along the breakwater at sunrise.

Title: "La Lupita"

#997. Starburst

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 15:02:31 GMT

I took this sunrise image from along Fulton Beach Road Saturday morning. This was about 15 minutes after sunrise to be exact and it was about then that the light became very dramatic. I've realized this week that in the past I have possibly been a little quick to fold up my gear and head back to the house when I should be waiting a few more minutes to make sure the sunrise has completely run it's course!

Title: "Starburst"

#996. Fulton Beach Road Shuttle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 01:49:19 GMT

What can I say? Someone posed this bus in an otherwise empty parking lot with "special lighting" included...so I shot it! :-)

Title: "Fulton Beach Road Shuttle"

#995. Fulton Beach Road

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 01:01:38 GMT

Taken this morning on Fulton Beach Road in Rockport, Texas. No spectacular sunrise this morning but I tried to make the best of it!

Title: "Fulton Beach Road"

#994. Sunrise Gate

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 01:04:38 GMT

Taken last weekend in Fulton, Texas. The sun rising over Aransas Bay as seen from the shore near the Fulton Fishing Pier.

Title: "Sunrise Gate"

#993. Inviting Barstool

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 17:03:30 GMT

Taken on the back patio of the Sugar Shack in Fulton, Texas. I don't think any photographer can walk past a scene like this with his camera and not make a photo! :-)

Title: "Inviting Barstool"

#992. Fulton Harbor Twins

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 21:16:06 GMT

Taken last weekend in Fulton Harbor, Fulton, Texas. I saw these twins begging to be photographed and I obliged! Remember not all twins are identical.

Title: "Fulton Harbor Twins"

#991. Fulton Fishing Pier Sunrise

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 02:39:10 GMT

Another shot taken this past Saturday. It seems to be getting harder for me to get up and out in time to catch the sunrise these days but sunrises like this remind me that it is worth the effort! Photographers don't call this "Golden Hour" for nothing!

Title: "Fulton Fishing Pier Sunrise"

#990. Marianita

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 02:40:48 GMT

Taken Saturday morning in Fulton Harbor, Fulton, Texas. I love the colors and textures in the old shrimp and oyster boats moored in Fulton Harbor. I can always count on coming away with one or two "keepers" when I shoot there!

Title: "Marianita"

#989. Hajeks Country Store

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 02:33:52 GMT

I took this shot last weekend while on a drive in the countryside around La Grange, Texas. I thought this store was abandoned until I got out to take this photo and saw a beer sign lit up on the inside and, I think, a ceiling fan running. So not abandoned but not a functioning store either but rather something in between.

Title: "Hajeks Country Store"

#988. Memorial Day - 2015

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 25 May 2015 23:45:26 GMT

Here's a shot I took in San Marcos yesterday. Memorial Day is one of 365 days in a year when we should all remember that "Freedom Isn't Free"!

Title: "Memorial Day - 2015"

#987. "Outbound"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 01:44:58 GMT

Taken this morning as shrimp boats left Fulton Harbor, Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Outbound"

#986. "Pedro"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 19:45:23 GMT

Taken this week in Fulton Harbor, Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Pedro"

#985. "Under the Palapa"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 04:48:34 GMT

Taken this morning on Rockport Beach in Rockport,Texas.

Title: "Under the Palapa"

#984. "Rockport Harbor Sunrise"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 02:37:51 GMT

We took our travel trailer back to Rockport last weekend where we will leave it for a couple of months to enjoy on the weekends. I got up early Sunday morning and took a set of bracketed photos of Rockport Harbor which I used to create this HDR image overlaid with a texture from Flypaper Textures. I really like the way it turned out and I hope you enjoy my first post in several months.

#983. Colorado Scenery

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 20:23:13 GMT

A landscape taken on a trip to Colorado this past September. This is located along side the road between Denver and Black Hawk, Colorado.

Title: "Colorado Scenery"

#982. Crossing #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 21:59:43 GMT

A shot taken earlier today of the Guadalupe River from Crossing #2 on River Road in New Braunfels, Texas.

Title: "Crossing #2"

#981. Capt. Roofus et al

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 02:24:31 GMT

Beautiful day in Fulton, Texas today! Here's a photo I took this afternoon when the sun peaked out from behind the clouds for a while!

Title: "Capt. Roofus et al"

#980. Rockport Beach Selfie

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 16:07:46 GMT

A "selfie" taken on Rockport Beach around sunset yesterday. I didn't even have to slim down the shadow in Photoshop: the time of day did that for me! :-)

Title: "Rockport Beach Selfie"

#979. Fulton Pier at Sunrise

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 02:05:02 GMT

One of the numerous fishing piers along Fulton Beach Road in Fulton, Texas. There are so many of these piers along Fulton Beach Road that in places it seems one could jump across the water from one pier to the next all the way from Fulton to Rockport!

Title: "Fulton Pier at Sunrise"

#978. Fulton Harbor Sunrise

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 02:32:05 GMT

Taken this past Friday morning in Fulton, Texas. This is another example of how good things happen when you get up early enough to make sunrise pictures. I needed this reminder!

Title: "Fulton Harbor Sunrise"

#977. Golf Cart

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 22:42:07 GMT

A shot of our new (used) golf cart taken at one of our favorite spots in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Golf Cart"

#976. Old Gold Mine

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:15:09 GMT

Here's a photo of an abandoned gold mine taken near Black Hawk, Colorado last week.

Title: "Old Gold Mine"

#975. Colorado Mountainside Sluice

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 16:40:22 GMT

A photo taken on my brief Colorado business trip last week. This sluice is located in the Colorado Rockies near Black Hawk.

Title: "Colorado Mountainside Sluice"

#974. Jalan

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 23:11:47 GMT

Taken this morning at Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Jalan"

#973. Rain-soaked Rag

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 01:37:09 GMT

This a recent image I made for the August 2014 Bay Area Photo Club's Honor's Night assignment of "Wet".

Title: "Rain-soaked Rag"

#972. Beach Selfie

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 18:56:30 GMT

Taken on the Beach in South Padre Island, Texas.

I like the third person perspective of this photo: In the young woman's "selfie" you would only see her alone on the beach but in this photo you see a whole different reality.

Title: "Beach Selfie"

#971. Beach Walker

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:55:34 GMT

This is my favorite of the three shots I recently posted from Rockport Beach in Rockport, Texas. To me this has a timeless romantic feel and reminds me more of a shot I would have taken on the shore of the Mediterranean than on Aransas Bay.

Title: "Beach Walker"

#970. Beach Homeless

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 01:30:26 GMT

The second of three shots I'll be posting from Rockport Beach in Rockport, Texas. In this shot I captured a presumably homeless man using a tattered backpack as a pillow sleeping beneath a palapa. I like this shot because of the contrast between rich and poor it evokes.

Title: "Beach Homeless"

#969. Sand Castle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 01:50:19 GMT

Taken a few week ago on Rockport Beach in Rockport, Texas.

Title: "Sand Castle"

#968. Road Ends Ahead

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 19 May 2014 03:04:47 GMT

Literally the end of the road in South Padre Island, Texas. Taken this evening on a drive down State Park Road 100.

Title: "Road Ends Ahead"

#967. New Braunfels Clouds

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 01:44:30 GMT

A couple of shots of some very unusual and spectacular cloud cover taken around sunset in New Braunfels, Texas. I couldn't believe that I didn't see anyone else outside with a camera!

Title: "New Braunfels Clouds #1"

Title: "New Braunfels Clouds #2"

#966. Icy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 04:14:33 GMT

Taken in Sealy, Texas this past Tuesday. The corridor on I-10 between Houston and Luling was transformed into an uncharacteristic (for Texas in March) winter wonderland. Of course I had to stop and take a few photos.

Title: "Icy"

#965. Fly Fisherman

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 15:54:09 GMT

Here's a shot I took yesterday of a fly fisherman taking a break beside the Guadalupe River along River Road in New Braunfels.

Title: "Fly Fisherman"

#964. Starry Night at L and L

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 04:31:13 GMT

Taken tonight at L and L RV Resort on River Road in New Braunfels, TX. Crisp! Cool! Clear!

Title: "Starry Night at L and L"

#963. Rukus

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 00:56:52 GMT

Another "After Dark" shot taken at the Ernest Eikel Skate Park in New Braunfels, Texas.

Title: "Rukus"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 85mm f1.8 prime

#962. Skateboard Park Hero

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 03:04:25 GMT

A night shot taken at the Ernest Eikel Skate Park in New Braunfels, Texas. I shot this for the Bay Area Photo Club Honor's Night assignment of "After Dark". In addition to the fact that I caught the skateboarder on the rim of the bowl I like how the row of lights extends outward from his left hand and the inclusion of the onlookers (assumed to be fans).

Title: "Skateboard Park Hero"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 85MM f1.8 prime lens

#961. The Homeless Man and The Pleasure Pier

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 04:58:24 GMT

A presumably homeless man changing his shirt after he finished brushing his teeth on the Galveston seawall. The Pleasure Pier is in the background.

Title: "The Homeless Man and The Pleasure Pier"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#960. Sunset Coal Train

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 03:46:30 GMT

Taken this evening in Lagrange, Texas.

Title: "Sunset Coal Train"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 85mm f1.4

#959. Martyn Farm Harvest Festival Blacksmith

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 01:56:53 GMT

A blacksmith crafting an ornamental element from iron stock. Taken yesterday at the Armand Bayou Nature Center's 2013 Martyn Farm Harvest Festival in Clear Lake City, Texas.

Title: "Martyn Farm Harvest Festival Blacksmith"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 85mm f1.8 prime

#958. Martyn Farm Festival Clown

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 03:28:41 GMT

An image of a resting clown taken this afternoon at the Armand Bayou Nature Center 2013 Martyn Farm Festival in Clear Lake City, Texas.

Title: "Martyn Farm Festival Clown"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 85mm f1.8 prime lens

#957. Stairway to Horror

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 13:56:17 GMT

The stairway leading to the Horror Exhibit at the EMP in Seattle, Washington.

Title: "Stairway to Horror"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#956. Post Alley Laundry

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 03:10:22 GMT

The "laundry" hanging from lines over Post Alley reminded me of scenes from old Hollywood movies set in the big city. With that frame of reference I tried to give this photo a cinematic feel with my post-processing.

Title: "Post Alley Laundry"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#955. Seattle Street Walker #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 01:29:45 GMT

Another Seattle "street walker" taken in the Pioneer Square area of downtown.

Title: "Seattle Street Walker #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#954. Bremerton Ferry View

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:56:36 GMT

A view of Seattle, Washington from the Bremerton Ferry on a rainy Sunday afternoon in late September.

Title: "Bremerton Ferry View"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#953. Good Dog

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:04:51 GMT

Taken at Elliot Bay Book Company in Seattle, Washington.

Title: "Good Dog"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4

#952. Seattle Street Walker

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:19:34 GMT

This is an early morning shot (pre-sunrise) of a man walking in front of a mural in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, Washington.

Title: "Seattle Street Walker"

Camera/ Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#951. EMP Guitar Scultpure

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 11:34:15 GMT

Here's a photo of the huge guitar sculpture inside the EMP Museum in Seattle, Washington.

Title: "EMP Guitar Sculpture"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

#950. Inside the EMP

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 00:43:22 GMT

The EMP Museum (formerly known as the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum) in Seattle, Washington was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000. This is a large auditorium just inside the front entrance.

Title: "Inside the EMP"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#949. The Fifth Sorceress

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 02:52:32 GMT

A presumably homeless man at Pike Place Market in Seattle. The whole time we were stopped for lunch this guy held his book open to this page and, with his head hung down limply in a sitting position, took his afternoon nap.

Title: "The Fifth Sorceress"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#948. Kevin

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 21:02:52 GMT

Here's a shot I took of Kevin, the technical assistant for the National Geographic photography workshop we attended in Seattle a few weeks ago. This fits nicely into a little series of portraits I've taken over the years of people posed in front of other portraits. There's something I like about the juxtaposition of the live subject and the subject in the unrelated portrait.

Title: "Kevin"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4

#947. Framed Seattle Skyline

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 13:56:07 GMT

A shot of the Seattle skyline from Kerry Park as seen through the public art sculpture "Changing Form" by Doris Chase.

Title: "Framed Seattle Skyline"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#946. 1st Avenue

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 14:41:22 GMT

1st Avenue near Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

Title: "1st Avenue"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#945. Fish Market Man

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 13:06:47 GMT

Taken at the fish market at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

Title: "Fish Market Man"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye

#944. The Gum Wall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 20:40:58 GMT

A landmark of Seattle's Pike Place Market area is The Gum Wall. It's just what its name implies: A wall with wads of chewed gum stuck to it.

Title: "The Gum Wall"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#943. Seattle Skyline

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 11:44:59 GMT

A shot of the Seattle skyline taken from Kerry Park. There are a million of the same exact photos taken from the same exact spot that can be found in the cloud; this is the best one though! :-)

Title: "Seattle Skyline - 2013"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#942. First Starbucks

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 16:29:51 GMT

Seattle is famous for having been the birthplace of Starbucks Coffee. Here are three shots from the first store location at Pike Place Market.

Title: "First Starbucks #1"

Title: "First Starbucks #2"

Title: "First Starbucks #3"

#941. Ballard Locks

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 00:39:49 GMT

The Ballard Locks (officially the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks) in Seattle provides a link for boats between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal, which connects eastward to Lake Union and Lake Washington. There aren't any locks located anywhere around Houston where I grew up so having never seen any before I found the locks to be both unique and fascinating. Before Seattle when I thought of locks I thought of huge ships making their way through the Panama Canal, now I think about kayakers out for an evening paddle.

Title: "Ballard Locks"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#940. Public Market

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 02:55:18 GMT

My brother Larry and I attended a National Geographic Workshop in Seattle at the end of Sep 2013. I'll be posting photos from that trip during the upcoming weeks.

Possibly the most photographed sign in Seattle, this is the main entrance to Pike Place Market in downtown.

Title: "Public Market"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > Nik Color EFEX

#939. Me and My Whirly-gig

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 13:51:49 GMT

A self-portrait taken on Jamaica Beach near Galveston, Texas yesterday.

Title: "Me and My Whirly-gig"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II > Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex > Nik Sivler Efex > texture from Flypapertestures.com

#938. More FlyBoard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 01:08:54 GMT

More from this past Saturday in Galveston on 61st Street at Offatts Bayou:

Title: "FlyBoard #3"

Title: "FlyBoard #4"

Title: "FlyBoard #5"

#937. FlyBoard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 14:23:32 GMT

Taken yesterday in Galveston on 61st Street. Like me, you may have seen videos or photos of this before, but until you see it in real life you can't believe how cool this is! Imagine a cross between the Jetson's flying car and the Green Goblin's (Spiderman's arch enemy) jet board! The guys at Extreme Water Sports will be setting up shop at 61st Street on the east end of Offatts Bayou if you want to stop by sometime and see this new sport in person.

Title: "FlyBoard 1"

Title: "FlyBoard 2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Topaz Adjust

#936. R&R

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 02:40:28 GMT

Taken on Galveston Beach this morning.

Title: "R&R"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex Pro > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#935. Beach Chair

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 00:54:16 GMT

My chair on Galveston beach this morning. Needless I thoroughly enjoyed my impromptu vacation day today!

Title: "Beach Chair"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II . Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex Pro > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#934. Casita

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 02:42:39 GMT

A couple of hours ago a line of thunderstorms passed over Galveston Island. The little Casita RV in its path did not seem intimidated!

Title: "Casita"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adove Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex > texture from flypapertextgure.com

#933. Cranmore House, Ireland

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 23:54:49 GMT

Detail shot of flowers in front of Cranmore House B&B near Trim, Ireland.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24 /105 mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > testures from Flypapertextures.com

#932. Flight of the Spoonbill

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 02:00:53 GMT

Spoonbill and Moon from the same evening over Clear Lake but not from the same shot. I thought the two images fit well as a composite given that the sky had nicely taken on the color of the spoonbill.

Title: "Flight of the Spoonbill"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#931. Sunset at Rockport Beach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 01:05:31 GMT

A High Dynamic Range (HDR) image of the bird sanctuary at Rockport Beach in Rockport, Texas.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Viveza > NIK Color EFEX Prl

#930. Rockport Harbor Sunset

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 02:13:36 GMT

Taken this past weekend at Rockport Harbor in Rockport, TX. This was Saturday night's sunset.

Title: "Rockport Harbor Sunset"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro, > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Topaz DeNoise > Nik Color Efex

#929. Under the Rockport Crab

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:37:48 GMT

Our friends Jonica and Mark under the Rockport crab!

Title: "Under the Rockport Crab"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Topaz Adjust > NIK Viveza

#928. Fulton Fishing Pier at Sunset

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 02:53:07 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Fulton, Texas (near Rockport).

Title: "Fulton Fishing Pier at Sunset"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > Topaz Adjust

#927. Blarney Castle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 01:06:56 GMT

Home of the famous Blarney Stone! Located in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland.

Title: "Blarney Castle"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Silver Efex pro

#926. Christ Church Cathedral

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 01:47:58 GMT

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Wikipedia dates the original church to the 11th century with major additions in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Title: "Christ Church Cathedral"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > NIK Color Efex Pro

#925. John Deere

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 22:51:11 GMT

Taken last weekend on a drive between LaGrange and Weimer, Texas.

Title: "John Deere"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#924. Dunguaire Castle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 02:23:54 GMT

Dunguaire Castle is a 16th-century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvarra (or Kinvara). Today, the castle's 75-foot tower and its defensive wall have been restored to excellent condition, and the grounds are open to tourists during the summer. It is thought to be the most photographed castle in Ireland.

Title: "Dunguaire Castle"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > NIK Color Efex Pro

#923. Bective Abbey

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 01:55:45 GMT

The ruins of Bective Abbey, County Meath, Ireland.

Title: "Bective Abbey"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Silver Efex Pro

#922. Monasterboice

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 01:56:55 GMT

More old stuff from my Ireland trip in May.

From Wikipedia (partially): The historic ruins of Monasterboice are of an early Christian settlement in County Louth in Ireland, north of Drogheda. It was founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buithe who died around 521. The round tower was built as a refuge for the Monks from invaders and was originally higher off the ground with entry provided by a retractable ladder. Unfortunately foes soon realized that smoke from a fire set at the base of the tower would be drawn up through the tower like a chimney causing the occupants to surrender in short order.

Title: "Monasterboice"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > NIK Silver Efex pro

#921. The Dolmen Stone

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:09:15 GMT

The Poulnabrone Dolmen Stone, County Clair, Ireland is one of the major attractions in The Burren. Speculation is that these ancient stones once formed part of a burial tomb. As a frame of reference, the top slab of stone looks to have about the same footprint as a midsized American automobile.

Title: "The Dolmen Stone"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#920. Honored Guests

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:04:30 GMT

VIP's at any Texas outdoor get-together between May and October.

Title: "Honored Guests"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4

Shot data: f1.4, 1/2000, ISO 100

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex

#919. Bective Abbey Courtyard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:52:08 GMT

Another shot of Bective Abbey, in Bective, County Meath, Ireland.

Title: "Bective Abbey Courtyard"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza, NIK Color Efex Prl

#918. Bective Abbey Vestibule

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:21:04 GMT

Bective Abbey was a pleasant surprise to us on our recently completed Ireland trip. It wasn't on our original agenda but rather was an impromptu stop on the way to something that was. It is just ruins of course but what remains is extremely well preserved and since it isn't a major tourist attraction we had the place mostly to ourselves.

Title: "Bective Abbey Vestibule"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Silver Efex

#917. Trim Castle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:42:15 GMT

Taken in Trim, County Meath, Ireland. Trim Castle is the largest Norman castle in Ireland. This castle was featured in the movie Braveheart. Looking at this shot it is hard to imagine an enemy army having sufficient motivation to actually launch an attack against these walls.

Title: "Trim Castle"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#916. County Tipperary Pano

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:35:32 GMT

I imagined taking this shot as soon as we first started planning our trip to Ireland. I think this is what most folks picture when they close their eyes and think of Ireland.

Title: "County Tipperary Pano"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex Pro

#915. The Giant's Causeway

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 01:46:29 GMT

The Giant's Causeway is a major attraction of Northern Ireland. This unusual landscape is composed of hexagonal rocks formed by cooling volcanic lava and has been the focus of many myths throughout Irish history.

Title: "The Giant's Causeway"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#914. Crannmor House

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 14:04:24 GMT

Crannmor House is the B&B we stayed at for our first three nights in Ireland. Also featured is the "bus" I drove around Ireland during our two week stay.

Title: "Crannmor House"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#913. Leamaneh Castle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 31 May 2013 01:19:01 GMT

Located in The Burren, County Clare, Ireland.

Title: "Leamaneh Castle"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > NIK Color Efex Pro

#912. The Rock of Cashel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 30 May 2013 01:44:19 GMT

This castle is "The Rock of Cashel" located in Cashel, Ireland.

Title: "The Rock of Cashel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Silver Efex Pro > NIK Viveza

#911. The Cliffs of Moher

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 29 May 2013 03:30:15 GMT

I just returned from a two week trip to Ireland and have processed a few of my images. This first image is of the majestic Cliffs of Moher in Northern Ireland. There are some folks on top of the cliffs that provide a sense of scale needed to comprehend just how magnificent these cliffs are.

Title: "The Cliffs of Moher"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza

#910. Sunflowery Truck

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:32:53 GMT

A scene from Wimberley, TX taken a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Sunflowery Truck"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#909. LOVE

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 02:21:09 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "LOVE"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom

#908. A Little Bit of Heaven

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:21:35 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "A Little Bit of Heaven"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex pro

#907. MS150 Rider

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:45:42 GMT

Taken this past Saturday in Fayetteville, Texas. A rider in the 2013 MS 150 charity bike race from Houston to Austin, Texas passes though Fayetteville on his way to the first day destination in LaGrange.

Title: "MS150 Rider"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color EFEX Pro > NIK Viveza

#906. Texas Gift Bag

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:17:20 GMT

Three weeks now until we leave on our Ireland trip. Down to the some of the last preperations including gift bags for our hosts at the various B&B's we will be staying in.

Title: "Texas Gift Bag"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24+105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Viveza > NIK Color Efex

#905. Feeding the Fishes

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:38:54 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Dripping Springs, Texas. I love this image showing the reflection of this young boy feeding goldfish in a backyard pond.

Title: "Feeding the Fishes"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro > NIK Viveza

#904. Some Chicken

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:13:10 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Title: "Some Chicken"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#903. Me - The Clown

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:59:03 GMT

Taken this past weekend for my participation in the self-portrait round of the Krishna Cafe.

Title: "Me The Clown"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#902. Santo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 01:02:16 GMT

Taken last weekend at O'Malley's Pub in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Santo"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#901. Scorecard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:42:15 GMT

Taken this past weekend at O'Malley's Pub in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Scorecard"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#900. Seawall View

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:00:44 GMT

Taken this weekend on the Galveston seawall.

Title: "Seawall View"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS6

#899. Orange

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:16:06 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Galveston, Texas.

When life gives you lemons...make lemonade.

When life gives you oranges...make a photo! :-)

Title: "Orange"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro 2 > NIK Viveza Pro 2

#898. The Blue Trees

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:55:26 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Galveston, Texas.

The Blue Trees is a temporary art installation by artis Konstantin Dimopoulos presented as part of the international conversation about the impact of deforestation and as a response to the devastating loss of trees from Hurricane Ike.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#897. Two Fishermen

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:02:43 GMT

Taken on Galveston Beach. Perhaps these aren't both men but I like to think they are both fishing! :-)

Title: "Two Fishermen"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D MarkII / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Silver Efex Pro 2

#896. Hamilton Beach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 02:30:27 GMT

Taken this weekend at La King's Confectionary on The Strand in Galveston, Texas. I love this colleciton of old Hamilton Beach blenders on display behind the soda fountain.

Title: "Hamilton Beach"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > NIK Silver Efex Pro 2

#895. Galveston Cast Netting

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 01:54:24 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the west end of Seawall Blvd. in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Galveston Cast Netting"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#894. Dog on Beach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:42:55 GMT

Taken this past weekend on Jamaica Beach in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Dog on Beach"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS6 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#893. Alpaca

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:25:46 GMT

Taken this weekend in Galveston, Texas. I observed these guys for a while. In spite of their exotic looks their behavior was not much different than that of cows as far as I could tell.

Title: "Alpaca"

Camrea / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS6 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#892. Footbridge

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 03:26:08 GMT

Taken at Hamilton Pool near Dripping Springs, Texas.

Title: "Footbridge"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#891. Studious Student

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:29:14 GMT

Taken last week as an assignment for a photography class I'm currently taking at Rice University's Susanne M. Glasscock's School of Continuing Studies. The assignment was Environmental Protraits.

Title: "Studious Student"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS6 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#890. The Mullet Maiden

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:09:49 GMT

Taken at The Kingspoint Mullet in Houston, Texas.

Title: "The Maiden Mullet"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS6 > Nik Viveza

#889. Draped Up

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:06:16 GMT

Taken Feb 22, 2013 at The Kingspoint Mullet in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Draped Up"

#888. Cot-N-Coffee

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:37:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Wahalla, TX. The owner of this Bed and Breakfast told me the name was his wife's idea. Kudos to her since it was the name that made me stop! It's not until you think about it for a while that it seems a little oxymoronic. :-)

Title: "Cot-N-Coffee"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro > textures from flypapertextures.com

#887. Valentine

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:00:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago in Richmond,Texas. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Title: "Valentine"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/1250s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso2500
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#886. Look Dad!

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 18:58:00 GMT

Taken last weekend in Richmond, Texas.

Title: "Look Dad!"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/8000s f/5.0 at 160.0mm iso2500
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#885. The Loo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:00:00 GMT

The lavatory, obviously in a state of re-construction, at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "The Loo"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye

#884. Sit Here

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Another shot from "The Mullet" near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Sit Here"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

#883. Come On In!

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:34:00 GMT

Taken at "The Mullet" at the end of December last year. The Mullet is a facility dedicated to preserving graffiti as an art form. It is located near Almeda Mall on Kingspoint.

Title: "Come On In"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

#882. Photo Orbs

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Taken last weekend at Discovery Green in Houston, Texas. This part of the park is decorated with inflated orbs printed with photographs. It's pretty surreal looking in real life and hopefully you get a sense of this in this pic.

Title: "Photo Orbs"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#881. Let the Good Times Roll

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:54:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at Discovery Green in Houston, Texas. Maybe you've seen this guy there? Great guy with almost as much personality as the golf cart which he is proud to say was in the 2008 Art Car Parade. It was built at a local high school and donated to Discovery Green because the school didn't really have a place to store it. The back of it is filled with footballs and Frisbees and hula hoops and the like to make your day at Discovery Green a little more enjoyable. I wonder if that job is as fun as being an accountant? :-)

Title: "Let the Good Times Roll"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex

#880. Life Ring

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:00:00 GMT

This staircase, obviously now in a state of disrepair, use to allow visitors to Hamilton Pool, near Dripping Springs, Texas, to walk all the way around the pool under the overhanging rock formations. My memory of it is that it has always been a little shaky and was always slippery from being constantly soaked by the falling water.

Title: "Life Ring"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#879. Hamilton Pool #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Another shot taken last weekend at Hamilton Pool near Dripping Springs, Texas.

Title: "Hamilton Pool #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza > Nik Color Efex Pro

#878. Hamilton Pool #1

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at Hamilton Pool near Dripping Springs, Texas.

Title: "Hamilton Pool #1"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex

#877. State

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:07:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Austin, Texas.

Title: "State"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex

#876. The Driskill

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Taken This past Friday night in Austin, Texas. The historic Driskill Hotel is the building in the foreground.

Title: "The Driskill"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#875. Austin Reflections

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:11:00 GMT

Caught the John Fullbright concert at the State in Austin, Texas on Friday night and still managed to get up early enough to grab some brackets of downtown from across Lady Bird Lake.

Title: "Lady Bird Lake"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#874. Golden Rule

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:46:00 GMT

Taken this afternoon. Signage at the "The Beer Can House" at 222 Malone in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Golden Rule"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#873. Face on the Wall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:39:00 GMT

Another shot taken at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Face on the Wall"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust

#872. Man Cave - Graffiti Style

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:45:00 GMT

Taken at "The Mullet" near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Man Cave - Graffiti Style"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4

#871. Dedicated Taggers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 16:17:00 GMT

Graffiti artists painting in the rain today at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Dedicated Taggers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex > Nik Silver Efex

#870. Empties

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:49:00 GMT

Empty spray cans are a by-product of graffiti art. Empties at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas are displayed in a way that creates art on their own.

Title: "Empties"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#869. Dos Sofas

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:43:00 GMT

Another shot from "The Mullet" near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Dos Sofas"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color EFEX Pro

#868. Welcome to The Mullet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:48:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Welcome to The Mullet"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex > texture from Flypapertextures.com

#867. Pink Lockers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 20:06:00 GMT

Taken today at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Pink Lockers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4

#866. The Mullet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 09:44:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at The Mullet near Almeda Mall in Houston, Texas. At The Mullet graffiti artists are invited to showcase their work both outside and inside.

Title: "The Mullet"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro > Nik Color Efex Pro

#865. Merry Christmas Everyone!

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 08:20:00 GMT

Merry Christmas everyone! May God bless you and yours!

Title: "Merry Christmas Everyone!"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#864. Port I Lighthouse

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:09:00 GMT

Taken at the Port Isabel Lighthouse, Port Isabel, Texas.

Title: "Port I Lighthouse"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#863. SPI Beachscape

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 11:31:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at South Padre Island, Texas.

Title: "SPI Beachscape"

Camera /Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > textures from flypapertextures.com

#862. Night Lights

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:37:00 GMT

The Port Isabel lighthouse. Taken this past Saturday night in Port Isabel, Texas.

Title: "Night Lights"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > textures from flypapertextures.com

#861. Scene from Evita

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:18:00 GMT

A scene from Saturday Night's performance of Evita at Lone Star College.

Title: "Scene from Evita"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/60s f/4.5 at 115.0mm iso3200

#860. Neiderwald Water Tower

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 18:49:00 GMT

Taken yesterday near Neiderwald, Texas (between Bastrop and Uhland).

Title: "Neiderwald Water Tower"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro > textures from Flypapertextures.com

#859. The Bugle Boy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:40:00 GMT

Taken in La Grange, Texas. The Bugle Boy is a great venue for listening to music without distractions. If you ever see that your favorite musician will be appearing here make sure you catch the performance. It's a relatively small, very comfortable venue with great acoustics.

Title: "The Bugle Boy"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver EFex Pro

#858. Rohan Meadery

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:03:00 GMT

Taken at the Rohan Meadery in La Grange, Texas.

Title: "Rohan Meadery"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / 15mm fisheye
Shot data: 1/500s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso5000

#857. Spidey

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:06:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago near Round Top, Texas. If you're one of the majority of folks who find spiders to be a little unnerving then "Happy Halloween!"

Title: "Spidey"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#856. Tree House

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:52:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago between Round Top and Fayetteville, Texas.

Title: "Tree House"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro > Texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#855. Hot Tin Roof

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:18:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago in the Strand area of Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Hot Tin Roof"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#854. The Pleasure Pier

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:13:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Galveston, Texas from a jetty parallel to The Pleasure Pier. This is a composite of five HDR images stitched together using Photoshop's amazing photomerge process. I processed each set of brackets (three shots, one at -2, one at 0, and one at +2) into HDR images using Photomatix Pro first and then joined them together in Photoshop. To be really appreciated it needs to be viewed as a big print but hopefully you can get a feel for it as presented here.

Title: "The Pleasure Pier"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#853. Allen's Landing #3

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 08:46:00 GMT

Another shot from Allen's Landing on Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston. This one a comoposite of several shots stitched together using Photoshops amazing photomerge function.

Title: "Allen's Landing #3"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#852. Allen's Landing #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:48:00 GMT

Another shot taken from Allen's Landing on Buffalo Bayou in Downtown Houston a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Allen's Landing #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro, Textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#851. Shaw's Tattoo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:10:00 GMT

Taken three weekends ago in Port Aransas, Texas.

Title: "Shaw's Tattoo"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Cnaon 24-105mm L zoom

#850. Near Allen's Landing

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:57:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday morning on a Houston Photographic Society field trip. Allen's Landing is on Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston.

Title: "Allen's Landing #3"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#849. Bakery Cafe

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 19:40:00 GMT

Taken last weekend in Port Aransas, Texas.

Title: "Bakery Cafe"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#848. Seabrook Surf

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 07:36:00 GMT

Taken Thursday evening in Seabrook, Texas looking out at Galveston Bay.

Title: "Seabrook Surf"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#847. Natural Chimneys, VA

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:25:00 GMT

Taken at Natural Chimneys Regional Park and Campground in Virgina.

Title: "Natural Chimneys, VA"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

#846. Capitol of Texas

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:44:00 GMT

The Texas Capitol Building in Austin, Texas.

Title: "Capitol of Texas"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro >
Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro > texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#845. Skeletonized Clock

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:25:00 GMT

Taken at the Red Mill Museum in Clinton, New Jersey.

Title: "Skeletonized Clock"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 >Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

#844. Marigold Flower Pots $3

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:28:00 GMT

Taken a few weeks back on our trip to High Bridge, New Jersey. We never actually saw anyone manning this roadside stand but the things for sale changed every day. When I stopped to take my photograph someone came down from a house barely visible on the hill behind to see what was going on.

Title: "Marigold Flower Post $3"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-Processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin

#843. Driftwood

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:07:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Driftwood, Texas.

Title: "Driftwood"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#842. Pool Table - Stubb's BBQ

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 20:12:00 GMT

Taken this past week at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas. Terrific BBQ and great atmosphere!

Title: "Pool Table - Stubb's BBQ"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#841. An End of a Line

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:22:00 GMT

End of this particular train line in High Bridge, NJ.

I don't know anything about how the train systems around NYC work but I imagine there are other sets of tracks and other ends of lines.

Title: "An End of a Line"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#840. Ferry Landing

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 18:58:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weeks ago at the Port Authority Ferry Landing in the financial district of NYC. This was our arrival and departure point for the water taxi we took from Liberty Park (over on the Jersey side of things).

Title: "Ferry Landing"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#839. Roanoke Star

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:44:00 GMT

Taken last week in Roanoke, Virgina.

Here's the lowdown from Wikipedia: "The Roanoke Star, also known as the Mill Mountain Star, is the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star, constructed in 1949 at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. It was the largest star ever assembled until the El Paso Star was completed in El Paso, Texas.[2] However, the Mill Mountain Star still holds the claim to world's largest illuminated man-made free-standing star, as the El Paso Star lies flat on the ground. After construction of the star, Roanoke was nicknamed "Star City of the South". It's visible for 60 miles from the air and it sits 1,045 feet above the city of Roanoke."

Title: "Roanoke Star"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust

#838. Irish Hunger Memorial

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:37:00 GMT

Taken last week in New York City.

Here's a blurb from Wikipedia: The Irish Hunger Memorial, designed collaboratively by artist Brian Tolle, landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird, and 1100 Architect, is located on a one-half acre site[1] at the corner of Vesey Street and North End Avenue in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, and is dedicated to raising awareness of the Great Irish Famine - referred to by the Irish as 'The Great Hunger' or An Gorta Mor in Irish Gaelic - that killed up to a million people in Ireland between the years 1845 and 1852. The memorial was dedicated on July 16, 2002.

Title: "Irish Hunger Memorial" Camera / Lens: Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro > Nik Color Efex Pro

#837. Waiting for Nightfall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:19:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the Corral Theater in Wimberley, Texas. We were waiting for night to fall and MIB3 to start.

Title: "Waiting for Nightfall" Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Shot data: 0.00s f/3.5 at 15.0mm iso1600
Post-processing: Photomatix pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#836. Small Burton Home

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:29:00 GMT

Taken in Burton, Texas two weekends ago. I love to make up my own stories about these old houses when I find them. I think this one was built for a young nephew who needed a place to live when his immediate family out grew their own home. People used to do for each other. Some stil do I suppose.

I found this poem in the cloud after Googling "Small Houses" (no author noted):

Dear House,
You are really very small,
just enough for love,
that's all!

Title: "Small Burton Home" Cmaera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro 2

#835. Time to Go

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weeks ago. My daughter Emma and some friends about to leave for the Orchestra Banquet.

Title: "Time to Go" Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/125s f/6.3 at 45.0mm iso100
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Portrait Professional

#834. Mock Up

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:26:00 GMT

Taken this evening at the location of the Shuttle Mock Up docked today at the NASA docks (corner of Space Center and Nasa Parkway) in Clear Lake City, Texas.

Title: "Mock Up"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#833. Ring Me

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:00:00 GMT

Taken yesterday evening at Kemah Boardwalk.

Title: "Ring Me"

Shot data: 1/40s f/5.6 at 320.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex

#832. Methodist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:39:00 GMT

The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. Taken Saturday night from the Rice University campus.

Title: "Methodist"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex > Nik Silver Efex > Topaz Adjust

#831. H-town Streats

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:07:00 GMT

Taken one weekend in April near the Houston Center for Photography.

Title: "H-Town Streats"

Shot data: 1/400s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#830. Super Moon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:48:00 GMT

A composite of the "Super Moon" taken last night from Seabrook, Texas overlooking Galveston Bay.
Title: "Super Moon"

Shot data: 1/40s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust Plugin

#829. Outreach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:40:00 GMT

Taken at Goose Island State Park in Rockport, Texas.
Title: "Outreach"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#828. Copse

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:55:00 GMT

Taken in Fulton, Texas on Easter weekend. Everything was green then but I like fall colors better. Title: "Copse"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Color Efex Pro

#827. St. Martin

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:07:00 GMT

Taken at Fulton Habor in Fulton, Texas Title: "St. Martin"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex

#826. Rockport Skimmers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT

A flock of Black Skimmers taken in Rockport, Texas a few weekends ago.

Title: "Rockport Skimmers"

Shot data: 1/2000s f/5.6 at 275.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex Pro

#825. Big Shoes To Fill

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:53:00 GMT

Taken at the Garcia Circus in Bay City, Texas a few weekends ago.

Title: "Big Shoes to Fill"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/160s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1600
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Color Efex plugin

#824. Pipe Dreams: Mr. Universe

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:16:00 GMT

From the series Pipe Dreams. Taken at the Texas Pipe Menagerie Park in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Pipe Dreams: Mr. Universe"

Camera / Lens: Canon 4D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#823. Pipe Dreams: Overload

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:10:00 GMT

Another composite from the shots I took a couple of weekends ago at the Texas Pipe Sculpture Garden. In this one an irresistible force meets an immovable object.

Title: "Pipe Dreams: Overload"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro

#822. Tower View

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:01:00 GMT

Taken last weekend at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. This shot is taken from the 40' observation tower.

Title: "Tower View"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#821. LIttle Big Top

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:05:00 GMT

Taken Easter Sunday in Bay City, Texas.

Title: "Little Big Top"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

#820. Pipe Dreams - Hippo Hitchers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:51:00 GMT

Still playing around with making composites of photos taken two weekends ago at the Texas Pipe Eclectic Menagerie Park in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Pipe Dreams - Hippo Hitchers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin

#819. Pipe Dreams - Kong Gone Wild (Rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:27:00 GMT

Another composite from two of the photos taken at the Texas Pipe Eclectic Menagerie last weekend. Hold you mouse over the image for a closer view of the actions.

Title: "Pipe Dreams - Kong Gone Wild"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-Processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin

#818. Pipe Dreams - Widow-maker

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:21:00 GMT

Another composite from two photos taken at the Texas Pipe Eclectic Menagerie Park this past weekend. Another dream.

Title: "Pipe Dreams - Widow-maker"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Same as "Pipe Dreams - Eagle Flight"

#817. Pipe Dreams - Eagle Flight

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:27:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the Texas Pipe Eclectic Menagerie Park in Houston, Texas. I had fun taking the photos but really couldn't think of anything to do with the results except composite them into some new scenes I must only have imagined.

Title: "Pipe Dreams - Eagle Flight"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dyanamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#816. Jailhouse Corridor

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:32:00 GMT

Taken on my November trip to the Austin County Jailhouse Museum in Bellville, Texas last year.

Title: "Jailhouse Corridor"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver EFEX Pro 2

#815. Rocket Hangar

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:04:00 GMT

Taken recently at the Rocket Park located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver EFEX Pro 2

#814. Clear Lake Park

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:16:00 GMT

A couple of shots taken at Clear Lake Park a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Clear Lake Park #1"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range image > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Silver EFEX plugin

Title: "Clear Lake Park #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#813. Funky Flowers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Taken Saturday night. I went to The Paint Pub in Nassau Bay (across from NASA) and partiticpated in a group painting session and created this wonderful work of art! :-) Had a lot of fun. You pay a session fee that covers all the materials, paints, brushes, etc. and you are guided through the process of creating a painting by a real artist.

Title: "Funky Flowers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#812. Land of the Giants

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:56:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weeks ago at a Bay Area Youth Symphony.

Title: "Land of the Giants"

Shot Data: 1/80s f/5.0 at 190.0mm iso1600
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Nik Silver Efex plugin

#811. Saturn V

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:11:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at the Johnson Space Center's Rocket Park in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Saturn V"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin

#810. Some Pig

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:01:00 GMT

I don't know...maybe this is a hog...what do I know, I'm a "city boy."

Title: "Some Pig"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Shot data: 1/2000s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso200
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com > Nik Silver EFEX pro plugin

#809. Little Smoker

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:13:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond, Texas.

Title: "Little Smoker"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin

#808. Waiting for Supper

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:58:00 GMT

Went out to George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond, Texas yesterday and caught a shot of a soldier waiting on his supper. I asked what was cooking and he would only say "you don't want to know"! :-)

Title: "Waiting for Supper"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image from three exposures (-2, 0, +2)> Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver EFEX Pro plugin

#807. Cas

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:26:00 GMT

Taken last night at "The Capital at St. Germain", a new dining and live entertainment venue in downtown Houston. This is Cas Haley who came in second in Americas Got Talent's second season. The venue and the show were great! Search youtube.com for "Cas Haley Walking On the Moon" to see his initial performance on Americas Got Talent."

Title: "Cas"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm zoom
Shot data: 1/50s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso1600
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin

#806. Coppola

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:43:00 GMT

Taken last night. I haven't been shooting much lately due to having a very busy spell at work and a general lack of ideas. I decided to try my hand at my photo club's assignment topic this month to see if I could get moving again. The assignment was "Staged" with a definition of "An arrangement of people or objects arranged by the photographer." Hard to get together a group of people with enough patience to give me time to make a successful image so I went with the "objects" option. I am pleased with the results and will definitely be trying a bit more of this type of still life photography in the future.

Title: "Coppola"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Topaz Adjust plugin, Nik Viveza plugin

#805. La Grange Moon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:01:00 GMT

The moon taken a few weeks ago in La Grange, Texas.

Title: "La Grange Moon"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post Processing: Photoshop CS 4 > Topaz Adjust > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#804. A Rock

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:09:00 GMT

A rock on Galveston Beach. Taken this past Sunday. Reminds me of something...maybethe head of some giant beast hiding in the sand ...or maybe I'm reading too much science fiction?

Title: "A Rock"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust > Nik Viveza Silver Efex Pro > Texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#803. So Much Drama

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:39:00 GMT

Made a quick trip down to Galveston today so my daughter could get some time in toward her highway driving milestone before she tests for her driver's license in a couple of weeks. Took a few snaps of the rock art while there and this was my favorite (like my daughter it exudes drama).

Title: "So Much Drama"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#802. U of H Armadillo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:43:00 GMT

Another photo from this past Sunday also taken on the University of Houston main campus near downtown Houston. I'm not 100% sure if this is supposed to be an armadillo but that's what it looks like to me.

Title: "U of H Armadillo"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4

#801. UOFH

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:22:00 GMT

Taken this past Sunday. An architectural detail of one of the University of Houston classroom buildings at the main campus near downtown Houston.

Title: "UOFH"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#800. Seed Hamper

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:26:00 GMT

The whole purpose of running cotton through a gin is to extract the seeds from the cotton. At the Burton Cotton Gin in Burton, Texas the seeds, once extracted, were piped over to this hamper where the farmer could pull his wagon under the hamper doors and dump enough seeds for next years planting with plenty extra for mulch.

Title: "Seed Hamper"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS 4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#799. Water Pump

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:29:00 GMT

A circa 1920 water pump that used to pump water to the big engine that runs the Burton Cotton Gin, in Burton, Texas.

Title: "Water Pump"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#798. Cotton Bale Press

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:54:00 GMT

The cotton bale press at the Burton Cotton Gin Museum in Burton, Texas.

Title: "Cotton Bale Press"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#797. Gin Engine

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:58:00 GMT

This huge old engine powers everything at the Burton Cotton Gin Museum. The engine's exhaust is piped underground to a pair of stacks about 100 yards away but our tour guide assured it is still quite loud in the engine room when it's running; loud enough to shake the ground in the immediate vicinity of the gin.

Title: "Gin Engine"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#796. Cotton Wagon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:33:00 GMT

A cotton wagon is staged for weighing at the Burton Cotton Gin Museum in Burton, Texas.

Title: "Cotton Wagon"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#795. Burton Cotton Gin

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:06:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Burton, Texas. This shot and my next five or six posts feature the Burton Cotton Gin Museum which is a 1920's cotton gin that is maintained in working order and utilized to gin cotton once a year at the Annual Cotton Gin Festival. The facility and tour are fascinating and represent a very important part of American history so I highly recommend you take the tour if your ever in the Burton area.

Title: "Burton Cotton Gin"

#794. Train + Birds on a Wire

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:40:00 GMT

Taken yesterday afternoon in Houston, Texas. It's impossible to present a panorama image on a computer screen and do it any kind of justice but you can at least get an idea of the image I created here. Hope you like it!

Title: "Train + Birds on a Wire"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#793. The Colorado River

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:10:00 GMT

A scene taken this morning on the Colorado River in La Grange, Texas. As I sometimes take liberty to do, I pushed the color saturation on this image to give it a surreal look. Why? Just felt right! :-)

Title: "The Colorado River"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image from three expposures (-2, 0, +2) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#792. Cypress Creek Foliage

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:06:00 GMT

Taken at the end of November on Cypress Creek in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: Cypress Creek Foliage"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#791. The Bugle Boy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:28:00 GMT

Taken a few weeks ago at "The Bugle Boy" in LaGrange, Texas. The Bugle Boy is a great venue for watching live music if you're lucky enough to be in LaGrange on a performance night. The house is small (less than 100 people) and the acoustics are great. We saw John Fullbright perform and the show and the venue were fabulous.

Title: "The Bugle Boy"

Shot data: 1/60s f/2.8 at 50.0mm iso1000
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime lens
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#790. After Some Rain

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:50:00 GMT

Taken last Friday in Wimberley, Texas after they finally got some rain in the area. A few weeks ago this creek was filled with dry leaves.

Title: "After Some Rain"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Nik Silver Efex plugin

#789. Robo Flower

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:27:00 GMT

Taken at the opening of "Reel to Reel" yesterday. This is a part of one of the devices featured in the show by artists Jeff Shore and Jon Fisher. Very cool and quite mesmerizing to experience in person!

Title: "Robo Flower"

Shot data: 1/60s f/2.5 at 50.0mm iso1000
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f/1.4
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#788. Behind Bars

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:05:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the Old Jail Museum in Cold Spring, Texas.

Title: "Behind Bars"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex plugin

#787. Sam Houston National Forest

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:58:00 GMT

A shot taken this past weekend in the Sam Houston National Forest near Cold Spring, Texas.

Title: "Sam Houston National Forest"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin

#786. Big Frosty

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:51:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at a Christmas tree lot near our house in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Big Frosty"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create an HDR image from one exposure > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

#785. Jailhouse Shower

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:05:00 GMT

I just finished post-processing on another shot taken at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas a few weeks ago. The piping hanging from the ceiling is a shower located in the common area between four different cells.

#785. Jailhouse Shower

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust 4 > Nik Silver Efex 2

#784. Low Tide

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:20:00 GMT

Taken Sunday in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Low Tide"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza Plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#783. Sunset on Cypress Creek

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:46:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "Sunset on Cypress Creek"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#782. Capital Punishment

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:57:00 GMT

A detail shot taken at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Capital Punishment"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#781. Cummins Creek Bridge

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:49:00 GMT

Taken last weekend near Fayetteville, Texas. Closed to traffic of course and nearly overgrown with trees so that you might not even notice it from the nearby "new" bridge built in 1931. Here's a really cool photo of the old bridge under construction.

Title: "Cummins Creek Bridge"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three images into one HDR (High Dyanmic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > NiK Silver Efex 2 plugin

#780. Texas Pickin Park

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:36:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday in Fayetteville, Texas. The event was called Texas Pickin Park and amounted to a meet-up for local musicians. It felt like a scene from the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" to me! I loved it!

Title: "Texas Pickin Park"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#779. Old Homestead

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:46:00 GMT

Taken this weekend near La Grange, Texas. This is not MY old homestead...but is someones. Whenever I see an old abandoned home like this it makes me wonder what event led to the abandonment. I know it wasn't abandoned fifty years ago so that I would have something interesting to photograph today! So what was it? Someone's health problems, some past economic hard times, legal woes? You can't tell from looking at the remains of the building but it does make you wonder...doesn't it?

Title: "Old Homestead"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#778. Behind Bars

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:29:00 GMT

Taken last Saturday at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas.

Title: "Behind Bars"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#777. The Idle Noose

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:54:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday. Another shot from the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas.

Title: "The Idle Noose"

Camera / lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#776. Records of Misdeeds

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:02:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas. I suspect that if you tried to handle these old record books now the pages would turn to dust in your hands. Probably no one who ever spent a night in the drunk tank in this old jail is still alive but if they are, and if this is the only record of their visit, there secret is surely safe. :-)

Title: "Records of Misdeeds"

Camera / lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#775. Bastrop Fires #3

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:59:00 GMT

More of the devastated Forrest around Bastrop, Texas taken a few weeks ago.

Title: "Bastrop Fires #3"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#774. I. M. Back

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:28:00 GMT

Taken tonight in Houston, Texas. Happy Halloween!

Title: "I. M. Back"

Shot data: 0.80s f/5.6 at 380.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#773. Room Sized Printer

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:36:00 GMT

This is a Linotype typesetting machine found at The Gonzales Pioneer Village Living History Museum in Gonzales, Texas. It looks to me like a machine that Rube Goldberg might have invented.

Title: "Room Sized Printer"

#772. Painted Face

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:12:00 GMT

Surrounded by the effects of drought followed by fire you might think that even the smile painted onto this Bastrop water tower would turn upside down...but he (a water tower is a "he" right) remains undaunted. Normally these trees would all be green but the heat caused by wildfires burning rapidly through the underbrush killed them and left them as golden as the setting sun shining on the smiling watcher.

Title: "Painted Face"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#771. The Edythe Bates Old Chapel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:53:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas.

Title: "The Edythe Bates Old Chapel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#770. The Not So Private Privy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:58:00 GMT

Taken at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas last weekend. Which is worse, losing your freedom or your privacy? Guests in this place would lose both.

Title: "The Not So Private Privy"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#769. Old Fashioned Incarceration

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 06:14:00 GMT

I had an opportunity to grab a few photos at the Austin County Jail Museum last weekend as we drove through Bellville, Texas.

Title: "Old Fashioned Incarceration"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#768. Courtyard at The Edythe Bates Old Chapel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:17:00 GMT

Taken last weekend at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas. While walking around the grounds at Festival Hill I stumbled into this scene; a courtyard that to me looked as if it might be more appropriately located somewhere in Europe.

Title: "Courtyard at The Edythe Bates Old Chapel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into to one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#767. Concert Hall at Festival Hill

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:48:00 GMT

We drove up to Round Top, Texas yesterday for a cello concert at Festival Hill. Even though the concert hall building looks really nice from the outside I wasn't prepared for this level of grandeur at a facility located in such a small town (less than 300 residents)!

Title: "Concert Hall at Festival Hill"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#766. The Old Bridge

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:48:00 GMT

This particular old bridge, located near Ammansville, Texas, was closed when we came upon it a few weeks ago, blocked to vehicular traffic from one end by a felled tree and from the other by a large pile of gravel. I guess after more than a century of service (signage dates it to 1884) the county finally deemed it to be unsafe. Kind of makes me wonder if it was really OK the last time we drove across it a couple of years ago?

Title: "The Old Bridge"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2

#765. Inside the Olle Hotel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:18:00 GMT

Taken in the Olle Hotel in Flatonia, Texas. A wonderful place to stay if your in the area.

Title: "Inside the Olle Hotel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine there exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#764. Fairy Tale Home

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:26:00 GMT

Not sure exactly why ;-) but this house caught my attention a couple of weeks ago when traveling through Smithville, Texas.

Title: "Fairy Tail Home"

#763. The Olle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:10:00 GMT

If you're ever looking for a very nice place to stay in Flatonia, TX you can't go wrong with The Olle Hotel. We stayed there for a few nights two weeks ago and can highly recommend it.
Title: "The Olle"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Viveza 2 plugin

#762. A Prayer for Rain

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:46:00 GMT

Taken this last weekend at St. John the Baptist Church in Ammansville, Tx. Ammansville is pretty much in the middle of the tinderbox created by the current drought in central Texas.

Title: "A Prayer for Rain"

Shot data: 1/40s f/1.4 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#761. Everything in its Own Time

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:06:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend behind a church in Cistern, Texas.

Title: "Everything in its Own Time"

Shot data: 1/6667s f/2.0 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#760. Twice Burned

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:05:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend. One of the shells of the homes destroyed in wildfires around the Bastrop, Texas area.

Title: "Twice Burned"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#759. Muldoon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:43:00 GMT

While driving around this past weekend I spotted this scene in Muldoon, TX. For every big city in Texas we have a million of small towns like Muldoon. The building on the right is the courthouse.

Title: "Muldoon"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create an HDR image from three exposures > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#758. Bastrop Fires #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:04:00 GMT

Continuing with shots from Bastrop, Texas this past weekend.

Title: "Bastrop Fires #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin > textures by flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#757. Bastrop Fires #1

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:53:00 GMT

Just back from a trip around Central Texas over the last three days. Everywhere we went we saw evidence of the stress to the environment caused by the current drought affecting much of Texas. The area around the town of Bastrop was particularly hard hit by forest fires a couple of weeks ago. It is shocking to see the path of destruction left by these fires.

Title: "Bastrop Fires #1"

#756. Taffy Puller

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:24:00 GMT

Taken at LaKing's Confectionery in Galveston, Texas. "Pulling" is a key part of making taffy. This looks to be a difficult job if done by hand; luckily LaKing's pulling machine survived hurricane Ike.

Title: "Taffy Puller"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#755. LaKing's Too

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 11:45:00 GMT

Inside LaKing's Confectionery in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "LaKing's Too"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#754. Inside LaKing's

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:34:00 GMT

A from inside LaKing's Confectionery on The Strand in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Inside LaKing's"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2

#753. Taffy #5 and #6

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:21:00 GMT

Back to LaKing's on The Strand in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Taffy #5"

Title: "Taffy #6"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom

#752. Candy and the Candy Man

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:04:00 GMT

Another shot from Galveston a couple of weekends ago. This on is at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Title: "Candy and the Candy Man"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Shot data: 1/640s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso800
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#751. Taffy 4

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:31:00 GMT

Continuing with my Taffy shots from last weekend's trip down to Galveston.

Title: "Taffy 4"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/40s f/4.0 at 35.0mm iso1000

#750. Taffy #1, #2, #3

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:18:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at LaKing's Confectionery located at 2323 Strand
Galveston, TX 77550. If your on The Strand with some time to kill I suggest you stop by and see if you're lucky enough to see salt water taffy being produced by LaKing's candy makers.

Title: "Taffy #1"

Title: "Taffy #2"

Title: "Taffy #3"

#749. Rock Art Too

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:48:00 GMT

From a couple of weekends ago. Another shot of the public art display created from rocks along the Galveston sea wall.

Title: "Rock Art Too"

#748. At Rest

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:59:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend. Some oak barrels at Haak Winery in Santa Fe, Texas.

Title: "At Rest"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex2

#747. The Great Benini

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:35:00 GMT

#Taken a few weekends ago at the Benini Sculpture Ranch in Johnson City, Texas. "The Great Benini" is not a self portrait but rather a creation by artist Jonas Perkins. From the Sculpture Ranch web page:

About his massive Luminary Sculpture Mosaic, The Great Benini, Jonas says:
In homage to my friend, my monolith artist emerges from the earth, seeing our world for the first time. Exploring, he is still part of the earth—not yet of our world. Looking at The Great Benini, spectators imagine the rest of him that is yet to emerge into our sight. The sun and moon reflect in The Great Benini luminary, attracting galaxies of artists on earth—just as gravity attracts planets to large celestial bodies.

Title: "The Great Benini"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2

#746. Eagle Chief

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:16:00 GMT

Taken this morning at Texas Swing in Alvin, Texas.

Title: "Eagle Chief"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin > texture from Flypapertextures.com

#745. Big Red

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:19:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend on Galveston Island.

Title: "Big Red"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#744. Rock Art

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:17:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend on the seawall in Galveston, Texas. Apparently some local artists got creative with rocks used for rip rap on the seawall. I first spotted the rock art on Friday. I took some images on Saturday morning. I went back on Sunday for one last look and the majority of the sculptures have been knocked over! Seems like there's always someone ready to destroy what someone else has built.

Title: "Rock Art"

#743. St. Mary's Jesus (Rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:17:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago at St. Mary's Catholic Church in High Hill, Texas. I've taken the same shot before but couldn't pass up a chance to try and do it better if I could. The shot is took in 2008 can be viewed by holding your cursor over this image for a few seconds.

#743. "St. Mary's Jesus"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dyanamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2

#742. Wimberley Cafe

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:25:00 GMT

Taken in the early morning a couple of weekends ago in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "The Wimberley Cafe"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert 3 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#741. St. Mary's Confessional

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 21:26:00 GMT

Taken last weekend at St. Mary's Catholic Church in High Hill, Texas.

Title: "St. Mary's Confessional"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#740. Red Cross

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:43:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the Benini Sculpture Ranch in Johnson City, Texas. This particular piece of art is by Bobby Hamric.

Title: "Red Cross"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#739. The Bull Pen

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:16:00 GMT

Taken Saturday morning at Veterans Park Arena in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "The Bull Pen"

#738. Galveston Bay from Seabrook

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:54:00 GMT

Taken this evening in Seabrook, Texas. Quick practice shot with my new ND filter. I already discovered that the filter, while effectively giving me longer shutter speeds to smooth out the water, doesn't do anything to help hold the camera still. I'll need some practice at minimizing camera shake from my tripod.

Title: "Galveston Bay from Seabrook"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > NIK Silber EFEX Pro 2

#737. Lunar Transportation

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at Space Center Houston at Johnson Space Center.

Title: "Lunar Transportation"

#736. Tranquility

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 09:48:00 GMT

Taken in Fulton, Texas this past June. I saw this tranquil and timeless scene as I drove along Fulton Beach Road and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2's preset for Antique Plate seemed to be a perfect fit.

Title: Tranquility

Shot data: 1/256s f/6.4 at 96.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#735. Bayou Building

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:57:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend on the campus of the University of Houston Clear Lake.

Title: "Bayou Building"

#734. State National

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:28:00 GMT

The State National building in downtown Houston.

Title: "State National"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into on HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#733. Crosswalks

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:04:00 GMT

Taken in downtown Houston near Buffalo Bayou.

Title: "Crosswalks"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposuers (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#732. Somewhere in Time

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 12:48:00 GMT

Taken last weekend in downtown Houston's Sam Houston Park.

Title: "Somewhere in Time"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#731. Almost Home

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:39:00 GMT

Another shot from this past weekend's trip to downtown Houston.

Title: "Almost Home"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#730. Seven Wonders

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:46:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Downtown Houston. Seven Wonders by Mel Chin behind the Wortham Center overlooking Buffalo Bayou's Sesquicentennial Park.

Title: "Seven Wonders"

#729. Wild Horses

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:07:00 GMT

Taken a few weeks ago at the Kemah Boardwalk.

Title: "Wild Horses"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#728. Sunset Pathway

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:42:00 GMT

Beautiful sunset tonight! Kind of surreal so I pushed it that way with my post processing.

Taken at Bay Area Park a little over an hour ago.

Title: "Sunset Pathway"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#727. Balcony Dining

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 19:49:00 GMT

Here's another shot of the Port A Beach Resort in Port Aransas, Texas.

Title: "Balcony Dining"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photmatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#726. In Memoriam

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:53:00 GMT

I love this family portrait originally taken and posted back in November of 2009. I'm re-posting it today in honor of Grandma T who passed on to a better place this morning after 98 years full of life.

Title: "Three Generations Pano"

#725. A View from Endeavor"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:01:00 GMT

A view from the Endeavor Condos on Clear Lake. Taken July 4th as we waited for area fireworks to begin.

Title: "A View from Endeavor

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three images into a single HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#724. Table for Four

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:12:00 GMT

Last of my series from Cheryl's restaurant in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Table for Four"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three images (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#732. Port A Beach Lodge

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:02:00 GMT

Taken in Port Aransas, Texas a couple of weeks ago. One of the owners of this hotel saw a photo I posted of Cherly's Restaurant in Rockport, Texas back in March and invited me to come take some photos of his place, Port A Beach Lodge, next time I was in the area. I like all the angles of the architecture of the place which is located just behind the dune line of the beach.

Title: "Port A Beach Lodge"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#731. The Little Things

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:45:00 GMT

Another shot from Cheryl's in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "The Little Things"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye lens
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#730. Green Lantern's Light

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:48:00 GMT

Taken last week in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Green Lantern's Light"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) Image > Topaz Adjust plugin

#729. Focal Point

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:59:00 GMT

Next in the "Cheryl's" series. This was the corner nearest the table we ate at. Cheryl said this was her favorite painting in her restaurant and I think I agree. I kind of fond of the lamp too! :-)

Title: "Focal Point"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#728. Table for Six

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:53:00 GMT

Continuing with photos taken last week at Cheryl's in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Table for Six"

#727. Cheryl's Hats

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:16:00 GMT

Turns out Cheryl's Restaurant in Fulton, Texas is not only a place to get a great meal but also a great place to pick up a fine hat!

Title: "Cheryl's Hats"

#726. Fisheye Fish

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:52:00 GMT

Another shot from Cheryl's in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Fisheye Fish"

#725. Bedouin Room

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 16:35:00 GMT

Taken Thursday night at Cheryl's restaurant in Fulton, Texas. You will get a good idea about how wonderfully appointed Cheryl's is after I finish posting this series of photos but you'll have to take my word about how great the food there is! :-) It's the best dining experience I've found so far in the Fulton / Rockport area!

Title: "Bedouin Room at Cheryl's"

#724. Texas Milo Field

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:08:00 GMT

Taken Thursday in, or near, Tivoli, Texas on the way to Fulton from Goliad, Texas. To my untrained eye these corn plants look pretty healthy. Either the Tivoli area hasn't had quite the drought conditions Houston has had or I just don't know corn. :-)

Update: Turns out I don't know corn at all! :-) WJ provided the explanation that this is actually Milo! Thanks WJ!

Title: "Texas Milo Field"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS 4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#723. Passengers Allowed

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Taken at the Railroad Museum in Galveston, Texas a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Passengers Allowed"

Camera / lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#722. Jolly Roger

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Taken at a miniature golf course in Jamaica Beach a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Jolly Roger"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#721. Sarah Seeking Paul

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:03:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday morning in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Sarah Seeking Paul"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D MarkII / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, 2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, Photoshop CS4, Topaz Adjust plugin

#720. Girl of Many Pots

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:23:00 GMT

Taken this morning in League City, Texas.

Title: "Girl Of Many Pots"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > NIk Viveza plugin

#719. Dozer

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:42:00 GMT

Taken last weekend. One of the life-sized statues situated in the Galveston Railroad Museum depot.

Title: "Dozer"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Caonon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#718. Watch Your Step

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:24:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the Railroad museum in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Watch Your Step"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#717. Old Trucks

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:59:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Hitchcock, Texas. Just one of those scenes that are irresistible to photographers. :-)

Title: "Old Trucks"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to merge three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#716. Mail Car

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:17:00 GMT

We've been down in Galveston since Thursday night so I haven't posted for a few days. One of my stops was the Galveston Railroad Museum. This is my first time back to the museum since hurricane Ike. The museum has only been re-opened for a few months. They had a lot of damage throughout the museum depot (7 to 9 feet of water damage), miniature train room (completely destroyed and no longer part of the museum) and to the actual locomotives and rail cars on display (requiring many to need to be re-restored). The mail car I'm showing today is one of my favorites.

Title: "Mail Car"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II > Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dyanmic Range) photo > Phtotshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#715. Ticket Takers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:18:00 GMT

Another shot taken yesterday morning at Kemah Boardwalk. It's a little early for Halloween but these folks at the Boardwalk are very patient. :-)

Title: "Ticket Takers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three explosures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin (exposure color stretch preset)

#714. Tickets

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:17:00 GMT

Taken this morning at the Kemah Boardwalk.

Title: "Tickets"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Topaz Adjust plugin (exposure color stretch preset)

#713. Emma and Phobe

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 29 May 2011 17:37:00 GMT

I'm processing a few shots from the archives (this was taken on our trip to Rockport and Port Aransas back in March) and I found this shot of my daughter that I really liked. I spent a few minutes in photoshop to add in a texture in order to fill in the solid blue sky and tweak the contrast. I think the overall photo turned out well.

Title: "Emma and Phoebe"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/800s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso200
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#712. Mercury

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:23:00 GMT

Here's another shot from the Keels and Wheels classic car and boat show in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Mercury"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#711. Bottle Cap Alley

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:24:00 GMT

This is a shot of Bottle Cap Alley in College Station, Texas. Located next to the Dixie Chicken, Bottle Cap Alley is a famous Aggieland landmark and plays a role in at least one Corps Fish tradition.

Title: "Bottle Cap Alley"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye

#710. Estellitta

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:31:00 GMT

A few more shots from the Keels and Wheels antique car and boat show in Seabrook, Texas a few weekends back. These shots are of a 54' Riverboat manufactured by North American Marine in 1920 called the Estellitta. One look at this boat and you couldn't help be reminded of the African Queen. These shots were all taken with my Canon 5D Mark II using a Canon 15mm Fisheye lens and processed using Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into HDR images.

Title: "Estellitta #1"

Title: "Estellitta #2"

Title: "Estellitta #3"

Title: "Estellitta #4"

#709. Holy Art Car

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 16 May 2011 04:01:00 GMT

And now for something completely different: Here's a photo of an Art Car I took at the Keels and Wheels event a few weekends ago in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Holy Art Car"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Ptotoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#708. 1903 Reo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 14 May 2011 11:29:00 GMT

Taken at the Keels and Wheels event in Seabrook, Texas a few weekends ago. If you look closely at the differential you can see that this car had a chain drive!

Title: "1903 Reo"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0 ,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range)image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza

#707. Target Practice (Rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:46:00 GMT

This past Sunday my brother Larry and I got together and took a couple of shots for the Bay Area Photo Club's photo assignment for Honor's Night. This month's assignment was a diptych with two photos taken by two different photographers. We presented the photos in a diptych frame of side by side 8" X 10" prints but for Internet purposes I thought a rollover would work better. Larry took the photo of me you see below. Hold your cursor over the photo to reveal the photo I took of him. We had a lot of fun doing this and I hope we get to do more in the future.

Title: "Target Practice" (rollover)

#706. Gately Guitarist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 09 May 2011 03:58:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at Bay Area Photo Club's shoot at Gately Paper Co. in Galveston.

Title: "Gately Guitarist"

Shot data: 1/160s f/5.6 at 15.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM fisheye

#705. '29 Cadillac

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:18:00 GMT

From the Keels and Wheels event in Seabrook, Texas last weekend.

Title: "'29 Cadillac"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#704. Bobby Darin's Dream Car

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:36:00 GMT

Taken Saturday at the Keels and Wheels event in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Bobby Darin's Dream Car"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#703. Landaulet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 02 May 2011 04:03:00 GMT

Another shot from my trip to the Keels and Wheels event in Seabrook, Texas this past weekend. This shot is of a 1910 Bianchi Landaulet Limousine.

Title: "Landaulet"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposuers {-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz adjust plugin

#702. Labourdette

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:15:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at the Keels and Wheels event in Seabrook, Texas. If I kept accurate notes this is a 1922 Hispano Suiza Labourdette. I love all the metal mechanical bits in the center of the steering wheel: It's a perfect steampunk automobile. :-)

Title: "Labourdette"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#701. Police

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 06:14:00 GMT

I'm off to Keels and Wheels this morning! Keels and Wheels is an annual event showcasing antique and classic boats (keels) and automobiles (wheels). I entered this photo in a contest sponsored by the event and The Arts Alliance Center of Clear Lake and earned an Honorable Mention. The photo, along with 10 others will be on display at the event today and tomorrow and then sometime later at TAACCL.

Title: "Police"

#700. Mitchell

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:05:00 GMT

Another shot from last Saturday's portrait session with Bay Area Photo Club in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Mitchell"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#699. Craftsman at Work

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:52:00 GMT

Another shot taken this past weekend while on the Bay Area Photo Club's field trip to Galveston for location portrait work. This wasn't one of the models that were recruited for the event but rather a gentleman who works for Gately Paper Company where the shoot took place. He was nice enough to allow me to take a few snaps of him while he practiced some fishing rod repairs.

Title: "Craftsman at Work"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#698. Skateborder

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:21:00 GMT

Yesterday the Bay Area Photo Club organized a photo shoot for its members at Gately Paper Company in Galveston, TX. This skateboarder was one of the models enlisted to allow for practice with taking action shots. I would have liked a little more sharpness in the overall image but the results are pretty cool regardless, mainly because of the intensity of the young mans facial expression.

Title: "Skateboarder"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye lens
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#697. Martha's Bloomers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:24:00 GMT

Taken last weekend as we passed through Navasota, Texas. Martha's Bloomers is a Nursery and Tea Room. It's an interesting place to visit if you happen to be on the road between College Station and Houston.

Title: "Martha's Bloomer's"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#696. For the if in Life

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:25:00 GMT

It seems like I went for years without seeing a blimp and then last weekend I saw this one everywhere I went.

Title: "for the if in life"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#695. Kite Sky

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:17:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at the Dragon Boat races held at Edgewater in Clear Lake City.

Title: "Kite Sky"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fish Eye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Textures from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#694. For Kathleen

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:55:00 GMT

Taken last week in Clear Lake Shores.

Title: "For Kathleen"

#693. Big Feet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:12:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago at Maas Nursery in Seabrook, Texas. You can always find something interesting at Maas Nursery. This time it was pots shaped like feet; BIG feet, like three times the size of a normal persons feet.

Title: "Big Feet"

#692. Outside the Shrine by the Bay

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 05:34:00 GMT

Here an exterior shot of the shrine featured in yesterday's post. It's hard to imagine that everything shown in yesterday's interior shot fit into a structure that looks so small from the outside.

Title: "Outside the Shrine by the Bay"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#691. Little Shrine by the Bay

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:08:00 GMT

Taken on our trip to Rockport, Texas a couple of weekends ago. This Shrine is actually located in the Schoenstatt Center in Lamar, Texas on Aransas Bay.

Title: "Little Shrine by the Bay"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Lens Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposuers (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) range > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#690. Port Aransas Sunrise

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:09:00 GMT

One of the beautiful sunrises I saw when we were in Port Aransas a couple of weeks age.

Title: "Port Aransas Sunrise"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#689. Fulton Harbor Shrimp Boat

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 18:12:00 GMT

Here's another photo that was taken last week at the harbor in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Fulton Harbor Shrimp Boat"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#688. Fulton Harbor Shrimpers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:33:00 GMT

Here's another photo that was taken last week at the harbor in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Fulton Harbor Shrimpers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#687. Fulton Harbor Bait Stand

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:17:00 GMT

This photo was taken last week at the harbor in Fulton, Texas.

Title: "Fulton Harbor Bait Stand"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#685. Fulton Fishing Pier

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 18:34:00 GMT

We returned yesterday from a week-long trip to Fulton, Rockport and Port Aransas, Texas. This photo was taken Monday morning while we waited for a sunrise that never materialized due to cloud cover (similar to what happened tonight as I attempted to photograph the Super Moon).

Title: "Fulton Fishing Pier"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#684. Harnesses

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:35:00 GMT

Taken last weekend at Pioneer Town in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "Harnesses"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Lensbaby 3G

#683. Freebirds

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:34:00 GMT

Taken this past Sunday in San Marcos, Texas.

Title: "Freebirds"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin, Texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#682. Cow Puddle, Texas

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 16:16:00 GMT

Taken yesterday in Cow Puddle, Texas. OK, not actually Cow Puddle, Texas but rather in Pioneer Town in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "Cow Puddle, Texas"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin for Sepia conversion

#681. Waiting and Watching

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 06:12:00 GMT

Taken last weekend at Maas Nursery in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Waiting and Watching"

Shot data: 1/1600s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#680. Toothless

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:03:00 GMT

Another shot from Maas Nursery in Seabrook. Taken this past weekend.

Title: "Toothless"

Shot data: 1/200s f/4.0 at 58.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#679. Its All About Me

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:51:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at one of my old reliable shooting locations: Maas Nursery in Seabrook, Texas. This is actually a composite of two shots; one to get the frame in focus and one to get the subject in the mirror in focus.

Title: "Its All About Me"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#678. Fog Free

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:22:00 GMT

What it feels like after thirty-six hours of fog clears.

Title: "Fog Free"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/9.0 at 15.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#677. Foggy Fence Line

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:51:00 GMT

Another photo from our fog filled trip to Galveston, Texas this past weekend.

Title: "Foggy Fence Line"

Shot data: 1/2500s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#676. Foggy Farmhouse

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:06:00 GMT

Another shot from my foggy weekend in Galveston this past weekend.

Title: "Foggy Farmhouse"

Shot data: 1/400s f/8.0 at 120.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#675. Foggy Beach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:08:00 GMT

We returned home from a weekend in Galveston this afternoon. Friday evening and Saturday pretty much looked like this (Gulf of Mexico on right side of image). Not ideal beach conditions but we managed to have some fun anyway! :-)

Title: "Foggy Beach"

Shot data: 1/3200s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#674. Corner Musicians (rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT

If you are familiar with Seabrook, Texas you probably already recognize this scene. If you need a hint to jog your memory just hold your cursor over the image to reveal an underlying clue.

Title: "Corner Musicians" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM f/2.8 Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#673. Inside the Howitzer

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:59:00 GMT

Taken at the American Shooting Centers in George Bush Park during the Homes for Our Troops sporting clays event a couple of weekends ago. I previously posted an exterior shot of this mobile Howitzer which I included as the underlying image in the rollover to refresh your memory.

Title: "Inside the Howitzer" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM f/2.8 Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#672. Starburst Cross

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:37:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas. This 170 foot tall cross was constructed two years ago on February 7, 2009. It is clearly visible from several major freeways in Houston and I've been meaning to photograph it for quite some time.

Title: "Starburst Cross"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld images into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#671. Boatscape

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:38:00 GMT

Taken in Kemah, Texas late this afternoon. I didn't "see" this shot, my wife did. But I give myself credit for listening. :-) You can just make out the Boardwalk Bullet (the roller coaster on the Kemah Boardwalk) at the end of the row of boats.

Title: "Boatscape"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three Exposures into one HDR (High Dyanmic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#670. Saltgrass Chevrolet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 07:52:00 GMT

Taken yesterday evening at the Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas.

Title: "Saltgrass Chevrolet"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#669. 600 (rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:05:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday at the American Shooting Centers in George Bush Park during the Homes for Our Troops sporting clays event. This is the 600 yard rifle range. My boss likes to shoot open sight (no scope) at this range! It's hard for me to even see the big pile of dirt that serves as the backstop 600 yards away so I can't imagine trying to hit a bulls eye on a small target in front of it! :-) Admittedly the fish eye lens I used makes it look even further away so I included a tighter crop to give you a more accurate gauge of the distance (just hold your cursor over the image to see the closeup).

Title: "600" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM f/2.8 Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#668. Towers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:26:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday at the American Shooting Center in George Bush Park in Houston, Texas. The event was the annual Homes for Our Troops Sporting Clay tournament. I assume towers like the one in the foreground used to be used as a platform for the machines used to launch the clays. While these types of towers are still present on the grounds they have been abandoned in favor of steel towers with platforms mounted on an elevator mechanism that raises the thrower to the desired height.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three images (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#667. Howitzer (Rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 15:41:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at the American Shooting Centers in George Bush Park during the Homes for Our Troops sporting clays event. I didn't like the original background much so I did quite a bit of post-processing work to try and clean things up a bit. Hold your mouse over the photo to reveal the original image as it came our of Photomatix.

Title: "Howitzer" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM f/2.8 Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#666. A Train in Richmond

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:49:00 GMT

Taken in Richmond, Texas last Saturday.

Title: "A Train in Richmond"

Shot data: 1/160s f/8.0 at 53.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55 f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#665. Wild Ride

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:09:00 GMT

One last shot from my trip to Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas last Sunday.

Title: "Wild Ride"

Shot data: 1/1250s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#664. Wipeout!

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:06:00 GMT

Again, another fisheye shot from Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas. Taken this past Sunday afternoon.

Title: "Wipeout!"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#663. Kemah Railroad

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:32:00 GMT

Another shot taken this weekend at Kemah Boardwalk.

Title: "Kemah Railroad"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM fisheye
Processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#662. Police

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:25:00 GMT

Taken this afternoon at Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas.

Title: "Police"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#661. Driftwood Diptych

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:55:00 GMT

Taken at the Texas City Dike a couple of weekends ago. I took a few minutes off from photographing the kite surfers to photograph this piece of driftwood laying on the beach. I wanted to focus on the textures so I desaturated the color a little.

Title: "Driftwood Diptych"

Shot data: 1/250s f/8.0 at 400.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#660. Bonsai #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:45:00 GMT

Been in a slump photographically speaking which is why I haven't been posting much lately. I don't think there is any way to get out of a slump other than to work your way out. Hopefully if I keep taking photos I'll get back on track soon!:-) Anyway here's a still life I took last night. I took it in front of a white background with the intention of playing around with textures. I like this one I think.

Title: "Bonsai #2"

Shot data: 1/40s f/8.0 at 15.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust > Nik Viveza > Red Paw Media Beautifier > Testure from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#659. Vacancy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:35:00 GMT

Taken a few hours ago at the Kemah Boardwalk. It was pretty quite this evening on the Kemah Boardwalk. In the summer the star shaped fountain in front of the Boardwalk Inn Hotel would be surrounded by parents and covered with fifty or sixty wet and screaming children. :-)

Title: "Vacancy"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine six exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#658. Airborne

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:39:00 GMT

I ended up at Texas City Dike this past weekend. It's been a while since I was down there photographing the wind surfers so it took me a little while to remember how to do it. It pretty much requires the AI Servo focus mode and focusing set on as many points as your camera will do! In the summer I've been known to go out into the water for my shots but in wet suit weather I think I'll have to stay on dry land! Some said the water temp was in the low 50s!

Title: "Airborne"

Shot data: 1/500s f/8.0 at 400.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#657. No Swimming

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:48:00 GMT

Taken New Year's Eve at Clear Lake Park.

Title: "No Swimming"

Shot data: 1/250s f/1.6 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime lens
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#656. The Spirit of Texas City

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 10:35:00 GMT

Taken yesterday afternoon at a small park near the Texas City Dike in Texas City, Texas. Hold your mouse over the photo to reveal the original (unprocessed except for Photomatix Pro) image. I really wanted to create an image out this photo I was happy with and it took a lot of post-processing work to get there (as you can see from looking at the underlying image). In the end I was very pleased! :-)

Title: "The Spirit of Texas City" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15MM f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert one image into a "psuedo-HDR" image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#655. Totem

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 21:18:00 GMT

Taken this afternoon at a small park near the Texas City Dike in Texas City, Texas.

Title: "Totem"

Shot data: 1/250s f/7.1 at 15.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#654. The Watcher (rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:01:00 GMT

Taken this morning at Clear Lake Park in Houston, Texas. Hold your mouse over the photo to reveal the original (unprocessed) image.

Happy New Year!

Title: "The Watcher" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50MM f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#653. Donkey

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:46:00 GMT

Taken last week in Wimberley, Texas. Why? Not sure but probably because I don't see that many donkeys around here. I see cattle and horses a lot but not so many of the four legged donkeys. :-)

Title: "Donkey"

Camera/Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#652. Cypress Creek Three and Four

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:43:00 GMT

The last of the HDR sets I took of Cypress Creek in Wimberley, Texas last week. These two shots represent the widest and narrowest compositions of the four shots I posted. I basically took all four shots from within a 15 foot radius but hopefully the different compositions keep the shots from seeming redundant.

Title: "Cypress Creek Three"

Title: "Cypress Creek Four"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#651. Cypress Creek Too

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:00:00 GMT

Here's another shot of Cypress Creek in Wimberley, Texas taken last week.

Title: "Cypress Creek Too"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into on HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#650. Cypress Creek

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 19:08:00 GMT

Merry Christmas everyone! I've been pretty busy over the holidays and haven't posted much. :-( I'll try and do better!

Taken last week in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "Cypress Creek"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#649. Saturn Rocket

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:49:00 GMT

I took this photo at the Rocket Park in Johnson Space Center last weekend.

Title: "Saturn Rocket"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 images into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#648. T38 Talon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:11:00 GMT

Taken last Sunday at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Title: "T38 Talon"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 esposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range)image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#647. Western Heritage Pavilion

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:36:00 GMT

Taken Sunday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Western Heritage Pavilion is located on the JSC grounds across form the Rocket Park (home of the Saturn rocket).

Title: "Western Heritage Pavilion"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#646. So Big

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:53:00 GMT

Taken just after Thanksgiving at a rest stop near Luling, Texas. In Texas we are seeing more and more of those giant power generation windmills dotting the landscape particularly in West Texas. This is one blade from one of the giants. It seems I see them in route to their home every time I head west on I-10 from Houston.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine the handheld exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#645. Luling City Market

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:51:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Luling, Texas. Luling City Market is home to arguably the best BBQ in Houston which means it may be the best BBQ in the world! :-) Don't expect niceties, like plates, here: the BBQ is served up on butcher paper. If you ask the lady at the drink counter what types of drinks they sell she will say "Sweet Tea and Big Red and other stuff too".

Title: "Luling City Market"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Shot data: 1/25s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso400
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create a psuedo-HDR (High Dynamic Range) image from one exposure > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#644. Robo Bull

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:59:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Johnson City, Texas.

Title: "Robo Bull"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust Plugin

#643. Blanco River

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:02:00 GMT

Taken this morning in Blanco, Texas.

Title: "Blanco River"

Title: "Blanco River Too"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine seven exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#642. Thornton House

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 06:32:00 GMT

Taken last weekend in Point Enterprise, Texas.

Title: "Thornton House"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposueres (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Toopaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#641. Niños No Tocar Machetes

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:07:00 GMT

My wife spotted this sign at Cole's flea market in Pearland this past Sunday and it struck me as being funny. I don't know, it's just the idea that someone had to make a sign because they were having a problem with kids playing with the machetes! At least they weren't playing with guns right? :-)

Title: "Niños No Tocar Machetes"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f/1.4
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#640. Under the Red Umbrella

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:04:00 GMT

Taken today at Cole's Flea Market in Pearland, Texas.

Title: "Under the Red Umbrella"

Shot data: 1/2500s f/6.3 at 40.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#639. Theatrical Christmas

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:20:00 GMT

A couple of times a month I take photos for Clear Creek Community Theater in Webster, Texas. Last night I took head shots and some publicity stills for "Miracle on 34th Street". These shots always come early in the process, before everyone has their costumes and before the set is complete, but I still enjoy doing them. As a general rule actors are fun to work with: they know how to be expressive and they're always "on". :-)

Title: "Theatrical Christmas"

Shot data: 1/50s f/10.0 at 32.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm f/2.8
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin
Light: Alien Bee 1600 placed high center with 2X4 Softbox remote fired by Pocket Wizard

#638. Renaissance Man

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:30:00 GMT

I ran into this character at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Magnolia, Texas on Saturday while on a field trip with the Bay Area Photo Club.

Title: "Renaissance Man"

Shot Data: 1/125s f/5.6 at 275.0mm iso320
Camera / lens: Canon 40d / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Tapaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Bleach Bypass

#637. Boardwalk Stairway

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:24:00 GMT

Another shot from my trip to the Kemah Boardwalk this past Saturday night.

Title: "Boardwalk Stairway"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#636. Dylan

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:11:00 GMT

Taken Saturday night. I don't know who Dylan is but I can't seem to pass up an opportunity to try and photograph both the subject and the work of art every time I pass the caricature stand on the Keman Boardwalk.

Title: "Dylan"

Shot data: 1/30s f/3.2 at 31.0mm iso640
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#635. RED

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:08:00 GMT

Taken Saturday night at the Kemah Boardwalk. Thought I might switch colors after last weeks posts. :-)

Title: "RED"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#634. Ornamental

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:44:00 GMT

This is the other shot I presented at our photo club's Honor's Night for the assignment "The Color Blue". It's blue Christmas ornaments in a silver stainless steel bowl shot outside in natural light.

Title: "Ornamental"

Shot data: 1/166s f/1.6 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#633. Baby Blue Balloons

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:01:00 GMT

Here's a shot I took this past Sunday for our photo club's monthly assignment. The assignment was "The Color Blue".

Title: "Baby Blue Balloons"

Shot data: 1/99s f/14.1 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create a Psuedo HDR from one raw file > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#632. For the Birds

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:30:00 GMT

Taken this afternoon. I didn't have to travel too far for this shot...just to the back yard. :-)

Title: "For the Birds"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 different exposures into one HDR image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#631. Hillside Cross

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:17:00 GMT

Taken on Saturday while on a Bay Area Photo Club field trip to Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Hillside Cross"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine seven exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#630. Circus Tripp

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:09:00 GMT

Happy Halloween!!

I took this photo of a mural on the side of a building in the Heights area of Houston yesterday. I stuck around for about 30 minutes for the artist to finish his work and remove the scaffolding but by then the parking lot had a few cars in it that covered up part of the mural.

Title: "Circus Tripp"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine seven exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#629. Seven

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:19:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at a local church that sells pumpkins every year to raise funds. The orange and black color pair of these small pumpkins on a shelf caught my eye and I found a crop in post-processing that I liked a lot.

Title: "Seven"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine seven exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#628. Flying Flag

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:13:00 GMT

Another shot from the Wings Over Houston airshow on Saturday. This is how they brought in the flag for the opening ceremonies.

Title: "Flying Flag"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canoin 100-400 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#627. The Flying Guppy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:53:00 GMT

Here's another shot I took Saturday at the Wings Over Houston Airshow. This is the Flying Guppy. As I understand it this plane was specially modified for NASA to use to transport very large sections of the space shuttles during construction.

Title: "The Flying Guppy"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine seven exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#626. Tail Gun

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 12:37:00 GMT

Taken Saturday morning at the Wings Over Houston airshow. I wouldn't have liked being an enemy pilot charged with attacking this plane in WWII and finding myself looking at this!

Title: "Tail Gun"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine seven exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#625. October Kemah Sunrise

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:29:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday morning at Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah, Texas.

Title: "October Kemah Sunrise"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#624. Pumpkin Patch

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:15:00 GMT

Taken this past Friday at a local church in Clear Lake City. This church sells pumpkins every year as a fundraiser and there are always abundant photo ops. I didn't spend long there this year but I did grab a couple of sets of brackets (and a couple of pumpkins). :-)

Title: "Pumpkin Patch"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#623. Humble Fisherman

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday at Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas. I really enjoyed watching this man fishing. This was no frills fishing to be sure. It looks to my eye like the boat is homemade. No fancy rod and reel; just fishing line with a hook on the end tossed away from the boat and retrieved hand over hand, usually with a fish on the hook! In this area where at any given time you can sit and watch a million dollars worth of boats pass every minute it was fun to see a down-to-earth reminder that there are always simpler options.

Title: "Humble Fisherman"

Shot data: 1/25s f/16.0 at 42.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo from one exposure > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#622. Majestic Flight

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 05:21:00 GMT

Taken at sunset a couple of weekends ago at Galveston Island State Park. Even though it's only a tiny portion of the finished image, to me this shot is still all about the bird.

Title: "Majestic Flight"

Shot data: 1/200s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#621. Wildflower

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:48:00 GMT

Another shot from my trip down to Galveston Island State Park last weekend.

Title: "Wildflower"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#620. A Salute

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 08:32:00 GMT

Taken last night at a local church. I recently volunteered my humble photography skills at the church I attend in Houston. I have since been asked to take photos a couple of times. Last night the request was to pop out on the stage and take a few quick snaps of the congregation holding a sign congratulating their overseas sister church on their one year anniversary. It was a fairly simple assignment and I initially thought the thanks I received were unearned. After I thought about it a while though I gave myself a little more credit for the job I did. First of all, there is pressure. I volunteered so there was no money or contract involved but I still felt pressure to deliver a usable photograph. I've taken more than a few unusable photos in my day so my concern was certainly warranted. I had a brief conversation with the program director in which I persuaded him to give me full house lights for the shot. I was shooting at ISO 1600 as it was and I really didn't want to go any higher than that which would have been necessary at less than full house lights. Even at ISO 1600 I was underexposed but I knew the photos would end up being usable because I was shooting in Camera RAW which allows for exposure adjustments in post-processing. I arrived at the church early and determined the placement of the banner. I had to make a lens selection and a camera selection. I had to take my shots (about 10 I think) in about 6 seconds so the service could continue with as little interruption as possible. And I had to process the photos when I got home. I didn't end up with a work of fine art but the photo is, I think, usable for the church's intended purpose and, in retrospect, I feel that I can give myself a little credit for that! :-)

Title: "A Salute"

Shot data: 1/40s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso1600
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#619. Pretty Flowers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:54:00 GMT

Taken Saturday at Galveston Island State Park in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Pretty Flowers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/800s f/5.6 at 115.0mm iso125
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#618. Lifesaver

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:06:00 GMT

Taken on the Seawall in Galveston, Texas on Saturday morning.

Title: "Lifesaver"

Camera / Lens: Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 5 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#617. Eternal Home

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:30:00 GMT

Taken three or four weekends ago at a cemetery in Houston, Texas. I really like the symmetry and textures inside this mausoleum. Also the rich earth tone palette. All in all not a bad place to spend eternity I think.

Title: "Eternal Home"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#616. Boot on the Beach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:30:00 GMT

This photo looks like a desert scene to me but I actually took it on Galveston Beach a couple of weekends ago. I guess the boot (exactly where I found it by the way) makes me think "Western" which makes me think "desert".

Title: "Boot on the Beach"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Phtomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > textures from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#615. Drivers Seat

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:42:00 GMT

This is the driver's seat in the WWII ambulance I posted in my last image. Taken Sunday before last at Clear Lake City Park in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Driver's Seat"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 9 exposures into one HDR(High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS5 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#614. The Hurt Locker?

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:06:00 GMT

This is the inside of a restored World War II ambulance taken at the Bayou City Cruisers car show at Clear Lake City Park in Seabrook, Texas last Sunday. "The Hurt Locker" was the title of a popular war movie from last year. I'm not sure if anyone knows exactly what the title phrase refers to (I have seen differing explanations offered up on the Internet) but as I viewed this image I thought the phrase "Hurt Locker" would be fitting.

Title: "The Hurt Locker"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II > Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 9 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#613. Fluid Drive

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:14:00 GMT

Another shot from the Bayou City Cruisers car show at Clear Lake City Park this past Sunday in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Fluid Drive"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 9 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#612.

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 05:31:00 GMT

Taken at sunrise this past Sunday morning at a small park in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Seabrook Sunrise"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine multiple images into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#611. Mercury Eight

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:46:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at the Bayou City Cruisers car show at Clear Lake City Park in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Mercury Eight"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 9 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viviza plugin

#610. Clear Lake Shores B&W

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:12:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago in Clear Lake Shores, TX. Same scene as in my post #604 but on this shot I originally captured a portrait rather than landscape image. In the end I cropped the portrait to a square and still felt like I had plenty of sky. Since I was zoomed in closer for this shot (compared to #604) I went with black and white to accentuate the details in the scene.

Title: "Clear Lake Shores B&W"

#609. Modern Ruins

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:57:00 GMT

Another shot from Sunday's location near San Luis Pass.

Title: "Modern Ruins"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into on HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#608. Sunrise Ruins

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 05:58:00 GMT

Taken Sunday morning near San Luis Pass between Galveston and Freeport, Texas. I originally drove down for this shot on Saturday morning but as soon as I pulled onto the shoulder of the road I was stuck in soft sand and had to spend my time trying to get myself unstuck. Fortunately it wasn't long before a good Samaritan with a 4-wheel drive pick-up truck and a tow rope pulled me out. Of course by this time the light was gone and I had missed the shot. Luckily there is always another day, which in my case turned out to be the next day! I parked on solid ground this time (I'm no fool) and got the shot!

Title: "Sunrise Ruins"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Texture from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#607. Dune Flora

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:32:00 GMT

Taken Saturday morning at Galveston Island State Park.

Title: "Dune Flora"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L Zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#606. Snakes on Dunes

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 13:08:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at Galveston Island State Park. If you look in the sky you can see the contrail of a jet that caused a bit of concern in the Houston area yesterday. This was the first of what turned out to be many circles that the plane flew. I guess any erratic flight pattern anyone sees on September 11 from now on will justifiability have folks making phone calls to the authorities! This turned out to be a NASA jet on a training flight.

Title: "Snakes on Dunes"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L Zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#605. Passing Time

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:32:00 GMT

Taken two weeks ago in downtown Houston. This scene caught my eye because of the contrast between the different styles of architecture represented by the different buildings. Without knowing the ages of the buildings I would bet that every building in this shot is at least one generation removed from all the others.

Title: "Passing Time"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#604. Clear Lake Shores

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:53:00 GMT

Taken this morning in Clear Lake Shores.

Title: "Clear Lake Shores"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 9 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#603. Sun Dial

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:27:00 GMT

Taken at a small park in League City on Wednesday evening.

Title: "Sun Dial"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 5 different exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

#602. Connection

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:22:00 GMT

Taken Saturday morning in downtown Houston. Ever since it was constructed photographers have been fascinated by the circular walkway connecting a series of three Chevron (formerly Allen Center) buildings. To be sure, the architecture and engineering of the walkway are unique and wonderful; but maybe a part of the fascination has to do with the connection formed by the walkway that transforms three individual buildings into one network or community. "It takes a village" after all. :-)

Title: "Connection"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to merge 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#601. Geometry

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:58:00 GMT

Today's post is about geometry; maybe not all geometry but at least rectangles and right angles. Conventional wisdom says images about geometry should be in black and white and after considering both the black and white and the color versions of this image I agreed with conventional wisdom. Taken Saturday morning at Discovery Green in downtown Houston.

Title: "Geometry"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#600. Allen Center

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:40:00 GMT

Another photo from Saturday morning's shoot in downtown Houston.

Title: "Allen Center"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#599. Discovery Green (and blue)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:43:00 GMT

Taken on Saturday morning at Discovery Green.

Title: "Discovery Green (and blue)"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dyanmic Range Image) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#598. Big Shots

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:36:00 GMT

My first corporate gig. Taken yesterday. The client wanted a black & white to color rollover of their executive committee members in candid "poses". I used my Alien Bee 1600 with a large soft box overhead slightly left of camera angled down between my subjects and the white table at which they were seated. Text will ultimately overlay the negative space on the left.

Title: "John" (rollover)

Title: "Gene" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Virtual Photographer plugin > Texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#597. Gunfight Brewing

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:31:00 GMT

I found this piece of vintage playground equipment in a quaint Rice Village park. It grabbed my attention because it reminded me of playing cowboys and Indians and of having pretend gun fights when I was a kid. Frankly I'm surprised that this piece of equipment has survived in today's environment of ultra political correctness. Anyway, the scene reminded me of older, if not better, days and put a little smile on my face. By the way, I could have easily removed the white plastic bag from the foreground but I decided to leave it as a representation of urban tumbleweeds! :-)

Title: "Gunfight Brewing"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#596. Rockin' Dog

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:05:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at a park in Rice Village. Another piece of vintage playground equipment caught my eye at this quaint park in the Rice Village area of Houston but when I saw this little guy I felt he was worthy of a few frames as well.

Title: "Rock'in Dog"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photmatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#595. Kemah Boats #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Taken at sunset today at Kemah Boardwalk. My ability to occasionally get a shot like this is why I keep going back to the Kemah Boardwalk when I feel like I NEED a killer shot for my blog! :-)

Hope you like it!

Title: "Kemah Boats #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 6 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) Image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin using Photo Pop preset plus DeNoise noise reduction

#594. Steeple Under Wraps

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:28:00 GMT

Taken at lunch today. This church steeple, located near the museum district in Houston, has been under construction (renovation) for some time now. I have always been in awe of the engineering that goes into building the scaffolding required for a big job like this.

Title: "Steeple Under Wraps"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range Image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#593. Bayside Cafe

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:05:00 GMT

Taken this morning at breakfast. Bayside Cafe, Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah, Texas.

Title: "Bayside Cafe"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Other gear: Slik Tripod, Promote Control HDR Remote release
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures (.7 EV Steps) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, Photoshop CS4, Topaz Adjust plugin

#592. Nassau Bay

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:15:00 GMT

Taken in Nassau Bay, Texas a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Nassau Bay"

Shot data: 1/794s f/6.4 at 35.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4

#591. Something Fishy

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:58:00 GMT

Another shot from my trip to Golden Seafood in Seabrook this past Saturday.

Title: "Something Fishy"

Shot data: 1/10s f/6.4 at 47.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Virtual Photographer plugin

#590. Crabby

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:45:00 GMT

Made a quick run down to Seabrook for some fresh shrimp on Saturday. I'm happy to report there was no shortage of shrimp and crabs too were abundant!

Title: "Crabby"

Shot info: 1/42s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II > Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: HDR from a single exposure > Photoshop CS4 > Virtual Photographer plugin

#589. Falstaff Brewery

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:26:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago in Galveston, Texas. This is and HDR image of the old Falstaff Brewery which was closed about twenty years ago I think.

Title: "Falstaff Brewery"

Shot data: 1/166s f/11.3 at 24.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4

#588. Grace Episcopal Church

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:22:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago. Grace Episcopal Church was built in Galveston, Texas in 1895.

Title: "Grace Episcopal"

Shot data: 1/256s f/11.3 at 24.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

#587. Danielle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:01:00 GMT

Here's another portrait from last Saturday's field trip to Galveston with the Bay Area Photo Club.

Title: "Danielle"

Shot data: 1/125s f/6.3 at 170.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400 L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from Flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#586. Crystal

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:42:00 GMT

I did take a few portraits at Gately Paper Company in Galveston last Saturday. That was the point of the field trip after all. There were around twenty photographers on this field trip and four different groups of models. I have seen some of the shots taken by some of the other photographers and they are for the most part all better than mine. I'm OK with that: I realize that I'm still learning the portraiture skill set. Because of where I am in my development as a portrait photographer I feel lucky when I have any success at all and the two photos I'm posting today were pretty much all the "luck" I had that night (thanks to Crystal being such a great model).

Title: "Crystal #1"

Shot data: 1/100s f/6.3 at 370.0mm iso200

Title: "Crystal #2"

Shot data: 1/100s f/6.3 at 300.0mm iso200

Post-processing (both images): Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Virtual Photographer plugin

#585. Gately Paper: Loading Dock

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:04:00 GMT

This is the loading dock at Gately Paper. This dock area and the steps in the front of the building (see #584) were the setting for our photo club's portrait session on Saturday evening.

Title: "Gately Paper: Loading Dock

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 7 exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#584. Gately Paper: Freight Office

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:27:00 GMT

Members of our photo club (Bay Area Photo Club) found and obtained permission to use this property owed by the Gately Paper Company in Galveston, Texas as a setting for some portrait sessions on Saturday night. I hope to have a posting of some of the portraits I took here later in the week but for now here at least is photo of the front of the building. Unfortunately I don't know the history of this building (built in 1904) but it is my understanding that Gately Papers has only occupied it for a fairly short time. This is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image made from seven exposures using Photomatix Pro.

Title: "Gately Paper: Freight Office"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#583. Lost Oaks - The Tin Man

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:19:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weeks ago. This is another of the sculptures carved from oak trees lost in Hurricane Ike which are located in the historic housing district of Galveston, TX. As was the case with my previous "Lost Oaks" postings I made up the title as I don't know the title given by the artist.

Title: "Lost Oaks: The Tin Man"

Camera / Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/2.8 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#582. Well Placed Shrub

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:33:00 GMT

I was in San Antonio this past weekend and went by the UTSA campus to see if I could find anything to photograph. In this photograph I liked how the flowers on the shrub matched (either by luck or by careful planning) the red highlights on the building behind it.

Title: "Well Placed Shrub"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: No idea! :-) Sorry but I lost track of my post-processing on this one.

#581. Wasteland: Unattended

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:36:00 GMT

Another in my "Wasteland" series of photos. With the "Wasteland" series I'm attempting to create imagery that reminds the viewer of all the post-apocalyptic worlds which exist after the end of civilization as we know it (usually as a result of mankind's evil disregard for the environment) as depicted in many American science fiction movies, from "Mad Max" to "The Book of Eli," released over the last few decades.

Others in the series are:
"Wasteland: Empty"
"Wasteland: Disused"
"Wasteland"

Title: "Wasteland: Unattended"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Textures from flypapertextuers.blogspot.com

#580. Lost Oaks - Call of the Mermaid

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:25:00 GMT

Taken last Saturday. This is another of the sculptures carved from oak trees lost in Hurricane Ike which are located in the historic housing district of Galveston, TX. As was the case with my previous "Lost Oaks" post a few days ago, I made up the title as I don't know the title given by the artist.

Title: "Lost Oaks - Call of the Mermaid"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#579. On Display

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:37:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weeks ago at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas.

Title: "On Display"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#578. Dry-docked

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:27:00 GMT

I was driving around Seabrook earlier this week and this dry-docked boat caught my eye. While obviously in need of the repairs it is receiving it struck me as having "great bones"! :-)

Title: "Dry-docked"

Shot data: 0.00s f/6.4 at 24.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-Processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#577. Lost Oaks - Phoenix Rising

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:08:00 GMT

Taken Saturday in Galveston, Texas. I don't know the sculptor's title so I gave this work of art the name "Phoenix Rising" because it reminds me of the mythical creature's rise from the ashes. This sculpture was carved from one of the many oak trees in Galveston that were lost to Hurricane Ike. Citizens in the historic homes district of Galveston arranged to have local sculptors carve the trees into works of art rather that having them cut up and removed. I for one am glad they did! :-)

To order a copy of this image click here.

Title: "Lost Oaks - Phoenix Rising"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Beautifier plugin

#576. Rocket Science (rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:59:00 GMT

Taken yesterday at NASA's Johnson Space Center. I wanted to showcase some of the incredible mechanics of this rocket engine so I'm presenting that on the top image with the underlying image being the entire frame in order to provide some context to the more detailed crop.

Title: "Rocket Science" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust Plugin

#575. Texas Style

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:07:00 GMT

I went out driving this evening and saw this cool limo parked under the Seabrook-Kemah bridge and couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop for a photo or two.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#574. Galveston Building

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:55:00 GMT

Taken from near The Strand in Galveston, Texas. The image underlying the rollover is after processing with Photomatix Pro, which you should always consider to be your starting point for post-processing when you are working with HDR images (i.e. never think of the image created by Photomatix as your final HDR image).

[Technical Note] This particular image had an alignment problem that Photomatix couldn't resolve (it was taken hand-held) so I aligned the images by loading them into Photoshop CS4 as three separate layers and then used the auto align feature, cropped the edges to lock in the alignment (basically trimming the uneven edges caused by the auto alignment process), and then saved each layer as my Photomatix input. This is a technique I credit to Larry Patrick from the Bay Area Photo Club and it really does a great job.

Title: "Galveston Building" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Photomatix Pro > Virtual Photographer plugin

#573. The Pool House

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:45:00 GMT

I posted some detail shots of this pool house back at post #546 in May. At the time I somehow overlooked this wide angle shot, which was my favorite, so I'm posting it now (better late than never right?).

Title: "The Pool House"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#572. Happy Birth Day America

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 07:15:00 GMT

Happy Independence Day everyone! I still believe that, in spite of what our politicians are trying to do it, America is still the greatest country in the world! I consider myself blessed to live in America and I will definitely be celebrating my good fortune today!

Title: "Happy Birthday America"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5d Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4

#571. Galveston Bay Moon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:39:00 GMT

Taken from near Toddville Road in Seabrook, Texas Friday before last. The image underlying the rollover is the original image from the camera.

Title: "Galveston Bay Moon" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#570. Blue Moon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:37:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday night in Seabrook.

Our photo club's (Bay Area Photo Club) photo assignment for August is "Monochrome (but not black and white)". The original sky surrounding this full moon last Saturday was obviously very dramatic but in shades of blacks and greys it left me wanting something more. The upcoming Monochrome assignment made me think about tinting as a way to add even more drama and, after trying several different options, I decided I liked this Cyan colored tinting the best. The goal of the assignment is to improve the photo with the monochrome application so I would like to know if you think I was successful in that respect or not. Cheers!

Title: "Blue Moon"

Shot data: 0.59s f/6.4 at 400.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 images into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Virtual Photographer plugin for toning > Topaz Adjust plugin for noise reduction

#569. RTD Fireworks #3 and #4

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:05:00 GMT

Two more photos from the Rock the Dock ("RTD") fireworks display last Friday night. To me these two are not as strong as the first two I posted (post #566 and #567) because I didn't capture the trail of the rocket as it launched. Still, the explosions captured are nice and hopefully make them post-worthy! :-)

Tip for processing your fireworks shots this upcoming July 4th: Open your captured image in Abobe Photoshop CS4 and duplicate the background layer [CTRL + "J"] then switch the blending mode on the top layer to "Multiply". If you have foreground in your image and don't like how the "Multiply" blending mode changes it, simply add a layer mask and mask off the foreground by painting over it on the layer mask with a soft black brush. You can adjust the Opacity of the top layer to reduce the intensity of the changes made by using the "Multiply" blending mode if so desired. Next, Merge Visible Layers to a new layer and continue processing from there. This simple first step will usually go a long way toward eliminating all but the heaviest of any distracting and otherwise undesirable background smoke. This will also slightly reduce the brightness of the explosion itself but that is easily dealt with, if you think it is necessary, in further processing.

Title: "RTD Firework #3"

Title: "RTD Firework #4"

Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#568. Tanker Fisherman

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:03:00 GMT

Taken last Friday at Seabrook, Texas. This is before the fireworks display held in conjunction with the Rock the Dock event sponsored by the Kemah Boardwalk. The Houston Ship Channel runs through the background and you can see some of the ship traffic there.

Title: "Tanker Fisherman"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/200s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso200
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > textures from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#567. Rock the Dock Fireworks #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:02:00 GMT

This was near the beginning of the grand finale last Friday night as Bay Area Photo Club members photographed fireworks at the Rock the Dock event on the Kemah Boardwalk. I took the photo from the Seabrook side of Galveston Bay.

Title: "Rock the dock Fireworks #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4

#566. Rock the Dock Fireworks #1

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 06:34:00 GMT

Last night the Bay Area Photo Club took a field trip down to Seabrook to photograph fireworks. Eighteen club members participated and we all received valuable tips from Mark Westerman to improve their firework photography. This display was part of the Rock the Dock event held at the Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas. The fireworks were launched from a barge in Galveston Bay between Kemah and Seabrook.

Title: "Rock the Dock Fireworks #1"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adove Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#565. Under Umbrella

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:50:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend early in the morning on Galveston's East Beach. Maybe not the greatest photo ever but I like the mood of it and it takes me back to that place and time.

Title: "Under Umbrella"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#564. Lifeguard Stand

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:07:00 GMT

Taken Sunday on Galveston's East Beach.

Title: "Lifeguard Stand"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust Plugin > Textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#563. Tea Cup House

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:01:00 GMT

Taken yesterday on Galveston Island near Galveston Island State Park. I couldn't tell if anyone still actually lives in it or not, but I hope so! I love that someone had an idea for something radically different in a home and then actually executed it!

Title: "Tea Cup House"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#562. Wild Ride

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:24:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend on the Galveston seawall. You and a friend sit in a chair latched to the ground while bungee cords are pulled tight. Then the latch is released and you are thrown, basically out of control, 100' in the air. Sheer acceleration followed by abrupt bouncing and spinning. And it's higher than it looks! I only watched! :-)

Title: "Wild Ride"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro (HDR from one raw image) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjsut plugin > NIK Viveza plugin

#561. Fat Boys Bait

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:29:00 GMT

While in Galveston on Sunday I wandered over to Fat Boys Bait and took a few snaps. This is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, courtesy of Photomatix Pro, subsequently converted to Black and White in Photoshop. The shot is busy with lots of distractions in the form of boats, automobiles, telephone lines, etc, but but I find I like it nonetheless. If you've ever been to a bait house on a fair-weather weekend morning you already know it can be a little chaotic at times anyway. :-)

Title: "Fat Boys Bait"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#560. Seawall Trailers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 11:06:00 GMT

Taken this morning on the Seawall in Galveston, Texas. The tiny travel trailer hitched to the tiny Volkswagen Bug caught my eye. Once I looked through my camera's viewfinder I really liked this composition that included the concession trailer and beautiful morning sky.

Title: "Seawall Trailers"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to compbine three exposures (-2,0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#559. Bicycle Pump #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:11:00 GMT

Taken last Saturday on Galveston's East Beach. Here was another sand castle building team's take on a bicycle powered pump used to move water to the "construction site". I apologize to you photography purists for the crooked horizon; for some reason it just doesn't bother me. :-)

Title: "Bicycle Pump #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#558. Training Day

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:22:00 GMT

This was one of the images I presented at our Bay Area Photo Club meeting tonight. I entered this photo for the assignment which was "Humorous". I made a not so subtle editorial statement with the photo (all in good fun of course) but to their credit the judges gave the photo a Gold Award!

Title: "Training Day"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#557. Bicycle Powered Pump

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:51:00 GMT

I went down to Galveston on Saturday to check out the sand castle building contest taking place on East Beach. It was really interesting to see how seriously some of the participants are and to observe some of the different ways they solve the various logistics problems. One big logistical problem is having enough water on hand to mix with the sand so that it sticks together and then to keep it moist so that it doesn't dry out and crumble.

Title: "Bicycle Powered Pump"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#556. Wasteland: Empty

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:19:00 GMT

Another shot for my Wasteland series. This one was taken yesterday. My first two photos in the series are currently on display at The Arts Alliance Center of Clear Lake as part of the "Open Door Series: Summer '10 Juried Exhibition".

Title: "Wasteland: Empty"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Textures by flypapertextures.blogspot.com > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#555. Brazos Bend Bird on a Rail

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:21:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at Brazos Bend State Park in Needville, Texas.

Title: "Brazos Bend Bird on a Rail"

Shot data: 1/250s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#554. Pedernales Falls State Park

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:32:00 GMT

Taken last week while visiting Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City, Texas.

Title: "Pedernales Falls State Park"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier

#553. Inside Gruene Hall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:55:00 GMT

Taken last week inside historic Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas.

Title: "Inside Gruene Hall"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm f/2.8 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw to convert RAW images to JPG files > Photomatix Pro to convert three JPG files at three different exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) file > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#552. Brazos Bend Gator

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 29 May 2010 07:16:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago at Brazos Bend State Park.

Title: "Brazos Bend Gator"

Shot data: 1/160s f/8.0 at 200.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#551. Brazos Bend Clouds

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:01:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago at Brazos Bend State Park.

Title: "Brazos Bend Clouds"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust Plugin

#550. Blogger.com Technical Problems

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:34:00 GMT

Not sure if the problem is with Blogger.com or if I'm suddenly doing something wrong but I'm not able to upload (using the link option) photos to my blog at this time. I get the upload screen and use the link option but once I push the UPLOAD button I go to the next screen but never get the preview or the required DONE button. Any ideas?

Anyway I'll continue to try and figure out the problem so I can get back to the business of posting images. :-)

#549 Whiteboard

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 22 May 2010 17:26:00 GMT

And BLA loves Emma very much as well!

#548. Boardwalk Palms (Rollover)

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:43:00 GMT

Taken at Kemah Boardwalk yesterday as a small storm started to roll in. The image underlying the rollover is straight out of Photomatix Pro.

Title: "Boardwalk Palms" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#547. Comal River

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 16 May 2010 08:58:00 GMT

A shot of the Comal River taken last weekend in Landa Park, New Braunfels, Texas.

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw to convert three RAW exposres (-2, 0, +2) into JPG files > Photomatix Pro to convert the JPG files into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#546. Magic Pool House Photo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 15 May 2010 08:04:00 GMT

The pool house at the RV park we spent last weekend at in New Braunfels. The first shot is the full image which I really like a lot but what makes this image magic is that I found that that I like almost any cropped version of the original equally as well! I posted two of detail crops below the original but I could have made and posted many more.

Title: "Magic Pool House Photo"

Title: "Magic Pool House Photo - Crop #1"

Title: "Magic Pool House Photo - Crop #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Bridge Image Processor to convert three RAW image files at exposures of -2, 0, +2 into JPG image files > Photomatix Pro to combine the JPG files into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#545. American Beauty

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:57:00 GMT

I've had the idea to create an "American Beauty" style image for a while and I finally got around to doing it last night. The basic components for this type of glamour shot are a white background, some high key lighting, some rose petals, and, oh yes, a sexy model! Enjoy! :-)

Title: "American Beauty"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Red Paw Media Beautifier
Lights: Alien Bee 800 with large softbox to camera left as key, Alien Bee 800 with 20% Grid to camera right for fill, Alien Bee 400 with 7" reflector as a background light

#544. Comal Springs

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:11:00 GMT

I took this shot of Comal Springs yesterday while visiting Landa Park in New Braunfels, Texas. These springs are a natural release from the Edwards Aquifer. They form the Comal River and are a great place to sit and hang your feet in the water! :-)

Title: "Comal Springs"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#543. The Alley

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:30:00 GMT

And now for something completely different....

Title: "The Alley"

#542. The Violinist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:32:00 GMT

I haven't had too much spare time lately but I did take some shots of my daughter Emma the other day. This is one of my favorites. I was going for a low key shot but I'm not sure I achieved that. If you think you know what "low key" is (not sure I do) I would be interested in your opinion as to why this portrait is or is not low key.

Shot data: 1/125s f/11.0 at 47.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Lights: Alien Bee 800 to camera left with a large softbox > Alien Bee 800 camera right with a 20% grid
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#541. ONE

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:21:00 GMT

Title: "ONE"

#540. Salvation Army Lady

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:26:00 GMT

Another shot taken Saturday at the Second Annual Rosenberg Railroad Festival & Hobo Days in Rosenberg, Texas. Unfortunately I didn't have time to discuss the character this lady was portraying but in my mind she is a depression era Salvation Army worker.

Title: "Salvation Army Lady"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#539. Hobo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:12:00 GMT

Taken Saturday at the Second Annual Rosenberg Railroad Festival & Hobo Days in Rosenberg, Texas.

Title: "Hobo"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw / Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#538. New Braunfels Carousel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:36:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in New Braunfels, Texas. I ran across this whimsical carousel in front of the Schlitterbahn Christmas Shoppe.

Title: "New Braunfels Carousel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2 into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#537. New Braunfels City Hall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:47:00 GMT

Historic New Braunfels City Hall taken this past weekend. I included a rollover in order to show the cloning work I did to remove unsightly details from the shot as well as to highlight the other work I did in post-processing.

Title: "New Braunfels City Hall" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#536. Henne Hardware

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:09:00 GMT

We were in New Braunfels this past weekend. One of the stops I made was at Henne Hardware. This store, originally a general store, was built in 1893 and when you step inside you can tell that much of the original construction has been well preserved. Going into Henne's is like entering a living history museum. Make sure you stop by if you're ever in New Braunfel's with some spare time.

Title: "Henne Hardware #1"

Title: "Henne Hardware #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three brackedted exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#535. Wasteland: Disused

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:28:00 GMT

This is a companion piece to the photo titled Wasteland that I posted in February this year. I showed Wasteland to a reviewer at a mock Fotofest review arranged by Houston Center for Photography last month and she suggested I try to develop a body of work around it. So having a place to start I'm finally getting around to a second step! The image underlying the rollover is straight out of Photomatix Pro.

Title: "Wasteland: Disused" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#534. Me - April 2010

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:42:00 GMT

I've been doing self-portraits occasionally ever since I took a street photography workshop from Craig Tanner (Radiant Vista back then but now called The Mindful Eye) a couple years ago. Craig made it an assignment to do a self-portrait each night of the workshop which we had to share with the other participants and I learned to appreciate how difficult they are to do and how much you can learn from the process. Try it yourself and see how hard it is to take a shot you are completely satisfied with. I'm not completely satisfied with this one but it's the best I could do in the one hour I allotted myself. :-)

Title: "Me - April 2010"

Shot data: 1/200s f/8.0 at 105.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Lighting: Alien Bee 400 to camera left w/ 10% grid, Alien Bee 800 with silver umbrella to camera right
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#533. Under Glass

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:09:00 GMT

A child looks longingly at a selection of cookies in a display case at a bakery in San Antonio's El Mercado.

Title: "Under Glass"

Shot data: 1/200s f/2.8 at 50.0mm iso1600
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50MM f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#532. Wrong Way

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:53:00 GMT

An urban sunset taken in San Antonio last weekend.

Title: "Wrong Way"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#531. Emma on Mustang Island

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:16:00 GMT

Taken a few weekends ago on Mustang Island near Port Aransas, Texas. I used a new (to me) tool on this shot: Portrait Professional. I have been seeing Portrait Professional's advertisements in Shutterbug Magazine for a while and after reading a few reviews on-line I went ahead and purchased it. I haven't used the program much yet but in the early going I find I like it a lot; it is very easy to use and the slider bar interface it uses makes it possible to apply very precise adjustments. I hope you like the results here.

Title: "Emma on Mustang Island"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/10.0 at 275.0mm iso500
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L Zoom
Post-processing: Portrait Professional > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin > texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

#530. Emma at Little Gretel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:29:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at a restaurant in Bourne, Texas called Little Gretel.

Title: "Emma at Little Gretel"

Shot data: 1/200s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso2000
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier

#529. Steel Eel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:45:00 GMT

This is another shot taken at Sea World San Antonio on Saturday. I didn't ride the Steel Eel but I was fascinated by its design. Since it kept going forward and didn't ever turn, at least not that I could see from my vantage point, it seemed to go on forever!

Title: "Steel Eel"

Shot data: 1/1250s f/6.3 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#528. Sea World Gate

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 19:47:00 GMT

Taken at Sea World in San Antonio last night. This view is from inside the park looking out almost at closing time.

Title: "Sea World Gate"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#527. Sea Creature

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:30:00 GMT

Another shot taken at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi two weekends ago. It's really nice that with today's digital cameras you can get a usable shot in an extreme low light situation, even with an f4.0 lens, by jacking up the ISO. This one was taken at ISO 3200.

Title: "Sea Creature"

Shot data: 1/80s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso3200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

#526. Fishing Pier Tableau

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago in Fulton, Texas. The old hand pump water faucet caught my eye and made me realize that there was a picture here.

Title: "Fishing Pier Tableau"

Shot data: 1/60s f/5.6 at 24.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#525. Bonsai Oak

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:11:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago in the parking lot for Fulton Mansion in Fulton, Texas. We were arriving to take a tour of the mansion when a storm front rolled in and I grabbed a few shots before the rain started. To me this oak tree was amazing, not so much for its size, but for the intricate patterns formed by its limbs. It reminds me, except for its size of course, of an ancient Bonsai tree.

Title: "Bonsai Oak"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three handheld exposures (-2, 0, 2) into one HDR image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#524. Texas State Aquarium

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:54:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Title: "Texas State Aquarium"

Shot data: 1/60s f/4.0 at 58.0mm iso1250
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#523. Private Pier

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:23:00 GMT

Two weekends ago while in a Fulton, Texas souvenir shop I saw a T-shirt describing Fulton as "A small drinking town with a fishing problem!". If you drive down Fulton Beach Road you can see what the T-Shirt is talking about: Mile after mile Aransas Bay is pierced by fishing piers twenty or thirty yards apart. I couldn't help but think that the total capacity of the cities fishing piers had to far exceed the cities population. :-)

Title: "Private Pier"

Shot data: 1/125s f/8.0 at 24.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#522. Brio Railroad

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:01:00 GMT

I set up my new Alien Bee lights last night to thy them out with some still life photos. I set up some of my son's old toy train pieces knowing I wanted something aged appropriately for an antique photo type finish. I'm not sure that I ended up with exactly what I was looking for but I did like the final product enough to consider it blogworthy. I hope you like it! :-)

Title: "Brio Railroad"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5d Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#521. Predator

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:04:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas on a specially arranged tour of the facility for Homes for Our Troops VIPs (and one photographer :-). This is one of the two Predators kept at Ellington Field (used for training of maintenance crews).

Title: "Predator"

Shot data: 1/100s f/6.3 at 40.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#520. Cheryl's

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

We spotted this brightly colored establishment while driving around Fulton Harbor in Fulton, Texas (near Rockport) this past weekend.

Title: "Cheryl's"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three bracketed exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image

#519. Beas Bait

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:10:00 GMT

Another of the Rockport, Texas bait shops taken this past weekend.

Title: "Beas Bait"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#518. Pelican Bait

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:57:00 GMT

Another of the Rockport, Texas bait shops taken this past weekend.

Title: "Pelican Bait"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#517. Flemings Bait Stand

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:21:00 GMT

About this time last year I made a trip to Rockport, Texas. One of my favorite images from that outing was of Mom's Bait Shop. When I was back in Rockport this past weekend I set out to try and get a few companion shots to go compliment "Mom's". It's OK to use one's own past work as inspiration for new work isn't it? :-)

Title: "Flemings Bait Stand"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

#516. Shelton Hank Williams #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:18:00 GMT

Here's another shot of Shelton Hank Williams taken at the Homes for Our Troops VIP tour of Ellington Field last Saturday.In

Title: "Shelton Hank Williams #2"

Shot data: 1/200s f/22.0 at 96.0mm iso1000
Camera / lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom

#515. Happy St. Patty's Day

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:52:00 GMT

This is a photo I took and posted last year that is now my official St. Patty's Day photo! :-)

Here's my favorite Irish toast for the occasion:

May those that love us, love us; and those that don't love us, may God turn their hearts; if he can't turn there hearts, then may he turn their ankles, so we'll know them by their limp." ...Shamus Phibber McGee

Title: "Lucky Me"

#514. Shelton Hank Williams III

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:07:00 GMT

This past Saturday I was invited along to take photographs at a private tour of Ellington Field with a group of VIPs from the charity group "Homes for our Troops". One of the VIPs was Shelton Hank Williams III who was giving a concert Saturday night benefiting the cause. I didn't have an opportunity to speak to Mr. Williams but my impression was that he was a fairly intense individual and I think this photo best captures that intensity.

Title: "Shelton Hank Williams III"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Flash: On-camera Canon 430EX (ceiling bounced)
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > NIK Viveza plugin

#513. Most of the Rest

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:20:00 GMT

Here are most of the rest of the poets from this past Friday night's poetry reading at the Baytown Art Legue.

Title: "Anabel"

Title: "Terry"

Title: "Soundman"

Title: "Most of the Rest"

#512. Fighter Reflection

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:51:00 GMT

I have more photos of Baytown poets that I will post tomorrow. Today's post is from an event held at Ellington Field in Houston this past Saturday. The event included, among other things, a private tour of the Field and an overview of Predator operations conducted from there. Attendees were a group of VIPs from the Homes For Our Troops organization including, among others, the head of the Homes for Our Troops organization and Hank Williams III.

Title: "Fighter Reflection"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#511. More Bards

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:27:00 GMT

Here are a couple more of the poets from Friday night's poetry reading at the Baytown Art League.

Title: "Poet No. 2: Shelby"

Shot Data: 1/125s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Tapaz Adjust plugin

Title: "Poet #3: San Diego"

Shot Data: 1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Tapaz Adjust plugin

#510. Emcee and Poet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:26:00 GMT

I attended a poetry reading in Baytown last night at the Baytown Art League building on Texas Avenue. This gentleman was the Emcee and one of the poets.

Title: "Emcee and Poet"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#509. 3rd Hole

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:56:00 GMT

Taken at the putting green at Blanco Settlement in Blanco, Texas this past weekend. As you can see from the before shot, if you wait for the rollover, I didn't do an optimum job of capturing this image in camera. I think I "saved" the shot in post-processing though! What do you think?

Title: "3rd Hole" (rollover)

Shot data: 1/2500s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#508. Sir Vendor

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:35:00 GMT

Taken last Saturday at Market Days in Wimberley, Texas. I spotted this vendor trying to keep warm under his table cloth and, even though the hat is wrong, it brought to mind an image of medieval royalty in a colorful cloak. :-)

Title: "Sir Vendor"

Shot data: 1/125s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#507. Blanco Scarecrow

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:57:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at Blanco Settlement in Blanco, Texas.

Title: "Blanco Scarecrow"

Shot data: 1/3200s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#506. God Proven

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:14:00 GMT

I took this shot yesterday after I spotted this guy walking somewhere between Blanco and Wimberley, Texas. Since I had actually seen the man walking near San Marcos one day earlier I was quite stunned to see our paths cross again! This time I stopped to take a photo!

Title: "God Proven"

Shot data: 1/640s f/9.0 at 400.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Adobe Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#505. Ferry Gulls

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:22:00 GMT

Taken last Sunday from the Galveston / Bolivar Point Ferry. Folks on the back of the ferry were feeding the seagulls and if you look closely you can see one of the birds about to snag a peanut!

Title: "Ferry Gulls"

Shot data: 1/1600s f/5.6 at 150.0mm iso160
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#504. Galveston Gulls

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:15:00 GMT

Taken on the beach in Galveston last Sunday. I took this shot intending to push in toward high key in post-processing. I'm don't think I actuall got there but I like the results anyway.

Title: "Galveston Gulls"

Shot data: 1/800s f/10.0 at 365.0mm iso160
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

#503. Product Review: Drobo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:55:00 GMT

If you are already familiar with what a Drobo is and you are looking for an endorsement you need look no further: Drobo works as advertised and may actually be the "next best thing since sliced bread!"

Drobo is a product manufactured by Data Robotics. It is an expandable self-contained storage system with automated data protection. It's the little black box in the photo I posted today. It has, depending on the model you choose, 4, 5 or 8 docking bays for hard drives. I use the 4 bay model. You can buy the Drobo with or without the hard drives at many places on the Internet. [Review continued after the photo]

Title: "Product Review: Drobo"

I purchased my Drobo without any drives installed so that I had more flexibility about how I wanted to configure my hard drives (and about how much I wanted to spend). I bought two 1.5TD hard drives and I can add drives (any size) to one or both of the other drive bays anytime. The way Drobo works is that its software keeps a complete copy of any data you store on any drive on one or more of the other drives. This way if any one drive crashes the data is easily retrievable from the other hard drives. Simply remove the malfunctioning hard drive and replace it with a new one and Drobo will automatically restore all the data that was on the failed drive.

The hard drives are plug-and-play; just unpack them and slip them into an available drive bay and Drobo does the rest (trust me when I say that if I can do it you can do it).

I use the Drobo just like an internal hard drive. I save my files directly to it from my camera card and work directly from it with Photoshop and my other applications without any noticeable performance hit.

The lights you see on the front of the Drobo tell you everything you most often need to know at a glance. The green lights on the right indicate that an available bay is being used (a hard drive is installed) and the blue lights on the bottom let you keep up with your storage capacity. In the photo you can see from the green lights that I'm using two of my four available drive bays and that I am using about 30% (3 lights out of 10) of my available capacity. I should mention that storage capacity is something less than 50% of the total capacity of your installed drives because the Drobo software itself takes up some space. The 50% starting point is because, as previously explained, Drobo saves a full copy of everything so that one file takes up twice its file size on the Drobo (one file for the original and one for the copy). With my two 1.5TB drives I believe I have about 1.3TB of actual storage capacity. The amount of actual storage capacity from any particular configuration of hard drives can be obtained from the Drobo website.

The bottom line is that my experience to date is that Drobo met or exceeded all my expectations and I would highly recommend it to anyone needing some additional secure data storage capacity.

#502. Dude! Where's My Pants?

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:39:00 GMT

I saw this pair of jeans floating in the surf on Galveston Beach this past weekend and I couldn't help but picture some hungover reveler waking up on the beach and asking himself the titular question. :-)

Title: "Dude! Where's My Pants?"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > RPM Beautifier plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#501. Bolivar Point LIghthouse

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:00 GMT

Taken this past Sunday from the Galveston / Port Bolivar Ferry. The Bolivar Point Lighthouse first became operational in 1852 and stayed in service until 1933.

Title: "Bolivar Point Lighthouse"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/2000s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso160
Post-proessing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#500. Galveston Glider

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:18:00 GMT

Taken at Stewart Beach on Galveston Island today. It was a beautiful day today so I decided to make a run down to Galveston to try and make a few images. This was my favorite out of the dozen or so I took of this gentleman and his flying machine.

Title: "Galveston Glider"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Texture from flypapertexture.blogspot.com

Wasteland

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:05:00 GMT

I guess every picture is not a "pretty picture"! I'll withhold the location in order not to tarnish the city's reputation! :-) This scene reminded me of what Hollywood movies always show us of the destruction man has wrought in some post-apocalyptic future so I went that direction with my post-processing.

Title: "Wasteland" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

St. Mary of High Hill Exterior

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:22:00 GMT

St. Mary Catholic Church in High Hill taken a few weekends ago. The interior of this church is being restored and made for the interesting shot I posted on February 8, 2010.

Title: "St. Mary of High Hill Exterior"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin, Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin > Red Paw Media Bleach Bypass plugin > two textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

St. John The Baptist Catholic Church No. 2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago while on a quick tour of some of the "Painted Churches of Texas". This one, St. John's, is located in Ammansville, Texas. I posted another shot of this church on Feb 19 with the sign in front of it and Cindi and Brian thought they might like it better without the sign. The photo from Feb 19 is under this one so you can easily compare both photos by using the rollover feature. Please leave a comment and let me know which shot you like better.

Title: "St. John No. 2" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod based exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4

10 Ton Bridge

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:50:00 GMT

Taken last Saturday in Baytown, Texas. What makes this bridge seem unusual to me is that it is a pedestrian bridge in a city park; it has a sidewalk leading up to it, not a road! Isn't a pedestrian bridge with a 10 Ton capacity overkill? Did the engineer that designed it really envision having to accommodate fifty 400 pound joggers at once? More likely this was some city politician's payback for a generous supporter that owned a bridge building company? :-)

Title: "10 Ton Bridge"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three hand held exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Spooky Old Hospital

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:22:00 GMT

Taken Saturday in Baytown, Texas. This is the old San Jacinto Hospital building. It has all the usual outward signs of abandonment including broken windows, boarded up windows, graffiti and an intimidating perimeter fence. The building is really quite spooky looking but it's hard to convey "spooky" in a photo taken on a beautiful day with blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Compositionally I tried to make the shot spooky by including the fencing in the foreground and by taking the shot at an unusual angle. I think the lens distortion resulting from using the wide angle end of my zoom adds to the effect. Post-processing included playing with some of the Photoshop blending modes (color dodge, color burn, multiply, overlay) till I got to a place I thought looked spooky (or at least eerie). I'm sure this place looked a lot less spooky 5 decades ago when I was born here! :-)

Title: "Spooky Old Hospital"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three exposure bracketed (-2, 0, +2) hand held images into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Custom Bike

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:29:00 GMT

Taken in Baytown, Texas yesterday. A classic bicycle with a custom headlight!

Title: "Custom Bike"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three hand held images (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

St. John The Baptist Catholic Church

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:34:00 GMT

Taken a couple of weekends ago on a quick tour of some of the "Painted Churches of Texas". This one, St. John's, is located in Ammansville, Texas. I like this photo better as a monochrome photo. You can see the original shot (after HDR processing) if you hold your cursor over the image until it changes to a color photo.

Title: "St. John" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod based exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4

St. Mary's - Praha - Interior

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:15:00 GMT

Here are a couple of shots of the interior of St. Marys Church in Praha, Texas. This is one of the "Painted Churches of Texas" famous for their elaborately hand painted ceilings and details. When you look at the exterior of this church (yesterday's post) you don't really imagine an interior like this do you?

Title: "St. Marys - Praha Interior #1"

Title: "St. Marys - Praha Interior #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

St. Mary's - Praha

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:16:00 GMT

Another of the "Painted Churches of Texas" taken weekend before last. This one is St. Mary's Church in Praha, Texas.

Title: "St. Marys - Praha"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create HDR (High Dynamic Range) image from three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 0, +2) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:54:00 GMT

I took this shot two weekends ago in Dubina, Texas. Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church is one of the "Painted Churches of Texas".

Title: "Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures from a tripod into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Little Flower

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:03:00 GMT

Taken last Sunday as we happened to be in San Antonio, Texas. This church is visible from the freeway (I-10 I think) near downtown and the architecture caught my eye and called me back to it later in the day for a brief photo session. The church is actually called "Basilica for the National Shrine of the Little Flower" so I felt shortening the name of the post to "Little Flower" would be understandable. :-)

Title: "Little Flower" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod based exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > aslo used two textures from FlypaperTextures.com

St. Mary's Nerve Center

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:10:00 GMT

Taken this past Sunday at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in High Hill, Texas. The scene in the entrance hall of this church caught my eye because of its muted colors and great wall textures. Also this small entrance hall struck me as the social "nerve center" for the church.

Title: "St. Mary's Nerve Center"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to conver three tripod mounted long exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Balancing Act

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:07:00 GMT

Today's posting is of an image I made for the Bay Area Photo Club's February Honors Night held last night. The Assignment was for a Surreal Composite. I haven't done many composites and so I was excited that this Assignment gave me motivation to try something outside of my photographic comfort zone. Once I had a concept the execution was actually quite fun! :-) And...I received a Gold award for my efforts!

Title: "Balancing Act"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

St. John's

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:17:00 GMT

Taken this past Sunday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammansville, Texas. St. John's is one of the "Painted Churches of Texas". I converted this shot to black and white because I wanted the focus of this image to be on the rhythm of repeating pews, shadows and architectural elements.

Title: "St. John's"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three long exposure images taken from a tripod into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Holy Restoration

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:28:00 GMT

When I walked into St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in High Hill, Texas yesterday to photograph one of the Painted Churches of Texas I was surprised to see this giant scaffolding in place for a restoration of the church's ceiling. I didn't get to take the shot of the ceiling I was there for but I found the scaffolding structure fascinating! I was reminded of restoration projects I have seen on television of some of the great Cathedrals in Europe.

Title: "Holy Restoration"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three long exposure images taken from a tripod into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Bad Dream

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:50:00 GMT

Taken at the Homes for Our Troops Sporting Clays event last weekend. The event included well equipped reenactors displaying a lot of historical military equipment from WWII and Vietnam. Seeing this truck, equipped with three machine guns, it's easy to imagine that enemy combatants might first duck for cover and then try to wake up from their "Bad Dream".

Title: "Bad Dream"

Shot data: 1/500s f/4.0 at 90.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4

American Values

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:11:00 GMT

I took this shot as we were being transported via hayride to the parking area from the Homes for Our Troops Sporting Clays event this past weekend in Fulshear, Texas. The road we were going down was lined with flags so I timed a few shots so that a flag would be in the background. I held the camera over my head and took "no look" shots. This photo really has an emotional impact on me for its patriotic and family themes. I like it a lot from a photojournalistic point of view as well since patriotism and family were two significant themes of the Homes for our Troops event.

Title: "American Values"

Shot data: 1/3200s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > NIK Viveza

Really Big Flag

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:15:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend at the Homes for Our Troops Sporting Clays event in Fulshear, Texas. I was invited by an old friend to attend this event and take photographs as the official event photographer. The shot posted today took a lot of work in Photoshop in order to get it like I wanted it. Maybe you think I did too much work on it? Or not enough? The only thing I'm fairly sure of is that no one will tell me they like the "before" better than the "after" shot. Maybe! :-)

Title: "Really Big Flag" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza plugin

HOTBARBQUE

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:52:00 GMT

Not far from the feed store image I posted yesterday I found the remains of "Downtown Bar B Q" that apparently used to feature "HOTBARBQUE". No doubt the money save on signage had once been invested in fine meats! :-)

Title: "HOTBARBQUE"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld images (-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Feed Store

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:08:00 GMT

An old feed store near the railroad tracks in historic downtown Richmond, Texas. Taken last weekend.

Title: "Feed Store"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine 3 handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

Richmond Railroad Bridge

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:30:00 GMT

Taken in Richmond, Texas this past weekend.

Title: "Richmond Railroad Bridge"

Shot data: 1/125s f/8.0 at 58.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld images taken with exposure bracketing (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

Imperial Sugar

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:27:00 GMT

Taken this past Sunday as we were passing through Sugar Land, Texas. I liked the color version (keep your mouse over the image long enough and you should be able to see the color version) but wanted to go for a photo with a more historical look and feel befitting the subject matter.

Title: "Imperial Sugar" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Sandy McGee's Decor

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:26:00 GMT

Taken today at Sandy McGee's restaurant in Richmond, Texas.

Title: "Sandy McGee's Decor"

Shot data: 1/400s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso400
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Baytown Eagle

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:24:00 GMT

I made a trip over to Baytown today to try and photograph the pair of nesting eagles located off of Tri-City Beach Road. I don't really have enough lens for this type of birding but I had a great time watching and photographing the eagles just the same! This shot was taken with a crop camera (Canon 40D) using a 100-400mm zoom lens at 400mm and using a Canon 430EX flash equipped with a Better Beamer flash extender. Today I could almost understand why some folks might buy a $12,000 800mm lens. Almost! :-)

Title: "Baytown Eagle" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

"High Tide Ford"

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:43:00 GMT

I took this photo on my trip to Galveston's East Beach on New Year's Day. I initially wondered why anyone would park in the water but soon realized the truck belonged to one of the fishermen that had walked out on the jetty to fish. While I was there I had to move my truck further away from the water twice to avoid the incoming tide. By the time I saw the owner of this truck come to retrieve it the water was about 8 inches deep!

Title: "High Tide Ford"

Shot data: 1/500s f/8.0 at 100.0mm iso320
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Greune Tower

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:30:00 GMT

Taken in Greune, Texas last December for no other reason than I liked the light hitting the water tower on the hillside.

Title: "Greune Tower" (rollover)

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4

Bleachers

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:05:00 GMT

Here are two more shots from the baseball field at Bay Area Park on Saturday. Like the shots I posted yesterday , both of these shots are HDR images taken from a tripod about 18 inches high.

Title: "Bleachers - Tangential Perspective"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw to covert bracketed exposures to JPEG files > Photomatix Pro to generate HDR from bracketed JPEG file (exposure at -2, 0, and +2) > Adobe Photoshop CS$ > Topaz Adjust plugin > RPM Beautifier plugin

Title: "Bleachers - Parallel Perspective"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw to covert bracketed exposures to JPEG files > Photomatix Pro to generate HDR from bracketed JPEG file (exposure at -2, 0, and +2) > Adobe Photoshop CS$ > Topaz Adjust plugin > RPM Beautifier plugin

Dugout

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:01:00 GMT

I went to Bay Area Park yesterday and took some shots of the little league baseball field. It was pretty chilly (for Houston) so not many folks were in the park and I was able to wonder around unimpeded. Both of these shots are HDR images taken from a tripod about 18 inches high.

Title: "Dugout - Outside Perspective"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw to covert bracketed exposures to JPEG files > Photomatix Pro to generate HDR from bracketed JPEG file (exposure at -2, 0, and +2) > Adobe Photoshop CS$ > Topaz Adjust plugin > RPM Beautifier plugin

Title: "Dugout - Inside Perspective"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw to covert bracketed exposures to JPEG files > Photomatix Pro to generate HDR from bracketed JPEG file (exposure at -2, 0, and +2) > Adobe Photoshop CS$ > Topaz Adjust plugin > RPM Beautifier plugin

Winter Tree

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:42:00 GMT

I took a trip down to Bay Area Park today to capture an image I thought would work well as a practice subject for working with textures. Here is the result: If the code is correct you should be able to see the "original" image by rolling your mouse over the image below. The original image is an HDR image created with Photomatix Pro.

Title: "Winter Tree"

Camra / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three tripod mounted photos with bracketed exposures of -2, 0 and +2 > Photoshop CS4

Elevated Guitarist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:12:00 GMT

I spotted this performer at a local restaurant call Potbelly yesterday. Performers really will perform anywhere won't they? :-)

Technical Stuff: I took bracketed exposures of this shot with the intention of using Photomatix Pro (one of my favorite tools in my toolbox) to create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image but found, at least for this test, that Photomatix won't handle the large file sizes produced by a Canon 5D Mark II. As a result I had to do the best I could converting the shot manually to HDR using layers in Photoshop CS4. Hopefully I can find a work-around for this problem (let me know if you know one) because it is definitely a problem if your favorite camera doesn't play nicely with your favorite software!

Update on Technical Stuff: I was able to download an upgrade version of Photomatix Pro that handled the big file sizes produced by the Canon 5D Mark II just fine. Unfortunately it didn't help with this image because the +2, 0, -2 bracketed exposures I took weren't enough to handle the dark areas and the blown out window in this interior shot. Lesson learned: probably should have exposed on the window instead of the guitarist! :-)

Title: "Elevated Guitarist"

Shot data: 1/125s f/4.0 at 40.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Beautifier plugin

The Violinist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:25:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend. I took this shot of my father-in-law to test out my new Canon 5D. I was using my Canon 430 EX flash in TTL mode with an exposure compensation of -2. Once again I was very impressed with the quality of light produced by a single on camera flash in TTL mode.

Title: "The Violinist"

Shot data: 1/200s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Day 3

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:14:00 GMT

We've all seen it on TV! Extreme Makeover starts with a slab and 6 days later they have constructed a new home ready for the occupants to move back into! It's amazing every time you see it! Amazing construction speed, amazing entertainment, and an amazing volunteer effort for a worthy cause. It is even more amazing to see it in person. This is what the project looked like last night, two days after I took the photos in my last post! Amazing!

Title: "Extreme Makeover: Day 3"

Shot data: 1/13s f/4.0 at 45.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:04:00 GMT

Extreme Makeover Home Edition is building a house in Kemah this over a four day period. I went out to the construction site yesterday to see what I could see. Most of the time I was there the view from the spectator area was blocked by big trucks being uploaded. Here are a couple of shots from the outing.

Title: "Keman XHE 1"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5DMII / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/200s f/6.3 at 47.0mm iso500

Title: "Kemah XHE 2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5DMII / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/1000s f/4.0 at 24.0mm iso250

New Rig

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:38:00 GMT

I purchased a new camera that was delivered yesterday! Will it make me a better photographer? Probably not...but it should improve the overall quality of my images. I took this photo with it and now I just need to get out and take some real photos. :-)

Title: "New Rig"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5DMII / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/40s f/4.0 at 84.0mm iso250

Barbed Wire and Vines

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:06:00 GMT

I realize this is a little bit of a tired subject but I wanted to practice with textures and this photo had a blown out sky I thought I could improve. The texture is from a photo of a milled stone I took a while back.

Title: "Barbed Wire and Vines"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso320
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Hawk

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:16:00 GMT

Yesterday afternoon we were driving around in Baytown when we saw this hawk in a field on Main Street. My camera was equipped with my 100-400mm zoom and a 430EX flash with a Better Beamer flash extender attached so we pulled over. I got as close as I could for this shot but I was still pretty far away and as a result this image is about a 25% crop of the original.

Title: "Hawk"

Shot data: 1/250s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso320
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin
Flash: Canon 430EX on camera in TTL mode with Better Beamer attached

Shakespeare, Gandhi, and Twain

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:54:00 GMT

We needed some flower pots yesterday so, of course, we headed to Maas Nursery in Seabrook. I liked these pots a lot but we ended up going with something more traditional! :-)

Title: "Shakespeare, Gandhi and Twain"

Shot data: 1/500s f/5.0 at 115.0mm iso320
Camera / lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Galveston Fishermen

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:15:00 GMT

Another shot from my trip to Galveston yesterday.

Title: "Fishermen"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Beached Auto

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:42:00 GMT

Happy New Year everyone!

2010 started out with a beautiful day weather wise in Houston. We took advantage of the unexpectedly gorgeous day and drove down to Galveston for lunch and to see if we could find a subject suitable for a photograph. We saw this car buried in the sand on East Beach and could only assume it is a remnant of hurricane Ike.

Title: "Beached Auto"

Shot data: 1/1600s f/8.0 at 100.0mm iso320
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Virtual Photographer plugin

Guadalupe White Water

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:19:00 GMT

Today's image was taken last weekend in Gruene, Texas.

Title: "Guadalupe White Water"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Shanty Tubes

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:30:00 GMT

Last two from my visit to Shanty Tubes in Canyon Lake, Texas last weekend.

Title: "Shanty Tubes (Elvis)"

Title: "Shanty Tubes (Miller)"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 2, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Red Paw Media Bleach Bypass and Beautifier plugins

Shanty Tubes Parking

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:06:00 GMT

Here's another shot from my Shanty Tubes visit this past weekend in Canyon Lake, Texas. As with to the image I posted of the Guadalupe River below, I like both versions of this image. I don't necessarily think either one is "correct", they are just different. The pano version places more emphasis on the main subjects but at the expense of losing some great shadows, textures and details in the parking lot and sky.

Title: "Shanty Tubes Parking"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "Shanty Tubes Parking Pano"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Shanty Tubes Van

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:27:00 GMT

There are a lot of tubing outfitters located on the Guadalupe River in Canyon Lake. I stopped at Shanty Tubes this past weekend to take a few shots while things were quiet during the off-season. I hope to be able to process a few other shots from this outing and post them tomorrow.

Title: "Shanty Tubes Van"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2, 0, 2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Gruene, TX Guadalupe River

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:31:00 GMT

We were in the Wimberley area over the Christmas holidays and I took this photo of the section of the Guadalupe River in Gruene, TX that runs behind Greune Hall. I presented two different versions because I couldn't decide which crop I liked best.

Title: "Gruene, TX Guadalupe River"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2,0,+2 with the camera stabalized on a rock) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "Gruene, TX Guadalupe River Pano"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2,0,+2 with the camera stabalized on a rock) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Blanco River Hang Out

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:32:00 GMT

Taken this past weekend in Wimberley, Texas. If you drive along the Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas you will see a great many of these riverside decks. Some are simple construction and some are more elaborate, most have been there for many years. It's winter now and no one is in the water but you can still hear the kids laughing and the water splashing if you listen hard enough!

Title: "Blanco River Hang Out"

Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three handheld exposures (-2,0,+2) into one HDR image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

I See Me cont'd

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:33:00 GMT

Here's the rest of the set I shot yesterday. Shaving is a relatively intimate and personal process and something that all men do every day. Conceptually my hope is that these photos are both revealing, due to their personal nature, and a little intriguing, due to their familiarity.

Title: "I See Me 4"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "I See Me 5"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "I See Me 6"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "I See Me 7"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

I See Me

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:41:00 GMT

I took a series of self-portraits tonight to test a concept I have for a possible future body of work. I especially wanted to test this lighting setup. Part of the concept is for all the images to be in black and white to add a bit of timelessness and drama to the shots.

Title: "I See Me 1"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "I See Me 2"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "I See Me 3"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV, 1/4 power on light stand slightly camera left pointed down, 1 Canon 430EX background light on light stand all triggered with Pocket Wizards and using an intervalometer to take a series of timed shots
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Flash Frame

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:03:00 GMT

This shot shows the simple light setup I used to take photos at our Company's Christmas party last weekend. I like the composition of the shot and I find the lighting interesting. I didn't notice the light spill over the top of the umbrellas during the actual event because it was outside the viewfinder of my camera as I focused in on my subjects.

Title: "Flash Frame"

Shot data: 1/125s f/4.5 at 17.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

More Event Photos

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:54:00 GMT

I always take a variety of wide angle and detail shots of the venue setup. These are setup shots from our company's Christmas party last Saturday night. I included these shots with the event photos and also sent them to the gallery manager who had requested copies.

Title: "Venue Setup 1"

Shot data: 1/60s f/2.8 at 17.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17/55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Title: "Venue Setup 2"

Shot data: 1/60s f/8.0 at 51.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17/55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Event Photos

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:03:00 GMT

These photos are from our company's annual Christmas party where I volunteered to be the event photographer. All shots were taken using light stand mounted strobes fired by Pocket Wizards into shoot through umbrellas. One umbrella was head high camera left and one was chest high camera right.

I had basically an eight foot square of area to work with as long as I could maintain a corridor through the middle of the space for foot traffic. The space was an art gallery and both walls available for backdrops were covered with art work. I didn't have enough room to get enough distance between the background and the subjects (subjects were 6" to 8" from the wall) to make it possible to blur the background and keep a good working depth of field. I don't have a portable background but I don't think the gallery manager would have allowed me to cover any of the art anyway. I guess the one option I had but didn't think of at the time was to rearrange the art and move a couple of the more distracting pieces to less prominent locations on the wall.

These five photos are fairly representative of the portraits I took that night. Any commments about how I might have improved the results would be greatly appreciated.

Title: "Party #1"

Shot data: 1/160s f/5.0 at 55.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Title: "Party #2"

Shot data: 1/125s f/4.5 at 55.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Title: "Party #3"

Shot data: 1/125s f/4.5 at 55.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Title: "Party #4"

Shot data: 1/160s f/5.0 at 44.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Title: "Party #5"

Shot data: 1/125s f/4.5 at 55.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Gallery Manager

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:09:00 GMT

The company I work for had it's annual Christmas party last night at a local gallery. I volunteered to take photos. This shot is of the gallery manager who was kind enough to spare 30 seconds for me while I was trying to get my lights set. This isn't the final settings for the lights but I really loved the expression on her face and the pose she struck.

Title: "Gallery Manager"

Shot data: 1/125s f/4.5 at 20.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Lighting: Vivitar strobe on stand with 43" shoot-through umbrella camera left, Canon 430EX flash on stand with small (35"?) shoot-through umbrella camera right, triggered with Pocket Wizards

Robert

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:07:00 GMT

Last night my siblings and I met Robert at Donnaley's Restaurant in Baytown. Robert was in Houston on a business trip and my sister had arranged the get together. We hadn't seen Robert since we were kids which meant we hadn't seen him in more than three decades! Robert is a VIP in the field of health care law in Washington. He's also a great guy and we all had a terrific amount of fun reminiscing about the old days and catching up on the events of each other's lives. I took a couple dozen photos during the night while we were sitting at the dinner table and today's post is one of the two that I liked.

Title: "Robert"

Shot data: 1/250s f/2.8 at 55.0mm iso320
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Flash: Canon 430EX on camera bounced against the ceiling
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

Conquest

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:09:00 GMT

I took this shot on a quick trip down to Galveston last month. The early evening light was hitting the side of the ship in a beautiful way and gave the whole scene a surreal feel.

Title: "Conquest"

Shot data: 1/640s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust

Curious Squirrel

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:07:00 GMT

Taken in a local park about a month ago. I know he's just a rat with a bushy tail but still...he seems cute in a way, doesn't he? :-)

I know I get low marks for creativity with this shot but I'm feeling a bit lazy on a rainy day here in Houston. I really need to get out and do some shooting!

Title: "Curious Squirrel"

Shot data: 1/3200s f/2.8 at 18.0mm iso500
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Canon vs Nikon

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:17:00 GMT

I wanted to bring this photo out of the archives (Feb 08) and onto my blog. It cantains a subtle message that might help someone decide between the two major camera brands as they consider purchasing a camera for Christmas! :-)

Title: "Canon vs. Nikon"

Jon, The Pianist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:31:00 GMT

Today I have one last photo I want to post from our Thanksgiving get-together in Teague last week. I know conventional wisdom would suggest that I could have, maybe even should have, cropped away some of the negative space from the top of the photo. I like it as it is though because it gives me the feeling that music is filling void.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some weather related photos as Houston is scheduled to get it's earliest ever snowfall today. We'll see...even though we've had a couple days of snow in the last five years, a snow day in Houston is still a pretty rare event.

Title: "Jon, The Pianist"

Shot data: 1/50s f/6.3 at 52.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Miki and Adrian

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:24:00 GMT

Here is another informal portrait taken at our family's Thanksgiving get together.

Title: "Miki and Adrian"

Shot data: 1/60s f/5.0 at 55.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55m f/2.8 zoom
Flash: Canon 430EX > On Camera

Waiting Their Turn

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:58:00 GMT

Taken Thanksgiving Day. Because a lot of our family members are blessed with talent (present company excluded) our Thanksgiving Day celebration traditionally includes a talent show. Here two aspiring musicians await their respective turns.

Title: "Waiting Their Turn"

Shot data: 1/50s f/6.3 at 28.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin

Emma and Sophia

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:05:00 GMT

Another shot from Thanksgiving. I'm not sure exactly how this particular photo was lit but most of the day I was using my Canon 430EX flash on camera and bounced from the ceiling.

Title: "Emma and Sophia"

Shot data: 1/60s f/5.0 at 55.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Three Generations Redo

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:08:00 GMT

Here's a couple of more versions of the photo I posted yesterday. These versions are in response to feedback I received yesterday.

Title: "Three Generations Pano"

Title: "Three Generations B&W"

Three Generations

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:32:00 GMT

Taken on Thanksgiving Day at a family get together in Teague, Texas. Is this a great photo or is it just me? Do you have to know and care for the folks in the photo to love it as much as I do or does it move you anyway?

Title: "Three Generations"

Shot data: 1/60s f/5.0 at 44.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Concan Cypress Trees

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Taken two weekends ago in Concan, Texas. The fall colors of the giant Bald Cypress trees lining the Frio River in Concan were at their peak.

Title: "Concan Cypress Trees"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod mounted exposures (-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Galveston Photog

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:06:00 GMT

Sunday evening while on East Beach in Galveston I watched a photographer for a while as he set up a wedding shot. Interestingly enough he chose to set up where me and my truck were in the background of the shot. I guess he was planning to remove us in post-processing...but I relocated to save him the trouble.

Anyway, I'm always curious to see how other photographers do their situational photo setups. Hope you are too. :-)

Title: "Galveston Photog"

Shot info: 1/250s f/4.5 at 100.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Galveston No Swimming

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:34:00 GMT

Another shot taken in Galveston yesterday evening. As tempting as the water looked I didn't go swimming...because of the sign! :-)

Title: "Galveston No Swimming"

Shot data: 1/60s f/5.0 at 150.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Galveston Powered Parachute

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:19:00 GMT

I went down to Galveston this evening to try and make a few photos. I really enjoyed watching this powered parachute for a while.

Title: "Galveston Powered Parachute"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400 L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Lost Maples Fall Colors

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:23:00 GMT

Here's another shot from last weekends trip to Lost Maples Natural Area in Vanderpool, Texas.

Title: "Lost Maples Fall Colors"

Shot info: 1/320s f/3.5 at 37.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

The Medina River

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:17:00 GMT

Today's photos were taken from a highway overpass crossing the Medina River near Bandera, Texas this past Sunday. I didn't really enjoy the cars whizzing by me at 55MPH but I did enjoy the view! :-)

Title: "The Medina Looking South"

Title: "The Medina Looking North"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tripod mounted exposures (-2, 2, +2) into one HDR (High Dyamic Range) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Maple Leaves

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:06:00 GMT

Taken this past Saturday at Lost Maples Natural Area in Vanderpool, Texas . At some point during the outing I removed my wide angle to normal zoom and replaced it with my 100-400 telephoto zoom to focus on taking more detail oriented shots. Since I had found myself in an area where the vistas just weren't what I had hoped they would be (read as: Texas isn't New England when it comes to Fall colors) I hoped to save the day by switching tactics and photographing more detailed shots. I intentionally simplified this shot (removed details) and added saturation (pushed the colors) in post-processing so that the emphasis would be on the shapes of the Maple leaves and the fall colors. Hope you like it!

Title: "Maple Leaves"

Shot data: 1/40s f/5.0 at 190.0mm iso800
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

The Frio River in Fall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT

I took this shot Sunday morning at a Frio river crossing in Concan, Texas (near Lost Maples Natural Area). The fall colors of the Bald Cypress trees along the Frio River made this scene beautiful and I took about as many photos at this location as I did on my Lost Maples trip the day before. To get this shot I positioned my camera to sit on a flat rock near the edge of the river.

Title: "The Frio River in Fall"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three exposures (-2,0,+2) to one high dynamic range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Lost Maples 1

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:38:00 GMT

We arrived home yesterday evening from our weekend trip to Lost Maples State Natural Area near Vanderpool, Texas. This area is famous for the fall colors of its many Maple trees this time of year. We had watched the foliage reports on the Internet and knew this past weekend was supposed to be the peak time for fall colors. You don't get to see New England like fall color changes in Lost Maples to be sure but Lost Maples is about as good as it gets within convenient driving distance of Houston. You can see in today's photo that while there were some beautiful colors in the trees the majority of the foliage is ever present green.

Title: "Lost Maples 1"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three tirpod exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) Image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

The Birds in Flatonia

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:18:00 GMT

Just in from a weekend road trip to Lost Maples. I'm just starting to process some shots. This was my last shot this weekend as we stopped for diesel at a filling station in Flatonia, Texas. The birds of course caught my eye and I needed to do something to make myself quit watching the total sale amount on the gas pump rolling ever higher, so I made a photo.

Title: "The Birds in Flatonia"

Shot data: 1/30s f/2.8 at 24.0mm iso800
Camera / lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Near Times Square

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:09:00 GMT

Taken from the top of a tour bus while visiting NYC this past May. The original sky in this photo was solidly light blue and did nothing for the photo. I took the photo toward the surreal by replacing the flat blue sky with an image of the surface of swimming pool. You may or may not like the end result but to me it is much more interesting than the unaltered image. I hope you like it! :-)

Title: "Near Times Square"

Shot data: 1/320s f/7.1 at 17.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Longhorn Cavern Entrance

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:24:00 GMT

This is shot from just outside of the cave entrance at Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet, Texas. The entrance is below ground level where it appears that an original portion of the cave collapsed and left openings through which the surface can be viewed (and photographed!).

Title: "Longhorn Cavern Entrance"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three hand-held exposures (-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Longhorn Cavern Approach

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:22:00 GMT

This is the approach to the cave at Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet, Texas. This shot was taken with my back to the actual cave entrance looking pack down the path we had approached on.

Title: "Longhorn Cavern Approach"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three hand-held exposures (-2,0,+2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Slow Children at Play

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:58:00 GMT

OK......but where do the smart kids play? ;-)

Scene near Lake Travis in the area of Austin, Texas.

Title: "Slow Children at Play"

Shot details: 1/250s f/5.0 at 100.0mm iso250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Happy Couple, Musical Monk and Pirate in Purple

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:46:00 GMT

These are my last three shots from the Bay Area Photo Club's field trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas three weekends ago.

Title: "Happy Couple"

Shot data: 1/80s f/5.0 at 50.0mm iso200

Title: "Musical Monk"

Shot data: 1/500s f/2.2 at 50.0mm iso200

Title: "Pirate in Purple"

Shot data: 1/125s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso200

Contemplative Character

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:14:00 GMT

Taken at the Texas Renaissance Festival two weekends ago. This young man's contemplative posture makes me imagine him as a Renaissance philosopher. Although he may in fact just be wondering where he left his cell phone. :-)

Title: "Contemplative Character"

Shot data: 1/160s f/2.8 at 50.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

RenFest Pirate

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Taken at the Texas Renaissance Festival two weekends ago.

Title: "RenFest Pirate"

Shot data: 1/60s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camerea Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Snakes Exist

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:19:00 GMT

Taken at a local park this past weekend. What is the sign really saying? It's not a "Warning", just a "Notice". So it's kind of saying "be aware" but don't be overly concerned unless you actually come face to face with the subject of the notice. I wonder if I went down the path in the background of the photo if I would see other helpful notices like "Evil Exists" or "Liberals Exist"? :-)

Title: "Snakes Exist"

Shot data: 1/3200s f/2.8 at 55.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

RenFest Horned Warrior

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:09:00 GMT

Captured at the Texas Renaissance Festival two Saturdays ago. It's kind of hard not to notice someone wearing horns! And this guy wasn't the only one either! :-)

Title: "RenFest Horned Warrior"

Shot data: 1/250s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso125
Camrea / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Another RenFest Warrior

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:31:00 GMT

Here's another character from our trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival on Saturday before last. My formula for this one was "Interesting Face" + "Interesting Costume" = "Interesting Photo" (hopefully)! :-)

Title: "Another RenFest Warrior"

Photo data: 1/50s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Blue Angels

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:15:00 GMT

Yesterday I stopped for a while at a location somewhat near the Wings Over Houston Airshow to see if I could get a shot of any of the planes. Since I live near Ellington Field where the event is held I'm discouraged from buying an actual ticket to the event because I've seen the huge crowds and traffic problems associated with it every year. If I can grab a shot like this just by being nearby, and not having to deal with on-site organized Chaos then I'm happy! This is the Blue Angels flying in diamond formation!

Title: "Blue Angels Diamond Formation"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/8.0 at 400.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Renaissance Couple

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:46:00 GMT

Here's a couple more photos from my trip to RenFest Saturday before last. I thought this couple did an extraordinary job of dressing in authentic Renaissance period dress.

Title: "RenFest Gentlemen"

Photo data: 1/125s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust

Title: "RenFest Lady"

Photo data: 1/160s f/4.0 at 50.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust

Airshow

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:50:00 GMT

The annual Wings Over Houston Airshow is going on this weekend at a nearby airport so I've been seeing a lot of air traffic today. I'm considering going to the show tomorrow to try and get some proper shots. Anyone know what this one is?

Title: "One Airshow Plane"

Camera / lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

RenFest Red Head and Her Minion

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:20:00 GMT

Here's two characters from the Texas Renaissance Festival last Saturday. These two were working together. Not exactly sure who or what they were supposed to be but my interpretation was "evil step sister" and her "androgynous minion". Of all the oddball characters I saw this day these two may possibly have been the most fascinating.

Title: "RenFest Redhead"

Shot data: 1/125s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Title: "RenFest Minion"

Shot data: 1/125s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Balloon Glow Prep

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:10:00 GMT

Here is another shot from the Ballunar Liftoff Festival at NASA Johnson Space Center this past Saturday. This shot was taken as the balloons were being readied for the "balloon glow" a little later in the evening.

Title: "Balloon Glow Prep"

Shot data: 1/50s f/2.8 at 42.0mm iso1250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

RenFest Maidens

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:01:00 GMT

Here's another photo from Saturday's trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas with the Bay Area Photo Club. Today I'm posting a photo of a couple of Beauties to go along with my posting on Monday of the Beast. :-)

Title: "RenFest Maidens"

Shot data: 1/400s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Canon 430 EX Flash on monopod with CTO gel triggered by Pocket Wizard

Balloon Glow

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:26:00 GMT

After we got home from Renaissance Festival on Saturday I had just enough energy left to go to the Ballunar Liftoff Festival at NASA Johnson Space Center for a little while. One of the most popular events at the Ballunar Liftoff Festival is the "Balloon Glow" where all the ballooners fire their heaters at the same time (theoretically) so you can see all the balloons glowing from the flames at once.

Title: "Balloon Glow"

Shot data: 1/40s f/5.6 at 17.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust

RenFest Warrior

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:33:00 GMT

On Saturday I went with a group of photographers from the Bay Area Photo Club to the 2009 Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas. The weather was great and it worked out that there were plenty of costumed characters more than willing to cooperate with folks who where inclined to take photos. This fellow was one of my favorites.

Title: "RenFest Warrior"

Shot Data: 1/60s f/3.5 at 50.0mm iso125
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Flash: Canon 430EX (w/ CTO gel) on a monopod triggered by Pocket Wizard

Texas Dance Hall

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:50:00 GMT

Taken at the September 12, 2009 Homes for Our Troops event at Beaumont Ranch in Grandview, Texas. The scene in this photo is fairly representative of a lot of Texas dance halls (it even reminds me a little of the famous (by virtue of being featured in the movie Urban Cowboy) Gilleys Club located in Pasadena, Texas from 1970 to 1990).

Title: "Texas Dance Hall"

Shot data: 1/40s f/2.8 at 43.0mm iso500
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Boardwalk Bullet

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:54:00 GMT

One of the main attractions at the Kemah Boardwalk is the wooden roller coaster called the Boardwalk Bullet. I took this shot a couple of weekends ago. I threw a texture on top of the image (with a layer mask in Photoshop used to control where I wanted the texture and where I didn't) because the sky in the background was light gray with absolutely no interest. I don't experiment with textures much so hopefully I haven't been too heavy handed here. To me textures used this way can add depth and richness to a photo. Hope you like it!

Title: Boardwalk Bullet

Shot data: 1/640s f/6.3 at 100.0mm iso1250
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Portrait of Emma

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:24:00 GMT

Friday night I was testing out a new Justin Clamp with my Canon 430EX flash. I grabbed a few shots of my daughter Emma while we were outside waiting for a play to start. I pretty much rely on trial and error when I'm working with a flash so after a series of over and under exposed shots I finally took a few with what looked to me like the correct exposure. As usual I would really appreciate any feedback about how today's shot turned out.

Title: "Portrait of Emma"

Shot data: 1/320s f/10.0 at 55.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Flash: Canon 430EX (TTL mode) Justin-clamped at camera right low pointed over the subjects head to feather the light
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Halloween Spirit

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:23:00 GMT

Taken Saturday night in Seabrook, Texas. You can see this house across the water from Highway 146 as you travel off the Kemah / Seabrook bridge toward Seabrook. The owner of this house makes the most of his high visibility with elaborate decorations for pretty much all holidays. This time of the year he obviously has the Halloween spirit!

Title: "Halloween Spirit"

Shot data: 1/4s f/5.6 at 100.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Dude, where's my car?

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:58:00 GMT

Taken in San Antonio back in August from a window in the Hyatt.

Title: "Dude, where's my car?"

Shot Data: 1/6s f/3.5 at 46.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Aviator #2

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:16:00 GMT

Today's photo was taken at the Kemah Boardwalk during an outing there in July. The Aviator is one of my favorite nighttime attractions to photograph

Title: "Aviator #2"

Shot Data: 1/50s f/2.8 at 17.0mm iso1000
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Texas Avenue Photo Walk

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:25:00 GMT

These are the last of my photos from the Baytown Photo Club's photo walk on Texas Avenue in Baytown this past Sunday.

Title: "Open Bear"

Shot data: 1/250s f/4.5 at 100.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Title: "Tie Ring"

Shot data: 1/125s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Title: "Julias"

Shot data: 1/250s f/8.0 at 100.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

TSO

(Barry Armer Photography) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:21:00 GMT

Here is another shot from Sunday's outing with the Baytown photo club. Texas State Optical (TSO) has been located on Texas Avenue in Baytown for many years. I remember going here from the time I was a small child up through high school. To me this mural says TSO was a "good old fashioned" eye care place even back then. :-)

Title: "TSO"

Shot data: 1/1000s f/4.5 at 100.0mm iso400
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 100-400mm L zoom

Baytown Billiard Club

(Barry Armer Photography) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:25:00 GMT

This past weekend I participated in the Baytown Photo Club sponsored photo walk down Texas Avenue in Baytown. Today's photo is one of my favorites from the outing. The Baytown Billiard Club has been open on Texas Avenue since sometime in the 40's. It's pretty much what you would expect to find in a pool hall but this one feels a little different to me knowing that my father, grandfather, and great grandfather probably played a game or two here once upon a time.

Title: "Baytown Billiard Club"

Shot data: 1/30s f/2.8 at 17.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Seguin Log Cabin

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:02:00 GMT

On the way back from San Antonio a while back, I stopped and took a few photos in Seguin. Going back through those photos this past weekend I found this shot of the Campbell-Hoermann Log Cabin (1850) that I hadn't posted yet. If you're interested in the history of the cabin please see the blurb about it from the Seguin Conservation Society website below the photo.

Title: "Seguin Log Cabin"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three hand-held images into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Virtual Photographer plugin for Sepia conversion

From the Sequin Conservation Society website:

Campbell-Hoermann Log Cabin (1850)
211 E. Live Oak St.
Conservator: Dr. Tom Raetzch 379-0074

Post-Civil War Texas was a land of opportunity due to a vast amount of farming and grazing land, coupled with the newly built railroads. Many immigrants came here to start a new and hopefully prosperous life. John Campbell, an immigrant from Ireland, built a one-room cabin that he later enlarged for his twenty-three family members when they came to Texas around 1850. Descendants of the Campbell family lived in the cabin until 1952. In the late 1970s, the Hoermann family donated it to the Conservation Society. In 1979 it was moved to its present location at 211 E. Live Oak Street. It houses numerous interesting artifacts, including a 145 year-old quilt and a 1908 icebox.

Kay Martin, the current SCS president, says her favorite thing about the cabin is the feeling she gets when she steps on the front porch. "It feels like you just stepped back in time; like you are at a home, not a museum." She also says that people should remember that the porch at the Log Cabin is a great place to take photos. "The trees and porch are quaint and rustic, and best of all, it's free!" she says.

San Antonio Carriage Ride

(Barry Armer Photography) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:26:00 GMT

Today's image is another shot from my trip to San Antonio, Texas last month. I took this image at dusk in front of the Alamo. It's a shot that I imagine would be judged fairly harshly in my photo club because nothing is really in focus. Focus notwithstanding I really like the shot. I like the play of warm and cool colors that are often so beautiful in night photography and the overall mood presented by the tourists enjoying themselves. Hope you like it!

Title: "San Antonio Carriage Ride"

Shot data: 1/8s f/4.5 at 17.0mm iso640
Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom

Riverwalk Magnolia

(Barry Armer Photography) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:55:00 GMT

This is a shot of the San Antonio Riverwalk taken on a visit there last month. Typical shots of the Riverwalk include riverside restaurants and / or one of the many bridges crossing over the river. What caught my eye here was the majestic magnolia tree framing the top portion of the image and the beautiful evening light and texture on the sidewalk in the foreground. It's nowhere near the best photo of San Antonio's main attraction (or is it second behind the Alamo?) but hopefully you will enjoy it for a minute or two.

"Riverwalk Magnolia"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
POst-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three hand-held exposures to one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshoop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Carter Barber Shop

(Barry Armer Photography) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:39:00 GMT

This image is of Carter Barber Shop in Luling, Texas. This has been a subject I have been wanting to shoot for a while and I finally took the time to stop and capture a few frames as we drove through Luling a few weekends ago. Like town squares and old movie theaters, these old barbershops are a big part of the personality of many small Texas towns.

Title: "Carter Barber Shop"

Camera / Lens: Canon 40D / Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to convert three hand-held exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) file > Photoshop CS3 > Topaz Adjust plugin

Guadalupe Cypress

(Barry Armer Photography) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:25:00 GMT

Today's post is a shot from an RV trip we took a few weeks ago. The shot was taken on the Guadalupe River side of Canyon Lake Dam in the early morning. It's a pretty low key image but I think the light in the early morning sky and on the water and the hint of fog over the water in the background make the image interesting in spite of being dark. Hope you like it!

Title: "Guadalupe Cypress"