I Dream In Color (guest post by Jeremy Hall)

Today's image was created by Jeremy Hall. Jeremy is a friend of mine that I met through Photowalking Utah. I saw this image on Jeremy's Flickr photostream and asked him to write about how he created it.

By Jeremy Hall

I have some great friends and co-workers that step in as my models when I have ideas for new shoots. Good people. Kattie is a beautiful girl working in our customer service department that has very photogenic eyes and an appreciation for taking good photos. I have had in my mind some ideas for taking a series of photos of just eyes or tightly composed face shots, and she was willing to be my first victim.

After taking a series of shots, angles and lighting adjustments I went to work in Lightroom seeing what I had to work with. Lately I have been spending a lot of time trying to learn new development techniques in Photoshop, so when I take photos I tend to view them as a canvas ready to be brought to life. This is not to say I don’t try to get a perfect image out of the camera without processing, but the processing has been my interest of late. There is so much to learn and evolve in photography that I love!

One thing I especially enjoy about photography is the willingness of most other photogs to share their knowledge. Sure, there are some “secret sauce” business things that tend to stay protected; but when it comes to creating beautiful art, most are willing to help along those of us earlier in the learning process. With that in mind, I am always happy to share what I know to help others learn like I am.

Here are some notes of what I did with this image:

1. Shot normally with single soft box and model facing light at slight angle

2. Slightly underexposed in Lightroom to maintain shadow detail.

3. Photoshop channel mix layer for high key b&w conversion with selective mask to avoid eyes. For the b&w I just play with the sliders until I achieve the look I am going for that best enhances the photo.

4. Same eye selection (control/cmd click the previous adjustment layer thumbnail to reselect) for saturation and curves

5. Several dodge & burn layers for enhanced high key and knocking out aspect of background and face I didn't want.

That’s really it. I did a crop based on how I wanted to display the image and some additional selective sharpening once the image was downsized. My preferred technique for a final sharpening is to create a duplicate of the background layer, apply the sharpening that best fits the important areas of the image, then apply a layer mask to hide all of the sharpening and then paint back on with a soft brush where I want the sharpening applied.

For comparison I have created this before and after image.



Thanks for the invite on the guest post, and I always appreciate visitors and comments over on my site at www.whatsgottastay.com and on my Flickr stream!

Setting the Background in Stock Photography

One of the most enjoyable times for me to photograph is when I am doing a stock shoot on location. I like the challenge provided by setting up a realistic looking scene in a new place. An important item to remember when setting up a scene is not only to focus on the main subject, but plan the background as well.

In today's shot of Holly at the health club, I placed Tyler in the background doing curls with a dumbbell to better communicate the theme. Combining this model placement and a shallow depth-of-field not only adds depth to the image but increases the 'realism' of the shot.

Another example of this technique is demonstrated in last month's laboratory photo shoot. By placing models Ron and Julie working on the bench behind Michelle, the scene becomes more interesting.



One drawback to adding background people is a bit of complication to the lighting. In the health club shoot I set a low-power monolight aimed specifically at the background model(s). I set the exposure for this light at approximately half f/stop below the subject exposure. I wanted them to pop, but not overpower the main subject.

This technique can be utilized in recreational photography as well. By paying attention to the background and either adding or removing people, the impact of a shot can be greatly increased.

View these images in my stock portfolio: Health Club - Laboratory

Muted Color

One effect that I use occasionally on portraits is Muted Color. This treatment can help to give an antique feel to the image similar to sepia-tone while still retaining color.

The young couple in today's image wanted an old-fashioned look to their engagement photos. Their initial thought was to go with black & white or sepia-tone. However, upon seeing the muted color version it immediately became their favorite.

There are several methods available to create this look. The method I use is simple and straightforward. I process the original RAW image in three ways: color, sepia-tone and cross-processed (I use Linge's Photoshop Actions for the sepia and cross-processed effect). I then create a Photoshop layer of each version of the file. Once I have the three layers, I use the color layer as my base and blend the other two layers over it, adjusting the transparency until I get my desired result.

If you have a process you use to create a similar effect, please share it.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/4, ISO 100

Rule of Thirds - Revisited

Today's simple scenery image of a lone pine tree against a blue sky is a perfect chance to revisit a previous post from last year concerning the Rule of Thirds. Have a great weekend!

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/8, ISO 100


from April 1, 2007:

One of the first things to get emphasized to novice photographers by those who claim to be more knowledgeable is to "Follow the rule of thirds". While this is sound advice, the phrase can be confusing. Let's take a few moments and simplify this "Rule" so that we all can use it when making captures regardless of our experience.

Simply put, the Rule of Thirds is a tool to use when composing a photograph. The way I like to instruct it is this: Place four evenly spaced imaginary lines on your image, 2 horizontal and 2 vertical. I have even further simplified it to some (mainly children) by suggesting that they imagine a "tic-tac-toe" board over the photo. Once you can picture the lines, place your subject very near a line and, if possible, arrange the main focal point of the subject where two of the lines intersect. In doing so, you increase the odds that you will create a photo that is visually appealing to how the human mind interprets the image.



For today's image (above) I took one of my favorite hawk photos and added yellow lines to help illustrate the process. When composing the photo I placed the bird on the right most vertical line. The main focal point of the bird is the eyes and beak, but I found that if I placed them on an intersection the photo was a bit bottom heavy. Instead, I placed the bird's body where the two nearest lines meet. Doing so creates a pleasing composition since the birds head is close enough to an intersection to take advantage of the rule. Had I taken the same photo and composed it differently by placing the bird in the center of the image, the result would not be as pleasing.

Since I'm on the subject of image composition, the image above demonstrates another "Rule" that can be followed to make a shot more pleasing. In most situations it is desired to have the subject looking toward the center of the image. If the bird were looking to the right rather than the left, the photo would not be as pleasing to the viewer's eye. In fact, to many people it would just "feel uncomfortable". The same can be said for motion. If the photo is of a subject in motion, compose it so it is moving toward the image's center.

Lastly, remember the old phrase "Rules are made to be broken". There are plenty of times when a more pleasing image can be created by breaking the Rule of Thirds rather than following it. Try using this rule as a guideline and see if your work improves.

Photoshop Tip: An Alternative to Brightness/Contrast

When editing my images in Photoshop, I always begin with a couple simple adjustment steps before venturing into the more advanced edits. Since I shoot most of my shots around 1/3 f/stop underexposed (to preserve highlights), the first simple editing step I do is an adjustment to the brightness/contrast of the image. But guess what? I don't use the brightness/contrast adjustment to do this. I use LEVELS.

By using the LEVELS adjustment, I am able to fine tune the brightness of the image while causing very little damage. This is extremely important in my stock images since they have to go through a rigorous inspection process to be included in my portfolio. Here are the simple steps I use:

1. Create a new LEVELS adjust layer.

2. Slide the upper clipping adjustment (red circle below) down until it is just above the upper end of the histogram.

3. Slide the lower clipping adjustment (blue circle below) up until it is just below the lower end of the histogram.

4. Inspect image and fine tune the adjustments as needed

As you can see in today's featured image, the sample on the right 'pops' quite a bit more than the original on the left. This was done strictly using the levels adjustment. Once I complete this step, I then go on and finish my editing of the image.

If you haven't tried adjusting brightness/contrast this way, give it a shot and see how well it works for you.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/4.5, ISO 50

50mm f/1.8 lens - Put One In Your Bag

I frequently receive email questions from photographers that have upgraded to a digital SLR camera. One of the most often asked questions is about additional lenses they should add to their kit. The lens I recommend more than any other is the 50mm f/1.8. This lens can be had for under $100 (Canon) and is a great addition to any photographer's gear bag. The inexpensive little lens offers numerous advantages including:

- One to two f/stops faster than a standard 'kit' lens
- Very narrow depth-of-field for a great blurred background
- Extremely compact and lightweight

The Canon version of the lens feels very cheap light due to its plastic build. Don't let this deter you. The optics are very good, especially considering the low price.

Today's image of Kenneth during a video presentation at one of his classes was taken with this lens. The combination of the fast lens speed and a high ISO made the shot possible.

Here are links to the lens for Canon & Nikon:

Canon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.8

Of course, if price is no object you can do what my scientist friend did (you know who you are) and cough up some real cash for a Canon 50mm f/1.2 :)

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens - 1/20 second, f/1.8, ISO 800

Private Jet Photo Shoot

(Rock Star models Andrew and Alyssa)

I spent this past Saturday afternoon doing a stock photo shoot in a private jet. Through a friend, I made contact with a pilot last month and he was able to get me access to one of the corporate jets he flies. I must say, it was pretty cool.

I got word on the Thursday prior that we would have use of the jet on Saturday, so I had to scramble to assemble the models and props for the shoot. Normally I like to schedule shoots a few weeks in advance, but due to the irregular schedule of the plane's use this was not possible.

When planning the shoot, the three scenes I sought to capture were corporate executives, young rock stars and wealthy jet-setters. Doing the multiple scenes required several different models. Ultimately, six were available (on the short notice) for the shoot.


(The lighting setup on the outside of the Cessna Citation)

The lighting for the scene was pretty straightforward. I wanted to create a look that made it appear that the plane was flying. To do so, very bright windows were the key. I placed large softboxes on both sides of the plane to light the windows, then used a small softbox above and behind my camera position for fill light. All of the lights were synced with Pocketwizard radios.

The final result of this lighting setup worked well. The images portray a natural looking directional light similar to what you would see in an airplane at altitude.


(Corporate executive model Ron)

The biggest hurdle in doing the shoot was the cold weather and wind. The hangar that we used as a staging area was un-heated. Thankfully, Kevin from the airport provided a space heater to keep the models warm between shots. The plane itself was also not heated (it was powered down) and the door had to stay open for the light's power cables.

(Yours truly on the job)

All in all, it was a successful and fun shoot which will yield a few dozen images for my stock portfolio. Big time thanks go out to all of the models (Michelle, Dale, Ron, Andrew, Jenna & Alyssa) and especially to my new pilot friend Matt. Thank you all! Without people like you I could not do what I do.

Reflector Lighting in Mid-Day Sun

Pro photographer and instructor Kenneth Linge had another of his Photographing People clinics this past Saturday in Salt Lake City. I was privileged enough to be invited again to help out and photograph during the class. Kenneth is a master at using mid-day sunshine with a reflector to create stunning portraits.

I took the above photo of Lindsey in direct overhead sunshine in the parking lot of the hotel the seminar was held at. The lighting was provided by a single silver reflector positioned by Kenneth. The combination of the warm light on the face with the cool background bokeh created a pleasant portrait.

Here is an overview of the scene as captured by my favorite videographer Jeremy Hall.



It is always rewarding to be able to capture a nice portrait such as this in an environment that many photographers would consider inhospitable to portrait work.

On a somewhat related side note, I processed this image in under 5 minutes using Kenneth's Photoshop Actions. I will be providing more information on these actions in the near future.

On the web:

Kenneth Linge
Jeremy Hall

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/800 second, f/4, ISO 100

Calling Photoshoppers - My Version

It was great to see the response to the Calling Photoshoppers project we featured this week (original post). I received a few suggestions that I give a shot at editing the image, so I spent a few minutes with it this morning. Here is my version.

I didn't keep a detailed list of my editing steps (like the others did so well), but I will touch on a few highlights.

- Cropped and leveled
- Removed rock (thanks Brian)
- Blended two versions of the images, one sepia and one color
- Warmed up and softened using an action
- Brightened faces
- Vignette

My goal was to create a sepia image with a subtle color on the couple (especially the jeans and her top). Similar to others, I sought to create an old-fashioned feel to the image.

So, how'd I do?

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/250 second, f/5, ISO 100

Calling Photoshoppers - The Results

Last week I put out a call for Photoshop users who would like to put their skills to work on one of my images (original post). I received a very nice response and selected the first five to participate.

I have since received the four edited images (one person was unable to complete the assignment). In addition to doing a great job applying their Photoshop chops to the image, they each wrote a narrative on what they did and why they did it. It is very interesting for me to see the different style and approach each artist took.

Each person was provided with an unedited JPG and RAW image (shown above) of the couple walking on abandoned railroad tracks. The only guideline given was that they could do whatever they wanted. Here are their results in no particular order.

ANN TORRENCE



Technically

In short - two Adobe Camera Raw interpretations of the same image,
over and under exposed. The diffusion is simulated by copying the
over-exposed image, blurring it, and using the Screen mode.

The under-exposed ACR conversion is blended with Multipy at a partial
opacity to bring back the dark zones. A Curves Adjustment Layer
introduces the Cross Processing look; search on-line for many cross
processing curve examples to download. One more thought: edit in 16-
bit mode when making dramatic shifts and expect a spiky histogram.
Down-sampling to 8-bit will smooth much of the spikiness out.
Cropped to 8x10, light sharpening for Rich to resize and sharpen for
printing.

Artistically

I imagined this couple would like one image from their engagement
session styled for fashion. I wanted to give them an image that they
will like now, their kids will laugh at on their 25th wedding
anniversary, and treasure on their 50th.

I liked the pose, motion and expressions, and how the color of her
shirt pops out of the image. But their beautiful skin and hair tones
get lost in the muddy colors of the tree leaves. And the unfocused
weeds at the bottom of the image have to go (Rich was smart to keep
the camera plane parallel to the couple, and allow some room in the
composition for cropping.)

Cross-processing refers to an old-school color film technque of
processing slide film as if it were color negative or vice versa. It
gives a characteristic color shift and contrast transformation to the
film, and has been used a lot in fashion photography. Another tool
fashion photographers might use is a diffusion filter. Since Rich
didn't use one on his lens, I faked one. I wanted to use both ideas;
retaining a full range of brightness called upon a bit of Photoshop.

BRIAN AUER



Technically

I processed the RAW file using Adobe Camera Raw 4.3.1. I left the white balance as shot, and I started with the “Auto” adjustment for the exposure settings. I tweaked a few minor things, then I got started in Photoshop CS3. Once in Photoshop, I applied a curves adjustment layer to increase contrast. Then I converted to black and white using the Channel Mixer adjustment layer at 34% red, 66% green, and 0% blue. I set the blending mode of this adjustment layer to “Overlay” and dropped the opacity to 80%. Then I desaturated the image using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer by dropping the Saturation slider to -35. The final adjustment step was a Photo Filter adjustment layer using an LBA Warming Filter at a density of 35%. Then I cropped the image (see why in the next section). And finally, the rock in the foreground was a little off for me, so I cloned it out. No sharpening was applied.

Artistically

I felt the scene had a lot of potential and I knew I wanted the image to have a kind of timeless and carefree look and feel to it. The adjustment layers got the overall mood where I wanted it, but the composition was off for me. I loved the slight tilt in the image, but the upper half of the scene wasn’t working for me – the background was too dark on the left and too light on the right. It added too much tension and took away from the “carefree” feeling I wanted. So I played around with different crops and I finally landed on a 3:2 aspect that cut off just below the cuff of the white shirt on the left arm. To me, this was the most interesting part of the image (no offense to the models… or Rich for that matter). The photo was suddenly more timeless and relatable. It wasn’t about the two specific people in the photo -- it was about the carefree feeling of walking down the old tracks on a sunny summer afternoon, hand-in-hand with the person you love.

RICHARD MILES



Technically

My first step was to eliminate some of the empty space around the couple, so I cropped the image to bring the couple forward. I then tilted the image to take away the linear power that the original had, and also in hopes adding a more visual element to the picture. Overall, I felt the image had too much space around it, and was too much on the straight and upright!

Artistically

I bumped the contrast a little! I also played with different levels of contrast and decided that since the couple are wearing jeans containing pattern and texture , to bring out that element and use that as a unifier that this is a "couple"!

I then added a soften glow to the shot, and then layered a sepia toned layer on top. I took a black paint brush at around 2% opacity and painted over the whole image to achieve that black/sepia combo and add a little warmth and hopes of a romantic flair.

TIM MILLER

ARTISTICALLY

I looked at the photo and it seemed to be a pretty candid shot snapped mid action, but when I thought about it from the perspective of the couple, there was obviously going to be some memories associated with the event. It was obviously a staged candid shot. The railway tracks and the way they were dressed and walking holding hands suggested that a photographer had set this shot up for them – maybe as a anniversary special photo occasion or something. So while wild fantasies of photo shopping an old fashioned steam train in behind them to make them look as if they were in danger crossed my mind (in fact I even found some suitable photos) I didn’t attempt this. Instead I reasoned that the couple would be interested in framing this photo on their wall as a memory of this event or time in their lives. So I created two different looks and borders that would lend themselves to printing on canvas or photo paper and framing with a nice frame.

TECHNICALLY

Shot 1 – the sepia image. First I tightened the shot by cropping substantially. I then copied this onto a larger white canvas to create a large margin. I then changed the image to black and white using a gradient adjustment layer and then added a colour adjustment layer of sepia. I then created a slightly larger selection in the background and filled this with black to give the old time real photo look of the black edges and sepia tone. I then added the text at the bottom. This would look good in an old wooden frame – probably 2-3 inches in width in an old fashioned style.

Shot 2 – the soft edges. Once again I tightened the shot by cropping the extraneous material. I then create a border inside the edge and feathered this by 170 pixels. I then selected the inverse and deleted to create the soft edges. This would look good on a matt photo paper and framed in a thin metal frame, gold or maybe silver.

____________

And there you have it. I would again like to personally thank each participant for taking the time and energy to be involved in this little project. Based on the response, we will be doing this again in the future.

Use Wide Angle Lens Distortion for a Creative Portrait

One of the fun poses I like to do when working with a model is a close-in wide angle shot taken from above the subject. The distortion created by a wide angle lens causes the subject's head to appear oversized with a small body filling the remainder of the frame. For further exaggeration of the face, I get as close to the model as possible while still maintaining focus. To be able to get over top the model, I keep a small ladder in the studio for this purpose.

On both the shot of the menacing looking gunman (above) and the little bride (below), I used my all-purpose 24-105 f/4L lens on a Canon 5D. Since the 5D has a full-frame sensor eliminating the crop-factor, I get a true 24mm in the widest focal length causing the large head effect to work nicely.

One of the lenses on my future-purchase list is the Canon 17-40 f/4L. This lens will give me even more versatility in creating this type of portrait.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

A Camera, Kids and an Empty Bowling Alley

I spent the snowy Friday morning before Christmas at a local bowling center with a few kids doing a photo shoot for my iStockphoto portfolio. The kids had a great time getting to do some bowling while modeling. This shoot had been planned for quite a while since the date was a school holiday. What we didn't expect was for it to be the snowiest morning of the season. To my surprise, all of our models braved the weather and made it to the shoot on time.

Most of the shots involved the kids hanging out in the bowler's seating area, although I did do a few shots of kids bowling (above). In this overview image below, you can get an idea of the lighting setup used. Three large softboxes and a 5x7' monolight lit diffusion screen created a sizable 'set' to shoot within.



It was very cool to have a whole bowling alley to ourselves. Of course, the raging blizzard outside did help contribute to the emptiness of the location. Special thanks go to my friend Harley who supplied some equipment, assisted on the shoot, and took the overview shot.

Woodworking Shop Photo Shoot

This past weekend I did a stock photo shoot at my brother-in-law's custom furniture shot. During the weekdays the shop is a hotbed of activity, but on this particular Saturday afternoon it was nearly empty and a great time to put together a set of images for my portfolio.

The goal for the shoot was to capture a craftsman at work using the various tools and equipment in the shop. I wanted the shots to look realistic and not staged. Tyler, my brother-in-law, made a great model working the equipment as we made our way around the large shop.

The lighting setup consisted of three lights. The main light was a 24x36" softbox while fill light was provided by a 36" umbrella. Both of these modifiers were mounted on 600 wattsecond monolights. I also used a single monolight for illuminating the background when necessary. A picture tells a better story, so here is an overview of one of the shots:

The main light was placed at a fairly sharp angle to give shadow and definition to the subject. The detail in Tyler's left arm in today's featured image is a good example of this result.

We were in an out of the shop in about 90 minutes and were able to produce 48 final images (from the nearly 200 shots taken) all of which were accepted into my iStock inventory. I generally love doing these location stock shoots and this one was no exception. The complete set from the shoot can be viewed here.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100

Working Within a Color Family

It's a snowy Saturday morning here in Utah and my 9:00 am photo shoot just got postponed, so I thought I would spend a few minutes and break down a wintery image for today's post.

One thing that I have been working on improving in my photography is my use of color themes within a photo. When capturing this image (from a recent wintertime stock series), I concentrated on keeping the color tone similar in each element of the shot. With Michelle's strikingly dark eyes (yeah, I'm a bit biased) and wanting to create a warm result to go with the hot cup of chocolate, working with brown tones was a natural choice.

My first thought when putting together the composition was to use a dark brown cup for the cocoa. After a bit of thought I opted for white to have the cup provide a subtle similarity to the brown/white of her eyes. Secondly, Michelle's jacket was too dark in the original, so I had her wrap in a tan fleece that I happened to have in studio to give separation between her hair and jacket on the left.

One improvement that I wish I would have done is to move the cup a short distance to the right. I find the clipping of the cup's handle on the left a bit disconcerting.

As you can tell by the large catchlights in the eyes, the lighting setup was very simple. I used a 24x36" softbox positioned vertically to the left of camera. I purposely wanted to create the dark shadow area on the right, so the light was placed at a fairly sharp angle with no fill (light or reflector) on the opposite side. The 600ws light was turned to a minimum power setting to allow me to shoot at f/5 creating a narrow depth of field. To further narrow the depth of field, I shot with the lens at its most telephoto setting of 105mm (I stood on a stepladder to get enough distance).

Well, that's enough rambling for today. I'm now off to brave the Greatest Snow on Earth.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/5, ISO 100

(Junior) Executive Lighting

One of the many photography blogs I follow is that of Colorado photographer David Tejada. David specializes in annual report photography and has a blog that details many of his assignments. The great part about the blog is that he frequently posts video overviews of his shoots.

One of his recent videos was a time-lapse presentation of an assignment doing corporate headshots. In the video, he places a large softbox directly to the right side aiming across the front of of the subject and then fills the opposite side with a reflector. Here is the video:



I really liked the result of the simple lighting setup and though I used a similar setup in my previous photographic life, I hadn't done so in many years - until recently.

Today's image of a young man in business attire is from a recent stock session in which I used this lighting arrangement. I opted for a complete black background to make the Junior Executive stand out in his white shirt and power tie. One other shoot that I used a variation of this lighting on was another stock shoot of a young man in a graduation cap and gown.

As you can see, this lighting setup is extremely simple and very effective. It definitely works well in both my stock and portrait work.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/80 second, f/10, ISO 100

I Bought This Expensive Camera, But My Pictures Look BLAH!

"I bought this expensive camera, but my pictures look Blah!" I have heard a variation of this expression many times. It usually comes from people who have recently upgraded to a digital SLR camera. With Christmas coming and many more photographers hoping to find a box of Digital SLR goodness under a tree, let me state my opinion on this subject as a cold, hard fact:

If you use a digital SLR camera, your images WILL require editing!

Unlike their inexpensive point-and-shoot cousins, digital SLR cameras are aimed at the more experienced photographer. These shooters are the type that don't want the camera to do all the thinking for them. The camera's job is to record the scene accurately at a high level of quality. It is essentially creating a digital negative which then needs to be developed.

Here is the unedited file* straight from the camera of today's photo of a newlywed couple on railroad tracks.

Notice how blah the file is. The colors are drab, the contrast is low, the whole scene is rather dark and unsharp. In keeping with the film vernacular, this file is my "digital negative". Like any negative, it needs developing. Today, we do this in our digital darkroom - photo editing software.

For my stock portfolio images, I do the bare minimum of editing. This is done intentionally to leave the final editing to the buyer, usually a graphic designer. But even my bare minimum consists of several steps.

- Cropping (if necessary)
- Adjusting exposure (I shoot at -1/3 f/stop to preserve highlights)
- Tightening Levels
- Adjusting Vibrance and Saturation
- Sharpening (using the High Pass Filter method)

For portrait and client work, I do much more editing. This includes:

- re-touching
- softening
- saturation
- color adjustment
- dodging & burning
- vignetting

and so on...

Some of this work is done with Photoshop actions (it is no secret that I am a big fan of Kenneth Linge's actions). I would never want a client to receive an image that I have not edited - period.

If you are shooting a digital SLR, think of it this way: You capture the image with the camera, you develop the image with the software. A little bit of work with an editing program goes a long way in removing the BLAH.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/1000 second, f/4, ISO 160

* - This image was shot in RAW mode and converted to JPG with Adobe Camera Raw (added 11/29/07)

Where do You go to better your photography?

(Instructor Kenneth Linge teaching students on the streets of Salt Lake City - 11/03/2007)

Years ago I sat in a training seminar where the facilitator stated that we are either "Green and Growing or Brown and Dying". He was not talking about photography, but I believe this statement easily carries into this discipline. One common thing I have heard from many great photographers over the years is that they are constantly looking for ways to improve their work. These might be classes, books, magazines, seminars, or whatever works for them - but the common thread I hear is that these photogs all want to remain Green and Growing.

One way I do this is to read a lot on the Internet. I thought that I followed a fairly large amount of RSS feeds on photography until I read Brian Auer's post this week listing the 87 Photography Feeds (of which I am humbled to have been included) that he follows on a daily basis. This got me wondering if I am doing enough to remain growing in my craft.

There is obviously a pent up demand for good photography training. One just has to see the growth of David Hobby's immensely popular Strobist website or live training events such as those taught by my friend Kenneth Linge (pictured above) to verify this. With the Internet there seems to be an immense amount of training resources (mostly free) out there equaled only by the demand for it.

My question for you photographers reading this:

Where do you go to learn how to improve your photography?

I would love to hear what resources (websites, books, speakers, etc.) you use to improve your game. Please take a moment and speak up in the comments about your faves. After reading Brian's list of 87 feeds, I feel like I should be adding a few more to my reader.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/4, ISO 100

Photoshop Tip: An Alternative to Unsharp Mask

Earlier this week, I mentioned my recipe for having a high percentage of my photographs accepted into my portfolio on istockphoto.com. One of the key ingredients to my system is NOT using the popular UNSHARP MASK filter in Photoshop for sharpening. While this filter does a nice job for sharpening images to be printed, I find that it can be detrimental to the quality of stock photos which get inspected with a fine-tooth-comb before begin accepted.

The alternative method I use for sharpening is the HIGH PASS FILTER method. This method provides good sharpening while minimizing image degradation. Here are the steps:

1. Create a COPY of the layer you wish to sharpen

2. Select FILTER, OTHER, HIGH PASS

3. Set the radius to 4 PIXELS (then click okay)

4. Change the blending options of the new layer (by double-clicking on the layer) to SOFT LIGHT for mild sharpening or OVERLAY for stronger sharpening

It's a very simple method for clean sharpening of photos. To make it even easier, I have recorded the steps as an action that I can run with the press of one function key.

If you haven't tried sharpening this way, give it a shot and see how well it works for you.

Additional Note (Added on 15 November)

In response to a comment about this method causing an undesired "HALO" effect, let me add a clarification (that I should have included originally). This method is intended to be used on FULL RESOLUTION images of 8+ megapixels. Using it without tweaking the 'RADIUS' on smaller images will give an undesired result.

Play Around with White Balance for a Different Mood

One way to quickly add a different mood to your photographs is to adjust your camera's white balance setting. Most digital cameras, even inexpensive point-and-shoot models, have the ability to make this adjustment. The resulting change in color tone can have a nice effect on the final image.

To create the subtle blue tone in today's image of a foggy valley, I used a Tungsten light setting for my white balance. In doing so, the warm golden hues that the camera would have captured in this morning scene (with the white balance set on AUTO) transform into the cool blue tones displayed here.

Most digital cameras offer pre-set selections for white balance. These often include: AUTO, TUNGSTEN, DAYLIGHT, FLUORESCENT, FLASH, OVERCAST, and SHADE. The more advanced camera will allow you to set a custom white balance by dialing in the specific measurement you want.

One more way to make this change is open to photographers that shoot with their camera in RAW mode. By using this setting, the camera doesn't convert the image to the desired white balance. This allows the photographer to make the adjustment in their digital darkroom. The advantage of this method is the ability to fine-tune the final product.

Adjusting white balance is another example of a quick change that can have a nice impact on your photos.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/50 second, f/22, ISO 100

Biker Dave

GOAL

Capture a stern looking biker with moody lighting to create a "bad dude" feel to the final image.

Camera equipment: Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens

Lighting equipment: Two Canon Speedlites (a 430EX and a 580EX), hot-shoe extension, two Lightsphere modifiers, one lightstand

For the shoot, I placed the 430EX in slave mode on the lightstand above and to the camera right. I then hand held the 580EX (using the hot-shoe extension) to the lower left of the camera. I set the hand held flash at -1 f/stop to allow the overhead unit to be the main light. By holding the second (fill) light in my hand, I was able to quickly make adjustments on the fly as needed.

Final thoughts: I am pleased with the images. The whole shoot took less than 15 minutes, which is a good thing since it was right at 100 degrees out and Dave was cooking in his leathers.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/60 second, f/8, ISO 100

Someone to Watch Over Me

I took this photograph last week on a ridge overlooking Lehi, Utah. I found the location a few days earlier and thought it would make a nice location to try some long exposure night shots. Even though I am not entirely pleased with how this image turned out, I thought it was worth sharing how it was done.

The shadowy figure looking over the city was created entirely in camera with a simple technique. I set the exposure for a shutter speed of ten seconds and put the camera into self-timer mode. I started the timer and took a stance in front of the camera standing as still as possible. Once I heard the shutter open, I counted to five and then quickly exited the frame. The result is the transparent outline of my body in the image.

This technique is similar to the way I created the Weeping Angels image last year (though I like that result MUCH better).

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 10 seconds, f/4, ISO 100

Using Flash in Daylight

Today's image of a car (my trusty Saab) sitting on a forest road is an example of using flash during daylight to enhance your photos. When I first took this shot, the car appeared very dull since it was sitting in a shadowy area. The fix: add a strobe.

My goal with the exposure (after adding the strobe) was to make the car stand out, but not make it look artificially lit. To accomplish this, I adjusted the strobe to a power setting of one f/stop below the ambient exposure. This balanced setting lit the highly reflective car with just enough highlights to draw the attention I desired.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/50 second, f/4, ISO 100

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