Have you ever seen something that looks so out of place that it catches your eye? Well catch it with your lens too, because contextual positioning of subjects in interesting or unusual/unexpected areas creates visual interest. This is what I refer to as controlling the context of your subject. So many times I’ve heard people tell me “but how can I change the surroundings?” The answer lies not in changing the surroundings of subjects you want to shoot, butin reversing that idea: find unusual subjects in your given surroundings. Say you are on a photo walk and in a city area. Well, try and find subject matter that contradicts the sense of city.
Additionally, you can also create contextual appeal by the use of negative space too. See something standing all by itsef, or away from other things? That’s a picture possibility! Conversely, something that is amidst other things could be a cue for creative expression. What if you saw a plastic water bottle among some glass beer bottles? That could be cool…or what if you had a computer mouse sitting in a mousetrap? You can create subject and background contextual associations in your own environment too ya know. Photographers that make good money do it all the time. (Hint: that’s called stock photography! 🙂 )
Here’s a few examples to give you a springboard for creativity. Find something you like? Tell me below! (I love to get feedback on photos just like everyone else…) Got your own ideas? Share those below too! Sound off in the comments, and don’t forget to keep on shooting! (That Flickr Contest thread is still alive and kicking you know – great chance to win $500 of gear, including a Thinktank bag System and a copy of the Topaz Labs PS Plugin Bundle!)
Earlier this week, we looked at the idea of how contrast/luminance can impact a photo, and that your creative style may tend toward a wider contrast or a narrower contrast. Then, yesterday we looked at how the element of color can impact a photo, both in the sense of how colors can balance and compete against one another, and how bright versus dark colors can play off each other. Since we’re moving from more theoretical to more tangible elements that we want to include in our photos, next up is the geometry of our photos.
So, what is geometry? Basically, it’s shapes! Shapes are everywhere, and the types of shapes (or the geometry) can play a huge role in the impact of your photos. So, it makes sense to include geometry as an element of control. Since shapes are nothing more than lines that are connected together, this also means we are looking at the lines in a photo. Whether it’s long rectangular lines of grass or circular lines of a persons eyes, the sharpness of square and angles lines in architecture or the looping curves of ovals in a landscape, shapes and lines can really define our work. So, with that in mind, let’s look at a few photos here to help illustrate what kind of impact different shapes can have. Look through the images and see if you can find all the different types of geometric shapes. What kinds of shapes do you see? DO they help or hurt the photos? Share your thoughts in the comments! In the meantime, Happy Shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow for #4 of the Five Elements of Control…(any guess what it is? 🙂 )
Curved SeashellDew-dropped LeafLooking through the Fenceline...Charleston Street CornerDays of Yore
Yesterday was all about light and the way that contrasts or changes in that light can have a pretty dramatic impact on your work when you present it to others. Of equal importance to photography though is the element of color. If you don’t take color shades and variances into consideration, then you have lost an element of control in your photography.
When we think of color, many of us are familiar with the three primaries. Red, Green, and Blue as these are letters of one of the most common color spaces (Adobe RGB). Surely though, even though we may not consciously think about it, there are more than three colors out there. Even the traditional axiom of a ROYGBIV rainbow only indicates 7 colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), and there are way more than that within the color spectrum. So, let’s take a look at the entire spectrum of color:
The Color Spectrum
Since colors represent particular wavelengths of light, you can see how light and color tie into one another very quickly. Just because you define something as “red”, doesn’t give a complete description of that color, because there can be so many nuances, shades, hues, or wavelengths of red. So, in understanding that color is something we can control for, it’s first helpful to know that you are still controlling for luminance, light, or contrast while also controlling for color, because the shades you let come through in your photos will also be somewhat controlled by the amount of contrast, luminance, or light.
Another way in which color can control how people view and perceive your images is to understand the idea behind complementary colors. Some colors work well together, while others don’t. For instance, take a look at the photo below:
Yellow Flowers
So, in looking at this photo – which do you think the contrasting colors are? A typical kneejerk reaction would be to say the yellow and the black are the two contrasting colors. Black though, really from a visual perspective means a total lack of color (black = nothing, white = everything…remember grade school?). So, really the contrasting colors would probably be the yellow and what? The greens of the stems or the browns of the center? A case could be made for either, but I am going to go with the browns here. If you look back at the color spectrum, you can see that yellow and brown are relatively close together (as are yellow and green) – they are actually right next to one another – so they complement each other nicely. It’s also no accident that these colors are in use with the black background too. Because the colors are of the brighter variety, they look better with a darker background. There’s two elements of color at play here then, complementary colors (colors that work well together due to proximity on the color spectrum) and color luminance (light versus dark colors). If you want a lighter color to stand out, then place it in a scene where the rest of the background is either much darker (or vice versa). To show how this works, look at the same image when I replace the background with white rather than black:
Bad color control
See how brighter colors look with a brighter background? Now granted, the mask job was rather quick and messy, but you can see how the colors and their background can have a huge impact on the quality of your work. While this speaks more to the luminance and contrast factor from yesterday, it can also help in understanding how to position colors in your work so subjects can get the attention they deserve. Pretty cool, eh?
So, which are your favorite complementary colors? Do you like the yellows and greens? Or the red and blues? Or violets and purples? Don’t forget color shades too – as light never really leaves the picture (both figuratively and literally speaking)! Which scenes do you like? Answering these questions in not only the works of others, but also in your own work can help develop your sense of style and define what makes your work unique, so embrace your originality! Sound off in the comments with your take on controlling color in your images!
This week I am doing something special here on the blog – starting a week long series on the subject of Control. We can control our photography in several different ways, and I’ve seen different outlets talk about each of these (and others) to a certain degree, but I’ve not seen many that address all of these elements collectively. Since a discussion of all the elements that go into a photograph would be both exhaustive and likely impossible to touch on everything, it would probably be better to narrow that focus (pardon the pun) on some of the more salient elements to consider. Today, the element of control that I’ll be looking to in more depth is:
Contrast/Luminance
Contrast, or luminance, can be described as the tonal range of light within a photo. If the tonal range is broad, then that means we have an extensive range of tonality from the lightest point to the darkest point in the photo. Likewise, a narrow tonal range will mean that we have a limited range of tonality from the lightest point to the darkest point in your photo. Take a look at the following two photos and see if you can determine which one has a broader and a more narrow tonal range.
Santa Fe Church #1Santa Fe Church #2
It should be pretty clear that one has a wider range of luminance to it than the other. What’s exciting to learn here though is that this is the same photograph! That’s right! I simply changed the exposure settings in ACR to output a different result. Different tastes will look at each of these differently, and like one over the other for a variety of reasons. What’s important to understand here though, more than anything else, is that all I’ve changed is the luminance. The tonal range or contrast of luminance can have a powerful impact on a photo, either by how it limits and defines focus or by its range and extent of difference between high and low luminance points as we change from white to black.
So, why am I talking about luminance first? Because it is probably the most important element to control. After all, luminance (or contrast) deals with the principle of light! Photography by definition means to paint with light ((look up the Greek roots photo and graphos) Without understanding how to control for the element of luminance (a.k.a. contrast or light), the rest won’t really matter too much. Rather than say more or less luminance is better or worse than the other, (because it really is a matter of subjectivity) I’ll simply leave you to ponder a few things between now and tomorrow:
Which one do you like better?
Why?
What other elements of control can you think of?
Finally, what other examples of the effect of luminance can you think of? Got any you’d like to share?
Feel free to share your thoughts and sound off in the comments or with me directly via email. Until tomorrow and the Second Element of Control, Happy Shooting!
LIke many other serious hobbyists and enthusiasts, I had heard a great deal about Mpix and their new featured printing options for professional and serious photographers under the umbrella of Mpix Pro. I recently had a chance to sit down and go through the application process. it was pretty painless, and as long as you have a website for photography, and a decent stable of work, you can opt for the Mpix Pro option.
After submitting your name and website for review, you will receive an email with a link to upload 5 images for print. These 5 images are then printed as 8×10 photos and sent back to you – free! That’s right, you get 5 8×10 photos for free. Basically though, these are intended to be used to check your monitor and color work flow for accuracy because they do not do color correction on them. All 5 of the photos I got back printed very well, and I am happy with my color work flow at this point.
So, now the Mpix Pro printing options are available to me which includes many additional printing options for things like calendars, tickets, sports cards, mugs, and pretty much anything else you can think of – at some pretty impressive prices too. This work flow for printing is also excellent if you tend to batch print a lot of photos at once (say for wedding photographers, portrait photograpers, etc.) You can order multiple quantities of any size print you want and any specialty prints all through their downloaded Rhoes printing services.
Another cool part of this is that you no longer have to go through the website – it’s all done through this software download. Think of it kind of like the Flickr Uploader service, as it works on the same principles, but instead of uploading for publishing on a website – it’s uploading for printing. No fuss, no muss, done in record time and you are right back in the studio or on the road, doing your work, and not waiting on websites, and sitting behind a computer when not needed. It was pretty slick – I literally did just what their catch phrase says: upload one night, they shipped the next day, and I received it the following day! (It helps that I am in Colorado and their facilities are in Kansas – right next door!)
Finally, the last neat little feature about the Mpix Pro service is that they send you basically what I would call a swatch wheel of their various paper types, with photos printed on them so you can see what each looks like to get the exact results you want, how you want and when you want. Great products, great pricing, and great service! What else could you ask for in a printer? Check them out today!
On a more blog-centric note, the next week or so I may not be on as much as I do have a few things coming up, but will check in and post when I can (the whole quality over quantity thing…) In the meantime, I’ll drp a few not-so-subtle hints about helping to get the word out about both the blog and the podcast – completing a Digg review at PLM site is always appreciated, as are iTunes reviews. Other ways to help the show including making your B&H purchases through the link on the sidebar and donating through the Paypal link further down. The cool thing about the B&H link is that your price is the same regardless, but a few pennies come back here to help offset the cost of overhead, hosting, and all that goes into putting the CB/LDP content together.
Last but not least, the September contest is underway, and you can win BIG – a thinktank Bag system and a Topaz Labs Plugin bundle all for participating in the Flickr thread, so don’t delay, and join today!
Have a great weekend everyone and we’ll see you back here on Monday!
In the latest release of the LDP podcast, a shorter show this week as I prep for some other ventures, but there’s still enough material to really sink your teeth into. To start things off, Leica released two new cameras in a synchronized announcement including a full frame ranger finder camera for $6995 and a crop factor camera with 12 MP for just under $2K which will release around the holidays. More info on both cameras here
The other big photo news of the week comes to us courtesy of Apple, with the latest updates to iPods not only by adding features, but also by decreasing cost. Find out how this all relates to photography (very cool ways) on the podcast today! You can get Apple-specific details on their main page.
Second up on the show, the contest news which regular readers mostly know about except for the October announcement of two new sponsors! Find out who the new sponsors are and what will be the giveaway for October in this episode.
Finally, I also let you know about the latest project to be looking for from CB and LDP – a monthly newsletter, and let you know how to become a featured artist in a monthly newsletter. Details in the podcast so be sure to tune in and catch all the details today!
We cover the usual spate of listener Questions and Answers, so here’s the links to help answer the issues in this weeks show:
I’d also like to give some special cross-promo props to Kerry Garrison of Camera Dojo last week to talk about the Canon 7D! It was a lot of fun, and I would encourage anyone looking to add photography-related podcasts to their listening libraries to visit Camera Dojo and pick that up today! (Also, while you are there, don’t forget to say hey in his community too as he’s got a lot of great resources available. His website is linked here.)
That’s enough news and excitement for one day, so make sure to stop back in tomorrow for more photography news and info as we head into the tail end of summer weekend photography fun. Happy shooting all! Don’t forget to visit the Podcast site here and Digg it! (Or download through iTunes) and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
As a kind of salute to the Santa Fe trip from this last weekend, I thought it might be fun to do just a photo-sharing day here on the blog so you can see some of the fun stuff from down in Santa Fe. We did a lot of walking around both days, so it was definitely a photo-walk type of atmosphere. The opportunity to take a solo vist over to the historic rail yard in Santa Fe also presented itself so I took advantage of that too. Here’s a sampling from the trip:
Santa Fe ChurchAt the Rail Yard
Santa Fe Parking Garage
As you can see, we had a good time. I wasn’t exactly “focused” on photography as these shots are works in progress, but regardless, I did get the chance to practice a little. As the old saying goes though, we are always our own worst critic, so I’ll throw the critique doors open to the reading audience too. Do you like the processing? Composition? Technique? Etc.? Since some will likely ask, all of these HDR composites were done by pulling into Lightroom, then using the new Photomatix software from HDR Soft. (Be on the lookout for a review coming up on this latest incarnation too as it’s got some nice advancements and feature additions.)
In other news, keep in mind the latest Giveaway is underway over at the Flickr Group. You can win the Thinktank Photo Multimedia bag system and a Topaz Labs Photoshop Plugin bundle with a combined retail value of $500 just by submitting your favorite “Think in Color” photo to the Flickr thread! Until tomorrow, hope all your shots are fun ones! Happy Shooting!
We all know that our photography at its best can stand on its own – no jazzy or snazzy music, no cheesy frames or doohicky slideshows. However, some of our best (and worst) photos also come with some pretty incredible stories. Just one read through Joe McNally’s “The Moment It Clicks” will give you unique insight into how setting the stage or giving some insider perspective on a photo or body of work can both add value and meaning.
A while back, I posted a photo with the title “The Boneyard and the Back Story”. In that post, the story was in the obstacles that had to be overcome to achieve the photo. For a nostalgic look back, you can read that entire post here. Since it’s been a while, I’d like to revisit this idea of sharing more photos along with their back story with everyone.
The Road to Folly Beach
The back story isn’t nearly as glamorous as my previous one, but telling nonetheless. While this may seem to be a pretty cool shot of a sunset in a marina area, what makes it more meaningful to me is that this was taken in South Carolina. The dichotomy? Sunset – on the east coast! Usually sunrises are associated with facing east and sunsets are facing west, so catching a shot like this at sunset in SC was particularly pleasurable.
How did it happen? Through networking of course! When I used to live in SC, a few friends and I started a photo club in the area. It became relatively successful with a peak membership of 40-50 members. It still exists today but I do not participate to the same extent that I used to. Well, a young guy joined the club as he started learning and studying landscape photography. He lived in the area near this scene and knew of it. After tracking the sunsets for some time (at least a year or so, which is impressive enough), he knew the time of year to visit and capture images much like the ne above. Not only did he share this knowledge willingly, but he also invited me to go capture the scene with him one evening.
From my perspective, it was a successful shoot! But, what about the rest of the audience? Does it work for you? What about your own photos and back stories? Feel free to share links to images and your own stories with the blog either in the comments or with me via email. Don’t have any yet? Then make that your next assignment – go in search of a photo and journal the back story! In the meantime, happy shooting (and story making!)! We’ll see you again tomorrow. Don’t forget the September Giveaway with that huge prize package of the Thinktank Photo bag System and Topaz Labs Plugin Collection. The Flickr thread is open and ready for business!
Another exciting plugin from the folks over at Topaz is the Details plugin. This smart little plugin is, well…not so little. A simple click from the Filters Menu chugs at your processing speed for a good while as it scans, reads, and takes your image through several unique variations of detail adjustments. With 12 variations in this single plugin, you can take your image from bland to beautiful in just five minutes or so (depending on computer specs)!
Check this out. I took a sunset picture from here in Colorado a few months ago, and ran it through the entire collection. Here’s the original image:
Original Sunset Straight out of Camera
Sure, it’s an okay shot, but could it be better? I sure don’t remember it being that plain looking when I pressed the shutter, so let’s take a look at some of the options available in Topaz Labs Details Plugin:
Topaz DetailsTobaz Labs Details panel - Set 2
With twelve total options, I was stunned. A slight difference between this plugin and the Adjustment plugin is that this one does appear to chug a little slower – each time it had to re-scan the entire image and the scratch disk filled up further, so by the end of the 3rd edit, I had given up on an action for PS. Just find your favorite initially based off previews (they are pretty close) and run with that for your output.
What I did like is that the sliders at the bottom were still adjustable for further image customization from the default “out of the box” adjustments that Topaz Labs gives you. I also liked the number of options too. In the Adjustment plugin the options were just a little too overwhelming for me – but 12 is just about enough.
My last note though, would be that once you have the plugin loaded, it shouldn’t have to reload again with the same photo still open. A quick scan of the exif data should be able to say “same image” and scan no further. That would allow for actions, and quick galleries of the various options for viewing full size images of the various options rather than the smaller previews.
What about the CB Crew? What are your thoughts on this short review? Have you used the Details plugin yet? If so, thoughts on the usefulness? Got a favorite details adjustment? From here (I know it’s small), which ones hold the most appeal for you? Oh yeah, the last thing – do you want this plugin free? Then get your photo in the LDP contest today!
Anyway, happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow! Don’t forget to enter the contest… here’s the link to the Flickr thread!
Lots to cover today, so rather than banter, let’s get to the news about all the contest stuff going on:
The Comment Contest
Talk about a huge success – had enough feedback and ideas in this one post to really get some great creative ideas in play for the coming months for the blog – after the re-design! Some lucky winner will be announced tomorrow (I am writing this on Sunday, while comments are still being accepted, so a winner cannot be announced right now.)
Win a Wacom Giveaway
The Learning Digital Photography giveaway thread over on Flickr has seen quite an uptick in submissions in the last week. As the deadline approached, more people started getting their “fun” themed shots in, and there’s a lot of creative and fun photos in there. It’s going to be tough to decide this one for sure. Have you got your image submissions in yet? If not, today is the last day to enter, and like the lottery, you can’t win if you don’t play! You have until midnight tonight (Mountain Time), so it’s now or never!
The September Giveaway – Think in Color!
Announced briefly and teased on post #500, September’s contest is a pretty big one. Two significant items are up for grabs this month. First up, the winner of this contest will receive a Think Tank Multimedia Bag System (5 bags total). For more information on this latest bag system to hit the shelves from ThinkTank Photo, you can read the review I did here, or visit their website for the specifics here. The retail value of this set of bags is easily $350!
Second, Topaz Labs has offered up their plugin suite of actions for Photoshop to the winner of the September giveaway. You may recall my review of the Topaz Labs Adjustment plugin here on the blog, and more of the Topaz plugins will be reviewed here during September, so stay tuned to see all the cool stuff this set can do. The retail value of this software set is valued at $150 for the Adjustment, Denoise, Simplify, Detail, Clean and DeJPEG plugins.
So, let’s see – $350 in bags, and $150 in software = $500 in giveaway items for the September run. That’s a lotta loot! This means the setup will be a little more competitive than last months. Here’s a rundown of the guidelines:
Longest side of the image should be between 600-800pixels. This makes for consistency in galleries, and also for equal view-ability in the judging phase.
One photo per person, submitted through the Flickr thread, which will be created tonight at midnight.
Photos must be taken within 30 days of the contest start date. So, if you have something you took just last month, that is acceptable, but earlier archives will not be accepted.
All images must be work-safe/family-friendly.
This go around, the theme is: Think in Colors (for ThinkTank and the color Topaz). Incorporate the theme of the giveaway somehow into your photos.
Since we’re talking Photoshop and plugins, it makes sense to also note that image editing is permitted, so go ahead and punish those pixels!
Image submissions will be accepted starting September 1st, and will continue through Sat. Sept. 26th.
The other cool thing about the Thinktank/Topaz Labs giveaway is that the folks at Topaz Labs have offered to the winner that their photo be displayed on Topaz Labs website (along with photo credit given, naturally). This is, of course, totally optional, but definitely a cool feather to have in ones’ cap. The caveat here is that the submitting photographer would have to be at least 18 years old.
Phew – that is a lot of contest news! In one sidenote about the blog, a little administrative note that the B&H Photo affiliate link is back, so if you are thinking of purchasing some gear through B&H, if you use the link above, though your price stays the same, B&H will send a few cents back this way to help offset the expense of hosting. (It literally is just a few cents per purchase, so go ahead and spend a fortune!) 🙂 So much for a hardware review today…I’ll be back tomorrow with the last post for August, and the announcement of the Comment Contest winner! In the meantime, happy shooting!
