Finessing as in Baseball
- At April 06, 2018
- By Firstmate
- In Canon 30D, DxO Optics Pro, France, Lumenzia, Nik Software
- 0
It’s been a short hiatus in writing to this blog, but it was a productive period beyond what is visible in this media. That is, I have been involved in the real chores of life, as in taking care of our house that Spring has come. That means cleaning, maintenance and refreshing what nature has a way of reducing to the common elements of life. In other words, the chores of life have taken precedent to this Blog.
That does not mean that nothing has been occurring within this photographic soul, just that it has not been communicated.
My main energy has been to try to master Greg Benz’s wonderful Photoshop Extension, Lumenzia. I have found this task challenging, since the extension encompasses many of Photoshop’s most complex features. That means I have to understand the Photoshop feature before I understand Greg’s use of it in Lumensia. That is okay. But, it still is time consuming and challenging to a degree which tests the limits of my skills. However, I am proceeding, but at a reduced rate of accomplishment.
Be that as it may, I offer the currently posted photo of my use of Greg’s Lumensia in a shot of Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France as seen through his house window. The story behind this shot is that it should never have occurred. That is, I was prohibited from taking any photographic shot within the house; I did not realize this; and seconds later was abruptly notified of this fact by an attendant (who obviously was not that attendant).
The photo was taken with a Canon 30D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 24mm, f/22, 1/125, 1250 ISO, post processing with DxO OpticsPro 11, Lumenzia, & Color Efex Pro.
[By the way, the title to this post is explained thusly, baseball is the sport of spring and summer, which it currently is. And, baseball being a game of finesse, is placing the little ball just rightly, and hitting it just rightly. Such are the similarities between baseball and photography, since one must get the the shot captured just right, as far as timing, aperture, sensory speed, and composition.]
Rediscovering Lumenzia
- At March 15, 2018
- By Firstmate
- In Canon EOS 5DS, DxO Optics Pro, Lumenzia, Nik Software
- 0
The spirit of creativity moves in mysterious ways, and it stimulated my soul quite unconsciously, but nevertheless emphatically, to focus once again on luminosity masks. I had discovered the power of luminosity masks in photoshop about two or so years ago, and acquired Greg Benz’s Photoshop Extension, Lumenzia, a year ago. Greg has produced an exceptionally powerful editing program for photoshop that makes the difficult to achieve fairly easy, if one knows what they are doing.
I have found that Greg’s Lumenzia Program is quite extraordinary, not only in what it is able to accomplish regarding luminosity masks, but he is able to apply these in a full spectrum of editing of photo files. Not only that, but he is constantly updating and refining his creative tools.
Now, I am far from being an ambassador for Lumenzia, but I have to call a spade a spade, and I have used and am beginning to see that what he has created is quite powerful, especially regarding the product cost point.
That being said, I am still in the process of fully trying to utilize the program he has created, but so far believe that I will be using it for some time.
The currently posted photo is of Conimicut Light House in Warwick, RI, being taken in late after noon light in mid January, 2018. It was taken with a Canon 5 DS, f/16, 5.4, ISO 100, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 100mm, post processing with DxO Optics Pro 11, Lumenzia, and Color Efex Pro.
The End of Winter
- At February 28, 2018
- By Firstmate
- In Canon EOS 5DS, DxO Optics Pro, Lumenzia, Nik Software, RI
- 0
Today is February 28th, the so-called last day of meteorological winter. I am happy to see Mr. Winter go, but have mixed feelings this year since it was a time of some photographical productivity. I reached my goal of getting out into the elements and also expanded and experimented with various combinations to make the hard to get shot more easy to get, simply based on practice.
To celebrate this event I am posting a shot of some withered grass and bush on Sachuest Point, RI, which caught my eye in the waning sun on a late winter’s afternoon with storm front clouds moving in. It is quite ordinary, but thought that I could make it extraordinary just to celebrate the moment of beauty.
I used Greg Benz’s Lumenzia extension for Photoshop to craft a luminosity mask to more easily capture the foreground and reduce the water’s glare.
The grasses were shot using a Canon 5 DS, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 100mm, f/10, 1/640″, ISO 320, post processed with DxO 11 Optics Pro, Color Efex Pro, and Lumenzia.
Seeking Snowy
This month has been most productive as far as the Muses effecting change in my photographic soul (meaning, orienting and grounding my soul to those things most photographically meaningful). I have used the current ornithology phenomenon of the rare appearance of the Snowy Owl this far south of the Arctic Circle, to be the impetus for me to brave the elements and start honing my skills as a photographer.
The Snowy Owl was first witnessed by me two weeks ago at Sachuest Point, RI. I had missed the most recent invasion of the Snowy Owl this far south two years ago, and I was determined not to miss it again. While I did catch this elusive emigre from the Polar regions when I visited Sachuest Point (a National Wildlife Refuge), this wary bird was perched on a rocky islet about 400 feet offshore, making a photo of any significance moot.
I was finally able to catch this elusive creature further up Narragansett Bay at a small promontory on the western shores of the Bay just south of Providence, where the Save The Bay (nonprofit) property is located.
The encounter of this owl tests the patience of mortal men (probably a survival tactic of the owl) since it literally would sit for an hour at a time in one place. I waited it out and was able to capture the currently posted photos, which in and of themselves are quite ordinary and lacking in sharpness. What the photos are not lacking in is “gesture”, which as Jay Maisel notes is a critical element of any photo worthy of print.
The first photo was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 278mm, f/11, 1/640″, ISO 250, post processed with DxO Optics Pro 11, and Nik Color Efex Pro. The owl was probably just fluffing its feathers after quite a spell of inactivity.
The second photo was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 278mm, f/11, 1/640″, ISO 250, and post processed with DxO Optics Pro 11, and Nik Silver Efex Pro.
Second Best?
- At February 19, 2018
- By Firstmate
- In Canon EOS 5DS, DxO Optics Pro, Nik Software, RI, Sharpness
- 0
This past winter has cast upon me the challenge to continue my growth by both studying and practicing the art of photography. I have done this with surprising gusto because I did not think it within me. Anyway, I revisited Vincent Versace’s arduous method of producing photographs for “fine art” printing. Vincent’s knowledge of the field has been a guide worthy of a king’s ransom. But, for this poor soul at this stage of my life, I find it far beyond my capabilities and aspirations. However, I have adopted his many insights as an ideal to be aspired to and then use these as a measure to adapt to the current capacities I possess.
In counterpoint to Vincent I have also been studying the method of practical photography by Bryan Peterson whom I find as equally adept at creating worthy photographs of the lived world. Bryan’s techniques are capable of being easily utilized in one’s own work flow, at least in actually taking the photograph without any attention to post-processing (in other words, taking a great photo before all else).
This dialectic has left me in the creative tension of trying to choose what best works for me and yet produce the best possible photo I can of a particular situation.
That being said, (i.e., the studying part), I have also met the challenge of getting outside this winter to shoot in conditions with are winter-ish. I must say I am proud of myself, and have actually enjoyed the experience of living on the edge of endurance (a wonderful aside is that it has allowed me to feel completely alive as I used to feel when I was younger and facing the elements).
All of the above leads to the point that I am trying to make. Both of the posted shots are critical existential moments of movement of wild life, i.e, deer running to escape something, and a hawk trying to find a meal. Both of these moments actually occurred in split seconds of the moment, meaning I had to absolutely have the right settings in my camera and the camera had to be responsive to my needs to capture the in-focus, properly framed shot.
I almost had it! That was my conclusion. Both of the posted shots were hand held and rapidly captured based on subject movement. I thought I was on automatic focus, but there clearly was not a really sharp image captured in both situations. Maybe the subjects were moving too quickly. Maybe not. My point is: You must have responsive equipment based on what you are trying to capture. You must allow for the elements (heat, cold, moisture, fog, light, etc). You have to be ready with your settings based on your anticipated need.
The first photo was taken at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Preserve in Rhode Island at a split second when the deer suddenly appeared. It was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 255mm, f/11, 1/640″, ISO 1000, DxO Optics Pro 11, ACR, Photoshop CC2018.
The second photo is of a Red Tailed Hawk taking off from a field directly in my direction. It was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, f/11, 1/640″, ISO 2500, post processed with ACR, DxO Optics Pro 11, Color Efex Pro.
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