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Budh

Images - Photographs, Images - Statements  Comment
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“I didn’t know it then, but it was the beginning of a whole new series. I knew it after it began happening repeatedly. The process had led me to a new point of departure. The work was a surprise. I hadn’t planned on doing it. It came to me. I had planned to do another body of work, but this one seized me and asked me to stay with it while it was fresh. I listened. I have a feeling that if I had ignored that voice I would not have been able to return to it later, certainly not with the same intensity or understanding …”

Read the rest of this Artist’s Statement here.

What to Look for in HDR

Alumni, Software - Photoshop, Workshop  Comment
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Chris Alvanas’ image (above) is an excellent example of heavy HDR.
Last week I taught my most advanced Fine Art Digital Printing Advanced workshop ever. We talked not only about how to use HDR tools but also the visual effects they produce. HDR processing creates several identifiable artifacts. Going to extremes will help you identify the possibilities and the artifacts more clearly. After that, you can better decide just how far you want to go. Clearly identifying these artifacts can help you control them and craft your own HDR style.
1    Full detail in shadows and highlights
This is the reason special software was invented.
Pushed far blacks and whites can get gray.
2    Accentuation of contour
Images look sharper and clearer. It’s Clarity on steroids.
Pushed far this leads localized vignetting.
3    Accentuation of texture
Talk about detail.
Pushed far it gives objects a stained (“grunge”) appearance and boosts noise.
4    Distortion of relative saturation relationships
Sometimes it’s beautiful, sometimes it’s unnatural, sometimes it’s beautifully unnatural.
A little post-production work will help you get the balance that’s best for you.
Learn more in my free Lessons.
Learn more in my HDR DVD.
Learn more in my Workshops.
Next FADP Advanced workshop 2/1-5

Seth Resnick – The Vanishing Continent Antarctica

Destination - Antarctica  Comment
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Seth Resnick talks about his new Blurb book The Vanishing Continent Antarctica on Blurb.
“The irony is that Antarctica is anything but white. The light is incredible and sunsets there can last for hours, not just minutes. The ice itself is so dense that red and green can penetrate it, but not blue, so the ice is almost a fluorescent blue. It’s otherworldly. The blue in the cover photograph for my book was really that intense.”
Read the interview here.
See more of Seth’s Antarctica images here.
Find out more Seth Resnick and D-65.
Save your spot on our upcoming Antarctica 2011 workshop here.

Exploring HDR Styles

Alumni, Software - Photoshop, Workshop  Comment
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alvanas_hdrportraits
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Last week I taught my most advanced Fine Art Digital Printing Advanced workshop ever. A number of the participants work with HDR. So we explored a variety of HDR styles.
Chris Alvanas likes heavy HDR processing to give his contemporary portraits a grittier look.
Jim Hooper likes to blend normally processed Raw files with HDR processed files for a blend of classic and contemporary.
HDR techniques can be used to generate many different effects. They’re useful techniques every photographer should know about.
Learn more in my free Lessons.
Learn more in my HDR DVD.
Learn more in my Workshops.
Next FADP Advanced workshop 2/1-5

The Art of Interpretation – Dodging & Burning

Alumni, Workshop  Comment
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Last week I taught my most advanced Fine Art Digital Printing Advanced workshop ever. We delved deep into the art of dodging and burning, learning not only how to do it but many interpretive strategies for applying it in different ways to a variety of images.
Soren Lindqvist’s image drawn from the rocky coast of Maine demonstrates just how far you can go with dodging and burning. He turns an image with dark lines on a light ground into one with light lines on a dark ground. It’s a fine example of the art of interpretation. Available light may only be a starting point.
See more of Soren’s work here.

Learn more in my free Lessons.
Learn more in my Drawing With Light DVD.
Learn more in my Workshops.

Adobe Shortcut App for Creative Suite

Software  Comment
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adobeshrotcutapp
“Can’t remember your shortcuts? No worries. Introducing the Adobe Shortcut App, an amazing new tool from Adobe that lets you find and gather the shortcuts you need on your desktop. So they’re right where you need them, when you need them, allowing you to create your masterpieces with ease.”
You get a full list. You can make your own lists. I don’t find a list of shortcuts I already know useful. But I do find a list of shortcuts I’m currently trying to commit to memory very useful.
Get this application here. It’s free!
Learn more with my Lessons, DVDs, and Workshops.

Chris Alvanas – Cell Phone Photography

Photography, Workshop  Comment
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Chris Alvanas, a professional photographer and photo educator in Washington DC, was reluctant to show us his recent cell phone photographs during my Fine Art Digital Printing Advanced portfolio reviews. But we were all very curious, so he did. The images he showed us were spontaneous, fresh, and inventive. We looked at the images first and later asked questions about the equipment, not the other way around. We all realized, perhaps we should be taking more photographs in more places in more ways and that many of them would be useful for our personal growth and worth sharing with others. Chris made us all laugh when he said, “I took this one out of my sunroof while I was driving. Is that wrong?” So, I recommended Chris also share short insights to go with each moment. Here’s what he had to share with us.
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Accidental Irony…
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Attention to the small details often payoff with large returns.
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Simple shape and form.
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If you look for it – they will come..
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It is an obligation to challenge yourself and others.
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My vision – your response.
Find out about Chris Alvanas here.
Find Chris Alvanas’ blog here.
Find Chris Alvanas’ DVDs here.
Find out more about my Fine Art Digital Printing Workshops here.