Laughing Frog Images Archives - Page 5 of 9

Fine Art Posters added

Posted on June 1, 2015May 25, 2015 by Kurt

Continuing the Frog’s quest to provide unique images for your perusal and purchase, we’ve just completed the first two fine art posters for Laughing Frog Images.

I’m drawing from the influences of other fine art posters that I’ve seen over the years – a monochromatic background, simple sans-serif title and description, and provocative black and white images.

The first two fine art posters are photographic deconstructions of two popular steam locomotives – Santa Fe 3751 and Union Pacific 4014.

The 3751 was deconstructed at the 2014 San Bernardino (CA) Railroad Days. (There’s a full gallery dedicated to the photographic deconstruction of the 3751 on Laughing Frog Images – just click here to be taken there.)

The partially disassembled 4014 was further deconstructed at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds prior to her departure for Cheyenne, WY and eventual return to service. The “DS” in the title means “Departed Station” in railroad-speak – she hasn’t departed Pomona yet, but she did depart her display home of 51 years to the staging point where these images were made, so I’m not stretching things too much…

For both fine art posters, the original images were shot in color with a vivid bias to mimic slide film and converted to black and white using onOne Perfect Photo Suite software. I’m not going to lie to you – I don’t remember the settings used for the 3751 images (guess I should keep better notes). The images of the 4014 were converted to a profile that emulates Panatomic X, an ASA 32 black and white film formerly manufactured by Kodak. This film was also known as “Pan-X”, and was a fantastic black and white film known for a great tonal range and minimal grain structure.

There will be more fine art posters to follow as the scanning progresses. Off the top of my head, the subject matter is probably going to be steam engines and “vintage” trains as long as I stay with black and white images. However, the fine art possibilities are probably endless as I scratch my head and ponder the image galleries and those to be scanned.

You can find the posters in the Posters – Trains Gallery on Laughing Frog Images, and make one or both of them your own in any one of several ways.

As always, “likes” and “shares” are most appreciated!

Oceangoing Ships

Posted on May 29, 2015May 25, 2015 by Kurt

A by-product of a whale watching cruise out of Long Beach, CA is that you get to see a lot of ships.

That’s great if you like ships. Most of the people on the boat went back to their smartphones and beer once we left the whales.

Fortunately, I like ships.

Besides the boyish wonder that ships hold, this day was provocative in many ways. Questions that ran around in my head included:

Just what is in all of those container ships?
Why don’t we hear about container ships capsizing? I’m sure that there’s solid engineering behind their design and loading. But, they sure do look top-heavy.
I just have to wonder how often does a container simply fall off?
Just what was that shooting out of several vessels? Bilge water? Ballast water? Better off not knowing water?
Do we still make anything here?
How often do they break down?
What’s Plan B if there is a breakdown in the middle of the ocean?

I made the most of the day and created a lot of images.

There was a haze-smog that actually made a lot of them digital trash. Makes me understand the push to use cleaner fuels and minimize idling in the ports. It’s one thing to hear about it and not give it much thought. It’s another thing to actually see it as you can in the image below. Now I get it. Now I understand the concerns. Air is not brown by nature…

Anyways… back to ships.

There has been a new Gallery created within “things on or by the water” – simply titled oceangoing ships. Somewhere in the files, there are more ship shots from here and there, and more images will be added to the gallery over time.

I invite you to sit back, check out some ships, and see what questions come to your mind.

Enjoy!

Collage Gallery added!

Posted on May 27, 2015May 25, 2015 by Kurt

Collages provide a means to show and enjoy a collection of pictures.

Some carry a theme, some carry a theme better than others, and some are just a random assemblage of what one likes.

Some folks like collages, some don’t.

For those of you that do – we’ll be creating collages from time to time and adding them to a new Gallery called Collages on Laughing Frog Images. (What did you think we were going to call it?)

Our first collages are of the Gray Whales of Long Beach.

These particular collages are set up in a 2×3 proportion so they will print 12×18, 20×30, etc., and fit in readily available frames. They’re a unique way to decorate a wall or room. There are two versions of the Gray Whales of Long Beach collage – one with a solid black background, and the other uses am image from the collage as the background. As always – the Frog strives to provide something for everyone.

If there’s a collage you’d like to see from our available images, just let us know.

Thanks for looking.

Enjoy!

“Sunset” added to the Galleries

Posted on May 24, 2015May 25, 2015 by Kurt

Based on comments and feedback, I took the .dng (RAW) file of “Sunset from an Airplane” and created a high-quality .jpg file. Interestingly enough, the .jpg is almost identical to the .dng file – so what you see is what the camera’s sensor saw.

You can find the image here in the “sundowns, sun ups and things in the sky” gallery on Laughing Frog Images.

Enjoy!

Sunset from the back of a plane

Posted on May 22, 2015May 17, 2015 by Kurt

When I fly, I tend to get a an aisle seat. I’m not always sure why, because my head and arms are regularly hit with nary a tinge of guilt on the part of those striking me.

However, I might want to start rethinking that.

When I replaced my old cell phone from the Dark Ages (it was a flip phone with no keyboard…) with a new smartphone, I chose the camera first, and then the phone. I wanted a Windows phone so I could manage this site in Internet Explorer, so that somewhat narrowed my choices, but they weren’t bad choices. I ended up with the Lumia Icon, which has a 20mp camera, and also produces a RAW image in .dng format. It takes phone photography to a new level that I won’t get into here, because this isn’t about a phone or a camera – it’s about a snapshot in time memorialized in bytes.

More importantly, the Icon gives me the opportunity to capture some fantastic images without having to carry a camera with me all of the time.

Here’s a shot from a window seat in the back of a Southwest Boeing 737. We’re heading east over Huntington Beach at sunset. As we turned east, I noticed the sunset and thought “there might be a picture here…”

You can see ships waiting to get in to Long Beach Harbor in silhouette from the setting sun, you can see the waves headed towards the beach, the blue sky and darkness separated by the rain clouds. There’s a lot going on here.

This is the jpeg file straight from the camera. I haven’t played around with the dng file to what I might be able to do with it. I didn’t have time to go to manual and select the settings as I would try to do for a sunset – so I metered off of the clouds above the sun and hoped for the best. ISO 64, f2.8, 1/1250 second – all set by the Icon’s camera.

I ended up with a quality image of something fresh and different, and that’s what makes time behind the camera meaningful.

Shoot often and shoot well!

The Gray Whales of Long Beach

Posted on May 20, 2015May 17, 2015 by Kurt

People have a lot of different perceptions of California, some are nice, some aren’t – and we’re not going to discuss or debate them here.

Among the many perceptions, one thing that usually isn’t in the mix is that it is a place where you can watch whales, and do so pretty easily at that.

Mr. and Mrs. Frog and some friends took an afternoon whale watch cruise from Long Beach Harbor on Harbor Breeze Cruises, and had a great time.

We followed (from a safe distance) a pair of Gray Whales on their journey back north, and came away with some images that can be shared on Laughing Frog Images.

I shot well over 150 images, and between the rolling of the boat, the waves, and the whales (who apparently aren’t worried about telepathic directions and request from photographers), probably a third of them were deemed worth showing. Of that group, 19 are posted in the Whales Gallery.

The images were taken with a Tamron 18-270mm VR lens on my Nikon D-90 at ISO 400, shutter speeds were generally 1/1000 second or higher.

So, you want to go photograph whales?

Here’s my two cents:

be patient, and remember that the whales are moving along at their own pace and on their own schedule – you might have a great day, and you might not…
make sure you have a lot of room on your memory card,
take the longest lens you have,
shoot with a medium ISO (200-400 or so), and,
if you can, set your shutter speed manually so that it is ideally 1/1000 or higher to compensate for all of the movement and things that you can’t control
if your schedule permits, avoid mid-day cruises – that’s when the lighting is direct and harsh, and much of the water detail will merely be shades of gray. Go for early morning or late afternoon.
shoot a lot – because you’re not going to have a 100% success rate
don’t rely on the monitor on your camera to determine what’s a good shot and what’s a bad shot – wait until you can see the images on your computer before you make those decisions.

PH&D in Color Published!

Posted on April 19, 2015April 18, 2015 by Kurt

The Frog is finally pleased and able to announce that The Port Huron & Detroit Railroad and Connections in Color 1982-1984 is officially in print and available via Laughing Frog Images and the Laughing Frog Images CreateSpace estore!

This book has been in the making for over 30 years – at least in my mind! Way back on the last day of the PH&D in December of 1984, the notion that I would be able to scan my PH&D slides at 5000dpi, use software to help compensate for shooting in bad lighting and for my primitive abilities with Kodachrome 64, and self-publish a book was beyond imagination.

This project started out with the intention of being a fine-art book, with a hard cover and printed on high-gloss paper. As the project grew, so did the price. While my intentions were noble, it became apparent that I might not purchase my own book because it was so expensive! So, the project went on hiatus while I searched for a new publishing option.

The passing of the PH&D didn’t get much notice. Keep in mind that this was back in the days without the internet, without message boards, without email, and cell phones. So, in a way, this story has never been told. Telling the story in a way that is accessible to anyone is important to me. And the research continued.

I finally found a publisher that offered a way to tell the story in color and at a price that most everyone could afford. Granted, I had to give up the hard cover and high-gloss paper – it’s a soft cover book on trade paper (and the photo reproduction challenges that go with it), but the story could finally be told. Naturally, the project that I’d started was in a format that was not compatible with CreateSpace, so I had to start all over again.

And here we are on April 18.

After more digital proofs than I care to think about, and several physical proofs, it’s finally “real”. I have learned a new appreciation for editors and proof readers, as every time I reviewed a proof, I found something else. I have now either found everything, or looked at the book so much that I’m blind to any remaining errors. Somehow, I know when I receive my print copy, something is going to jump out at me…

For the people of the PH&D that I got to know from 1982 to 1984, those still with us, and those who have passed, I am pleased to share with you The Port Huron & Detroit Railroad and Connections in Color from 1982 to 1984.

Laughing Frog Images’ 100th Post!

Posted on April 13, 2015April 12, 2015 by Kurt

Well, here we are – post # 100 on Laughing Frog Images.

The Frog’s been a little quiet lately as life and the day job have been busy. And, there’s been a side project that’s been taking up most of what spare time has been there.

It’s almost time to announce the first book!

It’s a 132-page all-color softcover book on a fallen flag short line railroad. You’re going to have to wait for the formal announcement for all of the details.

I’d like to thank everyone who reads this blog and follows it on Facebook and Google+, and those who are following it after signing up on Laughing Frog Images to get every post.

I hope that everyone is getting something from the Blog, whether that’s photography tips or ideas, a laugh, or just some time away from reality.

As a small blog and gallery, I do appreciate every “like”, “share” and “follow”. There is no budget for advertising – this all survives by social media and word of mouth.

The image galleries will continue to grow in terms of number and subject matter. There’s just so much to scan, prep and post… Like many, I underestimated the sheer magnitude of what I was getting into. However, slow growth is better than no growth.

One of the focus areas will be adding to the steam engine galleries before the holidays because, well, who doesn’t like steam engines? Gallery subjects will include C&O 614 during the Chessie Steam Special era, the East Broad Top, Cumbres & Toltec, Durango & Silverton, and others that I either don’t remember or haven’t found yet. The images can help you with your holiday giftipation!

Once again, thank you so much for following the Frog and visiting Laughing Frog Images – it’s appreciated.

Stay tuned for the next 100 posts!

Dinner!

Posted on April 4, 2015April 2, 2015 by Kurt

Some of our flowers are hosting unwelcome visitors – aphids.

Mrs. Frog purchased some ladybugs to help in getting rid of the unwelcome guests naturally.

It’s really kind of interesting…

The container on the counter that I thought might have been a pint of ice cream for me was actually full of 1500 ladybugs.

So much for the ice cream munchies.

It’s best to release them at dusk when things are cooling off – you set the container near where you want them to go, take the lid off, and the theory/hope is that they climb the plants you want them to climb and either move in or leave their larvae. In the process, you hope that enough of them stick around for dinner – that being the aphids.

In the process, I thought I’d have some fun photographing the dinner rush.

So, it was off to get the D5100, the 60mm f2.8 micro lens, the flash and the Gary Fong Lightsphere diffuser (so I would have even lighting and I wouldn’t get any hot spots).

To provide for even lighting, I shot with the flash aimed straight up and let the diffuser do its’ thing. I know that sounds counter-intuitive – but see for yourself. It works! I could and should do a post about this diffuser – it’s a phenomenal addition to the camera bag for anyone who regularly uses any shoe-mounted flash.

From there, I figured out that it’s not as easy as it sounds…

First off, ladybugs have the attention span of a cat. They don’t stay in one place very long.

Second, I was trying to shoot them with a short micro lens with a flash and with diffuser as it was dusk. Not the greatest combination. All of this meant a wide aperture – which also meant my depth of field wasn’t going to be very much.

Let’s just say that I had a less than 5% success rate that night. I’ll chalk it up to a learning experience, as I’d never tried this before. This image was made at ISO 100, 1/160 second and f3.5.

I didn’t get any images that will end up in the Galleries on Laughing Frog Images. But that shouldn’t stop you from paying a visit anyway…!

More importantly, I learned that night. (I’m not much for reading photography books – right or wrong, I like to learn new photographic techniques by trial and error. I’ve never taken a class or lesson, so why start now!?

I’ll try this again – but it will be before dusk when there’s enough natural light that I don’t need a flash and can get my aperture above f8 – then I’ll at least have a fighting chance of success.

Fifi in pictures

Posted on April 2, 2015March 28, 2015 by Kurt

Fifi is the only operable Boeing B-29 Superfortress Bomber in the world as of March 2015.

I was privileged, honored, and fortunate to see Fifi at the Van Nuys Ca Airport as part of the CAF AirPower History Tour. That event went beyond expectations, as I was able to watch (and smell) her start up (video here) and to see her fly. I wasn’t able to take a tour, so that remains on my Bucket List, but in no way can I complain about the living history I saw that day.

All images were made in color using a Nikon D-90 and Tamron 18-270 lens.

Then, I did something different for this gallery.

Fifi is a product of the black and white era – black and white television, black and white newspapers, and (predominantly) black and white photographic film.

To maintain the spirit of Fifi’s era, I used two different black and white effects in Perfect Photo Suite 9 by on1 Software to create most of the images of Fifi that I’m sharing with you.

The first is a gritty and grainy effect that mimics how these images might have appeared to the readers of a 1940’s newspaper. The second is a cleaner effect that mimics Kodak’s legendary Tri-X black and white film.

There are a few color images as well, and these are along the lines of a chrome slide film.

I’m curious to hear feedback about the black and white images, particularly which effect you like better and why.

Instead of placing these images in the Military section of the Planes gallery on Laughing Frog Images, I decided that it was more than appropriate for Fifi to have her own gallery – you can check Fifi’s gallery out by clicking here.

The Commemorative Air Force are the folks that keep Fifi going, and made that day and these images possible. My thanks to all who make Fifi happen.

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