gerald oar photography

I've lightened the face in photoshop via various techniques and never been satisfied with the results. In hindsight I probably would have opted for a small reflector to give a subtle gain of light. Of course there is a bit more detail in a finished print.

-Gerry

I liked the verdigris on the bronze and accentuated it in Photoshop

while de-saturating the rest of the photo.

I took this photo in the Jokang Temple in Lhasa. I loved the soft

light from the candles mixed with a little daylight coming from

behind her.

I was out before sunrise in Lhasa, Tibet watching the incence fires

being lit at one of their holiest sites. This photo was taken in

incredibly thick smoke that cleared for a moment when the sun rose.

I've been tempted to photoshop out the lens flare, but I always

resist because it was just a play of light on the lens. This is

photography after all. What do you think?

ps; Have you ever been in incredibly thick smoke from a fire made

from yak dung, incense, straw and plastic? I hope not.

The crop was in camera, as I was shooting the orchid with a macro lens through a steel mesh with 2"x3" openings. Yes it is just an orchid (just a flower to me) until I read a book called "The Orchid Thief" and another called "Orchid Fever" btw, the only books that I've ever read about flowers. These people were (are) nuts. Murder, Scandal, Millions of dollars, Secrecy, Morality and Politics all over a flower.

Here's a link to the same image as posted on my website. (lighter)

http://geraldoar.com/flower orchid 1.htm

Today I went up to the Volunteer Park Conservatory to take a few

photos and found this slipper orchid. When orchid were first being

collected by the Royal Conservatory, London in the late 1700's only

men were allowed to look at them for many years as they felt that the

flowers were too sexually suggestive for "fragile and pure women" to

gaze upon. Am I a peddler of smut?

: -Gerry

I often do this for any night shots involving people (or

architecture). The first photo is wide open f2.8 for around 20

seconds. This eliminated all of the people that were moving (almost,

there are still a couple of ghosts). The area was wall to wall people

and the sidewalk was not visible at all. The second photo I stopped

down to f16 or f22 which made for an exposure of a couple of minutes.

Now everyone that wasn't sitting down or standing at a tripod

disappeared.

This photo was taken last Saturday at a gathering in Seattle where

approximately fifty thousand people left almost a million flowers.

Some of which (mine included) were placed on the emergency vehicles

parked adjacent to the International Fountain.

For a week I had the pleasure to have that chair in the lower left

hand corner to view this beautiful sight.

I think this photo of Karlie has a bit of a "Geisha" quality to it.

Well, a Geisha into Fetish anyway.

One of the aspects of visiting Cuba that I enjoy are the old cars.

When I took this shot, while I was standing in front of the Capitol

Bldg., I was panning the old cars as they drove by. Do you like the

effect?

While in Cuba a couple of months ago, I would walk into about any

school I saw. The kids went crazy to have their photo taken. This

little girl at school in Trinidad was the exception. I took several

photos of her burying her head on the desk - then this happened. I

smile every time I look at this image. For more please visit

http://geraldoar.com (a work in progress.....aren't they all?)

On a recent trip to Trinidad, Cuba, where horses on the street are

not an uncommon sight, I motioned to this rider that I would like to

take his photo.

I was up and walking around Trinidad at dawn and enjoying the long

shadows on the wonderfully colored buildings.

I came across this guy in a small plaza in Havana in March and after

talking to him for a few moments took his photo. Don't worry, most

people groan when the look at this photo.