Posts from the ‘Processing Notes’ Category
These boats have been in dry dock for the last 5 years we have visited Cozumel. I’m not sure when they are scheduled to return to sea? They made for a wonderful image when the sun setting behind them. I was really hoping to get a sun star shining through the windows, but I was just a bit too slow to the draw. Good thing we visit Cozumel yearly, I will have another shot at it…..unless of course they decide to re-comission these vessels.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 58 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (8 Images)
NX2 Raw Conversion
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
NIK Define 2.0 (Noise reduction)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global contrast)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment – selectively reduced the green in the foliage)
NIK Define 2.0 (Noise reduction)
Photoshop (Vibrance/Saturation selective to the boats)
Photoshop (Resize for web)
NIK Sharpener (Display adaptive 35%)
LightAsMagic.com
I believe great images lurk right outside your door. You don’t have to travel far to find beauty and interest. I spend my summer days running by this tree and I knew northern clouds would compliment it beautifully. This afternoon the clouds were building in the north, but the sky remained a brilliant blue. I knew this would be the time to visit my running partner. It just so happened to be the end of a year!
Nikon D300
Tokina 11-16
Gitzo Traveler
Capture Notes:
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal Length: 11 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (8 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Curve adjustment)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Brilliance/Warmth)
Photoshop (Crop to 4×5)
Photoshop (Size for web)
LightAsMagic.com
After an arduous day of car shopping, we decided to take a quick break from wheelin’ and dealin’….I don’t think the sales guy wanted us to leave, but my wife made it pretty clear we were going to. Just down the road, we found this great old silo. It towered above the suburban sprawl that surrounded it. You felt he had stories to tell. Hopefully, I was able to help him tell it.
In the video below, we grant the Tin Man’s wish and give him a heart using Photomatix and NIK Define 2.0, Color EFX Pro, and Viveza 2.
Note: Email subscribers will need to visit the site to watch the video.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VR II
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 16 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (9 images)
NX2 (Raw –> TIFF conversion)
NIK Define 2.0 (Automatic entire image)
Photoshop (Global Curves adjustment)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast selective to the silo)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Brilliance/Warmth selective to sky)
NIK Viveza 2 (Brighten to of the silo)
NIK Viveza 2 (Saturation and structure boost to sky)
Photoshop (Size for web)
NIK Sharpen (Display 40% output)
LightAsMagic.com
Processing Video:
A warm day today, in a rather long and disheartening winter. It might be too early to get excited, but I can’t help it. This winter has been tough on the people who love long days and flip flops. Apparently we set a record.
This image is one from last spring. It is a single exposure HDR. Normally I have great results, however because I was shooting at 800 ISO the processing introduced some noise. You can see it if you look close. Hopefully soon I will have the chance to make another image like this one. Bulb season isn’t too far off!
Recently, I published the toolset within my darkroom. I also published a list of tunes I listen to while I am clicking, sliding, dragging and dropping my way to victory. I had so much fun making that playlist, I have decided to publish one every month. So, without further ado (sp?)……here is the myTunes playlist for the month of March! Just click the link below.
(Note: You will need iTunes installed on your machine to access it.)
March 2010 LightAsMagic.com myTunes Dark Room Victory Songs
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 105 2.8 AFS VR Micro
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 105 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 Image)
Photomatix (pseudo hdr)
PS (color corrected)
NIk ColorFX Pro (selective tonal contrast on main flower)
Nik Define 2.0 (brushed noise reduction on fence)
LightAsMagic.com
An astronaut with a day off from space walks, research, and mission tasks might want to take a break from the daily regiment of Tang to enjoy a nice pinot or cab with their protein paste. A quick trip to the wine cellar module on the International Space Station could provide such luxuries to our orbiting scientists. Although currently not available, or scheduled for production, a wine cellar would be a nice addition to the space based bed and breakfast. However, if there were such a thing, I believe this might be the wine cellar they would visit.
As a bit of an impressionist I commonly take creative liberties to realize my vision. Feel free to watch the video below to see how I use Photomatix 3.2 and a couple of NIK filters to build a wine cellar suitable for international space travel.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 16-85 VRII
Gitzo Traveler
Markin Q3T ball head
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 16 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
NX2 (Raw Conversion)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
NIK Define 2.0 (Noise reduction)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment – global contrast/color correction)
Nik Color EFX Pro (Glamour glow – desaturate)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast)
Photoshop (size for web)
NIK Sharpener (Display adaptive 35% selectively applied to the wine bottles)
LightAsMagic.com
…or, if you have time, you can just watch the video (length: about 10mins).
To find out more about NIK Software and their suite of filters visit their website at:
To find out more about Photomatix 3.2 visit HDRSoft’s website at:
You can use the coupon code LIGHTASMAGIC to receive a 15% discount on Photomatix
When I am diving, I don’t feel like I am realizing the images of the deep. At best I feel I am doing taxonomic record keeping. I have a long road to go to do justice to the beauty of oceans. However, occasionally I get one right (or at least almost right).
Nikon Coolpix 5100
ikelite Housing
iKelite DS125 Stobe
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/7.3
Focal Length: 26.3 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Fired
Processing Notes :
Capture
Photoshop (Crop to 5×5)
Photshop (Curves adjustment)
NIK ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast selective to anemone)
Photoshop (Vibrance adjustment)
NIK Sharepen (Selective to shrimp)
Photoshop (size for web)
LightAsMagic.com
As you might know by now, my mother-in-law loves images of doors. She asked me to photograph one last weekend when we were visiting the Stanley Hotel. This might be one of the more famous (infamous) doors I have ever had the opportunity to photograph. It is the door to room 217. The great thing about being an independent, impressionistic photographer, I have the freedom to make the door as creepy as Kubrick did.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-35 2.8 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Markins Q3T
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (5 Images)
Photomatix (Raw Conversion, HDR, Tonemapping)
Nik Color EFX Pro (Bleach Bypass – selective touch of desaturation excluded the door)
Nik Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast – selective boost saturation included only the door)
Nik Define 2.0 (Automatic entire image)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global)
Nik Color EFX Pro (Vignette big-n-soft)
Sized for web
Nik Sharpen (Display 30% adaptive selective to the door)
LightAsMagic.com
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
No better way to spend Valentine’s day than staying in a haunted hotel. After taking a 90min ghost tour, one that happens to have a stop near your room, you are expected to enjoy your dinner and get a good nights sleep. Well, that didn’t quite happen. I am still deciding if I really heard the sound of turn of the century nannies moving their steam trunks across the floors in the rooms above us. No kidding. I’m not 100% sure, but I am about 90% sure that is what I experienced.
You can read more about the Stanley Effect by clicking here.
Nikon D300
Tokina 11-16 ATX Pro
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 11.5 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Metered Shutter Speed: 2.0s
Processing Notes:
Capture (4 Images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment – color cast, global contrast)
NIK Color EFX Pro (Tonal Contrast selectively applied to hotel and foreground)
Photoshop (Vibrance/Saturation boost)
Photoshop (Resize)
NIK Sharpener (Display 40% adaptive)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When working at night, especially cold nights, I have found that using mountain bike gloves does a good job of keeping my hands warm while still retaining their dexterity.
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.
By no means do I consider myself a wildlife photographer, I don’t have the patience for it. If you want to see great wildlife photography visit Moose Peterson’s site. His name says it all. I discovered this little fox, along with his brothers and sisters, on my way to the post office. I had my camera with me and thought I would try my hand at ‘Dancing with Wolves’. After a deliberately slow approach, I settled into a seated position and waited. I would yawn, blink, look away, etc; Everything you might learn from watching episodes of the Dog Whisperer. The one thing I didn’t do was immediately start shooting. After about 20 minutes, a reluctant mom let her kits out of the den. She didn’t let them walk up and sniff me, but they were allowed to make eye contact and observe me from a distance. I stayed there as long as a 1 gig CF card would let me (in 2002 that was a boat load of memory). Actually, I stayed a bit longer than that. It was an experience I will always remember.
Nikon D1x
Nikkor 80-200 2.8 AFD
Processing Notes
Capture
Photoshop (Curves Adjustment)
NIK (Sharpen selective to the eyes)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: In a situation like this you might be tempted to open your lens up as wide as it will go to try and soften the background and emphasize your subject. However, at 2.8 in this case I was barely able to get the eyes in focus if I was focusing on the bridge of their noses. I think f/3.2 – 4 might have been a better choice.
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.
A neighbor friend of ours, who also happens to be a great photographer, was telling me about her cross processing techniques of days past. You can visit her site by clicking here.
I really like the Lo-Fi vibe you can achieve with this process, so I decided to go out and find a subject to experiment with digitally. I have had this building on the radar for a while, and I thought it would be the perfect subject for this technique. FYI, the cross processing I applied was compliments of my favorite digital toolset, Nik EFX, and free fo any chemicals like the days of yore. I like it. It’s as if I am blogging from the 70s.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300 ED AF
Gitzo Traveler
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR Tonemapping)
NIK ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast for texture)
NIK ColorEFX Pro (Cross Process for lo-fi vibe)
Photoshop (Re-size and prep for web)
NIK Sharpen (Display 30% Adaptive)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: To get the height required to make this image, I had to set the tripod up on the top of my car. Two things I learned here. 1) Tripods don’t work well if they are on a moving surface. Turn your car off! 2) You might think you stand still, but you don’t. Get off the car and use a cable release from the ground.
