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Injured Ironworker Not Entitled to Benefits for Additional Conditions, Statutory Multiplier

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that an injured ironworker was not entitled to benefits for additional conditions, nor was he entitled to a statutory enhancement on his permanent partial…


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Crane Service Has Single Citation Reinstated, Another Dismissed

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a citation against a crane service provider but reinstated another. Case: Secretary of the Education & Labor Cabinet v. Sterett Crane and…


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Carrier Not Obligated to Pay Worker's Belatedly Submitted Bills

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that an insurance carrier had no obligation to pay a worker's medical bills that were submitted more than 45 days after the treatments were rendered. Case: Shepherd…


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Court Overturns Denial of Employer's Motion for Costs as Partially Prevailing Party

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Fri, 24 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

A Florida appellate court overturned a judge’s decision denying an employer’s motion for costs as a prevailing party on a worker’s claim. Frances Smith worked for the Palm Beach County School…


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DWC Posts Rulemaking Notice for Fee Schedule, Related Documents

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation posted a notice of development of rulemaking to implement the most recent edition of its health care provider fee schedule and related documents. The DWC…


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Cashier Shot During Robbery Leads to OSHA Fines for Circle K

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Federal workplace safety investigators cited Circle K Stores Inc. for failing to provide a safe place of employment after a cashier suffered a serious gunshot injury during a robbery. Two men…


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Performer Injured During Jousting Match Not Subject to Comp Coverage

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Wed, 15 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

A Louisiana appellate court ruled that a worker injured while participating in a jousting demonstration was exempt from coverage under the state Workers’ Compensation Act as a “performer.” Case: McKeane v.


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Court Holds Guaranty Association Liable for Worker's Mesothelioma Benefits

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

A Louisiana appellate court ruled that the state insurance guaranty association was liable for covering the obligations of two insolvent insurance carriers for a worker’s mesothelioma. Case: Ehlers v. Ports America…


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Res Judicata Does Not Bar Worker's Intentional Tort Claim Against Colleague

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

A Louisiana appellate court ruled that res judicata did not bar a school district employee’s intentional tort claim against a colleague even though she received a workers’ compensation settlement for her…


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Attorney Has No Duty to Advise Comp Client on Potential Third-Party Claims

By ww3.workcompcentral.com
Published On :: Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled that the attorney and law firm hired to represent a man on solely his workers’ compensation claim did not have a duty to advise…


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Knowing you have a brain aneurysm may raise anxiety risk, other mental health conditions

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:00:00 GMT

Research Highlights: People diagnosed with unruptured cerebral aneurysms (weakened areas in brain blood vessels) who are being monitored without treatment have a higher risk of developing mental illness compared to those who have not been diagnosed...


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Popular home blood pressure monitoring cuff devices may not fit some US adults

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Research Highlights: An analysis of at-home blood-pressure monitors estimates that the arm cuffs for 10 of the most popular potentially do not fit up to 18 million adults in the U.S. and nearly 12% of Black adults. To ensure accurate blood pressure ...


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Remote monitoring and pharmacist helped improve hard-to-control blood pressure

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Research Highlights: A new study finds that up to 74% of participants with resistant or difficult-to-control high blood pressure, including those with chronic kidney disease, were able to improve control of their blood pressure within 12 months after ...


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Nearly $10M investment will expand and enhance stroke care in Minnesota, South Dakota

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:00:00 GMT

DALLAS, October 10, 2024 — Across the United States, more than 90% of stroke patients have some form of disability as a result and more than 11% experience a second stroke within a year. This risk weighs particularly heavily on people living in rural...


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Hot news flash: Menopause can impact a woman’s heart health

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:00:00 GMT

DALLAS, Oct. 16, 2024 — The risk of heart disease increases with age for most people, however, for women that may be even more true. The menopause transition, those years leading up to and through menopause, is a time of increasing heart disease risk,...


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Photographing Fall Colors – Where is the Vividness That I Saw

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:08:00 +0000


Many times I've gone out to photograph the beautiful colors that blanket the trees in Fall. My mind and inner vision is completely lit up with these glowing embers that dance in the wind on the trees. At this moment and place nothing seems more wondrous and somehow these colors seems to permeate deep into my collective thoughts where vivid memories live.

You may wonder why the need for all these flowery thoughts. Its because  when I get home, what I see from the camera is nowhere near as spectacular as how I felt at the time. I do shoot in RAW format and I know that this format from the camera tends to be a little muted but even increasing the vibrancy, it still doesn’t come close to the mind's snapshot.

I think that photographing the wondrous colors of fall is actually a hard thing to accomplish if you want to achieve the vision you had at the moment the shutter clicked.

I believe there are 2 main reasons for this.
First is that the reds, oranges and yellow of the leaves are highly saturated & luminous and beyond the ability of the camera's color gamut to capture. The color space of sRGB and Adobe RGB just don’t extend far enough to record these highly saturated and bright colors.

Second the leaves normally have small moments in the wind and they appear to shimmer, thereby giving them the appearance in the mind's memory of being brighter.


When I took the above photograph the yellows on these 2 trees did appear this bright. They glowed in the afternoon sun and were even brighter, almost like a candle flame, but upon reviewing the camera's result it was duller and more greenish-yellow. The image below is from camera with white balance on birch tree set to neutral white 5300K.


You may find my modified version (1st photo) a bit gaudy but it does reflect how I felt about this scene. I darkened the sky to increase contrast between the 2 yellow tees. I also, for the greenish yellow leaves, shifted the hue to be more yellow and then increased lightness and saturation as much as I could and still retain detail. The grass was also darkened and made cooler, more blue-green, to again increase contrast with the yellow tops.

In the photograph below the sun peeked out near sunset just after the rain had gone by and lit up this singular tree. Again the camera made those leaves less bright and more orange. Once again I increased lightness and saturation towards yellow for the bright leaves. I also added a purplish tint to clouds, (complementary color of yellow) to increase color contrast. I extracted the yellow leaves and increased layer size by 10 pixels and then added a slight blur of about 2 and set this layer to overlay. A pseudo Orton effect to give a glowing effect.




In the next image below, the colors, except for a little vibrancy, remain mostly as captured. I did change the sky from a bright blue to a duller and less saturated version with clouds. The original blue negative space was too dominating and took viewers vision away from the tree colors.



Many of the good fall photographs have lots of cooler and darker tones surrounding bright trees that help make those fall colors more prominent within the scene.

If you have good photo-editing tools don't be afraid to play around and change anything to suit your needs and vision. After all, it's how you saw it at least in your mind.


Niels Henriksen


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Playful Indulgences with Adobe Pixel Blender for Photoshop

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:48:00 +0000


Sometimes I just find I have a need to play. Not the sand lot type, even though that might be fun, but more along the lines of creativity with my artworks. With painting I can just slop the wonderful colors around and see what happens but clean-up is more effort. But with photography it's not always as easy.

I could throw my camera up in the air with a timed shutter and see what happens, but I am afraid of dropping it and then seeing a lot on money becoming dust on the ground with a broken camera.

Digital editing allows me that freedom and the only cost is my time. Definitely less risky.

I came across a video that shows the use of an Adobe Labs plug-in for Photoshop CS 4&5 called Pixel Bender. Being also a painter I was more interested in the oil painting effects as demonstrated with the image I 'bent' below. I may take this further as I will need to get rid of those bright white objects at the top of frame to make this image useful.


The above image was run once in pixel bender to give texture in the parrot, but I found that the remaining detail was all too much the same and still too fine in detail for the background. I masked out the parrot, used the blending too to see if this would help. Not much, so I ran pixel bender again on several iterations on just the background to get the final image above. I didn’t realize until later that the smudging of texture actually added to the larger texture in pixel bender.


One again for above image I ran pixel bender to get the effect for the chairs and table and then playing around with iterations on just the background and with the smudging tool to get a less contrasty detail here.
In trying to use other images to see how they worked it became apparent that for it to work well there should be sufficient detail and contrast in image for it to produce better results. I also noticed that image size from 800 to 4,000 pixels each had different effects. The largest brush size was 15 pixels and with the large images the effects became smaller. 


The 2 photos of the fall scene are identical except for image resolution. The above was 1,000 pixels wide and below was 4,000+ wide


It's easy to see the difference in effects. For the smaller image I even had tor reduce the brush size so as not to over-dominate the bending effect.

From the experiments, or is it playing around, I noticed that when areas were smudged in linear or curved arches it increased the detail effects to make them larger as in the parrot's background and with the same fall scene but with smudging on the trees in image below.


These may not be exactly to your taste but if you are digitally creating painting-type images then by combining different effects for areas within the photograph, a more pleasing painting effect can be created. It is important for any effect type that there be variation in texture detail, size and contrast, like a real painting to create harmony and vision flow within the image.

The most important aspect is to create images that you like and not for others and that you have fun doing this. While I was playing around I completely lost track of time which for me is a sign that my creative juices are really flowing and I'm exploring new avenues.

Please send me some links if you have any digital creations that were just fun and you enjoyed the outcome.

Niels Henriksen


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Reviewing your photographs from Older Archives

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:35:00 +0000


Sometimes its just plain fun to go through your archive of older photos. Now with a distant memory of the scenes and events your photographs may appear better than previous scans. This is in part due to that at the time there are too many good photos and those not with the highest rating but still with merit tend to get drowned out.


This image was taken at one of the great Buddhas in Kamakura Japan. The hawk like bird may seem small but this Buddha is very large.  Without the bird it would be hard to understand the scale of this image. It could be in anyone’s home garden. Besides scale the bird helps to give height to statue as there is the appearance that the head is up high where birds soar.


The next image with people in it does convey the scale of the Buddha. In theses type of metal statues the green colors are soft and muted and it is easy for green foliage to overpower the scene. That is why I have mute the greens in the background to give the Buddha statue more visual punch.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple.  It's the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, at a height of 13.35 meters, surpassed only by the statue in Nara's Todaiji Temple.
The statue was originally built in 1252 and located inside a large temple hall. The temple buildings were destroyed many times by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since 1495, the Buddha has been standing in the open ground. 

Do take the time to review your collection as there may be hidden gold or at least fond memories of places you've been.


Niels Henriksen.


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What to do When a Photo is Missing Parts

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:13:00 +0000


There are times when I'm walking around enjoying the scenery and occasionally taking what I think are interesting photographs around town and I forget to compose correctly. This is normally not noticed until I review them later as I tend not to look at each shot when taken.

This is a different shooting mode than when I really want something special. Then the histogram is reviewed and for images with strong contrast several exposures may be taken. And if tripod is available it will be used.

The above image is the final edited version that I wanted but failed to capture correctly.

Part of the problem is that I wear glasses and sometimes I don't remove them when looking in the camera view finder. I do when the image is critical but for shoot and grab shots I tend to place viewfinder only on the glass face and if I don't line up correctly the image is off centre to what I see.

If you have taken several photos then there may be parts in others that you can use to correct test perfect sections.

In the 3 photos combined below, the far left image is the one I wanted (#1) but as you can see, it's missing parts like the feet and sidewalk. The 2 other photos (middle #2 and right #3) are ones I used to fill in missing sections and cover parts that needed to be removed. The big problem with the other photographs is that they are from different angles and perspectives and therefore, a direct overlay to match parts will not work. You will need to stretch, twist and rotate a little to make the parts fit.



In the next composite photo below with the main image, I extracted the parts of each section that was used to reconstruct the final photograph.

Image #1 provides a good frame-work (base layer) for the whole of photo, except I wanted the lady in image #2
Image #2 was cut and placed on a separate layer and set to difference mode to make it easier to see when frame matches as it all turns black. I needed her bottom feet from another image (#3) to finish off her legs.
There was still the problem of the missing parts of the steps from part #2 which was added by image #4.


Rather than placing a whole copy of another image on top and using masking for desired parts and moving around, I recommend only cutting out the main parts from another file and copying to the working file. The reason for this is that when you zoom in on a large image to examine the fit, the handles are no longer available to use for positioning as these are at the edges of image. By only using a cropped parts, the handles for positioning are now just outside the smaller part and available for use even when zoomed in.

This is a lot of work and not for everyone. It would be easier to retake the photograph, if possible, but if you're on vacation or it's an impromptu moment, it may not be possible. This process allows you to get the photograph that you wanted but somehow missed.
I do realize that I need to be more careful when using glasses and maybe a monocle for the other eye would work. This is one advantage that EV viewfinders on back of camera work well for people with glasses.


Niels Henriksen


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Why Photographing Hats Can Improve Your Street People Photography

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:40:00 +0000

This wasn’t something that I consciously knew, maybe deep down we all tend to know these types of things, but something I discovered while undertaking a new photography project in San Miguel de Allende.


There are many, many ideas to photograph in San Miguel. Doors are a very common theme, I did one last year and one I am continuing this year. I was looking for something different and with the almost constant blue skies and bright sun, even stronger at 6,800 feet, most people if not all the gringos wear hats.


Everyday I walk around photographing almost anything and everything. Great fun and focusing on Hats gave me a new challenge.


I am reserved when it comes to photographing people out and about on the street. I feel reluctant to invade their privacy but deep down I love how people relate and engage the city streets. Here in Mexico, being such a tourist destination, the locals are even more wary of being photographed and many times hide there face or just look away. If a person is not comfortable with their photo being taken I won't take it.

A different type of sun covering

When I photographed street people I tended to hesitate too long (should I or not) with taking the shot and the impromptu moment was lost as they tended to now be aware of the camera.

This man is not praying but doing close-up photography of the cactus

I found out after the fact that when I was just focusing on people's hats I tended to think less of the person and more on the object of the hat. This allowed me to be quicker with the decision to shoot and also it allowed me to shoot more often.

Who wouldn't love this big Mexican hat

Because I was focusing on an object it even allowed me to approach people and ask then if I could photograph them with their hat as this was a project of mine. I think people felt more comfortable in letting me photograph them because I wasn't really just photographing them. It was an inanimate object and somehow that was OK.

A hatted man with lots of hats

I suggest you give yourself a try at this project and see if you don't now photograph more people.

Niels Henriksen





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Alien Skin Exposure 4 Photographic Software Review

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Thu, 10 May 2012 17:36:00 +0000


There is nothing more wonderful than exploring new tools or ways for something you are passionate about.

 
A B&W Infra-Red (IR) processing of a red barn and green fields


What is the Purpose of this Software?
Exposure is an add-on photo-editing application for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Elements that provides almost a complete list of film types, both B&W and Color, for processing for the digital darkroom. I say almost as I didn't count the list of film types in this application and I don't even know all the films that have ever been made, but they sure seem to be all here.
 
'Sepia – blue Finish (modified)' setting with a layer set to 'Lighten' mode (31%) for an Expsure 4 ver. of 'Kodak HIE (Halation moderate)'


One test of software is to see how it feels right out of the box. A lot like taking a performance sports car for a test drive. You may not know everything about it but you know how to drive and turn corners.

I never read the manual first as I believe that a person with reasonable skills on the computer and with digital editing should know how to turn it on and drive around a little. 
 
Exposure 4 did not fail here. It was easy to install and when launched, the layout and buttons were intuitive. The only problem I had was that it was almost 2 hours later when I realized how much I had been playing with the different types of films.





How would I use this Photo-Editing Software?

Exposure 4 has a great repertoire of classic, vintage and just plain old films both in color and B&W. Combined with these types of film selections are the various processing adjustments you might make in a wet darkroom, such as contrast, toning, bleaching, cross-processing, calotype, platinum and much more.

Some of these are obvious as the IR and Platinum and High contrast B&W I have shown above. Even old color films with faded color can provide unique approaches to the photographic images.


Without having access to the original old photograph, an older reproduction could be re-made. This could be cast against another image to create a story of 'then and now' and subject of an interesting photographic book.




In the image above I took 2 photos and I applied old color film technique to the bordered version to create the effect of laying an old photo on a new photo to show a change over time.


How well does it Perform?
Having a 7 processors and 12TB of RAM there should be no speed issues with loading and applying application settings. It was just over a sec to load and less to applying any film setting. The window is originally set up with 3 panels. Large central being the photo being edited. The panel on the right is the main adjustment panel color. See composite below. There is enough functionality to do almost everything you want.


A minor problem with the numbers dialog boxes. When you enter a number it doesn't apply until you click the panel and if you use the Enter key it applies the Exposure 4 application. I would rather have that only happen when I click the OK button.




The panel on the left are all the pre-set film settings which are based on some combination of settings on the right panel. This is great because once you found a style that suits your needs you can then tweak it to best suit the photograph.


I did find that using the color filter produced better color (brighter) for me than using the same color on a layer in Photoshop. It might be the preserve luminosity check box.


With my sample photos the rendering of effects was clean with no noticeable distortions unless of course you cranked the saturation way up.


I like that both side panels can be minimized and it's easy to zoom into a section for better clarity. With a 24” monitor some apps don't allow full screen editing.
I also like how you can save your own presets.



The above image is from one I tested since I had created a B&W version previously. The software did produce versions that I liked as well and maybe even better than the original.



Who is this Software meant for?
For anyone how wants to experience the look of chemical film technology and its variant processes.
Definitely for commercial ad type photographic needs. Here with the press of a button, a vintage effect can be created without much time spent by the user.
For creative types who may want to create story-line or books where the type of photograph is integral to the story experience
For fine-art photographers that require a specific look, as with my image of the tree and bench, that is not easily achieved in Photoshop.
To create new layers that can be set to one of the blend modes. There is a practice to create a B&W version of your image that looks best and then set this to luminosity for your color photo. While I haven’t experimented that much with these I suspect I will find some of the film output useful as a blend mode.




Recommendations
This is a good solid product that provides a wealth of film types and genres. It is easy to use and intuitive.
I would give this software a 4 – 4 ½ rating. The limiting factor would be price for a new user at approx $249. but an upgrade is only $99.
As an investment, I view software the same as a lens. It's a tool to help you meet your needs or goals. Many people find the cost of software somewhat prohibitive and yet see no problem with spending more on a new lens. I love a lens also as there's something about that precision instrument you are holding. But I photo-edit every photo I show to the public. I always want to bring out the very best and convey the feelings and experience I had at the time I took the photograph. The straight out-of-the-camera version doesn’t give me this. It is a mechanical device and not a human.



Definitely do download a trial version and play with it.



Niels Henriksen



Disclaimer: Other than receiving a copy of the software to review, I did not or will not receive any remunerations, gifts or any considerations from this review from the company, its agents or any of its distributors



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Photographing Metal Sculptures and Art Objects

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:51:00 +0000


I had the opportunity to photograph metal artwork for an artist friend who lives near Lynhurst Ontario. For those unfamiliar with this little village, it is about 45 km north of Kingston Ont. along Hwy 15.

Noah, the metal-sculpture artist, has a large manicured estate with a man-made pond that is just perfect to have his animal based artworks scattered all about. Almost like seeing a herd of deer in the fields. In fact I did mange to see one deer at the edge of his lawns. But having a couple of Noah’s dogs playing around me meant that I could not get close enough to the deer for a great shot.


The reflections on the screen worked to create great contrast with the darker pond water, which meant I didn’t have to do much to have the artwork stand out. Just moving about for greatest contrast. I cropped the right wind since it's a mirror of the other and including it would make it appear smaller.

Most of his sculptures are made out of scrap metal parts and therefore, for the most part, tend to have a dull rust color. Dark and mid-tone oranges do not usually stand out well against bright green fields.

Even the biker (bicycle and motorcycle) sculptures that have figures on them have muted tones in their clothing. To make them stand out better I desaturated the greens, as with the above example, to an almost grey tone to give the figures more prominence. There are 5 of these along the front near the road.

Some artworks, like the bug series below, are painted, but even here we still need to have darker background (hedge in shade) to give more punch to the colors.


Even in the above image with its strong yellow and reds, the green has been slightly muted.

Most of the bug pieces have long insect like legs but if you include the whole art piece then the main body parts become very small in the photo. Focus on the main sections but include just enough of other parts to give context to photo.

For some images I wanted the distortion created by a wide angle lens, where objects nearer are larger and distant objects becomes smaller than reality, to change the perspective in how we view the artwork.

I had to use HDR on the photos where I was looking up and a bright sky was behind the sculpture. In the above photo the rust is made more vibrant and the green and blue colors muted a bit.

I now know that I need to come back again when the sun is near the evening horizon so that for some sculptures the shadows will add to create a larger subject.

Who couldn't love this old Flintstones type car.


Some close-ups to focus on the texture of the artwork.


And finally a photo for the biker in all of us.

Many of his artworks can be seen on Noah's Metal Art and he also has a link with the Frontenac Arch Biosphere


And here's the photo of the deer in the field.


Niels Henriksen




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Ottawa Lumiere Festival of Lights – Full Camera Skills Needed

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:44:00 +0000


The Ottawa annual Lumiere Festival of Lights is not just a wonderful events for kids and spectators it's also a great chance to get some interesting and new photos for your collection.

 ISO 400; f6.3; 13 sec; -0.67ev; 123mm; tripod mounted; Nikon D300

This is my 3rd time attending this event and each and every time I go there is something new to see. The festival is all about light and for this event it means candle power. There are activities for kids in the leading-up week where they make wonderful colorful paper mache objects that have holders inside to take those small candles in metal cans. These candles go inside the object and are lit at dusk. This creates a wonderful glow emanating for the colorful paper mache objects.

ISO 2,500 f5.6; 1 sec;  48mm

Hundreds of these lit lanterns in the shape of many different forms from faces to animals line the many paths around New Edinburgh park in Ottawa.

For the photographer it's visually stunning but also provides many photographic challenges in order to capture the event as the night unfolds.

When you first arrive around 7:30pm, you are at the golden hour of light and normal settings gets most of these shots.  You may need a bit of fill light from your flash and here an attached strobe flash is necessary to get just enough light to fill area and the ability to reduce the exposure (-ev) so as to not over power the ambient light.  See image of man on stilts below.


 
ISO 200; f5.6; 1/60 sec; 40mm; Flash -1ev

With hundreds of kids moving around and depending on their activity in front of you, a long exposure shot may create interesting photo image. The children in the image below are playing a large chess game. I wanted to show motion blur to create effect of action within the photo.

ISO 80; f25; 3 sec; 32mm

As dusk starts to envelope a more  stronger flash is necessary to freeze motion and completely fill subject as with the Tango dancer.


ISO 200; f5.6; 1/60 sec; 100mm; Flash

There are other areas like the lit swans in the river where flash won't work and a long exposure is needed to amplify available light to avoid the noise of higher ISOs. But when there is some wind movement then you will need the higher ISOs as in the photo below. In these photos it's all about the soft glow of candle power.

ISO 2,500; f5.6; 0.3 sec;  -0.3ev; 190mm; tripod mounted



ISO 2,500; f5.6; 2 sec; -1ev; 28mm; tripod mounted

But a near full darkness only longer exposure times and a tripod will get you those interesting photos like the girls with their glowing and twirling hula hoops.

The main event at this festival is a giant maze on a baseball diamond (to reduce chance of grass fire) covered with lunch paper bags filled with a little sand for stability and then a small candle. There are hundreds of children walking around this maze but with long exposures they do not show up in the photo because of their darkness. It's only when they are carrying candles or light that they show up as a moving white line.


ISO 1,000; f5.6; -1ev; 3sec; 1230mm; tripod mounted

At this event I did use my new Nikon D800e and I found it worked well. I did forget to bring my small flashlight to light the buttons on the camera.  Thankfully there remained mostly the same from the D300 and I could with some ease figure where to press to make changes to seetings.

In summary for an event like this you need to be able to switch between:
Aperture, Shutter priority and Manual mode – Flash will freeze when necessary.
Low and high ISOs.
Normal shutter speeds and long exposures of 2-3 seconds.
Flash power adjustments for fill light strengths.
Hand-held and tripod shooting.

I do hope you all get a chance to try events like these or a an amusement park or fair ground.

Niels Henriksen


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Patience - a Photographer’s Special tool

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:37:00 +0000


Many times we see wonderful scenes and landscapes right in front of us.  Our emotions are stirring especially since for the last few moments our vision and senses are taking it all in. Therefore, it must make a wonderful photograph.

We take the photograph and move on knowing that we have a great shot because that's how we perceive our visual and sensory experience for this site.

But when we get home it seems to lack that something special we experienced back at our location.

Others who see the image may say it's nice but in reality it's just another tourist type shot. The experience we had is missing.

The key ingredient missing is patience, or just plain waiting for the scene to evolve in either light-shaping or the actors in the scene. These actors can be real people or elements in the changing  landscape.

Light, it's strength or absence, is the key to all photographs. After this, it's the context of element within the science that further define the photographic experience.

As an example, the photographs of a set of wonderfully painted stairs help to demonstrate the importance of patience to wait out a scene until the elements define it in a new perspective.



There is a set of beautifully paints stairs just across the street from the Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa.

But to photograph them is to only copy someone else's work. This is fine if all you want is to show others the beauty of these stairs.

But there could be more if you only wait for people in this particular case to add the extra element to make this your own original photograph.

I knew people walking up and down the stairs would add interest to the image but without staffed actors I could only wait for what?

A few minutes later a solitary well dressed soldier from a ceremony on Parliament Hill was approaching the steps to walk down. Luckily there was no one else nearby to also transcend these steps.

I waited until his eyes were near the wolf's eyes and took 3 rapid shots. It's hard to get the arms and legs just right so with 3, one should work well.

It wasn't a busy place as these steps are slightly hidden. I felt good with the shot and started to walk on but a short distance later I felt there could be more if I just waited longer, so back I went.

After about 15 minutes of waiting a bunch of young children and their parents started to head up. The little girl was leading the pack and it looked like she would head right for the wolf's ear.





There were many others on the steps but I knew I could immediately afterwards take a photo of just the stairs and then edit everyone out.

The photograph now looks like the child went up the steps to whippers into the wolf's ear.

In many locations, taking the time to wait for something to change within the scene will make it a better photograph. The shadows created by the sun as it sculpts the landscape or intermittent clouds that create highlights within the scene. It could even be the addition of people, or removal of too many or  the right combination of their colourful clothing that augments the photograph. Either way, occasionally take the time to explore the environment in front of or behind you and sit and wait for that extra photographic element.

Niels Henriksen




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Any Fans of the Photographic Artwork of Niels Henriksen

By niels-henriksen.blogspot.com
Published On :: Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:47:00 +0000


That is certainty a self serving title and its fraught with many definitions of term 'fans' but it is also a chance for me to understand something about my readership.
This blog is just a few members shy of 1200 subscribers. I'm very grateful that so many find the photographs and articles enjoyable. There are also those who arrive by way of search engines, but from this total group I wonder how many committed fans of my photography I have.


Taken in San Miguel de Allende

I take many photographs, photo-edit them and then display these on the web just like millions of others do. But as a photographer the biggest pleasure is actually seeing the photo printed on photographic paper and how the texture and tone of the paper support the artistic vision.
But out of the entire collection of photographs I capture per year, only about 5 -10 actually have that extra quality or uniqueness that compels me to print large, frame and mount on a wall for display.

These fine-art photographs, as I describe them, go through a process of printing them on heavy mate papers (approx 300gsm). Depending on the detail and tonal qualities of the photograph I will print smaller versions (8”x10') on a series from 4-8 different papers to determine which paper best suits the image. After several weeks of just looking at them in different light settings I will select a paper for the final version.





In this image I combined 2 photographs to make the composite above as I wanted the boy to appear that he was searching for his princess.


Each of these fine-art prints are printed in a small edition series, currently 5, and then titled, numbered and signed and then made available for sale either through my Art web site ' Niels Henriksen Artworks' and through galleries.

As part of my marketing strategy, periodically (approx 18months), I increase my prices to reflect the larger, albeit still small, demand for my photographic prints.

Prior to this increase in November, I am offering to readers of 'My Camera World' a 25% discount on the current price for a period of 7 days after print is posted on this blog.

Guarantee
All prints purchased from me come with an unconditional full refund guarantee.  If you don't like it for any reason you get a full refund.
This makes purchasing a print from me completely risk free.
Each print comes with with a Certificate of Provenance. See example below





Over the next 2 weeks I will post an article about each of these prints that articulate my vision and story behind the photographs.

I hope that some of you will see a photograph that you enjoy and will sequentially purchase.  I think it's  important as a photographer and artist that we also collect other artists work and if not mine then someones else's. I am starting to have a decent collection of artworks already and will continue to collect new pieces every year.

By collecting several pieces I can then rotate them on the walls in my house and experience the same joy as when they were first hung.

Niels Henriksen


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New data show both improvement and concerning trend in youth tobacco use

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Thu, 05 Sep 2024 17:39:00 GMT

DALLAS, September 5, 2024 — The American Heart Association, which is celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health, issued the following statement in response to the 2024...


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Quick Quotes: Charlie Waite

By blog.howardgrill.com
Published On :: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 08:53:30 +0000

“A landscape image cuts across all political and national boundaries, it transcends the constraints of language and culture” Charlie Wait A great landscape image needs no explanation.  At least not a verbal one. That is one of the things I love most about nature and landscape photograph.


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Choosing A Photography Website Host

By blog.howardgrill.com
Published On :: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 09:24:04 +0000

A number of weeks ago I posted that I was considering putting together a new website. There were several reasons, but two which were of paramount importance: when I initially coded my current website using Dreamweaver there was no concern about how people might view the site on mobile devices.  The situation is very different […]


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Second booster approved as option for additional protection against COVID-19

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Tue, 29 Mar 2022 17:44:21 GMT


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Understanding cardiac arrest and emergency response following Damar Hamlin’s collapse during Monday Night Football

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Tue, 03 Jan 2023 18:30:00 GMT

DALLAS, January 3, 2023 —While playing in the Buffalo Bills - Cincinnati Bengals game on Monday Night Football on January 2, Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after a hit and was administered CPR on the field before being transferred to...


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Importantes noticias: La menopausia puede afectar a la salud cardíaca de la mujer

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:00:00 GMT

DALLAS, 16 de octubre de 2024 — El riesgo de padecer enfermedades cardíacas aumenta con la edad en la mayoría de las personas. Sin embargo, en el caso de las mujeres, ese riesgo puede ser aún mayor. La transición a la menopausia, es decir, los años...


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El miedo a sufrir otro ataque cardíaco puede ser una fuente importante de estrés continuo para supervivientes

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:00:00 GMT

Puntos destacados de la investigación: El miedo a sufrir otro ataque cardíaco fue un factor que influyó de manera constante y significativa en la forma en que los supervivientes de un ataque cardíaco perciben su salud, según un nuevo estudio. Si bien...


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Fear of another heart attack may be a major source of ongoing stress for survivors

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 11:30:00 GMT

Research Highlights: Fear of another heart attack was a significant ongoing contributor to how heart attack survivors perceive their health, according to a new study. While anxiety and depression are recognized as common conditions after a heart ...


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Bystander CPR up to 10 minutes after cardiac arrest may protect brain function

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 13:00:00 GMT

This news release contains updated information and data not included in the abstract. Research Highlights: The sooner a lay rescuer (bystander) starts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a person having a cardiac arrest at home or in public, up to ...


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La American Heart Association proporciona kits comunitarios para medición de la presión arterial y monitores en las ubicaciones de la biblioteca Stark Library

By newsroom.heart.org
Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:47:00 GMT

STARK COUNTY, 28 DE OCTUBRE DE 2024 – La American Heart Association (la Asociación Americana del Corazón), que es la principal organización sin ánimo de lucro del mundo dedicada a la salud del corazón y el cerebro para todos, cuenta ahora con centros de...


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How to Clean up Your Photo Backgrounds in Photoshop

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Fri, 09 May 2014 11:23:34 +0000

In retouching you see this quite frequently, whether you're using seamless paper, vinyl, a fabric hanging or a purpose built infinity cove, it's going to get dirty. You have a couple of options, one is to check out some reviews on Amazon for handheld vacuum cleaners and have your assistant scoot around with it between shots. The other more sensible option, which we'll cover here, is to solve it in post, in this case using Adobe Photoshop.


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Photo Manipulate a Mystical Tribal Warrior

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 12:57:18 +0000

In today's tutorial you'll be brushing up on your photo manipulation skills, by creating a mystical tribal warrior. This tutorial is packed full of useful techniques, from blending tactics, to digital painting, lighting, layout sketching and much more.


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Learn How to Illustrate a Realistic Rocketship in Photoshop

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 11:55:35 +0000

In this tutorial, we will create a retro styled rocket in Photoshop. We will explore the importance of details in creating a complex illustration, as well as how to create realistic surfaces.


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Photo Manipulate a Dark, Emotional Fallen Angel Scene

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:05:03 +0000

In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a dark and emotional fallen angel scene using a variety of photo manipulation techniques. You'll work with blending techniques, adjusting colour, practice retouching, painting and more.


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How to Paint a Fantasy Woman Portrait with Photoshop

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:09:28 +0000

In this tutorial I'll show you how to paint a fantasy woman portrait with Photoshop. You'll learn how to use brush to paint properly as well as take care of details. A graphic tablet is highly recommended for this tutorial.


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Create a Dark, Mysterious Photo Manipulation

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:32:25 +0000

Today's tutorial will walk you through some essential manipulation, blending and colour matching techniques. In this lesson I'll show you how you can convert a forest into a dark, foggy, ominous scene. You'll learn how to work with shadows, lighting, adjustment layers, layer masks, dodge & burning and much more.


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Create a Dark Landscape Matte Painting with Photoshop

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2015 19:15:19 +0000

In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a misty landscape matte painting with a dark castle. We'll create a misty scene with the layered mountains and the light from afar. The main technique here is blending with adjustment layers, masking and brushes. There are something basic you should know about contrast, distance, intensity etc, and we'll dive into all of those in today's lesson!


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Create an Aquatic Photo Manipulation of a Giant Tortoise

By psd.fanextra.com
Published On :: Sun, 23 Aug 2015 21:22:40 +0000

In this tutorial, I'll show how you can combine different stock images to create this cohesive and unified scene of an aquatic Giant tortoise. You'll also learn how to manipulate trees, stones, waterfalls and textures to create an island on the tortoise. Finally, we'll add lighting effects and adjust the colour of our entire scene.


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