by successfulbob | infrared photography, landscape photography, Lumix G6, Lumix Lounge
Infrared Photo – Sedona
Monsoon weather.
Clouds of all shapes and sizes dance and glide through the area on a regular basis.
Normally, mid-day is not the best time to be out photographing in full sun. With my Lumix G6 camera converted to infrared the middle of the day becomes a playground of absolutely beautiful high contrast. I love this look and the possibilities it brings.
Infrared black & white image Village of Oak Creek, Sedona, Arizona
The camera was converted to infrared by LifePixel. It took a slightly older camera and gave me a new look for images in my photography life. The way I capture is in RAW plus jpeg and bracketing by three stops. For this image, I processed the three jpegs and layered them together using the information from each using Masks in Photoshop. I took the layer showing the highlights and moved it into NIK Color FX Pro 4* and added a Glamour Glow Filter to get the “IR Glow.”
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
* You can download the entire series of NIK filters at no charge. Go get ‘um. There probably won’t be any updates but they are an incredible set of tools for use right now.
PS – I expanded upon this blog with more information on ‘Working a Scene-Multiple Compositions’ on the LifePixel site.
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by successfulbob | bird photography, black & white, fine art photography, imaging competition, photography, photography competition, photography creativity, wildlife photography
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” – 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” – 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” – 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” – 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
by successfulbob | black & white, infrared photography, landscape photography, people photography, photography education
Infrared Photography – Some Members
of Infamous Mopar AZ Chapter Car Club in Sedona
You never know who you might run into when you are out photographing clouds. While I was catching some infrared photos at Bell Rock Vista in the Village of Oak Creek in Sedona, three pretty cool cars started backing into spaces right behind me. When I realized they were lining up to take photos of their cars I moved out of their frame.
We started to chat, and it turns out we have a lot in common. They are members of the Infamous AZ Chapter Mopar Car Club, and I once had a cat I named Mopar because of the way she purred. OK, I have a weird sense of humor, but you get used to it I think. I believe all people are connected in one way or another.
Since the cars were lined up, I captured some photos with my infrared set-up. (see this post on processing infrared files from this session)
Here are a couple of captures.
Three couples from the INfamous Mopar AZ Chapter
The three couples I met while photographing with my infrared Lumix G6 camera at Bell Rock Vista. This image was processed in the same way as was described in the other post.
Cars from the Infamous Mopar Car Club AZ Chapter in front of Courthouse Butte in the VOC, Sedona
Straight out of Camera (SOOC)
This image was processed in a different manner from the on above. I started with the RAW file. In infrared converted cameras, the RAW image will have a severe magenta cast.
ACR Palette with settings
First stop was into Adobe Camera RAW for initial processing. Settings were to move the Temperature Slider all the way to Blue. The Tint Slider all the way to Green. Exposure boosted 1/3 stop. Contrast increased. Highlights were lowered, and Shadows raised. Whites bumped up a bit, and Blacks brought down. A small amount of Clarity was added, and Vibrance was lowered. 
Adobe Photoshop Layers Palette
The Background Layer shows how the image comes out of Adobe Camera RAW with the processing shown. It is quite a Sepia tone which cold be OK but not the look for which I was going Above that is a Black & White Adjustment Layer. Next up, is the Layer generated by a trip to NIK Silver FX Pro 2. (available free of charge from Google) It created the full black & white conversion. I added some structure, grain, and controlled the intensity of the black and white. There’s a Layer Mask to allow some of the original image to show through without the processing from NIK. Above that is a Layer in Soft Light Mode for dodging and burning. The top Layer is a Curves Layer to allow some selective lightening of the image to bring some extra attention to the cars.
I think these infrared images would look great printed on metal.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | architectural photography, black & white, Lumix GX8, photography, photography creativity, photography gear
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 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)
Original capture
Images captured with Lumix GX8 with 14-140mm f3.5-5.8 lens
Portals within portals within portals add depth and dimension to an image
Original 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
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by successfulbob | black & white, people photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Helmut Newton
What is your job as a photographer?
If portraiture is your genre then showing people at their best is your work. That means you need to be very good at lighting the form to flatter, right? It means being great at photoshop and retouching is an important part of your work, correct? Having the right equipment and knowing the proper settings, that must be most important, right?
While all of the things listed above have merit and are part of the equation. I think if you have Mr. Newton’s quote in mind as the main part of the job then you are probably doing pretty well.
“My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.” – Helmut Newton
I’ve found in the past that if I don’t connect with my subject the final portrait is usually less than stellar. It was when I found this quote from Helmut that I found the words for what my true job is as a portrait photographer. Sometimes just having the words makes all the difference in a career.
I find that it can be interesting to find out about the lives of those photographers that have come before and inspire. Helmut led a VERY interesting life. Born in Berlin, and forced out of Germany to Australia, then spending time in Paris, London, Monte Carlo, and in the United States iPasadenana, California.
© On Gallery Helmut Newton
Check out some imagery* from Newton. He made some very powerful portraits. While don’t suggest that your images move in the sexually charged direction that much of Newton’s work entailed, you can learn a lot for his lighting patterns and the connection he made with his subjects, You know that people are comfortable in front of his lens.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
* Caution: If you are offended by the human form, AKA nudity, you won’t want to follow this link.
