10 Countries, 10 Days, 10 Tips: Day 10 - Cambodia

It's Day 10 (last day) of my travel series here on my blog. Thanks for following along. If you missed a day or two, scroll down.

Location: Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Tip: Get on site early to photograph this archeological wonderland from the path that runs along the reflecting pond near the entrance. If you are lucky, you'll get a nice sunrise.  Because you'll be shooting into the sun, shoot HDR.

You can't miss the path, and neither can dozens of other photographers, some with tripods! That's why you want to get there early. Bring a flashlight so you can see where you are going and what you're doing.

Inside the temple, shoot wide and shoot HDR. You especially need HDR when your photograph has both sky and shadows in the frame. I photographed this scene with my Canon 14mm lens. I converted it to B&W using Nik Silver Efex Pro. All the plug-ins I use are on my Save on Creative Plug-ins Page.

Of course, photograph the buddhist monks. I found them ready, willing and able for a photo session.

My #1 people photography tip: The camera looks both ways; in picturing the subject we are also picturing a part of ourselves.

My #2 photo tip: light the eyes.

You'll find more people photography tips in my app, Rick Sammon's 24/7 Photo Buffet.

I hope to see you on one of my workshops, in the US or abroad.

Explore the light,
Rick

Quick Digital Imaging Tip 24/101: Save Time When Processing Your HDR Images

This is tip #24 of 101 digital imaging tips I plan to post here over the next few months. Stay tuned.

Today's tip: Save HDR processing time by working with JPEG files.

Sure, you should always shoot RAW files - because you can pull out a lot of data from a single RAW file. But when making HDR images, try converting your sets of RAW files to JPEG files before your start processing. I use Image Processor in Photoshop to convert my images. Works amazingly fast.

Working with JPEGs saves you a lot of professing/waiting time. Plus, if you captured the entire dynamic range of the scene in your set of images, you will not lose any details your HDR image – as illustrated by these before-and-after images from Angkor Wat, Cambodia (taken yesterday).

I processed my sets of JPEG files with Nik Software's new HDR Efex Pro. After that, I spiced up the images with the Spicify Filter in Topaz Adjust – which is totally amazing. Info on Topaz here. (Save a bundle by ordering a Topaz Bundle.)

HDR Efex Pro + Topaz Adjust/Spicify.

Original average single exposure.

HDR Efex Pro + Topaz Adjust/Spicify.

Original average single exposure.

Camera info: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens.

For discounts on Nik plug-ins and Photomatix (another HDR imaging program) click here.

For info my my HDR book, click here.

Explore the light,

Rick

P.S. A BIG thanks to Mukesh at TravelInterlink for putting together such a fantastic photo tour. For info on my 2011 photo tours, click here.

Quick Digital Imaging Tip 23/101: Remove Reality to Create a More Artistic Image

This is tip #23 of 101 digital imaging tips I plan to post here over the next few months. Stay tuned.

Today's tip: Remove reality to create a more artistic image.

When you remove the true color from a scene, you remove some of the reality. When you remove some of the reality, your picture can look more creative and artistic.

The same is true for sharpness.

Here I used the Midnight filter in Nik Software's Color Efex Pro to create a more artistic image from a shot I took today in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Camera info: Canon 7D and Canon 24-105mm IS lens.

For discounts on Nik plug-ins, click here.

Explore the light,

Rick

Quick Digital Imaging Tip 22/101: Play With Plug-ins and Expand Your Creative Horizons

This is tip #22 of 101 digital imaging tips I plan to post here over the next few months. Stay tuned.

Today's tip: Play with plug-ins.

Plug-ins – for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom and Aperture – can expand the capabilities of those programs and expand your creative horizons.

Above image (Laos): Midnight filter in Nik Software's Color Efex Pro.

Below image (Cambodia): Antique Plate filter in Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro.

For discounts on Nik plug-ins, click here.

Explore the light,

Rick