Day 3: 6 Days of Canon EOS 6D Images From Route 66

April 01, 2013

It's Day 3 in my blog series: 6 Days of Canon 6D Images from Route 66. Each day I will post a few of my favorite images along with some photography tips - from the "Mother Road." Hope you enjoy the "ride."

Location: Tucumcari, New Mexico.

This post is a bit different from my two previous posts in this series. Tonight – after a long day of driving, shooting, downloading, processing, blogging and posting on Google+ etc. – I'm focusing on making a picture. It's the image that opens this post, and it's one of my favorite images from the trip so far. The message here: take the time to make a picture.

I had the idea to make this image when we stopped in Tucumcari on the first full day of this road trip. On that first stop, I took some okay shots of the totally cool Blue Swallow Hotel sign, but I did not want to bother the owners with a request to make this image, which would have involved moving the car into the exact right position for the shot.

Well, upon returning to Tucumcari very early the next morning, specifically to make this image, I asked the owners of the Blue Swallow Hotel, Kevin and Nancy Mueller, If they could help me out. They said sure.

While I was sitting in in the driver's seat, steering, Kevin pushed the car into exactly right position. Talk about helping out a photographer! Kevin rocks!

I moved to the passenger side of the car. Crouching down, I shot, hand-held, with my Canon 14mm lens.

HDR was needed to capture the entire dynamic range of the scene. Above is the processed HDR image from the bracketed sequence below. I know the image looks flat. Read on.

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When I process my HDR images in an HDR program (Photomatix or Nik HDR Efex Pro), my goal is to create a digital HDR negative. After that, I go into Photohop or Lightroom to adjust, fine-tune and crop my image. I teach this kinda stuff on my workshops.

If you are interesting in learning more about composition and light, check out my on-line classes.

Hey, I know this all looks like fun. It is. However, we're working our butts off on this road trip – shooting, processing, posting, grabbing a bite to eat, and driving. It's not easy having fun. :-)

And speaking of driving and having fun, here's a shot of me with my trusty Canon 6D and our hot wheels for this awesome road trip. It's a Dodge Challenger RT - one of the cool cars in the Hertz Adrenaline Collection.

Here's a photo tip for the image above: Isolate the subject's head from the background.

If you are interested in buying a Canon 6D, check out Adorama. If you want to rent one, perhaps for a road trip, check out BorrowLenses.com.

All the gear I've packed for this trip is listed here.

Okay, it's time to get back on the road.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Want to join my 2014 Route 66 Photo Caravan/Workshop? Shoot me an email for info.

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Day 2: 6 Days of Canon EOS 6D Images from Route 66

March 31, 2013

It's Day 2 in my blog series: 6 Days of Canon EOS 6D Images from Route 66. Each day I will post a few of my favorite images along with some photography tips – from the "Mother Road." Hope you enjoy the "ride."

A general tip before we get going: Use plug-ins and image-editing software to remove some of the reality from a scene, as well as to create a mood. I used Nik's Snapseed to add a retro look to all these images. All my plug-ins are listed on my Save-on Plug-ins page.

Location: Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Opening image: Tucumcari Trading Post. Canon 17-40mm lens. HDR was needed because I was shooting into the sun, which is hidden behind the clouds. I created the image from seven bracketed exposures.

Tip: Use your camera like a spaceship. My camera, mounted on my Really Right Stuff tripod, my camera was positioned about a foot above my head for this shot. I used Live View on the Canon 6D to compose the shot.

Above: Tucumcari Trading Post. Canon 17-40mm lens.

Tip: Tell the whole story. Take close-up shots in addition to photographing the wide view.

Above: Best Mexican Food in Tucumcari? Maybe at one time. Canon 17-40mm lens.

Tip: Expose for the highlights and compose carefully. Watch the background, too. Learn about light and composition in my Kelby Training classes.

Above: Fast wireless and $23 bucks night. Color TV, too! What could be better? Canon 17-40mm lens.

Tip: The name of the game is to fill the frame. Hey, that composition rule worked for this image. But remember, negative space can be good, too.

Above: "You can trust your car . . . . " If you don't know that slogan, you are much younger than I am. Canon 17-40mm lens.

Tip: As you can see, I used one lens for all of the images in this post – even though I have several other lenses in my camera bag. The tip here: Keep it simple and have easy and fast access to your gear when you are on the move.

If you are interested in buying a Canon 6D, check out Adorama. If you want to rent one, perhaps for a road trip, check out BorrowLenses.com.

All the gear I've packed for this trip is listed here.

Okay, it's time to get back on the road.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Want to join my 2014 Route 66 Photo Caravan/Workshop? Shoot me an email for info. All my workshops are listed on the Workshop pages on the left.

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Day 1: 6 Days of Canon EOS 6D Images From Route 66

March 30, 2013

It's Day 1 in my blog series: 6 Days of Canon 6D Images from Route 66. Each day I will post a few of my favorite images along with some photography tips - from the "Mother Road." Hope you enjoy the "ride."

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Opening image: dining room, Route 66 Diner. Canon 14mm lens. HDR was needed due to the high contrast range. I created this image from seven bracketed images.

Tip: When the contrast range is high, shoot for HDR.

Above: counter: Route 66 Diner. Canon 17-40mm lens.

Tip: Shoot at an angle to create a sense of depth in an image.

Above: Robert Randazzo in his awesome Absolutely Neon store.

Tip: Put a person in a scene to add some personalty to the photograph. Also, shoot fast (which means being prepared). The last thing you want to do in a situation like this is to waste the subject's time. Thank you Robert for hanging out with us for a bit.

Above: Outside the Route 66 Diner. Canon 17-40mm lens.

Tip: Make pictures, just don't take pictures. These streaking taillights, coming in at an angle, are not there by accident. :-)

Above: Here's a shot of our hot wheels for this awesome road trip. It's a Dodge Challenger RT - one of the cool cars in the Hertz Adrenaline Collection.

Tip: Twilight is a great time to photograph city lights because you still have some light in the sky.

If you are interested in buying a Canon 6D, check out Adorama. If you want to rent one, perhaps for a road trip, check out BorrowLenses.com.

All the gear I've packed for this trip is listed here.

Okay, it's time to get back on the road.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Want to join my 2014 Route 66 Photo Caravan/Workshop? Shoot me an email for info.

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Expand Your Creative Vision with My New App: Rick Sammon’s 50+ Tips for Nik Color Efex Pro

March 25, 2013

My 11th app - for you - is here: "Rick Sammon’s 50+ Tips for Nik Color Efex Pro."

The app (like an interactive e-book) is actually three iPhone/iPad apps in one:
1) Illustrative app showing before-and-after examples of every filter in Nik Color Efex Pro. These examples can help you awaken the artist within;
2) An app with more than 50 photo tips - tips that can help make you a better photographer;
3) Wallpaper app with 50 photographs that can be used as wallpaper for your iPhone and iPad.

The app is on sale for $0.99 until May 1, 2013. After that the price goes to $1.99.

Click here to order and download the app from the App Store - and to get inspired with the creative effects offered in Nik Color Efex Pro. The app looks good on the iPhone, but looks great on the iPad.

I developed this text/photo app to show you the creative and corrective features of Nik Color Efex Pro, one of my favorite plug-ins. It is a how-to app illustrated with before-and-after examples for each filter - along with a description of each filter's effect. The app does not work like Snapseed, which is an image-editing app.

Whenever I give a seminar, I suggest that “Plug-ins help photographers awaken the artist within.” With this app, you are well on your way to creating artistic and creative images, with a few clicks of your mouse.

I partnered with app developer Keith Kolmos on this app. Keith and I also collaborated on my free wallpaper apps: "Big Cats" and "Butterfly Wonders," as well as "Rick Sammon’s Social Media Marketing for Photographers."

All my apps are listed on My Apps page. All are designed to make you a better photographer.

Explore the light,
Rick

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P.S. New news! The entire Nik Collection is now just $149.00 - or $126.65 with my discount.. See my plug-ins page for details.

Rick's List: Route 66 Gear Recos

March 24, 2013

My friend Glenn Taylor took this awsome shot on his RT 66 trip. I'll be there soon!

I'm packing up for my road trip next week: 6 Days of Canon 6D Images From Route 66. Stay tuned for posts here on my blog.

Here's the camera gear I'm packing. You'll notice that I am taking a bit of lighting equipment. Why? It's all about light.

Before we get going:
A) Here's a tip: Before a trip, lay out ALL the gear you plan to take well in advance of your departure date. Envision every possible photo situation and the gear you need to make the shots.
B) I borrowed the Canon 6D cameras from BorrowLenses.com. These guys are great, and rent just about everything you need to make great pictures. They even sent a "thank you" card (circled in the image below) along with my order. Renting, by the way, is a good technique to see if a camera, lens or accessory is just right for you.
C) Scroll down a bit to see more of Glenn's images.