Cruising Norwegian Prima

Cruise time again. I was so excited when we booked one of the newest ship Prima that I could not wait to see what new cruising would look like. First, the boat was beautiful and had some great ideas. The pool hanging out in the water was cool. The restaurant with IPAD ordering was interesting and different; it made it fun. The back boat bar was relaxing when nobody was around. And the top-level front was great. The staff was A-1.

Norwegian in Cozumel, Mexico

That was all of the pluses. The negative was that this ship was not made for the number of people on our cruise. The pool was so packed you could only stand. The entertainment, unless you found a seat about 1 hour or more from an event, you would not see it. This includes music in a few places they had. Food was average; if you liked one menu for the whole week, this was your boat. (For me, I don't like) Thanks to the Vibe Club, it made this vacation a vacation. Without it, I would not have been thrilled. If this is the future of Cruising, it maybe time to look at something else. Like the airlines cutting back, sadly, it's looking like Cruising may be doing the same thing. Possibly it is just Norwegian, just like my old saying. Just because you have one lousy steak does not mean all steak is terrible.

Working with what you are given when it comes to travel photography

I love to travel and all of the places I have been to. Most of those have been on vacation—most of the time, it's on a cruise when I am on vacation. When you cruise and arrive at the islands and take a tour, it's not in the so call best light. Take, for example, the island of TORTOLA in the Caribbeans.

The Island of Tortola

My wife and I signed up for an excursion to one of their popular beaches. We are in a van and heading to the beach, looking out the window. Taking what was given me, I was able to pull off some pictures that I felt summed up the island.

The Beach

While not in ideal conditions, I took pictures that I liked. I always want to take something that is not a snapshot. Maybe someday, we may go back and spend time on this island and get those pictures that we all love. Sunrise and Sunset. Until then, I will enjoy the vacation and what I love. Photography.

Rain in the tropics

Good Morning Cincinnati, Ohio

Good morning Cincinnati! Last week I needed to go to 3 large cities in three days. Usually, I always carry my Canon equipment with me, but I have been playing more and more with my iPhone, and this is the case again. While I say this, if I am on a professional job, I can do more and better with my Canon equipment.( at least at this time)

Cincinnati,Ohio

As much time I practice my photography, I also do this in my post processing. I have been recently going thru some classes with Ricord learning true compositing. I say true because I want to make it seem like it was there. Some call this not natural photography. I call it art and, yes, photography. Just about every picture is corrected one way or another that you see on the web, in magazines, and so on. The cameras do have their limitation.

I looked at this photo from my hotel room. Out came my iPhone, and I made about four shots and looked at which one was best as far as focus. The original sky was nothing to write home about, so you got it; the sky was replaced with a sky I wanted and made it feel like a sunrise. But, most importantly, for me, a picture I like.

Playing with Light

Last week I talked about playing with constant light. Today I am going to continue talking about light and not flash. We were in Chicago and had the opportunity to work with some models and develop our skills using constant light. For me, I wanted to experiment with my 50mm 1.2 lens and using 1.2. I was also using a Kelvin setting of 3600. Kelvin is color. Using a block with a mixture of light, we sat the model down, and I wanted her head to lean towards the light. After watching her for a while, I needed more light. With that said, I brought an Icelight with me. This is a constant light made by Westcott because I was using Kelvin 3800 and counter my main light with an orange gel on it.

Icelight with a orange gel for more light to the face

Now time for the pictures. I had my assistant and had them bring the light in as close as possible but still have it out of my picture.

The Final

I have always wanted to take pictures like these. Living in a small town, and they don’t have the constant light you see in the bigger cities. That does not mean you can’t do it, and it was just not what I wanted. I am glad I brought the Icelight with me; we found later that no flash was allowed in this area without a permit. I have used the ice light before at a wedding and for some product shoots but never for an event like this. I enjoyed the practice I had that night and the pictures that came about. Making it look natural for me is what I like.