Context Lost

Taking close up photos of images is fun to do. You capture detail that might otherwise go unnoticed. Sometimes, though, you lose the context. That was the case with this photo.

These rams were grazing next to the ladies tee box on the 16th hole of the Palmer course. They didn't budge when we approached. My error was going for the close up, the ram detail without regard to where they were grazing. I was very focused on framing the shot. Nothing in the image allows the viewer to see the whole story. My error. My bad! I am reminded that it is important to consider context when snapping the image. Details of all type abound.

Another Type of Perspective

When taking touristy photos of famous places, buildings and structures, I have always sought to isolate that famous place. You know, wait for the moment when there are no tourists in the scene. On a recent trip to Paris, I found that impossible. It was so crowded that in most cases, I would still be waiting for that exact moment. I did make an important discovery though.

We were at Versailles and at the back of the property is the Petit Trianon, a home given to Marie Antoinette by her husband King Louis XVI. Much less crowded, I had a chance to take this image. I loved the scene with the tile floor leading into the frame and the door opened at the far end. I loved the light shining through and the repetition of the pillars.

Here is the same image with a person just entering the scene. There was a time when I would have discarded this image because I didn't know the person, I was just trying to capture the famous place, whatever... Not so now. To me, having the person in the image increases interest in a number of ways. It adds:

• motion
• gives perspective to the size of the building
• human interest

 

Here is another example from a shop window in Paris. I loved the colors of the shop (They sell the best macaroons in Paris!) but it was raining and I didn't want to stand there waiting for the people to pass, which would have been like NEVER.  So snap I did and look at this. Two girls sharing an umbrella peering into the shop. The other pedestrians are blurred because they were walking fast and I used a lower shutter speed. I love this image. 

So my lesson here is to capture people in the images, even if you don't know them. The result is a stronger human interest story.

Changing Perspective: Down Low Squared

Possibly hum-drum to some but I love these. I am jazzed by the short depth of  field, which I can control, the sharp focus in the middle, the absolute color blast in the background and the fact that the dark spoiled edges of some are not so noticeable.

I set my camera on the ground, after fiddling with the settings and just shot away. I varied the distance from the subject and the focal length on the lens. They are not perfect but yes I am intrigued and will try some more with a new subject. Fun!

A Change of Perspective

Do you always shoot from the same perspective. Would that be eye high? Try getting down low. Yeah lay down on the ground or set your camera down and press the shutter or better get a cordless shutter release and give this new perspective a go. You might just be surprised at the results.

Photoshop Workflows: Photo Filter

Sometimes you might forget to set the white balance on your camera according to the actual shooting conditions. You get really yellow or blue colorings in the image. Sometimes it's just that time of day. They call it golden light. It's right after sun rise and right before sun set. It can be beautiful and warm and all glowing.

This is Nick and Lynn in Europe. Too cute. I wasn't there so don't know the time of day but I am guessing it was in the golden light time frame since it is outdoors. Their skin tone has a yellow cast, which isn't too bad. There is a filter if you prefer it to be more skin colored. In Photoshop, Image>Adjustment>Photo Filter gives you a drop down menu. The first are golden colors which are useful when you have an image with a blue cast. But scroll down to the cooling filters and try one of the three. Just use your sense of correct to choose and manipulate the intensity of the filter with the slider. 

Here is my adjusted image. Still cute!!! Which do you prefer?

Photoshop Workflows: Levels

Photoshop is my first choice for post processing. It is so feature rich that after 10 years I am admittedly still learning this software. I started with PS Elements and it can amazingly do a lot. I migrated to Creative Suites at version 3 and now use 5.5. 

This post is about Levels adjustments, which is always my first step. 

I always begin with a levels check, no matter how the photo looks. Levels is in the Image pull down menu, Image>Adjustments>Levels. The short cut is Control L in windows and Command L on a Mac. It pulls up a histogram that basically indicates the Exposure adequacy.

Here is an example of an image:

and it's Levels histogram

A perfect histogram would be a bell shaped curve with the most data (black) in the center. As you can see, this image has too much dark and not enough light hitting the surface. Moving the white slider, which is right above the number 255, to the left just to the point where the data is beginning to appear (black blob), will vastly improve the image. It has the effect of making everything lighter, both darks and lights. In this case I nudged the black slider as well and usually find that I need to nudge both.  Depending on how the photo looks after these adjustments, I sometimes need to move the middle one as well. The middle slider adjusts mid tones. If you make a photo too light, it often takes on a smoky look. This midtone slider will improve that.

Here is the histogram moves I made and the resulting image.  You can see the lights are brighter and the edges of the leaves become crisper, more defined against the dark background. If I had moved the white slider even more, I would have picked up some of the detail in the background but don't want that. It subtle and very natural looking but markedly improved IMO.

Still Some More Stories...

It's good and nice to capture how people live. 

an outdoor garden... 

the old horse barn... 

peaking in the porch window... 

I need to get going on my own place.