Go For It: Pixels are Free

One of my favorite expressions with digital photography is "pixels are free."  With no cost, photographers should enjoy complete freedom to experiment and play.  If you have an idea for a shot, go for it.  If it works, great.  Take what you did and make it a part of your photography. 

If it does not work out, no big deal.  But use the results as a completely free learning experience. Go to school and figure out what was the issue/s.  Can you make a small adjustment or do you need to go back to the drawing board and plan again. 

I recently found myself in a situation where I honestly did not know how the results would turn out.  I wanted to shoot a series of images for a landscape panorama in rapidly falling light levels.  I had the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L on my 5K Mk II; a combination not often used for panoramas.  To make matters worse I was on the back of a moving boat.  Not only was it moving forward and slowly rocking side to side but we were in a regular ocean swell so we were slowly heaving (up and down.)

Not the best situation but pixels are free so I went for it.  The results from the 42 shots are shown below. 

This is the panorama after the stitching process.  If you follow the bottom (or top) you will notice a nice sine wave pattern.  That is the boat going up and down with the ocean swell.  My camera support was rock solid (RRS TVC-33 and PG-02) but the boat was out of my control. 

At this point I had a nicely stitched panorama even though it is somewhat ugly in terms of how everything lined up.  But it worked and did not cost a thing. 

After a little cleanup, I had a usable, huge panorama to optimize.  For a free experiment, I will take it.

Fiat Lux!

Get Low! Part I

In port for a day before departing again for more eagles, whales, bears, glaciers, and fun.  Rick Sammon and I along with the cruise participants had a tremendous experience and I cannot wait to share some of the images we made.  Marc Muench joined me in Petersburg for this next cruise and I am sure we will have another incredible trip.

A technique I used often during the trip was to get low.  The image above is a four shot stitched panorama shot from a RHIB (rigid hulled inflatable boat) slowly moving through the water.  To make this shot more dramatic I placed the camera about an inch above the water and shot.  Since pixels are more or less free, experiment with different approaches and angles to your photography.  Some will work and others not so much, just part of the process.

Even though the image had tremendous color I thought I might try a black and white also.  It is great having options and experimenting with both capture and your post processing.  Continuing along that process, the image below is the combination of the color version and the black and white version's luminance values.

Fiat Lux!

When Boring Photos Attack!

A boring, uninteresting aurora shot.  Destined for the Recycle Bin.|
Just because it is a big stitched pano, does not make it interesting.

I am sure it would never happen to our readers here but every now and again I run across the dreaded "Boring Photos of Interesting Things" phenomenon. 

The more I think about it, it probably happens to everyone at some time in their photographic journey.  You have perhaps traveled around the world to an exotic location or maybe just stepped outside your front door to an amazing scene.  During the capture process, it seemed like everything went right.  We had the equipment, we knew the technique, and had a great subject in front of the lens.  After the fact looking at the images in Lightroom or Photoshop, something just is not right. 

When this happens there are a couple of great takeaways or lessons to be learned.  First and most important, go back to the basics and fundamentals of what makes a great image.  Where does the pop, the impact, or the wow factor really come from.  Strong composition and exposure will always start you off on the right track.  Ask yourself if you took the shot or if you made an image.

Second, try to remove yourself from the experience itself and concentrate on just the image.   Examine your effort with a critical eye and look at the image from a detached observer perspective.  We often have an emotional connection to our shots that do not allow this type of examination.  Pull back and view the image as if you were not the one who shot it.  Would you still be interested? 

Third, if possible, get rid of the image or at least bury it.  I understand that sometimes these images are all we have to remind us of a particular event, trip, or experience.  If I do not have a better capture, I will keep some of these around as mementos.  Most of the time, I just let them go.  I will learn from the experience and next time I will make an image.  

Off to the trash.

Here I have attached two recent unbelievably boring pictures of a really cool thing.  Like so many others I've shot, here are two bad aurora images.  It was great to experience but the images, for lack of a better word, suck.  As described above, I went back to the basics; both of these images have no real subject, no anchor, no foreground element, no real composition, no flow.  From a detached observer perspective, they are not interesting.

So these two shots make their debut and finale all at the same time. You'll find these images here and in my Recycle Bin for another few minutes before they go bye-bye.

Fiat Lux!

Morro Bay 360 Pano Follow Up

14 shot stitched panorama
Canon 5D Mk II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L at 24mm, and RRS pano gear
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop CS5

Here is the follow up image to my recent post regarding my preferred pano gear (Really Right Stuff.)  Pano will end up at a 1:5 ratio.  That is a bit more than I typically prefer but the field of view is also quite large.  Using native resolution only I would print this at 27 x 133.

You might notice I reorganized the pano as well.  I originally started the shots just to the left of the moon.  The result did not have the composition and flow I wanted.  Once the pano is stitched it is a relatively easy process to recompose the image.  Of course, if you want to move around large chunks of pano at 750+ GB a pop it is good to have some RAM and processing power to back you up. 

I also dropped the pano into Photosynth to have an interactive experience through the FOV.  Plenty of other programs that will do this for you but none quite as free. 

Looking forward to later this year as more 3D viewing devices are available so I can include a 3D version of some of my favorite pano locations.  With or without 3D, the upcoming panos from wildflower season and my Alaska yacht trips are going to be amazing.  Will keep you updated.

Fiat Lux!

Bull

Why I Prefer Really Right Stuff Pano Gear

The screenshot above is from a 360 pano I shot last night.  Sunset fizzled but moonrise was very cool shining through the cumulus clouds.  Fourteen shots from a Canon 5D Mk II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, and my Really Right Stuff panorama kit.  The file is 2.25 GB and perfect (the small white masking artifacts are only visible at small magnification and are not really present in the file.)

Awesome!  When the source material is captured properly there is almost no loss from the pano alignment and stitching process and it is, in a word, easy.

There is not always a gear or technology solution but the right equipment really helps.  For this scene the RRS kit was essential to the simplicity and results of the shoot.

OBTW, that is Victoria standing near the left edge of the image shooting her own 360.

I'll put the final pano up when I finish the optimization.

Fiat Lux!

Bull

Glaciers Up Close

I was putting together a new PDF for our upcoming Alaska cruises and came across this image.  The staff had never seen it and thought it was pretty cool.

I took the shot from a small zodiac-like boat as I headed to shore for some different vantage points.  The shot below is a quick pano I took from the bluffs overlooking this glacier and fjord.  I am sometimes prone to hyperbole but this experience was life changing.

​The yacht isn't even in the image.

It seems as the boat is right next to the glacier in the background but is, in fact, about 1/2 mile away.  The face of the glacier is over 500', just an unbelievable scale up there.  As you might expect it is not at all safe to get any closer to the face.  There are huge calving events and also ice launching up from the depths as well.  We normally only think about the glacier calving above the water but it also splits below the water line.  When the submerged ice breaks free it shoots to the surface and sometimes launches airborne.

Fiat Lux!

Before the Blow

In the arctic for a bit longer and there is a blizzard raging outside, about -40 wind chill right now and expected to get worse for the next couple days.  Up here the general term for the type of weather we are experiencing is a "blow."  Not too surprising as the wind is howling.

I was able to photograph a few things during the couple of hours of daylight and before the wind kicked up.  The shot up top is a single image from my Canon 5D Mk II and 24mm f/1.4L.  Processed with Lightroom and Photoshop CS5.  If stuck inside tomorrow I'll put up the image progression from start to finish.

The second image is a four shot stitched panorama.  Images were processed in LR and stitched in Photoshop CS5.  After the stitch I returned to Lightroom to complete the illustration effect with one of my presets.

Fiat Lux!

The Ultimate Pano - Gimbal Head

The ultimate panorama and gimbal head is shipping very soon.  The PG-02 from Really Right Stuff is awesome.  I had the opportunity to test the PG-02 prototype during my yacht-based photo tour to Alaska this past spring.

The PG-02 prototype with Canon EOS 7D and EF  800mm f/5.6L

In addition there is a RRS long lens stabilization kit attached. 

As many of you know I do not beat around the bush with most of my opinions and recommendations.  So in a quick few sentences here you go.

Image from PG-02 mounted Canon 1D Mk III with EF 400mm f/2.8L

For the long lens action shooters, this is the best gimbal head available.  I compared head to head with the other industry leading options, in the field, with big bodies/long lenses (Canon 1D series and up to the EF 800mm f/5.6L,) shooting high-speed, high track crossing rate action, and from a moving (forward, roll, pitch, and heave) platform.  There is no comparison.  The Really Right Stuff PG-02 is the best.  Well balanced, smooth, and silky the PG-02 was incredible.

For the panorama shooter, the PG-02 is a multi-axis pano head.  Equivalent performance to the Really Right Stuff Omni Pivot Pro Pano Kit.  Shooters can easily locate their no parallax point/entrance pupil and align it with the axes of rotation.  As a pano shooter, this is great gear since it not only performs equal to other RRS pano gear but does triple duty: pano, gimbal, and video.

For the video shooter, the PG-02 is the smoothest, silkiest pan you will experience.  Moreover, the pan glides perfectly regardless of the overall tension on the head.  Whether loose or tight, you will not experience any kind of jerking or sloppy pan.

For audio or additional gear, there is another threaded screw on top of the vertical arm that accepts equipment directly or even another ballhead.  In the field, we mounted another ballhead as well as small, point and shoot cameras to capture action as we worked the main body/lens.

Image from PG-02 with Canon 7D and EF 800mm f/5.6L

As you know, I always give full disclosure.  Really Right Stuff does not pay me to endorse their gear.  I use it because it is the best.

Check out the PG-02 at the following link.

RRS PG-02

I will demonstrate the PG-02 at the California Photo Festival next week.  There are still spots available so join us 

California Photo Fest

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Fiat Lux!

My First HDR Pano with HDR Efex Pro from Nik

Nik'sHDR Efex Pro - 12 shot HDR stitched panorama

Canon 7D with EF 70-200mm f/4L handheld

Lightroom, HDR Efex Pro, and Photoshop CS5

The attached images are the first HDR stitched panorama I did with Nik's HDR Efex Pro.  The software is still in test but shows potential to be a (if not the) MAJOR player in HDR processing.  

​The color version

I will continue to post images from HDR Efex Pro and will show them side by side with Photomatix Pro and Photoshop's HDR Pro. (I guess once someone in the industry adds "Pro" everyone has to do it.)

I am heading back to California tomorrow and will try to get a few tutorials up online. 

Nik will have a big presence at the California Photo Fest (California Photo Fest) with many of our top instructors demonstrating HDR Efex Pro, Viveza 2, Define, Color Effects 3, and more.

Fiat Lux!

Arctic Sunsets

Up here in Alaska again finishing up a hectic couple months of travel.  Able to break away yesterday and shoot for a little while.

​Sunset swim.

Home this week in time for Print Perfection and a Canvas workshop too.

​Fiery sky behind two drilling rigs, one rotary the other coil.

California Photo Fest is only a few weeks away.  If you have not checked it out follow the link below.  Awesome instruction, beautiful location, and, bottom line, a good time.

California Photo Fest

Fiat Lux!

Haleakala Pano - One Hour Before Sunrise

Off to shoot again here on Photo Adventure Maui.  A quick pano from this morning.  Shot the 9 image series an hour before sunrise.  Full moon illuminated the crater.  5D Mk II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, Induro CT 213, RRS BH-55, RRS pano kit.

Sunset and the beach are calling.

Fiat Lux!