Shooting in the full midday sun can present creative challenges to any photographer. The high position and brightness of the sun projects an even downward cast, leaving an exposure void of the depth and dynamic range we're accustomed to in the long shadows of the morning and evening (golden) hours. While it may not always be convenient to schedule work at these ideal hours of the day, there are some ways to make the most of shooting in the broad spectrum of midday sun. http://youtu.be/FDuTPhGSp_I If you have any questions, please feel … [Read more...] about Fearless Full Sun Shooting
B&W
Remembering The Zone System for Better Black & Whites
As someone who learned photography in the Age of Analog, I often find myself cringing when I see those who have only ever known digital, under-utilizing the power of black and white with the quick click of the grayscale button. Their images can be so much more than the general gray blahness that just the unrefined desaturation command can do. In school, we were held to the standards of The Zone System; a method developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. It was our constant benchmark of a dynamic exposure. And when one has a dynamic exposure, … [Read more...] about Remembering The Zone System for Better Black & Whites
Great Black and White Photography… Did You Miss the Hangout?
We know that not all of you could attend live, but boy did you miss a great Google Hangout this month. Hosts Rob Sylvan and Levi Sim were joined by Gerard Murphy from Mosaic and Bryan O'Neil Hughes from Adobe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuOLQva1iZs The guys covered great tips on how to make great looking black and white photos. You can watch the event here. I learned a ton of great things about Clarity, Curves, and Split Toning. Truly an enjoyable show. Be sure to join our community and follow on Google+ to find out about the next … [Read more...] about Great Black and White Photography… Did You Miss the Hangout?
Great Black & Whites Yield Great Color, Too
Nikon D800, 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens @ 170mm, f/9, 1/200s, ISO 200. As you'll see in the video below, the finishing touches for a black and white image often makes the color version of the same image look terrific, too. Personally, I think removing the distraction of color helps me make tonal adjustments with better judgement. Above you see the portrait from the video, and below is another example of a landscape whose black and white adjustments also made a color image I like. http://vimeo.com/86541001 Join Levi on and help him get … [Read more...] about Great Black & Whites Yield Great Color, Too
7 Steps to Great Black and Whites in Lightroom 5
Nikon D7000, 85mm f/1.8 D lens, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO 400. Great black and white images require more than simply removing the color, and Lightroom 5 is a really powerful tool for making memorable black and white photographs. Take a look at this video to see the seven steps I take to make a terrific B&W image from any color image. Rob Sylvan and I will be doing a Google+ hangout on February 19th at 1pm Eastern (10am Pacific) to discuss how to finish great black and white images using Adobe Lightroom 5 (we'll also share some organizational … [Read more...] about 7 Steps to Great Black and Whites in Lightroom 5
One Easy Tip To Know Which Pictures Make Good Black and Whites
Nikon D800, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII lens @155mm, f/10, 1/125s, ISO 200, finished in Lightroom 5 How do you know which images will look good as black white? I think just about any good photograph can be a good black and white. It's important to understand, however, that black and white doesn't just mean we remove color from the equation. Some colors are lighter or darker toned, and these inherent tones affect the final black and white image. Furthermore, ever since the earliest days of photography, different films and mediums have interpreted the … [Read more...] about One Easy Tip To Know Which Pictures Make Good Black and Whites
Five Quick Ways to Convert a Photo to Black & White in Photoshop
There are so many ways to convert your color photo to black and white. But today, I'm going to show you a few of my favorite and easiest (in my opinion) ways to do a quick black and white conversion in Adobe Photoshop. 1. Desaturate A quick way to desaturate the color in your photo is with the Desaturate command. You'll find this by going up to the Image menu at the top of the screen, choosing Adjustments, and then choosing Desaturate: (Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) The reason why this is the absolute fastest process for me … [Read more...] about Five Quick Ways to Convert a Photo to Black & White in Photoshop
Diane Arbus | A Photographer You Should Know
Every weekend we spotlight a photographer who's work has impacted the industry. Diane Arbus (19231971) was an American photographer and writer. Her specialty was black and white photography. She produced square photos of deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal. Her goal was to reveal the difference between what people wanted others to see and what they really did see the flaws. You can click through the rest of the documentary after the video plays. ______ … [Read more...] about Diane Arbus | A Photographer You Should Know
How to Get Black and White Photos That Pop
There was a time all photos were made in black & white. Even when I started my days of photojournalism, we primarily shot, developed, and printed in black and white. Now the default is color and we have to adjust to get the images from a color to a monochromatic version. But Black and white photography is so much more than stripping away the color. Great black and white images tend to exploit contrast. The difference between the whitest white and the blackest black is the highest contrast point in the picture and this can be used to … [Read more...] about How to Get Black and White Photos That Pop
Photofocus Podcast with Special Guests Dave Wilson and Gerard Murphy
Rich Harrington has two special guests on this week's show. We're joined by Dave Wilson, a freelance art photographer from Texas. Dave shares his approach to getting the best shot (no matter how many exposures it takes). Dave is a native of Scotland who likes to photograph subjects, scenes, locations and objects which symbolize Texas, the American Southwest and the United States in general. In the second half of the show we catch up with Lightroom expert Gerard Murphy. Gerard has had a passion for photography since borrowing his Moms Pentax … [Read more...] about Photofocus Podcast with Special Guests Dave Wilson and Gerard Murphy
iPhoto tutorial: Refining the Black and White effect with Temperature
A few readers have asked for some Apple oriented tutorials... and I'd like to oblige. I'm actually a big fan of iPhoto as a great tool for emerging photographers and hobbyists (and yes I like Photoshop Elements for the same reason). Here is a short excerpt from a Lynda.com class I worked on. Let me know if you'd like to see more. This iPhoto tutorial shows how to improve black and white conversions by enhancing Definition and Contrast before applying the B&W effect, and refining the results with the Temperature slider. ____ … [Read more...] about iPhoto tutorial: Refining the Black and White effect with Temperature
Master Vibrance and Iris Blur in Photoshop
I'm a big fan of controlling where the viewer looks within a photo. In this short tutorial I show you how to use two adjustments in Photoshop to quickly guide the viewer's eye. You can make similar adjutments in Lightroom. Master Vibrance and Iris Blur in Photoshop from RHED Pixel on Vimeo. ___ … [Read more...] about Master Vibrance and Iris Blur in Photoshop
Better Black and White Photos with Photoshop
on Twitter. There are many ways to make a black and white photo. But the Black and White adjustment layer and On Image tool make the process fast and easy. _______ … [Read more...] about Better Black and White Photos with Photoshop
Photofocus Podcast February 25
NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE: The Photofocus Podcast Feed HAS CHANGED! Here is the new feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcast Download episode here... or get it on iTunes PLEASE BE PATIENT - OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH. Rich and Scott catch up on a bunch of topics to help photographers of all levels. Black and White workflow Postproduction solutions for black and white Essential grip gear Skip Cohen University Timelapse and Camera Moves 3-2-1 Backup Our … [Read more...] about Photofocus Podcast February 25
