Author Archive
onOne Software PhotoTools 2.6 Review
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onOne Software’s PhotoTools 2.6 is my go to plug-in for all things photography. PhotoTools 2.6 is a complete solution that will save you hours of time in the editing department. The expertise and development that went into this product is an industry standard plugin in my opinion and you can try it out for FREE!
The interface as you can see above is very easy to navigate. The main display window allows you to change views so that you can see the original image, the edited version or a combination of the two. Read More→
HDR Series – Getting Started, Part 3: Tone-Mapping
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Welcome to Part 3 of the HDR Series – Getting Started! This time you are going to learn about the settings in a HDR Tone-Mapping software I use called Photomatix Pro 4. Before you get to the adjustments window you will be prompted with this window first.
Align Source Images: I always keep this box unchecked unless I was using brackets shot by hand (which I never do). If you did shoot your brackets by hand you will want to make sure that “By correcting horizontal and vertical shifts” is selected and that the “Crop aligned images” are Unchecked. (This will save you aggravation later if you have to use layer masking in Photoshop) Read More→
HDR Series – Getting Started, Part 2: Image Management in Aperture 3
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So you’ve just walked in the door and put your bag down, now what? How do you get your files ready for HDR? I will describe how I import my brackets into (the best file management program ever) Aperture 3. 
Step #1: Import
- Fire up Aperture 3. Under the “Adjustments” tab you’ll find “RAW Fine Tuning”. You’ll want to move all 7 sliders to “0″ zero and create an hdr preset. (clicking on the gear icon will show the save preset option. More on why this is necessary later)
- Under the “Library” tab create a new “Folder” with the Year and another inside that folder with the Month.
- The “Import” tab should pop up and it will look something like this. Read More→
HDR Series – Getting Started, Part 1: Setup
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I would like to introduce you to an HDR series, that will hopefully open new doors to help improve your HDR workflow. I’ve been shooting HDR for a little over 14 months. Maybe not a very long time but after pushing sliders around in Photomatix I wasn’t quite satisfied. Eventually I reached that ah-ha moment when introduced to new techniques, so I hope with this series to help you achieve your very own ah-ha moment. Be sure to look for Part 2: Image Management in Aperture 3 and Part 3: HDR Tone-Mapping!
Step #1: Setting up your camera
- Your DSLR should have Auto-Exposure Bracketing (AEB) but if not you can still shoot your brackets by hand.
- I always shoot HDR in RAW (Full Resolution) with my camera in “Manual” mode. You can use “Aperture Priority” mode, but if your bracketing manually like I do then you’ll want to use “Manual” mode.
- Set White Balance to AUTO (unless you have a grey card or color passport)
- If your camera has “Exposure Delay Mode” and your shooting on a tripod then use it! (You can find this setting in your camera’s menu area)
- Set your “EV Steps For Exposure Control” to “1/2 Steps” instead of 1/3 steps. (Also found in your camera’s menu area)
- Now your set up to bracket for HDR, but you’ll will need to decide on how many brackets you need for your scene. Read More→
Photography Without Labels
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When Trevor asked me to contribute Cityscape and Landscape articles to the site last year I was honored. 2010 was a great learning year for me and in 2011, I’ve been able to reflect on all of my hard work for the past 365 days. Honoring the gems and realizing my mistakes, It’s allowed me to focus on this new year with a new mind frame. One thing I decided to remove is the word “scape” from my categories of work. I prefer to use the terms “City” & “Land”. For me this broadens the subject matter for which I can write about, because recently I’ve been shooting a lot of different subject matter when it comes to city and land photography. When I think of the word “scape”, I think of skyline shots, and sunsets over the ocean, but in fact city and land photography is so much more than that. In my recent adventures I’ve found ways to produce city and land images together, like the examples below.
Cityscapes: Change Your Glass
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For the last year or so I’ve shot many cityscape images. From wide angle to telephoto zoom, to 35mm prime. I tend to always carry every lens with me in my bag while out on a shoot. I admit I’m more dominant with my 10-24mm wide angle than any of the others, but’s it’s important to change lenses. Read More→
City & Land : Black & White
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Black & white photography, is a fairly new medium for me. I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my workflow, but I didn’t know how. I think shooting B&W has it’s place, and lately I have found some interesting ways to work with it. One of the tools I think is a must have for any photographer, is the ND filter. I swear by the B+W brand, and am addicted to the ND 10 stop filter. During the day it’s an amazing tool, and 75% or more of the time I will convert these images to B&W. If there are heavy clouds and moving elements, it will give you an incredible effect.
You can view my article on CurrentPhotographer.com called “Black Glass 101” to better understand this filter. Read More→
Landscapes: Black Glass 101
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When your able to capture 2-4 minute exposures in broad daylight, your able to open new doors to creativity. The 10 stop B+W ND 3.0 filter is nicknamed “Black Glass”, because it reduces 1000x the light entering the camera. When you first start using it, there are a few things you want to keep in mind. Consider this Black Glass 101. Read More→
Cityscapes: After Dark
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Allow me to introduce myself. I am known as an HDR photographer of cityscapes, landscapes, and urban exploration. About a year ago I decided to take photography very seriously. Some of the questions I had asked myself were, what did I want to photograph? What exactly were my intentions behind the camera? I thought Philadelphia would make a beautiful canvas to start my photography journey, and so it began. Most of the available time I had to shoot was during the evening, so I first set out with a tripod and cable release to capture non HDR long exposures after dark. I think any photographer beginning today with an interest in HDR can benefit from this structured workflow. Long exposures at night can teach you the discipline in which HDR photography revolves around.
One of the hardest things about shooting after dark, is being able to see thru your viewfinder. These conditions also make it difficult to focus your lens. It’s always best before composing your shot, to zoom in and focus on an area that has available light. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve composed first, to discover that I can’t lock in my focus point. Once you have locked in your focus point, turn off autofocus. You don’t want your camera to refocus before the shutter opens. Read More→
