With this image, I tried to think outside the viewfinder and get more creative.  This is a 6 second exposure with a 2.8 f-stop and an ISO of 800.  The exposure compensation is at +0.7 and there is no flash. I have the camera set on a Manfrotto tripod and head. There is no Photoshop done to this image, except to place my copyright.  I was excited to see the stars in the background.  I have always wanted to create a photo like this and now that I see the results, others will follow.

As stated in the previous blog, I have been trying various filters in Photoshop, but also trying to not over do it.  This is a shot of one of the hot air balloons in flight during the Chester County Balloon Festival.  The original shot is in color.  In Photoshop, I have available the Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete software that helps me to convert color images to black & white images.  I added a Sepia tone and burned the entire image using the Burn tool in Photoshop.

Chester County Balloon Festival

On June 15th I had the pleasure of photographing the Chester County Balloon Festival in Embreeville.  While there, I met up with Carol and Bob from the Uwchlan Camera Club and with Ed Heaton and his son.  I have never been to a balloon festival and really did not know what the Glow Finale was all about, but I was anticipating what I would see.  At first, there were rumors flying around that the Glow would not be held due to the weather.  As the time for the Glow came and went, people began to leave.  An hour later, trailers pulled into the fenced off area, and as darkness settled in, the Glow began.  It was truly an amazing sight.  I was not prepared to be so close, and tried to get the best shots I could with my Sigma 60mm macro.  I am still sifting through the shots and trying different Photoshop filter effects.  More to come...