Bracketing Those Shots

Round Bales in the Field

Lately, I have changed my photography process. It started when I discovered that Magic Lantern was available for my Canon 60D. For those wondering what that is, think of a firmware add-on which extends the capabilities of your camera. Near and dear to my heart, it is open source software that the camera reads from the memory card as it starts up, so no concerns about "bricking" my camera ! More importantly, it has added a host of options that I am really starting to enjoy using.

The default Canon firmware has a setting called "Auto Bracket", which allows the photographer to set up a three-shot bracket around the optimal exposure, and the photographer then sets the number of EV (in 1/3 stop increments) between captures. With Magic Lantern, the photographer has a lot more control - either choosing how many shots in the bracket manually, or letting the software determine what it needs in-camera.

On the back end, Lightroom CC has the ability to take the bracketed shots and merge them into one, creating an HDR-style photograph without all of the weird side-effects. There is also a nifty function called "anti-ghosting" which will attempt to eliminate any elements that occur in one of the frames but not all of them - like a truck or bird passing through the frame !

So all the way through, my choices have encouraged me to create bracketed photos, which bring out an added feeling of depth and warmth. These various functions, when properly mixed, have made complex techniques very straight-forward, allowing me to concentrate on the composition more. And that I where I know I need to focus more of my attention !

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Staying Alert When Shooting

I went out on a shoot last night. There were a number of shots I have been meaning to take, but the conditions haven't bee favourable. This first one I have been I visioning for months. There's an on-ramp into Stoney Trail (Calgary's ring road) which has runoff basins on either side. They fill with the runoff from the highway, and the rainwater is meant to evaporate, but never seems to.

I like to shoot frames in triplets for HDR purposes. It actually achieves two purposes. The first frame is perfectly exposed. The second is 2/3 of a stop over, and the third is 4/3 of a stop over. This gives me the ability to bring up the dark & shadowy spots. Then after I apply the HDR process, I can always play with the exposure rate to get the mood I am looking for, without losing the details.

The challenge To shooting triplets at night is that you have to remember to be situationally-aware ! I was so concerned with getting the exposure correct, I failed to notice the traffic. The first exposure was about 4 seconds, the second about 6, and during the final 9 second exposure a pickup truck came racing through my shot !

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The Golden Hour

Pat bought some simple sunflowers for the table yesterday. As I was getting out of bed, and fumbling for my first coffee, I couldn't help but notice how beautifully the morning sun was coming in through the dining room window. So, after a quick caffeine break, I grabbed my camera.

The scene could be set in so many ways - I could've arranged the flowers & draped a sheet or towel to create a neutral background, so the flowers were the focal point. But I decided to do what I could in-camera. No tricks, just pure photography.

This is the first image I took. It is dark in all the wrong places, and it almost looks like the vase full of stems was the focal point. But this is how it looked when I noticed the warm vibrancy of the sunlight. And look at the shadows on the apples - I really love the sense of depth.

 

 

This is the same image, gently re-touched. I'm not a huge fan of overdoing post-processing. I believe that the best photos happen in the first 2" behind the camera - the photographer's eye.

The image I captured has been cropped to 16X9, because I love the feel of that aspect ratio. I brought the exposure up about 2/3 of a stop, and played a little with the blacks & whites.

Some may feel that the vase now looks blown out, and that is OK. I like how it looks. The apples still have a nice sense of depth, but more of their colours are showing.

I could have messed with the saturation of colours in the flowers & stems. I could have, but I didn't. They have wonderful tonality (really... I did just say that !) that also gives them depth.

Rule of thirds, golden ratio, bah ! A nice, simple capture of something that caught my eye first thing in the morning.

It truly was the "golden hour".

 

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Rush, Rush, Rush...

No, not the famous Canadian trio of Geddy Lee, Neil Peart & Alex Lifeson (although they are awesome !). Rushing is the bane of the amateur photographer ! In this day of digital photography, it is way too easy to hurry and not think about setting up your shot.

For example, look at these two photos:

This one has the white balance set for a sunny afternoon, about 5000 degrees Kelvin. See how yellow it looks ? I look like I have jaundice or something !

 

This photo has had the white balance corrected to indoor, flourescent lighting, about 3200 degrees Kelvin. Notice how it looks a quite a bit lighter, and more natural ?

 

 

 

 

 

In fact, both photos were taken with flash & a 1/2 Green gel to compensate for the lighting. But because I had the white balance set up wrong - because I was rushing - all the photos were like this. Thanks goodness it was an easy thing to correct in post-processing !

Note to self - Stop. Check EVERY setting before looking through the lens...

 

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My Photo Mojo

Sometimes I find myself feeling like I'm losing my creative mojo. I really caught the photography bug when I realized that it appealed to both the technical side of me as well as the "left brain" side. I follow a few photographers blogs and am slightly in awe of the many projects they undertake.

But lately, I seem to struggle with it. There is this whole notion of being able to "see the light" because after all, that's what photography really is, isn't it? I'm not sure what I can do about it. Most blogs remind me to shoot often, regardless of technique or style, just to keep the juices flowing.

So one of the things I have been doing is going through my photo catalog and comparing some of my older work to my more recent images. I definitely see a difference in the way I have approached post-processing, although I highly dislike the notion of "tweaking" my photographs. Sometimes it just can't be helped.

So I guess what I am trying to say here is that I am searching for my muse. As this blog progresses, you may see some odd photos, as I try to regain my Photo Mojo. Stay tuned...

 

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Project365 - Just Because...

Introduction

Every once in a while, I like to take photographs "just because". I don't always need to be experimenting with my gear, or trying to learn some kind of new technique. I love to photograph flowers - sue me ! I decided to change things up a bit this morning. Our dining room window had some beautiful light, and Pat's about-to-be-replaced bouquet of flowers were lapping up just that last little bit of sunshine. Most of the blooms were dead or dying, but this one orchid was hanging on for dear life !

The Setup
As always, I shot with my Canon 60D. To change things up a little, I mounted my Canon 17-40mm f/4 L wide-angle zoom lens. I shot handheld, as I like to get in nice and tight. At first, I was using a 12mm extension tube, but didn't get the results I had hoped for, so they were discarded pretty much as soon as I saw them ! Only the first photo below survived.

The Photos

Lessons Learned
None - I like lilies. Sometimes you just need to shoot for the joy of it. =D

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Project365 - Red Sky in Morning

Introduction

While I like learning new techniques, I am also learning to apply techniques I have learned in new and different ways. This helps me grow my "creative" side. So this morning, I was driving south to meet my friend for coffees. Along the way I spied this church which was lit up & backlit by the sunrise. While I liked the colours, I knew that I would struggle with the low light. High dynamic range to the rescue !

The Setup
Nothing especially difficult here - my Canon 60D with the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L lens, all riding atop the Manfrotto tripod for stability. I set up the bracketing function, to capture +/- 1.3 stops. This will give me the dark, medium & light frames required. The scene was still, and the shutter speed was slow (about 1.5 seconds), so no need for setting up the AI-Servo to take three pictures at a time.
The Photos

The "darker" photo, at -1.3 EV

The "medium" photo, at 0EV

The "lighter" photo, at +1.3 EV











Now you'd think why bother with the under and over exposed photos. Isn't the "normal" (0EV) picture going to look the same ? In fact, it does not. I must confess I did post-process the final image slightly, but merely to crop the image. Here is the final product:

Lessons Learned
As you can see, the blues & pinks in the sky are much more vibrant. So while HDR didn't do much for capturing highlights & lowlights - it is often used in scenes where there is lots of shadow - it certainly helped capture the brilliant hues in the early morning sky. Further, the accent lighting on the building seems to "pop" more, adding a bit of drama to the photograph.
All in, I think that was an excellent way to use the technique to capture the photo I wanted. I am pleased with the end-result.

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Project365 - Auto Strobism

Introduction

I have started following a blog which gives an introductory course to Strobism - the advanced use of various types of lights and light modifiers in photography. I started with a course called "Lighting 101". It is a fantastic resource for amateur photographers who want to sharpen their skills with lighting various situations.

In the course of my reading, I came across a challenging situation, in which the author was attempting to light a helicopter mid-flight ! While I haven't got a helicopter of my own to photograph, I thought I would attempt to duplicate the technique.
The Setup
My trusty Canon 60D was mated with the general-purpose Canon 24-105mm f/4 L lens & mounted on the Manfrotto tripod. The flash was mounted with the Cactus v5 remote trigger, so that it could be mounted off-camera.

This nifty little DIY mod is called a "lightbulb". The idea is that the sour cream container acts as a diffuser, and the light is thrown in all directions. In practice, it works very well, and I will likely keep this little mod in my kit.
























The Photos

Here is the basic setup: the "lightbulb" is placed inside the car between the front seats, and when triggered will light the car from inside. As you can see, I substituted Pat's car in the dark garage for the helicopter in the night sky.

This is a step towards the end product - you can see the desired effect. You can ALSO see the lightbulb peeking up above the dash !

I couldn't decide how to set up the shot with only one flash. So I also tried it in the back seat, to see how it looked. I don't like it as well, as the front seats are in deep shadow and you can't see anything but the silhouette of the fuzzy dice. In the perfect world, I'd like to shoot this with two flashes, one in the front, and one in the back.

Here is the final photograph, with the desired effect. Overall, I'm pleased with the effect, although one day I'll re-shoot it with a second flash.









Lessons Learned
Photography is really the craft of manipulating light. I thoroughly enjoyed this shoot, as it is an interesting & creative way to experiment with light. I might later try to reuse the technique, but with more light sources, and even models in the cabin.

Project365 - Get Out of the Way !

Introduction

While experimenting with Depth of Field, in a previous post, Pat suggested that using a fork on a plate might be a bit boring ! Instead, she handed me her David Yarmin ring to shoot. It's beautiful, to begin with, but has lots of interesting details - the facets of the stone, the twists in the ring itself, and the detail around the stone.

The Setup

Of course, the camera body was my Canon 60D, and I mounted it on a Manfrotto tripod. Next I mounted the Canon 40mm f/2.8 prime lens, and a 20mm extension tube because my subject was small, and wanted it to fill the frame. Next, I mounted my Canon 430EX II flash with the Cactus v5 triggers on a second tripod, and affixed a 8" snoot to focus the light very tightly. The flash was set to 1/64 power, and a 108mm beam.

The Photos

Oops ! See the orange tinge in the stone and the setting ? That's a reflection off of my t-shirt ! I only noticed it after I started processing the photos. This will never do...

 

 

This one is better. But if you look carefully at the bottom right of the stone, you can see my shadow outlined ! Sigh - another decent photo ruined by an accidental reflection. Next !

 

This picture is pleasing to the eye - no reflections, nice Depth of field, and an interesting composition. I also like how the facets of the cut stone show up, and the position of the flash helps draw out the detail of the mount.

 

 

 

Lessons Learned

As the first two photos illustrate, I must remember to get OUT of my own photos ! Being aware of one's surroundings, and how they might affect the photograph, are of paramount importance to the budding photographer.

 

Project365 - Landscape Photography

Introduction
I have a friend, Derrell, who is a very good photographer. What I like most is his work in landscapes. Being an avid hiker, Derrell spends a lot of time in the back-country of the Canadian Rockies. You can find some fabulous examples of his work here. Personally, I don't think I have the "eye" for it like he does, but I still try to make technically good and visually interesting photographs.
The Setup
We were driving up to Red Rock Canyon, about 18 miles outside of Las Vegas, and it seemed like it would be a straightforward shoot. I mean, it's not like the subject is going to move or run away, so I could take all the time I needed, right ? =D
Camera - my trusty Canon 60D, lens - my "general purpose" 24-105mm f/4 L series zoom
The Photos

The road to Red Rock Canyon appears desolate in this photo. In fact, I was lucky that there just happened to be no cars going past at this time. The road helped create leading lines to direct the viewers eye from the foreground to the back.

These are the famous red rocks the canyon is named for. I'm quite sure a quick Google search would illustrate a high level of iron oxide in the rocks.

The gradient lines of the landscape from near to far are what captured my eye in this and the preceding photograph. The desert gives way to the foothills, which in turn give way to the mountains before reaching for the bright blue sky. It was shot at f/22, all areas are equally in focus.


Lessons Learned
I need to spend more time on this particular form of photography. While I can compose nice photos and create technically "true" representations, I don't feel very excited about my abilities in this genre. Oh, and please remember to give Derell's Facebook site a "like" if you enjoyed his work.

Project365 - At the Game

Introduction

OK - let's try this again. I have recovered from the shock I had yesterday of discovering the forgotten last pictures of our Mother... I have always wanted to tackle the challenge of taking photos at the hockey games. Unfortunately, the Scotiabank Saddledome has a policy which prohibits "professional-looking" cameras. But not photography in general. If you use your phone's camera or your "point & shoot" camera, that's completely acceptable ! I know, right ? Bizarre...

So I took the "point & shoot" camera to the game, to see what I could capture. It's a Nikon Coolpix L122 - I don't understand the model numbers, but hey - It's a camera.

The Setup

Nothing to write home about... It's a Nikon Coolpix "point & shoot" camera. Everything is fully automated, with the exception of being able to disable the flash. It saves all images as JPEGs, so there's little opportunity for post-processing. It has a digital zoom feature, which allows it to get a little closer to the action, but it is slow to change.

The Photos

There is a significant delay between when I depressed the shutter, and when the photo was captured. I always felt like I was missing the shot - because I was !

I can't say that I am thrilled with the White Balance on this camera. Look how yellow the ice is ! Remember, the Saddledome has bright white phosphorous lighting. This should have been almost blindingly white.

Since the camera runs on a fully automatic setting, I was disappointed at how MUCH blur there was. Set manually, I would've had these at 1/500 of a second or faster. These were all shot at less that 1/80 ! No fast-action shooting here !

Overall, I was remarkably underwhelmed by this camera. Frankly, it makes me appreciate my DSLR a whole lot more. Perhaps that's WHY the Saddledome permits "point & shoot" photography - they know the photos will be Sh!t !

Lessons Learned

In photography, you truly do get what you pay for. Using a cheap "point & shoot" camera will get you mediocre photos. If you want better quality - you need to pay for it. Please note: this is NOT a comparison of Canon vs Nikon - that would be an unfair comparison. Both manufacturers build excellent DSLR cameras, which can produce some stunning images. This is merely an entry-level, consumer grade device. Which, when put in the hands of an advanced novice (me), fell way short of my expectations.

 

Project365 - Training to Use My Wide Angle Lens

Introduction

We spent the day in Cornwall, visiting family. Since I had an idea about shooting a vertorama (which I did in a previous post), I had mounted a wide-angle lens on my camera body. I thought it might make for some interesting perspective. In this shoot, we scouted around town, looking at the sights through a wide-angle lens !

The Setup

My faithful Canon 60D was mated with my Canon 17-40mm F/4L series lens. I shot handheld, with the white balance set for bright sunshine. Not wanting to blur my backgrounds, I shot at f/11. Then it was all about braving the cold and determining if I could operate the controls with my gloves on !

The Photos

There's an old electric locomotive set aside near where we were staying. I love the feeling of depth I get from shooting this photo wide.

It is remarkably easy to create leading lines - lines which draw the viewer through the photo - and the wide-angle lens helps make that experience even longer !

 

Another example of leading lines. You can't help but have your eye drawn along the horizontal crossbar to the barrel at the end. So the effect is to draw the viewer's eye from right to left throughout the photo.

Lessons Learned

While this was a straight-forward shoot, it taught me how to use leading lines to add a focal point to the photos. It helps draw in the viewer to better experience it.

 

Project365 - Vertoramas

Introduction

As always, I like to experiment with new techniques. We are in Cornwall, visiting family, and thought it would be great idea to get pictures of the bridge to the USA before it is pulled down. So, mixing technique with opportunity, I thought I'd see what I could capture.

A panorama photograph is typically created when the subject of the photograph is wider than the lens can capture in a single frame. Special software is used to stitch together two or more frames. A vertorama takes the landscape orientation & runs in portrait, top to bottom.
The challenge is having enough overlap between the photographs to be able to stitch them together into a single realistic image. There are also other challenges, usually related to light. As you pan across the image, the intensity of the light changes.
The Setup

Since I want to capture a lot of scenery, my trusty Canon 60D has my Canon 24-40mm f/4 wide-angle lens mounted on it. Since this is a really cold day - 18 degrees BELOW 0C ! - I think I'll give it a go without setting up my tripod. Equally, it is a very bright, sunny day - no need for secondary lighting.
The Photos
Creating a vertorama starts by taking a number of images vertically, such that about a third of the photos overlap each other. Then the photos are turned 90 degrees so the panorama software can stitch them.

The first photo, including a lot of the base. Many tutorials suggest that you start shooting with your toes in the image & work your way up !

Here, much of the original photo is still in view. I wanted to make sure there was lots of opportunities for the stitching software to find identical points.

Now we are starting to point upwards I would guess at about a 75 degree angle. For the entire shoot, my feet never moved. Nor did I change any camera settings.

This photo is looking almost vertical now.

I'm starting to lean over a little backwards - but my feet never moved ! :-P

In this, the final photo of the series, I am leaned way over backwards. Pat was quite sure I was going to fall over !





























So those are the raw photos. In the perfect world, I would have been tripod-mounted, with a rig which makes the tip of the lens the pivot-point. Given I am not expecting to become a professional vertoramist (I think I just made up a word !), I elected to forego such an expense, and thought I would try to shoot it handheld, and see what needs improvement. After all, this IS about learning and experimenting...

This is the output of the stitching program. As you can see, it stretched and turned some of the perspectives in the raw source photos, in order to align the reference points.

After cropping and straightening the output photo, I did a couple of quick touch ups. Finally, it was watermarked.














































Lessons Learned
In a future attempt, I'd like to shoot from the tripod. I think it would render a better product, especially in terms of the alignment of reference-points in the stitching software. Also, I would like to shoot a venue where I have more control over the lighting. As you can see, the sky in the final photo gets progressively darker as I shoot towards the sun.
I like this technique a lot. It is fun to shoot, and creates an interesting photo. Although I am starting to appreciate why most vertoramists shoot inside large buildings - like churches and railroad stations ! But that will be another day's shoot ...