ScanCafe Photo Contest 11/09: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define

Here is a favorite photo adage of mine: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define. That's a good adage to keep in mind when doing all types of photography - because we need to see the light!

This month's ScanCafe photo contest – the first you’ll see here on my blog – is about shadows. The assignment: try to create a portrait with beautiful shadows - or a beautiful shadow - on the subject's face.

The first place winner receives a $100 gift certificate from ScanCafe. The two runners up each receive a $50 gift certificate.

Email your entries (less than 2 MB) to: sammon@scancafe.com. Please include a brief description of your lighting set up - so others can learn.

Contest ends November 30, 2009. The winners will be announced and the image will be shared here on my blog on/about December 15th. Each month we will hold a different contest.

The contest is open to amateurs and pros, because. . . "Amateurs built the ARK, Professionals built the TITANIC."

For a quick lighting tip, click here. And for another, click here.

Good luck!

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. What? You are letting your old slides and prints sit in a box or drawer? Yank 'em out of there and get them scanned. Enjoy them as they are or play with them in the digital darkroom. Stay tuned for some of my scanned underwater images.

Learn About a Subject When Travelling

One of the real joys of travel photography is learning about other cultures and sharing that new world with others back home.

Here is a natural light portrait of a man I met in Alaska. He was giving a lecture on Alaska’s indigenous people. Most of the people who saw him simply snapped his picture and walked away. I took the time to find out a bit more about him. What I learned gives the photograph much more meaning to me, and to those who read about this native culture.

His American name is David Ramos and his native Alaskan name is Aaskuwat'eesh. He is Raven, of the Gineixkwaan clan of the Owl house. His owl headdress is made of abalone shells, ermine fur, rabbit fur and sea lion whiskers. To signify the Owl house, David is wearing a sewn beaded owl around his neck. He is also wearing a copper necklace. David’s clan is called the “Copper Digging Clan” because he comes from the Copper River. The clan used copper for money.

I took this picture in a bar on a cruise ship. By carefully framing David in front of a plant and a wooden wall, and by using a Canon 28-105mm zoom set at 100mm to slightly blur the background, and by placing David near a window for flattering side-lighting, I was able to create the effect that the picture was taken on location in a village, and not a on a ship with 2,000 passengers.

As a way of saying “thank you” for posing for my picture, I e-mailed the photograph to David, which he greatly appreciated. When you photograph a stranger, sending a photo to him or her is not only a nice gesture, it’s very important, especially if you promise to do so.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Enter Lightroom 3

Last week at our Hudson River Photography Workshops, Photoshop Lightroom 2 rocked the house.

This week, Adobe announced Photoshop Lightroom 3 BETA. Lots of cool features, as you'll see on the Adobe Labs site. For me, the best feature: Getting the best from ever shot.

I took this shot of the New Croton Dam last week on our Workshop with my Canon 5D Mark II. The fog was amazing. I had not seen it before - and I have lived here for 25 years. It was also snowing and freezing!

The dam was built in 1906, so I thought the Creative - Sepia preset in Lightroom was appropriate.

Tip: Take the color out of a scene, and you remove some of the reality. Remove some of the reality, and a picture becomes more artistic.

Download Lightroom 3 BETA.. and let the games begin! Great fun - and great creative enhancements await....

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Yes! The world famous Julieanne Kost (dressed in all black, of course) is here at the show talking about all the cool features of Lightroom 3.

That's a Dam Nice Photo!

Here's a dam nice photo by one of our Hudson River Photography Workshops participants, Bruce Himelman. I like the perspective, angle and color in the photograph.

Creating a sense of depth was one of the many topics we covered in the workshops. It's an effective technique for creating pictures that don't fall flat.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Stop and Smell the Roses - or Incense

Yikes! I just wrapped up four workshops in a row: three here in Croton and one in St. Augustine. I met some nice people and creative photographers. Now I know why they call them workshops.

Seriously, the workshops were all great fun! A Buddhist temple near my home was one of our shooting locations. I was so busy teaching that I did not have a chance to shoot. So yesterday, I went back, took some shots and mellowed out. Sometimes, it's good to stop and smell the roses - or incense.

Tip: Always look up, down and back. Look for creative angles. Try different lenses, such as a full-frame fish-eye on a full-frame image sensor camera. Also, try framing a subject with a subject.

Explore the Light,
Rick

HDR: Have it Your Way

Click to enlarge image.

Hey Gang!

After posting my guitar/piano HDR image here earlier this week, a photo buddy asked to see the original set of images - and asked to see how I'd create a more natural-looking image.

The image on the left (thanks to reader for correcting my L & R) is the middle shot from five exposures at, over and under 0 exposure compensation.

The middle shot (Photomatix only) is a more natural-looking image than the artist image on the right (Photomatix + Topaz Adjust).

When it comes to HDR, have it your way! Realistic or Artistic.

For more HDR info and a discount on the Photomatix, the HDR program I use, click here.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Rick @ Photo Plus Expo

I hope to see some of you at Photo Plus Expo in NY this week! It's a great learning experience. And great fun!

Here's my set schedule:

Thursday:
12 and 3 PM at the Lexar booth. HDR Photography

Friday:
11:15 AM with Jack Hollinsworth/others on Social Marketing (meeting room)
and
1 PM at Lexar booth: HDR Photography

Saturday:
2:30 PM at Lexar Booth: HDR Photography

3:30- 5:30 PM: Exploring The Light (meeting room)

You can also catch me from time to time at the Canon, Wiley, Smugmug, Lowepro and Westcott booths. Don't be shy about saying hi!

The parties at night? You bet!

Explore the light,
Rick