My Mind’s Eye

My Mind’s Eye #11

Posted by Matthew Durr on June 8, 2013
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 comments

If you are unfamiliar with this continuing series, start HERE.

When shooting with modern camera sensors in RAW, the dynamic range captured at base ISO never ceases to amaze me. When properly exposed, the NEX-7 can reproduce 13.4 stops of dynamic range in a scene. This is right in the range of what the human eye can see in any given instance. Here’s the problem, a “properly exposed” image straight-out-of-camera will look something like this:

Doesn't seem like there's much dynamic range here at all...

Doesn’t seem like there’s much dynamic range here at all…

For those that shoot in RAW, they already know that files produced in post-processing seem to render very “flat”, compared to JPEGs of the same image. Intuitively, this makes sense, as the JPEG image has already been processed to some degree (depending on the shooting mode, such as Vivid, High-Contrast B&W, etc.), while the RAW file is essentially untouched sensor data.

To see improved image quality of RAW compared to JPEG, you HAVE to post-process to some degree. For most instances, all that is required is a bit of a contrast/saturation bump to give files a bit more punch. This sort of workflow can get pretty speedy with practice (I’ve gotten down to about 15 seconds per file). Where the true advantages of RAW lie are in drastic adjustment. Photographers are human after all. We sometimes over-/under-expose, completely miss white-balance, or even need to eek out more detail in a file that might not necessarily be there for a large print. Shooting in RAW and post-processing in an adequate program (Lightroom 4, Aperture 3, PhaseOne CaptureOne Pro 7, etc.) can mitigate all these problems with ease.

Another advantage of RAW that is being explored with high-dynamic-range cameras such as the NEX-7 in recent years is tone-mapping, sometimes erroneously called single-exposure HDR. By exposing for a “neutral shade” of a scene, where neither the shadows or highlights are too drastically under-/over-exposed (respectively), detail can be boosted and recovered with care. Depending on the intensity of  recovery, images processed this way can have that “HDR look” of multiple exposures combined together. The catch here is we’re working with only ONE exposure! No need to shoot on a tripod and carefully align images in post-processing!

Results using this method can be mixed all depending on the subject material, and single-exposure tone-mapping can NEVER replace true HDR and its inherent benefits (possibility for even more extended dynamic range, better finite control of tones, better detail at extremes of dynamic range). However, there are times when I couldn’t be happier working with only one exposure.

In this example, a few hours before sunset, I fully brought down the highlights and boosted the shadows, and added a graduated filter to the sky to increase contrast and clarity (this gave clouds more detail and showcased the crepuscular rays better). Some saturation and sharpness adjustments later, and this tone-mapped file was finished!

Dynamic Summer 35mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160

Dynamic Summer
35mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160

A shame that I couldn’t completely bring down the highlights in the sky (see areas of white clipping), but that didn’t do much to hurt the image’s overall aesthetic. The multi-layered clouds, dynamic lighting, and lush farm field more than make up for that. :)

That’s all for this brief adventure in post-processing, guys and gals. Thanks for dropping by!

About these ads

My Mind’s Eye #10

Posted by Matthew Durr on May 6, 2013
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 comments

If you are unfamiliar with this series, start HERE!

As I continue to try to find time to write the 85mm f/1.4 review, I came across one of the images that I was, at first, going to use for a test shot at small apertures. Much to my surprise, I’ve found that the 85mm maintains great sharpness even at f/11-16, which is fantastic when making landscapes that require both the foreground and background in focus.

On the photowalk I took with this lens and NEX-7 in hand, the moon was out early in a deep blue sky as the sun began to set for the night. This created a very interesting dynamic element that I could add to my photos that day. With the telephoto compression of an 85mm, objects close and far start to combine, and I used this to my advantage for more than a few shots. My experimentation was rewarded, though initially I could not see it through disappointment in this straight-out-of-camera shot:

Wait, I thought I mentioned there was a deep blue sky...right?

Wait, I thought I mentioned there was a deep blue sky…right?

Well…shoot. Digital cameras never seem to capture what the eye sees, especially when it comes to the sky. The problem with this photograph, however, is that my usual tricks to bring out deep blues in the sky (tinkering with saturation and vibrance) simply weren’t cutting it. Color would clip—that is, begin to splotch—before the deep blues came back into the image. Even adding global clarity wasn’t working, as the amount needed to adjust the sky completely changed the colors in the tin roof. So, what to do?

After my basic tonal curve adjustments I perform in most every photograph (exposure, shadows, highlights, etc.), I decided to give graduated filters a try as there are two distinct elements in this photograph: the sky and the tin roof. By adding a graduated filter that increased clarity and saturation selectively in the sky, and another that increased only contrast and clarity in the tin roof, I created a photograph that simultaneously displays the very different and dynamic elements exactly as I intended to be captured. The prominence of the moon, along with the deep color and wispy clouds of the sky, immediately contrasts with the rusting ventilation shaft and roof that cuts straight through the image.

I have a thing for odd symmetry and asymmetry, what can I say:

My Mind's Eye #10 After

Juxtaposition
85mm, ISO 100, f/11, 1/320

That’s all for this post guys and gals, thanks for dropping by!

My Mind’s Eye #9

Posted by Matthew Durr on April 22, 2013
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments

When it comes to post-processing, I like to stick to the basics. If I can’t make a photograph more aesthetically pleasing within a minute of dabbling in levels/white balance/spot removal adjustments in Lightroom 4, then I don’t see the merit in wasting time attempting to make a “good”photograph out of a”bad” one. In that same vein, I won’t even attempt to correct a photograph that I feel may take a lot of computer work (aside from critical portrait work on occasion); shame on me for not getting the majority of it right in-camera!

That said, this kind of light post-processing doesn’t usually find its way into the “My Mind’s Eye” series. In these posts—the few instances where I do take the time to show what my mind’s eye sees that a camera cannot immediately capture—it can be a refreshing change of pace to find that only a little PP work is all it takes to bring a photograph to life. Spring is in the air, and I’m catching up photographing all the flora that comes with the season:

Creamy, but dull

In this straight-out-of-camera shot, I like the creamy bokeh and contrasting blue against washes of green. However, everything is a bit flat–as is typical in unadjusted JPEGs of colorful scenes.

So, how much good can adjusting contrast and saturation do to this photograph? A lot, as it turns out!

The Little Ones 85mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/400

The Little Ones
85mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/400

Taken with the 85mm f/1.4 AI-s, I’m still in the middle of testing this fine telephoto, and also have more to share from some recent sporting events. Until then, thanks for dropping by, guys and gals!

My Mind’s Eye: #8

Posted by Matthew Durr on January 13, 2013
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

(If you are unfamiliar with this continuing series, please see this post first)

There’s a particular kind of photograph I have always wanted to make focusing on the importance of bokeh. I’m sure many of you are familiar with it, it’s the kind of shot that is completely out-of-focus, and the picture is of strands of small lights strung up along someplace like a fresco dining area. A few things have always prevented me from doing this. 1. Phones/P&S’s that I used to have with me couldn’t throw the background out-of-focus enough to get good bokeh. 2. The shots usually look best when taken at night to emphasize the balls of light—taking a picture at night with a P&S was never really an option anyway. 3. In my hometown, there aren’t any restaurants with this particular decor to shoot!

During my photowalk in the city a couple of days ago to get some great shots for the Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS review, I came across such a restaurant. They were closed (oddly, being a Friday night and all), but the light strands were still on and bright. The motivation for this shot also stemmed from one of the first few assignments I have for my photography class, to capture a scene completely out of focus. At first glance, I was pretty disappointed:

No wonder this shot didn't make it into the final review, it's just a bunch of boring strands with a crushed-dark background!

Straight out of camera, no wonder this shot didn’t make it into the final review. It’s just a bunch of boring strands with a crushed-dark background!

However! I remember seeing much more detail in the background when I captured the shot. Knowing the awesome dynamic range of the Sony NEX-7, I wondered how much I could push the exposure to bring out the shadows and darks in Lightroom 4. Much to my surprise, with exposure/white balance/saturation adjustments later, I realized I had captured a photograph that combined both circular and angular geometry with multiple splashes of color!

Contrasting Geometry35mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/15

Contrasting Geometry
35mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/15

Now that’s more like it. I need to remember to not be so hasty in dismissing my shots! It’s easy to forget how well Lightroom 4 can save an exposure—when shooting in RAW, you truly can “shoot first, expose later” to a certain extent. :)

That’s all for this quick post guys and gals. Thanks for dropping by!

My Mind’s Eye: #7

Posted by Matthew Durr on December 9, 2012
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 comments

The home stretch is now over. This coming week I go into full-on finals mode. With that comes the promise of few photographic opportunities. I do have one assignment that I look forward to taking and hopefully sharing with you all, though I have to keep my mouth shut on it for now. :)

But back to this post! I return to a familiar subject for manipulation today: cloud formations. It seems every time I look up in the sky, the combination of air and water vapor always manages to form different shapes and colors—no two days are alike. But as I’ve mentioned before, clouds can be extremely difficult to photograph properly. Usually when they fill the frame the end result is just a dull wish-washy mess with no sense of direction.

Just a bunch of grey...

Just a bunch of grey…

I know what I saw in this strange sunset cloud formation, forming a natural pattern in the sky. I envisioned a natural cotton blanket in the sky lit from below by the warm sun. Some contrast and saturation adjustments later…and…

Blanket in the Sky70mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/800

Blanket in the Sky
70mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/800

That’s it for this look into what my mind sees guys and gals, thanks for dropping by! I hope to have one more post this week before the series of steady posts returns for Christmas break (70-210mm f/4 and 50mm f/.95…I’m looking at you). Should be fun, and I can’t wait to get back into it!

My Mind’s Eye: #6

Posted by Matthew Durr on October 16, 2012
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments

If you are unfamiliar with this series, start HERE.

Old, dilapidated, and even dead trees can be an interesting subject for photography. The way mangled and broken-off branches appear in a picture evokes emotions, sometimes of despair or death. An old photograph I’m revisiting, this “before” was shot on a Nikon d40 with a 50mm f/2 AI wide open, at ISO 800 and 1/400 (at the time, I really didn’t know much about exposure, ISOs, sharpness, etc.):

My Mind's Eye #6 Before

This first snap has many things going against it. For one, the sky is completely blown out (since I foolishly exposed for the tree). Second, due to the aperture choice, detail is low. Finally, there is a lot of noise due to the high ISO (this is an OLD digital camera, ISO 800 is pretty high for it). Once I uploaded it to my computer (I was using iPhoto at the time), I instantly knew what I wanted to bring out of the picture: an artsy dark silhouette set against dynamic clouds in the background with a nice grain drawn-out from the large pixels of a 6 MP APS-C sensor. 10 minutes of tinkering with the sliders and histogram later, I ended up with this:

My Mind's Eye #6 After

I can’t really put a definitive title on this one, though I like both “Quoth the Raven” (since there’s a single, small bird on top of the tree) and “Climactic”, so we’ll just go with those two. :)

That’s all for this blast from the past guys and gals, thanks for dropping by. As always, have a great day! :D

My Mind’s Eye #5

Posted by Matthew Durr on October 1, 2012
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 comments

I haven’t done one of these posts in a while, partly due to the fact I have been too busy with classes and other photo assignments to really have a chance to be “artsy” in my photography. But, I ran into a peculiar subject recently which was almost begging me to give it a thorough post-processing treatment of how my mind’s eye visualized the scene. If you are unfamiliar with this series, see here for a history of these posts.

As a matter of personal principle, I tend to stay away from photographing and sharing “pet pictures”. You know the kind. Those little snaps of people’s cats and dogs which can fill up over half of all their online profiles. Those pictures which tend to have no artistic creativity. Those shots that, quite frankly, are boring to look at unless it’s your own pet (due to the almost familial connection you feel to it). But, like most rules, there tend to be exceptions. There’s a local stray cat that has called my university’s campus home for about half a year now. Some of the students have even named this little guy who still appears to be a growing adolescent feline. It’s extremely friendly, walking up to total strangers and sprawling out on concrete sidewalks, begging to be petted and admired.

That quality in particular makes it extremely easy to get a good close-up. In this unedited, straight-out-of-camera shot, I used the Sony NEX-7 with my 105mm f/1.8 AI-s at f/2.8, ISO 100, and 1/320 right at the close-focus distance of 1 meter.

Mind's Eye #5 Original

In all fairness, this original photo turned out pretty good, focus was nailed on the eyes, and the 3-D effect from shooting up close at the wide f/2.8 aperture works well. The low shutter speed due to shooting under shade didn’t result in any noticeable motion blur, and the framing is okay.

But, I wanted more. I’ve taken a liking to “HDR Portraits” recently, a style of photography which emphasizes every single detail of a subjects face through extreme contrast, extended dynamic range, and sharpness. In LR4, I do not have the capability to stack multiple exposures (which is a shame), but the “clarity” slider can sometimes be used to imitate the effect. Along with that slider, I wanted to bring out the vibrancy and saturation of the colors on the cat’s face. And to top it all off, I was compelled to strengthen the composition further with a square crop putting the top right eye smack-dab on two intersections of the rule-of-thirds grid (I also added a touch of vignette to emphasize this even more). The end result is a “pet picture” I’m pretty proud to share.

Mind's Eye #5 After

That’s all for this post guys and gals, thanks for dropping by, and as always, have a great day! :D

My Mind’s Eye: #4

Posted by Matthew Durr on August 17, 2012
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 comments

Clouds are infinitely interesting, yet hard-to-frame subjects in photographs. When observed from the ground floating around with all their randomness, the sight can be mesmerizing. The only problem is recreating the feeling in a photograph, specifically with straight frame lines in a box. The two elements don’t mix.

This problem then usually makes it easier to just treat clouds as part of the scenery rather than a subject such as in most landscapes (a fluffy-cloud sky is usually more appealing than a solid color sky). Thankfully, there are a few times, such as storms or sunsets, where clouds can still be captured front and center with all their power and beauty. Getting that effect straight out of a camera…

My Mind's Eye #4 Before

…can be very difficult to do, especially in adverse shooting conditions. I’d go as far to say this shot is just terrible as-is. No definition, no contrast, no POWER.

I know what I saw when I took this photograph. I saw a raging storm front on the approach, with lower-level clouds seeming to get sucked into the horizon. I visualized something of a super-shade over the water, a dominating force of nature clad in blue. This is what my mind’s eye saw:

Storm on the Beachfront

Storm on the Beachfront
105mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/800

Did I go a little overboard? Meh, maybe. But it’s my mind, it sees whatever it wants to. Besides, this would just look really cool printed on a poster. I am pretty tempted… :)

Take care guys and gals, thanks for dropping by!

My Mind’s Eye: #3

Posted by Matthew Durr on August 7, 2012
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments

Magic number three in a continuing journey of “true-to-mind” edits of photographs takes me to an old shot (a few months ago) of some moss near a riverbank. It was a bland day, overcast, misty, and chilly. Basically, not the best time to be out and about taking a lot of pictures. I didn’t care. My steadfast resolve led to this rather flat and lifeless original shot:

50mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/640

In real life, that’s about what this scene looked like. It lacked color, contrast, and “pop”.

So, about 10 minutes and some home-brewed tone-mapping later, this is what I had envisioned—a 3-D effect of sorts with the moss almost separating itself from the rock. I believe it worked:

Now that’s more like it

Anyway, it’s always fun to see just what you can pull out of a single exposure. I might have to see what I can do with HDR sometime. Photomatix, anyone? :)

Take care guys and gals, and as always, have a great day!

My Mind’s Eye: #2

Posted by Matthew Durr on July 29, 2012
Posted in: My Mind's Eye. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 comments

For my second entry in an ever-continuing series on what my mind sees in a photograph, rather than what the camera captures, I visualized something special in this “useless” out-of-focus and flat photograph of a stalk of grain:

The near-uniform background and lack of clarity made it perfect to turn into a watercolor painting. At least, to give it that effect after multiple edits:

A short post today, I know, and it has been a while since my last one. Rest assured, I have only been busy, but have many photos to share with you all (and am still working on the 300mm review). The above photographs were taken with a new (old) lens, the Nikon 105mm Micro-Nikkor f/2.8 AI-s.

It’s a killer optic. More to come from that later. :)

Thanks for dropping by guys and gals.