Tag Archives: composition

“Slow” an ebook review

November 14, 2012 by admin | Comments Off

Craft and Vision has released their latest ebook, called “Slow – the Magic of Long Exposure Photography” by Andrew S. Gibson.  As you might guess this ebook is about long exposure photography. Mr. Gibson has authored several other ebooks that are available on the Craft and Vision web site. This book covers a lot of different techniques, shows examples and goes over the necessary gear and recommended camera settings. The sample images are quite well done and will serve to provide some creative inspiration for the reader to go out and try something new. Techniques covered include panning while exposing, and also what is known as In Camera Movement or ICM. ICM can look a lot like camera shake and while you experiment with this technique it can get frustrating but it is possible to create some very interesting images, it can be very artsy. Gibson also suggests checking out the ICM group on flickr, I also recommend that, if you scroll through some of the pages, there are some very, very creative images. There were some of some aspens in fall color that had a very painterly type quality, beautiful and impressionistic. None of these techniques are new, I first read about them in a book from Freeman Patterson called  “Photography and the Art of Seeing” but it is nice to have a refresher.

Another chapter is devoted to using flash while doing your exposures, the flash is used to freeze the main subject, a person perhaps, while allowing the area that is not illuminated to be blurry or show motion. One of the examples is of a  lady on a revolving carousel, and the background shows the motion in the background and the subject  is frozen in time because she is illuminated by the flash. He explains the difference between first and second curtain sync.

Andrew also covers the more traditional long exposure images, from several seconds to minutes or even longer and generally using a tripod for support. He goes on to explain the advantages of neutral density filters and polarizers. In addition to the information and examples he also includes interviews with two other photographers who use long exposure photography but with very different styles, with examples of their work, so there is plenty of inspiration available.

This ebook is quite reasonable and is normally priced for $5, however, you can get it for $4 if you use the code “Slow4” when checking out from Craft And Vision. If you would like to get more than 1 ebook use the code “Slow20” for a 20% discount on 5 or more, both of these codes expire on November 18, 2012.

I recommend the ebook if you are interested in long exposure photography or just want to learn more or be inspired to do something different, the techniques are pretty standard but it is a source of inspiration and good refresher.

Portraits of Earth – a new ebook

September 5, 2012 by admin | 2 Comments

Portraits of Earth is the new ebook from David DuChemin. David is a photographer who has been known for taking people portraits and showing the human side of events, so what is he doing writing a landscape photography book? Well, like David mentions in his ebook, landscapes are really just portraits of the Earth. They can inspire as well as inform the viewer, emotions can come into play and just the sheer beauty of nature is something to share. This ebook is not so much about gear, but about looking for the possibilities and crafting your shot with more care to complete your vision. He also gives some tips for gear, and how to use it to capture the light that you see when exploring new vistas. He talks about filters and how they can enhance an image and the best ways to use them. He also talks about some general gear, like tripods and other useful items.  He also goes into details about how to handle specific types of scenery, like fog and snow. Also there are some nice tips for some processing techniques and can give you some ideas to try in your own images.  The book is filled with pictures from his travels around the world, visiting places most of use are not going to see, I know I wish I could go to some of these places. So does that mean you have to travel to exotic locations? No it does not, but he does show you through examples of how to apply leading lines and to use light to tell your story and capture your vision as well as composition topics and some discussions on why and how he made the images as well as the exposure information.

So why should you consider this ebook? Well for me I like the way David writes, his writing style is easy to read and understand and you feel that you are having a conversation with him, he explains his motivations and tries to not make it too technical. Photography is a an artform that requires some technical knowledge but it also requires the artist to “see”, so there are fuzzy concepts to go with the  geek. You can purchase this ebook for a very low price of $5, however if you click on the link and use the code EARTH4 before Sept. 9, 2012 you can get it for $4, Click here for Portraits of Earth While you are on the Craft And Vision site you might want to check out their other ebooks. I have personally found the following titles to be very useful, The Power of Black and White, Light and Land, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Close to Home, all of the ebooks on the site are well written and informative, and if you want to get several ebooks use the code EARTH20 for a 20% discount on 5+ ebooks, this code also expires Sept. 9, 2012.  So get some good, cheap, informative ebooks and inspire yourself to get out use what you learn. I know I have.

 

Dodging and Burning – An essential skill and a new ebook to help learn the basics…..

July 17, 2012 by admin | Comments Off

Many of us “old timers” got our start with film cameras and darkroom work with chemicals and all kind of trial and error methods to bring out the details in our photos like dodging and burning. I remember having all kinds of funny shaped cardboard pieces on little pieces of wire and cardboard with cut outs and sometimes just using your hand to help bring out details in a print. In newer terminology to bring the full dynamic range to view on a nice print. Today, of course, we can use computers, so instead of throwing away trial prints we can edit and experiment. Especially with tools like Lightroom, the changes are all parametric and we can always go back and re-edit. You can still do that with Photoshop but it takes a little more effort. Now we use pen tablets and a mouse to apply and change the areas, to make the highlights and shadows as we remember the scene or how we want it to look. All of us go through various learning curves and it is always useful to learn new techniques, so that brings us to the subject of this post. Here is a new ebook, available from the fine people at Craft and Vision. This new ebook is quite a package, it includes an ebook on Dodging and Burning, including lots of examples, but it also includes some Actions for Photoshop and a custom Panel for interacting with the Actions. The sample images discussed in the book are included so that you can follow along exactly with each step. These are set up for Lightroom 4 or Photoshop CS6, while they will work with earlier versions these are recommend because of the improvements that were implemented with the new Image Process in Camera Raw. Trial versions are available for download from Adobe. In case you are wondering about cost, the normal cost for this fine package is $10, however if you use the code “DODGE8” during checkout, it will only be $8. This is only for a limited time, so go and get the Dodge&Burn ebook through this link and use the code before midnight on July 22, 2012. The Craft and Vision book store also has a package deal, for the same limited time, in which you can get 20% off 5+ ebooks from the site, the code is “DODGE20”.  All of the books are worthwhile, however I recommend in addition to the Dodge&Burn, ebook to take a look at Up Close, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, Making the Print, and the Power of Black and White. There are many others that are excellent but those will give you some great information.

So be sure to check out the ebook, and learn how to Dodge and Burn effectively, bring up those shadows and modify the highlights to match your initial vision when you took the picture.  This is an art that does take practice and there is certainly many ways to accomplish the same effects but this book will give you a great start and some insight into improving your images. Not only are the traditional type of modifications discussed but also uses of sharpening, and tonal effects to add some depth to your vision. How to effectively do it in a non-destructive fashion in photoshop, but also how to use some of the tools from Nik Software as a way of making it more efficient.

 

Image of the week #24

June 19, 2012 by admin | Comments Off

While at the Getty we took a look at the Herb Ritts exhibit, really worth going to see. Amazing images, really creative and great lighting. I was quite impressed with the images and highly recommend anyone interested in photography to go to the Getty and see the exhibit. I am going to go back and take another look, really very creative uses of lines, shapes and light. This shot is taken at the entrance to the gallery, no photography is allowed in the exhibit. Taken with a the Fuji X-Pro 1 18mm f2 lens, 1/80 at f2 and ISO 400, converted to black and white using Lightroom.

 

Studying composition is a good thing…..

November 15, 2011 by admin | Comments Off

I think every photographer goes through periods of change, ruts develop, distractions happen, and sometimes life just moves on seemingly without any control.  I know I go through periods when I can’t seem to get a pleasing image, at least in my opinion. Is this from lack of trying, or maybe trying too much? Sometimes a spark is needed to help provoke a new way of looking at the world. A type of creative spark, something to break out of the mundane.  I know personally I have been kind of uninspired in my photography, oh I still enjoy it, but maybe I needed such a spark. One thing that has been a distraction is my love for gear and things that are technical. I get wrapped up in it, and soon I am playing more with the gear and hanging out in the forums looking and reading about gear. While gear is good, gear is just a tool. The main part of the equation is the image.  So lately I have been trying to avoid the gear and focus more on the photography. In the field I am carrying fewer lenses and less gear and that is making things a little easier, easier to be creative. To use the tools that I have with me, rather than rummage through all the equipment.

I stumbled upon the Craft And Vision website and David DuChemin’s posts on the Pixelated Image Blog and a lot of things he had to say resonated with some of the feelings I have been having and helped me to look at things in a different “light”.  Namely, photography can be difficult, and it really is not so much about the gear, but about the “vision”. The Craft and Vision website has a lot of inexpensive e-books about various aspect of photography and essays to make you think about the “craft”.

The most recent one to be released is Beyond Thirds – A Photographer’s Introduction to Creative Composition by Andrew S. Gibson. While this ebook is not intended to be a full treatise on composition, it does give some fuel for thought. The book for me was a gentle prod to make me think about composition when I am taking an image. I know I get pretty reflexive about using the “rule of thirds”, it has been ingrained into my thought processes from reading many other books and making conscious efforts to use that rule in some of my images. Well, as the book points out “rule” is a harsh term and that it really is more of a guideline. Not all images work well using thirds as a guideline, this book served to remind me that there are other considerations and other ways to compose an image. The book does go through and shows some nice images and discusses the merits of the particular composition selected by the author. It did make me think about how I am creating images and to think about how I want to capture my vision and intent.

I mentioned that it is far from a textbook but it is gentle prod to think about how to express yourself and how to improve your images. The price of the book is a very reasonable $5, Click here to purchase Beyond Thirds – A Photographer’s Introduction to Creative Composition by Andrew S. Gibson. If you use the code BT4  when you check out, the price is only $4, OR you can use the code BT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5+ PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST November 19th, 2011.