One Day, One Picture

Rained all of the preceding day, followed by freezing cold temps overnight. Resulted in nicely frozen water drops that started to thaw the next morning. Backlit by the morning sky, before the sun crested the roof of our house.

Just A Test, originally uploaded by DeNic Photos.

Was testing out my new Nikkor 180/2.8 lens and a park setting I want to use for some upcoming senior shoots.

I was waiting to write today until the canvas wraps I ordered from Canvas On Demand had arrived. I have always wanted to do a canvas wrap of a picture, but never really knew which one to do.

As it turns out, we are decorating one room of our house in a ski theme, and the two pictures here seemed perfect for it. So last week I sent the pics off to Canvas On Demand and waited anxiously. Once I got the shipping notice on Tuesday, I knew they would arrive today.

They come packed very well so nothing gets damaged in transit. Standard shipping is via FedEx ground, but you can pay more to expedite it. The quality of these images is superb. After having these two made, you can be sure I will be doing more. Maybe some small 8×10’s of my flower macros. I could even add a water-color treatment in Photoshop first before I send the file in. I’ll bet those would look really sharp. I am glad I bit the bullet and did this. You should try it too!

Practical HDRI: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers by Jack Howard is the latest book I have read on the subject. I haven’t touched my Photomatix software (indeed, even my camera) for some time. Reading through this book helped inspire me to get back out shooting photos, and also to see if Olympus was doing anything to help with the capture of HDR images. As it turns out, the recently released Olympus E-620 has far better support for proper image bracketing to get the exposures you need.

The book itself is fairly short - just 168 pages. But these pages are full of good information and practical examples using more than just one software package. What I like most about it is the frankness of the author when it comes to producing realistic HDR images, as opposed to some of the cartoonish extremes that have come to symbolize the genre. I much prefer a realistic image that has great depth in all ranges between the darkest and lightest sections of the image. In addition to the software examples (Photoshop CS3, Photomatix and FDRTools), the author tells you what to watch for when capturing the images, well before they see the computer.

All in all this was a very worthwhile book, with more than enough interesting bits for the novice and experienced alike. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for more information on HDRI.

A little less than a year ago I asked a few friends what they would do if given $20,000 and told to go shoot their dream project. It was just a question at the time, but now it could be a reality…

The Name Your Dream Assignment contest is for photographers of all backgrounds. They are looking for the most creative and inspiring photo shoot idea out there. The photographer with the winning idea will win $50,000 to bring his or her dream assignment to life.

So far there are some great ideas posted. Some not so great, but ideas none the less.

You are limited to entering 3 ideas. Ideas are voted on by the users.

You do not have to be a pro, just able to shoot an image….digitally. Sorry film buffs.

If you are interested in entering or just looking for ideas then visit http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/

This is one of my favorite shots taken during a Mile High Photography Group social meetup last month. The broad lighting is simple and classic. Just a touch of a silver reflector lights up Jeff’s right eye, while my strobe is camera right lighting up the other side of Jeff’s face.

Some simple editing and glamour retouching, largely to and pop Jeff’s eyes and clear up his skin, makes this a great business portrait for him. And that’s exactly what he wanted me to do. This is yet another example that you don’t always need elaborate lighting setups to get great photos.

If you have read this blog for a while, you know that it is challenging for me to get a good picture of my youngest daughter. She is much happier making a silly face for you instead of a simple smile, as most any 3 year old would. This past weekend it all came together though. It was a nice day outside at our home in Lakewood (albeit a bit chilly), she was all dressed up because we were having company over for the big game, and she was in a good mood for pictures. She posed for me for a few minutes before we got too cold. This is one of the portraits that came from it. I love it when things come together like this.

This self portrait was taken using a homemade PVC/ Lightstand backdrop holder. I took the original idea from Martin Kimeldorf and, as usual, did a little of my own thing with it. The smaller images in this article can be clicked on to see larger versions.

The parts list for this is pretty easy. Two 2′ sections of 1/2″ PVC pipe (Schedule 40, Home Depot has pre-cut 2′ lengths for about $0.79ea), one 6″ section of 1/2″ PVC pipe (if you don’t have any laying around, get another 2′ section), one 1/2″ Sch40 T, one 36″x1/2″ wooden dowel, one lightstand, one backdrop, and two or three clips or clamps (simple binder clips would even work). I found that, with my particular lightstand, the 1/2″ PVC slipped right over the top and fit quite nicely. I then put the T on, put the 2′ sections of PVC into the T, and then inserted the wooden dowel to keep the PVC from sagging. Once all that was on, I draped the backdrop over the pipe, clipped it with the clamps, and was all done.

Overall I was pleased with how well it worked, and even more impressed by it’s portability and the ease with which it broke down. One con is that it takes up one of the two lightstands I have, but I have been meaning to get more anyway. Just in case I need a wider backdrop, I purchased two 1/2″ couplers and two extra 2′ sticks of PVC, along with an extra dowel. That will give me a lot of coverage should I need it, say for a group or something. Now I need to try making my own backdrops. If you have any nifty DIY things I should try, leave a comment or send me an email.

Today marks the 107th anniversary of Ansel Adams’ birth. According to Calumet Photographic, Adams was a “seminal landscape photographer, who’s devotion to craft and conservation bolstered both the photographic art form and the nation’s landscapes themselves.” Adams is know for his breathtaking landscapes, while his life’s work placed him in a coveted club of professional photographers who have mountains named after them.

Take this time to reflect on your own landscape photography and your vision of a natural environment. Since I focus most of my effort on portraiture and event coverage, landscape photography is a creative outlet that gives me a chance to take it easy and learn new techniques without the pressure of having to please a client. I especially love shooting water and being around water.

As I did last year, I intend to spend my birthday alone in some city I’ve never been too before, with my camera in hand because I like the way I “see” the world through my lens. Last year it was north to Rifle Falls; this year I plan to head south to the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. Taking that time to relish the sunlight, blue skies and wildlife was so refreshing for me. What does landscape photography mean for you?

As you may have gathered, I have been taking pictures of some local glassblowers and the work they produce. I have also been trying to take pics of the guys in action, but I was missing one key piece of equipment - a proper lens filter.

The glass that these guys use for their artistic glasswork is called borosilicate. When it is introduced into the flame, you get a very long sodium flare, as illustrated by the photo at left. The best way to counter this effect is to employ a Didymium filter. The glassworkers have eyewear made from it, and you can order large square pieces of it to use as a type of shield for a glassworking station. But you cannot easily find a camera filter made from this stuff. So I contacted the company that the glassworkers get their eyewear from. Turns out that Aura Lens, based in Minnesota, can take a normal UV filter, remove the filter element, and replace it with Didymium treated glass. Mine arrived last week (cost was roughly $70).

Friday I went to the glassworkers studio and took about 150 shots. The picture at the top of this article was shot through the Didymium filter. Compare that to the unfiltered shot further down and you can really see the difference.

Lighting these situations can be pretty tricky, depending on what you want to show. For a few of the pics, I wanted to be sure I got the workers hands in the image, or part of their workspace. To accomplish this, I placed my homemade softbox on my Olympus FL-36 flash, mounted on my Gorillapod and fired with the Cactus remote triggers. I moved it around a bit during the shoot, and was pleased with the results.

I love the doors that photography and website management and consulting have opened for me. I have been able to travel to some interesting places (Detroit Auto Show, Toronto) and also meet interesting people and learn about new things (the glassblowing, a recent photo shoot about wine). I am especially pleased to be involved in the main project these glassblowers are working on - The Community Carbon Project. Cool glassware that is recycled and useful. Can’t beat that.