Photo Of The Day, Aug 27 2013 - Clouds Rolling In

Clouds Rolling In, Nisqually Vista, Mt. Rainier

On this trip to Mt. Rainier it wasn't exactly a picture perfect sunny day - but the clouds made for a dramatic black and white image.

This was a single RAW image HDR processed with Nik HDR Efex Pro 2 and converted to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

Another image from the same hike:

Nisqually Vista, Mt. Rainier

This was a 3 exposure RAW HDR, bracketed +- 2, HDR processing with Nik HDR Efex Pro 2.

Big Wheel Keep On Turning - Photo Of The Day - August 11, 2013

Big Wheel Keep On Turning

Seattle's Great Wheel. I included the sun for a bit of flare, and post processed in black and white for dramatic effect.

Locomotive Breath - Photo Of The Day, August 4, 2013

Locomotive Breath

This is a photograph I took of the locomotive at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, which runs between Elbe, WA and Mineral, WA.

It's a beautiful 40 minute ride from Elbe to Mineral, with the train turning around at Mineral for the ride back to Elbe. I took this when the engine was turning around to join the back of the train.

 I used a manual focus Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AI at f/2.5, which gave me sharp focus for the engine and an out of focus background, which helped add to the vintage look. Black and white conversion was using Nik Silver Efex, and included using a blue filter to darken the green foliage for some additional contrast against the engine. I like the vintage look I was able to achieve.

Here's another shot I took which shows the gorgeous landscape in the background a little better:

Engine, Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad