Try This With Topaz

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"I don't like that picture. It looks more like a painting than photograph."

That's what someone said about the opening image for this post during one of my recent seminars.

Well, as my dad used to say, "To each his own."

But here's the deal: when you take out the sharpness of an image, you remove some of the reality. And when you remove some of the reality, a picture can look more artist and creative . . . like a painting.


Above is my original image. After using the Highlight/Shadow control in Photoshop, I used Toapz Adjust to remove the noise. However, I boosted the reduce noise sliders all the way . . . which soften the picture and created a painterly effect.

Try this techniue on some of your pictures. Some folks may say that they don't like them, but as my mother used to say, "Follow your heart."

You can save a bundle on a Topaz bundle on my Creative Plug-in page.

Listen to your parents,
Rick

Beautiful Morning in Bosque del Apache

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The Bosque del Apache workshop that I am co-leaing with Juan Pons and Chris Klaphke officially starts tonight. This morning we went on a scouting mission. Here are a few of my shots, along with some tips.

My gear: Canon EOS 7D and EOS 5D Mark II; Canon 100-400mm IS, Canon 400mm DO and Canon 24-105mm IS.

But first, if you are interested in our December 2012 Bosque del Apache workshop, shoot me an email.

Above: Get on site before sunrise. Expose for the highlights. Don't be afraid to boost your ISO; you can reduce the noise later in Lightroom or Photoshop.


Above: For dramatic blastoff shots, shoot with a 24-105mm lens. To add some color to the sky, use the User Defined Gradual Filter in Nik Color Efex Pro. To get a discount on Nik plug-ins, and to see what other plug-ins I use, click here.


Above:  Experiment with the placement of the horizon line in the frame. To enhance the color in a scene, try the Spicify filter in Topaz Adjust. Info on Topaz on my Creative Plug-ins page along with Nik info.


Look up and watch out for falling bird poop! Got me. Photo by Juan Pons.


Above: Speaking of looking up. . . .  Shoot straight up. Experiment with creative cropping in the digital darkroom. Usually, dead center is deadly. And, use AI Servo Focus to track birds in flight.


Above: Focus on the eye. If it's not well lit and in focus, you've missed the shot.

More shots to come.

For more photo tips, check out my apps.

Meeting the group in 1/2 hour. We will have a blast - even before the blastoff tomorrow morning.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Chis is our guest instructor. Check out his store for Outdoor Photo Gear.

Correct & Create With Plug-ins. Save a few bucks, too.

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Plug-ins for Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture can be used to add an artistic flair to images. The creative possibilities are endless. Above I used two filters in Nik Color Efex Pron 4 – Bi-Color User Defined and Image Borders – to create a more artistic rendition of the image below.

One of the cool things about Color Efex Pro 4 is that you can add filters. Try it, you'll like it.


Plug-ins can also be used for image correction. Below I used the Spificy filter in Topaz Adjust to open up the shadows, as well as to add some color to the sky.


Below is my original image. As you can see, the shadows are blocked up and the sky is dull.


To get a discount on all Nik products and to check Topaz and some of the other plug-ins I use, click here.

Explore the light,
Rick