Cemetery in Cienfuegos, Infrared with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2...

I just returned from a two week visit to Cuba. one of my favorite places on the planet thus far! Cuba has several cemeteries with the most wonderful angel statues. I like the gentle waves of clouds in the background that seem to frame the angels. I photographed this scene in infrared which is one of my photographic passions!

Black and white infrared creates a traditional look that has timeless appeal.  My favorite software for black and white conversion is Nik Silver Efex Pro 2,  as it provides many options for fine tuning images.  Infrared photography, and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 are a perfect fit. Black and white allows a photographic story to be told in a unique way, without the connotations of color. Light, shadow, texture and tonality become more important in the composition, and infrared adds to the surreal quality.

Interested in infrared? Please check out my book available at bookstores or Amazon, Digital Infrared Photography, published by Wiley. If you would like to try a beautiful way to convert your images to black and white, download a trial version of Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, DSANDIDGE is your promo code for everything Nik! Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

B&W and More with Nik HDR Efex Pro..

Here's an HDR image processed to look more like a B&W photograph rather than on the illustrative side. I couldn't help but use a fisheye lens for a fun look! I have an artistic background, and tend to work in that direction. My buddy, an architectural photographer wouldn't dream of this! It's a tilt shift perspective control lens all the way. That's the great part about HDR, you are the photographer, and decide how to portray/process your images, photorealistic, or illustrative/artistic, or somewhere in between. The subject will help guide you on which direction to take, and it's great to try out different ideas. The presets in Nik HDR Efex Pro are perfect for this. Experiment, have fun!

For high contrast scenes, you may need more than three exposures to capture the entire dynamic range as with the Time Square photo above.

Tips for shooting HDR images.

• Tripod, cable release, three axis bubble level
• Lowest ISO
• Aperture priority or manual (keep the aperture constant)
• Auto-bracket, or bracket manually 
• Raw format for best results
• Lock focus (helpful in low light situations)
• Double check the histogram 

Generally, you are shooting 0, -2,  +2, and more exposures if needed. For handheld HDR images, try to brace yourself and use auto-bracking. When merging handheld HDR images, use Alignment (I keep it checked). The Ghost Reduction Method works with anything moving in the scene, check this box for trees on a windy day (Adaptive), or Global for anything large moving through your composition.

The most enjoyable part of HDR is working with the images in Nik HDR Efex Pro. Thank you very much to those who listened in on my Nik HDR Efex Pro Webinar yesterday! I enjoyed sharing a few photos and ideas about working with HDR Efex Pro, plus a few finishing touches in Viveza and Color Efex Pro as well.

For the webinar, the images were converted from Raw (the format recommended to shoot in) and Jpegs were used for purposes of demonstration. This allowed us to move quickly through photos over the internet. Nik HDR Efex Pro did a fine job working with the limited resources of Jpegs! However, you'll get the best results by shooting in Raw.

You can download a trial version, and if you like how it works for you, please feel free to use coupon code DSANDIDGE for anything Nik Software. Don't forget the BetterPhoto promo code NIKFRIENDS for $20 off a BetterPhoto course. Make great pictures! ~Deb

Before/After with Nik Silver Efex Pro - Create nostalgic black & white photos...

As much as I love color photos, black and white holds a timeless appeal. I have a romantic notion about black and white, having started photography by developing film, and making my own prints. There is something very classic and traditional about black and white. With the connotations of color removed, the strength of the photograph relies on other factors. With black and white imagery, light, shadow, contrast, textures, patterns all become more important. Converting an image to black and white allows the foundation of a photograph to become very clear and more meaningful, telling a different story.

One of my favorite techniques for converting photos to black and white is with Nik Silver Efex Pro. Mouse over the image above to see the color version. In black and white, it looks as if it could have been taken long ago, creating a nostalgic look. I like the color version, it's fun and reflects Cuba as it is now, (although it's virtually unchanged including the cars). Portraying the scene with the vintage appeal of black and white just seems to fit.  

Tip - Create a faded color vintage look by reducing the opacity of the filter layer. You can use DSANDIDGE as your coupon code for anything Nik. Make great pictures!