I wanted to check on the Osprey nest in downtown Winter Park, Florida. I decided to leave (very) early so I could also make some night time / low light photos in the area. I’ve done that before (see: /https://edrosack.com/2015/10/03/winter-park-at-night/). Here are a few of the results from this time.
Colony Theater BuildingThe Colony Theater on Park Avenue in Winter Park Florida first opened in 1940. Matinees during WW II cost 39 cents. The theater closed in 1975 and was converted to retail space (see winterparkmag.com/history/). It’s still photogenic. This is a single frame (ISO 100, 26mm, f/8 @ 3.2 sec.)
Bright blooms at nightWhen I saw that planter in full bloom in front of an interesting building across the street, I knew I had to make a photo. But I wanted everything in focus and both the flowers and the building / lights well exposed. I made three frames: one focused and exposed for the flowers (ISO 100, 35mm, f/8 @ 20 sec.) and two more focused on the building (ISO 100, 35mm, f/8 @ 10 sec. and 4 sec). I did an HDR blend of the building exposures in Lightroom, and loaded the result along with the flower exposure into separate Photoshop layers. There, I aligned and masked the sharp flowers into the building layer. It took a few minutes, but I like the result.
Almost emptyThis one is a three frame exposure bracket (ISO 100, 24mm, f/8 @ 4, 10, and 20 sec.). I first called it “Empty street”, but then noticed the three ghostly figures and changed the title. The header image in this web post is an enlargement of the center.
Very early trainI set up and made a test shot while I waited for a train to come through (ISO 100, 53mm, f/7.1 @ 25 sec.). I wanted a long exposure to show a lengthy train streak. When I looked at the image later on my computer, I didn’t like the way the train headlight changed the lighting on the trees, so I ended up using the test frame as the base image and blending in the train streak from the other frame. I’m glad I had that test shot to use!
Anyway, I like how these turned out and I thought maybe you’d be interested in a brief overview of how I made them. And by the way, Momma Osprey was on the nest but I don’t think any chicks have hatched yet. I’ll try to go back and get some photos of them.
You can review my other posts about Winter Park here: https://edrosack.com/category/photo-ops-in-florida/winter-park/. And you can view other photos from there in this album on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrosack/albums/72157636838442164/with/10424895284/.
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog! Your visits, comments, and likes are always welcome and a big motivator for me. Stay positive, be kind, take care of yourselves and each other. And if you can, make some photos!
©2022, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved
Wow…all the time I’ve lived in Central Florida and I’ve never thought about shooting Park Ave at night. Thanks for the inspriation!
You’re very welcome Jeff! It’s a pretty place in the daytime, too.
Thank you for the How To. Info. Very helpful! Appreciate it and your images turned out real good!
You’re welcome Dorothy, I’m glad you liked it.
I’m always a little worried that people won’t be interested in the how-to posts.
Thank you not only for the terrific photographs from a different perspective, but also for including the technical information. I always seem to learn something from your posts!
Enjoy our new week!
Thanks Wally. I learn a lot from your blog too!
Ed – Thank you for taking the time to share your photos and various details. Your experience over time shows how important both learning and practicing are. I see how you have gained great skill with both camera & computer since your earliest posts – your recent images look super nice – I like them more and more as you share your recent images.
You’re welcome Matthew. To me, one reason photography is so interesting is because it’s challenging and constantly changing – especially with new software coming out all the time. I enjoy sharing things on the blog that may help others.