Topaz Labs is an incredible company that produces Photoshop plug-ins to add detail, reduce noise, and add creative effects to your images (see my Topaz Review here). You can also get a discount off the software from that same link by using my coupon code (jamesbrandon). I have used DeNoise since version 2 I believe and I have seen huge improvements since then. The program used to have issues with not completely removing noise, in patches. I would comb through the image and see random bits of noise artifacts still present. By the time DeNoise 4 came out, this problem was solved, but then a new problem arose – Photoshop CS5. Ever since getting CS5, I noticed that Topaz Adjust and DeNoise were running incredibly slow and it got to be quite annoying. I had heard reports of this from other photographers as well.

With the release of DeNoise 5, Topaz Labs has made quantum leaps in speed and performance. The program can run through a full size RAW image from a 5D Mark II (about a 25mb file) in about a minute. That’s blistering speed compared to DeNoise 4! With this update, I really think DeNoise will step into the ranks of the top noise removal programs on the market. I know there were better ones before, I just didn’t feel like spending $300 on them when I already had Topaz. Now I don’t have to feel that way anymore. DeNoise 5 is set to release to the public very soon. But there’s good news! Topaz Labs always (at least as long as I’ve used them) gives free updates to all their programs. So you can purchase DeNoise 4 or the entire Photoshop bundle now and update when the new programs come out. How cool is that!?

Below is a before and after screen shot of a zoomed in part of today’s image.

Before DeNoise

After DeNoise

Facing Future | California Surf and Travel Photography

This image was shot at Carlsbad State Beach in southern California, just a bit north of San Diego. I should probably remind you, I’m kind of in love with California. Every time I go there it gets harder to come back, but I always do! Something about the cost of living and $5 tolls on the highways…but I digress. This surfer girl spotted my wife and I taking pictures on the beach and actually paddled in to talk to us. She wanted to know if we got a shot of her wiping out on a wave which unfortunately we didn’t, lol. She was very nice and we got to talk for a bit before she headed back out in search of the perfect wave. I set up this image as she walked off into the sunset.

When I took this image, there was nothing to bring into the frame besides the sand, the waves, and the sky; the typical image. But to me, there was something unique about this one. The waves would crash and pour in about 5 feet past where I was standing every few minutes. And every time the waves receded back they would pull this deep, buried, black sand with it along with the usual sand. This black sand I guess was native to the beach but was buried underneath the normal sand. What was so cool about it was the veiny streams the waves carved out to reveal the darker sand beneath. Pair that with the incredible colors the sunset provided and the distorted lines of a 15mm fisheye lens, and you have the image below. You may also be interested to know that the only reason the sand is reflecting the colors of the sky is because a wave had just receded back to the ocean and the sand was wet and water was still streaming through the veins down to the ocean. The HDR process brings these reflections out and makes them pop, so the sand is like a mirror image of the clouds and sky above.

Low Tide at Carlsbad State Beach, California

P.S. I put my heart and soul into making these image. If you like what you see, or don’t like what you see, let me know! Comments are how I gauge whether or not I’m creating images that people love and remember. Cheers!

P.S.S. After I took this shot, we visited a place called Harbor Fish Cafe right on the beach. They had some of the best fish n’ chips I’ve ever had. And I am complete sucker for good fish n’ chips. They served the fish on a cardboard plate with a roll of paper towels. Brilliant! Can’t wait to go back!

P.S.S.S. Now I’m really hungry