Post-processing workflow: Removing color banding in photos
Post-processing workflow: Removing color banding in photos
Photographing people in the studio against a darker background, I've been plagued with banding problems. Some of it had to do with the limitation of working in an 8-bit environment in Photoshop. As described in this article - how to deal with color banding - a work-around was to editing images as TIFF, and thereby skipping a few steps where I would previously just have edited the JPG. The additional info in the TIFF file minimized color banding. But then with darker backgrounds which have a bit of color in them, the Read more inside...Photographic composition – A few guidelines, (but no rules!)
Photographic composition - A few guidelines (but no rules!)
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” - Ansel Adams For me, if a photograph is intended for an audience, and not just my own records and memories - then its success hinges around impact. Does the photograph make you stop for a few seconds at least to take it in? Then you're at least in part successful already with the portrait. With portraits so many elements kick in to make a photograph resonate with us: The moment. The expression. Gesture. Movement. Pose and position. Read more inside...Gelling your flash, and post-processing for deep blue skies
Gelling your flash, and post-processing for deep blue skies
The warm light from the nearly-setting sun, accentuated with gelled flash. Towards the end of the recent photography workshop, we were shooting on the rooftop - the warm tone of the sunlight contrasting beautifully with the blue sky. To punch it even more, we added gelled flash via an off-camera speedlight in a softbox. We had to gel the speedlight of course, to make sure the blue color balance of the flash didn't kill the natural light. We used a 1/2 CTS gel here which brought the flash's WB down to around 3700K. (This Read more inside...review: Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS
review: Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS
With this wide-angle zoom, I felt like Canon redeemed itself. And you may well wonder why I have such a strong opinion about this. Well, my experience with Canon over the years has been a clouded one. A number of years back I moved back to Nikon again when I couldn't handle the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L going out of calibration every so often. Then, there was the untrustworthy AF performance of the Canon 1D mark III. In fact, I'm still waiting for Canon to send me an apology note for that camera. In fact, for all three bodies that I owned. But I digress Read more inside...Timelapse photography project – Commercial properties
Timelapse photography project - Commercial properties
Always busy, the most recent project that I was busy with, was for a client who had asked for a way to show their various commercial properties in a dynamic way. I had to help them show their warehouses and buildings in a non-static interesting way. I suggested time-lapse photography, and they accepted my proposal. With time-lapse I could create a video clip that is dynamic in a way that isn't possible with stills or even video. Above is a shortened version of the final project. I have created other time-lapse clips with my Read more inside...Posing technique – Adjusting a pose with incremental changes
Posing technique - Adjusting a pose with incremental changes
I'm not a huge fan of "flow posing" where someone is rigidly posed according to formula. I feel this doesn't allow as much for personality and individuality as a more organic approach. I much more prefer a low-stress approach where a pose is adjusted, to where it looks good, and looks flattering. This does mean that I have to find that balance between allowing "faults" and finessing a pose. Sometimes it just works better for the flow of a photo session to not micro-adjust to the point where your subject might feel it as Read more inside...Flash photography: questions & answers (FAQ)
Flash photography questions & answers (FAQ)
Looking at some of the questions about photography that appear via Google searches, I wanted to more directly answer some of the questions. This article is a selection of questions on the topic of photography, that I decided to amalgamate into one longer article. Read more inside...Studio photography – Image projection effects for creative backgrounds
Studio photography - Image projection effects for creative backgrounds
Working with an idea in mind in the studio - a moody B&W portrait with a stylized cityscape as background. Using the Light-Blaster again in the studio, this final image was a progression of that idea. I knew I wanted to use the cityscape background of one of the metal gobos that came with the Light-Blaster kit. Because I wanted the final photograph to be black and white, I set my camera to Monochrome so that I'd have a good idea during the shoot what the final image would look like. Since I shoot in RAW, Read more inside...Wedding photography lighting – Shooting in partial sunlight & shade
Wedding photography lighting - Shooting in partial sunlight & shade
I strongly believe that when you have the ability to control a photo session, that you pick your battles. You don't have to try and make everything work. Set up portrait shots in light that favors you. Of course, off-camera flash really helps you in being able to pick where you want that light that favors you. Solid advice that I adhere to, is to not have a person or a group of people half in the sun, half in shade. It's a recipe for disaster, or a tough battle to fight, lighting wise. But then, slightly Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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