mike g

Thanks! They're HDR and nothing else. I ususally use 3-10 different exposures. Be sure you're only changing shutter speed and not ISO or aperture. I use Photomatix Pro for all of them; the Tonemapping tool is what gives them the unique look. You can try it for free on www.hdrsoft.com ***EDIT*** Looking at the first one again, I used photoshop to soften the look after I made the HDR image. I duplicated a layer and applied a Gaussian Blur to it. That was my first usable HDR image.

I've done a few HDR images in my day. I need to do more of em...hmm, maybe I'll take a stab at watches. -M

I've got some photosets on flickr for all to check out. Click em! Watches On Flickr My Other Photography. Enjoy... -Mike

@ PUG: I found the Beta Version of Lightroom on Adobe's website. I fell in love with it instantly- save for some hiccups with the software. I believe it's available now for $199 as a special. I've played with Aperture, but haven't gotten a good feel for it yet- It might be a better match for my computer as well. Lightroom works very well with RAW; I only shoot in RAW- unless it's an ebay photo or something. As you can tell, I'm big on post-processing and tweaking the curves and what not. Lightroom is much faster and better than photoshop for color correction and photo management. I use iPhoto to import and organize my photos- and lightroom to tweak the color. The cool thing with lightroom is the custom presets you can build; once I color correct a given photo, I can save the settings and apply them to any other photo I want. Furthermore, If I want to apply the same settings to a different photo at a later date, the preset is in my row of buttons. My "secret" recipe for color correction isn't rocket science so I'll try to create some screen shots to post here. I know everyone doesn't have a camera that can shoot RAW- so some of the color stuff can't be easily done. For the most part, I just tweak GAMMA, CONTRAST, BRIGHTNESS, EXPOSURE (RAW Only), WB Point (RAW Only), R/G/B channels and Curves. I'll also post some before and after pics...eventually. As far as cameras go, I use a Nikon D70s with the 18-70mm "kit lens." I DON'T have a macro lens anymore, so I have to make do with what I have. [i do have a Kodak V570 w/ decent macro] The camera/lense isn't the most important factor in a good photo. I've learned that LIGHT plays a bigger role than anything. The beach shots of my EXP II were taken during "the magic hour" basically Dawn and dusk. The atmosphere filters sunlight in an almost magical way ala "Vanilla Sky" It's the best time to take any picture- heck you could make a canal street rep look good ;-) I'll try to come up with some visual aids to illustrate my points a little better. In the mean time, please enjoy my photos and ask questions. -Mike

I dig the EXP pics. I might have to pick one of those up. I've been searching for a nice datejust with a white or black arabic dial. -M

So, I opted for the over-yellowed 1680 (instead of the Noobmariner) and the Ultimate 45mm PO from Andrew. I really love the look of the thick acrylic crystal on the 60's-70's watches. This was the best I could do for the time being. Please ignore my $45 craigslist LV with GREEN dial. Great date mag though... Here is some of my photographic handywork for you guys: Just so you guys can get a different view of it. Although the hour markers are VERY yellow, the case looks brand new, the pearl isn't close- I really like it. I've decided to look past its' shortcomings and instead focus on the fact that I like the way it looks on my wrist. [isn't that what matters?] It leaves me wanting a MBW with a SUPER-THICK flat tropic. A man can dream- can't he ;-) Enjoy: Here's my ghetto version lightbox if you wil: I used 2x 20-watt MR16 halogen lamps (used in track lighting, etc.) on either side. 2x Pieces of Tissue paper from a christmas sweater box ;-) 2x white pieces of standard printer paper as the BKGD 1x Ikea 'GRONO' lamp (frosted) as my roving fill light Nikon D70s Nikkor 18-70mm Crap Tripod White balanced on the paper [in preset mode] Post-Processing in Lightroom All the lights are on a singe dimmer switch (from Ikea) I used a pricetag from the GAP to shade the light to create different looks- as well as moving the frosted IKEA light around. I leaned the whole contraption against my iMac:

The markers are a gun-metal grey color. Under normal "workplace" light, they look fine, but daylight reveals all. They look a bit too light. I've almost abandoned my other reps- now it's just the 45.5mm PO and my EXP getting all the wrist time. I'll post my other photoshoot of the PO and 1680 from andrew here. -Mike

It's the little details that are beginning to bother me...I never even noticed the crown vs. center of case problem. That's an other thing to add to the list, which is impossible to correct. I'm going to butcher some of my $30 sub and GMT reps before I tackle the nicer stuff. I've got a wierd RED 1680 "hybrid" with a nice tropic but a RED dial that reads "swiss made" Oh, and the case doesn't have lug holes! On a side note/tangent: [TANGENT] I visited the Local "UAD" (UN-Authorized Dealer) ....Costco! They had a beautiful Omega Speedmaster Chrono, which I promptly tried on. I love the height of the Xtal on that watch. The whole watch felt rather light (in comparison to my 45mm PO) It looked like the crown didn't screw down either. Odd. They also had a nice Black Chanel J12 Superleggra- which sat on the wrist for a minute. Nice watches, but I can't afford a $4999 watch at the moment. My GF was drooling over the GEN J12 w/pink diamonds (She's got the mid-grade full ceramic w/ "diamond" bezel from Andrew) [/TANGENT] Thanks for the info guys- I've been over on RWI for a bit. It's nice to get a warm welcome over here @ RWG. -Mike

@ PUG. I'll post a full photographic debrief later this evening. -M

After watching this: I guess andrew's supplier sent me the WRONG version. I ordered the Hour Hand adjustable version, but received the GMT hand version. Not the end of the world, but I'm out the $20 difference. I'm guessing the $228 version would have had the correct crown though. I've yet to email Andew, but I'm planning on it. Still VERY happy with the watch- My PO isn't getting the wrist time it deserves ;-) My Observations: GMT hand: 1. The red is too dark, which makes the hand look thicker. 2. The arrow seems to reach further than the GEN IMO Crystal: 1. A bit too short 2. I've noticed an ever so slight bevel on all GEN sapphire xtals. That is, the transition from the flat top to the beveled part is actually rounded. Crown 1. Crown is too thick 2. The outside is completely flat (side w/ coronet) There's no bevel to it at all. I love the Explorer II- It's the low-key Rolex that only "those in the know" will recognize from across the room. When I was in highshcool, the local AD gave me the "Rolex Stories" brochure- as well as many other nice catalogs. The EXP II was my original "dream watch" When I have the money, It'll be my first GEN purchase. I actually PREFER the previous 16570 with the lug holes. It conveys more of the utilitarian role of this watch. Oh, and I'm working on quitting smoking hehe- and yes, I've watched the "quit smoking and buy a rolex video" -Mike

Hey all. My beautiful Exp. II arrived last week from Andrew in great shape. [Along with a Nice ladies' J12- pics to follow] I took a 3- hour break at work sometime last week. Grabbed a Chai Latte, pack of smokes and took a nice morning walk on the beach. -Mike Enjoy: