ABSTRACTS IN THE VALLEY OF FIRE
The Valley of Fire state park lies next to the small town of Overton about 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. To say it is a gem for landscape photography is an understatement; however, the abstract possibilities are what really drew me in during my time there. Bright red Aztec sandstone among gray and tan limestone produce layers of colors that are fantastic subjects for abstract photography. Below is just a small sample of the images I found while at the Valley of Fire.
Layers of color
Textures and colors
Repeating patterns
Lines and color
The lines, patterns and textures in the rock formation provided an excellent opportunity to work on abstract images. While most photographers will definitely want to photograph the vast landscape remember not to ignore the color and texture of the rocks as you hike through canyons and around the park. Once you have captured a great abstract all that is left to do is print it and hang it!
2019-Abstract-Images-couch-photo
For more of my images from this workshop click here. For a list of Jennifer King Photography workshops where I am instructing please click on the WORKSHOPS menu at the top of the page. If interested in other workshops by Jennifer King Photography just click here to check out all the wonderful destinations listed for 2020 and 2021.
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LIGHTROOM QUICK TIP: B&W Processing Using Temperature and Tint
Adobe Lightroom has become a powerful tool for processing your B&W images. Let's start with a very basic tip. Use the shortcut "V" to convert any image to B&W. This can be done not only in the Develop module but also in the Library module in grid or loop view. Simply press "V" again to convert back to color. This is a great way to quickly view your images in B&W and see if they resonate with you.
Secondly, I would make a virtual copy to work on so that you have a color and B&W copy. This is because the colors of the original file can change as you make adjustments in the B&W conversion. This will become very apparent by the time you finish with this tip.
Press "V" to convert your image to B&W
Once converted it's good to do some initial adjustments such as adding some contrast, a little clarity, adjust your shadows and highlights and then apply the lens corrections! The real processing of your image is handled in the B&W panel where you can increase or decrease the luminance of the tones by selecting the underlying colors and moving the sliders. The more pure the color in the underlying image the more it will be affected by moving the sliders.
So knowing this it stands to reason that anything that affects the underlying color of the image will affect how the B&W image's tones are adjusted. In this image I wanted to bring down the tones in the sky. I did this by reducing the blue slider since the majority of the sky is blue. The problem is that other parts of the image also contain blue, most notably the water, which I did not want to affect. Here is where we put this knowledge to use.
As you can see the water also darkened due to decreasing the blue slider. I want the dark sky to remain but I don't want it to affect the water. To do this I use the brush tool (K) and go over the areas I don't want affected.
Now I use the temperature slider to move it towards the orange (opposite of blue) to add warmth to the water. Remember, you will not see the area turn orange. You are only affecting the underlying color of the image. What you will see is the blue areas brighten back up because there is now less blue in those areas due to the added warmth.
And there you have it. One of the most common questions I get is why did I not use the exposure or the shadows slider with the brush to bring back some of the luminosity. That's because the exposure and shadow slider would lighten everything including any area of the image that was green or orange in the underlying layer which I did not want to do. I simply wanted to correct for the darkening of the water when adjusting the blue slider.
Remember you can use both the temperature and tint slider to add or subtract color from your image to achieve different results when using the B&W panel sliders.
Hope this helps with your future B&W conversion in Adobe Lightroom.
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PHOTOGRAPHING DURING MIDDAY HAS ITS REWARDS
Never. Ever. Photograph during midday. Photograph during sunrise or sunset and during the golden hours when the light is soft and warm. This is what is usually drilled into landscape photographer's minds from the beginning. And with good reason. Those times provide beautiful light and make fantastic images with the right subject. But to say ONLY at those times removes large parts of the days where certain subjects can be captured with light that works just as effective in conveying your story.
I tend to lump midday or bright light photography into two categories and one compositional element:
1. Postcard images. Postcard images are those usually taken with nice blue skies and maybe some nice puffy clouds. You get a good sense of what the place looks like if you visited during the day which most people do. Why do I call them postcard images? When you go to the next visitors center take a look at the postcards for sale. At least 50% or more of the postcards are images taken during the day. Why do you think that is? Mainly because it represents the location in the way most people see it when they visit.
2. Black and white. Photographing during midday creates high contrast images which are great for black and white.
3. Shadow play. This compositional element is great for architecture, landscapes or portraits where shadows play a key role in creating your composition. Works great for both black and white and postcard images.
Let's take a look at some examples of each one.
POSTCARD IMAGES
Below are some images that I would consider "postcard" images. All images were taken with the sun still well above the horizon. The first two were taken almost at exactly noon. The third was taken during the later afternoon. Each one provides a great representation of the location when viewed during daylight hours.
BLACK AND WHITE
Next are some examples of black and white images taken during the day. Notice the high contrast you get when photographing during midday.
SHADOW PLAY
This compositional element can be used for both black and white and postcard images. Here the difference between the light and dark areas of the image becomes the main composition element.
Just remember that even though sunrise, sunset and golden hour provide us with some spectacular light you don't have to put away your camera for the rest of the day. Be sure to look for other opportunities such as postcard or black and white images when the sun is high above the horizon. I think you will be surprised at some of the images you can capture.
Do you have another category you think of when photographing during midday? If so, leave in the comments section below. Would love to hear what you think.
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I UPDATED MY LOGO. MAYBE YOU SHOULD TOO.
Well. I finally did it. I updated my logo. I have been wanting to update my logo for some time but it was one of those things that was easy to put off. "Oh, I will get to that next month", I would say. But finally, after putting it off for too long, I went ahead and started the process of creating a new logo. And now, I wish I had done it sooner. While it seems that creating logos for photography businesses is becoming easier with all the sites claiming free logo creators or stylish signatures, I wanted to use a professional because I know a logo can have a large impact on your business whether now or in the future as you try to grow.
WHY I UPDATED MY LOGO
First let's take a look at my first logo. I created this logo myself and have used it the entire life of my business to date. It is very simple logo using my initials with the name of my business underneath.
Original logo
This is very typical for those starting their photography business. Just throw "Photography" behind your name and KaPow, you're in business. Of course designing a logo takes a little more time and thought. Somethings to consider are shape, font, color or no color, which color, all text or use an image, does it represent everything you do as a photographer and can your business grow and not outgrow your logo. While I enjoyed making my first logo I will admit that it seems a little amateurish. That's the reason why I decided to go with a professional to update my brand. Let's first take a look at why I wanted to update my logo. Then I will give a quick overview of the process and then I will talk about other types of logos and why I went the route that I did.
WHY I WANTED TO UPDATE MY LOGO
Here is a list of the reasons why it was time to create a new logo
- I wanted a logo that was not tied to my name but to my business. Yes, I am still using J. Silkstone Photography but I wanted a logo that could stand on its own if the business changes. If the name of the business changes then the logo can remain.
- My old logo seemed out of date. It was time to get with the times when it comes to design.
- A little more "KaPow!" so it stands out in a crowd
- I was just ready for a change.
THE PROCESS
I was lucky enough to meet and complete some small photography and editing jobs for the owner at Headfirst Creative. I approached him about updating my logo and he was more than happy to help. The first part of the process was filling out a questionnaire in order to get to know me, my business and my clients better. Some of the questions were easy to answer. Others I had not really thought about and it forced me to think about my business in different way. After the questionnaire we sat down together to discuss some ideas and thoughts on how the new logo might be used.
After that he presented me with 4 different logos, of which one really excited me. From there he took that design and put it into 4 more different layouts with a stylish font. The final products are below.
New circular logo
Logo and name in landscape
I could not be happier with the new design. The overall process was great and I learned a little bit about myself and my business at the same time.
OTHER LOGO CREATORS
Let's take a quick look at some of the other options for creating new logos and why I decided to go with a professional.
- Do it yourself. I liked my first logo and it served me well. But I wanted something more professional looking and therefore I went with a professional. Enough said.
- Use a logo generator. These seem to be popping up everywhere. I looked into them and even went through the process. Unfortunately, they never created something that stood out.
- Signature logos. This was a big trend for a while. Send your name to a company and they would send you a fancy signature logo. They looked great and very professional. I just had a hard time understanding why I wanted my logo as a signature that I could not duplicate when I signed my own name.
Every person has different tastes along with different reasons for why they choose the logo they choose. Your logo should speak to you but also to your customers as it represents the product that you offer. I believe my new logo does just that. RIP old logo.
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POLARIZER PROBLEM: PART 2
Last blog post we looked at a problem I recently stumbled upon when photographing a waterfall and stream and what I did to correct it. If you didn't read it and are interested click HERE. This post we are going to look at another common problem when using circular polarizers on a wide angle lens. Most of the time I don't use a circular polarizer on a wide angle lens unless there is little sky in the image. Let's take a look at a situation where I wanted to use a wide angle lens and a circular polarizer and see what happens.
THE PROBLEM
Below is a scene I ran came upon while visiting the coast. This is the image without using a polarizer. The sun had just risen to the left and was 90 degrees to the scene making this a perfect candidate for using a polarizer. While normally I do not use a polarizer when photographing with a wide angle, I wanted to cut down on the glare in the water. The problem is that there is a large portion of blue sky present in the image.
Original image without polarization
When using a wide angle lens and a polarizer at full effect you end up with an artifact that is hard to correct in post processing. The polarizer helped to remove the glare from the water but also created the dreaded "UFO" splotch in the sky.
Full effect of polarizer creates blue oblong artifact in sky
THESOLUTION
Easy! I simply backed off the polarizer effect by turning the polarizer until some of the glare was removed from the water while also removing the dreaded blue "UFO" from the sky! No more alien invasion!
Reduced effect of polarizer removes some glare off of water while not producing artifact in sky
Final image
Remember that you don't have to use the full effect of a polarizer everytime. You can change the amount of polarization by turing the polarizer until you get just the right amount you need for the scene. A circular polarizer is a great tool and definately should be in your camera bag if you are a landscape photographer! But just like any tool it can have negative effects. Just be aware of them and you will get the image you envisioned.
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