St. Augustine, Fl Workshop: Making Pictures

Last night we made pictures - which is a lot more fun andmore creative than simply taking pictures.

For this image, we first envisioned the end-result, which is the key in making a picture.

Then we moved the saddle into position, arranged the cowboy boots, carefully posed the horse and rider in the pond (so we had a nice clean background) and then asked the rider to fix her hair and look toward the sun.

The next time you pick up your camera, think about making a picture rather than simply taking a picture.

I am doing another workshop (extended)  here in January 2010. Some of the same cool locations, some new ones, sunset cruise, HDR, more Photoshop stuff and lectures. Check the Events page of my site in about a month.

Saddle up for the fun, pardner!

Explore the Light,

Rick

St. Augustine, FL Workshop: HDR

We started off the day with HDR photography. Here is a cool shot by the MAC Group's Joe Brady. Nice work, Joe!

What's interesting about HDR is that once you get into it, you start seeing the world in HDR. How cool!

If you are not into HDR, check out the pluginexperience for some examples and discounts on HDR plug-ins and stand-along programs.

In HDR photography , it's important to see the light, as it is with all photography. Here's a quick video on seeing the light.

We have 30 people on this workshop ,which is a ton of fun! So much so that we are planning another workshop here for early next year. Hope you can join the fun.

Explore the Light,

Rick

Learn Lighting in Your Living Room & Shoot There, Too!

Learn Lighting in Your Living Room & Shoot There, Too!

Hey, who says you need fancy/expensive lighting gear to get great studio shots? Here is one example.

During my Hudson River Photography Workshops, we set up a Westcott Spidelite in a soft box and used a reflector to bounce some of the light from the Spiderlite back into the shadows on the subjct's face. 

That's our set-up (in my living room) on the left. On the right is an end-result shot (with the reflector moved just a bit), taken by workshop participant Captain Jack Leggett with his Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105mm IS lens.

Our model is the lovely Bella Paula. Vered Koshlano set up the light and brought the props.

For more than 100 lighting tips, check out my book (in the comfort of your living room), Studio and Location Lighting Secrets - which comes with a live-action bonus DVD on lighting (flash, reflector, diffuser, off-camera flash tips, etc.). Vered, by the way, is my co-author on the book. She is amazing. She is also featured on the DVD - and is a guest instructor at the Hudson River Photography Workshops.

The cover photo on the book was taken by the world-famous Eddie Tapp.

Explore the Light,

Rick

P.S. Don't know if you can tell from the behind-the-scene photo, but the soft box is NOT pointed at Paula.. it's feathered at an angle... the key to soft light :-)

Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #5: Surprise Photograph

We wrapped up Week II of the Hudson River Photography Workshops last night with a group slide show. Many wonderful images.

This photograph by Roger R. Chenault was among the hits of the show. It's a simple - yet very artistic - shot taken in a rain on a nearby pond.

Great work Roger - and thank you for inspiring me to try to take a similar picture . . . on a pond that I have passed almost every day for the past 25 years, sometimes in the rain.

Week II of the Workshops starts on Wednesday. Stay tuned for more great photographs and ideas.

If you plan to shoot in the rain, you need to protect your camera. A plastic bag or a shower cap can do the job. For more sophisticated rain shields, check out Outdoor Photo Gear.

For more on my workshops, see the Events page of my site.

Explore the Light,
Rick

Hudson River Photography Workshops Week II: Post #4: Selective Sharpening

Yesterday we had a great shoot at the Chuang Yen Monastery in Kent, NY. One of the things we talked about afterward was selectively sharpening an image, that is, you usually (but not always) want to sharpen only a part of an image, rather than the entire image.

The bottom image (one of my shots) needed to be sharpened globably - that is the entire image needed sharpening, because all RAW files need sharpening.

The top two images (left by Benjamin Todd and right by Roger R. Chenault) required selective sharpening - in this case, only subjects had to be sharpened, and not the background. Sharpening the soft background would have added noise and detracted from the sharpness of the subject.

In Photoshop, Convert for Smart Filters allows you to use a filter as you would an adjustment layer and a layer mask. How cool.

The coolest part of the top to photos, the Buddhist monk is Ven. Ji Ning, president of the Buddhist Association of America. I thought it was a chance encounter, but the monk told me that we met 2,000 year ago - after I asked him his name. The short encounter was a wonderful experience - for all of our workshop participants.

More great pictures to come from the participants.

Explore the light,
Rick