Wednesday’s WOW: Sierra Paragliding Adventure

by Sherri on June 9, 2009

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Paraglider flying over the Cronan Ranch, Pilot Hill, California.

This week is the week for starting new things. On Monday, I started “Monday Makeover.” Today, I am starting something else new and exciting. I am going to post a photo that makes me say “WOW.” But, that’s not all. I’m going to tell you why I think it qualifies as a WOW photo.

5 reasons why this photo makes me say WOW!

Feeling or emotion – The first thing I get when I look at this photo is a feeling. While I can’t actually say I know what it feels like to take off like this guy is doing, I can feel it in the photo.

Composition – I love the composition. The elements in the photo are well balanced and are very pleasing to the eye.

Color – The color really pops in this photo. I did use the Nikon D300 preset for Lightroom, to add a little punch to the color.

Lighting – Even though this photo was taken in April at 1:40 in the afternoon, the lighting works for me. The way the wing is illuminated by the sun really catches my eye.

Timing – The fact that this was shot during take off makes it a really strong image too. These guys don’t always get enough lift to get off the ground.

Don’t go away just yet. I am also going to recommend that you look at this WOW photo by Kathleen Connally. If you would like to suggest a particular photo to be included in an upcoming Wednesday’s WOW post, please send me an email @sherri@sherrimeyer.com.

NOTE: The idea for “Makeover Monday” and “WOW Wednesay” were both inspired by junk email or snail mail I have saved. I knew they would come in handy for something someday!

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Finding a Balance

by Sherri on January 30, 2009

Portrait of Maya Bussinger #3, Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California.

In my previous post, I had two examples of experimenting with “clarity” in the develop module of Adobe Lightroom 2.1. When working with clarity, you can choose to increase or decrease the amount of clarity in the original photo.

In one of the photos in my previous post, I left the clarity set at normal. For the other one, I decreased the clarity to -100. You can also increase it the same way, or as in both cases, you can find a balance.

Thanks to Gary Crabbe of Enlightened Images for suggesting that I play around with it a little more. For the photo above, I set the clarity at -50, which was right in the middle of my previous two examples.

One of the really neat things about photography is that most of the time, there is no right or wrong. The final decision is a matter of personal choice. I’d love to hear what your personal choice is. Which of the 3 photos do you like best?

Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the “comments” link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post.

You can also sign up for a “free” subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under “Subscribe to Sherri’s Blog.” Then, either click on the link and choose your reader, or type in your email address.

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More Lightroom Fun!

by Sherri on January 28, 2009

Portrait of Maya Bussinger #1, Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California.

You can probably tell by now that I love Adobe Lightroom 2.1. I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with it lately and here is something else I learned that might be of interest to you.

The photo above was created from the original photo (photo #2), by simply adjusting the “clarity” in the development module of Lightroom 2.1. The original photo was a little bit harsh. By adjusting the “clarity” to -100, I gave this portrait of Maya a much softer look.

Portrait of Maya Bussinger #2, Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California.

This is the original photo. Which one do you like best?

Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the “comments” link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post.

You can also sign up for a “free” subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under “Subscribe to Sherri’s Blog.” Then, either click on the link and choose your reader, or type in your email address.

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WANTED – Subscribers!

by Sherri on January 21, 2009


Hello everyone,

My name is Frogger. I wanted to let you know that my owner has just added 2 new ways to subscribe to this Photo Blog for your convenience. I am looking for readers of this Blog, who are not currently a subscriber to “test drive” one or both of the methods and let me know what you think. You would make me a happy little frog!

You can choose to subscribe using a reader, or the subscription by email method. Which one is right for you? Well, that is just a matter of personal choice.

If you want a reminder whenever my owner updates her Blog and you only plan on subscribing to a couple Blog feeds or so, then the email method would probably be best for you. On the other hand, if you subscribe to many Blog feeds and you want to keep them all in one place, then using a reader might be best for you.

Subscribing is really easy and it’s free. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under “Subscribe to Sherri’s Blog.” Then, either click on the link and choose your reader, or type in your email address. That’s all there is to it!

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

~Frogger (Guest Blogger)

Holiday Time in Old Town Auburn

by Sherri on December 16, 2008


Auburn Volunteer Fire Department, Old Town Auburn, California

A few days ago, we went down into Old Town Auburn to see it all dressed up for Christmas and capture it on film (memory card). One of the best subjects to photograph there is the Auburn Volunteer Fire Department (oldest in the West). I especially like the way it looks at this time of the year.

Many of you have probably seen it before, as you are passing through Auburn on the way to the Reno-Tahoe area. Or maybe you have stopped off in Old Town for a Walking Tour, or to dine at one of it’s many fine restaurants. You could also be fortunate enough to live here as we are.

While I was developing this image, I decided to set the White Balance (WB) to “Tungsten” to give it a more cold, moody feeling. I really like the way it turned out, but I’m curious to get the opinions of others.

Does it work for you?

I value and respect your opinion either way. Thank you for taking the time to evaluate this photo and giving me your feedback. To leave a comment, simply click on the “comments” link at the bottom of this post.

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The New “Auburn Run” – Lower North Fork of the American River

by Sherri on July 18, 2008

Lower North Fork of the American River, Auburn, California, as seen from our hike on the Western States Trail.

This photo of the American River was taken during our recent location scouting trip down in the American River Confluence area. Jeff and I had gone down there to see if anyone was rafting or kayaking the recently opened “Auburn Run.” [click to continue…]

Kayak Zoom

by Sherri on May 31, 2008

Peg Challender kayaking on Lake Clementine, Auburn, California

Peg and I had a great day of kayaking and photographing at Lake Clementine. This photo was shot on the way back to the car.

The light was going fast. We had to hustle to get back to the parking lot before sundown, or we would risk getting locked in for the night. [click to continue…]

River Rocks

by Sherri on February 29, 2008

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Digital Art of American River Rocks, ASRA, Auburn, California

Here is another version of the river rocks photo in my last post. It’s been awhile since I experimented with the artistic filters in PhotoShop. I thought this rock shot would be a good one to play around with.

Which one do you like best? I’d love to hear your comments, positive and negative.

Digital Art Photo of Palm Trees #2, Bakersfield, CA

by Sherri on November 28, 2007

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Digital art photo of Palm trees, Panorama Bluffs, Bakersfield, CA.

I experimented a little more with the original photograph of the Palm trees I posted 2 days ago. Although I really like the digital art versions, my favorite one is still the original!

Digital Art Photo of Palm Trees – Bakersfield, CA

by Sherri on November 27, 2007

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Digital art photo of Palm trees on the Panorama Bluffs, Bakersfield, CA.

This digital art photo is created from the same photo I posted yesterday. I liked the original photo so much, I wanted to see what other versions of it I could come up with, by doing a little experimenting in PhotoShop.

[click to continue…]

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