Making Images – 20 slides

1. x Making Images – 20 slides

2. Making Images: Red Tulip Center • Another Found Shot: • I like my photography to be of the moment. I shot this red Tulip near my home after getting off the bus. • I sometimes use my camera to relax or even meditate.

3. Making Images: Red Tulip Center • Camera Original: • I do a lot in Photoshop but the • image Making starts when • capturing the camera original • image. • Seeing the interplay of light • on the subject is the thing • that usually captures my attention and my imagination.

4. Making Images: Red Tulip Center • Camera Controls: • I check my camera to make sure • that the important settings are • where they need to be first. • Then I evaluate the scene tonal • range and adjust the camera Contrast accordingly. In this case, the contrast setting is lowered. I frame for design and not for ID, specific flower. It’s very windy so I need both fast shutter speed and deep DOF. The direct sun lighting allows me that…

5. Making Images: Red Tulip Center • Camera Settings: • Color Representation (space) sRGB (Adobe) • Zoom setting (Focal length) 11mm (Human eye Normal) • Aperture (f-number) F/6.3 (Maximum DOF) • Shutter speed (exposure Time) 1/400 sec. (Stop motion?) • ISO (sensor sensitivity to light) ISO-100 (High Q slow) • Light meter (meter mode) Matrix (Default Pattern) • Bias (exposure compensation) -.7 step (Darken by 2/3 stop • Contrast Low (Tone down range) • Saturation Default Normal • Lens shade (light block) On if possible • Filter (UV, Polarizing) None • Close focus Turned ON

6. Making Images: Red Tulip Center Subject and Light: I spotted the Tulip planted along the side walk as I walked home. It was catching the mid-afternoon (4/24/09 - 2:51 PM) direct sunlight ‘just so’. I oriented myself to the subject so that the light was coming from about 11 O'clock. I moved in very close and framed the subject so that the single stamen became the focal point. I placed a finger on the side of the flower to steady it but it still continued to waver. I took a chance that fast 1/400 sec shutter speed would still the wavering…

7. Making Images: Red Tulip Center Exposure: Balance of art & science I wanted to retain highlight detail since my focal point consisted of light tones. And I was willing to lose some of the shadow detail at the base. The Histogram tells the exposure story quite nicely. It’s showing that I retained highlight detail and that some of the shadow detail is being lost.

8. Making Images: Red Tulip Center r Metamorphoses: Original capture to fully Made Camera Original Basic Lab Work Top/bottom burns Fully Made Glow Lab work is a routine ‘move’. I often add top, side, or bottom burns (darkening) to control movement within the composition. And I usually paint on the burn ‘mask layer’ to feather in minor movements…

9. Before: Camera original

10. After Glow:

11. x Next: Related only by color and neighborhood walk

12. Making Images: Red light Manmade Object: Red bulb Right near the Montlake Library is a bus stop and an antique store. After getting my DVD’s at the Library, I usually wait for the bus to take me up the hill. On a recent bus waits, this red light bulb caught my eye…

13. Making Images: Red light • Camera Original: • I do a lot in Photoshop but the • image Making starts when • capturing the camera original. • The white hot filament and • the original and secondary • reflection looked really cool. • The red glass made it even hotter. I only wanted to hint

14. Making Images: Red light • Camera Settings: • Color Representation (space) sRGB (Adobe) • Zoom setting (Focal length) 11mm (Zoom for framing) • Aperture (f-number) F/6.3 (Maximum DOF) • Shutter speed (exposure Time) 1/100 sec. • ISO (sensor sensitivity to light) ISO-100 (High Q slow) • Light meter (meter mode) Matrix (Default Pattern) • Bias (exposure compensation) -.3 step (Darken by 2/3 stop • Contrast Default Normal • Saturation Default Normal • Lens shade (light block) Removed / lens on glass • Filter (UV, Polarizing) None • Close focus Turned ON

15. Making Images: Red light Subject and Situation: It was dark for an afternoon (4/22/09 3:06 PM) with heavy overcast promising rain. In the dim lighting, the red bulb in the antique store window looked particularly bright. I carefully chose a camera distance and angle to the glass to get the sky and other reflections on the glass bulb surface. I also chose to show a little bit of the bulb base to hint at the real subject. Otherwise, I was after the red lighting storm….

16. Making Images: Red light Exposure: Balance of art & science I was going for a low-key (dark Moody) shot. Since the focal point is the brightest part of the image, I needed highlight with detail and some pure white areas. I also wanted the predominantly dark shadow areas to be full of suggestive details. The Histogram shows a tonal range capable of what I intended to do in the final Image Making phase in Photoshop.

17. Red light: … Oooops, missing dead black… Metamorphoses: Original capture to fully Made ab work is a routin

18. Red light: Final tweak… with dead black… Metamorphoses: Original capture to fully Made ab work is a routin

19. Red light: Lightning detail… Metamorphoses: Original capture to fully Made ab work is a routin

20. Making Images: Red flower Summary: The digital camera is amazing piece of equipment but don’t expect the camera to produce the final image for you, which matches your vision and story. It has to have the raw material but use Photoshop to bring out the image characteristics that you originally saw. The things that got you excited to capture the image in the first place. Although, always be prepared to take it to the next level…

21. x End