Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Nice examples from the Shutter Speed assignment
Courtney's
Courtney
Robbie
Celeste
Tiff
Noah
Marlee
Emma
Rachel
Monday, February 17, 2014
Agenda for 2/18/2014
Quiz #1 at the beginning of class (be sure to have read chapters 1-4 of the text on editing)
We will look over your creative DoF images.
I will give a demo on White Balance and ISO.
We will do some editing in class so that I can see how you are making your edits.
If you have a laptop, but don't have Photoshop, please give Virtual Sites a try. It allows one to remotely control a virtual computer. The advantage being it has Photoshop loaded on it. Some people have had success with this and others haven't. Give it try and see what you think if you don't have PS.
http://lhspphoto.blogspot.com/
If you have a laptop and PS (or you want to try Virtual Sites), please remember to bring it to class. Be sure to bring what is necessary to transfer files to the computer.
If you don't have a laptop, don't feel like it is up to snuff, or just prefer to use a computer in the lab, you can use the computers in the lab downstairs when we edit.
Given that we will do some in class editing, please be sure to have your files with you.
Home work will be on WB and ISO.
Be sure to bring your mobile phone charged up for class on 2/25.
We will look over your creative DoF images.
I will give a demo on White Balance and ISO.
We will do some editing in class so that I can see how you are making your edits.
If you have a laptop, but don't have Photoshop, please give Virtual Sites a try. It allows one to remotely control a virtual computer. The advantage being it has Photoshop loaded on it. Some people have had success with this and others haven't. Give it try and see what you think if you don't have PS.
http://lhspphoto.blogspot.com/
If you have a laptop and PS (or you want to try Virtual Sites), please remember to bring it to class. Be sure to bring what is necessary to transfer files to the computer.
If you don't have a laptop, don't feel like it is up to snuff, or just prefer to use a computer in the lab, you can use the computers in the lab downstairs when we edit.
Given that we will do some in class editing, please be sure to have your files with you.
Home work will be on WB and ISO.
Be sure to bring your mobile phone charged up for class on 2/25.
Virtual Sites & Mfile
Virtual Sites is UM's 'remote computing' service which allows you access to the programs on UM's computer labs. From their website, "With Virtual Sites, you can use the software on Campus Computing Sites
Windows workstations remotely from any Mac or Windows computer with an
internet connection."
This includes Photoshop. Please give it try and see how well it works for you. I tried it and it works surprisingly well. It takes a few minutes to load, but once it does it's pretty quick. When you first open up Virtual Sites, you will see the window pictured below. Be sure to change your connection speed to LAN (10Mps) as that most closely matches you connection speed you are likely using.
Here is a document that provides some info on setting things up and using the system.
Mfile is essentially UM's cloud storage system. You have to upload your files to Mfile in order to access them when using Virtual Sites. Once you have your files on Mfile, the are accessible by clicking the My IFS Space icon on the desktop. This is the only directory to which you should save your work.
Alternatively, you could upload and download your files from any other online service such as M Box or Google Drive, etc...
This includes Photoshop. Please give it try and see how well it works for you. I tried it and it works surprisingly well. It takes a few minutes to load, but once it does it's pretty quick. When you first open up Virtual Sites, you will see the window pictured below. Be sure to change your connection speed to LAN (10Mps) as that most closely matches you connection speed you are likely using.
Here is a document that provides some info on setting things up and using the system.
Mfile is essentially UM's cloud storage system. You have to upload your files to Mfile in order to access them when using Virtual Sites. Once you have your files on Mfile, the are accessible by clicking the My IFS Space icon on the desktop. This is the only directory to which you should save your work.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Technical Assignment #2 Aperture/ DoF
I suggested that you complete this assignment outside on a nice day. Given the variability of the weather, you may have to complete the exercise indoors.
The idea of this assignment is for you to see the change in depth of field as you change your aperture. Of course, as you do so the amount of light that is allowed to reach the sensor changes which necessitates changes to the shutter speed and/or ISO as well. If you were to complete this assignment outside on a sunny day, you would likely be able to complete it by simply changing your shutter speed as you changed your aperture. The general rule of thumb is don't use a higher ISO unless you need to. When do you need to? When your shutter speed drops below 1/60 without the use of tripod.
You can complete this outside in overcast light outside or even indoors. You will just have to increase the ISO at the point that a shutter speed of less than 1/60 is required. Let's say you start out by determining that f3.5 @ 1/125 at ISO 200 is the ideal exposure (the histogram is as far to the right as possible without climbing the wall). You begin by taking that shot. Then you take a shot at f4 @ 1/ 100 at ISO 200. The next in the cycle would be f5.6 @ 1/50 at ISO 200; however, that means a shutter speed of less than 1/60 at which point you risk having a blurry image due to camera movement. So, you would instead go with f5.6 @ 1/100 at ISO 400 which is a reciprocal exposure (it results in an equivalent image in terms of brightness). From there, you would go to f8 @ 1/100 at ISO 800. Then, f11 @ 1/100 at ISO 1600. Then f16 @ 1/100 at ISO 3200. Of course, if you don't have ISO over 1600 available, then you would have to go with f16 @ 1/50 at ISO 1600.
1. You are to create two sets of images for this assignment. One in which you photography elements that are relatively close to you. Perphaps a table top set up of condiments. You need a middle subject, background, and a foreground subject. Focus on the middle subject for all the shots. Go through the entire aperture range.
2. Do it again using 'real world' subject matter such as a a friend in front of some background with some kind of foreground element. Perphaps three friends outside each about 10 feet apart. Focus on the friend in the middle each time.
3. Lastly, photograph 10 images demonstrating a creative use of depth of field. Please spend some time on these to get some good images.
Put all three sets on Flickr using appropriate Set names.
The idea of this assignment is for you to see the change in depth of field as you change your aperture. Of course, as you do so the amount of light that is allowed to reach the sensor changes which necessitates changes to the shutter speed and/or ISO as well. If you were to complete this assignment outside on a sunny day, you would likely be able to complete it by simply changing your shutter speed as you changed your aperture. The general rule of thumb is don't use a higher ISO unless you need to. When do you need to? When your shutter speed drops below 1/60 without the use of tripod.
You can complete this outside in overcast light outside or even indoors. You will just have to increase the ISO at the point that a shutter speed of less than 1/60 is required. Let's say you start out by determining that f3.5 @ 1/125 at ISO 200 is the ideal exposure (the histogram is as far to the right as possible without climbing the wall). You begin by taking that shot. Then you take a shot at f4 @ 1/ 100 at ISO 200. The next in the cycle would be f5.6 @ 1/50 at ISO 200; however, that means a shutter speed of less than 1/60 at which point you risk having a blurry image due to camera movement. So, you would instead go with f5.6 @ 1/100 at ISO 400 which is a reciprocal exposure (it results in an equivalent image in terms of brightness). From there, you would go to f8 @ 1/100 at ISO 800. Then, f11 @ 1/100 at ISO 1600. Then f16 @ 1/100 at ISO 3200. Of course, if you don't have ISO over 1600 available, then you would have to go with f16 @ 1/50 at ISO 1600.
1. You are to create two sets of images for this assignment. One in which you photography elements that are relatively close to you. Perphaps a table top set up of condiments. You need a middle subject, background, and a foreground subject. Focus on the middle subject for all the shots. Go through the entire aperture range.
2. Do it again using 'real world' subject matter such as a a friend in front of some background with some kind of foreground element. Perphaps three friends outside each about 10 feet apart. Focus on the friend in the middle each time.
3. Lastly, photograph 10 images demonstrating a creative use of depth of field. Please spend some time on these to get some good images.
Put all three sets on Flickr using appropriate Set names.
Here is a short article that describes Aperture with a few examples.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
What's due 2/11
Re-shoot your Shutter Speed assignment if necessary.
Shoot more for the 2014 assignment if you feel compelled to.
Read the materials linked to in the post below.
Edit the 4 best of your 2014 assignment. Post them on Flickr in a new, appropriately named set.
Shoot more for the 2014 assignment if you feel compelled to.
Read the materials linked to in the post below.
Edit the 4 best of your 2014 assignment. Post them on Flickr in a new, appropriately named set.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Editing Raw Files
Ansel Adams wrote, "The negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways."
The same can be said for editing your RAW files. Editing takes considerable time. It is a thoughtful, contemplative process. It is not a race to be done.
There is much in regards to digital imaging and photography that isn't intuitive. Editing your images is one such example. The biggest thing that students have trouble with is failing to make full use the full tonal range of the image.
Please read Chapters 1&2 in The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop by Jeff Schewe. This book can be found and read online through UM's library system in the same way that you read the other book.
One of the biggest struggles that students have is learning to adjust the distribution of tones in an image. Technically speaking, when you are shooting, your job is to capture all the data in the scene without clipping important highlight information. Your job in editing is to re-arrange those tones to make full use of the tonal range and create an attractive image.
If you see data climbing the right and left walls of an image, that is data containing no detail. I find if helpful if you think of lost detail as not having texture. If you grossly overexpose an area to the point that the data is climbing the right wall, let's say it is a white t-shirt, then the photo of the t-shirt won't have any sense of texture to it. You won't be able to tell if there was a pattern or what type of fabric it was. In a nut shell, you should set the black and white point of an image so that the data just kisses both sides of the histogram without climbing it. Of course, there are exceptions to this such as when you deliberately allow the white of a specular highlight to go to pure white.
If you see that there is a gap between the right wall and the image data, then you are not using the full range of tones available to you. Move the White slider until the data just kisses or nearly kisses the wall. If you see that there is a gap between the left wall and the image data, then you are not using the full range of tones available to you. Move the Blacks slider until to left until the data just kisses or nearly kisses the wall.You should do these edits first, then edit the other tones. At a minimum will likely have to adjust the midtones a bit using the Exposure slider or Curves.
Simply put, if you only use part of the tonal range, then you will have a flat (lacking contrast) image.
Like any advice, it is good to hear it from multiple people. Here are some tutorials on the use of Adobe Camera Raw that I highly recommend. These are written for Adobe Photoshop, but nearly everything is the same between PS and LR as far as the editing of RAW files is concerned.
I would like you to watch these videos. If you are struggling to understand the editing of RAW files, these will really help. The first one in particular.
Start with this one:
Adobe TV video featuring Julieanne Kost introduction to ACR. Great step by step tutorial in which she explains the choices she makes. If you like it, and I think you will, it is part of a longer video series featuring her. Click here to see all the episodes of The Complete Picture with Julianne Kost.
Russel Brown a long time Adobe evangelist and a pretty funny guy, has been posting some really great tutorials and scripts to his website for a number of years. I mention it now because he has some nice tutorials on working with Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop CS4. He takes a novel approach in some of the tutorials in which he edits others' files.
The Russel Brown Show
The same can be said for editing your RAW files. Editing takes considerable time. It is a thoughtful, contemplative process. It is not a race to be done.
There is much in regards to digital imaging and photography that isn't intuitive. Editing your images is one such example. The biggest thing that students have trouble with is failing to make full use the full tonal range of the image.
Please read Chapters 1&2 in The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop by Jeff Schewe. This book can be found and read online through UM's library system in the same way that you read the other book.
One of the biggest struggles that students have is learning to adjust the distribution of tones in an image. Technically speaking, when you are shooting, your job is to capture all the data in the scene without clipping important highlight information. Your job in editing is to re-arrange those tones to make full use of the tonal range and create an attractive image.
If you see data climbing the right and left walls of an image, that is data containing no detail. I find if helpful if you think of lost detail as not having texture. If you grossly overexpose an area to the point that the data is climbing the right wall, let's say it is a white t-shirt, then the photo of the t-shirt won't have any sense of texture to it. You won't be able to tell if there was a pattern or what type of fabric it was. In a nut shell, you should set the black and white point of an image so that the data just kisses both sides of the histogram without climbing it. Of course, there are exceptions to this such as when you deliberately allow the white of a specular highlight to go to pure white.
If you see that there is a gap between the right wall and the image data, then you are not using the full range of tones available to you. Move the White slider until the data just kisses or nearly kisses the wall. If you see that there is a gap between the left wall and the image data, then you are not using the full range of tones available to you. Move the Blacks slider until to left until the data just kisses or nearly kisses the wall.You should do these edits first, then edit the other tones. At a minimum will likely have to adjust the midtones a bit using the Exposure slider or Curves.
Simply put, if you only use part of the tonal range, then you will have a flat (lacking contrast) image.
Like any advice, it is good to hear it from multiple people. Here are some tutorials on the use of Adobe Camera Raw that I highly recommend. These are written for Adobe Photoshop, but nearly everything is the same between PS and LR as far as the editing of RAW files is concerned.
I would like you to watch these videos. If you are struggling to understand the editing of RAW files, these will really help. The first one in particular.
Start with this one:
Adobe TV video featuring Julieanne Kost introduction to ACR. Great step by step tutorial in which she explains the choices she makes. If you like it, and I think you will, it is part of a longer video series featuring her. Click here to see all the episodes of The Complete Picture with Julianne Kost.
Russel Brown a long time Adobe evangelist and a pretty funny guy, has been posting some really great tutorials and scripts to his website for a number of years. I mention it now because he has some nice tutorials on working with Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop CS4. He takes a novel approach in some of the tutorials in which he edits others' files.
The Russel Brown Show
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