Traveling the Journey of Light | Photoblog Thoughts, feelings, and techniques behind the photography of Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston

How to Create the “Old Time” Effect Using Nik Silver Efex Pro - Tractor Series Part IVPosted by drfl on September 17th, 2009

Continuing in the steps of yesterday’s image, I wanted to convert a close-up of the headlight on the tractor to monochrome, but I wanted it to have a bit of a sepia, faded feeling like photographs from another era. Just as before, I loaded the RAW file using Adobe RAW and set my temperature, contrast and other settings close to how I would want the image if I was going to publish it in color. Once again, I used the grayscale option to help me to visualize how the image would like in black and white to help perfect my options.

The Large Conversion

Once I have everything set, I then activate the Nik Silver Efex filter and begin scrolling through my options on the left. About 2/3rds down the page, I find a couple of options for sepia toned images. I think that the Dark Sepia version works the best so I choose that one. It turns out a bit dark, so I use the brightness slider to increase it just a tad. I also up the contrast and structure a little bit from the defaults. While some of the pipes are falling into the darkness a bit, I don’t mind that, but I want to show a bit of detail so I did move the shadows slider up. The highlights slider I left alone.

Adding That Little Extra

Since the tractor consists mainly of reds and white, I choose a green filter which helps lighten the reds and create more a sepia tone across the whites. I didn’t like the effect full on, so I moved the intensity to 64%. Because of the quality of the lenses in the past, many of the old photos have a bit of a vignetting to them. My goal with this is to not make it too noticeable, but give the viewer a bit of a lead in into the photo. I moved the vignetting down to -7 which darkens the corners slightly, but not too noticeably.

To recap:

1. Load the RAW file into Adobe Photoshop and set the temperature, contrast, etc.
2. Use Nik Silver Efex Pro to find a sepia setting close to the desired result.
3. Tweak the Brightness/Contrast/Structure settings.
4. Modify the Shadows/Highlights settings.
5. Experiment with different colored filter effects.
6. Vignette if desired.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/10, 1/400 second

How to Perform a Basic Black and White Conversion Using Nik Silver Efex Pro - Tractor Series Part IIIPosted by drfl on September 16th, 2009

One of the most obvious processing treatments that can be performed on an image of an old tractor would be to convert it to various types of monochrome. Today’s image was converted to Black and White by using Nik Silver Efex Pro. Black and White conversions can be performed both in-camera and later in processing with tools such as Photoshop, but I have found that Silver Efex Pro gives me more control over how the image is converted with some great visual presets.

When loading the image into Photoshop, I first corrected for color, although I did not spend too much time on making sure that all my casts were gone. If I know I’m converting to black and white, I often use the “Grayscale” feature in the RAW import dialog box to get a rough understanding of what the image will closely resemble.

I then activate the Nik Silver Efex dialog and scroll through the various options on the left side until I find the look that I desire. For the basic settings, I tweak the settings on the right such as brightness, contrast, and structure. Brightness and contrast work the same as those in Photoshop, while structure adds more definition to the lines within the image. Also available, the shadow slider brightens the darker areas while the highlights slider tones done the brightest parts of the image. This can have the perceived effect of lowering the contrast of the image, so I usually keep these two settings at a minimum.

For today’s image, I choose High-Contrast Yellow filter and left the defaults on brightness, contrast, and structure. I increased the brightness in the shadow areas to somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2, but kept the brightness slider at default. If you are not familiar with what colored filters do to black and white photographs I suggest checking out “Using Coloured Filters with Black and White Film” to gain an understanding. From there, I could tone my photograph or add a bit of vignetting. I will discuss both of these options in tomorrow’s edition of the tractor series.

To recap:

1. Load the RAW file into Adobe Photoshop and set the temperature, contrast, etc.
2. Use Nik Silver Efex Pro to find a black and white setting close to the desired result.
3. Tweak the Brightness/Contrast/Structure settings.
4. Modify the Shadows/Highlights settings.
5. Experiment with different colored filter effects.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 37mm, f/11, 1/60 second

How to Create More Interest in Your Composition by Hinting at Your Subject - Tractor Series Part IIPosted by drfl on September 15th, 2009

In yesterday’s post I shot through the prairie grass and focused on the tractor. In today’s image I was still shooting through the grass, but the real objective was to subtlety hint for the real subject.  The goal is to force the viewer to first examine the photograph and then look deeper for the intended subject. This creates more interest in the composition since upon first viewing, the subject may appear to be the in focus grass, but then the eye is immediately led to the bright headlight and then to the form of the tractor.

For this result, I kept the depth of field intentionally shallow at f/6.3 and focused on the grasses in the front. The objective is to use an aperture that gives us an impression of our subject while not blurring it completely. I used aperture bracketing to find the perfect balance of blur and form. Bracketing is capturing a range of images at slightly different settings in order to ensure that you have the highest selection to choose from in post-processing. With digital, this is great as additional images cost nothing. Most bracketing is done with exposure, however, I find myself bracketing aperture quite often in these types of cases. This technique can be attempted with the subject behind or in front of another object. Experiment with different positioning and apertures in order to find an effective combination.

To recap:

1. Experiment with focusing on an object either closer than your true subject or further away to subtlety blur the intended subject.
2. Bracket the aperature to achieve the desired look.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 109mm, f/6.3, 1/13 second

How to Have Fun Photographing Tractors - Tractor Series Part IPosted by drfl on September 14th, 2009

As I mentioned in the post “The Dew Drops of Summer“, my brother-in-law invited my father-in-law and me to his cabin near Cedar Rapids, Nebraska where I had the opportunity to photograph a restored 1951 Ford tractor. This week, I am presenting a 5-part photographic series of tractor images. Each day I am going to have a new tractor image and am going discuss what photographic techniques I utilized to achieve the effects in the image.

A Little Bit About the Tractor Session

I spent quite a bit of time photographing this tractor. I had asked my brother-in-law to park the tractor in some grass to which he replied “You want to park a fully restored tractor as though it had sat for years?!”. Well, yeah! I had visualized this image of the tractor in a field with some nice prairie grass. I began in the late afternoon sun and as it grew darker I asked my brother-in-law to switch on the headlights. He then suggested capturing some images of the tractor through the grass as though it was coming toward me. A marvelous idea! By trying different apertures I was able to experiment with the settings which would keep the grass in the extreme foreground out of focus, but still recognizable. I found that f/8 was the most effective at producing this result.

A Little Bit About My Camera Settings

Whenever I shoot images, I solely shoot in RAW format. There are many reasons for this, but the most basic is that I have full control over the processing of the image. When an image is created as a JPEG the camera assumes it knows what’s best and creates the image for you. Well, I’m just stubborn and I certainly don’t think the camera knows whats best for me! In each of the images of the series I used the RAW converter in Adobe Photoshop to process the photographs.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 104mm, f/8, .6 second

Photo Friday: Ionu (Eye on You)Posted by drfl on September 11th, 2009

For some reason this guy allowed me to get close and take a few shots.  I focused on the eye that was reflecting the blue sky behind me.  Backyard nature at its friendliest, but I am sure the neighbors don’t like him eating their flowers!

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4 tc, f/6.3, 1/100 sec.
Omaha, Nebraska

Soaring With Your Personal Photographic VisionPosted by drfl on September 10th, 2009

Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself. -Mary Schmich

As humans each one of us is unique. Not one of us acts the same, speaks the same, or enjoys all the same pastimes. Genetics and environment have combined to create the person we are and many endeavour to achieve something greater than the sum of our parts.

If you were to take 10 photographers and place them in an unfamiliar location with a camera and any lens, filters, and equipment they choose you would have 10 unique images. No image is wrong, no perspective more correct than the other.  Yet photographers so often wish to imitate other’s work.  When one sees an image that inspires and moves, the siren call to create something similar can be powerful. When used properly imitation can be a strong learning tool, from it we can examine the process and techniques used to create the same types of mood and images.   

On photography forums I frequently read comments such as “wow, you really captured the [insert photographer] feel here” or “this could almost be [insert photographer]’s work”. If it was your wish to grow and learn from the experience of producing something similar, than great. However, if it is your desire to always walk in another’s footsteps, never to find your own creative path, then know that you will forever be enslaved to someone else’s vision.

As artists we yearn to create. Each photograph freed from our imaginations should follow our vision, it should be our own.  We need not fetter ourselves to an imitated style.  Use the lift of another to give you the boost necessary, but then fly on your own.  Catch your creative updraft and soar. 

The GO PHOTO Principles For More Self-fulfilling PhotographyPosted by drfl on September 9th, 2009

If you would like to take a look at an on some things that I have found make my photography more meaningful, head over to Darwin Wiggett’s blog and check out The GO PHOTO Principles For More Self-fulfilling Photography.

Easy Techniques for Dripping Fall Colours with Digital Cameras by Darwin WiggettPosted by drfl on September 8th, 2009

Today’s post is courtesy of a guest contributor, Darwin Wiggett.  Darwin is an outstanding photographer well known for his nature and landscape images of Canada. He also leads excellent workshops in the Canadian Rockies which I have had the joy of attending. I highly recommend that you check out his website at http://www.darwinwiggett.com and his blog at http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com.

Easy Techniques for Dripping Fall Colours with Digital Cameras
by Darwin Wiggett

I often get comments about the rich and vivid colours in my photos. Many people assume I simply push the saturation levels in Photoshop to get my signature saturation. In fact my vivid colour comes mostly from in-camera techniques rather than post-processing fixes. People are surprised to hear that I never use the saturation slider in Photoshop! Here are a few tips to help you create vivid colour every time you press the shutter button.

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Photo Friday - Tumultuous ThunderPosted by drfl on September 4th, 2009

A couple of weeks a nasty looking storm moved through eastern Nebraska which I tracked and realized that would hit the Platte River near South Bend near sunset.  I have photographed this location previously (Patterns in the Sandbar - More Nature Abstracts) and kept it in mind as there is a converted trussel that now serves as a footbridge across the river that would allow me to position myself anywhere above the water.  As the clouds and rain moved through I took several images attempting to capture some lighting in the distance.  This photograph was the best of the storm with a lightning strike, some blurred cloud movement, and cloud to cloud lightning resulting in some colorful light in the distance.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 20mm, f/6.3, 30 sec.
Platte River, Nebraska

This image is available on my website at: Tumultuous Thunder - Storm and Lighting Over the Platte River, Nebraska

Why You Should Always or Never Listen to Your CriticsPosted by drfl on September 3rd, 2009

For several years I actively participated in a couple of different photography forums in which I would comment on others photographs and post some of mine. For the most part, I would try to offer some constructive criticism and in return I hoped that my images would receive the same type of feedback as well. Along the way I met some great people and looked at some inspirational photography and interacted in a fairly supportive community - fairly being the key word.

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