A Great Way To Improve Your Photography
Are you just starting out in photography? Have you been doing it for a while and are wondering how to improve? Most people will tell you that to improve you need to practice and I would agree. However, there is another component that is often overlooked.
When I first started out I read a lot of books. I watched countless videos. I practiced with my camera endless hours to make sure I knew my camera and how it worked. But the one thing that helped the most was associating with people that were already producing the kind of images that I wanted to create. Why not go straight to the source, right? Through my local photo clubs and workshops I attended I introduced myself to a number of individuals whom I considered to be producing outstanding work. Not every introduction led to a contact but soon I had a number of photographers who I could contact when I needed help. From camera and lens questions to what is the best way to print a photograph, I could ask questions and feel confident that I was getting the right answer.
One of the main reasons for making these contacts was to have my photographs critiqued by someone that I knew would give me an honest answer. Your family, friends and relatives usually will not give you an honest answer; they all seem to like your photos because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. Luckily I found someone that was producing great photography who was willing to critique my photos on a regular basis. He didn’t always like my photos, in fact he sometimes didn’t like any of them, but he provided positive feedback. He didn’t just come out and tell me my photos were crap; and looking at them now, they were. He would tell me what I could have done differently to improve them or what made them not appealing. It sometimes hurt to have someone tell me that a photo I liked was not very good, but I knew it was helping improve my photography. In the end, having my photos critiqued early on was one of the main foundations to my improvement in photography.
So whether it is through a workshop, social media, or your local photography club, find someone that is already making the kind of photos that you insprire to create and ask them questions or if they will critique your photos for you. I think you will find most of them are happy to help and it just might improve your photography like it did mine.
DISCLAIMER! A lot of photographers teach photography for their livelihood, whether they write books, run workshops or classes or get paid to critique photos. It is how they make a living so do not be surprised, offended, or upset if they point you towards their products or ask for some money for their advice. Not everything in life is free and sometimes it is worth every penny.
Expanding Your Dynamic Range: The Pros and Cons of HDR Methods
How do you HDR? Do you use dedicated HDR software? Do you manually blend images in post-processing? Do you use a graduated neutral density filter? There are a number of ways to create a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image, each with their own pros and cons. I have listed some of the pros and cons for each method so that when or if you decide to create an HDR image you can determine the best method that fits your style, post-processing workflow, budget, etc.
I will not go into great detail about each method and assume you know enough about your camera to follow along. I merely want to point out the positives and negatives of using each method. Let’s begin.
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Graduated Neutral Density Filter (yes, that is an HDR image you just made): |
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In-camera HDR (cell phones, newer model DSLR and mirrorless cameras have this function) |
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Manually blend images in Photoshop (Blend if, layers and masks, luminosity masks, etc. |
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HDR software (Photomatix, HDR Pro, Lightroom, etc) |
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As you can see, each method has its pros and cons. I have used all of them but mostly use manually blending in Photoshop with HDR software being a distant second. Please feel free to leave a comment as to why you use one method over another or if there is another reason that I forgot to mention. Frame, Capture, Publish!
My Quick Take On HDR Imagery
For those who are not familiar with HDR images, I have put together a quick explanation on the technique along with why it can be a useful tool when capturing images. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. Your camera has a certain dynamic range that it can capture within one image. The dynamic range refers to the number of tones from pure white to pure black the camera can capture. HDR images are simply images that contain a larger dynamic range than what your camera could capture in one image without extra equipment or software. Why would this be important? While cameras are getting very sophisticated they still cannot always capture an image the same way that your eye can. The best example is taking a photograph in a dark room with a window while it is sunny outside. Your eye can easily see the details in both the room and outside the window. Now take a photograph of the room with the window. If the dynamic range is too great your camera will either pick up detail in the room or outside the window, but not both. Using an HDR process can produce an image that allows you to see detail in both the room and outside the window, just like your eye can.
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Exposure set for windows |
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Final HDR image with both the room and windows exposed correctly |
As you can see in the example above, I could choose to either expose for the windows or for the room. The color in the windows was too important to me not to capture in this image. In this case, I chose to expose for both knowing that I could combine the images later to create a HDR image, which produced an image much closer to what I saw.
Early on, the term “HDR” became synonymous with images produced with dedicated HDR software. The software produced images that were highly saturated and looked “over processed”. While many people enjoyed this new look, just as many people stayed away from making HDR images for this reason. Today, with the advancement of software to create more realistic images and new methods for blending images together, realistic HDR images can be found everywhere.
From my point of view, methods for creating HDR images are tools that allow you to express your artistic view point. I must admit that my use of HDR images has dropped over the last couple of years. As new cameras capture even greater dynamic range and software’s ability to restore details in highlights and shadows increases my need to create HDR images has dropped. However, there are still numerous times when I can’t capture the entire dynamic range of a scene and must resort to a HDR method to create an image that meets my vision.
Outdoor Photographers Long Weekend Article
Outdoor Photographer Magazine online published two of my short articles in their Long Weekend Locations. I was contacted to submit the articles on April 1st, better known as April Fool's day. Luckily it was not a practical joke!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Long Weekend Locations
Pro photographers share some of their favorite regional locations for extended weekend photo adventures
By The Editors
Labels: Locations
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Jeff Silkstone
www.jsilkstonephotography.com
SOUTHEAST
Middle Prong of the Little River, Tremont, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
One of my favorite times to photograph fall color is when skies are overcast and slightly gray. I had such an occasion this past fall while visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Middle Prong of the Little River in the Tremont section was full of color from the autumn leaves. The water was flowing fast and the air was crisp. A boulder jutting into the river provided the perfect place for me to take advantage of the fall color in the foreground while shooting up the river. The path to the boulder was steep, and a good pair of sturdy boots was essential as I carefully made my way down the rocky terrain. Once I reached my spot, I took time to enjoy the scene and survey all the photographic opportunities. Upon determining my composition, I used a carbon-fiber tripod with a ballhead to sturdy the camera, allowing me to decrease the shutter speed and create a silky look to the water. I used a remote release to further ensure a sharp image. I attached a circular polarizer on the front of the lens to reduce any glare from the water and wet rocks while also helping to bring out the color in the leaves. In the end, it was a perfect day to capture an image of fall color in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Sparks Lane, Cade's Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Arriving 40 minutes before the gates opened, we were already behind a number of cars in line. I knew getting there early gave the best opportunity to photograph Sparks Lane in Cade's Cove, a section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When the gates opened at sunrise, we drove straight to our destination, and luckily, we were one of the first to arrive. In addition to the tranquil beauty of the scene, the reddish-orange color of the leaves of the tree to the left side of the lane caught my attention. Luckily, a fog had settled into the valley providing some drama while muting out any distracting background objects. I could tell the sun was starting to break through the fog, and it wouldn't be long before the fog disappeared entirely. Besides the weather, the only elements I had to deal with were other photographers and cars. I waited patiently in order to get the perfect shot as people moved in and out of the scene and cars passed by. I used a tripod and remote release to steady the shot for sharpness, and a polarizer to reduce glare and bring out the wonderful colors of the leaves. The fog provided the perfect atmosphere for one of Cade's Cove's most photographed places.