Oct 29 2011

The Great South Carolina To Missouri Grist Mill Trip, Day 1


16 Mills in 4 Days!

A beautiful mill full of photographic possibility!

Murrays Mill, NC

I needed to visit my parents who live in St. Louis as they have moved into an assisted retirement home and were selling their house!  They wanted me to take some furniture back south to my kids so that they would have something to remember them by and assist a little with the house in general.  The entire process was pretty painfull and stressfull except for the 2 days of travel at each end of the trip!  For those 4 days I was in heaven!

Bost Mill, NC

I have 173 grist mills programmed into my GPS in the truck that covers every state from Florida north to Boston then west to Missouri down to Texas!  I had no specific stoops planned except for the Glade Creek Mill in West Virginia (which I have been wanting to visit for years) SO… I pointed the GPS to Glade Creek and then went to my Favorites section on the GPS which told me how close I was at any time to specific mills which I could then simply touch and direct the GPS to take me to as a VIA Point!  Using this process I managed to visit 16 mills and could have made 20 or so but it was simply too much to do and still have time to sleep!

Linneys Mill, NC

I spent a lot of time in North Carolina as there are just so many mills there to visit.  Some are totally useless as photographic subjects but still could be saved.  I skipped those that were in such condition along my route. I also would stop at a pretty barn as well but my priority were mills!

Several of the mills along the way were actually working mills that ground corn in order to make a living!  This style of mill is not nearly as pretty as the older 1800’s version but can still be very interesting!  The Linneys Mill in North Carolina is one such mill and very much worth the effort to find and photograph!  It sits along a very pretty stream that has been damed and if viewed from the back is a worthy photographic subject!

Linneys Double Metal Wheel!

Mitchell Mill, NC

Aside from the occasional commercial mill and tons of old mills there are quite a few of old mills that have been converted to private homes.  I especially like to visit these as long as the owners try to keep the exterior the same as designed!  The Mitchell Mill in North Carolina is one such mill and the owners have even kept the mill workings operational!  They were not home when I visited and I really did try to talk to them but alas I was only able to make friends with their three dogs before shooting the mill!  Perhaps the next time I go thru I will stop and attempt to visit them again…

Glade Creek Mill, WV, B&W

OK, it is time to visit the Glade Creek Mill in Babcock State Park in West Virginia!  As I said before, this one mill has been on the TOP of my wish list for several years and the point of my chosen route to St. Louis.  I really didn’t know if morning or evening would be better for shooting here so I kept my options open and planned to stay at a local hotel in case I needed a morning shot!  I needn’t have worried though as I actually arrived at 6 pm and the light was perfect, the fall leaves stunning and there was serious water flowing along the creek and over the various water falls!  There were about 50 photographers there and I had to wait for the locations I wished to shoot from.  I shot both in Color and Infrared but really Color was the priority due to the Fall colors.  I used a Canon 7D body with the 24-70 L f/2.8 lens and a Singh Ray 8 stop Vari-ND filter to slow the exposure way down and allow for soft creamy water motion.  Of course I shot on a heavy tripod using a remote shutter release and mirror lockup!

I processed all of my Color shots for B&W as well.  I also kept HDR in my mind as I setup and shot several sequences for later processing using the new Nik HDR Pro software!

Here are a selection of my favorite images of the Glade Creek Mill:

Glade Creek Mill, Single Shot, 30 second exposure!

Glade Creek Mill, Landscape, High Lighting The Waterfall

Next, a 3 shot HDR image using Nik’s HDR Pro Software:

Glade Creek Mill, 3 Shot HDR, Nik HDR Pro

Glade Creek Mill, 7 Shot HDR, Photo Matrix Pro Software

As you can see, the two different HDR versions give drastically different results.  I like both but can NOT decide which is best! Perhaps you can help with this?

Glade Creek Mill was a dream come true for me and while there are several more world class mill shots coming in the next 3 postings, it was the highlight of my trip.  It was worth the extra miles I drove to include it in my trip and the evening proved the best time to photograph it. I did make several discoveries while at Glade Creek, the most important is that I needed very GOOD ankle high boots in order to safely climb below the water falls and negotiate the rocks!   I did not get a local hotel but chose instead to drive much further on for the night before I stopped.

My next post will be a few mills that I saw on day two!

Stay tuned!

Oct 13 2011

Updated Grist Mill GPS File Available


The NEW GPX File Is Here!

 

Mabry Mill, 630nm IR

I just added about 15 Grist Mill GPS database entries into the Grist Mill GPX file that you can download in the DOWNLOADS menu on the right hand menu!  I added Ohio and Kentucky! Please feel free to download this file and then using your GPS software you can download it again into your car’s GPS!

If you have any additions to this file please send them along!

Thanks!

Oct 10 2011

Comparing Color To B&W For Viewer Impact


Mattamuskeet Light, B&W Conversion

B&W or Color, The Eternal Question!

Wow, talk about a loaded topic!  I have ALWAYS preferred B&W over color, but until recently the public voted with their dollars for color over B&W about 3 to 1.  Along came Infrared and the trend totally reversed!  So I find myself looking at B&W conversions of my color images each and every time I sit down in front of the computer!  This is especially true in Infrared also.

What this means is that as I post process my color images I also do a B&W version just to be sure…


After doing my RAW conversion and basic cropping for my master image library size I use the Nik filters in the following way…

Color Work Flow:

  • Nik Define 2.0 – In the auto mode simply select the defaults and check OK to complete.  If needed you can switch over to Manual and add extra control points in noisy areas but make sure you select the measure noise button before clicking OK.  This process cleans up the  the image but doesn’t reduce clarity!
  • Nik Color EFX 4.0 – I usually run the Tonal Contrast recipe but always try the Warmth and Brilliance and others as well.  This is to sharpen and adjust the saturation levels!
  • Nik Viveza – Overall spot corrections.
  • Flatten Layers and save as a 16 bit PSD file with a usable name keeping the camera image serial number as part of the name.

B&W Work Flow:

  • Always run through this workflow after finished with your color processing.  Never switch your camera over to it’s B&W internal mode.  You will get better conversions using the Post Processing!
  • Nik Silver EFX 2.0 – Boy this is a tough one.  There are so many recipes plus millions of individual adjustments.  For me I usually use the Basic recipe, or the Full Spectrum recipe (my choice most of the time) but for some images the Wet Rocks recipe is too magic to overlook!
  • Under Image > Mode select B&W than flatten the layers keeping the image in the 16 bit mode.
  • Save As giving the image a new name with BW in the name field.

That’s all there is to my workflow from the color world.  Infrared is much different and you can read great volumes about it on my IR blog at:

infraredatelier.wordpress.com

OK, here are some color/B&W comparisons for you to ponder over…

Capt James, Very Moody & interesting image

But, check out how the B&W version draws you into the image and smacks you around a little!  Both images are good but the B&W works better for me!

Emotionally Charged, Moody... Perfect!

B&W - Down & Out, Moody, Nice but a little plain don't you think?

But the Color image is something else!

The Color version tells more of a story and works better!

As you can see, I like the Color version much better.  This goes to prove that you never know which is going to work out the best so you should process for both each and every time!

What do YOU think?

Oct 9 2011

Shrimp Boats from the NC Infrared Workshop!


Infrared vs. Color/B&W, So Many Choices – So Little Time!

Shrimp Boats & Crab Pots!

I know, it really was an Infrared workshop given in the Swan Quarter area of North Carolina!  BUT, (really big but!) I wanted to capture these shrimpers in color.  The lighting was perfect, the clouds were moody and there were literally hundreds of the boats in port in both Swan Quarter and Englehard.  It was a dream come true!

Joane B. - Englehard, NC

Just look at these colors!  This first image was taken in Swan Quarter.  The fleet infrastructure was dismal and beyond poor condition.  Some (most) docks were physically crumbled but yet still had boats tied up!

The difference between Swan Quarter and Englehard was simply amazing!  Englehard was well maintained and full of boats.  Everything was sparkling (well, as much as a fleet of shrimpers can be!)

And yes, I did shoot in Infrared as well but will post those images on the IR Blog at infraredatelier.wordpress.com.

Ok, and now for some of my favorite shrimp boats of the weekend.  All were shot with the 7D switching off between the 24-70L f/2.8 and the 17-40L f/4 lenses!

Wonder Woman, Englehard, NC

Swan Quarter Fleet

Mary Elizabeth, Englehard, NC B&W

I did mention B&W shrimp boat images didn’t I? Sometimes, B&W images can be so stunning that they can take your breath away.  They pack and incredible emotional punch that can grab the viewer by the throat and scream “Look At Me!”

Swan Quarter Fleet, B&W

Mary Elizabeth, Englehard, NC

All images were processed in Adobe CS5 using the Nik Filter set.

Please let me know what you think!

Feb 24 2011

Some More Water Drops…


These Are Too Interesting To Be Boring…

Rainbow Umbrella

Balancing Act

Christmas Tree Lights

Water Drop photography is both fun and challenging!  It is in the world of MACRO where focus and Depth Of Field are things that are seriously difficult to obtain!  I do these on the table in my studio under very controlled conditions.  Feel free to stop by and watch sometime!

Feb 24 2011

A Few Infrared Images


A Few Of My Favorites…

Infrared Photography has had a life changing effect on my photography.  It has caused my creative juices to be re-charged!  I cannot get enough of it and to that end I find that I take hundreds of Infrared images to each single color image!  I find Infrared Photography to be emotionally charged in a way that takes my breath away!  I hope that you agree!

 

On a recent trip to Greece I visited the Temple Of Poseidon where the sky and storms work to my advantage to produce this moody image!

Temple Of Poseidon, Faux Color Infrared

The Temple Of Poseidon, B&W Infrared

An image from Brookgreen Gardens.  Sometimes the unprocessed image straight out of the camera can be be very stunning and full of emotional impact!

Brookgreen Gardens Reflection, Unprocessed Infrared

A garden gate in Brookgreen Gardens, Faux Color Processed!

Brookgreen Gardens Gate, Faux Color Infrared

Shrimp Boats in Georgetown, SC, Faux Color Infrared.  I like the Yellows and Pinks in this one!

Carson Elizabeth In Georgetown, SC, Faux Color Infrared

This B&W  image of the wheel house and bell of a shrimper is one of my favorite Infrared images of all time!

The Wheel House Bell, B&W Infrared

I am very passionate about my Infrared Photography and tend to take 100 Infrared images to each color image! I have several WEB sites dedicated to Infrared Photography but my best one is listed below!

For a more detailed discussion of my infrared work please visit my Infrared BLOG

Oct 30 2010

Water Drops


Ultra High Speed Water Drop Photography

How could something as simple as falling water drops be so interesting and thought provoking? These image are an example of art that must be felt to be experienced.  There is no explanation that could possibly do them any justice at all!  They are DIFFICULT to create but very fun.  They will challenge even the best photographers in the world so I will not even try to explain the technical aspects of creating them, rather I invite you to experience them…

 

 

Alien Encounter

 

In The Spot Light

 

Help, I Am Falling Down....

 

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night....

Something Went BANG In The Night!

 

A Hole In My Soul

 

Alice's Mushroom

Well, what did YOU think?  They are very interesting and thought provoking, but show a secret part of life that we rarely have the chance to experience!

 

Oct 30 2010

Time & Time Again…


How Infrared Changed My Life!

I am getting old and definitely tired.

I shoot Canon gear and always have.  I always purchase 1D bodies and currently have the 1DMK3.  For lenses I only use L glass.  I have been a photographer for 48 years and am retired from Eastman Kodak.  I have a lifetime of photographic experience.

That being said I must tell you that except for my hummingbird shots in Sept and Oct (on the tripod only) that I have not used my Canon equipment since June 2009.

On June 9, 2009 I went into the hospital to have severe spinal damage fixed in my neck that had taken the use of my arms in less than 30 days. I was only to be there for 4 days.  53 days later (25 in ICU on a ventilator) I came home with a breathing tube in my neck and a feeding tube in my stomach because everything in my neck was paralyzed and I could not swallow water or food for another 6 months. In 2010 both tubes were removed when I started to swallow again and I started thinking about photography again. I lost 50% use of both hands and 80% of my neck motion due to 3 levels of cadaver bones and 5 levels of steel cage.

I could NOT even hold the Canon body let alone a 400mm prime!  So what I did was to buy an Olympus E-P1. I was amazed by the quality from this little camera that I COULD carry so I started buying lenses. One thing led to another and along came a E-PL1 so the E-P1 was turned into Infrared and I was so happy with it that I started my IR blog (below). So (OK, I told you that IR was an addiction!)within a week of having the L1 that I had it converted to full spectrum IR!  Eventually I missed the ability to use a remote shutter release (water drops and lightning trigger) so I got an E-P2 which I am going to LEAVE color!

The only thing that I miss is the Canon L glass which is superior in ALL WAYS to the Olympus micro 4/3 glass except that it is HEAVY.  But even this would not make me give up my Olympus system!  I might never be able to fully use my Canon equipment again but I am happy enough with the PEN that I do not obsess over it any more!  Understand, the PEN is a compromise system which does have good quality glass (which is all important) and the quality it produces places my images almost on equal footing with my past works with my Canon. My normal print size is 22×32 canvas prints which the PEN’s produce brilliantly!

Well, you ask yourself, what in the world does this have with Fine Art Photography?  Simple…. Smaller Lighter ultra high quality Infrared camera systems mean that I HAVE THEM WITH ME 100% OF THE TIME! I am taking more images, better images more often! This had lead to a rejuvenation of my artistic juices!  I am re-born artistically…

That being said, you have to know now that I shoot about 100 Infrared images to every single color image except during hummingbird season! I am enthralled with the ethereal nature of a WELL TAKEN infrared image.  They talk to me on an emotional level that no other type of photography has ever accomplished!  So much so that I have dedicated TWO web pages to it (see links on the right side)!  But I digress, the reason you are here is to see and experience the images (hopefully) the way that I meant them to be experienced!
Enjoy…

"The Wheel House Bell" B&W Infrared

"The Nets" Faux Color Infrared

"Carolina Trunk" Faux Color Infrared

"The Boots" B&W Infrared

"A Gathering Of Egrets" Faux Color Infrared Image

"Hagood Mill" Faux Color Infrared, Pickins, SC

"Pawleys Pier In Hurrican Hanna" Faux Color Infrared Image

This is just a SMALL example of some of my own personal favorite Infrared work.  Each of these images have been selected based upon the emotional impact generated within me as I view them.  I literally have thousands of such images and invite you to visit my two Infrared WEB sites (links menu on right) for more information and images!
Oct 15 2010

Welcome To My Photography Blog!


Starting Off!

 

Welcome Mark Hilliard’s Fine Art Nature Photography Blog!  Here I will showcase my favorite work with explanations of how each image was created.  I hope that you enjoy these images as much as I did in making them!

September & October here in the Low Country of South Carolina is the time that we see the greatest Hummingbird activity as they migrate to Central America.  So I thought that I would post a few of my best Hummingbird images! Here is a LINK to my hummingbird blog, please consider giving it a visit to find out how I actually take these ultra high speed images of these little birds!

This first image is of a Violet Sabre-winged Hummingbird going after an ant on the mushroom while a Red-eyed Tree Frog watches.  The image was taken in the cloud forests in Monteverdi in Costa Rica.

 

Violet Sabre-winged Hummingbird & Red-eyed Tree Frog

 

 

Next, is an image of an immature Ruby-throated male Hummingbird trying to feed in my back yard and chasing away the Yellow Jacket!   These little birds are afraid of nothing (which can be their downfall).

 

Bee Gone!

 

 

Lastly, a mature male again taken in my back yard!

 

Adult Male Ruby-thrated Hummingbird

 

I hope that you have enjoyed these images.  Hummingbirds are my FAVORITE bird subject in the whole world! I spend a lot of time and energy setting up for this and love every second of it!

 

Adult Ruby-throated Hummingbird