lets talk panoramic photography part 2

lets talk panoramic photography part 2

Let’s Talk Panoramic Photography – Part 2

In looking through my files for some examples of in-camera panoramic photos I came across some more examples I wanted to share. I feel the format adds another arrow to the creativity quiver. Here’s a few made with the Lumix GX7.

lumix gx7 2013 panorama photoOutside Salt Lake City – Panorama format is perfect for telling the dramatic landscape story.

utah panorama photoAnother from the Salt Lake City Trip.

guardsmans pass panoramicA different way to share a scene.

As I was going through my photos, I realized I didn’t share a slightly different idea to leverage the in-camera panorama feature. Sometimes the resulting photo just doesn’t quite cut it as far as capturing the scene. Or you want a file that will have a different aspect ratio but is still a panoramic image. Or, you need more pixels but don’t have time to create a full set of images for future stitching. So here’s two rows followed by the final.

panorama stripShowing the dome.p1060488_600pShowing the base.

stitched panorama salt lake cityHere’s the final with the two stitched in-camera panorama images using Adobe Photoshop.

red butte arboretumFrom the Red Butte Arboretum in Salt Lake City.

red butte arboretum panorama photoOne more.

Think about the ways you can use the panorama feature. I don’t have one at my fingertips, but you can also make the panorama vertical.

Yours in creative Photography,      Bob

 

wandering scottsdale

wandering scottsdale

Wandering – Scottsdale, Arizona

Today is the start of a new feature here on the Successful-Photographer blog. Wandering will have images from a walk around a place with no other objective than to see what images might be gathered. Wandering is a way to keep your eye sharp and experiment with new ideas or test out new gear.

The first stop on the SP wandering tour is Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona. Scottsdale is a high-end community with lots of art galleries and interesting new architecture mixed with buildings built in the ’20’s. I was down in the Valley of the Sun for meetings that started in early morning and stretched into the night with some downtime in the middle of the day. With full sun basting the town I thought it would be fun to put the infrared camera through some paces. For convenience, I mounted the 14-140mm (28-280mm full frame equivalent) on the LifePixel converted IR and set off to see what I could capture.

coates image scottsdaleFountain on the central circle.

image infraredWorking on the sign under the palms.

infrared photoGlowing palms against the modern architecture.

love is blackboard infrared‘Love is…’ bulletin-blackboard outside a restaurant. Even though there was no full sun the infrared capture renders this scene with lots of contrast.

nordstroms infrared photo scottsdaleNordstroms tower architectural detail.

Always having a camera with you allows you to take downtime and turn it into a learning experience. With the light weight and quality of the micro four thirds cameras, it’s easier than ever to always have a reliable capture device with you.

It’s a great time to be a photographic artist.

Yours in creative Photography,     Bob

 

 

 

 

international photographic competition – pt 4

international photographic competition – pt 4

International Photographic Competition – Part 4

Change is in the air!

Due to a change in this year’s judging procedure, I can share my Loan Collection images from the International Photographic Competition (IPC) put on by Professional Photographers of America (PPA). The PPA Loan Collection is judged after a picture has earned a Merit, which is defined as an above average image by an above average photographer. Loan Collection images are considered among the ‘Best of the Best.’

And here we go. I’ll comment under each image for what I was trying to accomplish.

going up elevator photograph by coates“Going Up” – A study in perspective. Trying to make an everyday object into an art piece. I do this in practice for my commercial and architectural clients.

dance of the snowy egret“Dance of the Snowy Egret” – This was me on vacation. I was studying this snowy egret tracking down its meals in the marsh. I noticed some patterns as I watched its behavior. This image began to form in my head. The Master Artist category is judged on the final output. Also, the difficulty and expertise in applying the techniques is a major part of whether an image is accepted.

shape form tone photo by bob coates“Shape Form Tone” – Made in Atlanta while I was a PPA headquarters for a meeting. We were on break, and I had brought a camera with me and saw this view out the window. Again, working on perfecting my craft by creating depth and dimension in my work.

iris graphic design by coates“Iris” – This was a design I created for a silk scarf. (my clothing designs are available at SHOP VIDA) Depth and dimension are critical to adding life to a two-dimensional surface. Shadows are essential in making that happen.

There you have it. My photographic and design work in the 2016 PPA Loan Collection as judged by Professional Photographers of America.

Yours in Creative Photography,       Bob

black & white photography

black & white photography

Processing Black & White Photography

Ansel said it.

He likened great photography to a concert. The Print is the performance. The capture is merely the score.

OK. Maybe I paraphrased a little bit but the idea is there. And the word ‘merely’ is undercutting the value of the capture. But, by virtue of the camera only having one opening it can only see so much density in a single exposure. How we process the image is a huge part of the success or failure of the photo.

We now have some technological advantages over Adams with software that allows up to combine multiple images t different exposures to expand the amount of information we can have in a single file. We can build up density and exposure in a picture without resorting to chemistry changes as Adams did. In addition to Curves and Levels, we now have the ability to add luminance masks to target very specific tones within the photo. Sharpening can be selectively applied throughout the image to help move a viewer’s attention through the image. And more. We are in a golden age of photography should we choose to follow the possibilities.

I was attending a little courtyard guitar concert at Tlaqapaque in Sedona and just happened to have a camera with me. (imagine that!) Here are a couple grabs where the image definitely has more power in black and white.

tlaqapaque wall and vine photoTlaqapaque detail. Mexican shopping Village in Sedona, AZ
Images processed in Adobe Camera RAW & Nik Silver FX Pro 2 (You can get this software plugin for free)

color tlaqapaque imageOriginal capture
Images captured with Lumix GX8 with 14-140mm f3.5-5.8 lens

tlaqapaque portalsPortals within portals within portals add depth and dimension to an image

talqapaque portals color imageOriginal capture

I’ll be doing a more in-depth blog post on black and white processing on LifePixel’s website. You can look for it early next week.

Yours in Creative Photography,         Bob

 

Save

Save

advertising & marketing interior photos

Marketing & Advertising Photos – Interior

I’ve been photographing advertising and marketing images for Sound Bites Grill in Sedona for the last four years. It’s been great working with Steve & Michele. We’ve been collaborating since before the restaurant opened. They have just redone some decor adding to the collection of guitars displayed on the walls and they understand the need for keeping the imagery fresh and up-to-date.

I made these images with the Lumix GH4, some supplemental lighting and HDR captures. Images were completed using post production in Adobe Photoshop.

restaurant interior photo created with lumix gh4 restaurant interior photo created with lumix gh4 restaurant interior photo created with lumix gh4 restaurant interior photo created with lumix gh4

Different views of Sound Bites Grill interior advertising photos.

Yours in Creative Photography,      Bob