Tips & Training

The topic for the November meeting will be PANNING. This is a popular photographic technique that has many advantages in that we are essentially attempting to render the subject as a dynamic rather than static entity. Does the subject have to be tack sharp? No…we are attempting to show motion, speed and dynamism and not “stop a bullet”.

Let us examine some of the major issues that affect the outcome of the final image. Consider that there are a number of possibilities in this scenario. We’ll begin with some of the obvious situations. Imagine a racing horse or skier. The sharpest results will be obtained with the camera securely affixed to a tripod with a ball or pan mount. Yes, a monopod will work beautifully also and is usually much more convenient to use. Here is a good case for using the Tv or time program in your camera. A galloping horse and a medium telephoto lens will usually call for a speed of 1/15th or 1/10th of a second. Be sure to set your ISO accordingly so that the resultant f/stop is as wide open as possible. This will assist in blurring the background not only on a movement basis but also from a focal standpoint. Just like skeet shooting, follow the subject, squeeze the trigger softly and continue with the follow through. A good place to practice ahead of time before you know you will need this skill is curbside on a major thoroughfare. Dress in dark colors and watch the traffic slow thinking you are a radar cop. One of the clues to stereoscopic vision is the fact that objects in the distance move slowly and those closer, faster. Although the camera is monocular this same principle affects the degree of blurring of the background at the time of making the photograph. We are generally looking for a sharp subject popped by a blurred background. The other factor to consider is also your choice of lens. A telephoto lens makes it easier to blur the background but the trade off is the subject may be blurred if you are not tracking perfectly. The converse applies to wider angle lenses. Tracking auto focus may be your selection however if you know the location at which you are going to go click, you can pre-focus at that jump or racing flag. Just cut yourself a little slack in the f/stop department so that your depth of field is not off on the target.

O.K. the obvious is a moving subject, but how about a moving camera? Head out to the local park and play on the swings or merry go round. When the subject is swinging with you, it makes the shot so much easier. Another moving camera situation is shooting from a speeding vehicle and panning on a still target or a vehicle pacing you. Get some one else to drive and put your camera on a slow shutter speed, pan and have fun. The results will surprise you, it will put fun in your photography and you can use this excuse to hone your skills and save gas at the same time. One other moving camera technique is one that wedding and event photographers use to advantage that utilizes a topic we had in the past of second curtain flash. Here we are “dancing” or moving the camera and utilizing a slow shutter speed (dragged shutter) in second curtain setting to properly expose the subject and blur the background. One last thought, don’t be so rigid….who said you can’t twirl, swing or rotate the camera while making the shot?

Go have fun and let your imagination and photography soar.

Ask Bill Debley to bring in his watershed image made with his new camera affixed to the bumper of his car with a wide angle lens or the one through the windshield……..definite WOWS.

References to consider:

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/mastering-panning-tophotograph-moving-subjects/

Long ago and far away in a land before the invention of Photoshop®, there was a tribe of visual artists. They were of the silver halide persuasion and constantly in search of a new and heretofore unknown manner of seeing that which surrounds us with a bias towards internal objectification. But, how to do this they wondered. When they gathered, it is known that they discussed such arcane subjects as Composition, Lighting, Storytelling, Emotive power, Technical and artistic perfection etc. Before the turn of the century, photographers (as they were known) found that by stacking negatives before printing, they could actually show the clouds in the sky as well as the foreground subject. Early film was exceedingly sensitive to blue light and only by appropriately underexposing the first plate for the clouds and properly exposing the second could this “miracle” be accomplished. So you see dear reader that the indomitable spirit of man constantly seeks to live in a world without limitation and Photoshop® or not, a way would be found.

The reason for this preamble is to introduce a technique that is our topic for the month of September and that is “Rear Screen Projection”. Before the advent of Adobe, we photographers were seeking out ways of imitating painters only with cameras and not brushes. Our paint was the light and our canvas the film but….how? One of the techniques that evolved was RSP (rear screen projection) and it worked like this.

There was a book written on how to become a millionaire….that is when it was a big deal and billion hadn’t been invented yet. The author wrote, “First you get a million dollars”. Yes, stupid but our first hurdle if we were to emulate painters was to find a painterly scene to photograph. Once that was decided upon we needed to distort the reality of how our eyes function and here is how RSP answered our needs.

The image is captured with slide film and once developed and mounted, is projected onto a vellum screen with a slide projector. The vellum was mounted in a frame fashioned from wood or other suitable material. On the camera side of this translucent screen was placed a 16x20 piece of shower door glass of the distorting variety. The closer to the screen we placed the glass, the less the distortion and visa versa. With our camera on a tripod and compensating for the color temperature of the projector bulb (or not) a new way of seeing old ways was created.

What? You don’t shoot film any longer? Don’t even own a slide projector? Why did you make that a project for our camera club? Well, if you’re old enough to have slides, that’s a start however since the world has gone mad and has now immersed itself in that digital tool of instant gratification let’s see how that can be modified. You will still need the shower door glass but this time instead of a projector we will stand the glass in front of our monitor. Same principle and Viola! Now let’s see how that gets you out of the box and your creative juices flowing. One could always photograph the “real” world through the glass but that technically would not be the rear screen project would it? It would however be something to play with later.

In the spirit of “show it to me in a way I have never seen it before” let’s see what you can do to crawl out of the proverbial box.

On the topic of “Strong backlight…..No silhouette”. Here are some issues to consider on this topic. Believe it or not, you may WANT to use this lighting technique, but why? Because it’s a great way to add drama and impact, separate the subject from the background, and create rim light. Show me a wedding photographer that doesn’t use this to dramatize the hair, veil or gown of the bride. For some examples regarding this have a look at: http://photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/008TI5

Now, let’s consider the situation where you really didn’t want back light but are forced to deal with it. Sadly, not all subjects are in sweet light that is soft and perfectly positioned. What are you going to do when you can’t move the camera or the subject and you have to handle that strong backlight? First recognize that in this exercise we DON’T WANT A SILHOUETTE. That is exactly what generally happens when the intense backlight is significantly brighter than the shadow side of the subject. Yes, it may be a great image but not for the next month’s topic. So, let’s consider some of the choices. Your first job is to recognize that this is not an easy exposure. If possible, spot meter the subject in an attempt to expose it properly without the mis-information one would get with a matrix metering resulting in underexposure of the subject.

If possible get a telephoto reading on the most important part of the subject (e.g., skin) and crank that into manual exposure. The blessing of digital is we can then check our histogram and our results immediately. Yes, the background will be on the way or totally blown out, but if you stay tight and blur it with a wide open f/stop, who cares? It is the subject that counts most. On the positive side you will reap the benefits of back lighting such as rim light, hair light, detail in the subject, soft shadows and dramatic separation from the background. If one needs the background, then the alternative is to do two separate exposures and merge the two in your image editing program. Now let’s add some additional ways of dealing with this problem. Reach into your backpack and bring out that white reflector you have been schlepping around since forever. Now, if you can get close to the subject you have a better chance of increasing the shadow side illumination to get your picture. Well, if white is good, how about the silver side of the reflector? Are you kidding? If the subject is a person, reverse the role and have them light you up. With a bright sun, silver COOKS YOU as well and blinds you, and causes harsh shadows forcing a scowl. Another modality to consider is your flash. You wouldn’t use flash on camera in the studio for a portrait so why would you do this outdoors? Flash off camera could be nice…..that’s one reason. Cranking the flash down one and one half stops to aid your balancing act and leaving it on the dreaded position on top of your camera is another way if you are feeling lazy. One cumbersome method for those who have the luxury of an assistant is to have a scrim of translucent nylon on a stand and have them shine a mirror into it for a true studio soft box look. When shooting in the studio we need to find light. Outdoors we need to find shadow.

So much to do, so many ways to do it, but remember it all begins with recognizing a tough exposure and then considering how you’re going to handle this balancing act with light.

Good Shooting and don’t forget to bring a friend to the next meeting.

Jerry Sanders

Topic for this month is that nasty old monster called: “The Basics”. It’s the work flow before the computer work flow. It’s the checklist that you should not be ashamed to print up and carry in your bag. Airline pilots have their little checklist don’t they? This is the most frequent deficiency that I observe when shooting with others and as I am fond of repeating and repeating: luck favors the prepared mind and I might add camera too.

I don’t remember if we have done this before but whenever problems arise on a shoot, it is most frequently because the photographer chose to jump right in without verifying his equipment settings. So let’s create a little check list and let me know if I left anything out that you think is vital.

1. At the conclusion of the last shoot, you should be in the habit of leaving the camera in the bag on something that can offer immediate results most of the time, something stupid like P (which I thought was for perfect but now understand it stands for professional). Also one of your frequently used middle zoom lenses should be on the camera. The battery(s) should be fully charged and a card with plenty of room in the magazine. Now in the event of a grab and go shooting situation, chances are you will get it. In other words, always leave your weapon loaded and at the ready. If you leave your most frequently used lens on the camera, you also now have one less opportunity to get dirt on the sensor. Some people routinely store their cameras with just the body cap on. I personally don’t think this is a good idea. It is just another opportunity for dirt to fall in. In your bag should be all of the toys you have accumulated over the years that you think you may remotely need. This is if you are driving. If walking, you better be going to the gym or trim it down. Do you have your flash, tripod, batteries for the camera, for the flash, extra flash cards? I don’t care if your card is of the 10 Jillion Terabyte version, it may get corrupted and need to be changed. Oh yes, what about filters? Polarizers, neutral density, graduated neutral filters, etc.? Off on a long trip??? What about chargers, cell phones, laptop and if you read a recent Dr. Digital, your GPS too? Is your sensor clean? Do it now and save your self grief later.

2. Wow, that was a long number one but let’s push on. Before you go to bed think of what kind of shooting you will most likely be doing and even what you may run across on the way there. Will you be shooting in dim light? Should you anticipate by increasing your ISO? Remember, doubling or halving your ISO is one stop. What about A1 servo for moving targets? Will you be in artificial light or day light? How about setting that up ahead of time? What about the program mode. Yes, you may want to shoot on manual later but before you get too cerebral about it you may wish to be on aperture priority to snag that first emotion filled image. This is also a good reference for checking your histogram and adjusting an optimal manual setting. Perhaps the issue will be about speed when you arrive; well here is my suggestion for best results. Dial into Manual the lighting conditions you feel will get you a good exposure. Now dial in the aperture priority setting for the average depth or speed issue you will require. Now dial in the average shutter speed program Tv setting you may need. Now all you have to do for example: arrive at the site, (your lens cap is off and lens shade is on (I don’t care if it is a cloudy day, the sun may come out or it may save you banging your front element). Your first shot on Av gets you going and now by just turning the dial, you are in position to either smoke the water in Tv (shutter priority) or shift to Manual to fine tune the image. Always verify with you histogram. No, let me say it this way, ALWAYS VERIFY WITH YOUR HISTOGRAM! If you are anticipating wildlife for example, take some test shots and dial in the exposure on the histogram, expose to the right, and you’re ready for that bobcat or coyote. Expose to the right and look for “blinkies”. Check to see if they are in important areas or not. What you see in your LCD screen may look great but you may be very disappointed when you load it into your computer.

3. Let’s cut to the chase and do the quick version:  THE CHECK LIST:

O.K. WHAT ELSE?
Good shooting,
©Jerry Sanders

The same stories about Adobe RGB having a broader range of colors keep circulating on the internet and in magazines. It does in theory, but not in practice. sRGB gives better, more consistent results and the same, or brighter, colors. Using Adobe RGB is one of the leading causes of colors not matching between monitor and print. sRGB is the world's default color space, use it and everything looks great every time, everywhere.

Adobe RGB should never be used unless you really know what you're doing and do all your own printing. If you really know what you're doing and you’re working in publishing, go right ahead and use it. If you have to ask, don't even try it.

If you're a full-time career professional photographer shoot for print, by all means use Adobe RGB, but if you're a very serious amateur, beware! Adobe RGB theoretically can represent a wider color gamut. It requires special software and painstaking workflow. Make one mistake and you get dull colors, or worse. If you use Adobe RGB on the internet or for email, or conventional photo lab printing, you’ll end up with dull colors.

Try it yourself. Take one of your images, assign it the profiles of your choice, and print away. Most of what you'll see will be colorspace conversion artifacts. If you do this correctly, both prints will look almost identical. If you can see a wider gamut, go for it.

sRGB is the world standard for digital images, printing and the Internet. As long as you haven't changed anything, you, and the world are shooting in sRGB. Use sRGB and you'll automatically get great, accurate colors everywhere, all the time. Adobe RGB squeezes colors into a smaller range which makes them duller when recording a file. Special software is then needed to expand the colors back to where they should be when opening the file. Since Adobe RGB squeezes colors into a smaller range, if and only if you have the correct software to read it will you be able to take advantage of a broader range of colors. Played back on most equipment, the internet or email, the colors will look dull, and the extra chroma gain required adds chroma quantization noise. If you're printing at home directly from Photoshop, printed correctly, the Adobe RGB image looks the same as the sRGB image, so, why bother? Also, if you use Adobe RGB you will have to remember to convert back to sRGB when sending your work out for printing or sharing it on the Internet. Otherwise they’ll look dull.

Every photograph you take is a self-portrait. It reveals more about yourself than you imagine. It may reveal your limitations as a photographer and as a consequence how you can change and reach new heights of image making.

In my case it is too true. My photos reveal that for one, I am a very straight guy, pretty tight, square. And I recognize that it limits me. For instance when I shoot a building I often use the grid in my viewfinder. And yet in a few of my more successful shots I loosened up and got compelling abstracts by going away from that square shot.

When doing landscapes I often wait till people depart from the scene. I want it pure; unspoiled by the intrusion of mankind. Baloney, a figure gives scale to the landscape and can be the center of interest where there would be none. In one of my landscapes of a dramatic mountainous region I do have a figure in the picture; he wouldn’t go away. But he is so small that unless you look hard you won’t see him. And that defeats the purpose of the picture. Had I not been so stubborn I would have zoomed in somewhat closer to make him larger and still keep the stark contrast between the size of the figure and the awesome, rugged surroundings. That would have told my story better and made my picture quite dramatic, as well.

Am I nuts? Can’t I learn to undo my hang-ups? Can you recognize yours and overcome them?

There have been a flood of questions on how to bring off the upcoming topic of “NO LENS PHOTOGRAPHY” so let’s have at it once more. This requires that you obtain an image by NOT using any lens device made for the express purpose of being attached to your camera for the purpose of taking pictures. I will update our Feb. 2008 F/Stops Newsletter with some recent information I have gleaned from the internet and personal experimentation.

          First, let us discuss PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY. Most of the information I found on the internet had to do with the use of film. Although this is a viable method, I wanted something quick and painless….don’t you? Well here is my solution: My method involves limited equipment which begins with an extension tube. I used the short 11mm tube so the pinhole could easily be mounted and dismounted like a lens would be. Next I sacrificed one of Peggy’s pie tins for the main course. I used a drawing compass and made a circle the diameter of the extension tube. I then cut the circle from the pie tin with scissors. Next you make the tiniest entry through the aluminum that you can and then file this with #600 sandpaper or a diamond file. Now paint a small area around the hole with a black sharpie and finish the remainder of the surface that will be the “inside” with black electrical tape. Trim the excess tape and now tape the pinhole disc to the extension tube, now, go have fun!!! For testing purposes jack up the ISO to 3200 and shoot away. If the image is reasonably sharp you can now begin the real work. The true essence of pinhole photography resides in two main issues. The first is that of infinite depth of field and the second is that of the capability of ultra long exposures. Your assignment if you choose pinhole will not just be something “arty” and soft and “Monet-ish” but something that makes moving objects “invisible” or accentuates the near-far relationship that pinhole is capable of rendering. You can now keep this rig in your camera bag to play with when the moment demands it and what the heck, the price was right wasn’t it? Remember not to let the front of the pinhole rig get “sun-struck” or the image will wash out. Also consider mirror lock up for a sharper image on your tripod. The following is a reprint from the January newsletter:

          The next challenge you will face is called NO LENS PHOTOGRAPHY. Of course you will have to use some kind of lens system to make a reasonably focused image for presentation. You just can’t use a lens that is made for your camera. Here are some thoughts to guide you into what may be previously unexplored waters. Have you ever studied pinhole photography? You can have a hole drilled in a body cap….not too big and not too small. Want to experiment? Try a sheet of aluminum foil and poke it with a pin. Since the time is greatly increased, it gives you the potential to create images you have never created before….think about clearing a busy street, smoking waves in the ocean etc. Next technique could be design elements on a flat bed scanner, so many possibilities. The last one I offer is the use of a magnifying glass in front of the camera body (with no lens). Be careful of dirt entering the system and watch how much distortion, defocus, and flare you can engender. This is a poor man’s “Lens Baby” and was covered in an earlier newsletter which I will reprint for your pleasure: “One of the recurring problems I guess all of us have is taking ourselves too seriously. If we are truly driven, we obsess about how many pixels can dance on the head of a pin, RAW vs. JPEG, Adobe RGB or sRGB etc., etc. In an attempt to just have some plain old fun I looked for ways to get out of the box and discovered the following. By way of introduction let me say that in this era of photography we take so many things for granted such as the wonderful and technically complex lens systems that we don’t even pause to appreciate them. Enter “NO LENS” photography…..well, not the kind we normally think of. This is the poor man’s ( or woman’s to be politically correct) version of the LENSBABY®. Yes, I thought I would make one as all it consists of is a flexible tube with a magnifying lens for focusing. How difficult could that be. Sadly I didn’t have time to “gussy” it up for this article so all I did is grab a magnifying glass from the drawer and take the lens off of the camera. Caveat……watch out for the dust bunnies…..you don’t want to get your sensor loaded with them. Now find a likely victim…err make that subject. Place the camera on manual and adjust the ISO, white balance and speed to get a proper exposure. Now focus as best you can or defocus and distort by tilting the lens and you will get some really interesting impressionistic effects. This will surely provide you with something new and fun to experiment with.

Have fun and play, play, play. If this is too easy, you can complicate your life and add an opaque card with a hole in it to work the “sweet” spot in the magnifying lens and/or a tube to decrease some of the ambient flare. This harkens us back to the old days when we lived with optical and chromatic aberration, uncoated lenses and wait a minute……..this technique would have been useful for “Vintage Photography” in January of ’08!!! Dooooh!

If you have some other methods that I have not thought of you can either let me know and we can disseminate the idea or be selfish and surprise us at the meeting…..but we’ll know then. Have at it and have fun!

And oh yes,……….bring a friend too.
Jerry Sanders

It’s time to discuss some of the topical issues relating to the monthly assignments. The macro topic for March is pretty much self explanatory…..”art on a small scale”. In April we are looking for LOW KEY images. For low key, you will want to use dark colors in a dark setting and underexpose." Here are some thoughts from Wikipedia:

“Low-key lighting is a style of lighting for photography, film or television. It attempts to create a chiaroscuro effect. In traditional photographic lighting, three-point lighting uses a key light, a fill light, and a back light for even illumination. Low-key lighting requires only one key light, optionally controlled with a fill light or a simple reflector.

Low key light accentuates the contours of an object by throwing areas into shade while a fill light or reflector may illuminate the shadow areas to control contrast. The relative strength of key-to-fill, known as the lighting ratio, can be measured using a light meter. Low key lighting has a higher lighting ratio, e.g. 8:1, than high key lighting, which can approach 1:1.

The term "low key" is used in cinematography to refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer, hence is commonly used in Film Noir and Horror genres.”

The next challenge you will face is called NO LENS PHOTOGRAPHY. Of course you will have to use some kind of lens system to make a reasonably focused image for presentation. You just can’t use a lens that is made for your camera. Here are some thoughts to guide you into what may be previously unexplored waters.

Have you ever studied pinhole photography? You can have a hole drilled in a body cap ….not too big and not too small. Want to experiment? Try a sheet of aluminum foil and poke it with a pin. Since the time is greatly increased, it gives you the potential to create images you have never created before….think about clearing a busy street, smoking waves in the ocean etc.

Next technique could be design elements on a flat bed scanner. So many possibilities. The last one I offer is the use of a magnifying glass in front of the camera body ( with no lens on ) . Be careful of dirt entering the system and watch how much distortion, defocus and flare you can engender. This is a poor man’s “Lens Baby” and was covered in an earlier newsletter which I will reprint for your pleasure:

“One of the recurring problems I guess all of us have is taking ourselves too seriously. If we are truly driven, we obsess about how many pixels can dance on the head of a pin, RAW vs. JPEG, Adobe RGB or sRGB etc., etc. In an attempt to just have some plain old fun I looked for ways to get out of the box and discovered the following. By way of introduction let me say that in this era of photography we take so many things for granted such as the wonderful and technically complex lens systems that we don’t even pause to appreciate them. Enter “NO LENS” photography…..well, not the kind we normally think of. This is the poor man’s ( or woman’s to be politically correct) version of the LENSBABY®. Yes, I thought I would make one as all it consists of is a flexible tube with a magnifying lens for focusing. How difficult could that be. Sadly I didn’t have time to “gussy” it up for this article so all I did is grab a magnifying glass from the drawer and take the lens off of the camera. Caveat……watch out for the dust bunnies…..you don’t want to get your sensor loaded with them. Now find a likely victim…err make that subject. Place the camera on manual and adjust the ISO, white balance and speed to get a proper exposure. Now focus as best you can or defocus and distort by tilting the lens and you will get some really interesting impressionistic effects. This will surely provide you with something new and fun to experiment with. Have fun and play, play, play. If this is too easy, you can complicate your life and add an opaque card with a hole in it to work the “sweet” spot in the lens and/or a tube to decrease some of the ambient flare. This harkens us back to the old days when we lived with optical and chromatic aberration, uncoated lenses and wait a minute……..would this technique be useful for our upcoming topic of “Vintage Photography” in January of ’08???”

If you have some other methods that I have not thought of you can either let me know and we can disseminate the idea or be selfish and surprise us at the meeting…..but we’ll know then. Have at it and have fun!

If like me, you scan the photography magazines in search of the next great “must have” piece of gear, listen up. In pursuit of the mantra that says “They who die with the most toys wins” I would like to tell you about my last photo adventure to Vermont and New Hampshire to do digital to the autumn leaves. My last trip into this part of the country was 12 years ago and since I am a firm believer in luck favoring the prepared mind, began searching my files (read: rummaging in the bottom of a closet for the bag of maps and guides with that trip in it). So many memories in that closet, so many great trips and so many ways I think to improve my image making with this new digital revolution. My quest was to follow the proverbial “road less traveled” but in addition to being exciting and finding that special landscape, is the issue of finding one’s way home again. Now here is where you get that exciting opportunity to increase the size of your toy box. Yes, without much strain on your imagination I’m sure you can guess where I am heading. Vermont is blessed with thousands of tiny dirt roads that take off into the woods only to interconnect you hope with other tiny dirt roads. Well, these roads are not on the AAA maps, nor are they shown on the DeLorme topo maps. What looks like a driveway is in reality a path to exquisite landscapes waiting to be immortalized by you and your digital camera with images not seen since the days of the Pennacook Indians. So here is your very next, how did I ever live without this, gotta have, really vital piece of gear to stow with your camera paraphernalia. This digital wonder is the GPS and here is story of how vital it can be on a visit to a strange land. With hours of computer research time behind me, and weighing the myriad of pros and cons, I had two choices. One was to buy a new vehicle with a GPS installed for 60 K or buy a portable GPS for 3-400 dollars. I settled on the Garmin nuvi 650. Now for the disclaimer: I do not have a financial interest nor received a free sample from this company although I would have welcomed the opportunity. In retrospect I would have gotten the 250W model with a few less bells on it and $100 cheaper. Correction:  No the nuvi 650 went on sale for the cheaper price….so watch the web. On the subject of buying, I found out that although you can find cheaper deals on the web, if you are a member of Costco and purchase certain electronic equipment from them, you can bring it back for a full refund even years later (with a receipt from the bottom of the closet of course) whether it be broken, stapled, mutilated or you’re just plain tired of it. Of course Mr. Wise Guy, this does not apply to large screen TV so relax. Like most devices these days, the GPS comes with a really lousy instructional book which in an effort to be green is downloaded from the internet. Now you can spend time burning that fossil fuel while you have a friend (sucker) drive you all around until you “get it”. In truth, it is not all that complicated and this device is small, fits in your pocket and has a battery life of 6-8 hours in the walk about mode when removed from the car’s 12 volt cigarette lighter source. After the first five minutes I could not conceive of how the software was written for this puppy……absolutely AMAZING! Like Flash Gordon ( what?, you young whippersnappers don’t know who he is) the story of how this device is going to make your photography so much better is going to have to be serialized. There is just too much to talk about in this column so next month, Doctor Digital will further expound on the joys of digital driving and how it will improve your photography.   ©Jerry Sanders aka Dr. Digital

PART II Being a firm believer, in fact let me say ultra orthodox adherent to the precepts of instant gratification I stowed the new toy ( GPS) in my camera bag.  The moment the cabin attendants ( I remember them being stewardesses☺) said it is ok to play with your electronic toys, I was squeezing the ON button.  I of course had a window seat so I could not only photograph the world as it whisked by but to my joy, I could track the satellites through the window of the aircraft and read our groundspeed. Fig.1 In the past, I had to guess what we were flying over but now I could see the map with names appended of cities, lakes, states, mountains etc. in real time as I gazed out the window. Fig.2  This was almost as good as being in the cockpit.  In fact, with the headset on and listening to the pilot and flight controllers communicate I was ready to collect my junior pilot wings as we flared out and gently kissed the tarmac in Manchester.  We picked up Fig.1. our rental car and since I am a belt and suspenders guy, got a local map just in case the wundertoy decided to bite me in the posterior. Yea…..it worked like a charm.  A young lady with a charming British accent guided me through all of the twists and turns exiting the airport in advance of the sometimes confusing signage. We had programmed into it our first motel stop and she offered us not only directions but an ETA as well.  On the way, our tummies reminded us that the “gluttony” afforded us in coach (bag of pretzels) was markedly insufficient so we asked the “lady” where the closest place for breakfast was and within a few seconds had our choice of perhaps 30 places within a five mile radius.  Here I was in toy heaven and I hadn’t even begun to use it for the original reason it was purchased…..photography. I won’t go on and on discussing how it got us to our motel during a stormy night with an amazing shortcut, found us a great Italian restaurant in White River, VT.,  a reunion with my niece and her husband in a small marina on Squam Lake ( where On Golden Pond was filmed) for a glorious day of boating, picnicking and photos so let’s push on to the photography issues.

Since we had prior experience in this part of the world, it should have been a snap to find the roads, barns and farms we so loved and filmed in our prior life.  Not so!  In the twelve years that had elapsed, evidently some corporation had secretly moved them and hidden the route by either removing street signs or planting trees in front of them.  That might have fooled us in the old days, but not now….not with our wundertoy the GPS.  We typed in the location of the village or farm and our “babe in the box” pointed out roads that looked like driveways and appended names to lanes that I am sure even the locals didn’t know.  It is human nature to wonder what is around the bend, over the mountain or on the other side of the woods and now we had answers before we ever got there.  By magnifying the view in the GPS we were able to see tiny lakes, ponds and streams that were never shown on any conventional maps that might offer fair game for our cameras.  Without fear of getting lost or driving off a cliff we charged up new and we were sure unexplored paths heretofore unseen by non natives.  Any finds we needed to return to when the light was better was punched into the GPS and given a name and it was accurately noted within a 15 foot radius.  We decided to check out a few of the lighthouses since we were so close to the coast so with a push of the button we brought up POI’s (points of interest) …lighthouses and it plotted a course for us instantly.

I know I sound like a commercial for the GPS people but this is indeed the “funnest” (as the kids say) toy I have gotten in a long time.  It also will let me store a huge amount of pictures in it to show to unsuspecting acquaintances as well as MP3’s to sooth our nerves during the long days work of photographing some of the most beautiful spaces in the world.   Like the credit card ad says” Don’t leave home without it”, I sure won’t.

In a previous column we talked about how everything we do photographically and in life too, is tied to adhering to basic principles. Forget the excuses….yes, Jim just loves to hear them in case you haven’t noticed…right? When you screw-up you either get lucky and have a picture or you violated the basics and you don’t. Usually it is the latter. Normally we gush of things digital here but in the spirit of beginning at the beginning, let me tell you of a conversation I had with a member that has nothing to do with digitizing photons.

The member told me of a new lens he had purchased that he was unhappy with. “Why” I inquired as I knew Bill Debley had that lens and loved it. The answer was that “it was just not sharp”! I then asked what and how it was used. “Well, I wanted a landscape shot that was really sharp so I used a tripod”. Good start…now what else? “I put it on f/32”. What was your exposure time? “Oh about 1/15 sec.” How did you trigger the shot? “With the 10 second self-timer”. The lens by the way was a 12-24mm on a Canon 20D.

Well, to me, this was similar to an exercise we did for a topic at the club one time of “How many errors can you commit in one image?”. Firstly, the lens chosen was an ultra-wide angle which is not really a landscape lens, it is for close ups! The images in the distance become so tiny with that lens that they may lose significance and detail, becoming like blobs in the sunset. If you want a large sweeping view I suggest you use a tripod and do a panorama with a more “normal” lens. The detail will be exquisite and the file size will be huge. When using the deeper f/stops like f/22, to f/32 with a 35mm system, we get into a diffraction problem from the tiny entrance pupil of the lens and the resulting degradation, destroys that which we were seeking….sharpness. Each lens has a sweet spot of sharpness dependent on it’s optics and focal distance. Sometimes we indeed have to sacrifice the sharpness to achieve the depth of focus but I think, not that often.

Next issue is shooting at between 1 second and 1/25th of a second. Ever hear of mirror slap? It is the vibration created by the mirror opening and shaking the camera while the shutter is open. It is most prominent during the above noted exposure period. How do we avoid it? Best way is to use mirror lock up whenever doing macro or high telephoto shots and for sure when the exposure is slow as noted above. Yes it can also be treated with a faster ISO or faster f/stop but that again is another choice to make. A remote release will keep you from mashing the camera when triggering but it won’t help mirror vibration.

What is it about sometimes being our own worst enemy?? Here are some websites that cover the topics we have been discussing in far more detail and accuracy. They were given to me by the member who was flushed with enthusiasm and new knowledge about this mistress called “Photography”.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction-photography.htm

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003qSt

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/fstop.html

Rules or guidelines are established to make us better photographers.  By following the guides of other famous photographers we hope to someday perfect our skills so we may be published, make some extra bucks or bethought of as a professional.  But then again, isn’t it better to break the rules and not let them govern our photography?  We are told, “Don’t Bulls Eye” your subjects;  use the rule of thirds.  Then, there is that little voice that says “Yeah, go ahead bulls eye that sucker, it will look better, break the rule”.  To all you “Break the Rule” fans, I say isn’t “breaking the rules” the same as following the rules only in reverse?  If we use the rules, either following them or purposely doing the opposite, aren’t we still letting the rules govern our photographic composition?  We have all seen the commercials for some decadent dessert where the person has an angel on one shoulder saying “Don’t eat it” and a devil on the other saying, “Go ahead, eat it”.  Either way we are following the rules.  Either way we are a product of what we are programmed to believe.  Are you a “Photographic Robot”??    What makes the difference between a robot and a free thinker or in this case a photographer?  It’s the ability to be different, to creatively let your own vision, passion and inspiration guide you?  It’s not a question of following or not following the rules. It’s a question of letting what inspires and motivates you guide your passion for putting your own signature on your work.  Just like no two fingerprints or DNA strands are alike, shouldn’t your photography be the same way?  After all, isn’t the only person you really want to please, yourself?

Pete

The Bag You Love to Lug!

• What are you going to photograph?

• Make a Checklist, include camera settings

• Keep it Simple.

• Choose your equipment, lenses, filters, etc.

• Bring the right stuff, not all the stuff.

1. Plan

• Research the area your going to visit.

• Check, clean and test your equipment.

• Ensure batteries are fresh and your have spares.

• Extra memory cards, empty!

• Prepare an equipment checklist.

• Don’t forget essentials like filters, extenders, steprings, instruction manuals, cleaning materials, etc.

2. Prepare

• Avoid a case of get-there-itus.

• Being there does no good if your not prepared.

• The night before refresh yourself on the operating modes of the camera that you will likely use. Know how to revert back to ‘default’ settings!

• If there is something your unsure about, read the manual, practice to get comfortable with it. Don’t forget about ISO and W.B.

3. Anticipate

• Anticipation can make the difference between success and failure.

• Anticipation may not guarantee but can increase the odds of getting a good shot.

• For example, you can also anticipate changing light when doing landscape photography.

• Take the shot when it presents itself, don’t say I’ll get it on the way back.

4. Be patient

• Don’t succumb to chasing a scene or photographic opportunity that lies just around the bend.

• Too often you will waste productive time and light on a non-existent opportunity.• Stick with you plan, the one you prepared for unless you find in favor of another situation or location.

Advice is easier to give than to follow. From now on I’ll follow my own advice to plan, prepare, anticipate, and be patient until the next time when “get-there-itus” overwhelms me!

Sample List

1. Camera body(s)

2. Normal lens

3. Wide angle telephoto lens

4. Medium telephoto lens

5. Extension tubes or macro filters

6. 1.4 and/or 2X Teleconverter

7. “Rocket Air” dust blower Personal Checklist

8. Circular polarizer Water

9. N.D. & grad. N.D. filters Hat

10. White balance card Sunscreen

11. Spare (fully charged) batteries Power bar(s)

12. Extra memory cards Jacket

13. Strobe, e.g. Canon Speedlite Space blanket

14. Cable release and/or IR wireless remote Sun glasses and extra eyeglasses

15. F-STOPS business cards

16. Small first aid kit

17. ZipLoc bags

18. Tripod or bagpod

19. Manuals for camera and strobe

20. Silicone rubber disk for stuck filters

Remember: Safety first. Never risk your safety or the safety of your equipment to get a shot. Take only photographs, leave only footprints

I would like to digress from the usual pixel patter in this column and discuss an issue that surfaced many times during the evening of the last and preceding meetings. That issue is MATS!  I asked Bill Debley to make available to you the address of the company from which he purchases relatively inexpensive pre-cut mats.  You may ask…well that’s fine but all of my images aren’t precisely 8x10’s or 11x14’s.  (Of course they aren’t due the fact that those are not the proportions of a 35mm sensor) What am I going to do then? In that vein, let’s discuss some of the available options.  Yes, it is ok to use the same mat over and over as long as it remains clean and dent free.  Don’t forget the submissions at camera club should be presentation quality as encouraged by our judge.

1.       If you’re lucky, the image can easily be cropped to the commonly offered dimensions. We did this all the time when we had slides printed, didn’t we?  Remember how slide shooters would crop “in camera” and print shooters would “over shoot” so it could be cropped in the lab?

2.       Let us say however that you don’t wish to or can’t crop the image. What are your options?  Here is my workflow to help conserve the trees and $$$.  Find a mat you already have which may be square, rectangular or panoramic.  See which of these categories the picture you are working with fits into. Measure the mat opening in millimeters.  The joy of doing this is that you don’t have to deal with fractions of an inch which can become so confusing especially if you are mathematically dyslexic as I am. Adjust the size of the image {in millimeters} in Photoshop® to fit that opening by right clicking the blue bar over the picture>image size>change inches for the dimension to mm. if the latter is not your default. Now, make sure that resample image is the only box checked and enter the appropriate numbers to the picture size to fit your mat window.  Hopefully you got lucky here.  This generally works just fine for landscapes but may be a problem with people, making them look taller and slimmer or shorter and well you know.  {the client may like that distortion if it is flattering}

3.       If that didn’t work then rethink the cropping tool as a compromise which may be required between distorting a bit and cropping.

4.       Another trick… Bring up an image in Photoshop® and put the crop tool on 8x10. Make white your background color. Make the image smaller in Navigator so you can find the crop bars. Now rather than cropping INTO the image, stretch it as equally around the OUTSIDE of the image as you can and click on crop. The extra few millimeters can be weighted at the bottom by a mouse drag.  Hey, now you have what looks like a matted print of exactly 8x10 dimensions.  Now stick that in the mat window and it will appear to be double matted.  Isn’t that neat!  This is taking the cropping tool “out of the box”.

5.       If all of the above fail then consider having a mat cut by a pro or a friend or even going out and buying a cutter of your own.

© Jerry Sanders

On the subject of portrait photography, the issue arises that some subjects may be extremely appreciative of having their wrinkles (aka laugh lines)softened or removed. Here is a technique that I find reasonably easy to learn and is extremely effective and natural appearing.

How To Remove Wrinkles

On a duplicate image> Filter Gaussian blur circa 8-10 depending on degree of effect needed> make snapshot> Edit delete Gaussian blur> place hx(history) brush in Gaussian layer. Now select hx brush and place on LIGHTEN 100% and stroke with appropriate size to remove dark base from wrinkles. Now change hx brush to NORMAL AND 30% to “add makeup”. The idea of course is to produce a “rested” appearance and NOT try to take too many years off or make them look like Tammy Fay Baker.

Should there be any questions or aspects left unanswered please email me at:gsanders@ucla.edu.

http://uweb.txstate.edu/~do01/

For Great “Do It Yourself” go to this site:

http://www.diyphotography.net/

And for more must read information here are more sites:

http://www.photobasics.net/new%20site/about%20us.htm

http://www.mediachance.com/hdri/index.html

http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/articles.htm

How would you like to save $1000.00?  O.K. now that I have your attention let’s get on the subject of flat bed scanners. Now I’m sure that your scanner is a lot newer than mine as I just don’t seem to get a lot of use out of it and hate to shell out the bucks for another one. The old machine seems to survive insults such as the transitions from Windows® 95 to 98 and then to XP.  I know it would surely succumb to the insults of the conversion to Vista® ( I think from what I have read that this is actually a downgrade).  Recently I had reason to dust the spider webs out of it to scan a photograph and was hugely disappointed!  Was it always this bad and I didn’t know better?? Oh well, the issue arises as “What to do”? After Bill Debley demonstrated his magic color balance disc at the last meeting, I figured why not do that with my flatbed? Electronic color balance devices for flatbeds are not inexpensive and I wanted this to be low tech and free. Free is good, so I scanned a flat black mat board and 18% gray card while leaving the center open for the white face of the scanner top. Next move is to take the scan and make an adjustment layer in curves.  I used the appropriate eyedroppers for the tones involved and Viola! It went from washed out to eye popping.  I then saved the setting in a scanner folder as a .acv file so that I could use this as a profile anytime I used my scanner.  Hooray, I just figured out how to screw the big companies out of the price of a device for color balancing the flat bed scanner. Enter reality……  I scanned a photo of my grandson Micah ( not only handsome but so smart) and here is how it came out.

Hardly what I wanted huh?  I applied the adjustments I made on the .acv file  from the scan of the black and gray cards and it was better but still dark. What I thought was going to be simple and easy……..wasn’t.   Yes, I used to be able to adjust the scanner output but XP killed that software and besides, Photoshop® would be the best to do any tweaking with..  WHAT TO DO????

THE FIX

Well, one could go and buy a newer scanner however that would eliminate the “free” constraint and beside seven though it would ostensibly be a better device, you should still color balance it.

Figure 2 is the camera version of the picture that can be seen underlying the scanner rendition in Figure 1.It is evident from Fig. 1 that I needed to create a profile and the first issue to conquer was the levels adjustment.

• Go to the Layers palette and click on the circle for adjustment layers and select Levels

• Clip the ends where there is no information and then play to get the skin tones the very best that you can.

• Remember we are fortunate in that we can compare the camera original with the scanner version and they are both in the transmitted light of the monitor.  The problem we also face is the scanner sees the image in reflected light and also injects a generational issue which will tend to have more contrast as well as color shifts.

Fig. 3 shows what I felt were acceptable skin tones but the powder blue sweat shirt was more of a periwinkle color.

• Now that’s a stretch for me considering that I am a tad color deficient (talk about the blind leading……).

• Next move is shown in Figure 4. and that is to make another adjustment layer but this time it is for Selective Color Layer Adjustment.

• I went to blue and pushed the sliders on absolute until the blue was as close as I could get it and the skintones were still ok.

For you pixel pusher engineer types out there I know that this isn’t an exact science with colorimeters, spectrometers etc. but in reality none of our end results are…..this is an art….remember?

My final result can be seen in Figure 4 above.  No, it isn’t the same as the original image but what scan  no matter how sophisticated, is? If you have a better way of doing this I would love to hear from you but for now at least I have a do-it-yourself profile for my aged Flatbed that works reasonably well and perhaps this will give you the impetus to see how to tune up your flatbed. 

When the executive board met and discussed the topics for the coming year, this one met with resounding enthusiasm for a couple of reasons.  First of all it was designed to get most of us out of our comfort zone of shooting color.  For those of you out there willing to admit it, loading up with Tri-X on a camera outing and coming back with meaningful images was a real challenge.  We didn’t have the luxury of vibrant colors to carry the message to the viewers.  We needed a subject that was strong and palpable.  It could be powerful by a prominence of size or even a tiny presence such as a figure in the landscape that your eye and brain immediately identify with.  The message may stem from the subject’s contrast from the background (light against dark or visa versa), the focal point in the image and so many other issues that make black and white image making a timeless and powerful art.

In the transition to digital many of us have left behind the traditional darkroom for the inkjet printers.  The inkjet is close to the continuous tone printing of the dark room but I think we can all agree that it is not “there” yet.  The trade off of course is the exquisite adjustments we can make to the image that are light years beyond what was possible in the darkroom.  Yes, life is filled with trade-offs so we need to “get over it” and do what we do the very best we can.  This brings us to one of the other reasons for selecting this topic.  What is the best way to print this black and white image after the masterpiece is generated in the computer?  The answer is that there are so many “best” ways that no one way will make everyone agree on the result.  Since most of us do not own an inkjet printer with all black inks that increase our tonal range I would like to tell you how I do my printing on an Epson1280.  If you have been having trouble getting the print you want and this works for you I’m happy. So, let’s get to it. First decide what paper the image needs…….I use either Matte Paper Heavyweight  or Premium Luster.

Here is my drill for the Premium Luster which initially frustrated me with the contamination of various color tones I didn’t want.

1.   Shoot the original in color ( you have more pixels to play with and hence more tonal quality)

2.   After doing the channel mixer and monochrome dance to your taste we do the following:

3.   Sharpen the image appropriately before printing

4.   Go to MODE>GRAYSCALE5.

5.   In print with preview set the paper to MATTE!!!! That’s correct; I said enter Matte for the Premium Luster Paper you are going to print on.  This is what seems to get rid of the color contamination I get if I enter Premium Luster.

6.   Print with COLOR INK not black only or you will lose the subtle tonal gradations. Plan on printing some small images like 2x3 initially and see how it works for you.  Yes there are additional issues of metamerism to deal with but this workflow has made me happier in general.  As for Matte Paper Heavyweight, yes, do the obvious and enter Matte for the paper in Print With Preview.

So there we are F/Stoppers, all you have to do is render a magnificent image, print and mat it with exquisite technique and the 10’s will litter the meeting room.

Out for the day, don’t have all your gear with you and you need a reflector for that macro shot you simply must have? Use the silver or white side of the ‘folding hoop’ dashboard protector in your car! - Need soft light from the pop-up flash on your camera, cut the end out of a ping-pong ball and place it over your flash; you say you have a strobe unit on your hot shoe, a white coffee filter placed inverted on it (like an umbrella) works great to diffuse the light. - You only have a Point’n Shoot with you, no polarizer? Shoot through one lens of your polarized sunglasses, (careful a prescription may present a problem). - Shooting in a rocky or uneven, muddy, or soggy terrain may present a problem for using a tripod. Have you ever considered a “chain pod”? Yes, a chain pod! Purchase a 1/4-20 thumbscrew & nut, Several feet of plastic chain (it’s very light) and a split ring (like you use for keys), drill a small hole in the thumbscrew and link the chain and thumbscrew together with the ring, voila! To use, simply screw it into the tripod mount, step on the chain and keep a small amount of tension on it. It’s light and can be easily stored in your jacket pocket.     Check out -- http://www.diyphotography.net/

I love Easter.  Not for the candy or special hi fat and cholesterol food you shouldn’t eat but do, but for watching the kids hunt for Easter Eggs.  I enjoy watching the little tykes when they look for eggs in plain sight.  Then, there are the slightly older kids who need to look for eggs because they are hidden rather well.  Then, there are the older kids who really need to look much harder because the eggs are almost impossible to find.  Then, I got to thinking, (something I rarely do) isn’t that what photography is all about?  Aren’t  we all on an Easter Egg hunt for images instead of eggs?  As photographers, aren’t we always looking, always trying to find that perfect shot?  When we are beginners, (little tykes) images are in front of us in plain view. Those being the images we take from the pull out on the road marked “Vista Point” or those images of the sunset taken from our hotel balcony or those images usually taken at normal height and on “P” mode.  Then, we get some “photo smarts” and maybe walk a little off the road from the “Vista Point” or try to compose a good sunset from the beach with a foreground middle ground and colorful sky.  Only his time we use “Av” mode or even “M” adjusting for depth of field and exposure.     As we grow wiser and wiser we train our eyes and mind to look harder and in more difficult places to find those truly spectacular images.  In order to find that truly one of a kind golden egg you must look in those out of the way difficult places everybody else passes by.  You must push yourself to go and do things nobody else would do.  That’s why they call flower photography “Wet Belly Photography”.  As we become more advanced all the eggs in plain sight or partially hidden have already been found.  We need to do the things necessary to find those eggs that are so well hidden in places where nobody else thinks to look.

"One must from time to time attempt things that are beyond one's capacity."
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

OK so he beat us to the punch. This has been the reason we continually encourage you to venture beyond your "usual and ordinary" to do the monthly assignments. They are designed to tax your abilities and knowledge in the pursuit of photographic diversity and ability. You know the quota from Commander Kirk ....." To go where no photographer has gone before". On the topic of Macro we did discuss the definition of the subject but did not go into detail about how to get there. We (I know I am) are often guilty of taking too much for granted and I neglected to explain that in the absence owning a macro lens, the same effect can be obtained with extension tubes to shorten the focal distance or by holding a simple magnifying lens in front of a moderate telephoto lens. Pinholes, as well as flatbed scanners offer yet additional means to accomplish this end. Of course enlarging and cropping would do it too, wouldn't it?

In the February Newsletter we covered the upcoming topics of Low Key and No Lens Photography and if the explanations are not sufficient, please contact me.

Now I would like to give you something akin to life insurance. I hope you never need it but you have to have it. Here is the scenario and this is from a real life happening: Busy morning shoot and you start chimping and deleting some of the images that you considered less than ideal during a lull. MISTAKE!!!! Do your deleting at home after you've backed it up on a USB drive or DVD. The delete button is right next to the "delete all" entry and yup .,... it happens. Now what? First. thing to do is if you have an assistant, blame it on him or her. If not, how about the dog ate your homework .... that used to work didn't it? All right. let's deal with it. First, don't take any more pictures with that card. Remove it from the camera and finish with another card. When you get home, know that even though you have deleted or formatted the card there is still hope, and here it is. http://www.artplus.hr/adapps/eng/dpr.htm. This is a free software application that will hopefully keep you from cutting your wrists. I found this whilst surfing PC Magazine. they say it is slow, but effective and certainly worth downloading.

Although this was discussed a long time ago, I thought that it would be pertinent to revisit this issue. At the last meeting, another plea was made for pictures to be posted on the web site. It is suggested that the images come in a folder with yaw name on it. The images therein should preferably be at 72 dpi and 4x6 inches. They should also have "@your name" in the appropriate place at the bottom of the image. So how do I get my name on the image is the next question, so here it is: