BH Neely's Photography

Fennel Closeup (2nd version), Studio, Falls Church, VA, USA

Here's a different version of the fennel from the other day. I thought about making it b&w again, but decided I liked the lush greenness of it. My goal in the processing was to achieve something like the greens and contrast of Fuji Velvia film.

The process - 5 exposures in a range from -2EV to +2EV (base exposure of f/16 @ 1/6 sec, darkest exposure 1/20 sec, lightest exposure .6 sec - now why can't they use the fractional scale right up to 1 full second), combined in Photomatix Pro. I increased the color saturation a bit in the tonemapping process.

In Elements I tried a few different combinations until I struck on this: a duplicate layer that I applied a basic Enhanced Contrast curve to. Then I made a Hue/Saturation layer in which I increased overall saturation, as well as saturation in the green and yellow channels. Finally, I did a Levels layer to increase the apparent contrast.

Mushroom Closeup, Studio, Falls Church, VA, USA

Do you want to know about the process, or do you just want to look at a portobella mushroom? I'll just leave a little room for you to think about that.

The process - I shot 5 images, from -2EV to +2EV (base exposure of f/2.5 @ 1/320 sec, the darkest exposure was 1/1000 sec and the lightest exposure was 1/60 sec) and used Photomatix Pro to combine them into a tonemapped image. I twiddled with the settings in Photomatix a bit to get a good starting point.

In Photoshop Elements I got to the serious work. I made a duplicate layer and converted that to B&W on the Vivid Landscape setting. On top of that I did a Brightness/Contrast layer, darkening everything except the gills inside the mushroom. On top of that I did a Levels layer to increase the contrast of the gills, erasing most of it so that only the gills got the adjustment. Then I added a brown Color layer set to Soft Light. Finally, I did one more Levels layer to bring up the brightness end of the contrast scale. 

And I did this while listening to Hendrix, Queen, Drain STH & Megadeth (just in case my musical reference points somehow affect your understanding of the process).

Sounds like a lot of work, and with all the jargon, it seems a lot more complicated than it is. If you think of the basic photo as pasta, the rest of it is as easy as mixing tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and red wine (or beef stock or vegetable stock) to make a sauce.

Fennel Top, Studio, Falls Church, VA, USA

I started seriously working with my extension tubes today. I worked with some onions, mushroom, squash, a blanket, an iPod, and this - fennel. Most of the shots I did were meant to be combined for HDR processing, so it'll be a few days before I post a completed project. But this was an easy one to put together for a quick post.

I'm pretty satisfied with my early steps. I have a lot of ideas floating around. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

Reflecting Puddle, Evans Creek, WA, USA

First I was going to leave this in color. Then I was going to leave it B&W. I finally decided to make it monochrome in a color similar to the original. Why? The original color was, well, too muddy and distracted from the inherent beauty of the reflection and the scene itself. In true color, for example, the fact that the reflection is in focus but the shore of the puddle isn't gets lost.

The Heart Collector, Evans Creek, WA, USA

I like metal. Well, that's a bit of an understatement. My running music includes bands like Megadeth, Metallica, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Godsmack and more (it also includes lighter stuff like Zeppelin, The Doors, CCR and even some ridiculously poppy stuff like Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne). Anyway, as I'm running and running and running and listening to this stuff, I sometimes get photo ideas. I know, crazy, a photographer inspired by the music he loves.

In this case, the band is Nevermore, who write poetic songs that are image-heavy to begin with. They do a killer version of "The Sounds of Silence" that's far more menacing and less-depressing than the Simon & Garfunkel original. But this image is based, strangely enough, on "The Heart Collector."

The vision that was planted in my brain was that of a tall, thin, American West kind of guy who's seen a lot of miles. And who just might be Lucifer from western monotheistic mythology. My friend Jerry is absolutely unlike that character, but is a tall, thin, American West kind of guy. So while we were out Jeepin' (remember those pictures from just a couple weeks ago), we found a dark grove of old-growth fir and shot a bunch of frames. I have since processed and reprocessed and rethought and reprocessed this photo. Finally, after not looking at it for a week or so, I opened it today and knew what I had to do. It took layers and layers and layers and a couple redos, but the idea was so fully formed that it only took about an hour to make it happen.

Without seeking prior permission, here is the chorus of "The Heart Collector:"

Nevermore to feel the pain
The heart collector sang
And I won't be feeling hollow for so long
Nevermore to feel the pain
The words fall out like fire

Snowscape, Hanover, PA, USA

I'm very proud of this photo. Through the magic of HDR, I was able to get this amazing image that looks like it might have been shot at night or in the studio, but was in fact shot about an hour after sunrise.

Cat and Bird, Hanover, PA, USA

I almost walked right through this poignant little scene right outside the back door. The large ovals belong to one of the several neighborhood cats that wander through the yard. The bird prints belong to a bird (just in case you needed that). I have no idea if they walked through at the same time, but I doubt it.

Abstraction in the Snow, Hanover, PA, USA

Looks kinda film noir, doesn't it? Or maybe something from an Apollo Moon mission. Can you guess at what it is? Do you care to guess? I'll tell you anyway. After I tell you a brief story.

It was the day after the snow. We had two snowfalls of around 2 feet in 5 days, leaving us with 51.7" (131.3 cm) on the ground. Before shoveling and scraping and shoveling one more time, wishing someone from Vancouver would send a truck by to get some of it, I headed out for what turned out to be 90 minutes of photography. The streets had been plowed sometime in the night, leaving them paved with an insignificant layer of compact snow, and blocking the alleys and parked cars behind a 5-foot (150 cm) wall of snow. It was much more pleasant than the previous afternoon's hour-long slog through the blizzard to shoot a few pictures.

After the shooting, I cleared the mountain of snow off the in-laws' deck, then helped dig out one of the cars from in front of the mailbox, and clear a path to said mailbox. The days of digging took their toll, and I felt as if I had run 15 miles (24 km) or so, exhausted and a bit stupid, for the rest of the day.

So, what is this thing in the photo? Are you still here? One of the poles for the clothes line, along with tracks from the neighbor's snow blower. Aren't you glad you read through all of that?

Snow on Roof, Hanover, PA, USA

You know what HDR is? It's digitized Kodak Tech Pan 25. THAT was a film. Black so dark you felt you were really seeing it for the first time. White so pure and clean a bridal veil could be made from the memory of it. Every gray looked like it was choosing sides between the two extremes. The snow on the roof could almost be from a Tech Pan negative.

Kodak discontinued the film several years ago. I was sad. As much as I love Ilford's products and my crazy soft Bergger 200 developed in Rodinal (perfect for soft, delicate nudes), I miss a good 4x5 sheet of Tech Pan.

Wave Form, Hanover, PA, USA

As I worked on this photo, my wife said that it looked somewhat pornographic. I'd rather call it erotic. When I see Edward Weston's Pepper No. 30, I find myself wishing I could make a mundane object like that look erotic. If you don't think that particular one looks erotic, do a search for "weston pepper" (without the quotation marks), because I'm sure others in the series will titillate.

So this snow bank, curving sinuously like the silhouette of a woman is an approach. There are more snow pictures at www.facebook.com/bhneely. Become a Fan!

Snow, Hanover, PA, USA

It snowed a lot between February 5 and 6, 2010 in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. We got around 20 inches (50 cm) in Hanover. Before the storm had a chance to slow, I went and spent about an hour shooting. Most of the photos were the usual shots of people clearing their driveways, plowing the streets, and some snow blowing against the trees.

This photo is my favorite from the shoot. I didn't think I'd be able to get much contrast, and my first couple of attempts at processing were heavy-handed and obvious. This rendition, though, I like very much.

See more at www.facebook.com/bhneely, and click on the become a fan button.

Winch Hook, Evans Creek, WA, USA

No words for this one. Enjoy it how you like.

Primordial Forest, Evans Creek, WA, USA

When I first saw this scene, looking over the hood of a Jeep, I was struck by the beauty of the forest and the contrast with the trail we were on. As I worked on the photo, the contrast stayed with me. Now, looking at it as I write this post, I think about the people who first crossed the Cascade Range, indeed any mountains, by foot, with oxen or horses pulling a cart. And then there are the people who had their trail to follow, but had to slog through greasy, slick mud.

Did they look up from their travails, shivering in their boots, and curse the dark forest or admire its beauty?

More photos from a rainy Washington State Saturday at www.facebook.com/bhneely. While you're there, click on the Become a Fan! button if you haven't already.