Goals

As I’ve said before I attend the Arcanum a master/cohort type of learning. This is a great learning experience with the master +Glenn Guy  and my fellow apprentices. I’m getting critique and tips on what to do to make it better, then I head out in the field trying the new ideas. Well this can get somewhat overwhelming, much to take in. 

The other day I saw a short film by +Peter Giordano  about some of the new feathers in the Arcanum and one in particular that caught my interest, about setting goals. You can tell your fellow apprentices your goal with a particular photo, like “my goal with this photo is for the viewer to feel a certain feeling” and so on. Or you can make bigger goals, like I want to improve my street photography.

I think it is essential to set goals in what ever you do, that you want to improve. So what do I want to improve? Everything? Yes maybe but that wouldn’t be productive it’s like not seeing the forest because of all the three type of thing. I might want to narrow it down a bit. 

Ok, I would like to be able to take killer black and white shots. Still quite a wide goal, black and white shots of what? People? Architectural? Cityscape? Macro? 

I would like to be able to take killer black and white landscape shots. Ok we’re getting there, but still to big I think. Vistas? Macro? Seascape? Mountain?

I would like to be able to take killer black and white landscape shots with the emphases on “less is more” where the composition is crucial. 

Aaaah nearly there, but if you set a goal how to know when you achieve it? You need to be able to measure it. And how to measure this goal? That depends on your self. I’m going to state the measure “sold at least 5 different fine-art prints”

There you go, my goal for the time being. Of course I keep on shooting HDR, color landscape, macro and so forth, but in the back of my head I have my goal and thinking about it when I’m location scouting.

You all have a great weekend

And lastly I know this isn't a black and white pic, but I like the road going up to "nothingness" with a lot of empty space.

The Arcanum

I've been in to The Arcanum for about 2 weeks and I got to say I love the experience. The whole idea is to use the old master - apprentice deal, and this works really good now that the world has become so small via social media. There are one master with 20 apprentice communicating though Google plus witch works pretty good, some minor hick-ups but you have to know that the project hasn't been out of beta state for more then about 3 - 4 weeks.
The key is to interact with the cohort, the more you put in the more you get in return. Not only with the master, but also with your fellow apprentices. I'm sure looking forward towards getting to know all people in the cohort via posts and hangouts etc.

I wish you all a great week.

This photo is one from my level 3 challenge.

Travel photography

Why not? Many photographers dream of this. To travel the world taking pictures for different magazines or travel agents. Who wouldn't want to go to the Bahamas taking photographs of the beautiful beaches?

But, then it wouldn't be a vacation. It would be your job with all that comes with it like deadlines, pictures of things/places that must be taken, weather conditions and so on. 

Now I go on vacation with my fiancee, who's not into photographing, and we have a deal. I can spend early mornings and one whole day taking photos. And I'm happy with this, I usualy come home with lots of pictures to process.

I'm doing this blog post from a bar i the town of Rhodos, Greece (it's my photo day of the vacation 😀) having a beer, you know from my google plus flow that I like beer. Could I've been here on work? Yes of course. But would I've been this relaxed? Well I don't know and I'm leaning against no.

I leave you with this pic taken on the beach of Rhodes and wish you all a relaxing weekend

First exhibition

My first exhibition ever is about a month away and I'm out chasing my last pic's for the show. I know what I'm aiming for. Having two floors the first is my passion, landscape concentrating on sunrises and sunsets. Second floor will be pic's from my hometown. Live in a town that is over 600 years old with the city center very well preserved, so photo ops is no problem :-)

I am super excited, my only concern is that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my pic's. There is a list :-) that I work from.

1. NO errors, like dust spots, halos etc 

2. Would I put this on my wall?

3. How would I feel about having this on my wall for, say 3 years?

4. What do my fiancee think?

As you probably figured out, number four is quite important :-) The one beneath is in :-) 

Wish you all a great weekend

 

Viveza - The forgotten one?

I love testing software to take my photos to a higher level. When it comes to my HDR photography I started with Nik's HDR Efex Pro. I was quite happy with it until I tried Photomatix Pro witch I simply love, it fits my needs perfectly.

But in the Nik Collection there are some pretty cool programs. I as I guess most of those who have tested the Collection started out with Silver Efex Pro who is an outstanding program for doing B/W photos. Also there is Color Efex Pro witch contains a lot of filter presets that you can change after own liking, a very powerful program.

Lately I've started using Viveza 2, not for finishing touches but for ideas where to take a certain photo. There are not that many controls, only four sliders, brightness, contrast, saturation and structure. This makes it perfect for me to get a feel for my photo and in what direction I want to take it. Beneath there are an example.

This is a photo I shoot an early morning April, the sun hadn't risen quite yet. I simply love the colors and the non existing horizon.

So for this first example I pulled quite much an the sliders to create a dramatic picture.

Second I made a soft, dreamy version

Last I went with something in between

All this was made in a couple of minuts.
Beneath is the final image, for full resolution klick.

I have payed full prize for both the Nik Collection and Photomatix Pro. I don't get any deals for this post.

Safari preparations

I have plans on going on a safari in Africa this autumn or spring. Reading everything I can get my hands on like best period, weather, klimate, gear etc. There are plenty of companys to choose from and I haven't decided yet. If you have any suggestions please tell me in the comments below.

I know that practise makes perfect so I've started to try and catch some Swedish animals with my camera, earlier I almost only shot landscape. The advantage with this is that I've been out much and knows the nature around where I live. Starting last Friday I now bring my 70-200 mm f 2,8 and my 28-300 mm lens with my while I'm out scouting for nice landscape. 

The pic below is my first wildlife pic ever. It was taken last Friday, I had sent out invitations to mr Moose and mrs Venison, hoping they weren't busy. But it was a no show, only this little fellow showed up. Now don't get me wrong we had a great time the two of us :-). The pic is heavely cropped sense my Buddy was a bit shy. This is why I on Saturday bought the Nikon teleconverter TC-20E III AF-S cranking up my 70-200 to 140-400 mm hoping this will cure some of the shyness my friends have.

HDR Tutorial

It’s been a while since my last post, for that I am sorry. 

But this post has been worth the wait I hope.

This is going to be a tutorial on my HDR workflow.

Last weekend I went for a walk in my hometown. This is a old backyard.

Here is where I start, 3 exposures. First one 2 stops underexposed, second one normal, third one 2 stops overexposed. I almost always shoot this way, even if it doesn’t seems like a HDR situation. Better to have them and throw them away then not having them when needed. This is the three I picked in a set about 10 different compositions I took. Here I like the stones in the bottom, the stone path leading to the door. I also like the framing of the whole photo.

After selecting these three pic’s I threw them in to Photomatix Pro that merges the three exposures in to one. First of all I press the default version (Photomatix always remembers the last HDR setting) so you have a starting point. I know that +Trey Ratcliff uses his presets as startingpoints but this way works good for me.

Ok, let the magic begin :-)

I always use, align and remove CA.

Once inside Photomatix, always start by clicking the default option top right side. Photomatix has a memory of an elephant so the the settings from the last processed picture is the preset.

Ok, let the fun begin I usually press the strength, color saturation and detail contrast very much to the right. In this picture though, the color saturation made the whole pic much to red.

Once I'm happy I press process. This is not the final image.

Now I look at the result and thinking about what more is needed. 

I think it needs some more structure in the middle and a bit brighter framing.

First I take the normal exposed photo and play with it in Lightroom, concentrating on the middle part of the image. 

Then I take the overexposed image, play with it in Lightroom concentrating on the red frame.

After this is done I take the three versions (the Photomatix one and the two I've played with in Lightroom) and open them in photoshop as layers.

Aligning them, put the Photomatix one on top and create a layer-mask and with a soft big brush on about 30% flow I paint in what I like from the layer beneath in this case the brighter framing one. Merge those two, create a new layer-mask and paint in what I like from the more contrasty one. Again merge. (sorry I forgot to "print screen" while I was in Photoshop)

When this is done I usually use a filter called Nik Efex Pro 4, there I play with some settings. Remember that you are going to do the same process in photoshop again, painting in the effects you like with a layer-mask and probably not at 100%.

This is the final version.

Hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and enjoy your weekend