Category Archives: Photography

Postcard: Orcas Island

Posted by on May 12th, 2013

IsaiahBrookshire-Cavern-Falls-Moran-State-Park

Usually when I write these postcard posts, I end up writing way more than you’d find on the back of a 3X5 piece of paper. This time, I’ll make it quick. Last week my wife and I headed up to the sunny San Juan Islands for a little camping. We found a nice spot by a lake on Orcas Island and settled in for a couple of days of hiking, reading, and getting sun burned. This trip marks a shift for me personally and professionally (more on that in a future post) and it was a wonderful opportunity to breathe some fresh air. Life is moving quickly and I’m having trouble finding the words to sum it all up so I’ll end here and leave you with a couple more photos to enjoy. Cheers!

Isaiah-Brookshire-Stars-Mountian-Lake-Moran

IsaiahBrookshire-Dock-Mountian-Lake-Moran-Orcas-Island

Postcard: Mt. Rainier National Park

Posted by on April 29th, 2013

Mt Rainier National Park Christine Falls

Last week was National Park Week and that meant free admission to some of the most beautiful and photogenic natural wonders around. I decided to celebrate my National Park Week by heading out to Mt. Rainier National Park here in Washington.  Continue reading

158 Megapixel Panorama of Seattle (and beyond)

Posted by on April 25th, 2013
Seattle Pano Kerry Park Space Needle Mt Rainier Small

Scroll down for the full-rez version.

Even if you’ve never heard of Seattle’s Kerry Park, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a photo taken there. The park gives visitors a sweeping view of the city’s skyline flanked by the glaciated summit of Mt. Rainier in the background. After months of clouds and sunsets too early to catch, I finally had the chance to shoot the iconic vista — something I’ve wanted to do since I arrived in Seattle.

The panorama below (of which the first image is just a small part) was created by stitching together 27 vertical photos taken at 200mm. The final image is nearly 45,000 pixels long or 12.5 feet at 300ppi and would take a 158 megapixel sensor to capture all at once. Use the controls to zoom in and explore Seattle or, If you’d rather accesses the full resolution image, click here (be careful, it’s huge!). 

For those of you who like scavenger hunts, here’s a small list of things waiting to be discovered in the panorama:

  • At least 4 jumbo jets 
  • At least 2 radio stations
  • A guy in bright red pants
  • The club house at a golf course all the way over in Newcastle!
  • Montana
  • The dome of First Convenant Church, the steeple of Seattle First Baptist Church, the steeple of Swedish Medical Center’s James Tower, and the twin towers of Immaculate Conception Church.
  • At least 18 construction cranes (not counting the cargo cranes used to unload ships)

This is by far the biggest most detailed panorama I’ve ever taken. I hope you enjoy it and let me know if you find any fun or quirky details as you comb it over.

Oregon Coast (3 of 8)

Postcard: Oregon Coast

Posted by on March 31st, 2013

Oregon Coast (6 of 8)

This week, I’m hitting the road and taking my office to the rugged beaches of southern Oregon. I’m looking forward to sweeping views of jagged sea stacks and bleached driftwood peeking over the top of my laptop. Who knows, I might even take the occasional break to do some hiking and kayaking too. I know, it’s a hard life.  Continue reading

Creating Stills from Video with the Canon 5D Mark III

Posted by on March 15th, 2013

5d mark III stills from video (1 of 1)

There’s been a lot of buzz about motion image photography specifically surrounding super high resolution cameras like the Canon 1D C. With the advent of cameras that shoot video at resolutions higher than standard HD, it is now possible to pull still images directly from video with surprising results.

I’ve been shooting with a Canon 5D Mark III for about a month now, and I decided to go back and pluck some still shots from my video using the “capture frame” feature in Adobe Lightroom 4. I’ve posted a series of images here showing both edited and unedited stills. All the following images were uploaded in their full resolution to give you a more accurate picture of what to expect. Click on the photos to view them at 100%.  Continue reading

How-to: Colorizing Old Photos in Lightroom 4

Posted by on March 7th, 2013

Theodore Roosevelt in ColorLately I’ve been really impressed by the work of Sanna Dullaway who is taking iconic photos from the early days of photography and bringing them vividly to life through colorization. You can see some of Sanna’s best work in this gallery. I love this approach not only to updating old photos but also for adding a vintage look to modern photos.

In fact, I used this technique to process the photo I’m currently using as a profile picture. Achieving the effect takes a little time but is fairly simple. First I desaturated the RAW file and then colored in the photo just like I would with a photo that was originally taken in black and white.

I’ve made a quick screencast of the process using a photo of Theodore Roosevelt. The whole thing clocks in around 11 minutes and breaks down the process step-by-step. The actual colorization of the Roosevelt photo took me around an hour.

How a smartphone made me a better photographer

Posted by on March 4th, 2013

Google Nexus 4 Sample Photos-7

A few months ago I bought Google’s Nexus 4 smartphone. Since then, I’ve found myself picking it up more often than my DSLRs and I can honestly say it has made me a better photographer. True, the image quality doesn’t hold a candle to a camera like Canon’s 5D Mark III and the sensor noise is often downright ugly, but there is something very freeing about shooting with a smartphone that has changed the way I work. Continue reading

Hello New Friend Goodbye Old Friend

Posted by on August 21st, 2012

First, some very sad news. My B+W circular polarizer has taken a trip to filter heaven. I’d like to tell you it died protecting my lens from a motorcycle crash or falling on jagged rocks during a mountain climb, but the sad truth is that it met its end falling two feet off of my bed. Continue reading

I don't have a photography degree. Clearly I have no idea what I'm doing. Photo by Ben Ayers

Should I Get a Photography Degree?

Posted by on August 18th, 2012

I don’t have a photography degree. Clearly I have no idea what I’m doing. Photo by Ben Ayers

Okay, you are considering a career in photography and want to know if you need a college degree. Before you are up to your eyeballs in art school debt, I hope you will at least consider this advice — go to college but major in something else. And I would give the same advice to anyone considering a degree in journalism. Continue reading

Dirtbiking in the Andes near Cusco (6 of 9)

On Assignment: Posts from a Motorcycle

Posted by on August 16th, 2012

I’m hitting a super busy season here in Peru. As my time in Cusco comes to an end (We are heading for Chile on August 31) I’m wrapping up assignments for four different non-profits/travel companies. Getting everything done is a little stressful but mostly a lot of fun and I’m glad my time in Peru is ending on a high note. Continue reading

2012-8-Isaiah-Brookshire-Wallpaper-Andean-Lake

August Wallpaper and Cover Photo

Posted by on August 12th, 2012

This month’s wallpaper and cover photo come from a lake high above the city of Cusco in Peru. Click on the photos to open a full resolution version, then right click and select “save as.”

About the image: This photo was taken on a Canon 40D with a 10-22mm lens at  21mm. My exposure time was 1/250th of a second with an apature of f8.0 and an ISO of 400. I used Lightroom’s graduated filter feature to darken down the sky and add color.