World Photography Day 2011 - Downtown Hampton HDR

Today's blog is in celebration of World Photography Day. It features an HDR image of Downtown Hampton, Virginia on the Hampton River. I shot three images right after sunset, 1 correctly exposed, 1 over exposed by a stop and 1 under exposed by a stop then blended all three images into 1 image in Photomatix Pro. The benefit of HDR and blending more than 1 exposure into a final image is that you don't lose any detail in the shadows or highlights and you have much more exposure latitude, than in any one image. The down side is that the image saturation and hues can look a little unrealistic if not adjusted for the final image.

As always your comments are always welcome!

Copyright Notice

All images appearing herein are the exclusive property of B. Payden Photography, LLC. and are protected under the United States (USC Title 17) and international Copyright laws.

The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Bryant L. Payden Jr.

Use of any image in any manner or in any medium is a violation of the United States (USC Title 17) and international Copyright laws. All images are Copyrighted © B. Payden Photography, LLC.

www.bpaydenphotography.com
bryant@bpaydenphotography.com
757-771-5857

"Angels Prayer" Congressional Cemetery - Washington DC

Regular visitors to my Blog will notice that I haven't posted anything new in almost a year. I have been very busy the past year and am now getting back to the basics. I am going to start posting more consistently to this blog and not devote all my energies to my latest art project "The Poetry of Motion." I look forward to interacting more with my fellow photographers, friends, fans and followers. Now onto today's post.......

The image above was shot on a spring day at Congressional Cemetery in SE Washington DC. I had just finished a photo job in Forestville, MD and was feeling creative and wanted to find something close in DC that I hadn't visited and shot numerous times already.

My navigator under "historic places" suggested Congressional Cemetery and it was only a few miles away! The wedding photographers I had trained with back in 2005-2006 visited Congressional many times and told me what a lovely old cemetery park it was. I had completely forgotten about this hidden gem that had been recommended to me over 15 years ago.

As i drew closer I could feel the creativity building inside me and couldn't wait to arrive. When I did arrive I found the park staff had already closed and were leaving for the afternoon, upon seeing my photography gear and seeing my keen interest in history from the questions I was asking they gladly unlocked the office and spent several minutes talking to me and giving me as many historical brochures as I could carry away. They explained to me that they were leaving but invited me to spend some time shooting in the park as it was still open until sunset.

The Cemetery is full of historic residents and is still open for funerals today. The park is a quiet contemplative respite in the middle of our nations Capital and was like a breath of fresh air after the city's pressures. I leisurely strolled the grounds and saw many beautiful and historic markers for both politicians, presidents, and the common man. This angel marker was particularly poignant for me as it overlooked two small markers for children that had passed. One marker was a cherub in repose and the other was a baby lamb. I adjusted my tripod and camera settings and snapped a few images, quietly contemplated the sadness this unknown family must have felt, losing two small children, and then respectfully moved on.

Upon arriving home I completed my post production work on the images from that beautiful spring day, marked my favorites and moved on to other work and shoots. I came back to this image several months after shooting it, adjusted the image a little and decided I wanted to share it with the world. When I visit an old cemetery with my camera, it's not a sad or depressing visit, to me I think it's respectful to quietly reflect on those that had gone before us, whether we knew them or not, they are still remembered and thought of. To me it's a celebration of life. I love the quiet contemplative feel of this sad angel mourning the two children, I hope this image portrays a little of the quiet respectful contemplation I felt that day sharing that moment with them and their memory.

I invite you to visit Congressional Cemetery if you find yourself in DC and need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Copyright Notice

All images appearing herein are the exclusive property of B. Payden Photography, LLC. and are protected under the United States (USC Title 17) and international Copyright laws.

The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Bryant L. Payden Jr.

Use of any image in any manner or in any medium is a violation of the United States (USC Title 17) and international Copyright laws. All images are Copyrighted © B. Payden Photography, LLC.

www.bpaydenphotography.com
bryant@bpaydenphotography.com
757-771-5857