Looking for Fall Color in Water
Fall, its nature’s way of getting rid of bugs and snakes. It is also a great reason for landscape photographers to get back out after the hot and humid summer and start photographing again. One of my favorite parts of photographing during fall is capturing the beautiful colors in water. Here are three ways to capture fall color in water.
One of the best ways to capture the essence of fall in water is to use a long exposure to get swirls of color. A lot of times these swirls can be found at the bottom of waterfalls or in eddies of smaller rivers where fallen leaves are being moved in a circle. Using the swirl of color as a foreground element to a waterfall makes a fantastic image.
Another great idea to try is ICM, intentional camera movement, to capture abstract images of leaves in water. ICM is when you intentionally move the camera to create a blur effect of the image you are capturing. The following image was created with a 0.6s shutter speed of a pile of leaves built up in a small pond above a dam.
Lastly, don’t forget to capture the reflections of colorful leaves in the water. This also makes for beautiful abstract images.
These are three ways to photograph colorful leaves in water. Enjoy the fall and all the beautiful colors it has to offer.
COMPOSITION QUICK TIP: TEXTURE
Texture.
Can you feel it?
Texture is all about awakening the sense of touch with a photograph. Sound strange? Maybe. But images with texture give the viewer the sense that they could touch the photo and actually feel the surface. Textures can be found in any environment and can add a new dimension to an already great composition.
In the image below, the shadows and light on the sand give the impression that you might actually feel bumps if you touched the image.
Ripples in the sand provide great texture to an already wonder scene
The image below may give you the impression that the photograph actually feels like velvet because of the soft moss growing on the rocks.
Moss covered rocks in Iceland.
While the texture of the photograph never really changes, the use of texture in a photograph can give your images life and grab the attention of your viewers.
The above short composition tip can be found in my ebook:
COMPOSE: Composition Elements for the Landscape and Nature Photographer
28 pages of compositional elements and tips. Pick one up if you haven't already.
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ZONER PHOTO STUDIO X REVIEW
Are you in the market for a photo editor? Maybe you are just getting into photography or maybe you already have a photo editor and are looking for something different. There are a number of programs out there so it can be tough to decide which one is best for you. One such program is Zoner Photo Studio X made by its namesake, Zoner Photo Studio. I'll will admit that I was not familiar with the brand so when they asked if I would be willing to do a review I was initially skeptical. But once I did my homework I found that this just might be a great solution for people who are looking for something different. So let's begin......
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
First, we have to get the elephant in the room out of the way. For those of you looking for an alternative to the Adobe subscription model you will be disappointed. Like Adobe, Zoner is also based on a subscription model. However, there is some good news. It is half the price of Adobe's subscription. The Zoner subscription is $4.99/mo or a flat $49/year. With this you get the full program which contains functionality similar to Lightroom and Photoshop, 20 GB of cloud storage and a free online gallery while being able to use the program on an "unlimited number of computers". Yes, no more deleting programs on other computers to meet the computer usage. This is really nice when you purchase a new computer and want to move your software and files to the new one before deleting the program on the old computer. One more thing to know is that the program only works on PC Windows version 8 or 10. Sorry Mac users! If I still have your attention then let's move on to the meat and potatoes of this review.
THE APPROACH........
Zoner Photo Studio X's uses a "catalog" system allowing for quick culling and nondestructive editing of images. It has four modules to toggle between. The first is Manager which is similar to the Library module in Lightroom. Then there is the Develop module where you can process you images using non destructive edits. The Editor module is where you can use layers and many other similar tools similar to Photoshop. Finally, there is a Create module which allows you to create "projects" such as ordering prints, books, calendars and also creating videos.
To review Zoner Photo Studio X I processed a couple of images and made note of both the positives and negative of using the system. I caution that this review is not a total look at all the functions as that would take for ever considering all the program offers Instead this is a review based on my initial use of the program.
It took me a little time to get used to the placement of all the tools and the overall abilities of the program but no more than I expected. If I ran into an issue a quick help query usually solved the problem. Below are images of the different panels.
Manager panel
Develop Panel
Editor Panel
Create Panel
As you can see Zoner Studio X contains a lot of functionality. But how well does all that functionality work when it comes to processing images? That's what I wanted to know. So I uploaded a few RAW files with different subjects and processed and exported them as high resolution jpegs for review. Below are some before and after images I processed and a brief description of the process.
Unprocessed
Raised shadows, cropped and added watermark. Very simple edit.
Unprocessed Image
Increased exposure, smoothing brush on skin, edited eyes and lips, cropped and cloned in corners
Base image for exposure blending
Multiple exposure blend, straightened building, cloned out manhole
Unprocessed image
Raised exposure, brought down highlights, warmed up image, used soft light blending mode for cloud color, removed distractions
Other than a couple of pauses to learn how to use a tool things were pretty straight forward. During processing the images I made some notes of both the positives and negatives along with some basic comments that I consider neutral but you may want to know.
POSITIVES AND ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENTS........
Let's start with the positives:
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Allows the use of Blend modes with color in the brush and graduated filters in the Develop module. This is a very nice addition. Thank you!
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Advance color controls in Color Shift and Split Toning. Two thumbs up for this and was really impressed.
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Smoothing brush (works like frequency separation) and the liquify face tool work very well. Great for portraiture.
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Enjoyed the layout of each module and the placement of the tools.
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When applying a brush or filter in the Develop module it creates a layer bar for each one. This makes it easy to turn each one on or off or delete them.
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Overall layout of panels and tools are very intuitive and just makes sense.
And now some areas that could use some improvement:
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The brush size in both the develop and editor module do not get very big compared to the image.
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No content aware tool. Clone stamping and the healing brush tool are available.
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No mask when sharpening in the Develop module. Using a black and white mask to visualize what areas are being sharpened would be useful.
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Items such as prints, books and calendars in the Create module are made in the E.U. so they take longer to arrive and have higher shipping costs for the US.
Neutral Observations:
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The catalog works by picking a folder and then anything that is imported or put into that folder automatically shows up in your catalog. This works well and you can quickly add images and keep your normal folder hierarchy. On the other hand if you like to keep other folders with or without images along with your images those too will also show up in your catalog. I was unable to find a way to hide them in the catalog. This is just personal taste in my opinion and can be accommodated with tweaks to your workflow.
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The video editor works very well but is basic without a lot of options. I would love to see some updates to the video section. I believe if Zoner Photo Studio X incorporated a mid tier video editor it would provide a more complete package and a great selling point for a truly all-in-one program.
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As noted above there should be options for US products in their Create module.
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Zoner seems to be putting an emphasis on presets. Besides the ones that come installed with the program they offer 12 different preset packages to download for free. Those looking for some artistic inspiration or a new look for their Instagram images will be happy.
Yep, that's it,
FINAL THOUGHTS
After using the program for only a few weeks I must admit that I was impressed with Zoner Studio X. It has a ton of functionality for half the price of Adobe's photography package. From their website it seems that they are updating the program at least twice a year and adding new items to it regularly. I think most PC users looking for an full editing program or just looking to start developing their images should put Zoner Studio X at or near the top of their list.
Note: I reached out to the Zoner team and asked if a Mac version was going to be developed. They basically stated that it was not in the works at this time. So for now only PC users get to enjoy Zoner Studio X.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Is Zoner Studio X for you? If you are a PC user looking to save a little money then this makes perfect sense. You are essentially getting Lightroom and Photoshop functionality for half the price. The system is a great value and includes cloud storage and an online gallery. I would definitely recommend Zoner Studio X for those just starting out in photography and to the seasoned photographer who wants to save a little extra money. As always you can download a free 30 day trial to see if it works for you. Just click here.
I hope you enjoyed this review. I plan to keep using Zoner Studio X on a regular basis to get even better acquainted with the program. Have you used Zoner Studio X? If so, let me know what you think in the comments below.
MY 3 FAVORITE CAMERA ACCESSORIES
Every photographer has some gear that they are in love with. For some it is a lens that creates soft bokeh or a wonderful sun burst. Others have a backpack that they would never travel without. Below I have listed three items that I never leave home without.
#1 An L-bracket – An L-bracket might be my best purchase, EVER! So, what is an L-bracket? An L-bracket is a camera plate in the shape of an “L” that attaches to your camera like a normal camera plate but wraps around to the side of your camera. Since it wraps around your camera it essentially gives you two camera plates to attach to the head on your tripod, one in the horizontal position and one in the vertical position. This allows you to change the orientation of your camera from horizontal to vertical without changing the composition or the balance of the tripod.
Without one you have to move the head into a vertical position which changes the composition so you have to take the time to recompose your image. It also puts your tripod off balance by shifting the weight of your camera to the side. One other thing to note is that there is also a good chance that something on your camera will hit the side of your tripod or head and thus keep you from getting the image completely vertical. This will then need to be taken care of in post processing and thus may alter your composition.
While it does add a little weight to your camera the rewards are well worth it. There are many brands and different price points. Be sure to get one that is specific for your camera that way you know it will not slip. The one I use is the Kirk BL-D500N for the Nikon D500
#2 The Toolz from 3 Legged Thing - I recently picked up the Toolz and I have to say it had been a life saver. It has both a hex key and a flat key for tightening ball plates, tripod legs, or anything else that may happen to come loose while on a photo shoot. Plus it works as a bottle opener which always comes in handy after a long time in the field. It easily clips to the outside of your bag so you do not need to dig through a pocket to reach it. For the money it is a great buy. To see at B&H click HERE.
#3 A shower cap – I did a post on having a shower cap in your bag some time ago (you can read the post here). A shower cap provides a quick waterproof cover for your camera and lens. It can also be used to protect it from sand or other elements that may damage or harm your camera or lens. The best part is that is can sometimes be found free in your hotel room. Although they seem to be going away they are still inexpensive, weight almost nothing and take up almost zero space in your bag. There is no reason not to have one.
There you are, three of my favorite camera accessories that I can’t go without. What are some of your favorite accessories that you carry with you that you can’t do without? Leave them in the comments section below.
If interested in seeing my "almost" full gear list head over to ShotKit and see what I carry in my bag.
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5 TASKS FOR THE NEW YEAR
It's close to a new year and you are excited about what lies ahead for your photography. Here are 5 things you should do to start the new year.
1, Look back over your workflow – Is your workflow working for you? The new year is the perfect time to evaluate if your workflow needs an update or if it is working just fine. Making subtle adjustments can have a huge impact in time and enjoyment. Just be sure that you give yourself time to truly evaluate any changes you make before deciding whether they work for you..
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2. Backup and save files – this goes without saying and should be done numerous times throughout the year if not after every time you photograph. Whether you upload to the cloud or copy to hard drives and store them off site be sure to have all your images backed up. While doing so be sure to determine whether your file management process is seamless with the way you work.
Back up your photos
3. Update copyrights and watermarks – Update your copyright to 2020! Be sure to update your watermark if you use the year along with your copyright.
20191109_JMS_ValleyofFire_NV_0294-HDR-231_Print
4. Set goals - Most of my goals are centered on trying new things, but that’s just me. Some ideas are
- Shoot more panoramas.
- Photograph with B&W in mind
- Volunteer your photography services to a local charity
- Learn luminosity masks
- Teach someone a technique that you like to use. Nothing helps you learn like trying to teach others.
5. Review your equipment – Do you need all that equipment? It is always a good thing to go through your equipment and determine whether or not you really need it. Have 5 filters but only use 2? Sell the three you don’t use and put that money into something new. Have some extra camera bags you don’t use anymore? Ask people at your local camera club if they have anyone that could use a new bag. Not only might you make a little money in the process of getting rid of the equipment you don’t use but you might also make your camera bag a little lighter. Win. Win.
There is no better time than the start of a new year to review your workflow, set goals, update your copyright and backup your files! Start the year off right and have a Happy New Year!
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