Beyond the Lens » Technique

On Assignment – Black Creek Forest

RR Jr — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:02:56 +0000

Black Creek Forest

On a recent assignment for Scenic Hudson, I needed to capture some images of a dark and very dense forest in a valley, which is always a great challenge. Because of the terrain and surrounding hills, there is never any warm light so the approach I took was to wait for the right conditions and work with shapes, lines, and especially color.

One of my favorite times to shoot in a forest is right after a heavy rainfall when everything is wet and colors are most saturated. Often there will also be some mist in the air which adds an aura of mystery and mood. In this example, I wanted to create contrast and depth using whatever light was available, and back lighting is my favorite for this. At the same time I used the trees to create rhythm using repetition and visual patterns – notice how the trees tend to get smaller and more grouped together from left to right. of course I had no control over this, but as a landscape photographer I am always looking for design elements in nature that can create excitement visually, and rhythm is just one of those ways.

Here I was drawn to the relative brightness of the foreground tree and again tried to use back lighting to add interest to the image together with strong vertical lines which create tension. In addition, having the ferns in the foreground help to create dimensional depth and add a strong color element.

Both of these images were shot in very low light, so I used a tripod and fairly high ISO’s (640-800). I did this in order to keep my shutter speeds down to less then 1/2 sec which helps prevent blurring from things moving in case of a slight breeze. Lightroom 3 has a vastly improved noise reduction feature over past versions, and I used it on both of these images without the need to export to Photoshop.

These are just some thoughts about how I went about capturing these images, and hopefully they give you some insight into my own creative process. I’ll have more “On Assignment” articles in the near future since I currently have a long list of locations to photograph. Please feel free to let me know if you would like any other specific information – I’m always willing to share whatever is helpful.

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Exploring New Frontiers For Photographers

RR Jr — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:22:11 +0000

Canon 1DS Mk III, 1/30, f8, ISO 200, 24-105mm L

There has been much talk about the convergence of still photography and video recently, and with good reason. This has been driven by the video capabilities of recent DSLR’s from Canon, Nikon and Panasonic. The advantages they offer include extremely high quality HD video recording combined with shallow depth of field (a hallmark of traditional film movie cameras) and access to a great selection of lenses.

In addition to photography, I’ve always had an interest in the combination of static and moving images to tell a story, especially in the environmental work I do for Scenic Hudson. A project I’m currently working on is a 400+ acre farm that Scenic Hudson has protected from future development. I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to experiment with multimedia so that others can better understand and appreciate these environmental success stories.

This is the first of many multimedia projects I have in the works, and I’m constantly learning the more I practice. Your feedback is welcome as always!

Technical Info:

I shot this video with a Panasonic GH1 DSLR, which I recently purchased primarily as a video camera for the above mentioned reasons. Why not Canon you might ask considering I have a nice collection of Canon lenses. The main reasons are a) autofocus capability (great when you need it) b) an articulating LCD screen (makes shooting at low angles much easier) c) stereo sound recording (again not pro level, but great when you need it. I capture audio separately using a Zoom H4n recorder.

Another reason is that being a micro 4/3 format, it can adapt to many third party lenses, and I wanted to take advantage of some old but really fast Olympus lenses I inherited from my Dad. The GH1 14-140 kits lens is also excellent, and I shot most of this video using it. I shot in 1080p at 24 frames per second, and edited in Final Cut Pro where I added several still images. There is also a time lapse segment which I created with my Canon 5D and an intervalometer. It was set to capture an image every 20 seconds for 4 hours.

Combining all of these media elements is exciting, and I think adds another dimension to my landscape photography work both as a story teller and provides more ways that I can share my passion for nature and the Hudson Valley.

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Behind the Scenes- Hudson Valley Solitude

RR Jr — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:57:43 +0000

(Canon 1Ds Mk III, 17-40 f/4L, 19mm, 1/8 sec. f/16, ISO 200)

It’s been a busy 2010 so far as I prepare for a series of workshops and seminars that begin tomorrow with the Adobe Lightroom Masterclass. It’s been difficult to find time to shoot lately, much of it due to a busy schedule, but also a lack of motivation. I struggle with the creative muse on a fairly frequent basis, and have several methods to get me inspired. But the most effective way I have found is to just get out and experience nature, even if for a short time. So often I have found that there is always something new to learn, whether seeing light in a different way, or discovering a new idea that inspires more ideas.

I had a chance to sneak out yesterday and headed to one of my favorite local locations, not really thinking about capturing anything special, but just to take some time for myself and enjoy the fresh snowfall we received in the Hudson Valley a few days ago. Whether I succeeded in capturing anything was not so important, and I just enjoyed a strenuous hike, the sound of fresh snow crunching beneath my boots, and the serene solitude of the moment.

Of course, when there is magical light, I react, and it indeed turned out to be a fantastic sunset. I tried to think about the process as I searched for a composition, since it’s a frequent question from workshop students. What was I searching for as I looked through the viewfinder? Colors, shadows, light, shapes and lines? Well, all of these, but yet more. Balance and symmetry are also on my mind.

I think it starts with looking at large forms for balance, then working from there to add detail and contrast. In this case, I started with the tree and clouds, then the foreground which would anchor the image. The mountains on the far side of the river serve as a counterbalance if you will, which keeps the image from becoming too heavy on the left side.

Light is the magical ingredient that hopefully brings everything together, creates the harmony and rhythm I look for in an image. Shadows are so important for depth as well as giving the light its beauty, like a melody. I’ve use this metaphor many times, but it continues to be the best way I know how to explain this mental process. I know this thought process sounds rather simple, and given how much I’ve studied the craft I’m surprised as well, yet it all comes down to a reaction to the environment and my feelings. I can assure you it wasn’t always like that, and many times it isn’t!

I processed this image entirely in Lightroom, using a few gradient filters to control the sky, and adding a few dodging strokes to the river to bring out a few subtle highlights as shown below.

Original capture- exposed to the right (the actual conditions were much darker)

Dodging brush used to bring out subtle highlights

I’m working on a video tutorial which will cover in-depth how I developed this image – hope to have that soon! I hope this has been helpful to those who have requested more information, and I plan to have more of these articles in the future. Please leave your questions or comment below, it helps me and well as other readers learn from the discussion.

Find out more about Beyond the Lens Photo Workshops.

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How I Choose Papers To Make the Perfect Print

RR Jr — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:40:35 +0000

Final print

Ansel Adams once said “the negative is the score, and the print is the performance“, and for me, the print is what drives my motivation and all of my creative efforts as a landscape photographer.

I love this quote because it really captures my thinking process, especially coming from a music background where everything I did was focused on producing the best final mix. I’d spend countless hours selecting sounds, arranging all of the various elements to create balance and harmony, and finally adding the lead vocals; the melody. The final mix brought everything together in a cohesive, balanced, and focused experience for the listener.

It always amazes me how many of these concepts transfer to photography, and printing in particular. Regardless of what went into creating an image, the viewer only experiences the final “performance” or print in this case. For this reason, I place great importance in selecting a paper that best presents what I think are the strongest features of a given photograph. This might be color, detail and texture, or perhaps strong contrast in an evocative black and white image. The point is that the image dictates the paper I choose, which hopefully provides the best possible experience for the viewer or collector.

Full size proof print

Trial and error is really the only way to learn this, which is why I built my own print studio where I print, mat and frame all of my work. The learning process is frustrating at first, but eventually the payoff is in the end result. It is not uncommon for me to print an image three to four times to get it “just right”. With practice, this happens less frequently than it used to, but the point is that I will not make any compromises when it comes to the final print.

With that said, here are my current favorite papers and some personal notes on each.

Matte Papers-

In general, these papers provide a rich artistic quality that I prefer for many of my color landscapes. They also feel great to the touch being cotton based, and provide a nice dimensional texture.

Canson Photographique 310 – ultra smooth and great detail, deep shadows print well, 100% free of OBA’s (optical brighteners, which can cause yellowing over time). Colors are rich with a slighty warm tendency, and prints beautifully on my Canon 8100.
Canson Edition Etching 310 – more of a watercolor paper with a nice texture, great color and dimension.
Innova Smooth Cotton - one of my long time favorites, great color accuracy, and nice saturation.

Fiber Papers-

Based on traditional dark room fiber papers, these papers provide the feel of matte papers but with the richer blacks that gloss papers offer. I tend to use these for images that have lots of dark tonalities I want to separate as much as possible, and also for black and white images.

Canson Plantine - rich blacks, very nice texture for a fiber paper, and very neutral. Black and whites are outstanding.
Hahnemuhle Photorag Pearl - this company has been in existence for over 400 years and their papers continue to be the standard for fine art printing. This paper, a variation of their amazing Photo Rag, has great color and warmth, also nice texture, and consistent output – plus the fiber based finish which really make landscapes pop.

Canvas with a wood floater frame

Canvas-

I only started to print on canvas at the beginning of this year, but it has quickly become a customer favorite, both residential and corporate/office. The unique texture adds a painted look to color landscapes, and combined with the total lack of glare, is perfectly suited to places where lighting is not ideal. I tried many different brands and weights, but have finally settled on just one supplier.

Lexjet Select Sunset Matte – this canvas has given me the best of all worlds – great rich color, deep and detailed blacks, a supple feel which is easy to stretch, and a large variety of sizes. I buy these in rolls, and always keep several sizes on hand for those last minute orders.

I really enjoy making prints, and hope that the time and effort I put into achieving the best possible “performance” brings something extra to those who have one of my prints in their home or office.

I’d love to get your questions about paper or printing in general – there’s never a question that’s too basic, it’s where we all got started.

Learn fine art printing in-depth in my Digital Printing Workshop.

Resources:

LightRoom Plugins – Update

RR Jr — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:04:02 +0000

I wrote about my favorite plugins for LightRoom a while back, but since that time I’ve added a few more to my collection. So here is an updated list of my current favorites.Timothy Armes at the Photographers Toolbox continues to create more useful plugins, and in addition to the ones I covered in the first post, here are a few more I find very useful.

LR2/Tree Exporter – allows you to export images from Lightroom while preserving their folder hierarchy. I find this extremely useful since my typical workflow involves exporting jpeg versions of my RAW files for the web, clients, print, etc on a regular basis. Since I export them to a different hard drive than where my Lightroom Library is located, it keeps them more organized and easier to find when I’m ready to use them in email, web, etc.
LR2/Gmail – this plugin will send any images selected in your Library via Gmail from directly within Lightroom – no more opening your email client and attaching images. Extremely time saving and convenient, this is one I use constantly.
LR2/Blog – send images directly to your blog. I’m still experimenting with this one since it offers many options, but I use it to create drafts with images that I can return to later and write text, etc. Again, saves me some time and can be combined with the Mogrify plugin to add borders, sharpening, and other enhancements.

The best of the rest:

LRB Portfolio – can create an entire portfolio website from within Lightroom with separate pages, images, etc. Very elaborate and well supported by the developer
Imagenomic Portraiture2 – a great retouching plugin for anyone shooting people, it eliminates many of the tedious steps required in Photoshop to achieve the same results. I don’t use this plugin often as you might imagine, but very powerful and convenient.
Photoframe – for the ultimate in artistic borders and frames, this is the plugin to get. Hundreds of beautiful borders and many options for customizing and saving presets.

“Reflections” – [border from Photoframe]

You can always keep track of the latest plugin releases on the Adobe Lightroom Exchange where they recommend and feature different plugins on a regular basis.Or check back here again for another update in the near future. If anyone uses any plugins I haven’t mentioned, please let me know in the comments!

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Selecting Your Best Images

RR Jr — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:00:41 +0000

I recently wrote an article here titled Lessons of Editing about the process of separating your good images from your great ones. Since then, I’ve continued to work on my own workflow and the methods by which I try and determine which images are special.

Charles Cramer is one of my favorite photographers on many levels. He is a former musician, respected instructor, master printer, and of course a great photographer (and a role model for yours truly). I have followed and learned from Charlie’s work for some time, and he has recently written an article that deals with the issue of selecting your best work. Read the article and then head over to his website and enjoy some truly inspiring work of Yosemite and surrounding areas.

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Back From Acadia

RR Jr — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:04:59 +0000

Somes Sound

(Canon 1DS MK III, EF70-200 f/2.8L IS) 70mm, 1/320 sec at f/11, ISO 200

I’m finally back from my extended camping trip to Maine and Acadia National Park. Although the weather was quite “wet” to say the least, it was a great trip both in terms of family time and photography. I’m quite fortunate in the sense that I try to include my family in as much of my travel as possible, and though it makes for very long and exhausting days, I wouldn’t trade the benefits for anything. While Brenda and Bryce don’t come out with me for sunrise , the rest of the days is always fun while I juggle shooting both nature and them. It provides a very good opportunity for stock images of people in the landscape, and I also get creative direction from Bryce who now points out when I may be photographing something “boring”.

Over the next few days I’ll be posting some of my favorite images and how I made them, as well as an article on my mobile setup which should be ready next week. All did not work as planned on this trip including a drive failure, but thankfully no images were lost due to having multiple backups, and I’ll cover my backup strategies as well. As always your feedback is appreciated.

Biking in Acadia

(Canon 5D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS) 24mm, 1/2 sec at f/22, ISO 100

This image of my son Bryce was created completely in camera without any post-processing except for basic adjustments in Lightroom. While it was very tricky to execute, it was fairly straight forward. I basically followed him on my bike while I held my camera in one hand and the handlebars with the other. The hard part was limiting the amount of light so that I could the get the required shutter speed in order to show motion, while at the same time keeping him in focus. I knew about .5 sec would do the trick, so it was just a matter of getting him to stay in a straight line at the right speed (“…slow down Bryce, you’re gonna get me killed!!!”). About 15 shots later, I had a keeper, and a life-long memory.

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Realistic HDR Photography

RR Jr — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:27:58 +0000

High dynamic range photography, otherwise known as HDR, has become extremely popular these days given all of the tutorials, videos and books I see more and more of on the internet. I’ve even seen other photographers denouncing hdr as though somehow it’s “cheating” or not worth the time and effort to learn. Yet as I’ve repeated here many times, any tool is worth learning as long as it helps you achieve your creative vision or goal in a way that remains true to your ethic. Regardless of whether it’s a traditional technique, or a new piece of cutting edge software, I embrace all with enthusiasm, then decide if it can help me in my personal vision.

For those unfamiliar with hdr imaging, is a technique that allows a greater dynamic range to be captured than with normal photographs. This is accomplished by taking anywhere from 3 to 7 exposures of the same scene, then combining them using specialized software. Then the image is tone-mapped (a form of tonal compression) so that it can be displayed on a traditional monitor which does not have sufficient dynamic range to display the hdr image. So though you may see an image labeled as being “hdr”, what is really meant is that it was created using hdr techniques, but the image you actually see is a representation of the original. Tone-mapping is the creative step which ultimately decides the “look” of the image, and where there seems to be a wide variety of experimentation being done today. I’ve seen everything from barely noticeable to images that look like impressionistic paintings.

Because of my focus on landscapes, and an emphasis on veracity together with artistic interpretation, I tend to use hdr sparingly, and only when the situation calls for it. Situations with very deep shadows, as in hard light, or overly bright skies are examples when I might use hdr. Architecture is another situation where it can be very useful. It really all depends on my intended purpose of the image, and if I think hdr will help me achieve my goals. Over time I’ll be showing examples of how I’ve used hdr for both personal and commercial projects, and share how I’ve learned when and when not to use this very powerful tool.

My recent visit to Bannerman Castle is a perfect place to start, since from the beginning I knew hdr would be the only way to capture ruins on a sunny day. Below are some of the images I made using hdr, and these were all composed of 5 exposures, separated by 1 stop increments. While a traditional image may have 4-5 stops maximum of dynamic range, these contain anywhere from 8-10 stops. In tone-mapping, my goal is to create an image that looks realistic and keeps the viewer focused on the subject, not how I created the image. HDR can look real, again it all depends on the approach and processing. I’ll talk about the software and provide some tips in my next post on hdr.

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The Lessons of Editing In Photography

RR Jr — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:06:03 +0000

Over the years I’ve had my fair (or as I see it unfair) share of failures, whether working in the music industry or photography. There probably isn’t a day that goes by when I’m in the field where I don’t fail at some point or another, often repeatedly. This is most evident in the editing stage when I return from a shoot and import my images into Lightroom, my current cataloging software of choice.

My normal workflow starts with reviewing all of the images and rating anything that I like on a basic level with 1 star. Any image that doesn’t get at least 1 star may get one at at a later date, but I’d rather make some decisions right away in order to maintain some efficiency. I only delete images that are technically deficient (out of focus, water on the lens, etc.). I may give an image 1 star for reasons other than the obvious, an example being it provides a reference I can use in a future visit to a location. If the image is valuable in any way, it gets 1 star. Next I use a filter to show only those with 1 star, and start the process again, but this time looking for images with more potential and aesthetic qualities I like. These now get 2 stars. At this point I usually take a break to refresh my mind, and may wait a few minutes to a few hours or days before revisiting the two star images again.

Often I’ll make a slideshow in Lightroom with the two star images and review them looking for something that really attracts me, moves me in some way, or perhaps really reminds me of what the location felt like at the moment I made the photograph. If I am fortunate, these I mark with three stars, and now I ‘m down to a very few select images. Very often I’m down to nothing, since I just wasn’t motivated to hit the “3″ key, and as I say, it’s “back out a 5 AM again.” Selecting the 4 star images (if one exists), is where the really hard work and fun begins. These are the images that I will spend time with specifically to make a fine art print and sell either online, at a gallery or art show. These are the real keepers, the ones that express my vision, my personal way of seeing, without explanations or doubts. This means it is the best work I can produce at the moment, and I am willing to accept whatever accolades or criticism it generates without any regrets of showing it in the first place. This has taken me many, many, years to understand, with failures and disappointments along the way. But the process has also given me the self-confidence that is so important when making decisions about one’s creative efforts.

There is nothing wrong with asking for advice or seeking opinions from others you trust. I do it all the time. But only after you have been your own critic and edited your work down to the very best you can produce. This is my mantra, the single creative principle I have tenaciously followed without compromise. If I have a nagging feeling in my gut, or any doubt about an image, it gets demoted right away. I need the clarity and confidence that I am presenting my best work – I sleep better that way. Equally important is the confidence in knowing that regardless of whether or not I agree with someone else’s judgement, I am happy with the perception they have made of my presentation, professionalism, and humility. Truth and respect go hand in hand.

When working on a commercial assignment, editing is even more important when there are deadlines to be met. Almost perfect just doesn’t cut it, and the thought of submitting something I feel isn’t my best is not an option for me. I have made mistakes in this area, but I’ve learned valuable lessons in both judgement and discipline.

Perhaps I am too hard on myself or strive to achieve that which seems so often out of reach. Critical editing seems to magnify the failures and reinforce the belief that I am not succeeding in some way. But the truth is quite the opposite and I realized long ago the failure is part of the journey that has helped me arrive at the truly creative and inspiring work. That keeps the creative juices flowing, keeps me motivated, and helps me remember why I love what I do. And I believe judicious and uncompromising editing has helped me grow faster as a photographer than any other aspect I can think of.

“If you limit your choices to only what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.” – Robert Fritz

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Fine Art Printing Resources

RR Jr — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:39:43 +0000

I am often asked all sorts of questions about fine-art printing, and specifically about recommending papers, suppliers, and other good sources of information.

I provide students in my printing workshops with a whole list of my favorites, but I thought I would post it here for everyone else. I’ve left printers off this list because that needs a complete post unto itself – I’m working on it!

Here are my favorites…

Suppliers:

Shades of Paper – papers, printers, inks, accessories
InkJetMall – papers, inks, and accessories
Frame Destination – frames, mates, and framing supplies in “photographer” sizes
SpeedPress – the best straight-edges in the business, self-healing mats
Booksmart Studio – metal sheets for printing, custom ICC profiles
ColorPlak – ColorBox mounting
ArtiPlaq – frameless mounting
Small Business Loans Illinois – Find information on small business loans in the state of Illinois, as well as all the other states.

Papers: (I have used all of these papers in my gallery and art shows)

Canson – excellent line of fine-art papers with profiles for most popular printers. I especially like Edition Etching Rag and Rag Photographique for color images
Hahnemuhle PhotoRag – another all-time favorite which I keep in stock at all times – gives images a beautiful watercolor look.
Ilford – Ilford Galerie Gold Fiber Silk is my favorite fiber based paper – great traditional look and feel for black and white, and also exceptional detail for color photographs
RedRiver Paper – great economical paper for proofing – also for notecards

Hardware, Software

Spyder 3 Express – monitor calibration device
Color Munki – monitor and printer calibration device
PixelGenius – Photokit Sharpener plugin – my favorite sharpening plugin for Photoshop.
Imagenomic – Noiseware Professional – one of the best noise reduction plugins for Photoshop.
Other World Computing – Excellent external hard drives, memory upgrades, amd other peripherals for Mac and PC.

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