Looking Razor Sharp

As with any photoshop action, there is more than one way to skin a cat. There is a true science, philosophy and art to sharpening.  Eyesight, taste and output are just a few factors that go into sharpening.  It also seems that every box of plug ins comes with it's own sharpening technique.  This isn't a sharpening technique I use but there isn't THE sharpening technique that works for all images.  When it comes to sharpening, everyone is a critic.   Remember, this is the only media that people need to get close enough to sniff the media to judge the quality. 

confession I tend to oversharpen which does things to the image that you don't really want.   The original post and action can be found here.   http://www.vibrantshot.com/how-to-enhance-texture-and-detail-with-intelligent-high-pass-sharpening/

Color Management

Back in the 90s, Color Management was a crazy science that required experimentation.  Many people lost many prints and a lot of personal color printers went in the trash due to ink drying due to a lack of use.  it's important for anyone to keep an eye on technology as things get easier to understand and the learning curve is reduced through good instruction.   The fat has been removed from this video, focusing on elements that are the most important to photographers.  Gotta get the color space right or you will be throwing money away or you work will not stand out.  

The colors of the City.

For those not on the west coast, San Francisco is affectionately known as "The City" and for all of it's tourism, The City is relatively safe from 10-5pm.  At night, the City has a different feel. I would tell anyone who is vacationing there that is only appropriate for adults traveling in small packs.
At 5am, the feel is a little desperate.  Thieves, Prostitution and the homeless are doing their final rounds.  The problem is that for a photographer the light has some amazing characteristics at this time. So off I go into the wild with an expensive camera strapped to my chest.   I am a relatively large person so I was hoping that my size and presence was intimidating enough to prevent a mugging but I knew the walk was going to be interesting. 

Not more than a block from my hotel,  I notice a prostitute with what might be a pimp or john walking in my direction. They are at a safe distance,  about 1/2 block away so I change direction and avoid conversation. I walk across the street toward my assignment in a nearby alley with a beautifully colored mural of flowers.  Next to the mural was about 8 homeless people sleeping along the wall of the alley. Asleep, I didn't think they would wake if I took a few shots, after all the city has it's noises and my camera wasn't louder than the city. So, I step in take a couple shots. Artistically cropping a couple more shots for future composite projects I had in mind and then I hear a person approaching me.  So I turn toward them ready to swing.   It was the prostitute, she was still about fifty feet away but was turning around probably noticing my purpose of being in the alley  Now I could get a good look at her but she was also turning around,  looking over her shoulder in a deep black mans voice she says " HI". Oh Crap, this is a Wesley Snipes looking Prosti-dude. Dead ringer, so If you want to see what I mean click the link.  I say nothing and move out of the alley but with a little more caution about me because I lost track of the pimp.

 I walk down another couple blocks and get a few more shots of some uninspired  graffiti art and then off to the next site. At the middle of a crosswalk get greeted by another working girl with a simple "hi" walking past. I turn and look at her,  and think is she a man but saying nothing or breaking stride but when I turned back, I immediately see a police cruiser was driving by.

  I laugh to myself and continue walking, changing directions again. I bet Johns get busted all the time here. Not wanting to be mistaken for one,  I start back to the hotel, as it's a little too crazy out here besides, the murals around the hotel aren't as good as in the mission district. So I get to the next intersection and see the police officer turn around.  I am kind of really thankful to see him. As I know they are letting their presence known. I take a shot of him and let him know my purpose in the area. also because of the cool steam that was coming from the grate below his cruiser and the lines of the intersection might make for an inviting image.  Took my shot and kept moving.  I also know the rules for shooting in The City. Stick and move or faced being harassed for not having a permit.

One more detour, after all I am not deviating from the travel path back to the hotel but it's a longer route. I find my last grafitti art. most of the stuff is uninspired self glorification and expression of the artists passion but there are some amazing colors that are being used and they would make interesting backgrounds. I remember  focusing on the last one and seeing the colors but wasn;t sure what it was depicting because I wanted to be done.
I started back to the hotel when I noticed a couple of guys getting off the bus and looking in my direction. They started a quick conversation and  looking as if they were deciding to grab the camera or get where they needed to be. Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was instinct. I know plotting when I see it.  Funny thing is that they both looked in a hurry so I decided to duck into a corner store just in case, I thought if I had a fighting chance,  at least I would have someone calling the cops.  And if the cops are as good as the cabs here, they would arrive in seconds. I know the owner of the store would get involved because their store would be ruined in the hostile encounter.

 Funny because as I approached the corner store, I felt like I was in a movie.  I ran into another prostitute right in the doorway. This one was a Little Person. A little blonde wearing a mock  pretty woman pink colored dress, not the same cut but the same color.   She was digging into the pockets of an Arab man.
WHERES MY DOLLAR!  She was yelling at him but he was pleased that she was digging in his slacks. Nasty people. As I passed by and looked over at her, she looked at me briefly pausing with her hands deep into the other mans pockets and looks at me with that " hey baby" look, Gah, I wanted to laugh so hard but it was real. So I just rushed by.   I went over to the back and picked up a juice.  I can still hear her scream at him. He was throwing banter saying she should trust him, that he doesn't have it. This was a good sign as they stopped talking when I walked in and I would notice                                          anyone following as they again would stop conversating.   I go to the back and grab an orange juice.  Way to expensive for the couple swallows of a convenience size package.  Oh well it will have to do. The mini prostitute was done digging in the Arab mans pockets but still trying to get a dollar out of him.   As a courtesy to me or guilt, he says get out of my store which en flamed the prostitute more. Now she conjured up a cup of coffee.  I didn't want it on my camera so I paid my fee and got out and went around the corner back to my hotel.   I wasn't gone for more than 30 minutes and in retrospect it probably wasn't a good idea but I will make some interesting work building composites so my clients will never need to go out there. I also walked away with a funny story of this city.

On a side note, the afternoon prior. I was speaking with a nurse in the hotel lobby. She was moonlighting from her Santa Cruz hospital and was working at a local hospital, She says the prostitutes and homeless walk into the hospital on a daily basis.  They pretend that they are deathly ill to get a sandwich, sometimes a bed to sleep in and maybe some drugs for a little while.  She says that some do it two or three times a day.  Imagine the cost of each emergency room visit? Wow, who pays that bill. She said that she has a coworker who collects pictures of the small prostitute for fun.  I understand this has nothing on pride week lol.

Keepin' the Faith, a Decade Later

I will not go into detail about the imporance of the mission district. If you folliow my facebook posts, you will have read my thoughts (One of the coolest expressions of St. Augustine's  confessions, are found in San Francisco's Mission District. No Schools teach it, but the walls express a visual literature that is not found in any other media.)

One of the murals that placed my mind in reflection was a mural painted by Isis Rodriguez, The power of this mural has lasted a decade but not without it's critics in the form of tags.

I have contacted the artist today as I have started doing some digital restoration of her work.  I have taken licence with the background as it had been destroyed but thankfully I have seen a copy of the original and have that to work with.  I am hoping to use this for a digital composite but honestly, I will be happy just to see the colors and enjoy how this makes me feel. 

Here is my first attempt at restoration. for more information about the artist visit her website...  http://isisrodriguez.com/home.htm

My Confessions...

Let me mention something special about my wife. She absolutely loves to photograph young children. If you have known her or have watched her work with toddlers, you would instantly see there is something the young kids naturally gravitate to. Maybe it's her infectious smile, maybe it's the fact that she grew up in a daycare.  When parents would drop off kids for the first time... Dawn was quick to distract kids and make them forget those fearful feelings of being in a new situation..  This is a life skill that is critical for us working in this age group, and I don't have this skill but more importantly, our competition never will.  Dawn often interacts with the kids while I shoot.  This is not just my work or her work, this is a tag team effort of her life skill and mine.

Sac Anime 2012, quick post

What do you do when you are stuck in Sacramento for 8 hours and need to burn some time?  We decided to see the latest superhero movie  Ghostrider II and stumbled upon the Sac Anime meetup...  Geared for fun, we met the most wonderful people...  And I got to play with my camera, getting the camera ready,  I gave myself a challenge. No flash, indoors, 50mm fixed focal length.  As usual, more pictures than time so I thought I would share some of the fun pix.

Amazing artist www.leilanijoy.com  If you think she does cosplay well check out her artwork!

So , there were too many pictures to post  these were the first two people walking inside the door and I noticed this white wall.  Pretty photogenic but I have no clue who they are...   I decided to create a comic book look out of them and it took a while but I needed to learn the process in photoshop. Once I was done I decided to do a few more.  Unforunately, they get a bit addicting and I think I got carried away.  Truthfully, they look best in 40x60" prints, that is the trouble with me and internet pictures, I believe in details and the internet is not a help with this.  Oh well maybe if I played within the constraints these would look better.

  Follow along the cheesy story.

OK, I got tired of creating a story line because I could not automate this comic process, and it took a few hours each after learning how to properly make them. Sorry.

Not really in costume, but in a blue t-shirt, my son was transformed back into his alter ego.  He got such a kick out of watching me dress him into this outfit.  the mask didn't make it because I got tired of dealing with the shadows.  Below he is in his figurative birthday suit, has the look of business in his eyes and above he is totally happy.  that also worked against the mask.  Can't beat joy.

as part of the process, this is a byproduct.  I will print them off on paper and give to my son to color.

Composite Photography, Part one

I have been working on what is called composite photography for a few years now, I guess I have been working on composites before I even knew what they were called. Composites in  this format, combines multiple images and graphic design to produce one final work of art.

 I was always in awe when commercial photographers work with graphic designers to create an amazing work of art for a magazine.  It would stop me from turning the page and stare... for me that stare is a compliment, getting a person to think is probably one of the greatest compliments a person could give to a visual artist.

Performing this type of work requires a lot of pre-planning and even more post production. Truth be told, they begin as most creative works do, they begin as random ideas or what if situations. Sometimes it's better, that the client not know these random thoughts because they begin to develop expectations as they  create their own artwork in their head.

Unfortunately, I tend to tell the client because they are unwilling to stand in front of the camera at my whim.  I guess I should tell them that even if I have this inspiration, there are only a couple of images within a complete session that might consume me enough to produce artwork and some of those may not make it to the final publishing, and some unfortunately do.

While on a mini-vacation with my wife, I wanted to collect stock footage in Seattle.  I would point things out randomly and say I want a picture of that. Get me a picture of that... sometimes it was just something I wanted to share with a family member back home. As a way to tell them this is why I was thinking of you during that trip.  Dawn and I got lost there with a purpose. I wanted to see what this town was all about and you don't get that vibe until you drive around and get lost in a town and Seattle was cooler than advertised.  

The pink elephant, awesome,  what a great tribute to PT Barnum, he has only been about 120 years but his influence is everywhere. Humbuggery (bull) at it's finest. P.T. Barnum way ahead of his time, but this is a digression for another time. Expect to see this elephant in a future work. 

As you can see, when Dawn and I came across this mural, which I later learned was called the Queen Anne Mural. It had been tagged by vandals unappreciative of The beautiful mural was painted by www.onesevennine.com (Angelina Villalobos). As you can see the image had been horribly tagged but I knew i could restore her beautiful work

A hundred blog posts

I must have about a hundred blog posts that have never been published... Someday, I will use these random incomplete thoughts (on the subject of photography) for a book. Until then I am practicing and am recording this journey.

Part of the reason I blog in the first place is my ability to go overboard when I talk. So, I write to an audience of one, me. I do this just to clear my head but hope that someday the outcome is a philosophy that will be a list of my core competencies that will help any photographer on their journey. Until then, I open some of these confessions to you.

I can tell you now, much of this is not original thought but a compendium of knowledge drawn from many sources. I will have stood on the backs of many ancient and modern philosophers and educators, including my wife and children, as they are the greatest teachers in my life. They ask the greatest questions, and they know I can put them to sleep with my answers.

Sympathetic Harmonies

Finding what makes a photograph beautiful is really easy. It's just the smile on your child's face as they are playing outside. It's the moment you said I do. It's the Halloween costume that made your child light up and turned them into their favorite superhero. One of my favorites was when Diego donned a chain mail outfit at the Scottish festival. I was so nervous that the heavy mail was going to make him buckle his knees. He loved it but didn't expect it to be that heavy. These have been a few of the pictures this week that changed my mood and brought joy to my heart.

Being a family of photographers we tend to have extra prints lying around almost everywhere. Guilty little treasures to be found in a book, hidden in the visor of the car, in a desk drawer, I mean they are everywhere. These are not always our best shots but are just simple pictures of our kids being themselves at that age, and that brings me joy. They reveal the way things were

yesterday, last month, five years ago, and are funny little portals in time, to see how things never seem to change.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that photographs shouldn't only stay archived or stored on a computer hard drive. Try to treat them as little treasures in your day. Print up a few extras to make sure they are found. Be a little pirate and hide your treasures in obvious places for others to find, keep them hidden in the mattress, junk drawer, or even on the fridge... happiness is contagious.

My kids grow up way too fast, and using the photographs in this way also slows my life down, they are the chords that strike the sympathetic harmonies making my heart sing.
G

Jessica Simpson Reinventing Natural Beauty?

I was in the grocery store yesterday and seen the May cover of Marie Claire with Jessica Simpson in her natural beauty state. The headline tags were: The Real Jessica, No Make Up, No Retouching, No Regrets.

I look closer at the cover and did not see the person but a photographic concept telling a story. Am I to believe that a celebrity without make up is Shockingly CONTROVERSIAL!? But why? I can pop up TMZ on my Ipod and see her without makeup? What is she selling... After a few clicks on the laptop the truth was revealed. She is probably promoting her new reality show... " the price of beauty on VH1". Digging a few clicks more, I begin to laugh because, Miss Jessica Simpson was trying to bail out her Make Up artist from jail only four months ago, (link) but I digress. Let's get back to the picture.

If I am not mistaken the Marie Claire image (found here) was captured by the professional photographer, James White. The cover image may have not been retouched but was manipulated by light and camera. The photographer was telling a story. He wants you to focus on the flawless skin... but she must remain beautiful. After all the magazine must sell! I assume he saw the roots growing out and decided to crop the image close so the MARIE CLAIRE font across the top will detract from the roots not being maintained. Mr. White knows what to do to make someone beautiful and controversial.

He uses a specific lighting technique I would only reserve for the 16 year old model, not the 30 year old starlet... unless I was selling this concept. Does Jessica pull it off? I don't think this is a very flattering picture of her but it does the job selling the Marie Claire cover story and create controversy.

The image appears to have been shot with a single strobe, slightly camera right with a butterfly lighting configuration. The wardrobe specialist added in a plain cotton outfit with neutral colors to continue the illusion. Nice work James.

Here is a vimeo interview with James White on twilight series.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages....”

When was the last time you have been to the circus. Honestly, It's been a few years for my family. The first time I went to the circus was with my kids. We saw the famous circus clown Bello Nock. The kids loved it... We loved it. There wasn't a moment that we didn't have fun.

Over the years, I've developed a strange fascination for the Circus. There is a lot to learn. For example, the term "hold your horses" came from the circus. This was because when the elephants walked by the horses they scared the heck out of them.
The term " Toss your hat into the ring" became a political boxing term when President Wilson famously tossed his hat into the center ring of the circus.
I also learned that the most famous circus phrase "Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of all ages..." must be said by the Ringmaster of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus before every show.

The last phrase is my favorite... Children of all ages is not about the show being age appropriate for all your kids. the phrase speaks to the child within... its about the spirit of the person, regardless of their age. To me, the circus brings out the children of all ages.

The Pregnancy of Robin

With a nod and a wink to both Cecil B. DeMille and the dutch painter Rembrandt. This image "The Pregnancy of Robin" (Rembrandtweb) uses a lighting technique popularly known as Rembrandt lighting. This image was an outlier in the photographic session because of the post processing.

The Raw Mash Up Technique

The image to the left uses a relatively new technique in the realm of post production. This is affectionately referred to as the Raw mash up. Click on the image to see better detail.

The secret is a sequence of raw images that are color managed for each zone then dropped into multiple Photoshop layers using a zone technique. Obviously, the zone system was popularized by Ansel Adams for black and white images but this variation is much different. This one takes on the form similar to Vincent Versace, another B&W artist who pioneered this technique for the digital realm. Each raw layer was crafted for exacting tone. the color never went into a hyper reality but in itself the layers revealed eye popping colors that violently hated the original. When reveling each masked layer, again in itself the image took on a Frankenstein creation. To reduce this effect, a basic post production process was introduced as a layer and that with opacity were the keys, then the image took on a life of it's own.

Many more enhancements can be done on top of this technique and is a great base for dodging and burning. This technique is meant to reveal what is lost by the camera sensor.

"When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington Carver

Creativity Captuting the Absurd.

Have you ever been to a location and things just weren't working out creatively. I wanted to take a moment and share a couple thoughts that can help you work through those moments of panic when creativity doesn't spark at the right moment.

Often panic sets in because the fear of going back to digital post production with amazing images but cant help the feeling of "Me too". I got this picture, oh yeah me too.

What I am not going to do is write about light mechanics and the importance of blah blah blah. What I will reveal is one word and that word is Absurd. Don't you know about absurd? Everybody knows that absurd is the word. (sorry trashmen flashback, Apologize if this song gets stuck in your head)

What I am trying to say that we as people in this age are attracted to images that are absurd. Picture an image of a bride in a church and you may want to look at it for 3-8 seconds. Put an Astronaut with their reflective helmet on in that very same church and I can get you to stop and look at that picture and look for someone to discuss it. Put the bride in the Shuttle ready for launch, there is another shot. Don't you know about absurd?

Oddities are good combination's but some are less as dynamic. For example, think about the naked baby shot. How often has that been done. Don't get me wrong, these are so much fun but since you got that shot, what can you do to avoid the "Me Too".

Get a little absurd. What are mom's hobbies. We had a mother who was very into horses. Her kids were older so I was unable to get this shot. I was thinking fresh santa fe style horse blankets and a larriet or maybe borrowing a new show saddle. She had this horse as a kid and grew up with it. It would be nice to reveal moms other love too. Oh, and it's a great conversation topic.



Here is my latest business card concept, Unique, Absurd and creative.

Classified Photographers

Caught this news story today. Funny how they focus on Craigslist Photographers. I am not saying that the economy isn't bad for everyone but if you are going to the classifieds to search for a photographer, chances are slim that you are hiring a professional. Search for quality in this tough economy.

American Spring

I wanted to take a moment and share with you an image. As photographers, we have the opportunity to capture these images every spring. The importance of capturing these images is paramount for they reveal the transition phase of our clients lives.

For them, this will be one of the few vivid memories which will be never forgotten. This spring it's their turn to enjoy the sunshine and it's beautiful rays. Pull out all of the stops to ensure their memories are incredible.

Preshoot thoughts...

Outdoor preshoots are a wonderful thing. As photographers we spend hours every year scouting new places and looking for an ideal spot, allowing our creativity to flourish. On this particular job, we were preshooting for an evening confirmation. The day for the preshoot was first class. Temperature was between 68-72 degres F., no wind whatsoever and an amazing overcast sky. Natures softbox came out to play. I was hoping for more of the same during the actual shoot but I knew better.

During the preshoot, I was looking for appropriate backgrounds. The Cathedral courtyard itself was going to be packed with hundreds of people. Brick walls, service alleys, the state capitol, composition curves and a few others were the assortment of options available. The wife knew I wanted something real creative and special for these kids. She had to reign me in. " Nobody wants a picture of their kid in a service alley" she said. It'd be cool, I thought before letting the next random thought pass though my creative process. Hmm, what about the neon of the Crest theater, that would be amazing and artistic, but it does not fit the event. Nope, she was right. These were first time clients that didn't know my work. Time once again to play it safe. I was going to be completing a simple portrait. I found the spot immediately. It was a tree on the south side of the cathedral.

Yes, this tree will do nicely, admiring the framing. Perfect spot too. Oh what is that orange thing in the background, it won't be in my shot but could be on the right angle. Oh boy, Sleeping bag? Well it was so tucked away that he was hard to see in the first place. Many transients that hang out or live in that area and appear harmless. This is based on my only experience a couple years back. One particular one liked to be photographed. So much in fact that he joined a few families in pictures, invited or not.

Time for Option 2. I started looking around for another location and noticed that a that a transit autority officer was heading back behind my tree. What was he looking for? Turns out that part of his job duties was to ensure the homeless don't establish a residence in the area. Wow, that was convinient. He said that the homeless shouldn't be sleeping there and he was planning on removing him. Great! got the spot I wanted and didn't need to say anything. The homeless have enough problems, I didn't want to add to them. Turns out, that he must have liked that spot because he was back the day of the shoot but didn't give anyone problems. Cool.

For this preshoot, I took along my favorite model, my son Andrew. He is good at taking directions when posing and is always willing to help out. This was another random concept during the creative process. Have the confirmant with a bible or rosary in hand with the cathedral in the background. The confirmant sitting beneath the amazing building would have been a beautiful shot. Unfortunately, there were a myriad of artistic, and technical issues related to this shot and concept was abandoned. During the shot the Metro rail came by and I asked him to step on the other side of the bench with the same pose. I liked the color scheme of the metro and thought I can pull an urban shot. Preshoot was taken with a 20D and Kit lens 28-135mm.

Video Monitors for 5DMK2

Working on a project to improve the clarity of my HD video. I am finding it challenging to manually focus the Canon's 5D Mark II, due to the design of the live view mode and physical camera angles. A tethered monitor can be useful to improve my visibility.

These days, very few people are made of money, and I am not one of them. I couldn't consider purchasing an LCD monitor for a service that will not be offered to clients. So I need to figure out a way to resolve this issue without having the additional expenditure. BTW, I did some internet window shopping for a monitor and learned that (prepare for sticker shock) JVC makes a monitor for this purpose. I am sure it's a fine monitor but my pocketbook opened up and laughed.

The next obvious option was to use my notebook, a little big to carry but should work great tethered. But I have a few problems with this idea. It's not as portable as I would like. The HP notebook I have been using has a poorly designed shell. HP has been addressing this and other issues. Netbooks might be an option but I have heard that they could not support most software applications and with small battery life may not be a good option.

Then I remembered that years back, we had purchased a video walkman for my kids (SONY DVE7000S). We have not used that walkman in many months. The monitor was used for long road trips and those came to a halt with the gas prices that rose through the roof. So reusing this video walkman just might work. BTW, a quick search for it reveals that now sells used for $120-150 online. Now to get the right cables and see if it's compatible.

I am getting a black and white screen. Time to go to the manual, I'll keep you posted.

"...Build Confidence in the Creative Spirit."

I thought I'd share some Black and White conversion tips for the blog. For many, this is a simple philosophy but for a few of you, this may change your workflow design. I selected and cropped the image to focus in on the multiple solid colors. The colors in the crab alone make this image interesting enough for conversion. Take a moment and open the image. Look at the colors and acknowledge the transitions in color. I will get back to this later.

Looking at the histogram, I was hoping for a better dynamic range. A little highlight or specular twinkle would have helped. Oh well, at least there are some cool shadows.


If you opened the image, maybe you noticed the bird droppings, or dark cracks in the handle. What about the transition to from flat black to shadow in that same handle? How about the reflective blue upper mid tones in the brushed steel or the burgundy trim around the wheel? Did you notice the dark blue trim around the crab? Indeed a picture is worth a thousand words and I will stop here as the combinations are incredible.

In a basic conversion to grayscale, the image is converted at the push of a button. Unfortunatly, this one button, or one size fits all approach doesn't fit image I wanted. To me, this image was robbed of contrast and looks a bit muted.

The beauty of digital and amazing computer engineering allows us the opportunity to use this as a starting point for incredible options . So, I grabbed one of my primary software editors and began work on the image with the adjusting sliders. Now, you can adjust the sliders till the cows come home and eventually get where you need to be but planning this trip will get you there faster and with your creativity, knowing when to stop is important.

Ansel Adams, " No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit. "

So let me reveal myself to build confidence in the creative spirit. With this particular digital image there is some hard fast rules. For example, this is an 8 bit RGB color image and when all three colors are the same value it produces 256 shades of gray. Within the saturated shades, you can create contrast and detail. You have a pallet of 256 colors, use them. I have placed a simple gray card at the bottom of this image, imagine this was a painters palate and 256 combinations were available.
Imagine dipping into the color pallet and painting. Start using the sliders and pay attention to the color details. In my work, I'd like to ensure the contrast captured in the color image is revealed.

When I was a kid, I was introduced to canvas painting, it was fun. I learned paint by numbers, and a little landscape painting. I find even those lessons apply to photography. For example, the Paint by numbers , taught me separation, contrast, and natural transitions of color. We are doing the same thing here, just with a different brush.

To apply advanced techniques, search out masters. I like the works of Vincent Versace, Brooks Jensen, and of course Ansel Adams. They are primary influences when it comes to dodge and burn techniques.

To take incredible images, a DSLR is all you need... or is it?

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked... What camera should I buy? I could at least support a non-fat latte habit.

My response is usually the same, "You should get a Canon Powershot G10 they go for about 500 bucks. If that's too much, you can go on craigslist or ebay and get a used G9 for about $320." I always get the strangest look after that. Maybe it's the disillusionment regarding small cameras or the dream of owning an instamatic (DSLR) that produces amazing photos.

Digital is a different animal. $800-1500 will get them in the door nicely for a DSLR body, but if they plan on purchasing a DSLR, they should consider the cost of investing in a system. If you are unwilling to invest $5000, get the G10, or G9 they are amazing cameras. Many professionals use the G9 for personal use. I also heard of one that uses a G9 for stock photography. That is right, paid commercial work!

A cool DSLR system (body, 2 lenses, flash) will run approximately $5000. If you are planning to go professional in the near future, double the system for starters and expect it to depreciate considerably as model numbers change annually. This and some education will help you take better photographs. Just don't expect the new camera to magically make you a better photographer, If you are a self taught kind of person I recommend the following advice from Ryan Libre, 9 tips for the self taught travel photographer.


For the person investing in the G10, pick up a 580exII flash and maybe adobe lightroom and/or Premiere Elements this is still around $1500 and you can get amazing results with little work. BTW G10 also does video and adobe premiere is awesome.

Now, it's time to burst bubbles here. A professional camera does take amazing images but not by themselves. I set up this technically great photo of Mark Reiffs Gas Station to prove a point. A DSLR or any digital camera will not create the vision of the photographer. The photographer must manipulate light and their worktool to create the image that is in their minds eye.

Let's begin by changing the automated setting on the camera to manual. Why, because the automated settings are made for typical lighting scenarios that give close enough results. If you want an exceptional photograph, you should assist the work tool in acheiving your goal. I chose to set the camera at ISO 200, because that is where the sensor naitively offers less digital noise. F9 provides enough depth of field and 30 seconds was the appropriate duration that the shutter would remained open.














If you travel there at night, this photo represents what you will see (with some limitations by the camera sensor) and many people would be incredibly happy to see that they were able to capture this image at night.

From a creative perspective the minds eye expects more. Creative photographers will not be satisfied and use light to manipulate the image. Examples of manipulation would include:

• Removing the heavy glow from the tungsten street light.
  
• Recapture highlights and shadows to digitally manipulate the image later on.
• Reduce digital noise due to sensor limitations.
• Crop the image.
• Strobe, light modifiers and gels for effects.
• Know that this list can never end with possibilites.
  

So how do we turn Mark Reiffs amazing home into a night time fine art photograph that we see in our minds eye?

I used the same settings that were used to take the image above.
Manual, ISO 200, f9, 30 seconds but changed focal length.
White Balance, Photomerge and Crop
Get highlights and shadows in raw.
Layer highlights and shadows for in a mask and reduce opacity.
(sloppy HDR with known limitations)
Flatten, Apply multiple lighting actions in layers and reduce opacity.
Not quite Bert Monroys work but this took hours of tweaking.



P.S. I have heard that the G9 (review) is probably a better camera than the G10 due to the time lapse feature but you should investigate yourself. If you are still looking for a quality DSLR and have a budget... get the Canon 20D. Introduced in early 2004, the 20D is still kicking butt, in the print magazine scene, problem is that it isn't shiny new.