CBressan Photography

Last Fall

Bressan — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:51:15 +0000

I was browsing through my pictures as I from time to time do and I found this picture taken last Fall at the park.

The leaves were all the same color and barely some ones were starting to get that strong red color. Lucky the lamp-post because otherwise it would almost disappear in the middle of so much beauty!

It was not only about the Fall that I was reminiscing though. By going back to old pictures, I can remember facts and revise the way I dealt with the pictures that were a result of these facts. Interesting! While I am using a different approach to post-process a photo taken last year or two years ago, I remember where it was taken, the facts surrounding it… Good memories! This is what a Photo Album should bring to people: memories! But, I don’t stay in the past; I bring the mood of the Past to the Present and work the picture so that it becomes more alive than ever!

In case you are asking about the bad memories, I drop the pictures that I do not like… I may not able to erase the Past but I will no longer carry them over because Life moves on!

Street Scene Before the Storm

Bressan — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:29:06 +0000

I really don’t like going to the doctor for whatever reason and I only do it when it is absolutely necessary which seldom happens for my own good. I am not saying that doctors or the associated medication that often comes with the visits to them are bad but whenever I could avoid them both that should indicate that, in principle, I am in a general good health.

However, this time I went to my family doctor I was quite relaxed because I passed unscathed through my regular check-up and I managed to take this picture on the way back to the parking lot.

Around 6 PM, the Sun was struggling not to be overcame by the thick clouds right in front of me that were pointing to an impending storm.

I took a series of six pictures ready to produce a HDR image but I did not like it as much as the work I did on one of the pictures mainly because it was a bit windy and the branches presented themselves blurred on the resulting HDR composite.

If you are asking what was I doing with my camera at the doctor, I just have to say that I almost always carry it around specially that day because doctor’s office is in an old corner in downtown which could potentially present some interesting scenes for pictures. Exactly as it happened here!

And, don’t forget that if I were Stephen King, a camera at hand would give me the opportunity to register and then write a story about how this doctor performed a bloody and horrible procedure on me at these barely lit walls of the hospital (the office is in a hospital) where zombies and other malicious creatures would be roaming to seize reckless patients… Phew! That did not happen!…

Meanwhile, enjoy the picture!

Nikon D90, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 250, focal length 35mm.

The Big Tree

Bressan — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 03:50:23 +0000

It is not only from sunny days that we can create opportunities for a nice photo. This afternoon, the day did not promise much but the sky was contrasting enough to spread light around the objects on the ground and create some shadows.

The sequence of trees shown in the picture below, starting from the big one and cascading down to the right, seems to give the proper perspective that is somewhat balanced by another row of trees on the left and on the back thus simulating a circle of trees which is also the movement of the eyes that go around and around and do not leave the picture.

The circle provided by the road and the light on the sky form a frame that encapsulates once more the trees and force again the eyes to stay on the picture.

This image is a panorama of nine pictures stitched together in a three by three frame resulting in a very large picture with 7571 x 5550 pixels. This makes the front tree bigger by sending backwards the other trees.

9 pictures stitched together taken with a Nikon D7000, f/8, 1/160s, ISO 100.

Four Seasons in Yellow.

Bressan — Fri, 31 May 2013 03:51:12 +0000

Delicate Spring

OK, I accept the suggestion that maybe the pictures are not really yellow but gold or even brown!

But, if we otherwise also accept the idea that they are metaphorically representing the four seasons, then yellow in place of any other more accurate color does not seem a far-fetched concept at all as I wanted to bring images that would convey their proper mood…

Nikon D7000, 105mm, f/2.8, ISO 125, 1/640s.

Summer Rain

Nikon D7000, 50mm, f/2.8, ISO 160, 1/800s.

Decadent Autumn

Nikon D90, 116mm, f/11, ISO 400, 1/800s.

Intricate Winter

Nikon D7000, 55mm, f/5.6, ISO 160, 1/640s.

Monastery in Kapharnaum.

Bressan — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:20:10 +0000

At the shore of the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Tiberias or Lake of Gennesare), lies the village of Kapharnaum (or Capharnaum or Kfar Nahum) where some of the apostles were born and also the place where Jesus Christ performed some miracles including the one of catching the fish.

Exactly at the place where is supposed that Jesus Christ set sail many times, it was erected a Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Twelve Apostles depicted with a somewhat liberal photographic approach for a church.

The Greek Monastery. Nikon D90, 18-200mm, f/8, ISO 160, bracketed at 1/125, 1/250 and 1/500s. Worked with 32 bits in Camera Raw and PS6 and then applied Topaz BW and Topaz Adjust filters.

The monastery is filled with beautiful paintings representing passages from Jesus Christ’s life. Here is one of them that I unfortunately could not associate.

Nikon D7000, 55mm, f/4.5, ISO 1250, 1/125s.

In the back of the Monastery, on the well-groomed gardens, there is a gate that leads directly to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus Christ was supposed to set sail with the apostles.
Nikon D90, 28mm, f/8, ISO 250, 1/400s.

Wishing Wells.

Bressan — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:20:52 +0000

There is a tradition in Germany (and perhaps in other countries as well) that a “Forest Belongs to the Soul”, meaning, nobody actually possesses a forest. Rather, forests there are quite open and there is a general understanding that keeps them protected by everyone and at the same time belonging to everybody.

Nobody actually knows when the cult to the forests started, perhaps in the medieval times.

Together with it, arose the same feeling for the water and for the sources of water which provided one of the most important survival means for the human kind up to a point that water was credited the power to heal, nourish and refresh the body. In some places, water was so important that it was considered to be mystical, somewhat magical and miraculous that led people to hope for the best while drinking its water or even wishing that the water would satisfy their needs.

The tradition of the Wishing Well was born!

No wonder these water sources got special attention to protect them and small houses were started to be built on top of the sources to prevent dirt and animals from polluting them. Down the road, very elaborate structures were constructed by the users of these sources.

The picture below shows a medieval well in the Vysehrad Fortress. Several times reconstructed, it is still in the place where it is being said that the city of Prague in the Czech Republic started to settle.

Nikon D3000, f/5.6, 1/125s, 18mm, ISO 180.

It is very interesting also to know the story behind the coins being thrown in the well.

It seems natural that the ones that wished something special wanted to “pay” for whichever benefits one could get. And the most proper method of paying was throwing a coin in the well, something that we still do today.

Barely these people knew that copper and silver from the coins actually kill germs and keep the water clean and potable.

Aren’t wishing wells then magical and energetic?

A Nice Smile!

Bressan — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:37:09 +0000

There are days that things work well and there are days that the more you try being nice or the more you try being productive, things simply do not work out.

Today, it was one of those days that none of the pictures worked even though I shot something like 80 where the subjects ranged from flowers to details.

However, a nice smile saved the day. It was worthwhile just throwing away everything but this one. And I am very happy with the sensation of accomplishment.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I am enjoying it!

HDR with 3 shots, 1/500, 1/125, 1/30s. Nikon D7000, f/11.0, 185mm.

I Could Not Resist!

Bressan — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:30:38 +0000

As I usually do at lunch time, I was walking in the neighborhood with my camera just inspecting if anything interesting would jump on me when I saw these beautiful purple and white flowers with a delicate yellow detail almost tucked in and out of sight in a very small flower bed.

I tried several different positions to take a good picture but there were branches in front, the balcony of the house at the left side, a car blocking the way on the right side and, obviously, the house behind the flowers. Fortunately, the Sun was coming almost from above but not directly on the flowers which provided a nice and soft light. But, my problem was still there as I could not point my camera without facing an obstacle in front.

I could not miss these flowers and, finally, I saw a decorative rock two steps away from me and in the middle of the bush. With one foot on the curb and another on the rock, I managed to keep myself steady while quickly taking some pictures before someone would yell at me for being on his/her garden. I got some scratches but here is the result. By the way, does someone know the name of this flower?

Details

Bressan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:40:45 +0000

Lunch time and the Sun is finally starting to show itself up after a long grey winter. The first blossoms are also presenting themselves on top of the branches everywhere. The first signs of the tulip plants promise a full color environment in May.

The air now blows a mild breeze that invite a walk maybe just around the block for a few pictures. Why not selecting a theme? Perhaps the blossoms? They are still small resembling details scattered here and there…

Details? Details! My assignment for today is just to capture lines and small shapes that constitute bigger objects. Nothing planned but simply the common things that almost of the time are not seen but are there right in front of us. By the way, I usually walk around the block and some details I have never seen while others are new. For instance, these flower pots below. I am sure they were displaced there after the winter as I never noticed them before. The same applies to that trellis that waits a flower-pot.

The colorful flower pots in this garden surrounded by flowers…

The trellis waiting for the flower pot.

Funny, this wall, isn’t? What is the story behind it? Perhaps, the kids living there decided to five an extra look to the wall?

These dry little flowers were bathed by the Sun and I managed to point the camera in such a way that it captured the background without details and dark enough to make the branch to stand up.

By far, this is the most interesting one! The Number 5 has always been there unnoticed. The soft colors of the picture give this extra appeal to it.

The Colors of the Desert.

Bressan — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:52:51 +0000

The common understanding that a desert is sort of yellow and all covered by sand is somewhat a cliché mostly propagated by the movies. The pictures below, taken in Israel and Jordan, show plenty of disparities in the scenario with rich colors, textures and details. Obviously, a common point is the rare or no vegetation whatsoever.

The Judean Desert as seen from the Masada fortification.

The desert of Wadi Arabah near the city of Petra in Jordan.

The Desert of Negev and its sparse vegetation.

A refreshing post near Masada overlooking the Galilee Sea.