tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66599405994122412952024-03-13T22:39:24.118+00:00OCA Learning Log - Digital Photographic PractiseThis is a record of my studies for the OCA level 4 course - Digital Photographic Practicenpmimageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11325544772783926152noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-28452780654861250282011-02-04T09:06:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.339+01:00Looking Back<p>I given it some thought and this is going to be the last post on this blog. I have to accept that the course stops somewhen. Thanks to my followers and everyone who’s visited. I’d love it if you stopped by at my People and Place blog – link at the the top of this page.</p> <p> <br />It’s been an interesting start to a degree – it’s a while since I studied anything in any really structured way.</p> <p> <br /><strong>What did I want/expect from the course?</strong> <br />I didn’t have any real expectations, but I’m fairly clear that what I wanted most was a structured approach that would help me develop my photography from my starting position as a technically adequate amateur. <br />I think I was also after a reason to take photos There comes a point where the desire to add to the 25000 shots on my hard drive is tempered by the fact that it seems to be collecting photos for the sake of it. It’s noteworthy perhaps that I started my Photo-a-day project at about the same time. <br />I don’t recall this being a major driver when I signed up but perhaps I simply needed a framework that gave me an excuse to take the kind of photos I like without feeling odd – my kids used to rib me about taking ‘another pointless photo of a piece of pavement’ – and in some ways they had a point. You can be as ‘artistic’ as you like but it’s all a little futile unless you understand why you’re doing it.</p> <p> <br /><strong>So – did it deliver the goods?</strong> <br />On the whole yes. It seems to be a course that rewards the thought you put into it. At first sight the exercises can seem a little mechanical and the assignments a little too directed – and if you have a technical background the tendency is to take the instructions literally. In truth I don’t think I really cottoned on to this until the 5th module and assignment and then only after lots of ‘chat’ with the tutors and other course members on the various forums. <br /></p> <p>I certainly didn’t find the exercises technically challenging – whether this is a function of the exercises or my original ability I’m not sure - but it’s certainly the case that there are some technical issues I’m now much more at ease with. Part of this is down to practise – I’m using my camera a lot more – and part is down to putting some time aside to think about the technicalities.</p> <p> <br />Noise is a good example. I was aware of the issue before the course but had not really thought about it in a structured way. As a photographic exercise taking exactly the same shot umpteen times at differing ISOs is a pretty dull affair. But, and it’s a big BUT, sitting down and thinking about the results was very enlightening. I have a much better appreciation of the impact on picture quality for starters. I also have a better feel for the way in which my camera behaves at high ISOs and the compromises involved in making the choice of ISO setting. I’ve even concluded that the high ISO settings which people in other forums call ‘unusable’ are perfectly valid choices in some circumstances because the noise can be managed in a way which <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/sets/72157625323235264/">delivers an outcome I pre-visualised</a>. Certainly the idea of deliberately choosing a setting and equipment which forced me to use high ISO to complete an assignment (Ass. 2) would not have occurred to me before the course. <br />The section I found most interesting was No 4 on manipulation and ethics. Again the exercises felt fairly straightforward – they certainly didn’t involve techniques I’d not tried before – but they were put in the context of a range of ethical issues I’d not really considered before and I’m always game for a bit of intellectualising. In this context I’ve also enjoyed the interchanges on the student forums.</p> <p> <br />The one thing I thought the course lacked was some structured reading advice. There is a reading list but the course makes essentially no reference to it, and the relationship between the course and the set books is tenuous at best. I understand that at this level of education we are expected to self-direct to some degree, but not everyone has the benefit of previous higher education experience to inform this expectation. In addition the choice of literature is vast. <br />Perhaps a useful addition to the course would be a requirement to produce a short summary of the work of a couple of significant photographers just to encourage engagement with the development of photographic practise. For my own part I also started to do this of my own accord relatively late in the course after seeing something similar on the blog of one of the art students. Prior to this I also found it helpful to improve my understanding of the development of modern art – just to provide some context.</p> <p> <br /><strong>The acid test – has my photography progressed</strong> <br />Not sure this is really for me to say – I assume the assessors will come to a view on that. However, I certainly feel it has. <br />My familiarity with the camera has certainly increased – it’s becoming less of an obstruction between me and the image I wanted to capture. I’ve also added another creative tool to my armoury, in the form of black&white photography – something I had never tried before.</p> <p> <br />Perhaps more importantly I can feel two distinct types of photography developing in my practise. The first is the everyday stuff that I’ve always done – holidays, family, perhaps even the photo-a-day shots. The second is, for want of a better word, ‘thoughtful’ photography. I think I’m slowly understanding why I enjoy shooting the things I do and the course has given me a reason to indulge this. The contrast between Assignment 1 and Assignment 5 is the obvious example – the former is probably best classified as everyday photography, even though I have tried to tell a story, whereas the latter is clearly different. The story has emerged as I have indulged myself, and I feel I’m left with a group of shots that ask as many questions as they answer. </p> <p> <br />On this basis I feel my photography has been significantly developed by the course – I’m going to be bold and claim that it has progressed as well.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-50491789762328294102011-02-02T21:05:00.000+00:002012-04-23T11:44:34.322+01:00Dan HoldsworthThis guy is at the Baltic in Newcastle until the middle of February. Bit of a busy time coming up, but will have to see if I can get there. <br />
<a href="http://www.danholdsworth.com/projects/">Dan Holdsworth - Projects</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-45794907639496814142011-02-01T22:19:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.374+01:00Magazines<p>Like most keen photographers I have read more than a few photo mags, but over the years I have settled on 2-3 titles.</p> <p><strong>Professional Photographer</strong></p> <p>As its name suggests a magazine aimed at working pros. I like it because of the range of images and the fact that it avoids the extremes of gear-envy prominent in the more popular amateur titles. It tends to concentrate on interview/portfolios from working photographers and articles on the business of photography.</p> <p>Of particular interest to this course was an article on the Dusseldorf School (Oct 2010 edition) which I <a href="http://nmonckton.blogspot.com/2010/12/dusseldorf-school-of-photography.html">referred to here</a> but has yet to appear online.</p> <p><strong>Photo Pro Magazine</strong></p> <p>Aimed at a similar audience this is a slightly more ‘colourful’ title which has a lot more ‘how to’ type articles. Of particular interest during the period of this course was the Fine Art Special in June 2010 (David Chow’s flower photography stood out), and the portrait special in May 2010 – particularly the portfolio from Tony Molina. There are also a lot of lighting articles – sadly the kit is currently outside of my reach.</p> <p>From time to time I buy other mags but I tend to find them rather repetitive - in fairness to them I’ve been reading them for 20 years. I have retained very little of this material but I do have an article on the language of colour from Outdoor Photography(July 2009).</p> <p><strong>British Journal of Photography</strong></p> <p>Clearly aimed at the fine art photography market, with production values to match. I have been reading the BJP since April 2010. Coming from the standard amateur mags to BJP is a bit of a shock – the pictorialism and obsession with technique is replaced by a concentration on ideas and concepts – and many of the photos seemed deliberately artless at first viewing.</p> <p>The article in the July issue on Tillmans spurred <a href="http://nmonckton.blogspot.com/2010/11/everything-is-illuminated-wolfgang.html">this blog item</a>. The ‘Dog’s Life’ item in the Nov 2010 was a delightful take on dog photography and by contrast the Taylor Wessing Prize item in the same issue provided some fascinating and challenging images as did the Prix Pictet item in the Jan 2011 issue.</p> <p>The Brian Ulrich portfolio of empty malls – dark boxes – is the most recent item to strike a chord.</p> <p>Just wish I’d discovered BJP years ago.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-53015115020039356272011-01-24T07:24:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.390+01:00Robert MapplethorpeSummary on my People and Place blog, <a href="http://nmoncktonpnp.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-mapplethorpe-profile.html">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-63578217208987195102011-01-15T21:51:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.424+01:00Course Completion Certificate arrived today<p>So that’s more or less it – just need to get everything in order for the assessment now. I’m going to continue adding to this blog from time to time, but if you want to continue following my progress you might want to <a href="http://nmoncktonpnp.blogspot.com/">catch me here</a>, or by following the People and Place button above.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-6155566986723123722011-01-07T11:12:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.421+01:00On Photography: Susan SonntagRather frustratingly I have lost my copy of this – complete with all my marginal notes – so am going to have to buy a new copy before I can put down my reactions.<br /><strong>23 January 2011</strong><br />Have now bought another copy and reminded myself of the sections I have read so far – which is a relatively small portion of the book – although in fairness its construction means I have felt able to dip in and out of the various other sections as the fancy takes me. It is essentially a collection of essays on photography, its development and its interaction with and impact on society. The sheer density of ideas in some parts is staggering – almost throw-away lines could form the subject of whole essays themselves e.g. “Not to take pictures of one’s children,…, is a sign of parental indifference,..” and “The possession of a camera can inspire something akin to lust”. So, this is not a book which can be consumed at one sitting, and I have not attempted that.<br />The first chapter looks at the relationship between photographs and reality, touching on the reasons we take photographs, the morality of photography and its need for a reference frame if a photo is to have moral value. Her effective conclusion is that we can no longer have an ‘event’ if it has not been photographed, but that the photos will have no meaning – they will just disappear into history – if we do not name their subject as an event. One rather disturbing corollary of tis s that we are always needing more dramatic photos. The last ‘event’ is part of our culture because of the photos, so for the next one to make an impact we have to have more appalling or dramatic photos than before. To me this seems to have reached its nadir in the filming of executions and their broadcast on the internet – fortunately there is not yet a clamour for this material inn the wider public, but is difficult to imagine that this would have occurred even a few decades ago. True – some of this must result from the easy publication route provided by the internet – but there would be little point in doing it without evidence that there were significant numbers of viewers.<br />The second chapter is a rather more specific investigation of the development of American photography from Stieglitz and Whitmanesque philosophy through to the work of Diane Arbus. To me it felt like a journey from ‘everything is connected and of equal value’ to ‘everything is the same and of little value’.<br />I found the third chapter rather more difficult to follow – with its regular references to Surrealism and its underlying philosophy. This is an unknown area for me. However the comparison of the work of Sander with that of Arbus or the photographers working for the FSA was quite interesting in the context of photography as science or moralism.<br />The final suggestion in the chapter, that photographers are suggesting that we should not try to understand the world simply to collect it, seems to me at odds with modern practice. True, there are plenty of photographers who seem content to collect, e.g landscape, but equally there are others whose work appears to me a genuine attempt to aid our understanding of the world in which we live.<br />The remaining chapters I have simply dipped into at present so I can’t really make any useful comment on them. the benefit of a learning blog, of course, is that I can return and add bits at a later date.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-91948765135074876192010-12-31T12:29:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.477+01:00Assignment 5: Review of Feedback–Hotel AnywhereAs with previous feedback reviews the original submission can be <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/46102622?access_key=key-23sja2101hj2o9xzitjx" target="_blank">found here</a> on Scribd. The overall aim of this project has been to bring together all the learning from the course into a single personal project that is carried out over an extended period of time. I have chosen a series of detail shots from the many hotel rooms I visit during the year. They are executed in black and white for reasons explained in the notes above. The notes also explain the background to this choice of project.<br />First up then is this picture of a toilet roll holder - the one on the left is my original. My tutor felt that the picture would be improved if the surface of the paper were also in focus – fortunately I had a version with focus on that area (but limited focus on the holder) – so I combined the two to give the version on the right. I agree with his analysis and will be going with the reworked version. Kicking myself a little here – this is the sort of fine detail I need to keep more focussed on.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5266741351/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5266741351_29aab805ec_m.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5325031494/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/5325031494_355b09be59_m.jpg" /></a><br />My second image was this one. Peter didn’t find it as interesting as the above, but acknowledged that it added to the set when taken as a whole.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5267349182/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5267349182_c0dcdb3ba3_m.jpg" /></a><br />Third up was this one which I particularly like for the contrast in textures. My tutors suggestion was “<em>To improve, trim a very small bit off the top so that you get rid of the top of the towel. This would also lift the rail slightly to bring it more on to the upper “third”.</em>” My original version on the left as before. For the middle shot I followed Peter’s suggestion (almost – I retained the top of the towel) and for the rightmost shot I tried a crop to bring the composition into a classical ‘rule of thirds ‘ form, while removing the top of the towel. I feel this last treatment spoils the photo, with insufficient metal to balance the white of the towel. Overall I prefer the middle version and will go with that. It removes the slightly distracting grey line along the top of my original, but still leaves the fluffy edge of the towel defined.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5266744469/" title="Hotel anywhere (3 of 12).jpg by nmonckton, on Flickr"><img alt="Hotel anywhere (3 of 12).jpg" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5266744469_fb6d167256_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5324487179/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5126/5324487179_9e95c9922f_m.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5324486373/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5290/5324486373_639c86ed69_m.jpg" /></a> <br />For the next two shots the comments were complimentary, although he felt I could perhaps have showed more of the Gideon’s Bible to provide more clue as to what it was. I’m not persuaded by this argument, as I think that making it too obviously a Gideon’s Bible would reduce its ambiguity. The Bible is quite a potent symbol, and I feel that if the shot were obviously a bible it might affect the balance of the set. In fact the comment has made me consider if it is appropriate to name the photos at all. On balance I believe it is because then a viewer has the opportunity to confirm what the object is if they really want to.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5266741081/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5287/5266741081_86892fcc13_m.jpg" /></a> <img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5207/5267350164_2aa46f070c_m.jpg" /><br />The next shot (the spyhole) was described as “<em>for me one of the best shots in the assignment. Brilliant</em>.” while he was comparatively unmoved by the pillow-case. Interestingly one of the comments I received on Flickr felt the pillow-case suggested a story. Perhaps one of the strengths of a series of semi-abstracts is that people can add their own meaning . This is emphasised by the final shot below – which Peter felt was more interesting because the ‘T’ of the hot tap was visible, while the person who liked the pillowcase shot felt the tap was more like an exercise in composition.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5266742385/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5266742385_a9980cc0f3_m.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5267347046/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5206/5267347046_fb4580c3f3_m.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5267346580/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5129/5267346580_513d541012_m.jpg" /></a><br />For Coat hangers (below) Peter felt I could have zoomed a little wider, or perhaps moved back slightly to incorporate more of the left hand hanger. It’s a legitimate comment but I am unsure – I have looked at other examples that I took and remain comfortable with this version largely, I think, because I would not want to significantly increase the gap between the left hand metal hanger and the edge of the photo.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5266739685/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5266739685_4ff0c28e74_m.jpg" /></a><br />Similarly in this photo below Peter feels a tighter or wider crop would have been better, rather than having the dryer cut by the frame, which he feels gives an untidy composition. Again this is a perfectly fair comment. However I have checked my files and I have three other versions of this shot – all with the hairdryer centred and slightly cropped top and bottom, which I remember thinking were unsatisfactory at the time of shooting. From my memory of the setting, I doubt a wider crop would have looked better – and while I have the option to crop smaller I think that this version has a nice balance.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5266743151/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5089/5266743151_6ae19da5c4_m.jpg" /></a><br />As with the second image above, Peter felt that there was little of interest for the viewer in this shot of radiator fins, but that it would contribute to the overall set. For me, it is the symmetry and the dust (not visible at this scale) that makes this interesting.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/5267348182/in/set-72157625487608689/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5267348182_230aba70f0_m.jpg" /></a><br />Peter described my final example as ”<em>an excellent attempt in trying to create something from nothing</em>.” which is a nice finale, as that was part of the original intent of the set.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5266744167_f3504a12c4_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5266744167_f3504a12c4_m.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br />Overall I was very pleased with this project. There are no ‘stand-out’ pictures in the set but they work together well – I have received positive comments on the set (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/sets/72157625487608689/" target="_blank">see Flickr here</a>) from a number of places. In the process of putting the shots together I have made use of much of the material in the course and as I have progressed the final edit they have come together to produce a set with real meaning for me.<br />I’ll finish with a quote from my tutor: <em>”This time you have chosen an unusual subject, but you have handled it very well as usual and what appears to be mundane you have made interesting images from.” </em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-89473992813757186092010-12-28T21:25:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.471+01:00DPP1: Exercise 25: A web galleryI have had a website for a couple of years at <a href="http://www.npmimages.com/">www.npmimages.com</a> so this exercise is mildly artificial. I’ve checked with my tutor and, having looked at the site, he does not feel that I need to produce another gallery. Even so, I thought it was worth running through the key points of the exercise against my existing site.<br />First up is <strong>image size</strong>. The maximum size permitted is 800 pixels on the longest edge, but I chose not to go that large to reduce the likelihood of image theft. I would probably have to concede now that this is something of a conceit, but the site works well with the existing sizing so I shall be continuing with this size.<br /><strong>Why do I have a website?</strong> Largely it is to show off my skills as a photographer – I admit to a certain satisfaction if I see a pulse in visitors to the site when I change the content. Recently I have linked it to my personal blog so that they support each other. The blog is for my photo-a-day project while the website provides a more permanent home for my strongest images.<br /><strong>Quality of images</strong> – one area I need to strengthen is putting in a proper review process so that I ensure that the site displays the quality I would hope to be recognised for.<br /><strong>Layout</strong>. As the site is a template site the worst design excesses – flashing buttons, multiple fonts etc are difficult to implement even if I were so inclined. The navigation menus are inherently simple and the gallery designs are tried and tested. Some significant customisation is possible, but other than changing background/font colours to match my blog I have tended to stick with simplicity. I’m not sure this would continue to be adequate if I were a full time professional as, in those circumstances, I believe the design of the website would need to be more personalised. For example, <a href="http://www.marcrogoff.com/" target="_blank">Marc Rogoff’s</a> website is as striking as his images, while <a href="http://tillmans.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wolfgang Tillmans’</a> is apparently ‘undesigned’ – which seems highly unlikely - and results in the images being the only object of interest on the screen once you scroll past the navigation menu.<br />Another good example of design to suit the photographer is <a href="http://www.juliaboggiophotography.com/index.html" target="_blank">Julia Boggio Photography</a> where the quirky intro page is a perfect fit for her style of photography and shows a very clear understanding of who her customers are.<br /><strong>Searchability</strong> is another area I need to improve – the photos on the site have a limited number of keywords – most have none beyond the heading.<br />A final issue, and one not included in the notes is integration <strong>with social media.</strong> My website itself does not have any obvious integration tools but my personal blog in particular has a number of share buttons, and every entry is published to my Facebook stream and to Twitter. The statistics show that these two acts alone are responsible for a significant portion of the traffic to my blog. I have also made sure that my website, my personal blog and my other learning blogs are easily accessible from this site and from each other.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-40652830548111948052010-12-24T21:34:00.000+00:002012-04-27T20:48:05.496+01:00The Düsseldorf School of PhotographyHave come across several references to the Dusseldorf School since beginning this course, the most recent – and most thought provoking being an article in Professional Photographer arguing that, as an industry, photography needs to be careful that the Dusseldorf School does not ‘kill it’.<br />
So what is the Dusseldorf School? As usual there’s a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstakademie_D%C3%BCsseldorf" target="_blank">Wiki article here</a> which describes the school itself , with a link to the School’s website (in German only). In photographic terms the school is famous for <a href="http://www.signandsight.com/features/338.html" target="_blank">Bernd and Hilla Becher</a>, who developed a style of photography which could perhaps be described as ‘photo-entomology’ which appears to have started the New Objectivity Movement. They collected, for want of a better word, images of industrial structures – water towers and blast furnaces being the two most famous examples – which they took in very flat lighting and in very similar perspective and composition. The aim was to capture as objective an image as possible so that when displayed side-by-side the photos would allow viewers to compare the design and functionality of the individual buildings.<br />
A number of their students have also become (very) famous photographers in their own right – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Gursky" target="_blank">Andreas Gursky</a>, famous for very large . dead-pan, photos of large architectural spaces, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Ruff" target="_blank">Thomas Ruff</a> who initially gained a reputation for his architecture and portrait photos, done in a dead-pan style, but has more recently been noted for a series of very large pixelated images originally lifted from the internet. There’s <a href="http://www.jca-online.com/ruff.html" target="_blank">an interview here</a> that will bear further reading when I get a chance.<br />
Another photographer of the Dusseldorf School, Candida Hofer, also produces large scale images of interiors which could perhaps be described as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_H%C3%B6fer" target="_blank">sumptuous but soulless</a>. Even her zoo animal photos give the impression that the animals themselves are stuffed.<br />
The Professional Photographer article mentioned above (it’s not on the net so I can’t link to it) argues that because this movement has produced some exceedingly well paid photographers, many students of photography faced with looming deadlines resort to ‘objective’ photos of supermarket car-parks, give them pretentious German sounding names and hey presto – they’re part of a movement with artistic credentials – without actually having some any thinking for themselves. How much this is a fair assessment is largely conjecture for me.<br />
I do know however, that it is difficult to avoid being influenced by this school of photography as it is widespread in ‘photos as art’ books, as opposed to the consumer photo mags. For example – my Assignment 5 – could perhaps be seen in this context, although in truth I had not heard of the Dusseldorf School, or New Objectivity, until I was almost at the point of submitting the project. Whether this is good or bad is really a matter for my tutors and the assessors – but I’m fairly certain that I was not attempting a totally objective view of the objects I photographed for that project –initially I was more concerned with developing something visually interesting from the relatively unpromising surroundings and over time this developed into a more personal reaction to the similarity of the locations.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-53249980306126081112010-12-20T22:52:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.395+01:00Final assignment sent off todayA good feeling. Apart from writing up exercise 25 and my previous 2 assignments that’s the coursework finished. I still have some book reviews to add to this blog and a few other bits and pieces that I’ve found useful on the way – and then it’s forward to the assessment.<br />Assignment photos here <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/sets/72157625487608689/" target="_blank">(Hotel Anywhere)</a> if you want to see themUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-28917444607870471932010-12-12T08:29:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.341+01:00Assignment 4: Review of feedbackThis module appear to have two threads running through it – the first is about developing the skills needed to manipulate digital images, the second to consider the ethical implications of these manipulations.<br />My original submission <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/43374553?access_key=key-1nuqrniyp55pizrfwtq1" target="_blank">is here</a> and for simplicity the end result is shown below:<br /><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1110/5123507949_b176265306.jpg" /><br />Comments from Peter include:<br /><em>“This one is going to be very difficult to comment on because it is so very well done. The book cover, as you say in your notes, is obviously fake because you have added later members of your family to the original image dressed in modern dress and in color.” </em><br />and:<br /><em>“For me, the photograph itself could be tidied up around the edges to make it look as though it has been kept in perfect condition over the years. The fraying corners are a bit distracting although it does emphasize an old photograph. However I would crop off the border area of the image so that the viewers eye concentrates on the subjects themselves, then it would appear that you have an old photo on a modern book cover. As it is it looks like you have glued the image onto the cover. I would also add a bit more contrast to the color bits, particularly the mans blue shirt on the right so that it catches the eye of a potential buyer.”</em><br />Initially, in responding to these suggestions, I tried simply removing the soft white border from the photo, and retained the corner fixings, but it looked unconvincing, so in the end I went for a much more formal crop, as follows:<br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5285720725_f435650b64.jpg" /><br />As I was unable to crop the layer which contained the photo I simply selected it using the rectangular selection tool, inverted the selection, and deleted everything on the layer within the inverted selection. This is a useful technique as the non-selected area is not deleted so you get a nice clean edge to the deletion.<br />On reflection I think I prefer this later version, and it will be included in my final assessment submission. My initial thought was that it lost the ‘family album’ feel I was attempting to produce, but it is certainly more like a book cover, so I’ll stick with this version.<br />I conclude that other than potential copyright issues there was little of ethical concern in this image – it is clearly a fake aligned with the title of the book – which was the intended result.<br />For the record – the small boy in blue is my son at age 5-6, the gentlemen in the blue shirt is my Dad, I’m in the red footie shirt, my granddad is 2nd left on the back row in the military uniform and my great-granddad is seated in the centre.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-23424936805967207412010-12-10T13:19:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.330+01:00Assignment 3: Review of FeedbackThis module examines the introduction of personal interpretation post capture – in particular as the file is developed from the RAW (ORF in my case) file. The assignment requires a submission in black and white. For reasons explained in the submission I chose a series inspired by Ansel Adam’s Rose and Driftwood.<br />My original submission <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/43373183?access_key=key-1t8z8hg2kx5krtj8dr3u" target="_blank">is here</a> and the first of the six shots was this one:<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4984113628_31626cc347.jpg" /><br /><em>“There is lovely detail and texture in the rose and the image is very sharp. However the top right hand corner of the frame needs toning down to show a bit more detail in the petals. Also you could afford a crop off the left hand side and a smaller crop off the bottom so that the rose fills the frame more.”</em><br />I agree with all of this but unfortunately the exposure is such that no more detail can be extracted from the file – all I succeed in doing is producing flat grey. I discussed this by e-mail and Peter advised leaving the top right corner as is, so the final version becomes:<br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5122/5250657129_232ae4de1a.jpg" /><br />The second image was a closer shot to start with:<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4984116074_f2fffb41b5.jpg" /><br /><em>“Again you have lovely detail in the rose and the sandstone texture is more attractive than the fabric and this time the rose fills more of the frame. As the previous shot it is a touch light in the top right hand corner, but this time it is more acceptable. From your notes you say you used ISO 100 so is noise reduction really necessary?”</em><br />The reason for the use of noise reduction was that I did some fairly hefty post processing on this image, (as noted in the submission) and I felt it was needed to improve the overall quality of the image. Again the exposure meant I did not have the option to produce significantly more detail in the top RHS, so after discussion with Peter I decided cropping more tightly on the right would improve the image overall, as follows:<br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5251262758_846846e730.jpg" /><br />I nailed the exposure more effectively in image 3 – perhaps because I moved away from a pure white rose to a peach one.<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4983515337_fafbf01f59.jpg" /><br /><em>“The exposure on this one is very accurate and the subject is nicely placed within the frame so your technique is spot on. However, for me, the wire grid is a bad choice of background and gives the image an “untidy” look.”</em><br />I am in two minds about this one – the ‘untidiness’ was deliberate and if anything my concern is that it as not enough of a contrast – perhaps barbed or razor wire would have been better for this particular effect. I also struggled to get the luminosity of Adam’s Rose – perhaps because the tone of the rose was too similar to the colours in the background. On the other hand a number of friends and at least one fellow student thought this was the best of the six, so there is clearly a measure of personal taste in this discussion.<br />The 4th image uses the same rose, and again on a similar colour background, but is more attractive in my tutors view. I tend to agree and suspect this is at least partly because of the more effective contrast between the rose and the strong geometric pattern.<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4984110292_42026ae2c7.jpg" /><br />The actual comment reads:<em> In contrast to the previous image this one is more pictorially attractive. The tiles form a very nice background and run diagonally across the frame which adds interest for the viewer. The rose itself is also nicely placed within the frame and again there are no burnt out high lights. Nice one.</em><br />For the 5th image I chose a red rose, which I contrasted with some pale wood shavings. This tonal separation allowed me some leeway to try to increase the apparent luminosity of the petals while still retaining some feel for their rich tones and textures.<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/4994344948_d8bab22f21.jpg" /><br /><em>“The shadows on this one are just a touch too dark, but the subject fills the frame nicely and the wood shavings make an attractive foreground.”</em><br />I have produced a version with the deepest shadows lifted slightly, which, as Peter suggests is an improvement on my original. I notice also that there is an important typo in my submission. The diagonal of the composition runs bottom left to top right not bottom right to top left as written. The final version for assessment is here:<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5251279702_4a4d276565.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5251279702_4a4d276565.jpg" /></a><br />And so to the last shot, and my overall favourite.The deep red of the rose and the dark blue of the denim in this one gave me the most opportunity to use the sliders to separate the rose from the background, and adjust its tonality and luminosity without significant impact on the rest of the image.<br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/4983511849_cf6b69226c.jpg" /><br />Peter agreed with my choice of favourite: “<em>According to your notes this is your favourite image from the set and I whole heartedly agree with you. The rose is placed just a fraction too much to the right of the frame, but the texture and detail in this image are lovely. Even the highlights are not burnt out. The curvature of the denim from the right leads the viewers eye to the rose itself making an excellent composition. Brilliant.”</em><br />A good way to finish.<br /><strong>Conclusions</strong><br />I had never tried serious black and white photography before so I found this assignment challenging to start with. I understood the theory of different coloured filters well enough, but had never attempted a practical application before. My overall aim was to capture something of the spirit of Rose and Driftwood – I’m not vain enough to think that I could replicate an Adams photo.<br />So, what have I learned:<br /><ul><li>black and white photos can take more ‘abuse‘ in post processing than colour photos before the quality begins to suffer. Not sure this is a good thing to take away, but it is undoubtedly useful knowledge. </li><li>the filter sliders in Lightroom provide a very powerful tool for separating tones, but it certainly helps if you think about the colours and the desired effect before you set up the photo. </li><li>stripping away the colour can provide an interesting interpretation of even the most colourful subjects. </li><li>black and white is worth further exploration. </li></ul>Did I succeed in my aim? Well I think I did. The final photo is very different to Rose and Driftwood, but I do feel I have reproduced something of the luminosity of the rose which attracted me to the shot in the first place.<br />Footnote: I put my learning from this assignment to further use in Assignment 5 which is also Black and White – this is not something I would even have considered before starting this course.<br />As a further aside I was also quite pleased that I managed to avoid any ‘attention to detail’ points such as those highlighted in the previous two assignments.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-65149196547215996122010-11-22T22:37:00.000+00:002012-04-22T09:13:47.661+01:00DPP1: Exercise 24: Sharpening for PrintI found this a particularly useful exercise as I had not had the opportunity to get to grips with the sharpening controls in Lightroom, which are significantly different from those found in Photoshop Elements (at least my rather antique version). As suggested I chose a portrait as the subject for the exercise: <br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5193314688_112b9fa717_z.jpg" /> <br />This photo has a range of details that make it useful for this exercise – very fine patterning in the suite fabric and hair, coarse but high contrast patterns in the knitwear and areas which I will want to avoid sharpening in the face.<br />
<br />Lightroom has two kinds of sharpening: input and output. The input sharpening works from a set of sliders which control amount, radius, fine detail masking (which controls the area affected)) and is the primary method for sharpening the photo. Output sharpening takes the photo and adds additional sharpening to prepare the photo for display on screen or in print. Given this variety I decided to extend the exercise to test 3 levels of input sharpening, and all three levels of output sharpening (low, standard and high). <br />
I don’t propose to show all the variations in this entry as the differences were in some cases very subtle, and given the difference in viewing medium there is a limit to the value of displaying these differences. However <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmimages/sets/72157625307885731/" target="_blank">they are all available on my Flickr site</a> for interest. As a starting point here is the version with no sharpening – rather than show the whole picture I have taken a face detail to show the softness:<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5201128450_fcab16cf43.jpg" /><br />
And here for comparison is a version with output sharpening set to high (I also tried this twice - once at the jpeg export stage and once at the print stage but cannot show the result here – in any case it was worse), and with input sharpening set to amount 125/Radius 2.5/Detail 15 with no masking. These are towards the top end of what the system offers.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5201137518_f98886d8ec.jpg" /><br />
While this extreme sharpening looks OK in the fabric, it is extremely unflattering to the face, makes the hair look very wiry and leaves ugly edges along the edge of the spectacle lens. If anything this is emphasised in the print version with the facial texture becoming quite unflattering.<br />
This version has the Portrait (Wide Edges) preset enabled. This equates to amount 35/Radius 1.4/Detail 15/masking 60. There is little visible difference on-screen or in print between this and the unsharpened version. Output sharpening was low<br />
<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5241/5207130769_d89a2d7f07_z.jpg" /><br />
I increased the amount to 100 and reduced the masking to 30 to give the following which is notably sharper but with a more flattering skin texture. Output sharpening was low. Overall this is my preferred output from the exercise and I will be using it as the starting point for sharpening of portraits in People and Place. Further reduction in the masking and increases in the amount started to produce noticeably less attractive results<br />
<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5081/5207733948_4d67e15721_z.jpg" /><br />
This latter output is very close in print to the portrait preset version with high output sharpening (below) although it is visibly different at 100% on screen:<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5207745596_086cfa6b4b_z.jpg" /><br />
<strong>Conclusion</strong><br />
Obviously sharpening is unavoidable – this is (in most cases) a function of the manner in which a digital camera captures the image.<br />
Lightroom provides some powerful but subtle tools for sharpening and ultimate quality is a matter of balancing the need to sharpen against the need to avoid unsightly artefacts. The masking tool is very helpful in this regard and as the penultimate shot above shows it can provide very useful fine control on skin and hair, compared with relying on preset sharpening.<br />
My experience from elsewhere is that images used small on–screen can tolerate considerably more sharpening than larger images. For example, when the above image is viewed at 1:4 in Lightroom the heavily sharpened version looks simply crisp because the lower resolution on the screen removes the over-emphasised skin details.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-35974557957363373522010-11-18T19:55:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.355+01:00Everything is illuminated– Wolfgang TillmansBack at the beginning of the course I decided that I would subscribe to the BJP – for a number of reasons – not the least of which was that I wanted to see photography different from the run of the mill stuff in the consumer camera mags. I would have to admit to being baffled by some of it, but this article ‘<a href="http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/profile/1723524/everything-illuminated" target="_blank">Everything is illuminated - British Journal of Photography’</a> from the July edition about a Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition struck a chord – especially the bit about his still life work.<br /><blockquote><em>He’s described the eyes as subversive because “they are free when used freely” – that is, they ascribe value to what’s seen in front of them, no matter how expensive or banal the subject. But although many of his still lifes show ostensibly everyday scenes, in fact many are staged, and if they’re not, they’ve acquired meaning for him over a long time before shooting.</em> </blockquote>Unfortunately it wasn’t practical to visit the exhibition – it was 350 miles away to start with – so I’ve been scratching round the web trying to find some more material by and about this guy. Unsurprisingly he has a <a href="http://tillmans.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> and it has links to a number of tour catalogues which have a range of his work, and some fairly detailed essays.<br />On the basis of the works presented his still life work is rather different from what I expected. They have a rather grungy feel to them, and it is rather left to the viewer to extract the beauty that he apparently sees in them. On the other hand his rather more formal <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&biw=1276&bih=830&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=tillmans+paper+drop&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=" target="_blank">Paper Drop</a> photos are quite beautiful. There is some suggestion that there is a deeper meaning associated with the ability to see both sides of the photo at once, but I think I’ll need a little more research to decide whether I think that was his intent, or a subsequent reading of the images.<br />His portraits, which are largely of his friends vary from the <a href="http://www.phillipsdepury.com/auctions/lot-detail.aspx?sn=NY040209&search=&p=8&order=2&lotnum=140">touchingly intimate</a> – you can almost feel the friendship being expressed in the photo – to the frankly disturbing – Man Pissing on a Chair for example. Again – it’s going to take a bit more thought and research on my part to work out what’s going on here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-30483529373062060472010-11-17T20:07:00.000+00:002012-04-21T22:01:55.401+01:00Assignment 1: Review of feedbackSomewhat belatedly my reactions and responses to the feedback I received from Assignment 1. <br />
The assignment itself was a photo-shoot in Cockermouth during this year’s Georgian Fair. As I was expecting it to be busy a tripod was not really an option, and as I explain in the submission, I rapidly settled on a 50-200 telephoto as my primary lens. If you want to read the whole submission <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/43321816?access_key=key-10c2odlx6t8p7rrflaga" target="_blank">it’s available here</a> on Scribd.<br />
First up I was really pleased with the feedback – I was obviously nervous as this is the first time I've had any of my photography critically assessed in a meaningful way – but happily I needn’t have been. Peter made one comment on my chosen technique (I chose to use auto ISO – limited to ISO800) to the effect that he would have limited it to ISO400. At the time I went to ISO800 as the light was so poor and I was hand-holding at fairly long focal lengths.<br />
Subsequently I went through the tolerance to noise exercise and concluded that I would be comfortable with ISO 800 for general use, but for critical use I would stay with ISO200 or lower.<br />
On to the individual photos:<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4735470156_52d957fbed_m.jpg" /><br />
Peter acknowledged that this set the scene well and that my choice to frame diagonally added some interest to an otherwise static shot.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4734828809_dd4e5d4ba0_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“This one is a pleasant enough portrait that I am sure your friend was very pleased with. You don’t say what the exposure was but a little fill in flash would help to add a touch of “sparkle”.” </em><br />
Peter suggested fill flash at 2 stops under. I’m (still) kicking myself on this one as this was an early outing with my new E-3 which has a built in flash (unlike my previous E-1) so I could have done this – had I thought of it. It’s certainly a point to remember for People and Place – and for more general use.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4734829989_0f96db2cb5_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“The colours on this one are lovely. The maroon coloured house goes very nicely with the bushes at the front. The composition is excellent but too improve clone out the wire that is just above the right hand corner of the gate and leading to the upper floor. Also clone out the door bell just below “39” and the intercom (if that’s what it is) between the door and the side gate. Then there will be no trace of modernity on the image.”</em><br />
Not an issue I’d thought of at the time of submission – although obviously the kind of improvement discussed has been a key issue in the fourth section of the course. I did all the cloning suggested with the exception of the ‘intercom’ – which on closer inspection turned out to be a brass name-plaque – which seemed reasonably in keeping with the setting.<br />
On a broader point I think that these mods are acceptable for this and exhibition use, but I would be a little uncomfortable if I thought these cleaned up shots were going to be used to represent Cockermouth as it is now.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4735469270_68a533a97b_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“I like this one very much. As you say in your notes a wide enough aperture has been used to throw the background out of focus thus concentrating the viewers eye on the main subject. Excellent.”</em><br />
Nothing to add really other than to say that I was pleased that I managed to get the shot without a trace of modern clothing anywhere (other than the glasses).<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4735470568_3b55fefea1_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“Another good shot but again to capture the period you have chosen the clone tool should be used to improve.”</em><br />
This time I lost a TV aerial and a genuine intercom, together with some phone cabling.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4735469456_06ba284089_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>Again this is an excellent image with no trace of modernity whatsoever. The subject has been well caught and once more a relatively wide aperture has been used to make the subject stand out from the background. Another winner.</em><br />
I guess you can begin to see why I was pleased – although on reflection I think this would have been improved by a wider aperture. I checked the original and it was shot at f8 – I think f4 would have provided better isolation from the background.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4735469626_603dbff3a4_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“Pictorially the club is cutting off a little of the jugglers face but I know this type of shot is not easy to execute. My advice would be to take several and select the best. Also a slightly slower shutter speed would emphasize more movement in the clubs.”</em><br />
I find nothing to disagree with here. ‘Burst’ mode would certainly have given me more shots to choose from and since I included it in the collection to add some life I agree with the idea about the slower shutter-speed. I am a little uncomfortable about the impact of the green plastic mac on the overall setting as well – but it was raining, so macs or cagoules were to some degree inevitable.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4734830479_e5d2144676_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5092736309_8928b53df9_m.jpg" /><br />
The right hand picture is the original submission which I include here to show the scale of the change and the end result.<br />
<em>“Another good candid shot but for me I would like to have seen more of the lady on the right hand side. I would be tempted to clone her out altogether so that the viewers eye is concentrated on the man making him the main subject of the image.”</em><br />
I agreed, and completed this before I discovered that it was the technical requirement for Exercise 23. It is a much better shot with just one person. I was tempted to go the whole way and clone out the pub sign, but decided that it added some context.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4735469798_417fdb0c6a_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“Again you have another good candid shot but the background is a bit too distracting. A wider aperture would have given you a shallower depth of field thus concentrating the viewers eye on the couple in the foreground.”</em><br />
Agree entirely. Shot at f8 when f4 would have been a better choice.<br />
<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1031/5177526383_12f357b289_m.jpg" /><br />
As noted in the other similar shots I have cloned out some intrusive cabling and modern wall furniture, as suggested.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4734829037_4d71d89daf_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“As far as I can see this image is faultless. You have included the whole of the instrument and the subjects hat has not been cropped off. Again you have used a wide aperture to render the background out of focus thus making the musician stand out. Brilliant.”</em><br />
This one was taken at f4, unlike the couple above.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4734829541_c3e73a9664_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“Absolutely fantastic! The colours on this one are lovely and the atmospheric smoke from the guns hides any distractions in the background. Adding local contrast to the subjects faces has worked very well and the red uniform adds further impact and interest. Well done.”</em><br />
A nice way to finish. I think I can see how I could have done it a little better, but my coach has told me I’m not good at accepting praise so I’m going to shut up at this point.<br />
<strong>Conclusions</strong><br />
A number of practical conclusions leap out:<br />
<ul>
<li>be braver with shallow depth of field,</li>
<li>work on the use of fill-in flash,</li>
<li>think about shutter speeds more carefully when trying to capture ‘life’,</li>
<li>pay more attention to the fine detail when preparing the pictures for submission.</li>
</ul>
One of the key purposes of the preceding exercises was to establish the value of a structured workflow, and this has stuck with me. I no longer find myself without a charged battery (for camera or flash), I always have a spare memory card, my filing structure has improved (with the help of Lightroom) and I now have a more solid back-up strategy.<br />
Finally, on a personal note, I didn’t tell Peter at the time but his feedback was just the confidence boost I needed relatively early in the course.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-60081332625501798752010-11-17T08:25:00.001+00:002012-04-22T18:13:14.100+01:00Assignment 2: Review of feedbackThe purpose of module 2 seems to have been to develop an understanding of how digital cameras behave in differing conditions and the impact that has on the quality of the final image. I noted in my submission the assignment felt a little artificial and I emphasised the challenge in this by opting to shoot in hand-held fading light. For the types of photo I generally enjoy I would not normally have put myself in this position – preferring a tripod or additional lighting instead of high ISO. However, on reflection there are clearly plenty of situations which do call for high ISOs, and in truth I enjoyed the challenge of this assignment sufficiently that I am slowly building a collection of very high ISO shots because I enjoy the resulting image quality.<br />
The submission, in all its glory <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/43372608?access_key=key-7ul8iejl467gmqs8ao3" target="_blank">is here</a> in Scribd.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4734771295_399cffae94_m.jpg" /><br />
This is a high dynamic range shot – without some post-processing I could not get detail in both the bridge support and the sky. If I had not chosen to shoot with a bare minimum of equipment I might have used flash to fill the shadow – as it was I took three shots at 1 stop intervals. The lowest of these was at 1/13s. As Peter notes: <em>‘at this low shutter speed you are risking camera shake which would make the image look unsharp’.</em> I don’t disagree with this, but as it happens the real problem was that I could not get an accurate alignment of the cables between the three shots. so I was forced to use a different technique in PP.<br />
<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1420/4732966521_6b37c99f62_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“The contrast on the image is excellent which emphasizes the texture detail in the slates and stone work. On the downside pictorially the image is just a touch too tightly cropped and could do with a bit more “space” around it.”</em><br />
Pleased with the comment on the contrast as it was the effect I was after. Not sure about the crop – I do like to fill the frame and the trees do give some context. I feel this is a matter of taste.<br />
<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1434/4732967069_b73f093e11_m.jpg" /><br />
<em>“A fairly straight forward shot but effective nevertheless..… This is a nice simple image”</em><br />
Nothing to add really, except this was the one shot I had pre-planned and needed a bit of luck with the sunlight to achieve.<br />
<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5042/5195644289_5bca9be065_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1250/4733611062_df99a29933_m.jpg" /><br />
The original is on the right. I tried to address this comment - <em>“To add more interest it would have been better if you could have arranged for the lights to be on in the upper rooms so that the hotel looks even more “inviting” to a potential client.”</em> - by using a Photoshop technique from Digital Photography Special Effects by Michael Freeman. I’m unconvinced by the technique in this instance (but see a better example later) although I fully agree with the suggestion. In this case I’ll be sticking with my original at assessment time.<br />
By this stage in the evening I was already at ISO800 and was quite pleased with the noise control I was managing.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5196251230_07c69c1b8f.jpg" /><br />
<em>“For me this is the best image in the assignment. The use of a 4 sec. shutter speed has created a lovely blur to the water giving the effect of fast flowing and the Emboss filter in Photoshop has brought out texture detail in the rocks. I think you could afford to crop a little more off the base of the image, but nevertheless this is still a very striking shot. Well done.”</em><br />
The version shown above has the additional cropping – I agree that the extra expanse of brown water added little to the original.<br />
<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1252/5177527187_36303cc7ee_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1163/4733612244_79181ac109_m.jpg" /><br />
Original on the right again. <br />
<em>“The exposure and technique are spot on, but you could afford to crop off some of the foreground hedge. Again if you could arrange for the lights to be on the upper floor it would add further interest, or try cropping off the upper floor so that you have a “letter box” style image.”</em><br />
I felt cropping to a letterbox removed too much context so went with the room light suggestion using the same technique as above. this time it worked much better – although its not too obvious in these small versions. I also went with the crop of the hedge as it gives a more intimate feel.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5195623869_75e66c5802_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1385/4732969987_6b75137ccd_m.jpg" /><br />
Original submission on the right –as you can see I cropped to a vertical format. Peter’s comment:<em>“I prefer the shot that you started off with. The plant is nicely placed on the left hand third and as you say the stem is a little too bright. Try reducing the contrast on this area in Photoshop to see if it can be improved.”</em><br />
I had no luck with the stem brightness – it is completely burned to white but I feel, as I said in the submission that it gives the impression of the stem being the light source. I feel that effect is lost a little in the larger version. I asked peter why he preferred the uncropped version and received the following reply: <em>I preferred the uncropped version because the bright area was placed on the left hand third, but that's all. Photography (like paintings) is very subjective, but generally the "rule of thirds" is a good rule, but not written in stone. Please don't worry too much about it as your work is very good.”</em><br />
I’m familiar with the rule of thirds and felt that might be the basis of the suggestion, however, in this instance, I’m going with my judgement – I don’t think the flower on the right of the uncropped version is strong enough to hold its own against all that blue space.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5196230824_a55da95501_m.jpg" /><br />
I shot this at ISO3200 as an experiment – Peter has counselled not exceeding ISO400 a couple of times now. however i surprised myself with this shot and his comment was: “<em>considering the very high ISO the noise is virtually non existent and you are to be congratulated for achieving this.” </em>I rather like the overall surreal effect that pushing things to the extreme has produced.<br />
In the original the green background area (mid-left) was rather brighter – I’ve toned it down as per Peter’s suggestion.<br />
<strong>Conclusions</strong><br />
I deliberately made this exercise somewhat more difficult for myself by adopting a bare minimum kit for the session, forcing me to push the limits of my technique to get good quality results. As a result of I have a much improved understanding of the circumstances in which I can ‘break the rules’ on ISO ratings in particular. It has also encouraged me to experiment at the edges of my cameras capability, and I have some interesting shots as a result.<br />
The technique for inserting light into a darkened window is a handy one to have in the kitbag, although if it were a commercial shoot I would certainly be asking the landlord to put a few lights on. This coupled with the first assessment says to me that I need to think a little more carefully about some of the fine detail’s before pressing the send button on the assignment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-34296077985133339172010-11-17T08:25:00.000+00:002012-04-21T15:22:25.352+01:00Book Review: Camera Lucida: Roland BarthesOne of two books I thought I’d tackle after running out of steam with the <a href="http://nmonckton.blogspot.com/2010/11/book-review-photography-critical.html" target="_blank">Liz Wells book</a>. At first sight it has the benefit of being slim – but don’t let that fool you – there’s plenty to chew on inside. The book is basically Barthes philosophical search for the true essence of photography. We may reasonably ask what insight can someone who admits to never having taken a photograph offer to a photographer – but Barthes neatly sidesteps this because he pays little attention to photography – just ‘The Photograph’. <br /><br />A couple of other general points – the language of the book is very florid and in parts reads as a ‘brain dump’. Whether this is an artefact of the translation, or the nature of mid-20th century French philosophical writing I’m not qualified to say. whatever – it does add a certain quaint charm, even if it sometimes makes meaning a bit difficult to discern. <br /><br />Also – the book was written not long after the death of Barthes’ mother. He was clearly quite devoted to her and I found myself wondering if the perpetual links between the photograph and death were not more a sign of the authors state of mind rather than anything to do with the real essence of photography. In any case while I understand the idea that if the subject matter is long dead a photo essentially brings home that death to us it is debatable at best that the same logic could be applied to a photo of say Stonehenge – so where does that leave death and the photo? <br /><br />Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. He starts with a reasonable observation, that there can be no photograph without ‘something’ to photograph and from that concludes that we don’t see the photograph, only the subject of the photograph. Interesting thought experiment occurs – is it possible to take a photo of nothing? <br /><br />He also notes that there is a vast range of photographs, and it is difficult to deduce anything general from the whole body because you cannot separate out the like/dislike element – so he decides to concentrate on just those photos that move him as the subject for his investigation. <br /><br />At this point he introduces the ideas of stadium and punctum. To my reading the first is what makes pictures simply informative – largely because of the social baggage they and I carry – they provide information, they provide news, in general they provide data that I can read and interpret – but they are not interesting. The punctum, on the other hand, is a detail (in Barthes’ view an unintended detail) which disturbs the studium. A personal example perhaps: Adam’s <a href="http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?View=LRG&IRN=32602" target="_blank">Clearing Winter Storm</a> is a well known photo - the studium to me is the general landscape, the mix of mountains and trees that speak of a particular ecosystem, and its associated tourism – but what makes it stand out for me is the waterfall mid-right. For me it somehow disturbs the equilibrium of the photo – makes me want to keep looking at it – makes me want to see this particular mountainous landscape over a zillion others just like it. Now we can argue whether its intended that way by the photographer or not – but for me it’s an easy example of studium/punctum. <br /><br />He goes on to suggest that any detail , the effect of which you can describe or classify, is not really a punctum – simply more studium. I would maintain that I don’t know why I keep coming back to the waterfall – it’s scarcely an unexpected feature of that landscape – it’s just something that seeks me out every time I look at the picture. <br /><br />Unfortunately, just as I thought I was beginning to understand what was happening he concludes that studium/punctum is not the essence of photography, simply a description of how desire for a particular image might work. This seems entirely reasonable to me, because unless you hold that the punctum has to be non-deliberate (and I’m not sure I do) then you could apply the theory equally to paintings or sculpture. <br /><br />Armed with this knowledge Barthes then discusses his search for a photo that captures the true essence of his recently deceased mother. |In the process of this discussion he develops the idea that the true essence of a photo is that it contains, as a subject ‘that which has been’. In order for the optics and chemistry to do their stuff the subject must have been in front of the camera at some time. This clearly holds true for animate and inanimate subjects and may well be a useful distinction between digital imaging and photography, as well as between photography and other more traditional visual arts. <br /><br />I was comfortable at this point that he had reached a general conclusion, but unfortunately I think he lets his personal grief intrude, and as a result restricts his result to photos of people – concluding that when we see photos of people we are inevitably drawn to the idea that this person was, but no longer is, and that the photograph reminds us of this fate for ourselves. While I don’t disagree with this conclusion – although I find it a bit melodramatic – I do think it’s a shame that having arrived at what seemed like a workable definition of the defining factor of a photograph he then wanders down an alley that applies really only to photos of animate or disposable objects.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-14466112279142492122010-11-14T22:20:00.000+00:002012-04-22T09:11:41.946+01:00Book Review: Photography – A Critical Introduction: Liz WellsAfter my experience reading <a href="http://nmonckton.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-photograph-as-contemporary.html" title="Charlotte Cotton’s ‘The Photograph as Contemporary Art’">Charlotte Cotton’s ‘The Photograph as Contemporary Art’</a> I decided it was time to go back to basics as I know essentially nothing about art criticism.<br />
The Liz Wells book is on the set book list and seemed like a good place to start. It’s quite a densely printed book, with far fewer photographs than I expected, but is quite well written even if it does have a tendency to technical language which takes a bit of getting used to<br />
I tried to read it at a single sitting, but didn’t finish it – information overload – but it is obviously a book that I shall be coming back to on more than one occasion.<br />
The first chapter – Thinking about photography – certainly got me doing that in a way I’d not considered before as it examined the different possible readings of ‘Migrant Mother’ However, I do think the language sometimes obscured the meaning – which rather defeats the object of a text book.<br />
The second chapter was a useful introduction to photojournalism/documentary, its uses and some of the associated ethical issues ahead of the 4th module of this course. I was particularly interested in the historic examples of duplicity in photography and the ongoing difficulty in defining exactly what constitutes an objective photograph.<br />
The third chapter looks at the history, value and uses of personal and popular photography. I was particularly struck by an 1893 quote on page 136 about vigilantes thrashing ‘cads’ who took pictures of ladies emerging from the water at the seaside – which seems to have echoes in the current suspicion of anyone using a ‘professional’ camera in public places.<br />
By this stage – after 150 pages of new concepts and ideas I was flagging, so I have left the later chapters for a later date. There’s enough material in this book to keep me going for while yet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-42437156746465099272010-11-14T19:00:00.000+00:002012-04-22T18:12:15.704+01:00Sharpening ResourcesThese look like useful advice for Exercise 24 so I’m saving them here.<br />
<a href="http://bretedge.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/ask-an-expert-photoshop-unsharp-mask-vs-lightrooms-sharpening-tool/">Ask An Expert: Photoshop Unsharp Mask Vs. Lightroom’s Sharpening Tool « Bret Edge Photography</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://ishootshows.com/2010/10/04/tutorial-6-steps-for-sharpening-in-lightroom/">6 steps for sharpening in lightroom</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-14375752731182499762010-11-10T18:12:00.000+00:002012-04-22T09:12:21.901+01:00Book ReviewsOne of the good things about this course is/was that it has encouraged me to read books about photography that are more than ‘how to’ books. I started back at the beginning of the course with <a href="http://nmonckton.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-photograph-as-contemporary.html" target="_blank">Charlotte Cotton’s ‘The Photograph as Contemporary Art’</a>. As I acknowledged at the time I was ill equipped to make much in the way of intelligent commentary as so much of the discussion was well outside more normal sphere of discussion.<br />
So in the interim I’ve tackled a couple of books which I hope will help me address that weakness. I’ve concentrated on a threesome from the reading list:<br />
<ul>
<li>Liz Wells: Introduction to Critical Photography</li>
<li>Roland Barthes: Camera Lucida; and, </li>
<li>Susan Sontag: On Photography. </li>
</ul>
For a bit of context I’ve also dipped into How to Survive Modern Art by Susie Hodge as I thought it would be helpful to have a bit of a view of the wider artistic context in which photography has developed since the beginning of the 20th century. Not sure that is true at present, but I imagine it will pay dividends later.<br />
Anyway, as I’m drawing to the end of this course (my final assignment is due by mid-December) I thought I’d start to tie up some loose ends to help me put together a reflective summary of the whole thing. Among those loose ends is a short series of reviews covering what I believe I’ve extracted from the above books. I’ll be uploading them as separate posts, starting with the Liz Wells book.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-57598508309839424322010-11-09T19:25:00.000+00:002012-04-22T09:12:52.954+01:00Wordle–a visual image of your course workCame across this site – <a href="http://www.wordle.net/">http://www.wordle.net/</a> - while surfing recently. It doesn’t seem to have much serious intent , but certainly provides an intriguing view of my blog. The words are sized according to the frequency I use them. Unsurprisingly the words image, exercise, colour and photo are prominent. The one colour that leaps out at me - other than white - is blue, which is probably unsurprising as I love shots with deep blues in them. The technical nature of the course is revealed in the prominence of words such as exposure, noise, balance, RAW, contrast, detail etc. It will be an intersting exercise to compare a similar wordle for my blog as I near the end of People and Place - which on first reading of the course material seems much more picture orientated.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TNmgK2YTzlI/AAAAAAAAHlQ/A1SMzAyh4ck/s1600-h/test17%5B7%5D.jpg" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="test17" border="0" height="368" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TNmgME6c2WI/AAAAAAAAHlU/wNzJahUmp8U/test17_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="test17" width="600" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-30749591758265659122010-11-05T15:36:00.000+00:002012-04-22T09:13:18.526+01:00Back-ups – a few thoughtsMy back up hard drive was getting close to full and a close inspection showed that I had multiple copies of large numbers of the photos backed–up. The basic reason for this was that I had set my back-up software not to delete moved files. A couple of days work recovered around 30 gigs of space.<br />
To avoid a repeat of this I have now set up Lightroom so that I automatically back up the original file on import (well semi-automatically as I have to specify a folder name each time). I’m also making more effective use of Lightroom’s ability to save several version of any given RAW file in its catalog without the need to produce a Tiff or jpeg for each version.<br />
The more I use Lightroom the more useful it seems as a tool for post-capture workflow. I almost never use Elements now, and have not used Picasa for cataloguing or viewing since I installed Lightroom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-30083649477830002972010-10-18T20:24:00.000+01:002012-04-22T09:14:18.956+01:00DPP1: Exercise 23 : SubtractionBy happy coincidence I find I’ve completed the technical requirement for this exercise in response to my tutors comments on my first assignment.<br />
This is the photo I submitted to the assignment:<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5092736309_8928b53df9.jpg" /><br />
My tutors comment was that he would have preferred to see more of the woman on the right, but perhaps I should clone her out altogether to leave a character portrait of the man – which is what I did:<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5092735815_f8ded30bcf.jpg" /> <br />
I also took the opportunity to clone out the doorbell to reduce the ‘modernity’ of the picture. Interestingly the door was quite difficult to do convincingly. It would have been easy to produce a featureless layer of black – but that’s what it looked like – on the other hand – I had relatively little information to work with on the door details so I added in what I feel is enough to give a convincing result without risking obvious re-use of picture elements.<br />
<strong>Ethical issues</strong><br />
I am clear in my own mind that manipulating a photo in this way is not un-ethical providing the intent is not to deceive. In this case it is done to produce a better portrait of the man in period dress – and for no other reason.<br />
Clearly the editor of the Toledo Blade did not share my view in <a href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/blade.pdf" target="_blank">these examples</a>. <br />
As a counter example – it is clearly un-ethical to remove people who subsequently become political opponents from photos as <a href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/index2.html" target="_blank">in these examples</a> – although, given that these are pre-digital you have to admire the skill of the air-brushers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-23337778777423044242010-10-17T22:58:00.000+01:002012-04-22T09:14:44.969+01:00SnapIt: A handy little utility I’ve just discovered and wanted to shareThe Print Screen button is a pretty handy item which allows you capture what on the screen so you can add it to your learning log, or whatever, but versatile it isn’t. If you want to save the shot for later reference your have to paste it into some other software and save it from there, and if you only want to capture part of the screen you have to crop it with image editing software.<br />
If you share these frustration <a href="http://www.digeus.com/products/snapit/screen-capture.html" target="_blank">SnapIt</a> may be the tool you’ve been looking for. Once it’s installed you have to run the program in the usual way with a double click, which puts a little icon in the system tray. A little niggle – but a ‘run from start-up’ option would be nice. Once it’s up and running tapping ‘print screen’ brings up a little cursor that you can use to select either the whole screen, like this:<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TLtxcVjyCFI/AAAAAAAAHgY/Y7zji9ZPpf8/s1600-h/test42.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="test4" border="0" height="420" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TLtxddEdd_I/AAAAAAAAHgc/gzYDQ4YF1WM/test4_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="test4" width="484" /></a><br />
or just a part of the screen, like this:<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TLtxeqsiOLI/AAAAAAAAHgg/-G4USGJiBVg/s1600-h/test52.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="test5" border="0" height="95" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TLtxfWaTooI/AAAAAAAAHgk/1xdkRBOH6ZA/test5_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="test5" width="298" /></a><br />
You can paste the result into other major software (Word. PSE etc) in the usual way although, oddly, this doesn't work with LiveWriter2011 or Mail . Unlike Print Screen though, you can right click the tray icon and save as jpeg,gif, tif, png or bmp for later use. Better still, you can customise SnapIt to automatically save these snippets in a folder of your choosing as you go using a prefix with an incremental number in it so that the files are named Prefix1, Prefix2, etc, etc. Like this , in fact: <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TLtxgOUOd3I/AAAAAAAAHgo/sozymji_OGg/s1600-h/test62.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="test6" border="0" height="171" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-8hl8yIQRhk/TLtxg6HrQmI/AAAAAAAAHgs/dzK-7HX7NUY/test6_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="test6" width="484" /></a><br />
<br />
To my mind this little benefit more than outweighs the fact that the paste is not compatible with everything. The files appear to be saved at the native resolution of your screen – it’ll produce a life size image when you next use it unless you choose to reduce it or enlarge it yourself.<br />
And that’s it really – the web is full of little utilities that you download and never use, but for a shade over £10 I think this is worth the money. Obviously you could achieve the same effect by pasting into an image editor, but this is much quicker and simpler.<br />
<br />
<strong>Pro's</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Makes Print Screen a much more useful tool</li>
<li>small download (a couple of megs)</li>
<li>the automatic save routing is a real plus</li>
</ul>
<strong>Cons</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>You have to start it each time you turn the computer on – it would be nice if it had a ‘run at start-up’ option.</li>
<li>the paste option doesn't appear to work with WindowsLive type programs</li>
</ul>
<br />
I can see it having quite a lot of uses in my learning logs capturing what I did to achieve a particular effect in post-processing, and I suspect it has a lot wider uses in blogging, writing, producing manuals – on fact anywhere you might want to show or archive what you see on the screen. If you’re interested you can download a trial version from <a href="http://www.digeus.com/products/snapit/screen-capture.html" target="_blank">Digeus Software</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6659940599412241295.post-40730871124564121942010-10-15T17:40:00.000+01:002012-04-22T09:23:37.046+01:00Digital Photographic Practice 1: Exercise 22: AdditionSeveral false starts at this exercise…not least because the weather has not co-operated with the requirements of the photo to be taken. In the end I decided to move on with some shots taken from my archive. In this respect I’m lucky that I have, in the past, taken shots with the deliberate intent of being able to combine them later if I wanted to.<br />
On the downside, I have seldom taken these with a tripod (usually because of limits on luggage), relying instead on other less stable methods of keeping the shots properly aligned. The exercise also emphasised the need for care in the subjects that you use with these particular techniques<br />
My first attempt – and one of the false starts referred to above - used these two shots of a wooden barn in Switzerland.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5072568353_f07b483b05_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5072583463_7decd44e27_m.jpg" /> <br />
The two shots were taken at 17mm; f/11; 1/200 and 1/50 respectively and they are sufficiently close in alignment to allow an accurate overlay by making use of a small ‘nudge’ on the top layer. Unfortunately there is a small amount of motion blur in some of the vegetation in the lighter version which means we can never obtain a really high-quality print. However, for the exploration in this exercise the movement is not the issue.<br />
<strong>Using the Eraser Tool 1</strong><br />
In this version I have used the eraser tool, but rather than go for a total erase I have reduced the opacity to 10% and worked over the sky area several times with a relatively large soft edged eraser– bringer more detail back in to the blown out areas of sky and blending them down to the darker areas.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5072576053_21473295cb.jpg" /> <br />
As the student notes observe, this does not give fine control of the area affected. On the other hand it does provide very good control over the level of improvement/replacement making it easy to obtain a natural looking result. So far, so good. Unfortunately by contrast the ‘select and delete’ method suffers from a number of problems.<br />
<strong>Select and Delete 1</strong><br />
I could only obtain poor results with this technique.<br />
<ul>
<li>The new sky is much too dark and un-natural looking and cannot be selectively improved using this technique (although others could be employed) </li>
<li>The soft edge of the clouds where they fall over the hills is difficult to select and feather to make a convincing blend </li>
<li>Although selection is more accurate that a simple eraser the individual spaces between the leaves of the small tree in the foreground are difficult and very time consuming to select and result in an un-natural appearance.</li>
</ul>
Both of these latter problems are identified in the student notes and this first attempt confirms the predicted difficulties - although as noted above the eraser method handles them reasonably well.<br />
<strong>2nd Attempt</strong><br />
Most of these difficulties are down to the choice of subject/image – so I repeated the exercise with an image with a much simpler skyline. The relatively smooth contours and lack of fine skyline detail in this image make selection much simpler.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5083615029_c0c1fc35a0_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5083615145_1f57f5d24e_m.jpg" /> <br />
The two exposures are (EXPOSURES) respectively.<br />
<strong>Eraser Tool 2</strong><br />
Again using a large soft-edged eraser it is relatively straightforward to restore detail to the sky in a relatively natural way. I have not restored all the detail in the brightest areas as I felt this was more consistent with a contre-jour shot such as this. Note that I used the same technique to reduce the specular highlights on the water and add detail to the waterfall as well.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5083619745_9e92ab4e26.jpg" /> <br />
<strong>Select and Delete 2</strong><br />
The select and delete shot is also an attractive option. It was certainly more difficult to obtain a natural looking blend between the new sky and the original landscape but I am reasonably happy with this outcome. Note that I used the eraser brush technique to improve the waterfall and river, as previously – use of the delete technique is not effective here because of the exposure difference.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5084212126_caed4c6399.jpg" /> <br />
<strong>Adding a new sky</strong><br />
The image I chose for this also has a relatively simple skyline, but I ran in to the issue explored in the previous exercise – that is, I had to use personal judgement to some degree to select the skyline as the boundary between the snow field and the cloud was not always clear cut. The replacement sky was taken from an image which had sunlight from roughly the same direction.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5083617407_bf1b3d7eb5_m.jpg" /> <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5083619851_0b2e9ebe2d_m.jpg" /> <br />
The end result is considerably more attractive than the original. I slightly increased the lightness of the blue sky by moving the white point down to 194 in levels, and also slightly reduced the ‘blueness’ using the colour variations tool to achieve a more natural effect.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5084216386_4c6e34d8fe.jpg" /> <br />
<strong>Conclusions</strong><br />
First the practical ones:<br />
<ul>
<li>The select and delete method is simple and effective but requires quite a bit more time to complete, and offers considerably less control over the final product when simply replacing one exposure with another. </li>
<li>Either technique works more easily with less detailed skylines. Pictures where the cloud impinges on the landscape are best managed with the eraser tool technique. </li>
<li>When replacing a sky, care is needed to obtain a reasonably natural looking edge as the opportunities for blending are much reduced. </li>
</ul>
And finally the ethics:<br />
<ul>
<li>I see no issue with simply using these techniques to compensate for the dynamic range limitations of the sensor as in the first two examples. </li>
<li>Some may feel that replacing a sky with a completely different one is ‘cheating’ – the scene never looked like that. Be that as it may the final version is much closer to my memory of that visit – and as this is a holiday photo for my own purposes there is no issue. </li>
<li>For other uses I believe the general conclusions of my recent post still hold – provide there is no intent to deceive use of this technique is fine. For example – a website for Icelandic holidays could reasonably use this photo to illustrate the location, because days with bright blue skies do – regularly – occur here. In such a circumstance this is simply a way of overcoming the practical difficulties of reaching a relatively remote location at exactly the right time. </li>
<li>On the other hand – when used to mislead – for example by adding a backdrop of distant mountains to the brochure photo of a hotel there are clearly some ethical issues to be addressed. As a working press officer I have been subjected to this treatment of our plants on a number of occasions – all of which resulted in phone-calls to the editor or picture desk. </li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0