Fun is good...

I like this quote "Fun is good" - it's essential to photography as much as it is to life. If it's not fun, you're not doing it right - but that's another quote!

I had fun with this photograph. I liked it when I took it, and I knew I would enjoy working with the car color, or lack of it, and other "post processing" artistic destinations. A fellow photographer grumbled over my enthusiasm and mumbled something about realism, etc. :o) "Reality is overrated" and "Our intention creates our reality" - yet a few more quotes!

The last assignments are coming in from students in my online course at BetterPhoto.com. The absolute greatest complement aside from learning, is to hear how much fun they had! A very talented group, everyone is inspired by everyone else, which is pretty cool! And lots of fun...

Hear a Different Drummer...

If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the beat. In Cienfuegos, it surrounds you. On the waterfront, wine is poured, music starts, and couples dance, simple pleasures but unforgettable. Cuban clocks never seem to slow down and music is heard well into the night.

The sounds are colorful, vibrant, exciting, and I wanted to illustrate this in a photograph in a more artistic way. I had great fun photographing the drummer, enjoying the music at the same time. Brushstrokes of color blur the line between painting and photograph by using Snap Art, a Photoshop plug-in that gives the photographer an artist's palette.

Make great pictures!

Step back in time...

Traveling to Cuba is like traveling back in time. Cars from the 50's on many streets and much of the Cuban colonial architecture untouched. It's a photographer's dream location.

I used to hand color my black and white photos and I actually still have a Marshall's Oil's set. I loved the look, but it's so much easier to do in Photoshop.

I chose to work with this image for its nostalgic appeal. I painted the car red because it commands attention, it's a fun color, and it happens to be my favorite!

There are many ways to hand color an image, and I used Nik Color Efex Pro. This technique is simple, and fast. I'll touch on this in my upcoming 4-week online course at BetterPhoto.com, starting in November! Look for Fabrications - Enhancing Digital Images and Creating Works of Art. Learn a lot and have fun in the process!

A Resting Place..

There's a very old cemetery in Macon, Georgia that has the most beautiful cherry trees surrounding it. On one hill, a small tombstone rests at a slight angle and seems to be protected by the tree it's underneath, a mutual relationship of sorts.

I like to photograph cemeteries in infrared, it seems to be more expressive that way. It's an ever popular theme with infrared photographers. I used several layers of texture to add more depth and interest, and to tone the overall image.

In my online course at BetterPhoto, we cover creative ways to expand on digital infrared photography. I'm continually impressed with what everyone comes up with for the weekly assignments - a great exchange of learning and fun! Interested? Next course starts on September 2.

Make great pictures!

Thank you...

...Nikon World Magazine. Featured within the pages are photographers whose work I always admire. With each issue, I look forward to seeing inspirational photography and reading informative articles.

I consider it the greatest honor to be in Nikon World Magazine, and I'm so pleased to have a part in it. Look for "Next Steps" and you'll see some of my photography and learn a little more about me in a wonderful article written by Barry Tannenbaum in Nikon World's Summer Edition. Thank you very much, Barry!

The image above is included in the story, and was photographed in Lucerne, Switzerland. The first thing I noticed were the narrow streets, and how often bikes are used for transportation. I liked the perspective of this alley, repeating windows, and bicycles lined up on both sides of the cobblestone road. It all seemed to speak about Europe with the rich colors and textures. I photographed a series of exposures to merge to HDR, and I used various filters in Photoshop to enhance the color and detail present in the scene.

Have fun shooting...

Goodnight...

Goodnight moon, so says the ibis...

This is the tale I envisioned when I was photographing an ibis at sunset. He had long legs, an interesting shape and unique beak, making him the perfect candidate for a silhouette. He was entertaining to watch, and I enjoyed shooting as he walked back and forth, capturing him in a variety of poses.

Photographs start out with a story in mind. This is the one I wanted to tell with a trio of ibis, a purple sky, punctuated with stars and the moon.

Just for fun...

A Simple Silhouette...

A simple silhouette can make a strong graphic statement, plus they are a lot of fun to photograph! This wading bird had an elegant shape, and I was drawn toward the gentle waves reflecting the last light of day. I like sunsets and beaches, but it's the small details that get my attention such as this little bird.

Photo Tip - Set your white balance to cloudy, or for a dramatic red-orange look, set your white balance to 10000 K.

Have fun shooting!

Twice the Story...

Happy Friday! I've always been fascinated by the opportunity to create multiple exposures and in-camera image overlays. It's like magic how it works, and one of the perks of shooting Nikon. No Photoshop needed. Having two exposures blended into one in the camera, the image now tells twice the story. It has more depth, dimension and drama than a single image, and the resultant combined photograph is a bit surreal. Here, I positioned my tulip in front of a black background. I made a variety of exposures, and selected two that would work together as an image overlay.

Make great pictures...

My new best friend....

Encore of the horses from an earlier blog post, Encore Farms that is! This is a photo of me and my new best friend, a darling miniature horse. I wanted one, but my buddy Scott who owns the farm insisted I would have to take two (for socialization) and have at least five acres, sigh.... What fun these horses are!

My dear friend Anna Cary who is a professional photographer and Photoshop wiz took the picture. She also contributed fabulous photographs and a few tips too for my book Digital Infrared Photography. Thank you, Anna!

Happy shooting!

Pimp my Ride...

Just kidding, it's not the TV show! And it's not a plug-in. It's the Replace Color tool in Photoshop and it does just that - replace color. How cool is that? I had great "Andy Warhol" fun with the colors, and it's a challenge to choose just one. Can you guess the original car color? No peeking...

I went with pink, what else! I did some minor tune-ups and last but not least, I softened the background elements using Alien Skin's Bokeh - coupon code DEB0902. This blended away the background and focused attention on my new pink car. The entire process was fast and easy. The hardest part was deciding which color to go with! To find out what the original car color was, and to have more Photoshop fun like this, look for my new online class starting in November!

Segue...

I like silhouettes. That's always been one of my favorite ways to make a photograph. They're somewhat mysterious, intriguing, and leave something to be imagined by the viewer. The concept is that the subject is dark, defined by shape, and is illustrated by the color around it. With this image I wanted to suggest the passing of time, from day to night. I like the strength of the tree, the gracefulness of the barren branches and the tiny shapes caught within. Photographing after sunset allowed for a quiet sky with a golden glow, followed by impending twilight.

To enhance the idea of the transition to nightfall, I used Nik Color Efex Pro to intensify the blue sky. To complete my story, I added a crescent moon, like the ones I remember from childhood books.

Like the idea? Stay tuned... :o)

Abandoned...

"Not everybody trusts paintings, but people believe photographs" - Ansel Adams...

I liked the character of this old abandoned building, it seemed to be stuck in a moment in time. Memories everywhere, old receipts and paperwork, suggestions of a once thriving business. Now there are bird nests in desk drawers, broken windows, rust, peeling paint and cobwebs in the corners, it has aged to perfection.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) allows the photographer to record incredible detail in the highlight, midtones and shadow areas of an image. The process of HDR is sophisticated, yet simple and easily accomplished by the digital photographer.

I made a series of exposures to capture detail in the deepest shadow areas inside the closet, and the brightest highlight areas outside the windows, creating an interesting final image.

The resulting exposures merged to HDR have a colorful painterly quality with the help from the Photomatix Tone Mapping filter and few of my favorite filters in Photoshop.

Color images are wonderful in HDR, as are black and white and infrared too! Try it, you'll be captivated by the color, detail, and dynamic range of light recorded in your image.

Photo tip - Use a tripod, low ISO, and Aperture priority. Make a series of exposures two stops apart to cover the entire dynamic range of the image, from the brightest to the darkest areas. Use auto-bracketing to make things faster and easier.

Make great pictures!

Book Review...

Please take a moment to check out Jerry Kneupper's review of my book, Digital Infrared Photography - Photo Workshop, on the Infrared Photography Buzz! Jerry has provided a comprehensive, informative and well written review including a bio, chapter outlines and a summary of the book material.

I appreciate Jerry Kneupper's time and effort on writing the review for the Infrared Photography Buzz, and please check out his site while you're there. I'm honored Jerry, thank you!

Painted ponies...

It was my childhood dream to have a horse. Those who know me, know I still adore them. I was invited to photograph at my friends horse farm, and I was in for a treat! Horses, everywhere, colts, fillies, stallions and mares and all no bigger than a minute! Yes, miniature horses! I started to take pictures, and then had to put my camera down to enjoy these affectionate little creatures. I had more nuzzles and kisses that morning, who would have thought?

These horses are the most inquisitive good-natured animals that I've ever encountered. I took many pictures that morning, and when I reluctantly returned home leaving behind my "new friends" - I knew I'd have to do something special with the photos. The first thing that occurred to me was to create a "painted pony" picture that would do them justice. They are such gentle creatures and there's something magical about them. With this image, I used the Impasto setting in Snap Art with a medium brush to portray them they way I envisioned.

Photo tip - Shoot at eye level with your subject and move in close, (and yes, I have to clean my lenses now - but it was worth it)!

Happy shooting!

Art.... in a Snap...

Summertime at the beach, Varadero Beach... It can't get any better than this! But, I'll settle for the more local Cocoa Beach, Florida until I can get down a little further south. This is a photo I had fun with, I know - I say that with all my photos! I liked the beach scene, but it just didn't feel quite finished until I created a more artistic rendition.

This was easy to accomplish using a GREAT Photoshop plug-in called Snap Art by Alien Skin. It does just that, art in a snap. There are a lot of variables, and I like mixing things up a bit to get just the results I envisioned. You can use code DEB0902 at checkout for a 10% discount on Snap Art and other Alien Skin software.

Back to the beach for me!

Three Amigos...

Cuba is a wonderful place to photograph and to experience. The people are warm and friendly, there's dancing, food and fun! Fresh mangos, truly the best dessert in the world. Art, music from the Buena Vista Social Club, horse drawn carriages, antique cars held together by a song and a prayer, Coco taxis, cigars, Cuban rum, and did I mention the mojitos? Beautiful beaches, but that's tomorrow's post...

These three amigos have such character, which makes for an interesting picture. I liked the texture, color and detail in the overall image. With this photo, I wanted to create an "illustrative" look similar to what you might get by making a very detailed HDR (High Dynamic Range) image. I achieved this effect using a variety of Photoshop plug-ins, including Lucis Pro.

Adios...

Classic cars...

One of the things I'm passionate about is photographing classic cars! I love the shape, the color, the wonderful hood ornaments that speak about the "jet age" of the 50's. They're big, powerful expressive cars, and they're just not made like this anymore!

The cars at shows are perfectly maintained and offer the photographer a great opportunity to work with a wonderful subject. I like to get down "face to face" shooting with a wide-angle lens. The lower angle exaggerates the features and gives the car a lot of character. And in doing so, you'll always see my little "self portrait" in the bumper!

I had a lot of fun photographing the car, and I had just as much fun working with it afterwards in Photoshop! One of the first things I did was to replace the background with something more interesting that would complement the image. I used a colorful graffiti wall that I photographed in Atlanta's Little Five Points. This was the perfect marriage of color and style and allows the image to tell a different story!

I like to take a creative/artistic approach with my photography. The picture out of the camera is often just a start. I also like to use various filters that will enhance my image, such as Lucis Pro. This is one of my very favorite plug-ins to use with color and infrared images. Use code DEBSANDIDGE for a discount.

Like the car? Look for it in the summer issue of Nikon World Magazine!

Happy shooting!

Panoramas and the perfect storm...

A panorama is a great way to portray a beautiful vista. In my last post, I mentioned an intense approaching storm, and I was able to photograph it just before it broke loose. The Havana waterfront made a great subject, the storm, even better! I photographed a succession of about eight images - overlapping by a third, and later merged them in Photoshop using Photomerge. And then, it stormed mad crazy!

If you haven't tried Photomerge in Photoshop CS4, please do, you are in for a treat! You'll be pleasantly surprised at the ease of working with multiple images. Merging the photos to complete the panorama was a breeze. I used a tripod for this panorama, but I've also had much success at just hand-holding the camera.

So, get out there and try it! Photograph a succession of images, overlapping by about a third. Use Photoshop's Photomerge feature to seamlessly blend the multiple images into a panorama. I used the "Cylindrical" option to merge this long series of images. Photograph in landscape orientation, and also in portrait orientation so you have lots of options.

Have fun shooting!

A little romance...

There's a quote about photography "shoot it when you see it." This has proved true, things change and you can't go back. It's important to capture the moment as it happens, as it may never be the quite the same again.

This was the case with an incredible sky, and the very much in love couple enjoying the view. My intent was to photograph an alternate scenic view overlooking the Havana waterfront. There was a fast approaching storm and I had to set up quickly for the waterfront, but I knew couldn't miss the opportunity to photograph this couple.

I'll spare you the scary storm details, but I'm glad I photographed the couple first! The expressive sky darkened with rain and lightning, and the couple fled for safety moments later.

I like to use image enhancing software, such as Topaz Adjust. Using this Photoshop plug-in allowed me to bring out the various colors and detail, and made the image a little more romantic.

Don't miss your chance...

Explorations in Infrared Photography...

Infrared photography can expand your photographic horizons. It offers the photographer an alternative way to "tell the story" creating an image that is more surreal and enchanting than possible in color.

Various subjects reflect and absorb light infrared differently than in color, and the results may surprise you! Trees such as maples are highly reflective of infrared light, conifers less so. Clouds become wonderfully expressive as with this image that I photographed in Cades Cove, in the Great Smoky Mountains. The various textures work beautifully together to create a compelling image.

With digital infrared photography, the journey is unlimited! You can create timeless black and white infrared photographs that have a classic film look. Or, you can photograph contemporary scenes that include a vivid blue sky with a little help in Photoshop. You can also photograph using light sources other than the sun, creating dramatic images even at night.

A digital camera is very sophisticated, having the ability to capture light not only in the visible spectrum, but in the ultraviolet and near infrared spectrum as well. Camera manufacturers place a "hot mirror" inside the camera to block ultraviolet and infrared light and allow visible light to pass through to the camera sensor. However, the digital camera can be modified to capture infrared light, allowing the photographer an exciting alternative to color photography!

In the Cades Cove image, I didn't use any fancy Photoshop filters or creative techniques, simply infrared photography. You can achieve results like this by converting a camera to infrared, exposure times are normal, the camera can be hand-held. Life Pixel converts digital cameras to infrared, use code DEB for a discount.

I'm endlessly inspired by students in my online course Digital Infrared Photography at BetterPhoto.com. This is my second time teaching this course, students join in for online learning and fun from various parts of the world which makes it so interesting. I take a creative perspective in both my book and course, and we cover all kinds of artistic ventures!

Consider rounding out your photography - shoot infrared!

Daydreaming...

I was lucky to come across this beautiful young lady outside of the Bodega de Valle, a restaurant along the waterfront in Cienfuegos, Cuba. She seemed lost in reverie as I photographed her, and it made me think of Romeo and Juliet. Or maybe that's just me, a hopeless romantic.

In any case, the light was wonderful, the subject perfect, and I was happy to be taking her picture! One of my favorite filter sets that I've used since I started digital photography is Nik Color Efex Pro. I used the Dynamic Skin Softener to ever so slightly soften the image and give Juliet's skin a porcelain look.

Now back to daydreaming for me...

Everyone smiles in the same language...

"Everyone smiles in the same language" - it's true! Walking along the Malecon - Cuba's waterfront, provides many opportunities for photography at sunrise such as this fisherman. I liked the delicate colors of the sea and sky and the warm light on his face. Although I couldn't speak the language to ask if I could take his picture, I could "speak smile" and that works wonders in photography!

To enhance the pastel colors in the background, and bring out detail with the fisherman, I used a "creative exposure" Photoshop Plug-in called Topaz Adjust.

Have fun shooting, and smile...

~ Deb

Camera Club of Brevard...

The Camera Club of Brevard graciously invited me to speak to the club members about digital infrared photography this week. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with club members, talk about infrared photography, show my perspective from the creative side, and answer a few questions.

Some of the members haven't heard about BetterPhoto yet. It was great to talk for a moment about my course, how online classes work, and share some goodies BetterPhoto sent for the occasion!

I truly enjoyed talking with everyone, Richard Thomson, President of the club, Erik, Debbi, Michael, Dick Robertson - what a guy! The beach coffeehouse was the perfect touch to end the evening, and it was a lot of fun to relax and talk.

A very big thank you to the Camera Club of Brevard for inviting me -- it was my pleasure to be there!

The eyes are the window to the soul...

One of my favorite quotes..."The eyes are the window to the soul." It's proved true with people that I've met, including this beautiful little girl that I photographed in Cuba. She captured my heart with a glance. Cuba is full of the warmest and friendliest people and the children are excited and flattered to have their picture taken. They're even more excited to see it afterwards on the camera display!

Tip - Have your camera out and ready to shoot. Double check your camera settings beforehand so that you can be quick to respond to any photographic opportunities. Here, I knelt down to my subject's eye level so that her response to me and my camera creates an inviting image.

Make great pictures!

~ Deb

Textures...

Textures are an easy way to enhance your photography. A simple addition of an interesting layer can add depth and dimension, creating a beautiful photographic composite. I keep a folder of textures that I photograph from everywhere I go. One of my favorites is a peeling and cracked wall that I shot in Charleston, South Carolina. The paint was gold, what was left of it, and it blends beautifully with many of my images. Here, I used it with a photo of a sunflower that I shot in infrared. Infrared imagery is often the perfect pairing for textures as they work well together. I discuss this in my online course Digital Infrared Photography at BetterPhoto.com.

Textures can encompass anything your heart desires, sections of old rusty doors, the side of a weathered barn, old bricks, or layers of aged and peeling paint such as those found in wonderfully photogenic historic areas. Do what I do, keep a folder handy, and keep adding to your collection as you as you come across interesting textures. Experiment and have fun!