Photoshop Filters

There are days when I feel like I live in Photoshop, yet even after so many years of using this software I feel like I know about 10% of the program. Take Photoshop plugins, for example. The plugins that come with Photoshop (once part of a stand alone system of filters called Gallery Effects) are often problematic and not all that flattering. With a bit of tweaking you can bring them around, especially in conjunction with layers and blending modes. But life just keeps getting better and better.

There are thousands of great Photoshop plug-ins, but I'll name just a couple here. I love the Nik filters (added as plug-ins to your Filter menu) and use Color Efex Pro often. Recently I bought a set of Topaz filters that are great fun, giving some painterly effects without too much work.

The image posted here started out as a photo of a small manta ray from the recently renovated Seattle Aquarium. You can see its startling mouth and eyes, but I felt like it needed a bit of tweaking. I enhanced color with the Topaz Simplify Filter.

Mama Bear

After some thought, I have decided to veer away from curmudgeonly opinions and stick to what I know best: photography. My thought is to post an interesting photo and give some background. This process will be intermittent, as I do have a life besides blogging.

I photographed this beautiful black bear mother and her two little cubs at Anan Creek, one of the best places in Alaska to see black (and occasional brown) bears. The U.S. Forest Services maintains this area south of the town of Wrangell and it is only accessible by floatplane or boat. For this photograph, I used an 80-400 Nikon telephoto (since swapped for a Sigma 150-500 because of the slow performance of the lens), and shot from a spacious viewing deck at the creek. This mom took good care of her babies, regularly bringing them salmon from the stream just below. I have visited here many times while serving as a photo tour leader for Dolphin Charters. Each time I take hundreds of photos of the bears as they swipe and dive for fish. It's always a fascinating sight.