A little bit of this…

… and a little bit of that. Â That’s basically how I approach my post-processessing work (the editing of the images) when it comes to my photography. Â For example, I talked about the new Aurora HDR 2018 software the last couple of days, but for me to be truly finished with one of my photographs, in this case, I typically employ more than just one pieces of software. Â Today’s shot is a great example: I used the beta version of the new Aurora HDR 2o18 the merge the five separate images (which capture the various levels of light I encountered at the location) into one base file, made a few slider adjustments to spice it up just a tiny bit, and then exported the file into Luminar (another Macphun product). Â In Luminar, I used a few filters, selectively brushing the effect into the parts of the photograph where I wanted them. Â And that was it. By the way, I’ll discuss both Aurora HDR 2018 and Luminar in greater detail here on the blog, as well as in upcoming video tutorials on my YouTube Channel.

Gas for Less

I’ve still got a HUGE backlog of photographs I shot during my epic Route 66 explore this past fall, many shot with my DSLR, many shot with my iPhone, and many shot with my Fuji Â X100Â (like this one here). I decided to play around with Nik’s Silver Efex Pro a bit to process this one, so here it is… Vic’s Gas for Less. It’s all that remains of this particular gas station across the street from the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, IL. Â By the way, I’m planning, at some point, to make it easier for folks to get quick access to all my Route 66 photographs by Â clicking a Route 66Â menu button at the top of this page, so keep checking back for that little addition to the site.

It’s for You…

Many are called, but few are chosen. Will you answer the call? That’s the big question today. Think about it.

This way up…

As I was going through my extensive backlog of Route 66 digital negatives, I came across this sign I captured with my Fuji X100 at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas. While I loved the striking colors of the sign, contrasted against a brilliant blue sky, I also thought it might look pretty good in Black and White. Here is what I came up with. By the way, this place has some crazy good pies (quite famous, I should note). They’re know, affectionately, as Ugly Crust Pies. If you ever happen to be in Adrian, TRY THE PIE at the Midpoint Cafe!

The End is just the Beginning

I have long dreamed of exploring the treasures of “the Mother Road”, Route 66. Â Well, that dream comes Â true today, as I embark on my journey along Route 66, though from the West Coast to the East, rather than vice versa. Â I made it to Santa Monica Pier, the end of the line for those traveling Route 66 from the official starting point in Chicago, taking in all the wonderfulness there, including one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. Â What a place. Â I also made some new friends, including a cool couple from St. Louis who had just completed the trip, and Dan Rice, owner and proprietor of the awesome Route 66 to California shop on Santa Monica Pier. Â Dan is a wealth of knowledge about all things Route 66, having made the journey 26 times already, and he’s just dang fun to hang out with. Â The couple I mentioned and I spent several hours just chatting with Dan about all kinds of stuff, including Route 66. Â If you are ever down on the Pier, do look him up, and tell him I sent you! Â You won’t be sorry.