Top 10 Photos of 2012 (Part 2)

The following gallery shows Part 2 of my “Top 10 Photos of 2012.” The photos are presented in chronological order. All of the photos were taken using either my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom camera (No. 1-3) or a borrowed Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi (No. 4-5). All photos were post-processed using Apple Aperture 3. “Honorable Mention” photos (20) will be posted soon.

Photo captions:

1. Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly (feeding on Purple Milkweed flowers), 17 May 2012
2. Common Green Darner dragonflies (mating pair, in tandem), 14 August 2012
3. Common Ribbonsnake, 21 August 2012
4. Black Saddlebags dragonfly (male), 10 September 2012
5. Common Buckeye butterfly (feeding on Wingstem flowers), 10 September 2012

Related Resources:

• Top 10 Photos of 2012 (Part 1)
• Honorable Mention Photos of 2012 (Part 1)
• Honorable Mention Photos of 2012 (Part 2)

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Top 10 Photos of 2012 (Part 1)

The following gallery shows Part 1 of my “Top 10 Photos of 2012.” The photos are presented in chronological order. All of the photos were taken using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom camera and post-processed using Apple Aperture 3.

Photo captions:

1. Red-tailed Hawk, 06 February 2012
2. Red-winged Blackbird (male), 17 March 2012
3. Barred Owl, 03 April 2012
4. Barred Owl (female), 21 April 2012
5. Eastern Screech-Owl (female), 21 April 2012

Related Resources:

• Top 10 Photos of 2012 (Part 2)
• Honorable Mention Photos of 2012 (Part 1)
• Honorable Mention Photos of 2012 (Part 2)

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Fall foliage at Huntley Meadows Park

Fall foliage at Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia USA.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Happy Holidays!

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Masonic emblem

The Masonic emblem, viewed from the observation deck of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia USA.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

HDR composite image redux

I used Adobe Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS5 to create a 16-bit HDR composite image from three exposures of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia USA.

Tech Tips: I used “More Saturated,” one of the Photoshop “Local Adaption” presets; no other adjustments were changed. I saved the resulting composite image to Lightroom, where I cropped the image, adjusted “Clarity” and added a vignette. Finally, I used the “Spot Removal” tool to remove several dust spots on the camera image sensor.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

George Washington Masonic Memorial

I used Adobe Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS5 to create a photorealistic 32-bit pseudo-HDR composite image from three exposures of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia USA. I used Lightroom to make all of the adjustments to the composite image.

The iconic compass and square are symbolic Freemasonry tools; “G” stands for God and geometry.

Tech Tips: I applied “Direct Positive,” one of the “Lightroom Color Presets,” cropped the image, adjusted “Clarity” and added a vignette. Finally, I used the “Spot Removal” tool to remove several dust spots on the camera image sensor.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

George Washington

A statue of George Washington inside the George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia USA.

Tech Tips: BorderFX, a free plug-in for Apple Aperture, was used to add a text watermark to the photos.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Washington, D.C. skyline

The skyline of Washington, D.C. USA viewed from the George Washington Masonic Memorial observation deck. From this vantage point, the viewer is looking toward the Potomac River. The Washington Monument and Thomas Jefferson Memorial are visible on the left side of the photo; the U.S. Capitol Building is visible on the right side. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is visible on the near side of the river.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Old Town Alexandria

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia USA viewed from the George Washington Masonic Memorial observation deck. From this vantage point, the viewer is looking down King Street toward the Potomac River. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge is shown in the upper-right corner of the photograph.

Tech Tips: This photo was shot using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi camera and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L zoom lens, set for 34mm.

Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com