paul bousquet photography

Just another night in the city that never sleeps…..

Exposure For Outdoor Photography by Michael Frye

Have you ever wondered how to get a spot on exposure for your outdoor photography and where to focus? Have you ever wanted to use the Zone system like Ansel Adams in the digital world without great complexity? Have you ever wanted to learn how the use your camera in manual mode for complete control over your camera? Then you will want to grab a copy of Michael Frye’s Exposure book where he teaches you these techniques and more.

Exposure is also great introduction to the basics of exposure and depth of field while in the context of landscape photography. Michael Frye has written a nicely concise book on the very important technique for getting your landscape photos looking their very best.

Whenever I help folks who are looking for advice on photography the very first topic I like to discuss with them is the exposure triangle. Michael starts his Exposure book off in the same manner with a very well done explanation of the topic and how you adjust each to suit the type of exposure you are trying to accomplish.

Michael also does a nice job of explaining f-stops, detailing what 1 stop versus 1/3 stop actually means and how changing shutter and aperture results in these changes. Not only is this provided in a technical sense, but what it means to the image you are trying to create.

When it comes to metering modes, Michael recommends a different approach than what I am used to and describes why this is his approach. It makes sense to me now and will certainly get a try out in the field.

Included in Michael’s description of getting an exposure spot on is his explanation of using histograms over light meters and stresses the use of using manual mode as a learning process to better understand shutter and aperture priority.

Ansel Adams took advantage of the Zone system to produce the stunning images he is well known for. These images include the widest range of dark to light possible. Michael takes the Zone system and shows you a less complicated approach to using it in the digital world.

Michael includes a few case studies in the book to practice the techniques he describes.

You can save $1 off the price of Exposure by using the EXPOSURE4 code at checkout or use EXPOSURE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 + PDF eBooks from the Craft and Vision Collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm(PST) on February 20, 2012.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to get $1 off while picking up a copy of Exposure.

There are lots of opinions regarding the whole Gear vs. Vision topic so I thought what the heck, I’ll provide my thoughts on the topic as well. With all of the new DSLR camera bodies being announced by the big guys (Canon & Nikon) and some of the littler kids on the block, there is ample opportunity to grab your cash and buy the latest and greatest camera bodies that promise to take extraordinary pictures for you. Many sites rely on the gear rumors and show you shiny pictures of all the new stuff with convenient links to sites where you can make a purchase. But the other argument is that what will improve your photography more isn’t new gear but an improved or more thoughtful approach to how you go about making those images.

It’s no secret I am a big fan of David duChemin and I have clearly started to improve my craft by practicing what he teaches. I can honestly say that I haven’t purchased any gear since starting to read David’s books and blog. However, I didn’t really need any new gear during this time period and simply did not have any extra dollars to go out and buy a 5D MkII or a D700. I currently shoot with my trusty Canon 40D which I believe is a great camera and continues to serve me well. In fact I will go on to state that my current abilities still hold me back from maximizing the potential of this camera. So I really don’t need to buy new gear correct?

Not so fast. I may not be maximizing the potential of the Canon 40D yet, but I know I am bumping up against some of its performance limits, ISO being the one that pushes me back the most. Some of my photography takes place in the performing arts where lighting conditions can vary constantly and some situations require ISO settings that I can not attain currently. I also enjoy indoor sporting event photography where lighting is not as good as it appears.

So do I need new gear? Yes I do and for that reason I have begun to start looking at some of the new bodies announced and looking forward to several others that are anticipated before making a final decision.

Now even though I need new gear to fulfill some of my photographic requirements, I know full well that the equipment I buy will not make me a better photographer. The new gear will allow me to capture some of the images that I am not technically capable of accomplishing right now, but my creative process is still on the upswing and I cannot rely on a camera to get me to my fullest potential.

I don’t think one answer to the gear vs. vision dilemma exists for all. I think each one of us needs to evaluate where we are and determine if our current tools are holding us back. But I also firmly believe people need to be honest with themselves and question whether they have maximized their creative vision process which will probably out perform any piece of gear out there.

This scene usually has some snow in it this time of year, but not in 2012.

Earlier this week I listened to a June 13, 2011 podcast from Martin Bailey where he interviews David duChemin. I only recently discovered Martin’s podcast after reviewing his just released Craft & Vision book, Making The Print. Either I missed this interview earlier or maybe I just did not pick up enough from it in my first listen. One of the topics in the podcast is a discussion on juxtaposition and how we as photographers need to make a situation work for us in order to get the image we are seeking or visualizing. Sometimes the timing is not there on the first attempt or the lighting is not quite right. Whatever it is, revisiting the place where you imagined a certain image will often result in getting the image that you may have expected to make in the first place.

I captured this image from Borderland State Park in Easton, MA after a visit to this same location a day earlier. It still is not what I wanted, but I am getting closer. The day before I had my iPhone and a Canon Powershot with me during a hike when I discovered this “Deadwood in Granite” scene. Try as I might, I did not get an image that matched my expectations. After getting home and looking closer at the results in Lightroom, I decided a return visit was in order with my Canon 40D and also at a slightly different time of day. The result above is somewhat closer to my vision and not just because of the camera, but because I spent more time positioning myself to get a better angle. I also arrived at the the location about an hour earlier which allowed for more sunlight to light the scene and for me to just relax and put some thought into what I wanted. However, one thing was missing that I saw the first day and that was the moon.

With the podcast still lingering in the back of my mind I decided a third attempt was worthwhile and followed up with another visit to the same location a day later. However, with the clouds more prevalent this day, there was no way I would see the moon and I’d be lucky if any sunlight would be helping me out. I waited and captured the image below as the sun peaked through the clouds for about 30 seconds, allowing some hope. But no moon to be seen.

While I did not get the shot I was looking for, I did experience first hand how patience and a little luck can work together to get your vision closer to becoming reality. It also showed that the gear I had with me played no role in determining the image I wanted to create. A return visit to that spot is in the cards and with a little more patience and planning, I’m sure things will work out.

Making The Print: Printing Techniques for the Digital Photographer by Martin Bailey

Martin Bailey, THANK YOU! This is the book I have been waiting for a long time. Many of the the previous discussions or technical posts I have seen on printing in my opinion have been overly complicated and simply have left me with the feeling of never wanting to go down that path. The result was that I avoided buying a printer and sent my prints to one of the popular processing labs. But I have always felt I was missing part of the creative process of producing a piece of art that could be held, hung up or passed around. Part of this feeling of artistic emptiness traces back to my admiration of watching a video of Ansel Adams in his dark room manipulating his prints with the chemical process and dodging and burning technique that goes along with it. I never really experienced the film and print development process first hand, my limited film related skills were confined to loading and unloading loading film and then sending it off to a lab.

But something finally pushed me to buy my first printer and this makes the timing of the eBook release of Making The Print downright spooky. As I begin the review of Making The Print, my first printer, an Epson Stylus Photo R2000 is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. So I guess I ignored Martin’s first piece of advice of not buying a printer until after reading the book. That’s okay, I feel like I have overcome an obstacle of avoiding printing at all cost by finally pulling the rigger on a printer purchase. I will just have to utilize the rest of the book’s advice to get be going in the right direction as I move forward.

The first part of the book is devoted to getting on the road to printing very quickly with some basic foundations that will hopefully improve the look of your images right out of the box, or at least if you are just starting, to get you comfortable with a basic process. Martin shares some tips on selecting your first printer or upgrading from what you currently have and also provides some basics on paper selection.

Martin has plenty of quick tips for folks who are just getting started in the process of printing including basics such as setting your monitor’s brightness appropriately and how to take advantage of the software you currently have to make sure the settings will provide you with the greatest chance of getting a good print out of your printer. Examples are provided with Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop to help you better get a handle on such things as shadow and highlight adjustment, sharpening and printing profiles to name a few.

Part two of Making The Print is about going deeper into the details of gaining success with your printing. Here Martin talks about getting into the nitty gritty details of color management including performing your own color calibration throughout the entire process (monitor and printer/paper combinations). This is not for the feint of heart and I think Martin has cleared this process up a bit with a clear description of steps to be performed with a couple of alternative devices he recommends for the process. He also touches upon the camera calibration as well for the ultimate complete color managed loop for your workflow. Color proofing is also demonstrated with a walk through and in fact Martin mentions in a note the fact that the latest Lightroom beta 4.0 includes this capability.

Next Martin provides a clear discussion on paper type and what to look for in choosing fine art paper and also why you may want to start smaller before going for that large format printer.

This next section is probably my favorite of the book: Gallery Wraps. Martin goes into depth on how to take advantage of your printer to create beautiful gallery wraps yourself. This includes getting the print made just right with respect to dealing with borders, resizing and sharpening. Martin also provides details with illustrations on how to handle the canvas and mount it properly using the stretcher bars. This section I find is one I will definitely attempt since I have spent a great deal of money on procuring canvas wraps in the past.

There is also a nice section to help you prepare for an exhibit and what techniques you could use to perhaps make the process of producing a set of prints more efficiently and economically.

I mentioned Ansel Adams earlier as an inspiration which has always driven me to print my own work and Martin has a nice quote that wraps this review up for me, “Ansel Adams would have loved what is available to us now and it’s just going to get better and better!”

You can save $1 off the price of Making The Print by using the PRINT4 code at checkout or use PRINT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 + PDF eBooks from the Craft and Vision Collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm(PST) on January 21, 2012.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to get $1 off while picking up a copy of Making The Print.

I have been doing more hiking lately and lucky for us we have Borderland Park close by which allows for getting a little peace and quite once in awhile.

These hikes really make me appreciate the great outdoors and living close to areas that have been preserved for just that purpose.

Although the last several days have been cold, there is a nice warming house with a roaring fire to take the chill out.

NOTE: Come back tomorrow for a review of the latest Craft and Vision ebook, it is one that I have been hoping for.

Spent the day yesterday touring the Falmouth/Woods Hole, MA area celebrating my wife’s birthday. Finally felt like Winter has kicked in even though snow still has not covered the area. The Nobska Point Light has an interesting history and continues as the former keeper’s facility serves as the home for the commander of Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. A radio tower somewhat takes away from the picturesque quality of the shot, but I managed to situate the tower behind the trees to the left by positioning myself down the road a bit.

One more from the Roger Williams Zoo series.

From the Tin Toy exhibit formerly in the Japan pavilion at EPCOT.

Last week I had the opportunity to take a little excursion from the daily grind and head to New York City. I just felt like it was time to do something a little bit different from the normal routine, so I took to the road and headed down to the Big Apple for some inspiration. My destination was B&H Photo, a place us photographers all know and love, maybe a bit too much! My visit last week was not about gear however, it was about getting out and seeing and hearing other photographers talk about their work. I attended two sessions by Wildlife and Landscape (and now add Aviation) photographer Moose Peterson at the B&H event space.

I have admired Moose’s work at his blog and felt like this would be a great opportunity to hear first hand from a photographer I admire regarding his experiences and passion. What I took away most from the sessions with Moose is the need to get out, shoot images and show them. I have started to do this to some degree, but I have a lot of work to do. Moose also stressed the importance of pleasing yourself with respect to how an image speaks. If the image makes you happy or speaks to you in some manner, then that is all that matters. Unless your are being paid and need to make your client happy, the images you feel most proud of are ones you should feel confident about. This isn’t only about showing off your work, but going through this process helps you gain confidence in your skills and allows others to learn from you. We all learn from one another’s experiences and perspectives no matter what the topic.

So to practice what I preach, I have posted a few images from a visit to the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. While a zoo may not be “real” wildlife photography such as Moose is used to, it is a great place to learn more about your craft and about your subjects at the same time. I took these images in the January of 2010 and figured it was about time to post some and share. It was fun to go back and look at some images that I have not seen in sometime and apply a slightly different post processing approach to them.

Would not mind at all if I could ride one of these slick Christmas bikes

Essentially this is a very well done packaging of blog posts (plus some new content) from throughout the year at The Pixelated Image, David duChemin’s well visited and nicely informative site. It is also a great place to get involved with discussions centering around improving your photographic vision and thus making better photos. This ebook is a great opportunity for those of you not familiar with David’s work to get caught up on his writings for the year and learn more about his efforts to help us focus on photographic vision rather than gear.

You can save $1 off the price of Vision Is Better II by using the VIB4 at checkout or buy the Vision Is Better Bundle which includes the original Vision Is Better book and Vision Is Better II by using VIB7 saving $3. These codes expire on December 21 at 11:59pm (PST).

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of Vision Is Better II

NOTE: The download link is now working according to Craft and Vision. Thanks for your patience.

11 Ways To Improve your Photography

Here is a great opportunity to get some solid advice on improving your photography. The authors at Craft and Vision have gotten together to provide some of their favorite tips and put together a free ebook for you to download and enjoy. My favorite is the advice on histograms that can really provide you with a better image to work with.

So don’t hesitate, grab a copy and enjoy! FREE!

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of 11 Ways To Improve your Photography

Getting that perfect image has never been easier as far as technology is concerned and the iPhone 4s keeps that momentum going. The capabilities of Apple’s new iPhone are numerous but the HDR feature is one I wanted to highlight here by showing you a clear result of an image with and without the HDR effect.

Here is the image without HDR processing:

Here is the HDR version as developed by the iPhone 4S:

Clearly the blown highlights in the clouds have been corrected and the color of the buildings on the right are truer to reality. Is the image perfect? Certainly not, but it is one that is very pleasing to the eye and can meet just about everyones needs. It also did not take any post processing whatsoever which in my book is a great advantage.

To activate the HDR effect, in the Camera app go under options and turn it on. In the iPhone Settings under Photos there is also an option to keep the “Normal” photo. Now taking an photo will result in the two images being captured, one normally processed and one with HDR processing. ( In fact, Derrick Story has an Maximum HDR technique that you may want to review to further potentially improve your images.)

For me, I use the HDR images as is since I’m looking to quicken my turn around time. For now I am saving both images just in case I want to use the “normal” image, but so far that has not happened!