Category: Photo Competitions

09Apr

BiF – Graceful Sacred Ibis

Posted in Digital Photo Challenge, eShop, Flora and Fauna, General, Photo Competitions, Portfolio, Print for Sale, Road Trip, Wildlife | 4 Comments

If you have ever seen these birds wading through a wetland or simply walking about in search of food you’d probably not take a second look. They’ve been called ugly, ungainly, odd. But caught in flight they are particularly graceful.

"Graceful" © Harvey Grohmann 2013 All Rights Reserved

“Graceful” © Harvey Grohmann 2013 All Rights Reserved

Shot details: Nikon D7000 | Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX HSM OS @420mm with Sigma TC 1.4x
ISO-800 | f/7.1 | 1/5000s | EV -0.3 | Hand Held
Post Processing in part with Topaz Labs
Location: @ LC De Villiers, Pta, South Africa.

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips, Triggers, Timers, Batteries etc: BandH
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
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22Mar

Pure

Posted in Digital Photo Challenge, Photo Competitions, Portfolio, Portrait, Print for Sale, Studio | 1 Comment

When one looks up the description of a “Portrait” on Wikipedia the explanation and examples are that of taking either full face or full length image (or painting which is the origination of the art form dating back centuries). One sentence however is most prominent to me:

…in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position.

Not just body posture, head angle and arms but eyes themselves provide a clue to the subjects mood, character and feelings.

"Pure" © Harvey Grohmann 2013 All Rights Reserved

“Pure” © Harvey Grohmann 2013 All Rights Reserved

Shot details: Nikon D7000 | Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX HSM OS @85mm
ISO-800 | f/8 | 1/100s | EV -0.7 | Hand Held
Post Processing in part with Topaz Labs.
Location: Studio

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips, Triggers, Timers, Batteries etc: BandH
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
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08Feb

In-Flight Snack – DPC Free Study Honourable Mention

Posted in Digital Photo Challenge, eShop, Flora and Fauna, Locations, Photo Competitions, Photography 101, Portfolio, Print for Sale, Road Trip, Rural, Wildlife, Workshop | Leave a comment

4th / 217 entries, awarded an Honourable Mention in last months
Digital Photography Challenge January 2013 Free Study !
Contact me for tuition, workshops, photo tours and event photography or to have this image printed on canvas for your home or office, click here for pricing.

In-Flight Snack © Harvey Grohmann 2013 All Rights Reserved

In-Flight Snack © Harvey Grohmann 2013 All Rights Reserved

Shot details: Nikon D7000 and Sigma 100-300mm F/4 EX IF HSM @300mm.
ISO-800 | f/6.3 | 1/2000s | EV +0.3 | Post Processing in part with Topaz Labs.
Hand Held

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips, Triggers, Timers, Batteries etc: BandH
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
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19Jan

The Summit

Posted in Digital Photo Challenge, Flora and Fauna, Macro, Photo Competitions, Portfolio, Print for Sale, Road Trip, Wildlife | 2 Comments

This is my best shot (most satisfying) for 2012. One I’ve been trying to capture of this iconic African image for years, with the little Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus viettei) sitting atop his prize actually looking at the camera and not off into the distance. It was taken in the Hoedspruit area of Mpumalanga, South Africa.

They are the funniest to watch as they roll the ball backwards hundreds of feet to a carefully selected soft soil spot where they can safely bury it. Burial of animal faeces also reduces and controls the fly population. This trait is why Africa has less flies than an Australian B-B-Q. Every few seconds they clamber on top and do a 360 to get their bearings. Inside they lay their larva, which hatch later when temperature and moisture activate any trapped seeds, aiding in the propagation of plants. Isn’t nature amazing? They feed partly or exclusively on faeces, gross right? All of these species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea.I entered it at DP Challenge some time ago.

Contact me for tuition, workshops, photo tours and event photography.

Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus viettei) © Harvey Grohmann 2012 All Rights Reserved

Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus viettei) © Harvey Grohmann 2012 All Rights Reserved

Shot details: Nikon D90 and Sigma 100-300mm F/4.0 EX IF HSM.
ISO-400 | f/8 | 1/640s | EV -0.7 | Post Processing in part with Topaz Labs.

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips, Triggers, Timers, Batteries etc: BandH
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
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18Jan

Yellow-billed Kite in flight, Winterton, MP

Posted in Digital Photo Challenge, eShop, Locations, Photo Competitions, Portfolio, Print for Sale, Road Trip, Rural, Wildlife | 1 Comment

Non-Captive Yellow-billed Kite with flying termite catch in claws shot in the wild. Hand held.

I actually worked a lot on this one for a change. Some interesting techniques especially to remove sharpening artefacts. RAW to TIFF. Mask Bird, Smart Sharpen, Topaz Labs DeNoise 5 BG, subtly enhance clarity using Topaz Labs Detail 3 and Topaz Labs Simplify 4 to remove some sharpening highlights. Crop. Increase Contrast +10%. Increase Saturation +10%. Entered it into a Challenge at DPC here but cropped more in your face version.

Yellow-billed Kite in flight

Yellow-billed Kite in flight, Winterton, RSA. © Harvey Grohmann, 2013, All Rights reserved

Shot details: Nikon D7000 and Sigma 100-300mm F/4.0 EX IF HSM.
ISO-800 f/10 1/1250s. Post Processing in part with Topaz Labs DeNoise 5.

Contact me for tuition, workshops, photo tours and event photography.

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips, Triggers, Timers, Batteries etc: BandH
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
(more…)