Canon 5D/7D San MIguel de Allende Diaries Post #6

Today's early morning walk - up and out before the city woke up - yielded more cool shots - including this HDR shot: merged with Photomatix and enhanced with Topaz Adjust.

About 90 percent of our shots are HDR shots - which, naturally, have a much wider dynamic range than my shots from my trip here five years ago.

I think HDR stands for High Dynamic Rockin' images!

Click here for more info in HDR.

Explore the light,

Rick

101 Photo Tips for 101 Days

Happy Halloween All!

Here's my treat for this Halloween: 101 Photo Trips for 101 days.

I've been blogging for about six months and I figure I have more than 100 tips in the archives here. If I mis-counted, you'll find more tips here.

Check out one tip day!

Happy Halloween.

Explore the Light,

Rick

This blog post sponsored by ScanCafe. What ya waiting for? Scan your old slides and prints and have working and playing with them in Photoshop.

Canon 5D/7D San Miguel de Allende Diaries Post #5

Day #3 here in San Miguel de Allende is coming to close - for me, anyway. We shot all day and we are burnt.

Continuing our theme of shadows, we photographed this woman tonight in the light of a streetlight. Remember: there is always enough light for a picture, as long as you have a tripod.

Personally, I am not big on photographing poverty. But I took this picture because the woman's face is hidden in the shadows.

I think the shadows on the yellow part of the wall add to drama of this photograph.

Remember: Light Illuminates, shadows define.

ISO 2000, Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm IS lens.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Canon 5D/7D San Miguel de Allende Diaries #4

Day #3 here in San Meguel de Allende. The Day of the Dead is only a few days away!

Today we focused on capturing cool shadows. We got up early and made it a point to photograph scenes with dramatic shadows. The first step: find locations that offers nice shadows.

Here are two of my favorite images. It's interesting what you see when you are looking for something - don't ya think?

This weekend,  go out (or stay in) and shoot for great shadow shots. If you get some nice images, share them on my flickr page.

Wanna see a fun video on shadows? Click here. :-)

Explore the Light,

Rick

This blog post sponsored by ExpoImaging.

Canon 5D/7D San Miguel de Allende Diaries #3

Day #2 PM Today we made pictures, rather than take pictures. What fun! 

We encountered a police officer near a park who was dressed in a traditional uniform. A perfect subject for making a picture.

We asked him if we could take a few photographs, and he quickly said okay.

We had spotted the background earlier in the day - which was a block away from where we met the officer. We walked down the street together. When we got to the location, we directed the the officer to pose in different positions. We took a few pictures (we were shooting HDR) and then said farewell to our new friend  - promising to send a few photos.

When you are out in field, make pictures. Lots more fun than simply taking pictures.

This is an HDR shot compiled from three images. We asked the officer to stand perfectly still during the photo session. See! HDR can, indeed, work for people pictures, too.  

More on HDR at the Plugin Experience.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Canon 7D/5D Diaries from San Miguel de Allende #2

Day #2: Walked the city for about four hours this morning. Met many artists who live here. It's quite an artistic city.

Tip #2: Awaken the artist within with Plug-ins. Many plug-ins let you alter the reality of a scene. When you alter the reality, your pictures can take on an artistic look - and feel. 

Here's another tip when shooting in a city: Get up and out before the city "wakes up," and be prepared to walk for a few hours. Comfortable shoes are needed. A map, too.

I used Topaz Adjust on these two pictures. In each picture, the colors, details and contrast was boosted.

More on plug-ins at the Plugin Experience.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Canon 7D/5D Diaries from San Miguel de Allende #1

Day #1: Had a blast shooting HDR last night inside the cathedral in the main square. 

Tip #1: When you fly, and-carry everything you will need for at least two days. That includes your tripod and an extra pair of socks. My bag is supposed to arrive today....

For this HDR image, I took exposures at 0EV, -2 EV, +2EV, +3 EV and +4 EV. Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 15mm lens. HDR image created in Photomatix.

Explore the light,

Rick

The blog post sponsored by ScanCafe - where you can get cool scans of your old slides.

ScanCafe Photo Contest 11/09: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define

Here is a favorite photo adage of mine: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define. That's a good adage to keep in mind when doing all types of photography - because we need to see the light!

This month's ScanCafe photo contest – the first you’ll see here on my blog – is about shadows. The assignment: try to create a portrait with beautiful shadows - or a beautiful shadow - on the subject's face.

The first place winner receives a $100 gift certificate from ScanCafe. The two runners up each receive a $50 gift certificate.

Email your entries (less than 2 MB) to: sammon@scancafe.com. Please include a brief description of your lighting set up - so others can learn.

Contest ends November 30, 2009. The winners will be announced and the image will be shared here on my blog on/about December 15th. Each month we will hold a different contest.

The contest is open to amateurs and pros, because. . . "Amateurs built the ARK, Professionals built the TITANIC."

For a quick lighting tip, click here. And for another, click here.

Good luck!

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. What? You are letting your old slides and prints sit in a box or drawer? Yank 'em out of there and get them scanned. Enjoy them as they are or play with them in the digital darkroom. Stay tuned for some of my scanned underwater images.

Learn About a Subject When Travelling

One of the real joys of travel photography is learning about other cultures and sharing that new world with others back home.

Here is a natural light portrait of a man I met in Alaska. He was giving a lecture on Alaska’s indigenous people. Most of the people who saw him simply snapped his picture and walked away. I took the time to find out a bit more about him. What I learned gives the photograph much more meaning to me, and to those who read about this native culture.

His American name is David Ramos and his native Alaskan name is Aaskuwat'eesh. He is Raven, of the Gineixkwaan clan of the Owl house. His owl headdress is made of abalone shells, ermine fur, rabbit fur and sea lion whiskers. To signify the Owl house, David is wearing a sewn beaded owl around his neck. He is also wearing a copper necklace. David’s clan is called the “Copper Digging Clan” because he comes from the Copper River. The clan used copper for money.

I took this picture in a bar on a cruise ship. By carefully framing David in front of a plant and a wooden wall, and by using a Canon 28-105mm zoom set at 100mm to slightly blur the background, and by placing David near a window for flattering side-lighting, I was able to create the effect that the picture was taken on location in a village, and not a on a ship with 2,000 passengers.

As a way of saying “thank you” for posing for my picture, I e-mailed the photograph to David, which he greatly appreciated. When you photograph a stranger, sending a photo to him or her is not only a nice gesture, it’s very important, especially if you promise to do so.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Enter Lightroom 3

Last week at our Hudson River Photography Workshops, Photoshop Lightroom 2 rocked the house.

This week, Adobe announced Photoshop Lightroom 3 BETA. Lots of cool features, as you'll see on the Adobe Labs site. For me, the best feature: Getting the best from ever shot.

I took this shot of the New Croton Dam last week on our Workshop with my Canon 5D Mark II. The fog was amazing. I had not seen it before - and I have lived here for 25 years. It was also snowing and freezing!

The dam was built in 1906, so I thought the Creative - Sepia preset in Lightroom was appropriate.

Tip: Take the color out of a scene, and you remove some of the reality. Remove some of the reality, and a picture becomes more artistic.

Download Lightroom 3 BETA.. and let the games begin! Great fun - and great creative enhancements await....

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Yes! The world famous Julieanne Kost (dressed in all black, of course) is here at the show talking about all the cool features of Lightroom 3.

That's a Dam Nice Photo!

Here's a dam nice photo by one of our Hudson River Photography Workshops participants, Bruce Himelman. I like the perspective, angle and color in the photograph.

Creating a sense of depth was one of the many topics we covered in the workshops. It's an effective technique for creating pictures that don't fall flat.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Stop and Smell the Roses - or Incense

Yikes! I just wrapped up four workshops in a row: three here in Croton and one in St. Augustine. I met some nice people and creative photographers. Now I know why they call them workshops.

Seriously, the workshops were all great fun! A Buddhist temple near my home was one of our shooting locations. I was so busy teaching that I did not have a chance to shoot. So yesterday, I went back, took some shots and mellowed out. Sometimes, it's good to stop and smell the roses - or incense.

Tip: Always look up, down and back. Look for creative angles. Try different lenses, such as a full-frame fish-eye on a full-frame image sensor camera. Also, try framing a subject with a subject.

Explore the Light,
Rick

HDR: Have it Your Way

Click to enlarge image.

Hey Gang!

After posting my guitar/piano HDR image here earlier this week, a photo buddy asked to see the original set of images - and asked to see how I'd create a more natural-looking image.

The image on the left (thanks to reader for correcting my L & R) is the middle shot from five exposures at, over and under 0 exposure compensation.

The middle shot (Photomatix only) is a more natural-looking image than the artist image on the right (Photomatix + Topaz Adjust).

When it comes to HDR, have it your way! Realistic or Artistic.

For more HDR info and a discount on the Photomatix, the HDR program I use, click here.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Rick @ Photo Plus Expo

I hope to see some of you at Photo Plus Expo in NY this week! It's a great learning experience. And great fun!

Here's my set schedule:

Thursday:
12 and 3 PM at the Lexar booth. HDR Photography

Friday:
11:15 AM with Jack Hollinsworth/others on Social Marketing (meeting room)
and
1 PM at Lexar booth: HDR Photography

Saturday:
2:30 PM at Lexar Booth: HDR Photography

3:30- 5:30 PM: Exploring The Light (meeting room)

You can also catch me from time to time at the Canon, Wiley, Smugmug, Lowepro and Westcott booths. Don't be shy about saying hi!

The parties at night? You bet!

Explore the light,
Rick

Photo Project: Create a Sense of Depth in a Picture

Here's a fun photo project. Make a picture with a good sense of depth.

Techniques:
- shoot a subject at an angle.
- place an object close to the camera in the foreground.
- arrange objects at different distances from the camera.
- get the entire scene in focus by using a small aperture, wide-angle lens and focus 1/3 into the scene.
- strive for a good exposure throughout the scene.

You have succeeded when you show someone your image and they look around the scene for different objects - staying with the photo for longer than normal. (Were your eyes stuck on one object in this image?)

Yes, it's an HDR image. I added the frame with onOne Software's PhotoFrame 4 Professional Acid Frame.

Explore the light,
Rick
P.S. That is actually my Yamaha 12 string guitar. I've had it and the case since 1975. Not my piano, although I do play. :-)

Basic Lighting, Pro Results

Here's the Postscript from my most recent book, co-authored by Vered Koshlano, Studio and Location Lighting Secrets. Thought you might like the simplicity of using just one light.

It doesn’t get much simpler or easier than this: a constant-light main light (right), a reflector (left) and a collapsible background. For the portraits on this page, the light you see positioned above and to camera left was turned off.

This type of simple set-up can help produce some beautiful portraits. The top photograph shows the effect of using the main light and the reflector. As you can see, the reflector bounced some of the light from the main light onto the opposite side of the model’s face. It’s an okay shot, one that shows the distinctive features of the model.

The bottom shot, however, is my favorite from the session (during a meeting in a hotel, no less). It shows the effect of using only the main light (the reflector was moved out of position). I like the way the deep shadow on the model’s face adds a sense of drama to the image. I also like the way the model is making direct eye contact with my lens.

The lighting set-up was courtesy of Westcott: Spiderlites and softboxes. My camera: my trusty Canon G10.

Here's another, and maybe surprising to some, tip: the closer the light is to the subject, the softer the effect.

Explore the Light - and keep the light simple,
Rick

The Beauty is in the Details

Several months ago, I wrote an article on the Ice Hotel near Quebec, Canada for travel expert Peter Greenberg's website.

At the time, I was pleased with the photographs. Today (and I mean today), however, I was playing around with Topaz Adjust and I'm loving the new and improved images - images with a lot more color and detail, as illustrated by this before-and-after pair of images.

Now that snow season is coming to the Northeast, I think I'll be working and playing with Topaz quite a bit.

When shooting in the snow: don't forget your polarizing filter. Also watch your histogram to ensure a good exposure - because you really can't trust the image you see on your camera's LCD monitor; the image killers are overexposed highlights. And, keep your camera and extra batteries as warm as possible.

Click here for info on Topaz.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Tons of travel tips in my book, Exploring the Light.

Jump Into Creative Outdoor Lighting

Here is an excerpt from Studio and On Location Lighting Secrets, my latest book. It's co-authored by NYC photographer Vered Koshlano.

Throughout this book you’ll find the dozens of examples of controlling the light in the studio with many different types of lighting set-ups. Well, you can use these accessories outdoors, too, as illustrated by these photographs (Vered's) – which also illustrates the importance of choosing an appropriate background.

In the top-left photograph, a remote flash, mounted on a stand and placed in a softbox, was fired remotely to freeze the action of the jumping model. Compare the contrast and detail in that image to the bottom image. That image looks flat, because the day was overcast, and overcast days produce flat lighting.

Triggering a flash outdoors (and indoors) is easy. We use PocketWizards. If you are looking for a softbox for your flash (for outdoor and indoor use), check out the Apollo softboxes from Westcott.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Creative Eye Still Needed With HDR

I've seen some GREAT HDR images recently - images in which many photographic elements come together.

Here is an HDR image, created by Hudson River Photography Workshops participant Bill "Chief" Sneddon, that illustrates both a good eye and cool use of HDR. It's also a good example of creating a sense of depth in a picture – as well as getting everything in the scene in focus and creative cropping.

It also illustrates this: never underestimate the importance of a good subject.

Nice work "Chief."

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. In addition to group workshops, I teach private workshops that include a trip to this cool location in Kent, NY. For HDR, you'll need Photomatix and Topaz Adjust. Read about 'me at the Plug-in Experience. Get a discount on Photomatix there, too.

A Cool Shot I Missed on My St. Augustine Workshop

For me, one of the best things about teaching a workshop is that I get to see the work of other photographers. Here's one of my favorite images from my recent St. Augustine, FL workshop.

Ted Johnson says this about his image: It's called "Photographers All In A Row." It is a single shot enhanced with Topaz Adjust. It tells the story of that first morning HDR shoot.

Rick, great Job! From the instruction, to the field shoots, to the software recommendations, etc. All well done and FUN.

• • •

Nice work, Ted! Hope to see you and others in January for my St. Augustine workshop. Info to come in about a month.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Photos Still Coming In From St. Augustine Workshop

Workshop participant Wendy MacHardy just sent me this nice photograph from last week's St. Augustine, FL workshop. It's a nice example of a double profile, as well as the difference between taking a picture and making a picture.

The dates for my 2010 St. Augustine workshop are: January 17 to 19th. Info to come on the Events page of my site.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. We had 30 folks last time. The limit. If you are interested, sign up soon after the event is posted.

Hudson River Photogrpahy Workshops Week III: Cool Low-Light Shot

Workshop participant Jeremy Pollack took this VERY low-light shot last night at Bella Paula restaurant here in Croton-on-Hudson, NY with his Canon 5D Mark II, 85mm lens set at f/1.2. ISO was 3200. It's a hand-held shot.

Don't ya love the tack-sharp focus on the eyes and the blurred background - and of course the shallow depth-of-field.

Processing: Lightroom with a touch of Noise Ninja using Convert to Smart Filter so that the effect was only applied to the background.

We made the picture, asking Paula to pose in just the right light, hold the wine glass up to her mouth, turn her body and look over her shoulder, and give us a certain "look."

Making pictures is what we do here on the workshops - and what we encourage photographer to do.

Go out and make some great pictures this weekend. Share them on my flickr group: Creative Eyes and Minds.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Follow the Young at Heart

Okay, okay! I know I've posted a lot of stuff here on HDR lately! But here are two new shots: three exposures – 0, +2 and -2 EV. Photomatix with a touch to Topaz Adjust.

I have lived by the dam for 25 years. I never got a mist shot like the one on the right. It's the result of following a text message at the end of the day from a young workshop participant, Jeremy Pollack: "Incredible mist, get to the top of the dam ASAP."

Point of this homily: Follow the advice of young people. Jeremy and I were the only photographers from the workshop shooting - in 34 degree temp in the snow!

By the way: Slow shutter speeds in HDR work great with water, clouds and mist - but not moving leaves and people.

HDR info, click here.

Explore the light,
Rick

St. Augustine Workshop: HDR Fun!

HDR was a main focus of my St. Augustine, FL workshop this week - and will be a part of my January 2010 workshop. However, in that workshop we'll also cover Travel Photography, lighting, Photoshop, flash photography with reflectors and diffusers (you'll be able to master your flash), etc.

Here are a few images.

The top image was taken by Jeff Harrison. The bottom two images (before and after HDR) were taken by pro photographer Rob Knight.

Rob took a more artistic approach, while Jeff went for a more realistic approach. The group liked 'em both.

When you are creating an HDR image, try an image both ways: realistic and artistic. The more you boost the strength and saturation in Photomatix (the HDR program we used), the more artistic the look. Add a Topaz Adjust effect, such as Spicify, and you'll get an even more artistic image. Keep on going! Add a digital frame for an even more artistic image.

For more on HDR imaging (and discounts on some plug-ins), see the pluginexperience. The home page image is a combo of using: Photomatic, Topaz Adjust and PhotoFrame 4 Professional from onOne Software.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Rob and I are planning a Travel Photography workshop in Atlanta, GA. Stay tuned!

St. Augustine, FL Workshop: Watch the Background

Watch the movie. Check out the photos.

Canon 7D movie  by Chris Klapheke.

Explore the Light,

Rick

P.S. Yes, it was hazy, hot and very, very humid - as you can tell from my shirt!

St. Augustine, Fl Workshop: Making Pictures

Last night we made pictures - which is a lot more fun andmore creative than simply taking pictures.

For this image, we first envisioned the end-result, which is the key in making a picture.

Then we moved the saddle into position, arranged the cowboy boots, carefully posed the horse and rider in the pond (so we had a nice clean background) and then asked the rider to fix her hair and look toward the sun.

The next time you pick up your camera, think about making a picture rather than simply taking a picture.

I am doing another workshop (extended)  here in January 2010. Some of the same cool locations, some new ones, sunset cruise, HDR, more Photoshop stuff and lectures. Check the Events page of my site in about a month.

Saddle up for the fun, pardner!

Explore the Light,

Rick

St. Augustine, FL Workshop: HDR

We started off the day with HDR photography. Here is a cool shot by the MAC Group's Joe Brady. Nice work, Joe!

What's interesting about HDR is that once you get into it, you start seeing the world in HDR. How cool!

If you are not into HDR, check out the pluginexperience for some examples and discounts on HDR plug-ins and stand-along programs.

In HDR photography , it's important to see the light, as it is with all photography. Here's a quick video on seeing the light.

We have 30 people on this workshop ,which is a ton of fun! So much so that we are planning another workshop here for early next year. Hope you can join the fun.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Learn Lighting in Your Living Room & Shoot There, Too!

Learn Lighting in Your Living Room & Shoot There, Too!

Hey, who says you need fancy/expensive lighting gear to get great studio shots? Here is one example.

During my Hudson River Photography Workshops, we set up a Westcott Spidelite in a soft box and used a reflector to bounce some of the light from the Spiderlite back into the shadows on the subjct's face. 

That's our set-up (in my living room) on the left. On the right is an end-result shot (with the reflector moved just a bit), taken by workshop participant Captain Jack Leggett with his Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105mm IS lens.

Our model is the lovely Bella Paula. Vered Koshlano set up the light and brought the props.

For more than 100 lighting tips, check out my book (in the comfort of your living room), Studio and Location Lighting Secrets - which comes with a live-action bonus DVD on lighting (flash, reflector, diffuser, off-camera flash tips, etc.). Vered, by the way, is my co-author on the book. She is amazing. She is also featured on the DVD - and is a guest instructor at the Hudson River Photography Workshops.

The cover photo on the book was taken by the world-famous Eddie Tapp.

Explore the Light,

Rick

P.S. Don't know if you can tell from the behind-the-scene photo, but the soft box is NOT pointed at Paula.. it's feathered at an angle... the key to soft light :-)

Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #5: Surprise Photograph

We wrapped up Week II of the Hudson River Photography Workshops last night with a group slide show. Many wonderful images.

This photograph by Roger R. Chenault was among the hits of the show. It's a simple - yet very artistic - shot taken in a rain on a nearby pond.

Great work Roger - and thank you for inspiring me to try to take a similar picture . . . on a pond that I have passed almost every day for the past 25 years, sometimes in the rain.

Week II of the Workshops starts on Wednesday. Stay tuned for more great photographs and ideas.

If you plan to shoot in the rain, you need to protect your camera. A plastic bag or a shower cap can do the job. For more sophisticated rain shields, check out Outdoor Photo Gear.

For more on my workshops, see the Events page of my site.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #4: Selective Sharpening

Yesterday we had a great shoot at the Chuang Yen Monastery in Kent, NY. One of the things we talked about afterward was selectively sharpening an image, that is, you usually (but not always) want to sharpen only a part of an image, rather than the entire image.

The bottom image (one of my shots) needed to be sharpened globably - that is the entire image needed sharpening, because all RAW files need sharpening.

The top two images (left by Benjamin Todd and right by Roger R. Chenault) required selective sharpening - in this case, only subjects had to be sharpened, and not the background. Sharpening the soft background would have added noise and detracted from the sharpness of the subject.

In Photoshop, Convert for Smart Filters allows you to use a filter as you would an adjustment layer and a layer mask. How cool.

The coolest part of the top to photos, the Buddhist monk is Ven. Ji Ning, president of the Buddhist Association of America. I thought it was a chance encounter, but the monk told me that we met 2,000 year ago - after I asked him his name. The short encounter was a wonderful experience - for all of our workshop participants.

More great pictures to come from the participants.

Explore the light,
Rick

'09 Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #3: Color/B&W in the Same Image

Here's a cool HDR image by workshop participant Julie Johnson... and here is how she created it:

I shot this image with my Canon 5D Mark II (RAW file) and my Canon 15mm fisheye lens. I took three exposures (ISO 100), all at f8 – at 1/8, 1/20 and .3 sec. In HDR photography, the aperture must remain the same for all your exposures. You need to bracket with your shutter speed.

The images were first merged in Photomatix to create a realistic-looking image – as opposed to an image with stronger-than-normal colors and contrast.

Next, I created two layers in Photoshop and then desaturated the top layer. I made a selection of the main subject and then used a mask to allow the original color to show.

• • •

Nice work Julie!

If you would like to learn how to create images like this one, check out my classes on Kelby Training. "Color and B&W in the Same Image" is one of the classes listed under "Photoshop Quick Tips."

For more my workshops, see the Events page of my site.

Explore the light,
Rick

'09 Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #2

It's Day II of our workshop. Here's a cool shot by Benjamin Todd.

RAW file. Increased saturation. Mode > LAB and changed A & B to Add Color, then changed back to RGB Color.

More images to come. Stay tuned.

Explore the light,

Rick

'09 Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #1

It's Week II of our '09 Hudson River Photography Workshops. Another great group!

Jack "Capt. Jack" Leggett was the first to submit an image for our group slide show. Here's Jack's HDR shot of the New Croton Dam.

Check out the beautiful quality of the flowing water - created by using a slow shutter speed combined with HDR imaging (3 exposures: 0, +2 and -2).

Late afternoon light and nice composition added to the impact of this photograph.

Click here for more info on HDR.

More images to come from this week's group. Stay tuned.

Check out older posts on my blog to see images from last week's shoot.

Explore the light,

Rick

Rick's Ghost Captured By Camera

Click photo to enlarge.

Yikes!

While shooting a video this week on the benefits of the ColorMunki, Rick's ghost was actually captured during the on-location part of the shoot at a haunted house by the MAC Group's creative director Ab Sesay's camera! See the middle photograph.

The bottom image is Rick's HDR shot of the room - an image captured with his Canon 5D Mark II/17-40mm lens, processed with Photomatix and Topaz Adjust, and then printed on his Canon Pro 9000 Mark II printer. To get prints that match the color on his monitor, Rick uses the ColorMunki as his calibration/profiling device.

For more on HDR, see the plug-in experience.

We'll keep you posted as to when the video will be posted.

Happy Halloween!

P.S. Boo!

Little of what we look at do we see

"Little of what we look at do we see." Richard Fahey

That's an important quote for photographers, because it's so very true.

It's the same with music, by the way: We listen to little of what we hear. Any musician can tell you that.

I experienced the "looking/seeing" difference while on an expedition to Antarctica. We were riding around in a Zodiac when I noticed an interesting ice formation (bottom photograph). I said, "Look, look," w/out saying what I saw (top photograph). Only two of the eight people in the Zodiac saw it: an ice sculpture of a polar bear - complete with eyes, ears, nose, mouth paw, knee and foot!

I asked the Zodiac driver to maneuver around the ice formation to find a "cleaner" view of the ice sculpture. We found one, and we all took the same photograph of what I believe is the first sighting of a polar bear in Antarctica.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Umbrellas Are Great For Rainless Days, Too

One of our projects during last week's shoot here in Croton-on-Hudson (as part of the Hudson River Photography Workshops) was to master wireless, daylight fill-flash. Meaning: taking a flash picture that does not look like a flash picture.

On the left you see a simple flash set-up: One flash on a stand, triggered by a PocketWizard, bounced into an small umbrella - which softens the light from the flash and wraps it around the subject (not a professional model in this case, as you can see, but a heck of good sport when it comes to being the demo subject during a shoot).

Some folks triggered an off-camera flash with their camera's built-in flash.

We'll do more off-camera flash shooting this week and next week during the workshop. My pal Joe Brady from the MAC group will be the pro in charge of the demo - showing off the latest PocketWizards.

For more on fill-flash, click here.

So remember, keep your umbrella handy even if it's not raining!

Demo photo: Eliot Nierman.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Warning!! Hold onto your umbrella! Even a slight breeze could blow it down, damaging your set up.

Don't Miss the November 7th Naturescapes Event

The November 7th Naturescapes event in Fairfax, VA will feature a full day of photo learning, photo sharing and photo fun.

Plus, we'll have a cool end-of-day event: Twenty-five of the attendees will have a chance to win a copy of one of my books. Hey, with a max of 80 photographers, you or the person sitting next to you has a good chance to win - a copy of a book or other door prizes.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Pro to Pro Tip #1: Andy Biggs on Copyrighted Images

Photograph © Andy Biggs

Remember to keep track of your copyrighted images, and which ones need to be copyrighted. You can either do this in an Excel spreadsheet or in the metadata in your files. I choose to insert metadata into my files that have been copyrighted through Lightroom, which makes it easier to keep track of.

Andy Biggs
www.andybiggs.com
www.theglobalphotographer.com

Andy Biggs and Scott Martin join forces to present a rigorous five day photography workshop in Moab, Utah. Moab is the epicenter of red rock country with its famous arches, balanced rocks and spires in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. If you have never photographed in the Moab area, you owe it to yourself to witness some of the most famous geological formations in the American West.

http://www.andybiggs.com/content.php?page=2010-04-Moab

HDR Stands for More Than Just HDR :-)

I know, I know. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range - images that, by use of an HDR plug-in or stand-along program, have a higher dynamic range than a straight-out-of-the-camera shot.

Well, I think HDR stands for the following:

1) High Dynamic Range, of course.

2) High Depth Range, because by increasing the details in a scene, the HDR image has a high sense of depth. For example, compare the top image to the bottom image. The bottom image has a greater sense of depth.

And...

High Do-it-Yourself Rockin' Images, because you really can create some awesome and artist images with a few clicks of a mouse - or taps of a stylus.

For more info on HDR, see the pluginexperience.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Picture Your Hometown Heroes

One of our projects on last week's shoot here in Croton-on-Hudson as part of the Hudson River Photography Workshops was to document our hometown heroes at the local firehouse.

We all made some very nice end-result images, my favorite is on the right.

I'd like to thank Tim George for taking so many behind-the-scenes shots... which bring back fun memories of the workshop. Nice job Tim.

If you want to practice your on-location portraiture, arrange a session at your local firehouse. If you promise to make some prints for the firefighters, I am sure they'd say okay.

Bring your flash, reflector and diffuser – and be prepared to pump up your ISO - due to the low light conditions.

Be prepared to work fast, perhaps having a friend stand in when you are setting up a shot. That fire fighting gear gets VERY hot, and the firefighters don't want to heat up while your are adjusting your camera settings.

Watch our for reflections - or work with them.

Finally, if you can, make a small donation to the fire dept.

Explore the light,
Rick

Hudson River Photography Workshops Last Images: Painting with Light & Using Studio Lights

We ended Week I of our first Hudson River Photography Workshops with a "painting with light" session.

For the image on the left (taken by Eliot Nierman), we worked in a totally dark room. I moved a small flashlight around our model's head, painting her with light. The exposure was 5 seconds at f/8, and the ISO was 200. The camera was on a tripod and the model needed to sit perfectly still. Yes! Eliot used his  cable release to avoid any camera shake.

Before our painting with light session, we had a portrait sessions using Westcott Spiderlites. For the image on the right (taken by Chirs Philipps), Vered Koshlano, our guest instructor for the day, set up a single light in a soft box and used a reflector to expertly light our subject, the beautiful Bella Paula. Vered also brought a few props, which added greatly to the shoot.

If you are coming on a future Hudson River Photography Workshop (see the Events page of my site for next year's events), why not subscribe to this blog? You'll get a preview of the photo opps - and the fun!

Explore the Light,
Rick

P.S. We are also planning SLR HD video shoots. Stay tuned.

Hudson River Photography Workshops Final Day: Studio Shoot

Today at the Hudson River Photography Workshops we had a cool guest instructor, Vered Koshlano, co-author of my Studio and On-Location Lighting Secrets book. In my den, we set up a single Westcott Spiderlite in a soft box and a Westcott reflector (to fill in some of the shadows created by the single light). The exercise: create beautiful studio lighting with a very simple set up.

One of the keys to this type of portrait: don't aim the light directly at the subject. Rather, angle it slightly in front of and away from the subject so that a nice soft and even light illuminates the subject.

Our model was Bella Paula. Vered brought some props, we added some photo know-how, and all the students made great images.

Good fun and learning for all.

Explore the light,
Rick

Hudson River Photography Workshop Day III: Students Share Their Work

Today is Day 3 of the Hudson River Photography Workshops. Studio Lighting will be today's focus. Our guest pro is Vered Koshlano, co-author of my book, Studio and Location Lighting Secrets.

Here are two images from Day 1 and Day 2.

Top: Don Elmendorf showed the group the benefits of seeing a picture within a picture. Here he cropped out much of the "dead space" to draw attention to the main subject. Love that reflection, Don.

Bottom: Leslie Marsh created this pano from five images (overlapping 1/3 for each frame - shot vertically). It's her first pano! I see a bunny in the clouds! Leslie, by the way, is organizing my European Photo Cruise in 2010.

Explore the light,
Rick

Hudson River Photography Workshop Day II: Processing Images

All the participants are getting nice images - learning about light, composition, exposure, lenses - and the mood and feeling of a picture. Great fun!

Khoa Minh took the top photo using his Canon 70-200mm lens set at 165mm and f/2.8 on his Canon 5D Mark II. Nice job focusing on the subject and blurring the background, Khoa. The leaf was a nice touch, too!

We've also been doing a lot of HDR photography. However, here's a non-HDR image by Eliot Nierman. This single image has a high dynamic range because Eliot carefully used the adjustments in Lightroom to bring out all the tonal values in the scene. I also like the composition here. I have taken dozen of students to this Buddhist temple and no one "saw" this image.

Nice work, Khoa and Eliot.

More images to come!

Explore the light,
Rick

Hudson River Photogrpahy Workshop Day I: Creative Seeing and Creative Photographing

Today was Day 1 of the Hudson River Photography Workshops. What fun!

One of the topics we discussed was creative seeing and creative photographing.

Here is just one example. Left photo: super boring. Middle photo: kinda boring. Right photo: now that's more like it!

We simply combined the elements in the left and middle photographs with a little creative composition for a "not your everyday" photograph.

Tips:
• Frame a background element with a foreground element.
• Use a wide-angle lens set at a small aperture and focus 1/3 into the scene to get max depth-of-field.
• Walk around a subject for a while before you shoot.
• Take a deep breath :-)

Explore the light,
Rick