by successfulbob | black & white, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, people photography, photography education, photography gear, photography software, photoshop tutorial
I’m working on a video for a future seminar being hosted by the Arizona Professional Photographers Association (AZPPA) in the fall and here is an image of one of the character actors expected to join us in a western setting. Steve AKA the ‘Sheriff’ is a pleasure to work with as are all the people who will be dressed in period costumes at the event.
‘Sheriff’ Steve in costume.
Steve was captured with the Lumix GH4 and the 35-100mm f2.8 Lumix Vario Lens. Natural light from a somewhat overcast but bright day coming through a doorway camera right and behind Steve so I could shoot into the shadow side of his face to add depth, dimension and drama to his features.1/15th sec f3.2 ISO 1600 in Aperture Priority with a slight bump in Exposure Compensation to open shadows just a bit.
Post processing often plays into the creation of my images. As Ansel Adams proclaimed, “The negative is comparable to the composer’s score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways.” So here is the original digital capture with no adjustments.
Straight Out of Camera (SOOC)
Top Image was processed in Silver FX Pro 2 to convert to Black and White.
Then some small retouching moves, mostly dodging and burning to control the contrast of the scene.
NIK Color FX Pro 4 Bleach Bypass Filter. Used a Layer Mask to bring back some detail that got whacked.
Back into NIK Color FX Pro 4 to use the Tonal Contrast Filter to highlight details and bump contrast.Layer Mask to control specific areas.
Added a Soft vingette.
Soft Light Blend Mode Layer added to retouch and add extra life to his eyes.
Then a conversion to Sepia Tone using a Hue Saturation Adjustment Layer with the settings Hue 30 Saturation 10 Lightness 0 and Colorize checked. (Got this recipe, or something very similar, about 15 years ago from longtime photographer friend Tom Cheswick)
Link to NIK Plugins
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | landscape photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, panorama, photography, photography education, photography gear
Sometimes you just want more pixels in an image.
Do you have to buy a new more expensive camera? Nope. You just have to learn how to sew… I mean stitch.
Basically even with the 16MP micro 4/3rds chip we are working with in the Lumix line of cameras we have multi-megapixel (like 100MP plus) cameras in our hands if we take multiple images and overlap them. Here is an example.
This is 13 images overlapped with the camera held in the vertical orientation. This file comes in at 385MB after processing in Photoshop.
I could easily print this image 26 inches by 158 inches. That’s about 2 feet by 13 feet!
Here’s another version with 2 rows of 10 images overlapped with camera held in vertical orientation. This file is almost 400MB after processing. Could easily be printed to 3 feet by 10 feet…
This technique can be used with large group portraits, architecture and any stationary subjects.
Images were captured with the Lumix GH4 and the Lumix Vario 35-100mm f2.8 lens at ISO 200 f10 1/320th sec. The built in level on the GH4 helps to keep the horizon straight during this hand held capture to make the panorama stitching easier in the software. My overlap of individual images is about 30%. Any less than that and you’ll tend to find stitching errors in the final image.
So you’ve heard the expression “Go big or go home!” Now you can with whatever gear you are working with….
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – using links on this site to make your gear purchases help to support this web site and the education being shared. Thanks in advance!
by successfulbob | landscape photography, lighting, Lumix FZ 1000, Lumix Lounge, photography education, photography gear
They say the camera you have with you is the best camera. I’m a big believer!
How many times have you been out and about and left your gear at home because it would be too bulky or a PIA to have with you? Since joining with Panasonic as a Lumix Luminary I have had access to a number of cameras, all of them smaller and lighter than my former DSLR kit. As a result I almost always have a camera on hand and less of those found moments are getting away from me.
I was giving a workshop and stepped out to go to the rest room and saw this scene unfolding in front of me. I dashed back and grabbed the Lumix FZ – 1000 because of it’s 400mm reach and was able to grab these two images of the red rocks of Sedona being lit in front of some storm clouds.
The camera allows for up to a 7 stop bracket. In this case I bracketed 5 stops at one stop intervals and processed in PhotoMatix Pro 5. This kept the rocks being lit by the sun from being blown out against the dark background of the sky.
Don’t forget to ‘Work the Scene’ when you come across different photo ops. Shoot as a horizontal, vertical, zoom in, try different crops. I didn’t have much time to do this but at least I captured 3 different renditions of the scene.
The Lumix FZ 1000 is often the camera I am grabbing to have with me all the time. 25-400mm f2.8-4 all in a body unit that weighs about 2 and a half pounds. Sweet!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Please remember that if you use the links from this web site to make your purchases it helps support the education provided on Successful-Photographer.
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
It’s been a busy weekend of teaching, Gave a lighting class to Arizona Professional Photographers Association, and presenting a Keynote for the Sedona PhotoFest and I’m getting ready for a two day Workshop today and tomorrow so this Sunday Photo/Art quote is a day behind. My apologies… and have a happy Monday.
Today’s quote fits right in with a lot of the things I have been teaching this weekend. I suggest that practice and playing are two of the main ingredients for successful image creation. If we don’t play we won’t discover new things that I like to call ‘happy accidents’. Without ‘happy accidents’ we are basically repeating what we KNOW will be OK with our clients. And consistent and constant practice allows us to master our skills so that the technical side doesn’t get in the way of our creativity.
If you don’t do it, you don’t know what might happen.” Harry Callahan
To recap. Play! when you have your camera out or are messing about in Photoshop say to yourself, “What if i pushed this button instead of that one?” Then do it. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you are not making mistakes you are not stretching to your full creative capabilities.
I’m reminded of this side quote, “There’s a very fine line between a groove and a rut; a fine line between eccentrics and people who are just plain nuts.” Christine Lavin
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – I like to think that I fall on the eccentric side vs just plain nuts but I’ll leave that for you to decide!
by successfulbob | photography education, success education
Got a burning business question?
Need help with Photoshop or an art project?
Just want to run some photo ideas by me?
It’s time to help support NILMDTS and yourself at the same time. There’s an online fundraising auction and there’s a bunch of photography stuff up for grabs including 2 different 2 hour coaching sessions with me. You can use the sessions to ask about business advice, get some one on one coaching in Photoshop or any other photography related session. These sessions are 1hour long but you get two of them. Normally $125 per hour but bidding starts at $100 for the package. If you wanted to try me out at a discount there’s a great chance for you. Click here to get to the photography items up for auction.
Here’s a screen grab from the auction. I’m donating my time. You’ll get a deal. NILMDTS gets the money. Win, Win, Win!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography education, photography seminar
Lots happening photographically in education this week in Sedona. It’s the Sedona Arts Center PhotoFest.
Two free education days surrounded by workshops and seminars by some wonderful photographers. I’m presenting a Keynote along with a two day workshop on my Photo-Synthesis techniques to create painterly type images from your photographs. It’s not too late to sign up…
Sedona Arts Center Photofest – including yours truly
Program Sponsored in part by LUMIX
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography education, photography gear
Since I am traveling so much and I got tired of switching out my Wacom tablet between my desktop and my laptop I needed to get a second tablet. So I ordered one from Amazon and it arrived today.
One word.
SWEET!
This tablet is small and portable for travel and staying hooked up to my laptop. But here’s a bonus. The model I bought is like having a giant touch pad to boot. It has the gestures available for scrolling, resizing, zoom ,swipe images and such. It’s the Intuos Pen and Touch Small Tablet and only having it hooked up only for a few minutes and I love it! It has the 1024 pressure sensitivity.
Wacom Intuos Touch Tablet
If you use Photoshop a tablet is very important. Making selections with a track pad or a mouse can take you a lot more time and is not near as accurate as using a pen tool. The difference is akin to drawing with a rock or a pen and makes a huge difference. For under a hundred bucks I think this one is a great value. You can spend a bit less or a bunch more with the Bamboo or any of the other Wacom Products. I would only recommend spending more money if you would like a larger size or you are a graphic artist that needs the higher pressure sensitivity because you actually draw or use the airbrush…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
Today turned into a lazy Sunday with a little turn-over for a nap before getting out of bed. Then it was off to get some breakfast and the restaurant was a bit crowded with a waiting line. Fortunately, the grocery was next door making it convenient to gather the fixin’s for Eggs Florentine and Champagne Mimosas to have brunch at home prepared by my wonderful wife Holly. That was followed by a couple movies on Netflix and the purchase of the New Your Times Sunday newspaper which I will retire too for the rest of this day after I finish this post.
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes in the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” John Lubbock
John was not an artist per but a very intelligent naturalist, banker, statesman and member of the British Parliament. He let no grass grow under his feet but knew enough when it was time to relax and recharge. As photographers and business people we can tend to let the business take complete control and forget to chill every now and then. Believe me when you take some time for yourself you come back rejuvenated and refreshed. Guess what? You also come back more creative.
Take some time.
Sit back.
Relax.
Come back refreshed.
I believe it’s time for me and the New York Times now, and then maybe a nap…. Bonus quote below.
“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” Ralph Marston
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | lighting, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, photography gear, photography lighting resources
I was called on to capture some in-situ art pieces. The mandate was to show the pottery as art but also in place as decor. Of course budget was a concern as is often the case in shoots like this. So in finding the quickest, easiest way to capture the scenes I came up with mounting the Lumix GH4 with the 12-35mm f2.8 Vario lens on a tripod and using the Fiilex P-100 AKA ‘The Brick’ to light small portions of the scene and blend them together in post to gently highlight the pieces without overwhelming the scene…
Four exposures blended together to help light the subjects (pottery) keeping the ambiance of the scene.
Just a kiss of light brightens up the subject nicely…
The really nice part of the Brick is the ability to change the intensity of the light and the color temperature to add just a kiss of light where you need it. Here’s the description of the light from the Fiilex web site….
“The highly compact Fiilex P-100 is the most versatile solution for someone who is constantly on the move and lighting in unconventional locations. Fully dimmable and color-tunable to match daylight or tungsten, this brilliant LED features a spot-to-flood lens and runs off an integrated Li-ion battery. Easily modifiable, “The Brick” puts out 100W of high CRI (>90) light that can serve as either key or fill and will translate all your colors precisely. Revolutionize the way you light with the P100’s flat form factor – place it on almost any surface, mount it on your camera, use it in a three-point set, or simply hold it in your hand. With no bulbs to break and no cords to plug in, go anywhere knowing that you’ll be able to light your shots quickly and beautifully.”
P-100 LED Light from Fiilex. A little smaller than a standard building brick.
I’m enjoying the possibilities while working with LED light and seeing the results of color temperature changes immediately. Often when working on location mixed color from windows, incandescent and florescent lighting can be a problem to match without overpowering the scene.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, marketing, photography education
If you are a photographer trying to sell your artwork and use Fine Art America to sell or want to sell your artwork I’ve got some information that will be extremely helpful for you if you aren’t already aware…
Fine Art America has a wonderful system that allows you to display your images in galleries, as individual pieces and even more important show what your images would look like in various treatments like framed, framed and matted, on canvas, as gallery wrap, acrylics, cards etc. You can keyword your entries and of course they have the shopping cart and fulfillment of your orders. If you were to try and build this kind of web site for yourself as a stand alone I would think it would be around $10,000 if not more. A bit out of reach for the average artist photographer. The problem is you are lumped in with over 100,000 artists selling their work. If you drive traffic to this site you are also competing with all these other artists whose pricing may be quite a bit less than yours…
My personal page on Fine Art America. Note the branding is for Bob Coates Photography not FAA.
You can have all the features available at Fine Art America in your own PERSONAL web space. Why is this important? If you drive traffic to your personal FAA web page ONLY YOUR IMAGES are available. For example, when you do a search for black and white images or use the navigation search bars on the side on my FAA site see the different results below.
Search window for Black and White images http://1-bob-coates.artistwebsites.com Note branding & all images are from Bob Coates Photography
Result from search on main FAA web site page. Note branding and results are from everyone on FAA.
As you can see Fine Art American now has the ability to allow you to have your own personal web space so when you drive traffic to the site it is to see your, and only your images. This takes away a problem I had with Fine Art America in the past. Here is the Admin page and the place to set up your own web site within FAA. You will still be seen on the main side with searches but people who come to this particular address where you have driven traffic will be your alone.
Look for the ‘Your Own Website’ option in your FAA Admin page.
Here is the text from Your Own Website.
1-bob-coates.artistwebsites.com
This is your very own website. Take a look! It’s an extremely powerful promotional tool for your artwork. You’ve got all of the features of Fine Art America packed into your very own, fully-customizable website. You can login to your website here using your Fine Art America username and password.
Happy promoting and selling!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
