Nikon Notes

Bugs Bugs Bugs

2010-12-26T19:55:00.001-08:00

Here's what you get when you get your grandkids plastic bugs in a tube for their Christmas Stocking...we had to throw away the roach though... : )

Abigail in the Morning

2010-06-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

A truly blessed man...

2010-06-07T08:32:00.001-07:00

This is me with three of my grandchildren, Abigail, Josiah and Sam David. Nikon D300, Nikon 18-200 Lens, Photoshop CS4, LucisArt 6.0.

Minnie the Wonder Dog

2010-06-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

Minnie, originally uploaded by George G. Hoffman.

This is our new little Shih Tzu puppy Minnie Mae. The photo takes on a illustrative look with the amazing capabilities of LucisArt. I love the flexibility of the tool which works as a plug in for PhotoShop CS4

Ava and her treasures!

2010-06-07T08:16:00.001-07:00

Ava and her treasures!, originally uploaded by George G. Hoffman.

Ava at Easter had a great time winning the Easter Egg contest! This photo was published in the local paper!
Photoshop with Lucis Art 6.0.

Justin and the band on the Fourth of July

2010-06-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

I took this at the Fourth of July party with Justin and his band at North River Baptist Church. Digital Art using Lucis Art 6.0 and Photoshop CS4.

Amelia Island Sunset

2009-08-12T12:59:00.001-07:00

Amelia Island Sunset, originally uploaded by George G. Hoffman.

Shot at sunset over the intracoastal waterway in Amelia Island, Georgia.

Photo Retouching Samples

2009-07-26T04:17:00.001-07:00

I love photo retouching! Click the images to see an enlargement. I use PhotoShop CS4, an Epson 3800 professional printer and professional archival papers to reproduce these. I can print sizes as large as 11x17 (ask for a quote).

Pricing: $95 for first 8x10 print, $10 each for additional print.

Here's the process.
1. Send me the original image
2. I email you a retouched photo for approval
3. When satisfied with retouching, pay $95 to PayPal or by check.
4. When prints and original arrive home, pay for prints if satisfied.
5. Enjoy new print for a lifetime!

Hilton Head "Hudsons Restaurant"

2008-06-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

Carol and I ate at a little restaurant in Hilton Head. Next door was Hudson's Restaurant with a working boat doc. I love the square format and am using it with some of my paintings. I did a photoshop layer that took out some detail to use as a source for a painting.

Charlie and Amy

2008-05-31T12:36:00.001-07:00

I was sorting through some of my favorite images and found this photo I took of Charlie and Amy at her wedding. I used several adjustment layers and masks.

Blue Jay Buddy

2008-05-30T03:38:00.001-07:00

This little friend comes around everyday to visit one of our many bird feeders. After all, we live on Aviary Drive!

Nikon 300
ISO 1600
Tamika 100-400 Zoom

Abigail's Swing

2008-04-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

This is an animated GIF file created in Photoshop CS3. Shot in high speed mode on my D300. It is seven photos composited together. Quite a nice swing by our three year old grand daughter Abigail! I say sign her up for the "big leagues!"

Georgia 400 Buckhead Tunnel

2008-03-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

I took this about 6:30 a.m. of the Buckhead Tunnel where Georgia 400 goes under Atlanta Financial Center on Peachtree. I didn't think it had a "shot" at coming out but it's pretty nice!
Nikon D300 Camera
Nikon 12-24mm lens

Ava

2008-02-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

This sweet photo of my granddaughter Ava reflects the gentle spirit and loving person she is. I love the atmospheric quality of this photograph. I used PhotoShop CS3's Black and White sliders to tone this and created a blur layer and layer mask to focus on her beautiful eyes.
- Nikon D300, Nikon 60mm Macro Lens, SB800 flash, ISO 800, 1/250, F 3.2.

Christmas Cousins

2008-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

PhotoShop CS3 Tutorial:

1) Original Photo - the original photo is really nice, but I want to put it in a dark frame and create a more artistic and timeless feel to the picture. These are my three grandkids and I want the to look...well, adorable!

2) I added a layer with an extreme gaussian blur. I created a layer mask and painted away the blur from the faces I wanted to be in close focus.

Here's what it looks like at this point.

3) I added an adjustment layer for hue and saturation and then darkened the whole photo with the sliders

4) Using the layer mask for the adjustment layer,
I painted out the areas I wanted the original bright tone.

5) Finally, I wanted a less saturated look with a bit of
a brown tone. I created another adjustment layer for
Hue/Saturation and hit the Colorize button, Hue 38
and Saturation 15. I then used the layer mask to paint
color back into the faces and bring out some of the red.

It's really fun to get three wiggly kids to sit in one place at a time, especially when there are so many things to explore!

Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikon 18-200 VR Lens, SB800 Flash, Gary Fong attachment.

Josiah

2008-02-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

This shot of my grandson Josiah was taken in our great room while he let mommy and daddy go out for a little while. He always seems so thoughtful about things and loves to explore gadgets. He's particularly fond of my Blackberry but cell phones and cameras place a close second...

Nikon D300, SB800 off camera with Gary Fong attachment, Nikon 18-200 VR Lens, 1/60, F 4.8 ISO 200

Abigail

2008-02-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

This captures our granddaughter Abigail so well. She has a confidence and wonder about her that is absolutely contageous! I used Aperture's adjustment features to convert to Black and White. Aperture Rocks!

Nikon D200, Nikon SB800 with Gary Fong attachment, f 6.3, 1/60, Nikon 18-200 VR Lens.

Just got the D300

2008-02-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I got the Nikon D300 actually about a 6 weeks ago from Best Buy. It was hard to find locally and i was thrilled to see it online. It had taken me months to get the D200. I already have a nice compliment of lenses from having the D200 a couple years.

Cameras: Nikon D200, D300, Canon Powershot 750 ELPH for keeping in my pocket

Lenses: I'm using the Nikon 28-105 Macro, Nikon 12-24 wide angle, Nikon 18-200 telephoto (which is almost always on the camera). At the suggestion of a photography friend, I got the Nikon 60mm Macro lens which has quickly became my favorite lens. The clarity of the lens , accuracy of focus and ease of manaul mode, especially in the macro mode is amazing.

Flash: Nikon SB800, SB600, Gary Fong (www.garyfong.com) diffusers

Software/Hardware: iMac 20", Macbook, G5 Dual tower, Aperture for Photo management.

I am so impressed with the D300. It is clearly superior over my D200. To get really technical, it just takes better pictures. I don't know exactly why yet. I really love the setting that allows you to see exactly what is in focus within the 51 area focus grid. I also really like the view that shows the photo, the histogram, the setting, white balance, etc. I should also mention my other equipment - mainly the SB800 flash and a Gary Fong lens thingy. I use is almost all the time indoors and most of the time outdoors. I guess I ought to post a recent photo now and hit the sack...