Friday, September 30, 2016

Working a composition...

Working a composition...



At our recent trip to the Silk Mill we captured the iconic elevator with the iconic spools inside. You can see our thought process and what we created and the progression below...

The first image (5 exposure HDR) was taken wide-angle from the top floor. 24mm


The next image came about from walking in closer and zooming in more 62mm


The third image came about from walking in closer and zooming in more 70mm


The four image was a 20 image vertorama composite (4 horizontal compositions, 5 exposures each)


The fifth image was a 35 image vertorama composite (7 horizontal compositions, 5 exposures each)


and the last image was a 50 image vertorama composite (10 horizontal compositions, 5 exposures each)



 Then we closed the door near that stairwell, it did not close all the way, allowing a ray of light to come in


Noticing that the left side of the door was not included we created a stitched image using two vertical HDR captures 


I love stitched images, and they give you room (and pixels) to composite as well.




Monday, September 26, 2016

HDR at the Blacksmith


Sometimes we hear people say "I have already been to location xyz"...

We often go back to a location more once.

Why?

Well, there are many reasons...

For one thing,that visual overload that can at times be overstimulating, is not affecting your decisions. You can slow down and capture some of the nuances about the place.

Another reason is that the lighting and time of year are different so you get different images. For example, going to a location when the trees are bare can yield very different results than going when the trees are green or the trees are colorful from fall foliage. This does not apply to just Nature and Landscapes, even Abandoned buildings and Urban locations are affected since often you are trying to capture windows and dramatic wide angle scenes at these locations.

Another reason is that YOU are different so you get different images, sometimes very different images as you grow and your photographic eye evolves.

Yet another reason is that the location may provide you access or cooperation that you did not have on the first visit. We are often more restricted on our first visit, and this feeling changes as we frequent a place and build trust and friendships. One location trustee recently said to us that our group was more like friends than a client because we have visited so many times.

Our relationship with this Blacksmith definitely grew over time. Our first interaction with Ben was pleasant but vanilla, we captured what he was doing. Now we know him well enough to call him a friend and we can create images because he works with us to set up the scene.








Friday, September 23, 2016

Light Painting at the Silk Mill

Light Painting.

On our last trip to the Silk Mill it was very dark inside, enabling us to have fun with flashlights, LED lights, shadows, and light painting.


on the left you can see the three exposure HDR image, as compared to the light painted version. ~12 images were merged (areas masked in by hand) to create the light painted composite. 


Thursday, September 22, 2016

Shoes at the Silk Mill

When the mill closed down personal effects were left behind. You can almost image the ghost, the woman that wore these shoes while working these pedasls...

Friday, September 16, 2016

Light Painting

This is from our light painting workshop this past Tuesday night.
What fun to create your own illumination for a subject!



Come with us on a night photography workshop and we can show you how to get more dramatic images SOOC (straight out of the camera). Many people light paint and it comes out too flat, see top below. We will show you how to get better details and shadows and more dramatic images like the one on the bottom of this comparison. 

I did take the image from the bottom of this comparison and pop it in Nik to enhance the details and saturation slightly for this final edited version below.... 


Follow us on our workshop page (we use the Meetup system to run our workshops http://www.meetup.com/photography-by-lisa-and-tom/), on this blog (sign up at the top) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/photographywithLisaandTom/) to learn more about upcoming workshops



Friday, September 9, 2016

Multiplicity: A FUN Way to Learn How to Use (and Master) Layers and Masks.

Lisa Cuchara is offering another class as part of a nationwide educational event by Professional Photographers of America (PPA). You do not need to be a PPA member to attend, but PPA members receive a merit for attending,

Multiplicity: A FUN Way to Learn How to Use (and Master) Layers and Masks. If you're ready to take your creativity to a whole new level – and have fun doing it - this is the workshop for you! During this Super 1 Day course, you'll delve into the innovative genre of multiplicity photography and what it can do for your business. I will cover what multiplicity is, when and how to use it and why you want to do it. Discuss what you need for the shoot and walk through each step of taking the photos. Learn how to bring it all together, via Photoshop, layers and masks, as Lisa gives you a step-by-step tutorial on everything you need to know. You'll discover how to create an interesting story with a single shot – and breathe new life into your photo sessions. Break out of the norm and wow clients with the results! Create a unique "selfie" or just pretend to find your long lost twin and post the photo to Facebook, this will be a FUN workshop!

Course Date: Monday, October 17, 2016, 10am - 5:30 pm


How can I register to attend a Super 1 Day Class? There are three ways to register:


• BY PHONE: Call our PPA Customer Service Center at 1-800-786-6277 to register by phone until September 27th

• ONSITE: All registrations after Sept 27th must be completed onsite (in-person). Please contact the instructor prior to attending to ensure there is space available.