Blame The Monkey

I did quite a bit of research on the ancient city of Dubrovnik, Croatia before I visited, so I knew it was a beautiful place. After seeing it in person though it completely exceeded my expectations.

Here’s another view from the ancient wall that surrounds the city. It’s shot during my favorite time of day between sunset and blue hour. This soft transition of time always has a calming effect on me. It’s almost like mother nature herself takes a long, deep, and comforting sigh as another successful day comes to an end.

Daily Banana - Ancient Stone And Sea

Original Article

Daily Banana - Path Of Angels

Though Rome is well known for it’s bridges, Ponte Sant’Angelo is by far my favorite. For a time it was called the Bridge of Hadrian because it was constructed by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 134 AD to span the Tiber, and connect the city center to Castel Sant’Angelo. Each of the 10 stone angels that line the bridge hold instruments of passion. These were commissioned much later in 1669 by Pope Clement IX.

And now that the history lesson is over, let’s move on to the fun part. :)

Path Of Angels - Before And After

Ponte Sant’Angelo is a popular walking destination for both locals and tourists so finding it empty can be tricky. Obviously, there are always less people out first thing in the morning but that causes a nasty side effect… It’s f#$king early… So, if you cant stomach getting up early (I don’t blame you), prepare to paint some stuff out.

For this scene, I waited about 20 minutes and shot it 5 different times. By waiting, I was able to isolate people as far away from camera as possible. Far away objects are much easier to remove because they cover much less detail.

With cloning in general, you never have to make it perfect. You only have to convince the viewer that nothing is wrong with what they’re looking at. — It sounds simple but it’s true. — As long as nothing stands out, eyes will breeze right over it, especially if it’s background detail.

It can also be strangely therapeutic. With a simple brush stroke, you can paint someone out of existence… Man… If only I had photoshop in High School.

(move the slider to compare before and after)

Original Article

Another Great Google+ Debate: Watermarks.

I got a lot of positive comments about this image in a debate topic called: The Watermark of Doom. It was actually a quite lively Google+ debate. If you haven’t done so already, it’s worth the read.

Creating the moment when you miss it.

Sometimes, it all comes down to using Post Processing to create the moment you missed. It’s also what the old school film guys refer to as: Lying. ;) But this post isn’t about them, it’s about us. It’s about combining botched planning and digital tricks together into something harmonious and beautiful.

First off, I didn’t mean to shoot this at all. Yes, technically I placed my tripod, lined it up, and shot, but my intention was to shoot something else. Something that I planned out in complete detail.

Apparently, Banpo Bridge in Seoul, South Korea is famous for being the longest fountain show in the world. After some research, It became one of the main reasons I wanted to visit and photograph Seoul.

When I arrived in Seoul, I calculated the sunset time and position. Then I checked the schedule for the fountain show. Perfect, they run all day and also at a perfect 8:00pm spot post sunset. How about the weather then? Meh, rainy for the next few days so I might as well save it for later. Besides, what a great way to end a trip. It’s a giant fountain show after all.

On my last afternoon in town, I took a cab over to the bridge and set up in the perfect (pre-meditated) spot. I setup, sat back, and prepared for the show. I got there a bit early to shoot the 6pm show as well, wanting to have a few different lighting options to work with. It turned out there were these floating structures that you could walk on and visit. The one I set up on had a photography gallery of all things.

The clock rolled to 6 and… No fountains? What? Oh well, maybe they have it compressed down to a few a day. After all, everyone I talked to said they run every day without exception.

8pm. Nothing. WTF?

I went inside and found a nice woman who spoke great English. She told me that the fountain runs every day without exception and she didn’t know why it wasn’t showing. She said that the 9pm show is always enjoyable too. Ok thanks, I guess I’ll wait it out.

To cut this short, I’ll sum up by saying that it never happened. No fountains, nothing. As I was leaving I noticed that one of the other islands was covered in animated glowing colors. It was insane. I wish I would have known about it but it was obstructed from my view. None of the other islands were turned on so I had no idea it was there. All I could say was: WOW!

I always give my shots careful consideration with specific times of day and solar positions but sometimes you just stumble onto things. It’s inevitable and it’s something that I love about photography. Unfortunately, If I would’ve known about this awesome place, I could have shot it at blue hour, on a day with a light breeze. Instead, I was there in total darkness on a windy day.

Given the circumstances I did the most rational thing possible. I ran over there and did my best will total darkness, hoping to fix my problems in post. And guess what? It worked.

So, unfortunately I did not get to shoot the worlds longest fountain show. Instead, I ended up shooting the worlds largest floating Island. I can live with that.

Daily Banana - The Glowing Island

Daily Banana - The Glowing Island Breakdown

First off I want to say that yes, this is an HDR with 5 bracketed exposures. I missed Blue Hour, so I re-created it. It was windy outside, so I blurred the reflections. There glow as animated, so I blended in the color from a single exposure. There wasn’t any purple in the scene, so I said, let there be purple. (I have a thing for purple in images.)

I think it turned out quite nice actually.

Original Article

Daily Banana - Fort Lovrijenac - Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar

Fort Lovrijenac (also known as St. Lawrence Fortress and yes, I can actually pronounce it), was built early in the 11th century. The Venetians attempted to build a fort on the same spot where Fort Lovrijenac currently stands and if they had succeeded, they would have kept Dubrovnik under their power. Fortunately the people of the city got the job done first and beat them to it. Nicely done.

This shot is taken from the stone wall that lines the entire parameter of Ancient Dubrovnik. The timing was tricky because the wall closes before city lights turn on. After getting kicked off for a few days, I figured out exactly where to stow away and avoid detection.

It sounds like super covert spy shit but it’s actually really simple. It turns out they herd everyone over to a specific exit in one corner, all the while locking down the cleared areas. Eventually everyone gets funnelled to the last open area and forced to exit. If you figure out the funnel direction, you can easily stay ahead of the guards and set up for blue hour shots. If you get caught, just play dumb and Blame The Monkey. ;)

Fort Lovrijenac - HDR Before and After

(move the slider to compare before and after)

Original Article

Stockholm’s Nackrosen T Bana Station

Here’s another one from deep underground Stockholm Sweden, in the amazing Tunnelbana System.

This is part of an ongoing series that I’m working on. I’ll be releasing more shots of the T Bana, as well as other amazing underground stations very soon.

Daily Banana - Green With Envy

Original Article

Welcome to Dubrovnik Croatia, The Pearl Of The Adriatic!

I don’t remember what inspired me to photograph this ancient city but I’m glad I did. I seem to have a thing for old cities. I was born in the United States where the oldest things we have are Politicians. ;) There aren’t too many ancient walled fortress towns lying around. I mean, we do have a Colosseum and a miniature version of Venice, but they’re both in Las Vegas.

I love spending time in these beautiful places and I try to carefully craft my photographs to reflect that same beauty. I don’t just mean with post processing and clever camera tricks (though those certainly help). The simple truth is that most of the magic simply comes from identifying the best time of day to shoot. By taking this small step, you end up with the best lighting scenarios.

Since weather is predictably unpredictable, this process isn’t always reliable. There are so many times that I’ve set up for a sunset only to have the sky fill up with clouds and become overcast. When this happens, it can really rain on your parade.

And speaking of rain, I’ve had complete trips that have been rained out. — Last time I went to Venice for a photography project, it rained non stop for 5 days! I can’t recall how many bottles of wine I consumed on that trip but the fact that I can’t remember, speaks volumes about the volume.

So, the long and drawn out point I’m trying to make is: Always shoot a backup and NEVER put off a shoot if you have favorable weather! Never say, “gosh, with all this swell weather, I have all week to shoot a sunset.” If you do, Murphy will fly over and personally lay down his law. Zeus will throw thunderbolts and all that shit. Trust me, get it while you can.

I shot “The Pearl Of The Adriatic,” during Golden Hour (note the golden light on the subject). This short window of time is extremely susceptible to cloud interference. If one naughty cumulus cloud moves over the sun, say goodbye to all that beautiful light. Because of this, I also shot an alternate during a late afternoon.

Shooting a few alternates, can really reduce those, “Aw crap! I should have shot it at (this) time,” moments. And isn’t it always good to have some options?

Another aspect to shooting multiple lighting scenarios is: client preference. Since I deal in image licencing, people like to have options. They may prefer something overcast or something in full sun. You never really know and often the client loves the one you don’t. You can always sell that one to him and show the favorite in your portfolio.

So if you have the time, go for some alternate shots, you’ll be happy you did. If you’re on a limited time span, go for the gold. Try and get there for the perfect moment. And if you see Murphy out there, punch him in the face for me. ;)

Daily Banana - The Pearl Of The Adriatic

Daily Banana - The Pearl Of The Adriatic (alt)

Original Article

The only word I can think of to sum up my sleeping schedule this past week is: bizarre. Here in Dubrovnik, I’ve been concentrating nearly all my shooting on AM/PM Blue Hours, Sunrises, and Sunsets. What a perfect time for my insomnia to kick in, right?

Without boring you with too many details, let’s just say that I’ve been waking up for Sunset and going to bed after Sunrise. It’s completely backwards and after a few days of it, my body clock is all messed up.

So what the hell does this have to do with photos of Stockholm’s TBana?

Well, the golden hours here are simply breathtaking, the light, the shadows, all of it. On the flip side, it requires a tedious amount of planning and calculation. Where is the sun, when will it hit the subject, what’s the best vantage point, where will the shadows fall, etc. Of course I enjoy this aspect but toss in total sleep deprivation and… *Owch. Brain Hurts…

Shots taken in Metro Stations on the other hand, have static lighting scenarios. There’s really nothing to think about aside from avoiding the crowds. No time limits, no golden hours, no early wake up calls. It’s a welcome relief to all the pre-planning and calculation and it totally supports my Insomnia! ;)

It sounds crazy but I love this stuff. Toss a few red bulls in your camera bag, load up the ipod with some dark & twisted tunes, and off you go. The only hard part is staying awake on the train rides between stations but that’s what the Red Bull is for. Zoooom!

Did any of that make sense? Maybe I need more sleep, caffeine, or both?

Daily Banana - Split Decision

Original Article

Daily Banana - Beyond Galata Bridge

My favorite thing about Istanbul is the mix of old and new styles. No matter where you look, there’s a fantastic mix of architectural styles that almost creates a juxtaposed effect.

This effect is really evident when looking towards Yeni Cami Mosque from Galata Bridge. The Yeni Cami Mosque is ironically nicknamed “The New Mosque,” though it’s much older than any building in North America. It looks oddly out of place when viewed next to the neon low glow of Galata Bridge.

Banana Breakdown - Before and After

If you take a look at the before image, you’ll notice that there are dozens of fisherman casting lines over the edge of the bridge. This made me really nervous because it was really windy. A couple of them almost nailed me in the head with their hooks. I got my revenge by painting them out of the final photo! Take that!

The final result was achieved by blending a few exposures together by hand. — This is just a fancy way of saying that I didn’t use Photomatix. — Instead, I masked in 1 exposure for the water, 1 for the foreground, and another for the sky. It’s a really simple way of mixing the exposure values across different areas of the image without any heavy masking.

If anyone has any questions, just let me know.

(move the slider to compare before and after)

Original Article

Daily Banana - Lean On Me

The Story of Medo

Today I wanted to share the sad story of one of these amazing animals. Find out how I became involved with these asian elephants HERE.

Medo (right) was born around 1976. The majority of her working days were spent in logging camps. She was rescued from a very remote area near the Thai/Burma border, and arrived at the Elephant Nature Park in June 2006. Medo was put to work at the age of 8. She hauled logs in the mountains spanning the border region for 4 years, until she was seriously injured when a heavy log fell on her, breaking her rear left ankle. Unable to work, 12 year old Medo’s contract with the logging company was cancelled. The bone never properly set, and even to this day her original injury is evident.

Medo was then forced into a breeding program. She was chained by four legs and a huge bull savagely attacked her, pinning her on the ground with his tusk. She screamed in pain but no one would risk coming close to help her. She was left lying, bleeding and crying in agony, alone. Vets would soon determine that her backbone had become dislocated. These injuries were life threatening, and Medo fought for her life for 3 full years.

For the next 15 years Medo spent her life in isolated and tedious toil. The owners were shameful of her condition and sought to keep her hidden. No camps would accept an elephant so marred by abuse.

The Elephant Nature Park team finally found her in Feb 2006; dragging the small logs that she could, in an isolated village in the mountains. On arrival at ENP, Medo saw other elephants again for the first time in 15 years. Unsure of herself, she had a slow adjustment period, but finally a strong bond of friendship formed with gentle Mae Mai. Medo’s major physical injuries will likely never heal but with hope she can still become a well-adjusted and social elephant.

Learn more about Elephant Nature Park in Thailand.

Original Article

Occasionally we are given an opportunity to do something truly meaningful…
Something that has the power to save lives.

In June I embarked on one such endeavor and the most passionate photography project of my life, to date.

[caption id=”attachment_3580” align=”alignleft” width=”480” caption=”Photo Credit: Naomi Locardi”][/caption]

I joined my longtime friend & award-winning documentary film maker, Timothy Gorski, in Chiang Mai, Thailand to help in the fight to save the SE Asian Elephant from extinction. We wanted to provide photography to support his film, How I Became an Elephant, as well as, Elephant Nature Park and the greater plight of the elephant.

I truly believe this documentary WILL help save lives, that’s why I’ve donated my time, my photography, my travel to Thailand & the use of these images for fundraising efforts on behalf of the film, How I Became an Elephant &Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Visit the film’s Kickstarter page and watch the film trailer to find out what you can do to aid in the fight.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timgorski/how-i-became-an-elephant

Every time you share this link, it dramatically increases our chances of saving or improving the lives of Elephants. If you can’t contribute, please take just a moment to share the  link. The more we can educate people about this issue, the better chance we have to effect long-term, positive change. If you visit the Kickstarter page you’ll also get access to some Free Desktop Wallpapers of the elephant images or get them as prints when you make a contribution!

I set out to use my photography to help change the world, what I didn’t expect was how much the experience would change me in the process.

Life At The Park

With more than thirty rescued elephants at Elephant Nature Park, I was surprised by their human-like qualities and individuality. Some were shy, some were mischievous, some were curious, and some even tried to steal my camera. Others completely ignored me, like I wasn’t even there. Sometimes, I’d be so absorbed in shooting with my 14mm lens that I would forget to look outside the camera. I’d quickly find myself trunk to face with one of these gentle monoliths. In the end, I was struck by how each elephant has a unique approach to life at the Park and a personal story to tell. I knew without a doubt that I had made the right decision in going there.

Shooting in Rainy Conditions

I spent three days shooting through mud and rivers, muddy rivers, rivers full of mud, piles of what (I would later come to find out) were things worse than mud, crossing bamboo bridges with my tripod and camera tentatively balanced over my shoulders, forming long winding run on sentences. And where were all my faithful assistants? Ok, I mean assistant. She was stuck in a bamboo shack with what I affectionately refer to as, The Thai Stomach Death Virus.

With mostly overcast skies spotted by fits of rain, we only got lucky one day with some much needed sunshine. After already spending 2 full days up to my knees in the mud it was a welcome sight. I had already soaked through my gore-tex shoes, discovering that they’re just as good at keeping water in as as keeping it out. Armed, or ‘footed’ I should say, with my backup pair of sandals we wrapped up shooting on the 3rd day and headed back to Chiang Mai.

An unexpected surprise

When I got back to our guest house I immediately dove into the editing process. My head was literally swimming with energy about it. So much so that I started getting stabbing pains in my stomach. So much excitement in fact, that my body heated up to a temp of 104º and I started to shake uncontrollably for hours! Later I would find out that this was not indeed excitement or elation, it was that damn Thai Stomach Death Virus. 3 full days later and 10 pounds later, I was finally able to leave my room. But this story isn’t about that experience. It’s about trying to save a species.

Raising awareness & funds for animal rights causes can be challenging and any help getting the word out about this issue and important documentary film are greatly appreciated.

Let’s help make a difference, together!

Watch the How I Became an Elephant Trailer

Original Article

Banana News - 10 Photos from 10 Countries for 10 Days

Yesterday I started releasing free desktop backgrounds on Google+!

Basically it works like this: Each day, I post a photo from a different country with a download link to the wallpaper, repeat. Simple right?

Here’s the catch: The download links are made available exclusively first on Google+. So if you have a G+ account and want in on the download action, head on over, circle me, and enjoy the free wallpapers!

If you don’t have a Google+ account yet, let me know via Email and I’ll hook you up.

Daily Banana - The Heart Of Seoul

On Travel Photography

My favorite thing about being a Travel Photographer is not only the traveling, it’s also getting to shoot a variety of interests. Cities, mountains, oceans, museums, or what have you, Travel Shooters get to do a bit of it all.

With this flexibility also comes the responsibility of actually shooting all these different things, and shooting them well, even if you don’t feel like shooting them. Sometimes It can be tricky to shift gears to nature shots when, for example, your brain gets stuck in architecture mode.

As artists and photographers we can easily get stuck shooting only what we feel “works,” certain angles, compositions, or patterns. I find that I miss a TON of things by working this way. Constantly shifting subject matter creates an amazing opportunity for growth as an artist because It requires coming up with new ideas on the spot and thinking outside that little rectangular box. Well, unless we’re dealing with Architecture. In that case we are quite literally working with rectangular boxes. ;)

Cheonggyecheon (no I can’t say it)

I loved Seoul South Korea for this very reason. A couple hours before this photo was taken, I was shooting one of the beautiful (and numerous) Korean Temples. After a quick personality change and a strong cappuccino, I shifted mental gears and set out into the city center for a scenic blue hour shot.

There’s a man made river that runs down the center of downtown Seoul called The Cheonggye Stream. This water feature is lined with paved walkways and bridges. I was amazed how relaxing it was considering it’s proximity to the crowded city streets. I spent some time down there waiting for the right lighting conditions to set it. While setting up a cool reflection shot, I nearly got pushed in the water by a fast moving elderly woman. She basically tried to hip check me. — I’ll save that story for later.

Original Article

First question? How do I shoot these without any people in them? Long exposures maybe? Nope, I’m way too lazy for that. Take a look at the clock in the photo for the answer.

I spend an incredible amount of time traveling by City Metro Systems. So much so that I’ve been shooting my favorites from all over the globe. It’s not just because I love photographing them, no, not at all. Honestly, it’s mostly because I’m really cheap. =D Seriously, full time travel is expensive. Taking a taxi is a rare treat for me. I mostly choose the more affordable, “on foot” method. Consequently, I also travel with an arsenal of ibuprofen.

So, here’s another awesome subway station from Stockholm, Sweden. It’s a follow up to one of my favorite undergrounds ever, “Belly Of The Beast.” The interwebs have dubbed it the entrance to Hell. Check it out.

The underground metro system in Stockholm is often referred to as the longest art gallery in the world. All over the walls you’ll find hanging art, installations,and even some painted art on the walls. The trains run late and are always on time so compared to other places in the world, these lines can be a real treat for the frequent traveler.

Daily Banana - End Of The Line

Original Article