Rick Sammon: Color Efex Pro Tip

I photographed the “Official Parking Man” of Old Havana, Cuba. I like the straight shot, but I wanted to remove some of the reality from the scene, which is another advantage to using plug-ins. When we remove some of the reality from an image, our pictures can look more artistic and creative.

In Nik Software's Color Efex Pro
Filter: Bleach Bypass

Effect: Intensifies an image by creating a greater difference between highlights and shadows. Adds bold tones to an image.

​Filter Tip: Experiment with Saturation settings. As with many effects, less is often best, as I found with this image. This effect works well with images that have fine lines.

Photo Tip: Keep in mind that people don’t always need to be looking directly into the camera when you take their portrait.

​And check out Rick's new iPhone/iPad app with 50+ tips on using Nik's Color Efex Pro.

Before

After

Rick Sammon's New iPhone/iPad App!

​The amazing Mr. Sammon has just released a new app for the iPhone & iPad that is like an interactive eBook. If you wanted to know how to get the most out of Nik Software's Color Efex Pro, this app is for you. And it's an absolute STEAL at $0.99! Jump over to the app store today and check it out!

More info on the app on Rick's site HERE.
Buy in the App Store.​

Back in Cali

Great to be back home after a somewhat wet, windy, and no electrical power trip out east.  The school has been busy working the California Photo Festival and I am very impressed with the work the staff has done.  Should be another killer week of fun, photography, and learning. 

Even though hurricane Irene let loose with an unreal amount of rain I was able to make some interesting images over the four days I was in New York.

The following images are from a little indoor HDR trip just down the road from Rick's place.

​3 Shot HDR with Nik's HDR Efex Pro

​Same 3 Shot HDR with HDR Soft's Photomatix Pro

I often use multiple methods to process my HDR and then pick the best option.  Of course, there are times I pick and choose different parts to use from different finished images.  Whether using Layer Blend Modes or Layers/Masks, there is no limit to what you can do.

​The B&W Effects conversion, for giggles.

All shots are from a Canon 7D and an EF 14mm f/2.8L.  I processed initially in Lightroom and then sent to the respective plug-ins.

Fiat Lux!

Slow Shutter/Waterfall Tips with Rick Sammon

I am in New York this weekend with Rick Sammon. Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene just passed through the area.  My discussion in NYC was cancelled so we spent the day shooting around Croton-on-Hudson. 

We recorded a quick video discussing the top slow shutter speed and waterfall photography tips.  Rick and I, along with Juan Pons and Jennifer Wu, did a battle of the sunset photo tips last year at the California Photo Festival (2011 California Photo Fest) so we thought we would do a smaller version.

The top tips on the video, and one or two more, were:

1.  Use a tripod for stability.  When shooting slow a tripod allows you to keep everything solid except for the moving water.

2.  Use your cable release or camera's timer.

3.  Bring a neutral density filter or polarizers.

4.  Use live view.

​A small "stream" that had popped up as a result of Irene.

5.  Reference live view's magnification frame to act as an expanded spot meter for perfect exposure.  I normally place the frame over the brightest area of the water I am trying to blur.  This area is normally (but not always) the shot's highlight and drives the overall exposure.

6.  After the shot reference your histogram to make sure the exposure is tight.

7.  Target half a second as your shutter speed.  As water speed changes you may need more or less.

8.  Keep a lens cloth and absorbent cloth nearby to wipe your lens and LCD.

9.  Maintain your SA (situational awareness,) always look behind you to make sure you are not missing a great shot.

Those were just a few we thought of on the spot in beautiful Croton-on-Hudson, NY.

​Same as above but with "enhancement." Took the image to Silver Efex and then blended the result using the Luminosity blend mode in Photoshop.

Check out a bunch of cool tips at Rick Sammon's blog here.

Fiat Lux and see you at the California Photo Festival!

Has Hell Frozen Over? Monday Night Light 6 Sep 2010

Light Webinar - Hal's Take on HDR Efex Pro with Demo and Discussion

6 Sep 2010, 6 PM PDT

Click the following link to register.

Webinar Registration

MNL limited, three week engagement while Hal is in town.

Fiat Lux!

HDR Efex Pro and Topaz - My HDR "Painting"

I guess the subtitle of this post could be "uses for out of focus images."

Fired off an HDR series while travelling at 25 mph in a fishing boat on the Kenai River a couple weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I couldn't make the images match up perfectly when I merged the three shots to complete the HDR.  So I had a fairly cool, but motion-blurred image.  Sometimes when there is a lot of motion blur it works.  Kind of like the old expression, "Take one shot it's out of focus, take a series and it's a style."  This did not qualify. So what is a photographer to do?

I will often use shots that cannot stand on their own as a photograph and use them as a starting point for a digital painting.  Whether using Topaz, Photoshop, or Corel Painter you can end up with some incredible results.  Let your creativity take over when using the amazing software and create something new, different, and maybe even extraordinary.

For my shot here, I processed the three images with Nik's HDR Efex Pro and then sent the resulting TIF to Topaz detail and tried for the "painted" look. 

If you want amazing instruction on creating digital paintings, check out Jane Conner-Ziser at the Photo Fest later this month.  She has workshops Wednesday and Saturday, Jane's Painting.

OBTW, all I could catch fishing the Kenai were pink salmon (also known as Humpies.)  Fun to catch, not so tasty to eat.  Catch and release all day for me.

See you all later this month.

Fiat Lux!