I haven't been blogging lately for two reasons:
1 - the internet in my hotel is slooooooooow;
2 - I am working on an exciting new educational project in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Here's a shot from day 1 of the project. Stay tuned for more info on the project . . . and on landscape photography.
This shot: HDR, Canon 5D Mark III, 15mm lens.
Explore the light,
Rick
Natural-looking HDR image.
"I teach HDR the right way." That's what I heard a photographer say about the way he teaches High Dynamic Range imaging.
As my dad used to say, "To each his own." But my take on teaching HDR - or creating HDR images - is that there is no "right way" and no "one way" to create HDR images.
It's all personal, like all art.
Some folks like realistic-looking HDR images, such as the image above, while others like super-saturated images with the grunge look, like the image below. Both images were taken on my workshops.
Super-saturated HDR image.
I don't teach HDR the right way, I simply teach it my way - which covers creating all types of HDR images.
One tip I offer: The subject often suggests the HDR effect. For example, you probably want a natural-looking HDR image for a landscape, while the super-saturated/grunge effect may look good on an old car.
Florida Hotel, Old Havana, Cuba.
As with all your photography, I say follow your heart. Or as Ginger Baker wrote, "Do what you like."
South East Railway Museum near Atlanta, GA.
If you want to get good at HDR, put yourself in a very high-contrast situation: shoot indoors and get details inside and outside. If you can see into the shadows and if your highlights are not blown out in your final HDR image, you are on your way to creating a good HDR image - your way. The image directly above illustrates that technique.
Want to learn more about HDR? Check out my iPad app, Rick Sammon's iHDR, which is listed on My Apps page.
If you are new to HDR, check out the HDR programs I use on my Save on Plug-ins page.
Explore the light,
Rick
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Glenn Taylor and I have a few spots open on our February 28 - March 2, 2013 Atlanta, GA workshop. Here Glenn offers some tips on how he got the shots at our shooting locations.
Info on the workshop is on my Workshops page.
Before Glenn gets going, here's some cool news!
The next two photographers who sign up for the workshop will receive:
• Lexar 32 GB Compact Flash Card
• Copy of my book, Exploring the Light
• My Rick Sammonisms t-shirt (L and XL only)
That's about a $200 value!
Simply sign up on my Workshops page and shoot me an email to tell me you signed up - to ensure your goodie bag.
If you already signed up, your goodie bag will be waiting for you in Atlanta!
* Originally, this said "the next five," but for photographers already signed up.
Take it away Glenn.
Model Shot
My niece was visiting Atlanta for the holidays and I was fortunate to have her model for me at the Rail Museum for some simple off-camera flash images with a nostalgic feel. This museum has some great vintage rail cars and buses that offer some amazing backgrounds to work with.
For this image we set up in the mail car exhibit. It has a nice warm tone with the canvas bags, wooden floors and tungsten lighting. It was very overcast and this car is located within a large shed, so there was no other light than the bare bulbs in the ceiling. I wanted to keep the background warm and rich while getting a little pop from the flash on the model to help her stand out from that background. My niece found the amazing chair in an adjacent rail car and we be both agreed it would make a great prop.
The lighting diagram shows the set-up using a Lastolite Ezybox 20” softbox on an extension pole held over my head as I knelt down with the camera to get an eye-to-eye level with the subject. The car is cramped inside and I wanted the light to reach down to her her boots. I elected to go with the softbox straight on, from over my head, to spread the light evenly and feather down to the floor.
The settings I used are listed here:
Camera: Canon 5D Mk II on manual setting
Lens: Canon 24-70mm L at 40mm
ISO: 800 (I opened this up to help bring up the ambient light in the car)
f 4.0 (to keep focus on the model and let the background be less distracting)
1/60 second exposure to keep the ambient opened up
Canon 580EXII hot shoe flash on manual at 1/8 power
1/4 CTO (color temperature orange) gel on flash to keep skin tones warm
Extended cord from camera hot shoe to trigger flash and control with camera
Okay, let's move on to HDR and details.
During our workshop we'll be shooting at two of my favorite locations to shoot HDR and detail images: The Southeast Railway Museum in Duluth, GA and Old Car City in White, GA. Both locations are a treasure trove of heavy metal grunge images. The colors, textures and little details are just amazing!
Sightseeing/cocktail car at the SE Railway Museum (opening image for this post). I can always picture a scene from Mad Men taking place right in this car. This is a 5 exposure HDR, merged in Photamatix Pro and finished in Lightroom - taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and Canon 24-70mm L series lens. This is shot wide (around 34mm) while mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a RRS ballhead.
Kitchen car at the SE Railway Museum. The patina of the metal surfaces adds interest to all the geometric shapes in the composition. This is a 5 exposure HDR, merged in Photamatix Pro and finished in Lightroom - taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and Canon 24-70mm L series lens. This is shot wide (24mm) while mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a RRS ballhead.
Old Car City
Old Car City is a similar location with a completely different set of subjects: classic cars that are weathered, rusty and full of character. Just like the trains at SE Railway, HDR and details are everywhere you look.
The “Office” at Old Car City. The texture around this part of the facility just jumps out at you. This is a 3 exposure HDR, merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro and finished in Lightroom - taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and Canon 24-70mm L series lens. This is shot wide (34mm) while mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a RRS ballhead.
Hood ornament detail at Old Car City. I shot this with backlighting from the morning sun that would emphasize the selective focus feature of the lens. This is a single exposure, processed in Lightroom, taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and Canon 90mm Tilt/Shift lens on a Gitzo tripod with a RRS ballhead.
Ladies in waiting at Old Car City. I liked the way this group looked like a beaten down car lot. This is a 3 exposure HDR, merged in Photomatix Pro and finished in Lightroom - taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and Canon 35mm lens. This is shot wide while mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a RRS ballhead.
Ford emblem fender detail at Old Car City. I captured this handheld at f2.8 to bring focus on just the emblem detail and let the rest of the fender fade into the background. This is a single exposure, processed in Lightroom, taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and Canon 35mm lens.
• • • • •
Thank you Glenn for a super post.
Glen and I hope to see you on our Atlanta HDR/Model shoot workshop. Again, info is on my Workshops page.
Explore the light,
Rick
I'm sure you'll be blown away by Chris Smith's images in this post. How he got here is kinda interesting.
Chris came to me for one of my "Tough Love" portfolio review session. The first thing I said to him was, "You don't need my tough love." Still, he wanted some advice so we proceeded with the session. After looking at a few of Chris' images, I invited him to be a guest blogger.
Enjoy. – Rick
First, let me thank Rick for having me as a guest blogger. Rick, “The Godfather of Photography,” has been an unknowing mentor to me through his podcasts and his blog throughout my photographic journey. The Digital Photography Experience with Juan Pons and Rick is absolutely the best photography podcast available. Thanks, Rick!
Five Myths of HDR
Photographers have strong opinions when it comes to High Dynamic Range photography. Here are five of the most prevalent HDR myths.
Myth #1: HDR takes an average image and turns it into a great image
If you want a stunning HDR image, you still need good lighting, composition, and a great subject. Don’t expect HDR software to work miracles on your mediocre images. HDR techniques are not a replacement for good photography.
Myth #2: You must combine multiple images to make an HDR image
HDR images are often made with a combination of multiple exposures. But you can pull so much data out of a RAW file with Lightroom 4 or Adobe Camera RAW that you truly are creating an image with high dynamic range. Try adjusting an image in these programs by lowering the highlights and increasing the shadows.This skyline image is from one RAW file edited in Lightroom 4 and Photoshop.
Myth #3: You need to be good at HDR software to make an amazing HDR image
When I create an HDR image, I usually use Photomatix or HDR Efex Pro 2 as my starting point. From here, I use Lightroom or Photoshop to selectively adjust levels, curves, saturation, and color balance. I spend 95% of my time editing an HDR image in non-HDR software.
Myth #4: A good HDR image must look realistic
When photographers first use HDR software they go too far overboard. Images look like they were taken on a different planet. Eventually, these photographers realize this and try doing everything they can to make their images look more natural and realistic. But don’t go too far the other way. The best HDR images have a touch of a surreal look to them. Find that sweet spot between otherworldly and completely realistic to get the most out of HDR.
Myth #5: People hate HDR
Many photography purists do not like HDR. But most non-photographers actually love HDR images. This includes people like magazine editors, advertising agencies and people that will buy your prints. Don’t let other photographers dissuade you from shooting HDR. Read Rick’s post, I Hate HDR?, http://www.ricksammon.info/2012/01/i-hate-hdr.html, for a great discussion on this topic.
Do you agree with these five myths? Are there some I missed? Add them to the list in the comments.
At my site, www.OutOfChicago.com I give advice for shooting in the city as well as general photography and HDR tips. Chicago may be the most photogenic city in the world and is one of the best places to practice HDR photography. Look me up next time you’re in town!
You can find the location of the images in this post here.
• • • • •
Thank you Chris for an awesome post.
Readers: My friend Glenn Taylor and I are teaching an HDR workshop in Atlanta, Georgia February 28 to March 1st. Click here to check out Glenn's cool HDR images, and to get info on our workshop. That's Glenn's image above. We'll shoot here on the workshop.
This post sponsored by Perfectly Clear - the coolest was to get super sharp pictures with low noise.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I have a lot of folks to thank . . . including my app developers. In celebration of the holidays, we are having some app sales:
27/4 Photo Buffet for the iPad - now $1.99. This all-in-one app with tons of tips that will make you make better pictures.
Social Media Marketing – now $4.99. My short course on how to build your business.
Also, two of my apps are free: Flying Flowers and Big Cats!
All my apps are listed on My Apps page. Check 'em out and learn at your own pace.
Happy Holidays,
Rick
