Creativity – Page 2 – CanonBlogger

When is Your Creative Zone?

August 30, 2011September 24, 2017 JasonLeave a comment

We all have Circadian rhythms or body cycles that are tuned specifically to us…whether you identify that as being a morning person or a night owl. This also applies to your creative rituals too though. Because our body clocks all operate on a unique pattern of restfulness and alertness, we have different times when we are the most creative. Our mind is able to focus on creative ideas and energies, and the distractions of the rest of the world aren’t nearly as distracting. The windmills are out there and we tilt away at them with every fiber of energy! Do you know when your creative zone occurs?

For me, that time often comes right around midnight. If I am not too sleepy, or I power through the initial desire to just go to bed, my mind suddenly becomes much clearer, my vision focuses, and I get so much done from my creative space, it’s kind of eerie. Tracy woke up once to find my literally typing a million miles a minute…the thoughts couldn’t get out of my brain fast enough. After about 3-4 hours of it though, my entire body just shuts down. The exciting thing though, is that I’ve been able to identify this creative zone. I know if I need to get some writing done, or some post production work on photos, or anything creative – those are the hours when I get the most accomplished.

We’re all different though, some people have this rush of creativity in the morning, or in the middle of meals or other activities. I’ve talked to so many people who still are unsure of when they really are at their creative best. When people attend workshops and get immersed in a creative world, the ideas flow much more naturally. The same holds for conferences, seminars, and any type of learning environment. It’s like the mind knows that other creatives are around and the energy for learning and expression is much higher than what we are normally exposed to. The trick comes in being able to identify when your creative zone normally happens when you are in that daily routine. Is it right when you wake up? After that first cup of coffee? Right before you go to bed at night? Or is it on those sleepless nights at 2am when your creative juices just start flowing?

When is your creative zone?

Masking in Photoshop Lightroom

August 26, 2011September 24, 2017 JasonLeave a comment

Often when I talk to people about their work flow one big question and the need to do some pixel based editing in Photoshop, one of the questions that often comes up is “Why can’t I do X in Lightroom?”

Most of the time, it involves answers that include explanations of pixel based editing versus parametric editing, and lots of other technical reasons as to why certain things can’t happen in LR. But sometimes (and this is the best part), I find out they are adding to their work flow because it can be done in Lightroom! One of the most common ones is masking effects. When I show people this, I almost always get a “Holy Cow!” or some other variation on the “cow” part.

So, today I thought I’d share a quick tutorial on how to implement masking edits in Lightroom. Let’s take a look at the base image I am using here – a boat dock on Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks of upstate NY:

So, the dock here is a significant portion of the subject, but it’s way darker than the rest of the image, and really could be increased by a stop or two relative to the sky. So, rather than round trip to PS, let’s see what we can do here. I’ll start off with making a general masking selection of the entire area. So I check the Adjustment Brush (near the top of the Develop Module on the far right hand side), and then at the bottom of the image (over on the left), there’s a box that says “Show Selected Mask Overly”. I check that box. Then I just start painting!

It’s a prety broad brush I’ve used, so we need to clean it up, as some of the water got caught and that will leave an ugly halo effect if I don’t take care of it. So, to get more detailed selections completed, I zoom in, and then switch to erase mode while still showing the mask. This is in the lower options of the Adjustment Brush, on the right hand panel – see where it has “A”, “B”, and “Erase”? Click the erase and start painting again to undo the mask:

You, of course, will have to adjust the size, feathering and opacity of your brush to taste, and to accommodate your brushing technique as needed (hint: Wacom tablets work better than regular mice or trackballs). Once you’re finished with your refining of the mask, go ahead and uncheck the option to display the mask and see your results.

At this point you can actually do something else kind of cool – hover your mouse over the dot that is on display and then slide it to the left or right as you see the exposure increase and decrease for the selected area! Pretty cool, eh? This same technique works with other features in the adjustment brush, whether you are working on eyes, teeth, dodging, burning, or even skin softening. The scrubby slider is a nice feature in here. Then, finally, one thing I’ll do is make a side-by-side comparison of the image in a before and after mode to make sure my changes aren’t too garish or over the top (you can do a side-by-side comparison, top and bottom comparison and even split the screen between the two for a more detailed look):

Looks pretty good for this quick tutorial…and here’s the final image after our masking edits are done:

Now I grant you that this is probably not a portfolio image, but it hopefully was helpful in illustrating how you can mask and edit your photos inside of Lightroom without having to do the round trip as often to Photoshop!

Like this tip/trick? Got any other comments, questions, or curiosities of how to leverage Lightroom more in your own work flow? Sound off in the comments, and as always, keep on shooting!

The Permanent Portfolio Photo?

May 4, 2011January 19, 2017 Jason3 Comments

One of the cardinal rules I’ve always heard in the field of photography is to update your portfolio often – show fresh work to show you haven’t stagnated, and that your creativity is always expanding and changing with the styles and facets of the times. On the flip side, I know of many photographers who quietly admit that they have a stable of “permanent portfolio shots” that they fall back on to use in promotion and marketing mechanisms if they haven’t had new projects that they want to promote.

Leave it to the Libra, but for me, I can see both perspectives and understand the pros and cons of each. To those ends, I’ve not really made up my mind. Sometimes I waffle one way, other times I go in the opposite direction. It’s never good to stagnate, but I do think that some photography is timeless, and to that end, some photos are worth keeping in your portfolio. I’ve got a few that I know will always be in mine, but others I rotate periodically. Here’s one of my all-time favorites:

What do you do with your own portfolio?

Spring Photo Projects

April 18, 2011 JasonLeave a comment

With Spring in the air (if not already sprung), many of us are out and about brimming with photo ideas after being couped up for a chilly winter. What’s that you say? No photo projects brimming yet? No problem – here’s a few to get you started:

1. The Call of the Birds: Avian photography has always been something of an art form, with many of the hard core, die hard types venturing way out into the boonies of mountains, hills, lakes, and other far-reaching places. For the rest of us though, it’s tough to find the resources (time and money) to go to the birds, so another option is to bring the birds to you! Buy some bird feeders and see what comes! My folks have several bird feeders in upstate New York, and every time I visit, there are birds flying everywhere. Pine cones with peanut butter, humming bird feeders with sugar water, and even just a plain old bird bath with feed from your local DIY store can bring a bounty of birds to your doorstep!

2. Join a photo group: We’re everywhere! From ASMP groups to NAPP groups, Meetup groups, and WPPI, you can find groups for pretty much anything ranging from professional development, to studio lighting, and just groups of photographers that like to get out and shoot together for the love of the craft and the camraderie of it all! I’m a member of several local groups, all via the site Meetup.com, and I don’t have to pay a cent to participate! (I do contribute though, just because I like supporting such efforts…)

3. Shooting in a park: Get some photographer-friends, family-friends, or just some friends to join you in a park. Set up a blanket, a few light stands, and have some park-type food available: (crackers, cheese, water, whatever). Add an ipod with some speakers for a little music. Offer gag prizes for people who dance, act silly, or pose for the camera. Process the photos and post online so they can share, download, add to Facebook, Twitter, or print! Low cost, fun, and helps to build your portfolio!

The ideas are only limited by your creativity! Got your own ideas for photographic opportunities this Spring? Sound off in the comments to share, encourage, and inspire others! Happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here next time!

P.S. Don’t forget the April photo contest on Flickr – win a BacklitBox of your favorite photo! Flickr Contest Thread

Do you Have Your Torx in Order?

April 7, 2011 Jason1 Comment

So, after years and years of advice and instruction on maintaining hard drive redundancy, and the benefits of upgrading from time to time, I finally am following my own advice and upgrading my venerable Macbook Pro. After a screamingly good deal came out for laptop disk drives locally, I went out and snagged a 750GB 7200 RPM hard drive from MicroCenter and brought it home. I also picked up a copy of Mac OS X.6 since my previous upgrade came through a friends DVD who was no longer living in the area. All told, I am in for a little over $100 – not too shabby! However, as they say, the Devil’s in the Details!

I’ve changed out lots of hard drives in my time…after all, it’s no secret that I am a working IT professional – that’s my day job. I’ve been doing that for about 10 years now, so hardware upgrades are pretty routine for me by this point – and I’ve got lots of tools to do it with too…everything from magnets, to phillips heads, to flat heads, to Torx bits for unique screws, and even a pair of nylon pliers. But all of this based on a Windows background. I’d never done much with Macs. The mentality I’ve always had though is that hardware is hardware, right? I did check out a few tutorial videos on YouTube and all the tools sounded like ones I own, so I jumped right in and off I went – until I got inside the Mac and was presented with two teeny tiny screws that required a Torx bit T6. I went to my trusty toolbelt and saw my Torx bits went from T30 all the way down to T4 – awesome! Until I noticed that one slot was missing – and sure enough, it was the dreaded T6!

A trip to Wal-Mart yielded no dice (it was getting late), so this morning off to Lowe’s I went. I did find the T6 bit – but it was in a package of other bits and a nut driver – for $20:

Suffice to say, I was a bit (if you’ll pardon the expression), a bit torqued to be missing what was likely a 50 cent bit and having to spend nearly $20 to reassemble the Mac. However, the eternal optimist, I put the positive spin on it – this is a nice kit I bought and the rest will probably go to Good Will since they are showing their age a bit. Finally, of course, the educational moment for me: I finally got my Torx in Order!

So, with the Mac now flying on a 7200rpm drive with plenty of storage, my weekend will likely be spent performing a fresh install of all my favorite apps. Which ones do you think will go on there first? I’ll give you a hint – the company name starts with A and ends with dobe! The takeaway from all this – make sure you have your Torx in order – it is definitely a good motto to add to your motto book! Have a great weekend everyone – just because I wont be shooting doesn’t mean you can’t so be safe, be smart, and…(wait for it)…

Happy Shooting!

Planning a Photo Walk?

March 21, 2011 Jason2 Comments

Getting together with fellow photographers is always fun – lots of other like-minded people, plenty to talk about, and great for networking, right? But, at some point you’re gonna have to start walking around and taking pictures. I’ve found with most photo walks that I’ve attended it helps to have a game plan. Whether you are the organizer or an attendee really doesn’t matter too much because these tips are intended for both. Here’s what I mean:

1. Check the weather – It’s always important to dress the part, and the last thing you want is to be under-dressed (cold) or over-dressed (too hot). It’s a good idea to check the forecast and to dress in layers. Allow yourself a layer of removal or addition if needed. I have several apps built into my Android phone, as that makes it quick and easy to check both the night before and the day of…here’s the four I’ve heard the most about (I use #1)

Accuweather

Weather Channel

Weatherbug

iMap

2. Check the map – With the abundance of online mapping utilities like Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and Mapquest, it’s easier than ever to see where you will need to be and plan your travel time to the starting point accordingly. I always allow about 15 extra minutes in case of traffic, Starbucks stops, or other time killers… (if you’re the organizer, publish or share your route with the group so people know where to meet and where the anticipated walk will take everyone…)

3. Check your gear – I’m guilty of forgetting things myself on outings, but it helps if you have a checklist to reference the night before when packing (batteries, memory cards, business cards, cell phone, camera, lenses, etc.)

4. Pick a theme – Whether you are the organizer or an attendee, it helps to at least have a starting point or an idea of what the goal is of the walk. For instance, on a trip to the Columbia zoo a few years back, one attendee picked a theme of “faces” and came back with some incredible portraiture of the animals in their various habitats. Often photo walk leaders or organizers may start with something general like “architecture” in an urban location, but it can help to narrow that for your own creative vision to get more detailed. Narrowing the theme of architecture to something like vertical lines, arches, or even something as simple as windows can help spark that creativity needed to make photo walks productive. Don’t forget to check with other photogs on their creative path and help and encourage them too (which could be a tip in and of itself!)

5. Be ready to adapt – Circumstances change, weather can change, and even the scenery can change. I was on an outing just last week to capture the moon at its perigree and the skyline was pretty blatantly thrown off by the recent addition of a crane to the area. If you aren’t able to adapt to changing environments, outings can be less than satisfying, so be open to change at a moments notice!

That’s just five of many tips and ideas on how to make photo walks successful, enjoyable, and productive. As always though, there’s plenty more where that came from! What about you? Have you been on any recent photo walks? What’s worked or works for you when you go on outings with fellow photographers? Sound off in the comments with your own ideas!

Black and White Adjustments in Lightroom 3

February 21, 2011 Jason1 Comment

As a regular contributor to the PhotographyBB magazine (which you can download for free simply bu subscribing here), I enjoy putting together articles to both educate and inspire. In this upcoming month’s issue, I am guest-writing a tutorial on Black and White editing with Lightroom 3. As a sneak-peak of sorts to the readership here, I’d like to share the first portion of that article…enjoy!

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The power of Lightroom has been so well documented from various outlets across the internet and magazines, I often find it surprising that such a small amount of space is dedicated to black and white photography. This month, I’d like to take an opportunity to delve more into the creative adjustments you can make in Lightroom to bring out more in an image than just shades of gray!

There are two areas in Lightroom where you can make creative adjustments to the color to make things pop. The first two HSL (for Hue, Saturation, and Luminance) and Color are great resources to use when you want to massage the color palette of your image. The Black and White “tab” though, is where it’s really at. When you click this tab, the image will be converted to an automated black and white adjustment, where the colors are converted to shades of gray – with no color tones at all. This is where I’d like to begin the exploration:

While this can be a powerful way to present an image, the automated method of conversion is not going to work all the time (and for my tastes rarely does the default conversion work). So, you have to dive in and really get comfortable with adjusting color tones. To start off, I am using a pretty basic image – a red flower, and you can see that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the colored version of the image.

It’s got some great black and white potential though, so let’s go ahead and take it into the BW adjustment panel tab. When I do that, the automated adjustments will kick in:

It looks interesting, but let’s see what massaging the colors just in the panel can do. To start, since the flower was red and made up nearly 95% of the composition, I started with the red slider to see what the extremes would do on each end. Here’s the image with the red slider taken up to +100 and then to the opposite extreme of -100…

In both cases, for me it’s an absolutely hideous image. Clearly, there is a balance that must be struck somewhere in the middle – the question is where? Well, now it comes down to subjective tastes. For me, the default adjustment had the red a bit too strong – which kind of hid the morning dew of the flower, so I dialed things back a bit, taking the red slider from +22 to -20. The droplets are now much more visible as they are standing out from the petals!

So, now we are getting somewhere fun! I tested a few more sliders, and ended up with the yellows and oranges slightly higher than the default settings, just to give a bit more contrast. Here’s what it looks like after the black and white adjustments are made:

Of course there is always a bit of sharpening and noise reduction to make in post production, as well as lens correction, and even a little bit of vignette from time to time to help draw the viewer in. Once these are done, the final image definitely has a creative look and feel to it:

It’s clearly not easy to decide both when, to make a black and white conversion, as well as how much to massage or tweak it to your tastes. The ultimate decision is, of course, up to you as an artist and photographer, but you can’t get there by avoiding the Black-and-White panel! Take some time to explore it!

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There’s more to the article than that, and it has been modified somewhat to make for a better blog post, so be sure you subscribe to the PhotographyBB newsletter when you have a minute. It is free, after all, and probably one of the best sources of a diverse set of reading material you can find. Dave Seeram, the editor, has been quite generous with his kindness and patience in my contributions! Please stop over and give him your thanks as well…nothing but learning and knowledge to gain!

As always though, I end up being more curious than informative! What types of black and white adjustments do you make? Do you prefer the neutral grays, or do you like to add a hint of color to your b/w images too? What methods have you found useful versus not so much? Sound off in the comments as I love to hear how others are working through their own images! Happy shooting and we’ll see you next time right here!

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Defining your craft – and yourself!

February 17, 2011 Jason7 Comments

Photography as we know it has changed a lot over the past several years. The advancements of digital are pretty well-known, and have been written about extensively. In addition to the nature of the medium, several other factors have come together in what photographers are calling “the perfect storm”. Included in this picture are the decreased cost of entry, increased interest from a wider and ever-increasing portion of the population, photographers are finding themselves in larger company than ever before…to put it quite simply: there’s more of us!

David Ziser, the quintessential wedding photographer did an excellent write-up in two parts (here and here) as a guest blogger over at Scott Kelby’s blog. Not only is he an incredible photographer, his writing is among the best in the industry too! I would highly recommend reading these two posts because even if you aren’t a fan of “The Kelby Kool-Aid”, (although I must admit, I take a sip of it every now and then…) because these specific writings give insights and directions for all of us moving forward. While the insights and perspective-changing considerations to take into account (including drive, motivation, work ethic, etc.) are definitely helpful, the more serious question that lies at the root of all of it seems to find a cornerstone in one simple question: WHY DO YOU TAKE/MAKE PICTURES?

Without getting into the semantics of taking versus making pictures – my point here is that we all pick up the camera for different reasons. And only in understanding those reasons can you really determine where you want to go and how you want to get there from where ever you are now. We may pick up our camera to capture a moment in time, with dew glistening off the petals of a flower in the morning light:

Does that make us nature photographers? Absolutely! But, by the same token, does that define us? Of course not! We may also enjoy capturing that beaming bride as she smiles and kisses her husband on their special day! Or, we may revel in the laughter of children as we capture those moments in time! By the same token, we may also be pulled on some deep and intangible level by the power of a sunrise or a sunset in some place! Heck, maybe it’s even the place that moves us. As David DuChemin says, “…vision is better!”

There are so many scenes and images that surround us every day, but yet so often we do not trip that shutter, because we likely are not tuned in to a particular vision or perspective. So, the question then becomes: What is your vision? Do you see the beauty inside that awkward teenager who only smiles for family? Or what about the majesty of a skyline timed so perfectly? The fact is, we can find it everywhere, and while we can blog and twitter, and Facebook until the cows come home about our latest project, or to promote and network across so many sectors of the economy (whether it’s improving or on the downturn), what ultimately matters is what motivates you to shoot in the first place?

When push comes to shove, the foundation for creating photographs (I believe) is something that comes from inside. You have to want to be there, capturing that moment in time in order to the vision to really come to life. Whether it’s a sunset, a smile, a skyline or anything, if you’re not true to your own roots, then twittering about it all becomes less than inspirational.

Of course, I could be completely half-cocked, and off base entirely here. What do you think is at the root of photography? Is it for the passion, the fame, or the glory? Or is it something else altogether? What drives those like David Ziser, Joe McNally, Zack Arias, David DuChemin and the rest to such degrees of excellence? Time and again, what makes them and folks like them rise to the top? Share your thoughts, comments, and feedback below!

I Am a Teapot!

February 16, 2011 Jason2 Comments

Nothing too fancy, just a short post today to share a particular “vision” I had. Hopefully it helps to illustrate that even the mundane can be interesting if you think outside the box!

For the inquisitive, this was shot with off-camera flash, using Radiopoppers. The EXIF data:

Shutter Speed = 1/250th

Aperture = f/18

Focal Length = 70mm

ISO = 100

Flash = 580 EX II

Since EXIF data doesn’t record flash settings, I want to say that this was at 1/4 power, bare bulb (no diffuser, umbrella, bounce or anything like that). The hint of yellow reflection off the background of the stove is likely due to bounce off the yellow color of the teapot itself onto the black metal on the stove. It was an unintentional but cool side effect, so I left it in!

As the old saying goes: “Keep on shooting!”

What I’m Reading

January 19, 2011 Jason3 Comments

Reading material is a gold mine, not only for inspiration, but for education. The field of photography is one where you can never know everything there is to know, and there will always be people who see things differently that you can learn from and gain insights and inspiration. For that reason, I am always reading something. Here’s a portion of my reading list lately in the hopes that you can find some insights and inspirations too!

Books

Captured – Lessons from Behind the Lens of a Legendary Wildlife Photographer, Moose Peterson

Photo Trade Secrets, Volume 2, Zeke Kamm (forthcoming)

Magazines

National Geographic – December 2010 Issue
Shutterbug – February 2011
Consumer Reports – February 2011
Bits and Pieces
Arizona Highways – January 2011

I guess my nose is always in a book or something! Got any suggested reading items? Share your own reading lists in the comments or with me via email. Happy shooting (and reading)!