Brianized

Blog

  • Just an Alley

    Another before and after today. The first photo is the original. It’s an alleyway in Gent, Belgium, and there are signs, cars, and even a person just entering the frame. Seconds later, there were a dozen people here so this is the shot. That’s all I have.

    The image is too dark, but that’s to keep detail in the sky. I used Lightroom and Photoshop to enhance it, to change the geometry so the buildings are straight, make it B&W, and remove all the things that distract from the alley itself. I ended up with a 4×5 crop to keep the immersive aspect of the photo without concentrating too much on sky or foreground.

    So what started as “just an alley” becomes something much more interesting.

  • Make it Work

    Derica and I were out for a walk yesterday. We have started walking twice a day whenever possible and aiming for 6 miles a day… yeah. Lots of walking.

    Anyway, she was playing with an app that she described as “Pokémon go for nature lovers”, and was taking photos of various things as we walked.

    We saw these cormorants hanging out in a tree overlooking the lake. She had photographed them already but didn’t like the image due to backlighting. I have to agree, the backlit birds showed no detail. So… why not go with that?

    I took a few frames with my iPhone and after a little playing with the cropping and adjusting to make it black and white and more contrasty, I think I got a pretty good result.

    Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iOS editing software

  • Vrijdagmark, Gent, Belgium

    The square is called Vrijdagmark, and it ltranslates to “Friday Market”. I captured the image with my Sony a7Cii and Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 lens in RAW mode.

    The statue in the square is of Jacob van ArteveldeThe textiles industry in Ghent was revived and Artevelde was hailed a hero. In 1345 he was murdered during a riot. Since 1863 his statue at Vrijdagmarkt has been pointing to England.

    I loaded the photo into Lightroom and did some standard adjustments, unsure of what the final image would be. Then, I loaded that image into Photoshop.

    I don’t like having the people in that shot as it takes the timelessness of the photo away in my opinion. So, they had to go. Then I realized I preferred a black and white rendition.

    Ultimately, the composition was too long and wide, and the main subject, the statue, wasn’t in a great position. So, I cropped the image to place him in the top right third, with his hand pointing into the photo, keeping your attention inside the frame.

    The exact cropping meant the building at the lower left had to have a bit of it rebuilt. Photoshop to the rescue.

    And here is the final image:

  • St James Church, Gent, Belgium

    A view of St James Church in Gent, Belgium. The original had people, wires, etc all over, so I edited those out.
    Sony a7cii with Tamron 17-28 Lens

    This is the edited version of the image… the unedited versions is here…

    This is something I love to do sometimes. Take an image that would otherwise be unusable, and convert it into art. Is it “true to life”? Not necessarily, but, it’s fun to turn trash into treasure!

  • Belgium and France

    We recently returned from a trip to Gent, Belgium which included stops in Lille, France, as well as areas in Champagne, like Pommery, and ended in Paris.

  • Business Cards

    Everyone needs business cards, right?

    I need them because otherwise I am just some weird guy taking photos of people…

    Legitimacy! Also, explains what I am doing.

    I create photographs.

    Anyway, here’s my business card (yes I have physical cards coming):

    …and the back!

    Seems about perfect for what I do!

  • The Generic Blog Post.

    Yep. I started a blog. How often will I post? Dunno. What will I post? Mostly photo and video related things, with the occasional random something.

    Thanks!

    -B