Arkansas Trip: The Photos

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Well I finally got around to deciding how I wanted to edit the photos from that trip a few weeks back to take my uncle home. From time to time I take photos that I just can't figure out how I want them to look. There good photos, but the right color or levels adjustment just drives me up the wall. Often it turns out they needed no adjustment, but in this case I had to go outside of my normal Idea of colors and levels. I must say I am quite happy with the end result.

First up to bat, we have "King Of The Toadstool". This was shot at De Gray lake, a place my Uncle gave me a tip to go see. At the time I did not notice the little guy on top of the mushroom; its little surprises like that, that always get me. This shot was a hard edit because of the overcast lighting that day. The reflectiveness of the mushroom surprised me, and had its colors in the front part thats out of focus blown out. Not to mention I don't like the colors of an overcast day.

Thankfully I have a few extra Picture Styles downloaded from Canon's Japan website. I used 'Nostalgia' with the white balance set all the way up, and saturation turned down a bit. With some slight tweak to the colors and levels in photoshop, and using the new shadows and highlights sliders in Digital Photo Professional, I was able to get this were I wanted it.

The next shot is "Illusions Of Time", the first long exposure waterfall shot I have ever been able to pull off. Back when I got my XTi, I started playing with trying to get a shot like this. It wasn't until much later I learned that you need an ND filter to capture these bad boys. Even kicking the aperture to its narrowest doesn't do the trick, even in overcast skies.

First off, I still don't have an ND filter, but I got lucky and not only was it a really dark day, but this parking lot decoration (dead serious) was back in a corner and not in the line of the sun. Still this shot had to be darkened heavily in DPP. It also took some time to get the right colors as well, once again I very much hate Overcast skies and the colors they give to photos, unless its black and white. I might still edit this one a bit more later on.

The final shot I liked from that day is "Stuck In Forever". As I was coming back through Texarkana, I for some reason decided to exit the highway and head into downtown Texarkana. Turning down some random streets I happened across some amazing old buildings, the likes of which I haven't found in my travels so far. Even though I am not a bit Architecture kinda guy, I was really excited by the location.

Out of all the shots, this was the only one i was happy with the end result. Someone good at architecture would have had a field day there, but I couldn't get the right angles on the shots, not to mention just my sheer lack of experience in this department. Throw in the same lighting conditions I had been dealing with all day (for the last month or so actually) and about 30 minutes of shooting buildings boiled down to this one shot. At first I was going to go for Black and White, but once I put this in color, I fell in love with the look of the windows. This one had some desaturation and of course a bit of levels in photoshop.

Needless to say I enjoyed my trip, and it was good practice even if it is lacking in the amount of photos I brought back. I hope to go back into the state again with more time and sunlight to hit up Hot Springs and a few other interesting places. I also hope to visit other states in the near future, as much as I love Texas, I need new places to inspire me.

About Corey

My name is Corey Eacret, I have been loving photography since I first picked up a camera 5 years ago, and I continue to love it daily as I find a new reason to pick up my camera all the time. I love to share what I know, and to teach others the love I have for this art.