Thursday, January 28, 2010
One of the most brilliant developments since the digital revolution in photography is the ability to use High Dynamic Range (HDR). For anyone unfamiliar with this technique, in it’s simplest form, you make several exposures of a single image to ensure you have detail from the highlights all the way down to the shadows. Before some of the automated software was developed for blending the images, you would load them into a photoshop file, then using masks and brushes, you would blend the images together to achive a dynamic range digital cameras simply cannot achieve on their own. It seems I’ve been called a lot to shoot kitchens, so that’s where I’ve been using HDR the most and am loving the results. I would much rather capture the lighting the designer intended than to come in with my own lights and change the entire mood.
I’ve been trying some advanced techniques that really aren’t well documented yet and as I experiment more, maybe I’ll post some results and comparisons. Here are some questions I’m trying to answer using the old trial and error method:
- Do you get better results if you first process the images and do a bit of dodging and burning in some specific areas?
- What happens if you mix color temperature of the files before processing them together (i.e. tungsten for the interiors, but daylight for the exposure intended to capture the outdoors, etc.)
- Do you get the same results if you first make two or three MDR (medium dynamic range) images, then, blend those.
If anyone has experience trying any of these methods out, leave a comment with a link to your blog or results.
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Welcome, 2010. And, not a minute too soon, either. 2009 was an unbelievably trying year as a small business. As a proactive business owner, I think it’s imperative to be constantly living in the present. But, what doe that mean, exactly? For me, being centered in the present means constantly learning from the past and preparing for the future.
2009, with its economic downturns, was a chance to learn what it means to be prepared for a rainy day. Two consecutive slow months in 2009 caused me to reflect seriously on why I am in business as a photographer in the first place and make a critical decision about whether I thought I could continue making a career out of photography.
I’m not one to easily quit just because a couple potholes along the road popped up, but this past year allowed me to re-evaluate, regroup and recharge. So, what’s it going to be? It’s a new year, a new decade and a good turning point to turn over a new leaf for my business. A new attitude, a completely new business strategy and a new outlook on life. I’m glad for the trials of 2009 to help me sharpen the sword, so to speak, but I’m definitely glad to start a new year with a clean slate with new ideas. Off and running.
Sacramento Photographer
I’ve had several opportunities now to photograph Former President Mikhail Gorbachev. Each time has been a venue where he has talked about his role in the fall of Communism in the USSR, now Russia. The first time I heard him speak about this was several years ago in Sacramento and can remember how impressed I was by his humanitarianism. This compassion for the people of the USSR was the main driver for him to lead a vision for democracy in the country.
20 years ago, the most visible symbol of the division between Communism and Democracy, between East and West, came down. An announcement that East Germany was lifting travel restrictions was the pivotal moment in the collapse of European communism. I can remember the photos of people literally dismantling the wall with sledgehammers, people freely crossing what had been a fortified border representing two halves of a country divided between itself.
The thing that’s been most fascinating to me during my photographic career is looking back at the times I had first heard about these people who are world leaders, global icons and I now find myself being given the opportunity to photograph them. I can remember having a very small view of the world as a Senior in High School and knowing nothing about the significance of these kinds of events, but as my understanding has grown over the years, it is exciting to me to be able to capture these people in photos.
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A few years ago, Sacramento’s Tower Bridge needed a complete paint job. Someone in the city or county brass thought it would be a good idea to put the paint color of the bridge to public vote. The voice of the people was heard and the color of the bridge was to be gold. Not dark yellow. Not Maize, but as shiny a gold color as they could get in the kind of paint required. I can see the significance; what with Sacramento being the gateway to the historic Gold Country and all, but to be completely honest, the color during the day looks pretty bad.
At night, however, it really does come alive. Once the paint job was complete and the tarps taken down, I decided I should have a nice night photo of the bridge. This photo was taken about 30 minutes after sunset. White balance set to Tungsten to account for the tungsten lights on the bridge which makes the sky go a deep blue. I got permission from the Delta King Hotel to use their balcony to get a good angle. The result has always been a favorite of mine.
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Sometimes things come together in an accidental way that ends up working so well. Case in point, we were making food images for the Hanford House Inn in Sutter Creek because their breakfast is beyond good. It’s in a class of its own. I know because when we were done with this plate, it was promptly eaten. Innkeeper, Athena Gordon is a culinary school graduate and what she has learned has been put to very good use. Nearly every review of their inn includes a comment about the food. I digress.
The lights were set and the photo was ready to go. I like to make food photos with the actual food without makeup. I know, some people use white glue for milk and motor oil for turkeys, but I like to work with the unadulterated product. We used a mock-up first to get the angles, lights and exposure, then as soon as the french toast was pulled from the pan, it was placed in the shot where the other plate was. Wait! The finishing touch is powdered sugar. I happened to make a frame or two of the shaker in action just to make sure everything was right for the “official frame” a few seconds later. Accidentally, it ended up being my favorite one of the set and used it on their website. The other image without was really great too, but having that slight human interaction made all the difference; especially for a bed and breakfast. Serendipitous.
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Posted by Sacramento Photographer, William Foster.
I happened to be in St. Louis lecturing at a photography conference a few years ago. With plenty of free time and a hotel within walking distance to the Arch, I decided to go make some pictures. There’s hardly a new angle on this American icon, but I wanted some for my collection anyway; after all, my travels to Saint Louis are very few and extremely far between.
I liked this angle a lot since it shows the massive stance of the shining structure. The sun glinting off the top of the arch and the reflectivity of the various panels on the far leg make for an interesting pattern. I thought the overall composition would be even more enhanced by taking out the color and making it a pseudo sepia color.
The most interesting feature of the Saint Louis Arch was not noticed until I was in my hotel room doing a quick edit and playing with the colors and black/white. I noticed on the panel in the shade on the lower right part of the photo, someone etched the name BILL on the structure. Just below it, there’s another etching that looks an awful lot like an F. I hadn’t noticed this when I was making pictures. Maybe it’s the quintessential failure to see the trees for the forest.
Now, I’m very much against vandalism of public property, especially iconic ones like this. Heck, I even get annoyed when people litter cigarette butts, but in this case, I was able to see a little humor to what I was seeing in my photographs. On the other hand, it was disappointing to see just how little regard people have for this and other icons that they feel the need to etch their names, love interests and gang affiliations into them. Bummer.
For anyone who has never taken a few minutes to read the entire text of the Declaration of Independence, it is presented here preserving the original spelling and grammar. This document, carefully and masterfully crafted mostly by Thomas Jefferson represents even to this day a nation which is independent and free. We still owe a debt of gratitude to the original signers who bravely put their names to this document which was one of the cornerstones on which this great country in which we live was built.
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. (more…)
I’m still fairly new to HDR, but the more I work with it, the more I like it. HDR has opened a whole new door for digital photography to capture a scene as the eye sees it. It’s possible to push the limits of what looks realistic, but my preference is to keep a more natural look. The photo of the San Francisco skyline taken in Legoland, CA is a bit more surrealistic than I typically care for, but I still like the results. As a general guideline, for client work, I use HDR as a way to capture details in a wider dynamic range than would be achievable in a single photo.
This photo was made using 7 individual exposures. The main index image was metered about halfway between the bright sky and the darker tones of the building models. I have dedicated one of my cameras to making HDR images. I changed several of the settings on my camera to accommodate HDR imaging. Digital Photo Pro has several settings for the camera that lend themselves very well to making HDR photos. For example, expanding auto exposure bracketing to 7 images instead of the default 3. Also, limiting high speed bursts to 7 exposures helps ensure a hand held camera has very little movement between exposures, which limits ghosting.
Camera: Canon 1D Mark II
Lens: 24-70 f2.8 L
Base Exposure: 1/500 f/8
7 exposures set at 2/3 stop increments
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I love photographing architectural interiors, especially kitchens. I have several clients who regularly call on me to make images of their recent work. The kitchen remodeling contractor who hired me for this is so good at designing the light in their kitchens, I simply cannot improve on what they’ve done with artificial light.
My feeling is, if I add light to the kitchen with strobes, I lose exactly what they designed the kitchen to look like. They designed pools of light to fall in specific areas to highlight the cabinetry, granite counters and work areas.
I’m finding HDR or High Dynamic Range to be a perfect solution these days. By taking 7 images of varying exposures, I’m able to preserve details in the brightest highlights down to the deepest shadows. Ultimately, what the client ends up with is a photo that looks exactly how their eye sees it naturally, which is always my goal for client photography.
Details: Canon 5D Mark II, 24-70 f2.8L, f11, shot in RAW, 7 exposures
For more information about architectural photography, visit Sacramento Architectural Photographer online.
Posted by Sacramento Photographer, William Foster
A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending and photographing a visit of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and the Dutchess of Cornwall, to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The visit took place on Veterans Day which is in November, but I thought it still apropos to write about it today, Memorial Day.
With many thanks to my friend and mentor, John Harrington, I got to sit with the select number of WWII veterans in the viewing area. After the park docent finished giving them a tour of the memorial, the Royal couple greeted and made conversation with every veteran in attendance. I stayed very close to Prince Charles while he chatted with these men an women who served in the war and listened carefully to their conversations. What impressed me most was the way he talked with the vets. His respect for each of their services and the sacrifices each individual made; some physical, some emotional, but all significant.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and began shortly after the Civil War. It was intended to be a day where the men killed in battle were honored by survivors through the decoration of their graves. Over the years, the theme of Memorial Day seems to evolved into something more like Veterans Day, a blanket recognition of all military personnel.
Memorial Day is an important holiday and each year, we are reminded that without the sacrifices of the men and women who gave their lives for our country, the landscape of the freedom we enjoy today would be very different.
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by William Foster
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