Cowboys

 

 

These three images were made on a workshop this weekend with William Allard, he of National Geographic fame. It was arranged through The Camera Store here in Calgary (that's what it's called), and we met with Bill Friday night to dicsuss what was going to happen, then met west of Longview and switched to four wheel trucks to head up to a branding camp, used only a couple of times a year.

The local ranchers rode in and gave of their day to pose, and  ride, and pose some more. These are real working cowboys, two grand parents, his brother, and their two grand daughters.

The workshop was a great success and we met this morning for critiques of the images. I found the experience great as others had ideas I'd poo pooed but they'd made it work, or I hadn't even thought of, or they did a better job shooting action (not my forte). Anyway a terrific weekend, Bill is great and sharing and helpful and I hope to see him again.

Drain Pipe Continued

This is the version that was not lightened for making the print - despite best efforts to profile monitor and printer and correct screen brightness, the shadows were too deep in the print and I'd added a lightening curve. This is what it was before and is much closer to what I wanted.

And here is what the image looks like in black and white. Now to decide which I prefer. Not easy.

Drain Pipe Cropped

I'm quite pleased with the print I made from the version above. As usual, the thrill of making the image tends to ignore any flaws it may have and it might not hold up over the next few weeks, or I might like it more and more. Sometimes you realize it's just silly, or perhaps clever but absolulely nothing else -  no soul - always a risk with this kind of image. Other times it acquires more meaning or more emotion, or makes you think of connections, contrasts, or similes.

People tend to assume that these relationships that make an image for the artist remain constant, but in fact there are many examples of artists providing alternate explanations for an image's value years later, as their circumstances, experiences and mood change. It isn't a big step further then to imagine that the viewer brings their own circumstances etc. to seeing the print and those experiences may be entirely different from what the photographer had, or planned, or anticipated.

And guess what, that's entirely as it should be.

And below, the original full frame image:

 

Both are focus blends of half a dozen images, 24-70 L, Canon 5D3, Helicon Focus for the blending, processed in Lightroom 4 and exported to Photoshop for additional work

Bent Drain Pipe

Highway construction dug up and folded this drainpipe. The side I had seen from the road the previous day was good, the view along the bent pipe better, but the far side, that I had not expected anything from and only checked to be complete, revealed this fascinating combination.

As it stands, I think the composition too complex and while I didn't want to throw away anything, I suspect the image might be better without the top. It reminds me of a carnivorous plant. Stay tuned for further developments.

On Landscape - the Online Magazine

Tim Parkin who did the work on comparing landscapes shot with 8X10, 4X5, IQ 180 and even the Sony 900 earlier this year continues to publish the online magazine On Landscape.

It's quite expensive and I think many will reject it out of hand without thinking about just what it's giving us.

There have been technical articles like the above - a huge and very useful achievement, as well as quite indepth discussions by real photographers on the art of photography - as well as book reviews and portfolios.

Given the videos alone, and coming every couple of weeks as it does, this makes the sign up cost pretty darn reasonable - $100 approx. for 26 issues - but that's $4 an issue, no advertizing to pile through, useful stuff in every issue - I think well worth the expense.  It's nicely set up so you can see the beginning of many of the articles without signing up - so do check it out, and consider subscribing as I have done.

Michael Reichmann

Sad news today that Michael has been ill with bladder cancer and is now recovering from major surgery. I wish him the speediest recovery and best wishes for his future health.

I've met Michael a couple of times - attending his Algonquin workshop one year and then the very first Podas workshop in Death Valley - a friendly, helpful man, an excellent teacher, and fun. His Luminous Landscape has been the go-to website for information on equipment and technique for years.

Michael published my 'Take Your Photography To The Next Level' series of articles that led to me being offered a book deal by Rockynook Publishers.  Michael's review of 'Why Photographs Work' gave huge boost to sales around the world.

Michael's videos have been of tremendous help and are one of my most often recommended tools. His original and then new 'From Camera To Print (and Screen) were fun, entertaining and incredibly helpful.

Truth is, we need Michael, so all the best to you my friend, for the pleasures given, and those anticipated.

George

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park

Shot this morning with my new 24 ts-e tilt and shift lens, taking advantage of the left and right shift.
I'd arrived before sunrise but by the time I'd photographed for about 30 minutes, the sun was coming over the hill (guess getting up at 5 was a bit late). The only image made before the sun came out that had any real possibilities was spoiled by incorrect use of the tilt. I'm so used to the 90 tilt where a small amount of tilt goes a fair way. With this lens, a small amount of tilt is way too much, and unlike the 90, the 24 is quite hard to focus - clearly it's going to take me some practice with this lens.

And here's the black and white version.

And if any of you have been following my search for the ideal high pixel count camera, you will remember I had placed an order for the D800E a few months ago. No sign of it arriving and in the mean time spent months pouring over what lenses I'd want to use, using the-digital-picture.com, diglloyd.com, photozone.de and lensrentals.com to help me pick lenses.

I hated to lose my 70-200 f4 L IS lens - not only was the nikon 2.8 going to be heavier, it tested not quite as sharp at the long end. Then I thought, I'd need to replace my extension tubes, and oh yes, my lensbaby composer. The last straw was realizing all my filters including my very expensive variable neutral density filter weren't going to fit. I came up with a dozen different lens combinations, all of them costing an absolute fortune, easily enough to pay for the Pentax 645D that I'd choked on.

I ended up with a list of 8 things I didn't like, or didn't like the reports of the D800E.

They were:

1) mechanical first shutter curtain in live view - with some reports of image blur because of it - the Canon 5D2 and 3 are pure electronic - absolutely no vibration till the shutter closes.

2) the delay in using live view - sure it was only five seconds between image and probably less with good cards, but when I'm stitching, or focus blending, this is way frustrating.

3) Eye relief for glasses, 17 vs. 21 mm.  - not a lot but things were already tight seeing the entire viewfinder on the 5D2...

4) Cost of lenses, and the fact that at some focal lengths, just not as good as canon. Sure I could get Zeiss glass, but guess what - my new 24 ts-e tests as well or better than the Zeiss 21 - and without the mustache distortion.

5) focus problems - with some of the d800/e - not a huge deal for me

6) quality of live view - even at 100% it isn't as good as canon - and that was something I really liked about moving from the 1DsII to the 5D2.

7) the 3:2 lcd screen on the Canon meant bigger images on the screen - again hardly a deal breaker, but nice.

8) Having to learn to focus a different way, and have entirely different controls - I quite like the Canon way. Sure I could learn, but why should I?

No question, 30% more resolution with the D800E sure was attractive, and two more stops dynamic range was appealing too - though I'd never complained about the 5D2 - and the image from today is a fine example of that, with considerable adjustment to open up the shadows and control the highlights without any difficulty or problem - fact is I shot the two stitches with two different exposures intending to exposure blend then stitch, but in the end it proved unncessary. The Canon is more forgiving at the top end, Nikon a lot more forgiving at the bottom end.

The final factor is that I would be extremely surprised if Canon doesn't come out with a high megapixel camera within the next year. I'm selling my 5D2, have already picked up a 5D3 and it will do me just fine till a better Canon option comes along.

It's been two weeks and so far I haven't regretted the decision.

Photography as Puzzle Solving

There's lots of reasons to be a photographer, the need to create, the enjoyment of being outdoors (and now an excuse to be there instead of at home with the job jar), the love of the fine image and so on.

I wonder though if an important reason doesn't have more to do with the challenge of solving puzzles. In the old days this could be the challenge of producing good images from a wet darkroom - and perhaps explains the obsession of many with ultimate quality, finest grain, best developers etc.  These days with the technical aspects of photography easier, the puzzle is more in the finding and framing of the fine image.

This starts with choosing the subject in general terms, planning where to go and when, and then finding the scene and deciding what you are going to do with it, and then moving into a position that best helps you tell your story or make your point or simply show what you are most interested in about the subject in the best way possible such that the viewer can best appreciate what interested you.

This business of puzzle solving perhaps explains the phenomenon of the lone worker who doesn't share his work, doesn't even put it on the wall, and files away the images. The hunt, the solving of the puzzle is the quest, not the actual final image.

Yes, but so what - how does thinking of photography as puzzle solving help me make better photographs, or enjoy my craft more?

Well, for a start, it may suggest that subject matter isn't nearly as important as you thought. Sure you do landscapes, because that's what you have always done, but if the chase is the thing, the puzzle solving the satisfaction, then might not just about any subject provide the same thrills and satisfactions.  Instead of agonizing over whether photographing someone else's creation is valid, just go out and photograph architecture or even sculpture for the challenge and let the final print be a validation of that challenge successfully met.

I've just signed up for a workshop on photographing cowboys - about as far away from my usual subject matter as one could get (I'm guessing I won't need my tripod). I have no special interest in cowboys but think the challenge will be satisfying - making decisions on the fly, in a split second, and being able to predict the action so as to be in the right place ad the right time. So this is a new puzzle for me to solve.

One can appreciate the puzzle solving involved in photographing, for example a particular sport, even though one has no special interest in that sport - either watching or participating, because we like solving the puzzle of getting the best images.

The world has no use for any more cute cat pictures, but truth is getting good cat pictures can be extremely challenging and success in doing so very satisfying and does it really matter if the world doesn't beat a path to your door to appreciate your images.

This puzzle solving tends to take away from the feeling that we must produce images that others appreciate and frees us to work on what we want or find satisfying.

Perhaps this explains the fascination with Holga cameras and home made lenses and limiting oneself to a single lens or only black and white or learning to solve the puzzle of effective use of the Lensbaby.

Socrates referred to the unexamined life as being 'not worth living' which is perhaps a tad harsh, yet understanding the motives behind what we do can be illuminating (sorry).

As a physician, I work with people who have ADHD, and while helping them with the right combination of medications is satisfying, sometimes the most useful thing I can do is help explain why the patient makes the choices they do - the education path, the job, or even who they are attracted to. That 'Ahah' moment helps them make future decisions.

Why do you photograph?

Thinking Out Of the Box Camera Design

Don`t suppose any camera manufacturers are listening, but how about the following:

1) switch to 3:4 ratio image from the current 3X2 - after all this is what has happened in medium format and micro four thirds - if you kept to the same image circle - no problems with current lenses.

2) how about a rotating sensor - surely they can find a way to align it perfectly after turning it 90 degrees - this whole business of turning a camera on its end is just rediculous. It`s faster and safer and simpler for controls to rotate the sensor - sure you`d need a bigger pentaprism (if you stick with that), but 4X4 isn`t much bigger than 4X3 and even 3X3 vs. 3X2is only 33% more.

3) how about solving the expose to the right problem - why should I guess from a tiny screen whether I have overdone the highlights - couldn`t the camera check just how much brighter the highlights are (ie. hopeless or not) and just how big they are and couldn`t I specify how large an area I`m willing to let go pure white in a given photograph - and can`t we assume using raw and have the lcd show the clipping for raw that isn`t retrievable - perhaps flashing highlights in one of three colours depending on whether one, two or three channels are clipped. Surely the technology is there to help us (but not replace us).

4) would it be so difficult to put an infrared receptor on the back of the camera so I can use a simple, small cordless remote - after all point and shoots have had it for years - come on guys!

5) I suspect we are going to see  more and more focus blending in the future so how about making it easier - with automatic multiple images with appropriate focus change between each, based on the near distance and far distance desired, and the f stop. You could even time the exposures based on hand holding (asap) or tripod (how long does it take for vibrations to dampen at a given focal length).

6) how about getting the lcd image to my iPhone or even better iPad simply, painlessly and accurately, no wires, no router. It can be done now with accessories like eyefi but what about building it in?

7) is there really no way to keep noses from LCD screens?
Are we really stuck with the same overall design of slr's present since the 50's? - I loved the tilting viewfinder (not LCD on my Sony 707

8) from using the viewfinder on a Sony Nex-7, are we not ready for electronic viewfinders? Already they are better in low and medium light - we just need to fix the daylight problem - dynamic range, colour etc.  - but we need fast refresh and short blackout times for this to work.

Anyway, just my daydreams. Michael Reichmann has been beating the drum for a mirror lock up button on Canon cameras for at least 7 years and still no action - guess they are waiting for when there are no mirrors in any cameras.

Flowers

Pansies photographed with the Lensbaby Composer, with a short extension tube.

Lily with the Lensbaby

And lastly the original Pansy with my 90 TS-E

Why So Many Pixels?

One reason for wanting to start with as many pixels as possible is that every time we manipulate the image, we lose a little quality - resize up or down, get rid of barrel or pin cushion distortion, blend images for depth of field, or stitching, or correct perspective distortion and each of those steps degrades the image a little. This all on top of the original raw file conversion and any manipulation the camera does to raw images - raw isn't always as virginal as one might think as the manufacturer does some noise reduction or some sharpening before you get to play with it.

All these changes do add up. If I sharpen an image, I'm playing with the data and losing just a tad of resolution to gain in sharpness. Run my image through Akvis Enhancer or any other programme that adds local contrast or helps shadows and highlights and even more loss.

Dodging and Burning further damage the image - which is why this is the last thing I do. Even all those fancy blending layers and adjustments distort the data even if they don't destroy it.

And all this doesn't even consider cropping. 

Personally, I'll be happy to be have a camera with 36 or more megapixels.

Nikon D800E

No sign of mine arriving yet. Have been studying the various sites and lens tests to see what lenses I should use. Am going to try some of my 645 lenses first to see if any of them hold up.

In the mean time, today DPReview published an update on the D800E. I didn't find anything all that radical, but in the sample pictures section on the 800E, there are a variety of images. I looked at several made with the 70-200 and thought them quite good and was reassured that the corners seemed adequate if not perfect.

I then checked out the image with the boilers on the left, the sea in the middle and a city in the background, with fence and grass in the foreground, shot with the 85 1.4 G, a lens everyone agrees is stellar. Image here.

Wow, now this is what I was hoping for. From 18 inches away, I can't tell this is 100% view, but unlike "sharp" images of the past, there is no evidence of sharpening, even when I move in close to the monitor. Incredible detail and resolution as well as sharpness. And remarkably little moire in all those buildings and roofs - the only sig. spot I saw was between two sections of boat shed.

Digilloyd (pay site) has some interesting comments on focus shift as you stop down with some fast wide angle lenses, and the 14-24 - enough to make focusing stopped down the preferred method - if you can do it.

The D800/E would appear to have some live view focusing issues so I won't know how practical this is until I try it for myself.

Last Iteration

Iterations

As you know from  yesterday's post, I was photographing a rose. A dead one at that. It had been handed out at Indigo, by the store?, for no obvious reason, no strings attached, and it sat on our dining room table until well past it's best before date.

I happened to be reading the Sunday paper and noticed that the nearby window light was falling nicely on the flower - soft but directional - and that the rose might be worth photographing despite it's dried up appearance.

I started with my 90 ts-e lens but couldn't get close enough. I pulled the extension tube off my Lensbaby but that wasn't enough, so went in search of a longer one, and made some images. I then added the smaller tube and moved in a little closer.

Throughout this experimentation I made shots, and every 4 - 8 shots, I'd whip out the card and load the images into the computer to see what could be done with them.

I played with the height of the tripod to look down on the flower more, I rotated the vase while checking live view for the best view. I fiddled with the tilt on both the 90 and the Lensbaby and even experimented with f-stops on the 90 (though wide was best). Four times I made the trip to the computer and each time I learned from my experience and went right back to the rose to have another go.

This business of reassessing the subject and refining the composition and technique was fun and useful, informative and inspiring (to try and improve on the current best shot).

We don't often get such an opportunity to refine a photograph. We are away from the computer, the light is changing too fast, the LCD too small, or we are simply too impatient to move on to the next possible subject matter.

In the real world we can't 'grab the vase and rotate', and we can't bring up the images on 20 - 30 inch monitors to see what really looks best.

That said, we can learn from this experience. How often do we quickly assess the best position to stand, let the tripod choose the height from which to photograph (or simply standing height if we aren't using one) . We take the light we have instead of considering whether it wouldn't be better at a different time, and we don't give enough thought to whether we should attempt sharpness throughout, or a limited focus plane.

I would guess I spend almost three hours with that rose, going back and forth. I have to wonder how many of the subjects I photograph would have made better images had I spent a similar amount of time, refining and considering;  reviewing and re-envisioning.

Dry Rose

To my surprise, these wouldn't print on enhanced matte - out of gamut - and confirmed by printspace proofing. I switched papers to Harman FBAL gloss and had no troubles. Camera was Canon 5D2, lens was lensbaby Composer, wide open, with about one inch of extension tube to get close.

Liveview was invaluable. However did I manage before it came along?

3D->2D->3D->2D

Photograph some bushes, make a print, tear the print and bend it, then lay it out, and photograph it again.


Goofy?

Sure!

Fun?

Darn Right!

The paper was Ultra Premium Epson Matte (ie. the old enhanced matte) and it tore beautifully.

Apples And Oranges

I have been following with great interest the differences between the Nikon D800 and 800e and every few days more information and or examples come out. There are some things that can be said about any comparison of photographic equipment:

1) it's never as easy as you think

and

2) there are many factors which will result in a less than helpful comparision - ie. apples and oranges.

For example:

Imaging Resource just posted the 800e studio image - so a chance to compare cameras with identical images, same lens, steady lighting, tripod etc. The 800e did not show a huge advantage.  Other 'identical' comparisons had shown a bigger difference. It's essential to consider whether the image is a jpeg straight from the camera or a jpeg that came from the raw file. We also need to consider the lens used. In the case of the Imaging resource comparison, it's the 24-70 mm. Nikon lens - good for a zoom but definitely not up to a good prime lens, even the relatively inexpensive nikon 1.4 G, and certainly not the chart leading Nikon 85 1.4 G.

Today, digilloyd (for a fee) has tested sharpening to see what level of sharpening could possibly result in an 800 image looking just like an 800e image.

at GetDPI.com the Nikon forum has a lively discussion going on whether with extra sharpening the 800 images will look (and especially print) just like the 800E images.

For what it's worth, here's my observations after looking at and printing images:

You can only see the difference between the 800 and 800E if you start with a really good lens, optimal aperture and perfect technique - once you have to sharpen the 800E image significantly, it's hard to differentiate from an even more sharpened 800 image.

In prints 20X30 from a top lens I can see a difference between the 800 and 800E - but I doubt that the public could. At prints 49 inches wide (200% or 150 dpi) I think anyone could see the difference, but it's not huge even then - just less sharpening artifact.

Bottom line - you have to look for the diff. in the E, but with good glass and big prints, it is there.

To generalize to other comparisons:

minor change in the position of the sun (especially if it is glancing the subject) can affect apparent resolution and microcontrast and negate any camera differences. Less than stellar lenses won't show subtle differences in pixel count or presence/absence of an AA filter. Where the image is focusesd can make a giant difference - even minor variations can negate an otherwise useful comparison. Curvature of field can really screw up assessments. A number of lenses, many fast lenses and some others (like the 14-24 nikon) have sig. focus shift as you stop down. If focus was obtained wide open, even by live view magnified there can be errors creeping in.  As for auto focus - well there are complaints all over the net about difficulties focusing with the latest cameras. Those who shoot for pictures seem happy, those who shoot for tests not - which should tell us something. Again, focus curvature may have a lot to do with the apparent errors seen with lat. focus spots.

Mt. Kidd

Nothing original, I just like photographing this mountain any time I see it.

Rockface Kananaskis

Shot today in Kananaskis country, a 3 image stitch, made with the 5D2, 70-200 L IS f4 lens.

Website UP!

my new website is up and running, georgebarr.com and the photographs loaded. I note some duplications and I need to start working on image descriptions but you can inspect the site and let me know what you think. I have not yet moved the blog over yet(as you can see).

George