Extremes

IMG_1966SignatureI am adding to the theme developed in recent blog posts of shooting in difficult or variable elemental conditions. This was a constant challenge while in Yellowstone Park. There were so many contrasts but where to start or where to shoot created a quandary. By choosing one or two elements to compensate for one was eliminating the other equally desirable contrasts.

One such area of shooting was the many geysers, fumeroles, or simply hot springs. There was a lot of mist, haze, and steam in the air, all with mineral content. Protecting one’s camera was a concern. Also, shooting to avoid the many groups of people constantly viewing the scenes was a challenge. Added to all of this was how and what to capture since it was a fluid landscape, either in the foreground or background. The added hard to accept fact was the realization that of the surrounding foliage and countryside was muted in colors, beautiful, but nonetheless muted.

This has led to doing more post-processing than I am usually used to, but again am open to try to understand different avenues of approach to the varying elements IMG_1966DxOPPS8Burnof the photograph. Consequently, I offer this blog post photo as an example. The first photo is unaltered as taken in situ at the Porcelain Basin which lies within the larger Norris Geyser Basin within Yellowston National Park. It is what the camera captured (f/13.0, 1/80, ISO 100, Canon 24-105mm/4L IS USM @ 24mm). The second photo has been processed through Adobe Camera Raw, denoised and tonally corrected (as well as corrected for haze using Clear View) thru DxO Optics Pro, and finally finished stylizing with OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 8. Within OnOne PPS 8 the sky’s contrast was increased (as well as the geysers’ steam plumes) using the Adjustment Brush, while using the same Adjustment Brush to warm up the background (Warm Filter), and cool the blue spring pool (Cool Filter). Finally, within Photoshop I darkened (actually blackened) the lower right corner using the Adjustment Level’s Threshhold.

Mixed Metaphor

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“When opportunity knocks, make lemonade.” This is my mixed metaphor for dealing with how I habitually shoot. For the most part I do not plan shots. I do not get up early or stay late to get that “golden hour” masterpiece. Instead I try to make the most of the opportunities afforded me (rather passive, in a sense) rather than making my ow opportunities. And when circumstances give me lemons, I make lemonade. That, in a nutshell, is my mixed metaphor explained.

Such was the state of affairs on an early October visit to central Vermont. Apart from the fact that the colors this year were not bright or brilliant (even tho it was supposedly in the peak), it was rather breezy. In other words, the chances of capturing sharp subject matter were remote. But, the countryside presented so many interesting scenes/objects, that this impelled me to shoot despite the odds of not getting any salvageable photos.

There were dozens of places to take long exposures of water. The photo above is of the Ottauquechee River. The water was captured as I desired but the trees and clouds all were blurry making the shot less than good. Then my mixed metaphor kicked in saving the shot. To obviate the blur, I used the Glow filter in Perfect Photo Suit 8. And to capture the fall-ish sense of multicolor, I enhanced the Vibrance using their Adjustment Brush. Violá

Managing Chaos

IMG_6975(PPS)It’s that time of year that my thoughts turn to football. That’s not to say I do not follow it during the rest of the year, but I try to put it into perspective and try not to have it dominate all aspects of life as the NFL may seem to want at times.

This photo was taken in the middle of summer during Patriots training camp. Apart from the fact that I am amazed how anything as complex as professional football is and how completely chaotic it appears to a casual observer in the stands and then how the team comes together when one of the coaches blows the whistle, I enjoy the training camp venue simply because I can get probably as close to the team now than at any other time of year.  And we all know that for a photographer this proximity is important.

Even though I am close to the practice field during training camp I use my Canon 70-200mm L lens. There is a lot of motion but the summer daylight allows for a faster shutter speed at various aperture settings. Often I wish my angle could be different, but due to the restrictions placed on the fans in the seating area, I have to make do with straight on shots. One way I try to compensate is by depth of field manipulation or special effects in Photoshop. In this shot I again used Perfect Photo Suite 8 to bring out the fact that despite apparent chaos, there are controlling forces (Bill Belichick) and quarterback (Tom Brady) that bring order to everything.

Catching Opportunity

IMG_1694(PPS)Since my last post snow has arrived on the cove. The photo on the right is actually from mid winter 2012-2013, but it is added now in the spirit of the season– Christmas and all.

This is an iPhone 4 shot, and is far from as sharp a photo I really would like to have taken. But, the iPhone was easily available to capture this opportune  moment in early morning. I find most of my iPhone photos to lack crispness. I may have a problem with technique, but often I feel it is that the lighting conditions just are often not conducive to the settings on the iPhone.

As with my last photo post I used Perfect Photo Suite 8 to enhance the shot. I’m finding that PPS works best for me as a standalone program rather than a Photoshop add-on (i.e., used from within Photoshop). Often I have a difficult tome figuring out what module I am in in PPS, and what will be saved after I experiment with different effects, etc. I also wish that PPS would be a bit more precise in saving what effects and enhancements I used when I return to previous levels saved by PPS; rather than just stating “Enhancement” for a level, for example.

Capturing Time

IMG_0368This photograph is actually a confluence of three thematic interests. Copying Joel Meyerowitz’s approach in his book, Cape Light, I have been taking shots of the cove in my back yard in upper Narragansett Bay. If I were enterprising I would title my collection of these shots, Narragansett Bay Light. That may or may not happen.

However, this shot was my first attempt at long exposure photography using a neutral density filter from Heliopan ND 3.0 (10 stops). I would have liked to have had clouds but then the water would not have been so blue.

Finally, the shot was enhanced using OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 8, to which I had just upgraded. Having used Photoshop for years, getting used to the workflow of PPS 8 takes some getting used to, even though about 80-90% of the interface is the same as Photoshop. This does not mean PPS 8 has the same tool set and precision; it does not. This is not bad or a knock against PPS 8; it’s just that PPS 8 is about doing something different. Each program has their place. Right off the bat I find OnOne’s software more fun to use. I feel a little guilty doing this because to do the same thing in Photoshop would take a lot longer and involve a different level of skills. For this cove photo I used matt Kloskowski’s presets in the Effects module of PPS 8. Obviously, OnOne has packed their Suite 8 software with a host of tools, and each with its own set of adjustments. Some of these I will probably use regularly, while others will just languish.

With the prospect that I may not be upgrading any more to Photoshop due to Adobe’s stance on monthly fees for their software (I disagree with this type of money stream), having tools as contained in PPS 8 provides a viable option.