Posts from the ‘Photo Walks’ Category
Just a quick note to the CO photographers out there that the Illuminate Workshops evening photo walk has been scheduled for March 13th. It is a great way to spend a Saturday evening. As a reminder to myself, charge your (my) batteries!
Jump on over to their website for the details.
Sometimes you stumble upon a collection of colors and lines that you can’t help but fill your viewfinder with. After a scheduled photo-walk of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, I was headed back to the car when this scene presented itself to me. I used a longer focal length to try and draw the compositional elements closer together. The brass star was pure luck.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Nik Define (Automatic entire image)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Tonal Contrast selectively applied to buildings and stairs)
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com
A photographer friend of mine, whose images you can see over on flickr, likes to make images of landscapes within landscapes. He will find a small patch of grass and flowers, or an interesting rock amidst a much grander scene. He calls these images ‘intimate landscapes’. I really like the idea. He tells me that I am an ‘intimate urbanscape’ photographer. I am pretty sure it is images like this that compels him believe that.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Curves Adjustment)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Vignette)
LightAsMagic.com
When I set out with my camera and nothing catches my eye’s attention, I force myself to look closer. On occasion I find something interesting.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: -5/3 EV
ISO Speed: 800
Processing Notes:
Capture
Aperture 2 (Contrast/Saturation Adjustment)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When you are out and about with your camera, don’t hesitate bringing it to your eye and looking through the view finder. As a photographer, I don’t always know what I am looking for. However, seeing the world through a lens helps me find it.
Little did this guy know that when he walked out of the cleaners, he would be walking into a foray of paparazzi. Seriously, when this guy opened the door there were 4 photographers set up with tripods shooting this brick wall. We were all on the monthly IlluminateWorkshops evening photo-walk.
I knew this scene needed something more than just the wall. I tried opening the door and staging myself in the scene, but it just wasn’t working. However, after waiting a while the man in the fedora walked out and I quickly snapped a frame. The frame I snapped was my metered exposure. Once the door closed and he was done asking questions I finished my sequence of 7 frames.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 AFS DX
Gitzo Traveler
Markins Q3T Ballhead
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Masked in the man and light)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global contrast)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal contrast slight desaturation and brick texture)
Photoshop (Crop to 4×5 ratio)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Vignette – Off center to enhance light’s shadow)
Nik Sharpen (Display adaptive 25% selectively applied to bricks)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When shooting a sequence of photos that are going to be used in an HDR image, pay attention to any moving objects. Try to capture the movement you want in the image when the movement you want coincides with the exposure that is appropriate for your image. That sounds a bit circular? Hopefully it makes sense. Feel free to email or leave a comment if it doesn’t.
This month’s evening photo walk was in a great part of Denver. The SOBO neighborhood is home to the Mayan theatre, great dining, and alleys full of character. I committed myself to keeping it simple. I spent the entire evening using my 35mm 1.8. Which on a DX camera is a normal lens, meaning it offers the same perspective your eyes see. This image was of interest to me because of the varieties of light sources. I white balanced the image for the closest dumpster. I felt the remaining lights added interest to the depth of the image because of their various color casts.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/ToneMapping)
Photoshop (curves adjustment)
NIK ColorEFX (Tonal Contrast light texture)
Photoshop (Brightness/Contrast adjustment)
NIK Sharepen (Display adaptive 30%)
Tip: I have found that when shooting at night, I will try to commit myself to an aperture, a fairly wide one, and then adjust my shutter speed throughout the night. With my 35mm lens at 1.8 and an ISO of 800, I was able to achieve a shutter speed of 1/60 sec in even the darkest of allies.
I had already packed up from an evening photo walk and was heading back to my car when I saw this building staring up at the moon. I had to join in.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (9 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Levels adjustment)
NIK Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
LightAsMagic.com
Had I had my wits about me, I would have been posting an incredible image of a full moon rising above the Denver skyline. It was an amazing moonrise and the image was ready for the making. Missed it! Ah well, thanks to Ptolemy I will be ready next time. I noticed the moon sets tomorrow morning at 7:17am. Check back to see if I woke up in time!
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler / Markins Q3T Ballhead
Processing Notes:
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Viveza 2 (CP Contrast/Structure Boost)
Photoshop (Resize)
Flickr
Reminder: Just a reminder, the Illuminate Workshops evening photo walk is next week (Feb 6th). I’m not affiliated with them, but I do like to support the local photography community. It is a great group of folks who photograph the town red! To find out more, just visit their website.
A cold day of training reminded me of a tree I had been meaning to make an image of and I thought the storm behind it might do well for the backdrop. Nature’s studio cooperated. Sure, a bit dramatic, but after 5 hours of riding in the cold I felt dramatic!
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Note:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR Tonemapping)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Define 2.0 (Manual selectively applied to sky)
Photoshop (Crop Re-size)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Vignette)
Nik Sharpener (Display adaptive selectively applied to tree and foreground)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: I’m not sure if this necessarily falls under the category of a tip, but I had a friend of mine ask if I would write a bit more about my process. I wasn’t sure where to start, so I figured I would start with a concept I have decided to call ‘Creative Scheduling’. We are all busy doing everything but making art. That is one of life’s common denominators. My personal way of dealing with this is to schedule the creative process. It sounds crazy, but hopefully I can try to shed some light on it. I break my photography time into 4 broad categories.
- Photo Walks: These are times that I have set aside to grab my gear and throw myself into an environment. Just like meeting friends for dinner, or going to the doctor, the appointment is on the calendar.
- Photography of Opportunity: This is just a matter of being prepared. Put together a kit that your are comfortable taking with you wherever you go. It could be a small PointnShoot or an SLR with a select set of lenses. Just make sure it is portable enough that you like to have it around. That way, when the images show themselves, you are ready for them. Here is what I take.
- Travel: It is basically a blend of the above. When I am traveling I will conduct some forward recon on the net and schedule a couple of ‘Photo Walks’ during my vacation. The prior planning makes me very efficient when on location which still allows me plenty of time to hang out and relax with my family and friends. On vacation, I always have a Photography of Opportunity kit at the ready.
- Pre-Visioned: These are images that I have stumbled upon when I (or the image) wasn’t ready. These are things I see when I am out and about running, riding, or just too busy to stop. I will make note of these images and save them for later. In my mind’s eye I will try to imagine the ideal conditions for my vision. Then, when it fits into my schedule and the conditions are right, I will go make it happen.
Why use this post to describe my ‘Creative Scheduling’ process? Because it is an example of Pre-Visioning an image for later. I found this lone tree on a road I commonly ride and I knew that a southern storm would make the perfect backdrop for it. The storm arrived the same day I had to run an errand to the quarry. I grabbed my gear and stopped to make the image. Two minutes later I was back on the road, image in hand, and off to get some flagstone.
The Speer blvd. bridge makes for a grand entrance to Denver. I had been wanting to make an image of the bridge for some time. Recently, while attending a local evening photo walk sponsored by Illuminate Workshops I was able to get the job done. Originally I planned on shooting the bridge from a distance using a long lens to compress it against the skyline. I did that. However, when crossing back across the street I stumbled across this view. I’m glad Starbucks was on the other side of the street.
For more on the Illuminate Workshops visit their site:
http://www.illuminateworkshops.com/
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes
Capture
Photoshop (Levels Adjustment)
NIK Sharpener (Display)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When you are shooting at night, really pay attention to your lighting. The light on the right was turning off intermittently and leaving that side of the bridge dark. I didn’t notice it at first, but after a couple clicks I did and was able to capture the even lighting.
Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to the ice cream shop. Not for the ice cream, because it was below freezing Saturday night, but for the neon!
Note: Does anyone know if ‘but’ followed by ‘for’ is a violation of a grammatical rule? If so, let me know. It sounds odd.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tone-mapping)
Photoshop (Levels Adjustment to correct color)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast to boost textures)
NIK Sharpen (Display adaptive 30%)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When photographing at night it is good to have a flashlight along. Make sure it is reasonably bright. You want to be able to illuminate a distant subject to aid in focusing. When I go out for an evening photo walk I carry a small MagLite in my bag as well as a head lamp.
My first evening photo crawl with a great local photo group started out in high fashion. We met at a local pub/coffee shop in Denver, got a quick route briefing, and then headed out. I began the night by making the traditional expansive images of highway lights. However, my eye began to be drawn to the details along the footbridge we were crossing. Maybe it was my heightened focus or an unconscious interest in civil engineering. Either way I found a composition that inspired me. It was a fun evening and I look forward to joining them again next month.
I took my Flip MinoHD camera with me, and made a quick video. It is in my standard directing style, but this time I added a little ‘Holiday Bop’ to it.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Processing:
Capture (1 image)
Adobe Raw (Temperature and fill light adjustment)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Darken/Lighter Center)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast cut highlights/midtone contrast, boosted saturation and shadow contrast)
Photoshop (resized)
Nik Sharpener (Output for display)
LightAsMagic.com
If you are interested in the photo walk, or some great workshops you can find more information about them here:
Tip: When working at night I have found that I primarily shoot in Manual Mode and set my shutter speed to ‘Bulb’. I will make an educated guess at the time, make the image, review (chimp), and then adjust. If you are taking a 5 sec exposure, don’t worry if you accidentally shoot for 6 sec. To overexpose a 5 sec exposure by 1 stop, you will have to shoot a 10 sec exposure. Even with a generous margin for error while working at night with long exposures, you still might want to take a stopwatch. Also, you will need a steady tripod and a cable release. The cable release is optional, but it always use it.
Recently I had reader and fellow photographer contact me regarding some mentoring (If you are reading this Fred, Happy Thanksgiving!). I try to publish tips on the site, but reading information here is no substitute for field work. No better way of sharing tips than taking a photo walk. A quick shooting session in Red Rocks park followed by some processing over a beer seemed to do the trick. Fred sent me his photos, and I think I like his better. He is a great photographer, and I think we can learn a lot from each other. If anyone else is interested in a photo walk on the CO front range don’t hesitate contacting me.
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX
Fred’s Tip: I tried a technique that Fred uses in his workflow. I will admit I kind of like it. This information if for folks that shoot in Nikon RAW. I’m sure it is applicable to other manufactures, I just don’t know the details.
Fred shoots his images in Neutral, then when he does his RAW conversion he will change the picture control in NX2 to either standard or landscape while converting to .tiff. He does this to boost saturation and contrast so he doesn’t introduce any artifact while making the composite image in Photomaitx. Thanks Fred. I enjoyed the walk and the tip!
