Category: Photo Techniques

Nine-Years Ago (02-September-2019) — Wyoming

Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 8: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

I spent the night in Jackson Hole and got up early to see Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park before going to Yellowstone National Park. I remember that it was very cold at Jenny Lake with a little bit of ice just at the shore. Even at 18 mm with the D200 camera (equivalent to 27 mm on a full frame camera) you could not get the entire view across the lake with one image. I took several images because I was told that there was software that could stitch several images together for a panorama. I didn’t have the software when I took the images. Back then I only had a flimsy tripod, no remote shutter,  and my fingers were getting really cold.

What is right or wrong with these two images? You need to open and look at the images in a full screen mode. One panorama was done with Photoshop CS5 and the other with an early version of either AutoPano or PTGui. If I have time later today I will redo a panorama using newer/current versions of the software.

Early Morning Jenny Lake Reflections Panorama. Composite of nine images taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-75 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). Images processed with Nikon Capture NX2 and composite created with Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Early Morning Jenny Lake Reflections Panorama. Composite of nine images taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-75 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). Images processed with Nikon Capture NX2 and composite created with Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Early Morning Jenny Lake Reflections Panorama. Composite of nine images taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-75 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). Images processed with Nikon Capture NX2 and composite created with PTGui or AutoPano Giga. (David J Mathre)
Early Morning Jenny Lake Reflections Panorama. Composite of nine images taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-75 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). Images processed with Nikon Capture NX2 and composite created with PTGui or AutoPano Giga. (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (01-September-2015) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

The second set of images for today. Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly, Hummingbird Clearwing moth, Praying Mantis (that just missed catching a Hummingbird Clearwing moth for Lunch), and a Bee. They were all attracted to the Thistle flowers. I missed most of the butterfly and clearwing butterfly moth season while having my cataract surgery. My eyes are healing, I am seeing better, and now finally getting used to being out in the sun (with wrap-around sunglasses).


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Praying Mantis hunting on a Thistle flower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (David J Mathre)
Praying Mantis hunting on a Thistle flower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (David J Mathre)
Honey Bee approaching a Thistle flower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (David J Mathre)
Honey Bee approaching a Thistle flower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (01-September-2015)– New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

There will be two sets images for today. The first group will be some very small wildflowers, a grass seed head, and thistle flowers. My eyes are healing after cataract surgery, and I am getting better and used to being out in the sun (with wrap-around sunglasses).


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Grass seed head. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (David J Mathre)
Grass seed head. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (David J Mathre)

Nine-Years Ago (01-September-2006) — Wyoming

Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 7: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Two weeks before my “Gone to See America 2006 Trip” I bought my first DSLR camera (a Nikon D200, based on a recommendation from my brother) and two lenses. I admit I didn’t know how to use the camera, and the manual was not much help. As soon as I got back from the trip I knew I needed to learn a lot more. Even back then I could tell that there was good and really bad information on the web. Tom Hogan’s D200 book was much more helpful than the Nikon manual supplied with the camera.

Today I am including a before and after image from that trip. When I went on the “Gone to See America 2006 trip” I didn’t know any better, and only saved JPG images — which meant there was much less information available later for reprocessing. Since then, I only saved the RAW image data. You need to look at the full images to see the difference of nine years of better programs, and better knowledge of how to reprocess images (and this was using the out of the camera JPG image, not the full RAW image data which I didn’t have). I have to admit since then I have saved every image — good, bad, and ugly. You learn from the bad and ugly. Never know when a new program will be developed to convert it to something useful. You also get ideas if you ever go back to the same location.

I hope to hear from viewers if they do see a difference in these images.

Jenny Lake and Reflections. Grand Teton National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). Original JPG processed with Nikon Capture NX2 (David J Mathre)
Jenny Lake and Reflections. Grand Teton National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). Original JPG processed with Nikon Capture NX2 (David J Mathre)
Jenny Lake and Reflections. Grand Teton National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). Original JPG processed with Capture One Pro, Photoshop CC, and NIK Color Efex Pro (David J Mathre)
Jenny Lake and Reflections. Grand Teton National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). Original JPG processed with Capture One Pro, Photoshop CC, and NIK Color Efex Pro (David J Mathre)

Six-Years Ago (30-August-2009) — Alaska

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 09: Alaska Marine Highway on the MV Columbia.

Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 along the Wrangle Narrows.  From the deck of the MV Columbia on the Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec).

Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 From the deck of the MV Columbia (Alaska Marine Highway). Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)
Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 From the deck of the MV Columbia (Alaska Marine Highway). Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)