Converting Imagery to Black and White, Seaplanes in Vancouver...

Black and white photography allows the viewer to connect with elements of an image without the connotations, or the power of color. This allows the story of an image to be presented in a beautiful way that has timeless appeal. The visual narrative of the composition can become clearer, allowing  features such as light, shadow, texture and tonality to shine through. Try it and see! An image that isn't quite connecting with you in color, may have more impact in black and white. My favorite black and white conversion method is Nik Silver Efex Pro. I recommend it for students in my infrared photography courses, presentations and workshops, because it provides the most control and creative options. I can't get past how easy is it to use Control Points to target selective adjustments!  

These images are from a de Havilland seaplane photographed in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I had the pleasure of sitting in the co-pilots seat which was an absolute blast! The last image is a hand held HDR of the interior of the seaplane, merged with Nik HDR Efex Pro, and converted with Nik Silver Efex Pro. I braced the camera to be able to make multiple exposures, which worked for tight quarters like this cockpit.You can use promotional code DSANDIDGE for everything Nik. Have fun shooting!

Moody Blues - Vancouver HDR...

Vancouver is beautiful rain or shine. With this photo, a looming storm creates dynamic clouds, and a great opportunity for HDR photography. For this image, I used a Nikon 28-300mm lens with a Feisol CT-3442 tripod, both of which are perfect for travel. Nik HDR Efex Pro was used to combine the various exposures. I started with the Realistic (Strong) preset, and modifed the sliders to suit the image. I like that the water is silky smooth in areas and wind textured in other areas, yet the boats are (luckily) sharp. Vancouver is a wonderful location for photography. Aside from a few overenthusiastic hockey fans, it's a very mellow place! 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

HDR - Florence, Italy after the rain...

Night is the perfect time for HDR photography. The dynamic range in the scene is often too great for the camera to record in a single exposure what we can see with our eyes.. Detail can be lost in both the highlight and shadow areas, making a balanced exposure tricky! This scene was photographed in Florence after a rain, which made the cobblestone roads shimmer with light. Nik HDR Efex Pro worked beautifully to combine the images to HDR, creating a single image that reflected more of what I saw when I made the picture. With HDR, you are the artist! You can create an image that is illustrative, or photorealistic, or somewhere in between! I am very much looking forward to my Nik HDR Efex Pro webinar this Wednesday at 5pm Eastern Time (2pm Pacific). I hope you will be there! Make great pictures... ~ Deb

Black and White, or Color? HDR in Downtown Orlando...

Black and white photography has a timeless appeal that can create an emotional response that's different from color. Light, shadow, pattern, texture, and tonality work beautifully together to create an expressive image independent from the connotations color. Black and white can romanticize an image, look at the wonderful work of wedding photographers! Much of the appeal for me started with film photography, and making my own prints, messy but a lot of fun! This was taken in downtown Orlando at twilight as a three shot HDR merged in HDR Efex Pro. The image was converted to black and white with Nik Silver Efex Pro which can create an elegant traditional film look. Try it and see! You can use my coupon code for a discount for everything Nik! Have fun in the digital darkroom! ~ Deb

Bicycles in Rome... HDR with Nik HDR Efex Pro

The city of Rome is a most exciting place! The cars are mostly small, and so are the motorcycles, actually scooters. I saw one Harley Davidson, and a ton of Vespa's.  I believe people live there by divine intervention. I have lived my entire life without ever getting close to getting hit by a car, but count three times in Rome including a police car while I was in the crosswalk!  I'm not counting the scrapings, and a few near hits (misses?) in taxi's, but, I lived to write about it.  :-) 

There are a lot of bicycles too, including this pair that I photographed in an alley. What attracted me to the composition was the texture of the stone and stucco, and the trio of posters above the bikes. It rained a lot in Italy, creating a look that the world was saturated with color. The bicycles were the perfect pairing for an HDR image. I made a series of three exposures using a Nikon D3s and 24-70mm lens, which is one of my favorites. 

Tips for HDR: Use a tripod, and remote release which is helpful for low light levels to prevent camera shake when pressing the shutter. Check the histogram to make sure there is detail in the exposure for highlights, and also the image for the shadows. You may only need to make three exposures in most cases, however in contrasty situations you may need to make additional exposures. Nik HDR Efex Pro worked beautifully to bring out the color and detail throughout the image. The presets are a great springboard to customize your image, and you can fine tune and save your settings to customize your HDR image. Have fun shooting!

#HDR at Twilight, extending our HDR workshop at Naturescapes...

The quaint town of Socorro, New Mexico is a wonderful place to visit, and it's very close to the most beautiful Bosque del Apache where Naturescapes was held. Greg Downing, Tim Grey and myself led several workshops and presentations in this picturesque part of the country.

My creative photographer students started out our HDR workshop with an interesting caboose and railway, and we ended up extending our time into twilight with a few HDR photos of the historic area, much fun! One of the students had a tilt shift lens and was able to make very cool photos during the workshop. Several used fisheyes, one of my favorite lenses! Twilight is a wonderful time to make expressive photographs. The magic light of the "blue hour" lasts only for a short time. For HDR and/or twilight photography, use a remote release, tripod and low ISO. HDR allows the photographer to capture the entire dynamic range of the scene, and twilight provides the the vivid blue sky. A small aperture provides the starburst effect. This is affectionately called the "Tim Grey" effect by everyone at Naturescapes after Tim's informative and fun presentation!  Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

#HDR Vintage Style with Nik HDR Efex Pro...

I've been putting the last minute touches on my HDR presentation for Naturescapes in New Mexico this weekend. I can't wait to get to Bosque del Apache, my first trip! I'm just as excited to be able to talk about Nik HDR Efex Pro - the "new kid on the block" for HDR processing. This will be a great opportunity to share photos, ideas, and some of the things I've learned along the way. I love talking with other photographers, so much energy, enthusiasm, and a wonderful exchange of information.

There are a couple of interesting presets that look "vintage" and work well for a nostalgic look. This busy but fun composition seemed just right for an "old time" look starting with one of my favorite presets, "Granny's Attic." The technique for using Nik HDR Efex Pro for HDR processing will be familiar to those who use everything Nik. Global adjustments, followed by selective adjustments using U Point technology, and you can add finishing touches with levels, curves, and even add a vignette.

Try Nik HDR Efex Pro with single image processing, very cool! You can save on anything Nik with coupon code DSANDIDGE. Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

#HDR Times Square at night - fun with a fisheye...

I'm a big fan of the super wide view one gets by using a fisheye lens. This scene was photographed with a Nikon 16mm fisheye lens, which by tilting, created the distortion of the architecture. This lens pulls everything together in an interesting way. Technically, if the lens is held level, you get an ultra-wide view without the bendy look. Perfection can be obtained with a tilt shift lens, but this is kind of fun, don't you think? I'd like to go back and photograph this scene with a tilt shift lens just to be able to create a different look, on my list for next time!

Another way to create a different look is to convert an image to black and white. This changes the dynamics a bit. Instead of color, other elements in the composition become more important such as texture, pattern, light, shadow and contrast. Black and white has a nostalgic and timeless look, think Ansel Adams. I used Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert this image to black and white. However, if you want to have a little more fun, add a layer mask and brush back in some of the color in the image. This has a lot of impact if you have a singular subject to "color" in the composition, but it works well for general eye popping results too!

If you want to go for complete vintage, try a sepia look. You can do this right in Nik Silver Efex Pro using one of the Stylizing Toning presets. This is also super simple to do in Photoshop. Create a Hue Saturation adjustment layer. Check Colorize, and change the Saturation to 12 and the Hue to 36. Play with those numbers to suit your image. This Times Square photo is an HDR image created with Nik HDR Efex Pro, which allowed detail to be retained in both the highlight and shadows areas of this very high contrast composition. Can't wait to get back to NYC! ~ Deb

Hello, my name is... #HDR - Creating a High Dynamic Range Image

High Dynamic Range imagery (HDR) allows the photographer to create exciting images that are not always possible with a single exposure. For example, if I exposed for the highlight areas, detail was lost in the shadows. Exposing for the shadows leaves the composition with a white sky as shown below. A graduated neutral density filter wouldn't help because of the angle of the building, HDR is an elegant solution for a tricky exposure.

One of the good things about HDR is you just basically need your camera, tripod, and processing software. There are several options for the HDR photographer as far as software goes. Photomatix, the new Nik HDR Efex Pro (which was used to make this image) along with Photoshop's HDR Pro and several others. HDR enhances color, detail and exposure, creating a very dynamic image. Below are the exposures that went in to making the single image above. The creative part of HDR is deciding how you want to artistically present the image, photorealist or more on the illustrative side. You get to be the artist! I went with an edgy, more defined look which suits the colorfully painted architecture.  Have fun making pictures! ~ Deb

The Heart of Times Square... #HDR

The heart of Times Square... this is the place to be at twilight in New York City! I enjoyed walking in the cool crisp air and seeing all the colorful lights. I can only imagine what it must be like to be here during the holidays! For this image, I used a Nikon 14-24mm lens with a tripod and cable release and made several exposures to merge to HDR. 

Shooting people in low light levels creates a bit of a challenge. (Which reminds me of the great t-shirt that Joel at Adorama gave me at PhotoPlus Expo emblazoned with "I shoot people for a living" - too funny and thank you, Joel!) In Photoshop, I placed one of the original exposures under the HDR image, and used a layer mask to reveal clarity on some of the faces in the crowd. The image was processed with the new Nik HDR Efex Pro.

Happy Friday, and enjoy the weekend! ~ Deb

  

San Francisco Cityscape... with a Fisheye view...

I love San Francisco! There is much to explore from the Golden Gate Bridge, the beautiful waterfront, the fabulous food, down to one of my favorite areas near the financial district - Chinatown. Dim sum and mooncakes, how wonderful is that? Chinatown is the largest outside of Asia and the opportunities for photography (and food) are endless. It's completely crowded which adds to the charm. Open markets, interesting storefronts, and activity everywhere.  I photographed this HDR photograph image early on a Sunday morning before the crowds filled the sidewalks. An 8mm circular fisheye lens creates an alternative just-for-fun point of view. The great thing about this lens is that by pointing it toward the sky, you capture the cityscape that completely surrounds you! I recommend using a tripod and right angle viewfinder so you don't have to "limbo" under the tripod to check the camera display. This is such a different point of view, rounding out your photography so to speak!

Nik HDR Efex Pro was used for creating the HDR image. It's helpful to start with the presets as a springboard, and follow up by fine tuning the image. All plug-in coupon codes are in the sidebar, please feel free to use them if they will help you. I am using a very small and politely "vintage" monitor until my real one is fixed, hopefully I'll be up and running soon!  Thanks.. and make great pictures! ~ Deb

Single exposure HDR processing with Nik HDR Efex Pro... Fall in Central Park

Single exposure HDR processing through Nik HDR Efex Pro worked beautifully for this photo that I took in New York City's Central Park last week after PhotoPlus Expo. Fall color was just beginning to pop out and air had a wonderful crisp feel. To emphasize the wonderful colors and textures in this photo, I used Nik HDR Efex Pro and chose Vibrant Details and Color as the preset to start with, fine tuning the sliders to create an artistic look. A subtle texture layer was added to the HDR image for more warmth and depth in the sky area. To use Nik HDR Efex Pro with a single image, from the Photoshop Menu choose Image>Mode>32 Bits/Channel. This will allow you to choose Nik HDR Efex Pro from Filters and process as a single image HDR. How cool is that?  Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

Jazzin' it up in Central Park with Nik HDR Efex Pro - Vintage Style...

I loved listening to these street musicians in New York's Central Park recently. What fun, energy and great music! The park was absolutely packed with people and activity, and there were touches of fall color everywhere.  The cool weather made everything absolutely perfect. This scene had a nostalgic feel about it, which I thought would be perfect for processing as a single exposure with a vintage look. I tried out some of the presets in Nik HDR Efex Pro, and chose Granny's Attic which had the look and mood I was going for. I was so excited about the results, I forgot to save my fine-tuning adjustments and tweaks as a preset! I did make a quick screenshot while the image was processing so I can at least see and recreate the settings used. I liked the faded and retro look produced by the preset, and the HDR look is realistic enough without going over the top. There are so many great presets to use as springboards to elaborate on, the hardest part is just choosing what you like! You can try out Nik HDR Efex Pro and use this coupon code for anything Nik - DSANDIDGE. Make great pictures! ~ Deb

HDR in Times Square – Creating Dynamic Images

HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography is exciting, creative and technically amazing!

The art and technique of HDR allows the photographer to create extraordinary and dramatic story-telling images.

With #HDR, a new image is created by combining a variety of exposures to reveal incredible detail, color, and definition throughout the highlight, mid-tone, and shadow areas.

HDR images can be magical and compelling through subtle beauty or exquisite detail.

You are very much the artist when it comes to how you wish your HDR image to look; illustrative, photorealistic or somewhere in between.

The process of shooting a scene and merging the images through software is easily accomplished, allowing the digital photographer to create high impact images with phenomenal dynamic range. There are several options to merge and process HDR images including the new and very intuitive HDR Efex Pro from Nik Software.  Most photographers are familiar with the interface of Nik Software, and U Point technology, which makes HDR Pro very attractive and easy to work with. 

December 3, 4, & 5th - Join Greg Downing, Tim Grey and myself for three days of in Soccoro, NM next month for the Naturescape Photography Series - a wonderful photographic and learning opportunity in a most beautiful place, Bosque del Apache. I'll be giving talks, tips and techniques about creating inspirational images through the process of HDR, infrared, and creativity with your camera. Plus I will cover artistic enhancements with plug-ins and filters such as Topaz Adjust, Lucis Pro and Nik Software. Check this schedule for more information...