Aruba - One Happy Island

We just got back from a trip to Aruba. We have been there several times before and keep going back for many reasons. I will share some of those reasons over the next few entries. Today's blog image is of a sailboat making its way across the pastel-colored water during a sunrise. I've rendered an impressionistic view of what is a daily occurrence along the west coast waters of Aruba. I can't get enough of the beautiful water and the scenes that are painted daily right before your eyes.

Sarasota, Florida

I attended a wedding in Sarasota last week and had a great time. I've been to many parts of Florida but it's the first time I have really been to this part of Florida and absolutely found it to be a great place.

Here are four images that I made during some down time between the many fantastic pre- and post-wedding activities. The image with the kids was made at Lido Beach (actually a Key) while the other three were captured on Longboat Key. Two nice places to visit. I wish I had more time to explore and I will in the future.

All images were shot in color. I decided to convert these four to B/W using the Infrared filter in Nik Software's Color Efex Pro 3.0. Nik now has a dedicated B/W software called Silver Efex Pro that is fantastic.

I also added grain to the images using the Nik Software. Sometimes I use the "Film Effects" filter and select a "high speed" film that adds a certain tone and grain, while other times I will use the "Film Grain" filter to simply add grain. It's trial and error to get the image the way you want it.

I've printed the images and framed them together in a horizontal format. I think they represent my short visit to the beach very well.