Silver Efex Pro 2–Comparison of a Few Photographs

I have been viewing Silver Efex Pro with a touch of envy for quite some time.  Recently, Nik Software released Silver Efex Pro 2, and I finally made the commitment.  I am so happy I did.

For the regular readers, my bias toward black and white photography is no great surprise.  After having played with Silver Efex Pro for just a few minutes (literally!), I can’t believe I was so cheap that I did not purchase this software earlier.

Until now, all my black and white conversions were accomplished in Adobe Lightroom.  I have been pleased with the results.  But this satisfaction is like having enjoyed hamburgers your entire life without the knowledge of the bliss that comes from adding sautéed onions, mushrooms, and cheese.  With these new ingredients, you can never return to a plain hamburger.

The real case for Silver Efex Pro 2 is the incredible level of control it provides during the conversion to black and white.  This post is not intended to be a tutorial or review of all the Silver Efex Pro 2 features, but suffice it to say the possibilities are accessible, expansive, and exciting.

I have included two versions of each photograph to highlight some of the capabilities of Silver Effex Pro 2.  In each case, I have placed the version from Silver Efex Pro 2 first, and the original Adobe Lightroom conversion second.

in each case, I spent less than two minutes in Silver Effex Pro 2.  I selected one of the presets, applied a couple of global adjustments, and one or two local adjustments.  Local adjustments are accomplished through “control points” that allow a great deal of local flexibility including easy dodging and burning.

I am looking forward to spending some satisfying time learning the real capabilities of Silver Effex Pro 2. In the mean time, I am extremely pleased with the ability to improve my black and white conversions with very little effort and knowledge.

If you are a fan of black and white photography, Silver Efex Pro 2 is definitely a tool you will want.  Even the round trip from Lightroom to Silver Efex Pro 2 will not be an annoyance once you experience your new level of black and white conversion control.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Zoom Rack Photography in New York

Earlier this year, my good friend and fellow photographer John Downey (John A Downey II Photography) introduced me to a photographic technique I decided to play with during a trip to New York over the weekend.  I don’t know that the technique has a name, so I gave it one – zoom rack photography.  The technique is conceptually pretty simple, but it takes practice to get it right.

The technique involves composing a photograph using a zoom lens at a short focal length then simultaneously “racking” the zoom to a longer focal length while depressing the shutter button.  Easy stuff, right?  But wait, there is more.  The real challenge of executing this shot is a sufficiently long shutter speed that allows you to rack the zoom from a short to long focal length.  My experience with this in NY led me to conclude that the optimum shutter speed was 1/4 of a second.  To get a decent exposure at this shutter speed generally means lowering your ISO and increasing your f-stop (high number/small aperture).  If you are shooting in bright sunlight, even your lowest ISO and highest f-stop may not get you to 1/4 second shutter speed.  In bright light, you may have to add a neutral density filter.

The next challenge is stabilizing the camera.  The amount of stabilization will depend on the level of clarity you are trying to achieve.  This type of photography intentionally blurs most of the photograph.  However, you can increase the clarity by good technique (bracing your arms), steadying the camera against a solid object (like a lamp post) or using a tripod.  All the photographs in this post were hand held or braced against something solid.

One of your first impressions of this form of photography may be that it looks somewhat like photography made with a Lensbaby.  I would not disagree but would point out two aspects that distinguish this approach.  First, because of the longer exposure time, objects in motion are further accentuated with motion – like the cyclist in the previous shot.  Second, you get some unique effects I can’t as easily account for such as in the following photograph.  I don’t think I could recreate this photograph using a Lensbaby.  The smoky, ghostly steaks coming off the buildings while keeping most of the shot in relatively good focus is not something the Lensbaby is built for.

Like any photographic technique, this is certainly one that can be overdone.  However, used judiciously and in compositions amenable to the technique, you can add another fun tool to your kit.  Later this week, I will post more shots from NY using this technique – just to be sure I have overdone it.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Craig Corl Photography on 500px.com

I recently heard about the photography gallery site 500px.com.  This best comparison for this site is Flickr.  Actually, it is nothing like Flickr, but with Flickr being the default photo sharing site, it is a good point of comparison.

500px.com actually predates Flickr.  Flickr skyrocketed in popularity for everyone from the mom shooting happy snaps of the kids to professional photographers.  500px.com has taken the slow road to gaining our attention, but I believe it will soon be a strong competitor to Flickr, particularly among serious photographers.

There are a number of points of departure for 500px.com and I will talk about a few that are important to me.  First, 500px.com caters to and encourages serious photographers.  The folks at 500px.com encourage photographers to upload only their best photography and discourage use of the site as a repository for everything on your hard drive.

Second, they have a highly customizable portfolio/gallery function that is very elegant and looks like a professional online gallery rather than the less than elegant hodgepodge offered by Flickr.  You can check out my gallery at http://craigcorl.500px.com/#/0.  Related to this benefit is the ability to easily view relatively large photos that highlight the quality of your work.

Finally, 500px.com employs a set of algorithms that rate your photography based on views, comments, and ratings of other photographers that is biased by age.  In other words, the rating of a particular photo decays with time.  This encourages photographers to update their portfolio with new work and thereby ensure continued refreshing.  It also promotes some healthy competition and regular feedback regarding how your photography stands up to other excellent photographers.  I encourage you to checkout 500px.com and of course, visit my gallery as it builds.

The final note for today is a change I made to this blog over the weekend.  Back in February I decided to give Google Ads a shot.  This program permits Google to place adds on your blog in exchange for revenue gained from viewers following those links.  My first impression was that the ads cluttered the page.  While not enamored with this clutter, I proceeded to give it a try in the hopes I would gain a few bucks to support my photography habit.  Since February, my Google ads account accumulated a grand total of $5.  My conclusion was that the payback was not worth the clutter.

Over the weekend, I disabled the ads, and added a donate button (top right of the page) that would allow readers to support my work.  The donate button is back-ended by PayPal’s secure exchange system so you have confidence it is legit.  I don’t plan on following the NPR semiannual fund drive model, but if you like what you see and read, a small donation to support the many hours I put into this blog would be greatly appreciated.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

2011 July 4th Fireworks on the National Mall, Washington DC

I am not a big fan of fireworks photography, but nonetheless, I cannot resist.  This year’s temptation was particularly difficult to ignore.  My wife (Chef Sue), won tickets for lawn seats just a couple of blocks from the location the fireworks are launched.

Trying to avoid the cliché fireworks photography, this year I decided to focus more on the light reflections in the smoke rather than the fireworks proper.  The result is the set of photographs I am sharing here.

I find these photographs more reminiscent of an exploding galaxy, or some of the photographs produced by the Hubble telescope.  I was fortunate to get these shots.  The wind was light, but blowing in the right direction – away from our location.  Any other direction, and I would have been unable to capture the lighting in the smoke.

So here is the takeaway:  If you are photographing something that is sure to be photographed by hundreds if not thousands of other people, take a moment to look at it differently.  Use your creativity to see something different.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Do It Yourself Lighting for Food Photography

As many of you who follow my other blog, Craig’s Grape Adventure, where I write (and photograph) about food and wine pairing, I have put a good amount of energy into building my food photography skills since the first of this year.  In pursuing this type of photography, I quickly learned that I would not be able to rely on the natural lighting I prefer for the rest of my photography.  Not wanting to blow a mound of cash to set up a good food photography lighting rig (yet), I decided to go the DIY route as an interim measure.

I followed a three step process:

1. Constructing two PVC diffusers.
2. Finding the “right” amount of light.
3. Experimenting with the direction of the light.

First, I constructed two diffuser frames from PVC.  I constructed a large free standing unit that consists of a 42” square frame with support legs that bring the diffuser frame to table height.  This is a simple matter of cutting PVC to length, and connecting the joints with elbows and tees.  I constructed a second 30” diffuser frame for table top use – short legs so the unit could sit on the table.  Next it was a matter of draping bed sheets over the frame and securing the sheets to the frame with spring clamps.

Continuing with the budget theme, I used halogen work lights I’ve had for a number of years.  Note; using lights that are not white balanced will require you to adjust your in-camera white balance or adjust in post (possibly both – I manage color correction in post).  Not a big problem, just something to be aware of.

Getting the “right” amount of light was a matter of experimentation that involved moving the diffusers varying distances from the subject and moving the lights varying distances from the diffusers.  I don’t have a magic formula for this.  There are a number of variables, including the amount of ambient light, so I encourage you to experiment until you get the lighting effect you are looking for.

The last step is the most important – the direction of the light.  The key to good food photography is giving the subject a three dimensional feel (the zucchini and red pepper above are good examples).  In other words, straight on lighting (from the direction of the camera) will result in a flat image.  As you move the light source to the side and back of the food, you begin to manage the light and shadow resulting in the addition of depth and dimension to the subject.  I spent the better part of an afternoon experimenting with this.

Because all food is not created equal, the location of your lighting can vary from subject to subject.  Said another way, food is not all the same shape, and adding depth and dimension to a banana is different than a piece of toast, a bed of rice, or an apple.  Through my experimentation, I found that to bring depth and dimension to the composition, the lights were never in front of the 3 o’clock and nine o’clock positions.  Using a two light set up, I frequently have one light at the 3 or 9 o’clock position and another further behind the food at say 10 or 2 o’clock.

If I don’t have time to play with the lighting for a particular dish (i.e., people are waiting to eat), my default is 3 o’clock and 10 o’clock.  This may not be “perfect",” but it yields solid results without much thought or effort.

You don’t need to spend a bunch of your hard earned cash to get satisfactory lighting for food photography.  After pulling the work lights from the garage, I invested about $20 in this lighting set up.  The real challenge in this rig is taking the time to experiment with light intensity (distance and more/less layers of sheets) and lighting location.  You can do it.

Too see more of my food photography and some mouth watering food and wine pairings, please visit Craig’s Grape Adventure.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

A Few Thoughts on Family Portraits–it’s all about Emotion

Back around the first of the year, one of the regular readers of this blog, Natalie, sent me a note and asked if I would photograph her family.  Fortunately I didn’t have to explain to Natalie that “sure, I can do it, but the style you see on my blog is what you should expect.”  Natalie had been following my photography and asked me to photograph her family based on my approach.

Everyone was onboard with my approach, we quickly worked out the pesky little details, and we met in mid-May for the shoot.  We ended up shooting on a rainy, overcast and otherwise nasty day.  Perfect!  The passing rain gave us time to sit around and chat, and when the rain cleared, the clouds remained – a wonderful big soft box providing some great lighting.

Natalie and here family were great subjects.  Not only is this a remarkably attractive family, pulled from the pages of L.L. Bean, they made shooting easy.  In other words, they are a family that obviously liked each other and interacted in ways that allowed me to just click the shutter at the right moment.

So here is my advice for family portrait photography:

1. Find a family like Tony and Natalie’s.
2. If you are not fortunate enough to get a close relative of Tony or Natalie, proceed with the rest of the list.
3. Place the family members in close proximity – gotta get them all in the frame.
4. Wait for them to interact.
5. Click the shutter.
6. Congratulate yourself on a successful shoot.

Okay, not exactly what you expected.  The point I want to make is that you can find and follow all the rules or guidelines for posing, composition, lighting, blah, blah, blah, but if subjects are posing rather than naturally interacting, laughing, joking, and otherwise just having fun, you will be missing the best shots.

Sure, as the photographer you can tell a joke and get a reaction, but it is so much better when Tony tells a joke, and his son reacts to him.  If you, as the photographer, can move toward invisibility, and the family is having fun, you have a winning equation.  To get to some level of invisibility, you need to spend some time with the folks you are shooting.  Spending some sincere time getting to know each other makes the experience easier and more enjoyable for everyone.  Making new friends is definite plus.

Thanks so much to Natalie, Tony and your two wonderful children for letting me share this little slice of your life.

Have fun and go make some great photography.

Craig

Army Navy Country Club in Bloom–Golf Course Landscape Photography

These photos are dated by a month or so, but I thought to share them although the blooming trees have since taken on their summer foilage.  Over the last couple of years, I have been photographing the golf course at the Arlington campus of Army Navy Country Club with the intention of highlighting the beauty of the course during different seasons.

In addition to the blooming trees featured in these photographs, a key element for me is the sky.  In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of good landscape photography is an interesting sky.  A completely overcast sky with no texture is uninteresting.  Clear blue skies with no clouds are only slightly more interesting.  A sky featuring a variety of cloud formations always adds more interest.

And when you don’t have an interesting sky, just eliminate it from the composition.

Now that summer has suddenly arrived in Washington DC with temps in the mid 90s and our legendary humidity, I am forced to be a bit more selective in choosing which days to golf.  But I will not be deterred!

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Minimalist Photography–Checkout John A Downey Photography II

If you type “minimalism” in the handy search bar at the upper left corner of this page, you will find that for some time I have been exploring the idea of minimalist photography.  Different people have different views of what this means.  For me, I am happy to continue exploring it and defining it on my terms.  In other words, I am experimenting to define what minimalism in photography means to me along with what works, and what does not work.

Extremely helpful to this exploration are my conversations with good friend and fellow photographer John Downey (John A Downey II Photography).  John recently posted a couple of articles featuring some excellent minimalist photography:

Impending Storm – Minimalist Photography in the Gulf of Tadjoura

Minimalist Photography #2 – Abstracts of the Gulf of Tadjoura

I refer you to John’s work for several reasons.  If you are exploring any particular form of photography, there are a few things that can be very helpful:

1. Look at work of people who are doing similar work; it can help you refine your preferences as well as provide inspiration.
2. Discuss with a friend – critique and refinement of your approach through dialogue (i.e. my discussions with John) with a good friend can be revealing and very helpful.
3. Shoot – shoot a lot – then take some time to think about it with a friend.  Collaboration is fun!
4. Take your time – you are not in a race to define your style or approach.  I know John agrees with me on this; it is all about the process of getting there, not the destination.

I am confident you will see and hear more about my exploration of minimalism.  Stand by for more fun.

Have fun and go make some great photography,

Craig

San Francisco Fishing Boats–Details

This will be my final post featuring the San Francisco waterfront and I thought to turn it into an explanation of my approach to photographing a place I am visiting.  In one sense, you could view this as part of my approach for creativity.

The recent photography of the San Francisco fishing fleet and Fisherman’s Wharf were generally wide angle or landscape type photographs.  Those featured here are more detailed photographs – filling the frame with the details of the fishing boats and gear.  This represents part of my approach to improving my creativity.

More specifically here is part of my routine:

1. Shoot what I’m looking at – generally wide angle
2. Get closer and shoot details – fill the frame
3. Get even closer and shoot smaller details
4. Find a high angle and shoot down
5. Find a low angle and shoot up
6. Turn around and look at what is behind me
7. Wait – photography is often about patience – give your eye time to see something interesting

This may seem simplistic, but when this is part of your process of shooting, new and interesting compositions will present themselves.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

The Golden Gate Bridge–Black and White

I am doing my best to live up to my commitment to improve on the time between taking a photo and processing it.  At times during the last year, I have been behind by as much as a full year.  This photo comes from the last of the collection of photographs taken in California during a visit in January.  Only four months behind…not so bad.

One benefit of not processing my photos immediately is that once separated in time and/or space from the original photograph, I am more capable of looking at the photograph more critically, and less emotionally.  Even making a first pass of processing then returning to finish in a week or two can improve my ability to produce a better photograph.

Have fun and go make some great photography.

Craig

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms and Sunrise at the Jefferson Memorial

Each morning I have made a pilgrimage to photograph the cherry blossoms ringing the tidal basin adjacent to the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC. I never get tired of this.  In order to challenge myself creatively, each day I take a different lens – and only one lens.

By limiting myself to a single lens a couple of things happen.  First, rather than towing along a bunch of gear, I have a free hand to hold my coffee.  In addition to this principal benefit, I am challenged creatively within the constraints of the lens I chose to bring.  This is a very helpful exercise.

For this visit to the cherry blossoms, I used the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II.  I love this lens, and in my opinion, it is by far the best value in the canon line up.  If you know of anyone considering moving from a point and shoot to a DSLR, I recommend they buy the camera as a bare body.  Don’t pay the extra cash for the kit lens.  Rather, spend $100 for this great lens.

Check back soon as I continue to document my daily trips to the tidal basin.  And just for good measure, here is a photograph that does not include the Jefferson memorial.

Have fun and go make some great photography.

Craig

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise

The cherry blossoms in Washington DC are a spectacular sight.  So much so that in addition to the Cherry Blossom Festival, parades, road races and so on, there is an annual migration of photographers to the tidal basin adjacent to the Jefferson memorial.

So the fact of the matter is that the scenes you see here were simultaneously being shot by 75 other photographers.  Sunrise on the tidal basin is much like the crowd at the taco truck when lunch time approaches.  Fortunately, as a group I find photographers relatively courteous and the elbowing kept to a minimum.

This year I took a little different approach to photographing the cherry blossoms.  In the past I have gone for the wide angle landscape shots using my 17-40mm.  This year I decided to focus on tighter shots using the 70-200mm.  I am pleased with these results and happy that a simple change of lens, resulting in a new perspective, added a new creative component.

Each of the shots featured in this post are three shot bracketed HDR photographs.  Speaking of which here is a little tip if you are doing HDR photography on a somewhat regular bases.  Most DSLR cameras have a programmable selection on the main dial.  For us Canon folks, it is the “C” setting.  I use this for my HDR setup.  In other words, if I am shooting and see something that deserves HDR, I just switch to “C.”  My settings saved in this mode are f/8.0, ISO 100 and a three shot bracket at +2, 0 and –2.

Setting up the saved settings like this helps me focus on the creative process and less on camera settings.  It is a true shame to stand around wasting time fiddling with your camera settings when your focus is more appropriately dedicated to composing a good photograph.

I will be back at the tidal basin again tomorrow at sunrise.  I will be the tall guy smoking a cigar as long as my 70-20mm lens (it helps maintain a little elbow room among the throng).

Have fun and go make some great photography.

Craig