About...
mMitchell.com
The Site
- This site has been registered with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
- All images on
this site were taken and are owned by me, Mitch Mitchell. They may not be
copied or used without my written consent.
- mMitchell.com is compatible with Google Chrome and
Firefox. Other browsers should work but there might be functional differences
such as having to click twice on an image or the sideshow not working.
- All images on
this site are scaled down for quick viewing even on limited internet
connections. Full resolution prints are available though Fotomoto (see
the Help page for more information on printing.)
- The
photos are a combination of landscape, floral and assorted non-portrait
centric images. Many are from vacations spots where I've gone
to
unwind; I like scenery!
- mMitchell.com
is my professional photo site. My image do appear on other sites, but
they are not always final reproductions and are not for sale except from this site.
- I'm
happy to answer questions about specific locations, techniques or other
specifics on an individual basis. Click the Contact link at the top if you
have questions about a location or how an image was shot.
Images
are grouped, though it may not be obvious. Locations are grouped by
region generally arranged south to north. For example; the Northwest
Region starts with CA; In the Oregon Gallery, images start in the Rogue
River area and proceed north to the Columbia River Gorge. Things are
grouped by type.
The Photographer
- I have had many a few jobs including working at professional photo labs, for "the" phone company, and for dot-coms.
- Photography
has been my main hobby for all of my adult life as well as a source of income in my 20s*. I got my
first camera when I was 7; my grandfather's Brownie 127
Instamatic. My first SLR was a used Olympus OM-1 that a
friend sold me in high school. The first DSLR was a Canon
Rebel in 2003. I've been taking, editing, retouching and
printing my own digital photos since 1999. I've owned
more than 20 different digital cameras. The first was an
Epson with a half a megapixel censor. My most advanced to
date is the Canon 5DS R that has a 50mp censor.
- I have been
shooting with professional cameras since 1980 and have worked with several professional photographers.
- I
don't take portraits* or do studio work though I do know quite a bit
about both. I like landscape/travel photography because it gives me
an excuse to visit beautiful places and get some
exercise.
- My motto is "I
like to travel because it gives me a good excuse to take pictures. I
take pictures because they give me a good excuse to travel."
The Images
I
strive to make only the finest museum quality art photographs available
on mMitchell.com All images on this site have been taken with
high resolution, professional photo equipment. The raw images have been
meticulously processed through Adobe PhotoShop Lightroom, Skylum
Luminar and Corel PaintShop Pro until the best possible brilliance,
color balance, contrast and detail has been achieved. Even with a fast
computer the processing usually take much longer than actually taking
the pictures.
My Photo Equipment
I
shoot primarily with Sony e-mount cameras as well as Canon DSLRs. I own
a variety of professional lenses, most with image stabilization. I user
an assortment of professional grade lens filters. I often use a
polarizing filter to increase color depth and detail. I have several
tripods that I rarely use as I rely on monopods most of the time.
Despite the longish shutter speeds on some photos, nearly all my images
were taken hand held or steadied with a monopod.
My Software
I spend more time
reviewing and editing photos than taking them; Ansel Adams did the
same. Software is critical for producing professional digital photos.
Here's what I use.
- RAW conversion
and editing is starts with Adobe Lightroom. I use to use DXO as well, but found that it just does not work well for me.
- For additional fine tuning, I use Corel PaintShop Pro. I've been using PSP since Jasc's
version 3.0 and am quite use to the shortcuts and simple interface.
- I also use Skylum Luminar as a plugin for Lightroom.
- For gallery
creation, I use jAlbum. Note; jAlbum can be complicated, especially if
you want something other than the easiest presets. I have customizations and additional coding well past the basics on my sites.
- For general HTML
editing, I rely on KompoZer (free) and notepad.
- Additional software; Corel Painter Essentials and Photshop Elements
Hosting
I
have been using Qualityhostonline.com for more than a decade. They are
not the most powerful solution out there, but they are competitively priced and their support team is fantastic!
* Years ago, I took photos for actors/models'
portfolios, but gave it up as I didn't really enjoy it.