Get It Off! Recap

Well we did it. After a few months of work and some long nights spent creating some totally dorky self-portraits (for demo purposes of course), yesterday the Fed and I spent were joined by 12 amazing photographers for the first Get It Off! workshop.

Those of you who know me know that when I walk into a room, the first thing I'm usually thinking is, "Where would I put the lights?" Well Get It Off! evolved from there. Between my obsession and Fed's overall SB-junkie-ism we were able to cover a lot of information in one day.

First off, I'd be remiss not to thank those who made it possible, Michael Bossin, owner of the Gallery in the Square in Sharon center. In addition to hosting the workshop, Michael has been a tireless supporter of the local arts scene and his gallery was the first to display my prints, way back in 2006. I also have to thank Paul at LensProToGo, who sponsored the workshop and donoated a free lens rental to one lucky Get Offer (Meg Belanger - Meg you have to let us know what fun toy you decide on for your rental!)

At the end of the day though, it comes down to the participants. For 8-hours they listened to James and I ramble about off camera light, motivated light, Pocketwizards and color temperature. Toward the end of the day, we broke up into smaller groups and spent some time trying out some new tricks and techniques.

Here's a few snaps from the day. Special thanks to Melissa Coe for sharing some of her shots of us in action:

James demonstrates front and rear curtain sync with our "shutter."

I might have brought a few toys...

James has the light, and a bit of E.T. hand!

Yours truly modeling a bit for our hard light demo.

Thanks again to everyone for the great turnout - and stay tuned we just may have some more Get It Off! adventures in store soon. Click here to sign up to be updated of future events.

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Finishing a Photo in Lightroom 2

When I started blogging, I thought I would do more tutorials, but to be honest, other photographer’s do it so well, I didn’t really think there was much of a demand for another learning site.

When my good friend, Florida photographer Tim Darby, e-mailed me last night asking for help with an image from a recent trip to Alaska I thought it would make for a great tutorial opportunity. This post is a bit longer than usual, and probably not of interest to my non-photographer readers, but I thought I’d take a crack at trying to help Tim out.

Here my disclaimer on this:

• Tim only has Lightroom 2.0, so I’m going to stay within the Lightroom boundaries – if this was my image I’d work it in both Photoshop and Lightroom.
• I skipped a few steps I’d normally take with a raw file (like sharpening and camera calibration), as my starting point is a high-res JPEG of Tim’s image.
• Click on the images to see them larger.
  

Here is Tim’s initial image, shot in Alaska with a Nikon D300 at F/10, 1/500, ISO 200 at 135mm with his 70-200mm lens.

At first glance there appears to be a slight blue color cast along with some exposure issues. While the sky/fog on the top third of the image is overexposed slightly, compromising highlight detail, the image also suffers from a lack of a true black point.

If I was taking this image into Photoshop, setting the black & white points would be my first step. In this case though, because we’re going to stay in Lightroom, and I’m workingon a JPEG file, the first step will be to attempt to remove the color cast on the white snow.

To remove the color cast I’ll click on an area that’s supposed to be white, in this case the snow on the glacier. I’ve picked an area where the R/G/B values are almost equal. The result is a Temp setting of -2 and a Tint setting of +3.

The next area to address is the exposure issue. As you cansee by the histogram, the image has no true black or white points (the histogram does not extend to the end on either side). The result of this is an image that lacks contrast.

To fix this, I’ll first increase the blacks slider to 34. The image looks almost instantly better and picks up a lot of contrast, but the histogram still doesn’t stretch all the way to the right. To fix this I’ve increased the exposure to +.4 of a stop.

Here’s the image so far, you can see how the whites are whiter and the blacks have gotten blacker, and the image now has a true black point.

The next thing I want to address is the midtone contrast, using the clarity slider. Here’s a 100% crop before and after boosting the clarity slider to 50.

Things are looking pretty good now, but I still think the image could benefit from an added contrast bump. For this I’ll move down to the tone curve and use Lightroom’s strong contrast preset. Notice how the histogram spreads out – more data is pushed to the left and right as the transition from dark to light gets steeper.

Now that we’ve addressed the color cast and exposure issues, let’s look at the color in the image. To me, this image really screams for a black and white conversion, as the colors are muted to begin with.

I think a conversion to black and white would really lead the viewer’s eye through the photo well, from the water up the glacier. But, Tim asked for color, so we’ll stick with that.

To make this image pop in color, I’m going to want to boost the blues and greens, pretty much the only colors that exist in the image. To do this, I’m going to bump the image’s Vibrance setting to +40, then visit Lightroom’s Hue/Saturation/Luminance panel. (The Vibrance too increases saturation only in colors that are lacking saturation to begin with).

The image on the blog here might look a bit blocky, so you’ll have to take my word for it, but by boosting the Luminance in the Yellow, Green & Aqua channels to +100, I’ve been able to increase the brightness of the plants and trees growing on the mountains.

I stayed away from using the Blue channel because when I shifted the Blues, the whole image was affected too much. Because the scene was shot in fairly blue conditions, pushing the Blue’s Luminance around was almost akin to moving the Exposure slider.

Now, the final step (and I probably did this a bit out of order, I should have done this after addressing the Exposure issues), is to add a neutral density gradient filter to pull back the exposure on the sky an additional stop.

You can see how much additional detail I’m able to pull out of the sky by selectively darkening it with the ND gradient.

Now if I was working in Photoshop I would have done things differently and skipped some steps. Without getting into too much detail here, I would have skipped the Luminance step, opting to boost the colors in Photoshop’s LAB mode. I also might have skipped the grad filter step in favor of the Shadow/Highlight tool, or I would have created two exposures in Lightroom and blended them with a gradient layer mask in Photoshop.

This entire process took me about 10 minutes in Lightroom – much faster than it would have been had I used Photoshop. For me at least, Lightroom saves me time, Photoshop is about getting an image perfect when time is not a factor.

Tim I hope this helps and gave you some ideas for processing your images going forward. I know you shot a bunch of images in Alaska (for Tim’s entire set of Alaska images click here), and once you run your adjustments on one photo, you can now sync them all to save even more time.

Here’s a final before and after comparison of Tim’s images:

To see Tim's entire set of photos from his Alaska trip, click here.

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Fake a Fisheye

Always wanted a fisheye lens? Not sure you want to drop $500 on one? Well here's a technique I just picked up that will let you fake the fisheye effect in Photoshop.

This technique works best with images that have a defined horizon, so I'm going to work with this recent shot of mine from Sandy Point State Park, near Annapolis.




The first step is to duplicate the background image, so press CTRL+J. From there, we're going to use the free transform tool to get our desired effect (CTRL+T). After you've activated free transform, the next step is to right click. That will give you a menu like this:




Click on the "Warp" button. Your screen will then look like this, with anchor points.



All you have to do next, is click on the top anchor points (or those nearest to your horizon) and drag them upward. The further you drag, the more extreme the effect.



When it image is as distorted as you want, press enter, then flatten the image and you're done, instant faux fisheye.

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A little on retouching

OK, so I guess this post is going to be a little bit of one of those games, "what's different in the photos" - but here goes. I've been taking Scott Kelby's class on digital retouching over at Kelby Training and thought I'd follow along with an image I shot. As most of my portraits are on my other hard drive, all I had is this image of Laura (one of my most favorite people ever, even if she'll hate me for posting this.)

Retouching is something that is very subjective, and I'm still feeling out learning the process, but I basically tried most of the techniques out here. I've also learned a lot about retouching from Lee Varis' book Skin.

Oh, also, I just picked up the book "Real World Nikon Capture NX" - so I can learn how to use Capture NX (it came with the D300). I am not dissatisfied with Lightroom as a RAW converter, but if the images do indeed look better, I'm all for it.

Anyway, onto Laura, before and after.







Here's one more. What? You didn't know my sister had blue eyes? Funny, neither did my mom...

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Another Man from Mars Example

I don't have this technique perfected yet (the jacket is still a little too purple for my taste) but overall I am liking this technique.


Before:



After:

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Color Correction and The Man from Mars

See, I told you I was going back to Kelby Training for some learning. Here is two versions of the same image of some random ugly guy, taken by Shyla last weekend in Portland. The first image is straight out of the camera (JPEG), the second is after I applied Dan Margulis's "Man from Mars Method" in Photoshop.

I read Dan's book last summer, but the online videos really bring his training to life. The process is fairly complex, but I will say that it involves the use of LAB mode and channels in Photoshop to really make your colors pop. It's definitely something I see myself using as a part of my workflow going forward to improve the color in my images.

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First Date with D300

I took the new D300 out for a spin tonight to really see if I could put it through its paces and figure out some of the differences between it an my old D200. I've been using the D200 for a little over a year now, and while I wasn't upset with its performance, I was looking for a little more.

I'll also add that tonight's shoot didn't really stress some of the key differences in the cameras (the frame rate, the ISO performance (these were all ISO 200) etc. But I did shoot all of these images in 14-bit RAW mode (with my 17-55 2.8 lens) and processed them all in Lightroom.

It was a great sunset tonight, even if I did feel like the location was a bit lacking (no portfolio images, and I got nothing for my site tonight, but I did get to play with my new toy.) The learning curve isn't too too steep, but there are a lot of small differences that will total up to a significant difference.

After a few hours of use, my favorites are definitely the improved ergonomics of the vertical grip (the integrated multi-selector to change focus is sweeeeeeeeeet), the brighter, larger and more accurate LCD, the 14-bit mode and the autofocus.

I'll add that I don't have the new autofocus system quite mastered yet, as it's a completely new setup, but I do see its potential and think it will be an improvement, especially when I go back to shooting sports. Anyway, on to the images.






A 2.5 min. exposure.

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Quick Hockey Portrait

I got this assignment late last night. The story is about two girls who play on the boys hockey team at nearby Stoughton High School.

You know me, as soon as I read the assignment I'm thinking, "How can I light this?"

Practice was supposed to start at 8, so I rolled in around 7:30 thinking I'd have plenty of time to think out the idea and scout the location. Well, at 7:40 the coach shows up and tells me 1) one of the two girls I'm supposed to shoot is out injured and 2) the one I am supposed to shoot will be ready any minute.

Wait, what? I won't be ready any minute! Welcome to photojournalism 101 right Doug?

So I threw two lights up, one behind as a hair light and my shoot through umbrella. Stephanie rolled out of the locker room a few minutes later looking justifiably thrilled to be having her photo taken at 7:45 on a Wednesday morning. After all, what teenage girl wouldn't just love that idea?

Anyway, 5 minutes and about 20 frames later we were done. I stuck around to get some action shots at practice and was done with the entire job by 8:30.

For the top photo I asked her to do the "Bo knows" pose, and the blank look I got back showed my age, but with a little encouragement from the coach, ("That'll look cool," thanks Dan), we had our photo and were done.

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More High School Hoops

Just got done shooting the Mazzeo Tournament at Hull High School. I shot two games, the consolation and the final. After I got my "safe" shots in the first half of the first game, I threw the fisheye on my monopod and experimented some (top photo). Exposure for all of these was 1/180 F/2.8, ISO 800 with my D200.

I lit the end of the floor I was on (I shot the whole game from under the basket) with two SB-80DX's bungeed (see photo) to the stands set to 1/4 power and 24mm on each side of the court.

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The Man Gets Around

In addition to his blog, and his book, Joe's now got a YouTube Channel. Very cool.

(I love shooting, but you won't be seeing me on top of the Empire State Building anytime, um, ever. I don't do well at heights above, oh, 10 feet.)

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The Moment It Clicks

See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil - brought to you by uber cousins Jake, Eve and Rachel. Thanks to Uncle Mike for the idea.



Tonight I picked up Joe McNally's new book, "The Moment It Clicks." I write this at 3;38 a.m. (don't ask), but I finished the entire book in one sitting, and...wow.

First off, for more "professional" reviews, check out the Strobist's take, and Scott Kelby's thoughts. Also, click here for Kelby's cool behind the scenes details on how he basically convinced McNally to write the book in the first place.

But what did I get from the book? First of all, it basically reads like my attention span - short and to the point. Each page is a new lesson, a new example, and a new nugget of learning. It's the kind of book I'll pick up in the future when I want something to thumb through and I'll notice something I didn't see before and spark my creative juices. It totally trumps this book that I got last year.

Basically it's the book I wish that book had been. McNally's book is longer, easier to read, more practical (you don't need $50k worth of gear for every shoot).

What did I get out of the book (this first time through)?

• Don't be afraid to stick a flash where the light is. Huh? You say. Meaning, stick it under a lampshade, aim it in the same direction as the sun, etc. same light, more control = better light.
• You want independent control of your fore and background light(s) - duh, right? I never thought about it that way though.
• And perhaps the best nugget - your photos have to speak for themselves, 99% of the time you won't be there to tell the viewer, "I was thinking this when I shot this."
  

And last but not least of my nearly 4 a.m. writings, my friend James (The) Fed(erico) has his new wedding site up here, so take a look if you're, you know, getting hitched and can't hire yours-truly because of my baseball job.

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Alec's Bar Mitzvah

I write this after a loooong day (that's not over yet) from my hotel in DC. I'm down here for the weekend to shoot my cousin Alec's Bar Mitzvah. As you aren't allowed to shoot in the Temple on the sabbath, we headed over this afternoon after we got into town to do the formal shots.

The shot above was actually the last one I took of the day. My uncle wanted a shot of Alec in front of the sign advertising tomorrow's event, but I wanted to make it a little more interesting. Using some techniques I learned from Light Science and Magic,I was able to light Alec without worrying about reflections/glare from the plastic on the sign.

I placed my SB-600 on my lightstand camera left, far enough out of the frame that it's reflection would not show up in the plastic sign. That light was going to provide most of the light for the exposure and light the scene. I then put my SB-80 DX snooted camera right to provide light for his face and to get the shadow look I wanted.

If you note the light falloff (his upper torso is brighter than his legs are), well that's from the snoot cutting off the bottom of the light.

Anyway, we've got another long day tomorrow, so I'm off to get some dinner.

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Ready for Spring

I got home yesterday and had the photo itch, and as it wasn't exactly spectacular outside, I decided to play with my strobes. The above photo used two strobes - an SB-80DX snooted and pointed at my hand/ball at 1/4 power and my SB-600 camera above-right pointed through my shoot-through umbrella.

EXIF was as follows - Nikon D70s, 19mm (cramped room), F/11, 1/400 at ISO 200.

Now I know you're all saying, "Doug, you've got a D200, why'd you use the D70s?" The answer is in my left hand. The D70s has a wireless infrared remote that costs about $18, while a comparable remote for the D200 runs around $100 (and I don't have it). For this type of shot the D70s worked perfectly. (It also has a 1/500 flash sync vs. the D200's 1/250). The faster sync made it easier to freeze the ball in midair.

You'll also note a little bit of lens flare from the snooted SB-80 and the crappy background. I could easily have removed the flare in Photoshop, but I wasn't feeling like it. As for the background, well, I don't have a studio.

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Gymnastics and some Noise Reduction

Well, I don't own a D3. That said, my D200 and >ISO 800in poor light don't really get along. One of the first things my editor said to me when she assigned me to shoot gymnastics last night was, "Oh, and you can't use flash." (It seems my obsession with Strobism precedes me). Why no flash? It seems it might pose a distraction when people are doing flips and such and could pose a health risk. OK, I don't love it, but I get it, safety does come first after all. ("It's such a great photo!" "Doug, she broke her neck." - not a conversation I want to have).

Ambient exposure in the gym was ISO 3200 (that's right) 1/160 F/1.8 with my 50mm, and worse when I used my 70-200 and had to stop down to F/2.8.

Now, 1/160 is barely (and usually not really) fast enough to shoot people doing flips and such, but that's not even the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that my autofocus isn't quick enough to snatch more than 1 frame (if I'm lucky) (D3, D3, D3...). When you're shooting at F/1.8, this tends to be a problem, as there's not going to be much in focus to begin with. I'm sad to say I didn't come up with a great solution here, and if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

The image above was shot at ISO 3200 1/160 F/2.8 with my D200. (You can click on either for a larger view.) The bottom version noise reduction applied with Nik Software's Dfine 2.0 Photoshop plug-in. In my experience, the software works very well on properly exposed images, like the one of Lindsay above. If, however, you have to push the exposure in your RAW converter, the noise will be too powerful to overcome in post-production.

Also, last but by no means least, Rob sent me this link this morning to 100 free 1-sided postcards from Overnight Prints.com. I've ordered business cards from them in the past, and I think you guys know I was busy doing postcard design last week, so I just got my order in a few minutes ago.

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Behind the Scenes Tiger Woods Shoot

Check out this link for a very cool behind the scenes look at Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr. shooting Tiger Woods for Golf Digest magazine.

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How I make HDR images

I spent today creating a two-part tutorial discussing how I make my HDR (high dynamic range) images like the one above for my friends over at Lightcafe. The first part covers the actually making of the HDR images, and part 2 is the finishing of them in Photoshop. For part 1 click here, and for part 2 click here.

Anyway, take a look, let me know what you think, and while you're at it pop on over to Lightcafe, the folks over there have taught me a lot this past year or so.

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The rest of the story

Following yesterday's "Attack of Mother Nature" post, I thought I'd finish the story now that I've finished processing some images and have something to actually show for my troubles. Erin and I left at 5:45 and go to Scituate by 6:30 (sunrise was at 7:10), and while it looked like sunrise would be spectacular there for a little bit, it ended only being so-so. It was not a total disappointment though, as we got to see some cool god rays (as you can see in the bottom photo) and the clouds were pretty dramatic the entire time. It actually worked out pretty well, as it didn't get too bright right around/after sunrise as it sometimes does, and we were able to keep shooting until 8:30 or so.

Erin had never been there before, so I think she was more interested in shooting the lighthouse than I was, I didn't think I'd be able to top this shot from the last trip down, so I was more interested in the waves and sky than the lighthouse itself.

The overcast sky really lent itself to some longer exposures (between 1/2 and 6 seconds at ISO 100 & F/22, without any ND filter), which is always fun, and I just had to take advantage of the scene to put my fisheye to work as well, as you can see.

The wet part of the morning came when I setup the tripod about 10 feet or so from where any waves had crashed yet, thinking I'd be safe and able to make some great images. Well, I was only half right. I got some great shots, but I was most certainly not safe (see yesterday's post). Despite my under armour cold gear and boots, my feet and toes got soaked, but I kept shooting (I think I was wet until 4 o'clock).

Erin found this entire scene highly entertaining and took advantage of it to grab some shots of me in my compromised state. I should take this opportunity to mention that Erin is most definitely bi. Now get your mind out of the gutter while I tell you that that means she shoots both Nikon and Canon. Her work gives her a D2Hs and she owns a Canon 1D Mark IIN. Both of those babies fire off frames at 8/sec. and are really made for shooting sports and wildlife, but I think she managed some cool landscape shots with them. I may have cheated Nikon a bit (don't tell my D200, it's probably already mad at me for exposing it to saltwater) and played with her Canon a bit, but I'll never switch.

For the record, despite the saltwater exposure, the D200's weather-proofing came through yet again and after I cleaned it off with a damp towel when I got home, it's as good as new. At the same time, not only do I not recommend this type of camera treatment, it's just another great reason why protective filters for your lenses are a good idea.

I'll post some more shots from yesterday as I finish them up, but I really have to process my high school hockey shots from last night as those are on deadline for this afternoon.

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A Model of Advice

I first stumbled across Don Giannatti as part of the Flickr Strobist group a few months back and today I came across what I think are his very insightful and potentially helpful thoughts on how to work with and photograph models (you know, those pretty girls that wouldn't date you in high school or college). Don's blog is part of my daily Google Reader feed, and you can see his Flickr feed here. For perhaps the best from him though, take a look at his Lighting Essentials page.

While I sit here and sort through 1,900 Bat Mitzvah images, I bring you his thoughts on working with subjects slightly older than 13.

On the Flickr thread (and reprinted here with permission) Don wrote in response to a poster who wanted some advice about his first go-round with glamour photography:

"...What do you want to do? Soft? Sensual? Erotic or edgy? There are many looks in the glamour world, and knowing what you are after going in is very, very important.

Is this an experienced model? Do you have a set? Are you in studio or on location? The questions go to the heart of what you will be reasonbly able to expect. An inexperienced model is a whole host of challenges, as you can imagine.

But more important than that... What is the image you have in your head that you want to recreate? Is it a mood or a statement? Pre-visualizing a shot can get you past the "well, what do we do now" moment.

All the gear in the world won't make the shot. Your gear is more than ample. Several of the top glamour shooters in the world use only natural light and bounce cards... so you have plenty of gear.

Please do not let the gear get in the way of the shot. You must make your shot - the gear will be an extension of the tools needed to make your shot. Having three flashes doesn't mean you must use three flashes. Or one flash. Or any flash at all. Look at the light. Does it look great? Does it do the job you want it to do?

Three tips:
1. Maintain control of the shoot. Do not let it tip to the model's control. If that happens, your dead. One of the best ways to do that is have a good idea of what you want to do. Make sure it is so exact (fake it, we all do) that the first outfit she puts on is not right. Change it. The hair too... change it up a bit and add a little ________ in the makeup. Earrings too... You stay in control. If you love everything she does right when she walks in, you are not in control - she is. Gushing leads to losing your edge of 'the guy'. (If you think this is manipulative you probably should not shoot models - you will be eaten alive.)

2. Create an atmosphere of fun. Music is good. Pick music she likes... unless it is something that makes it hard to concentrate for you. I have all kinds... no rap. Ever. Play it loud, but not loud enough that she cannot hear you. The atmosphere must be fun, relaxed and positive. Make a CD or two with only upbeat tunes... no downers. (I love ballads, but there is a time and a place.) Try to develop a rhythm of shooting so there is a comfort level of how you work. I shoot at least 10 shots in a row before stopping to change something. I talk all the time…"down, down, that's good, great, hold that… now come back to me, good…" Yeah, it can sound pretty stupid out of context, but models I work with like to hear it cause they can be assured that I am in control and they can work on the little things.

3. Take shots with authority. Tell her to move this way and that. Talk to her. Always giving encouragement. if she looks goofy, take the shot and then tell her to move. Keep all encouragement positive. There is nothing to be gained from saying "No, that doesn't look good" except that a model will become self conscious. Film is cheap. Digital is cheaper. When you go dark (silent) models see that as they are not pleasing you or you are not in control.

All of this comes from you knowing what you want to do... not necessarily nitty-gritty, but have a solid plan for execution. And… if you are not totally and 100% comfortable with all that gear forget it. Fumbling and fooling around means you are not in control.

As you see, I am a control freak. Fine. But anyone who has ever lost control of a set can tell you it is the most miserable thing that can happen and it is terribly difficult to win back. It happens to all of us, but we make sure it is minimal."

Back to fun with Bat Mitzvah imagery :-)

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More hoops, and *#$*&)(#! Wow!

First, let me start with the #$*&)(#! Wow! I'm not much one for swearing (OK, that's a lie) but you HAVE TO (that's right, all caps and bold) watch this video. It's basically one part Superman, one part B.A.S.E jumping, one part death wish and ten parts "Levy would never be caught doing this for all the Nikons in the world." Seriously, check it out. Go now. Why are you still reading this? Go. Then come back please.

Some more links before we get to hoops, now that you're back from watching that video (you did watch that video, right?).

• John Harrington at the Photo Business News & Forums blogs about fotoBiz & photoQuote, some very handy photo pricing software.
  
• Chase Jarvis gives you his gear packing Christmas shopping list.
  

OK, now, if you've made it this far, after watching the video, here's some basketball stuff that I know you were waiting for. Last night was Wellesley at Norwood, and to say it got off to a rough start, is an understatement. My editor said I could basically shoot the first half and leave, as I had a birthday party to go to, but the preceding JV game went into double overtime and the varsity game started 45 minutes late. Ugh.

I setup my SB-80DX on a Home Depot clamp directly behind the backboard at 1/8 power and 24mm in optical slave mode and put my SB-600 on my camera bare bulb style and was able to get my exposures straight during the JV game so that not a moment was wasted come varsity time. Here are some shots that will better illustrate how I did this.

The SB-80DX firing:


Keep your eye on the ball (camera on a monopod held above my head for this one).


No flash, yick.

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