Dramatic Lighting Added

If you are interested in learning more about creating images like this in Photoshop, visit my workshop website at http://www.palmyra-ny.com.  Not only do I teach photographic workshops, I also provide one-on-one training.

I also brought in a shot of the same area with snow on the ground.  I added some colors to make it more dramatic, and put a few crows in the trees and in the air.

A Work in Progress - textures added

Tomorrow, I think I will be making the dress purple and toning Kathy’s skin down a bit.

To be continued…

I started off with this photo…

Original - Model: Kathy

The final product will be her standing there with crows flying around, perched in the trees, and so on.    I’ll make her dress a dark purple.. and I’ll put snow on the ground.

To be continued…

Here’s an example.  I was watching a video about shooting a senior.  Yes, it was cool, and the photographer got a lot of cool shots.  It got me all jazzed up about my next senior shoot.

(imagine the sound of a needle on a record player scratching right now…  zzzz-zzzz-zzzzip)

When I attend a workshop where they have a real life model, or better yet, someone off-the-street (so to speak), I learn more.  I learn more by doing.  On-line will never replace doing.

You can spend 8 hours in front of a computer and you can watch a LOT of videos during that time.  However, your skills as a photographer will not be any better than when you started.  It’s just like watching Bob Ross.  You can watch Bob Ross on TV for an hour and you will not be a better painter.

Why?

Because you haven’t done anything.

http://www.palmyra-ny.com offers hands-on instruction in  a beautiful setting.  Our classes are held in a 19th century tavern (talk about atmosphere), and you spend time photographing real people in real settings.  Our flagship workshop is October 17th-20th, 2012.  For $495.99 you get 4 days of instruction and hands-on doing.  You WILL be a better photographer at the end of this class.

Visit http://www.palmyra-ny.com, click on Workshops->2012->Autumn in Upstate New York to learn more.

Inspite of how good Lightroom and Photoshop are, you cannot fix photographs where information is missing.  Lens flare covers information in your image with a haze.  It is always better to get it right in the camera.

A good example is a back-lit subject.  How do you photograph a back-lit subject without that lens-flare?

The easiest way is to find a place where you are shaded from the direct light.  In some cases, your subject can provide the shade.  Here’s an example:

Backlit Subject - Lens Shaded

Another trick is stand in the shadow of a large object like a tree.  The use of a long lens will aid you in being able to find shade.  (Wide-angle lenses are more prone to lens flare because they gather more light from a wider angle.)

Your colors will be more vibrant if you find the shade.

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Palmyra Photographic Workshops (www.palmyra-ny.com) will be hosting its first ever First Monday.  Best of all, it is FREE!  The first one is February 6th, 2012, 9am.  Meet at the Beckwith Mansion, 213 W Main Street, Palmyra, New York.  Please be on time else you will be left.  Bring your camera, and dress warmly.  This will be a winter walk.  If the weather is too nasty, we will go inside the mansion and watch a photography related educational video.  We will be done before 11am.

Hope to see you there!

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We have a date for our Autumn in Upstate New York Photographic Workshop.  This year’s workshop will be October 17th to 20th, 2012.  This is a fun-filled, educational, 4-days.  We have models coming to model for us.  We’ll share knowledge over lunch each day.  But, most of all, we will all come away better photographers for having attended.

The early bird price is $495.99.  Once the $495.99 seats are gone, the price WILL go up.  So, register EARLY!  (You may pay installments as long as you are paid in full by August 31st, 2012.)

Today’s tip is this:  When it comes to photographic equipment, size does matter.

Let me explain the physics involved.   When you have a large surface, more photons (particles of light) hit that surface.  In an evenly lit area, photons are equally distributed.  Thus, the bigger the area, the more photons.  This applies to the front element of the lens and the size of the sensor inside the camera.  Also, the smaller the sensor (for the same number of pixels) the closer the photo-sites are which means you can have electrical interference between photo-sites.  This causes noise.

So, there are two things you look for:  How large is that front element, and how big is that sensor.  The two play hand-in-hand to deliver a sharp, crisp image.

Take for example Canon’s new G1 X camera.  This camera is the next in Canon’s G-Series with the G12 being the current flagship model.

The G1 X has a 1.5″ sensor while the G12 has a 1/1.7″ sensor.  More than 6-times as many photos strike the 1.5″ sensor.  This means there is more information in the image.  Couple that with a larger lens (physically speaking)  and you are collecting more data for the image.

So many people think more megapixel means a better picture.  But, in reality, I will take a larger sensor and lens over  more megapixels (when all other things are equal.)

This is something you will see in the details when you zoom in.  For example.  If you took a 12MP point-n-shoot, and a 12MP digital SLR, and took a photo at the same ISO, f-stop, and lighting conditions (and of the same subject), I can guarantee the dSLR will produce a better image in most cases.

Now, when it comes to lenses, there is a correlation to the f-number, the focal length and size of the glass.  Thus, a f1.8 50mm lens will have more glass in the front than a f3.5 50mm lens.  The f1.8 means that 1/1.8th of the light entering the lens leaves the back of the lens.  Light is information.  The more, the better.

So, when people stop and ask me about my big lens, the answer is, “Yes, more is better.”

So, on a recent trip to NYC, prior to going, I bought a cheap pair of gloves from Walmart.  I then took a pair of scissors and cut off the tips of the right thumb, index- and middle-fingers.  I figure, these three fingers are the ones I use the most when working with my camera.  My wife then stitched around the edges to keep them from coming unraveled.

The gloves worked PERFECTLY!  I kept them on most of the day and they did not interfere with the camera operations.  Also, when those finger tips got too cold, I simply put my right hand in my pocket while carrying my camera in my fully-gloved left hand.

Fingerless glove (left) and my lunch (right)

You can also buy mittens that have a fold back  that exposes all of the fingers (either hand).  I’ve tried them, and my issue with them is they are bulky and cumbersome to use.  My 3-finger(less) glove works better and saved a lot of time and frustration.

A Cold January Day in Central Park

The solution to this problem is to check ahead.  Call them on the phone and ask, “Are cameras allowed at your establishment?  If so, are there any restrictions (like flash photography)?”

This will save you the grief.

As a rule of thumb, if it is outdoor, public property, you can take photos.  If it is private property, the rules are entirely up to the owner of the property.  That’s right.  The owner of a store can tell you, “No photos.”    The owner of a museum and tell you, “Still photos as long as you don’t use flash”, for example.  It is up to you to respect their rules or leave.

A property owner can allow photos, but that doesn’t mean you can publish them without permission.  Well… you can, but they can retroactively retract their permission.

So, today’s tip is, check ahead about the use of your camera at private venues.

Happy New Year.  May you take many great photos.

Model: Rebecca Holtz - Location: db walton studio, NY

I am grateful for the Professional Photographers of America and their support in this matter.  Upon calling them asking, “What should I do?”, they were ready with a list of ways they can help.

It is important to know that when you discover your copyrights have been violated that you immediately contact the violator and request they stop.  That is the first step.  Now, I am not a lawyer, so this is may not be completely correct, but I am told that failure to take action is like giving permission for the image to be used.  That is, if you KNOW and do not ACT, you weaken your efforts to protect the image.

Copyrights are automatic.  You take the picture, and it belongs to you.  Registration of your copyright is not automatic.  This requires completing the forms and sending your images to the U.S. Copyright Office.  More can be found at http://www.copyright.gov/.

So, the next time you see someone using one of your images without your permission, let them know.

Oh, and if you are a professional photographer, join PPA.  They stand ready to help you in these situations.

Yesterday, WHAM and WHEC both were using a photo of one of my clients on their web page.  Immediately, I checked the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle to see what photo they were using.  They were using their own file photo.

Before I say more about the TV news, let me simply state that newspapers are smarter (or more ethical) than that.  A newspaper editor know if he prints a photo, he can’t re-call all those newspapers.  Thus, putting a photo in print is a done-deal; you print it, and distribute it.  There is no recalling a photo in the newspaper.

I’ve already heard back from WHAM with their apology and retraction of the photo.  I’m still waiting on WHEC.  Both TV news stations will receive letters regarding the seriousness of copyright infringement.

My theory is this…

I may not be the first professional photographer to have my copyrights infringed by a TV news web site.  I suspect they take the position that if they do not get caught, then it is okay.  And, if they do get caught, the stop showing the photo (on TV or the Internet) and say, “Sorry.”

This is only a theory, but if my theory is correct, I find this serious.  It is a form of theft, and TV stations, and all media, know that.  They know that copyrights are there to protect the creator’s intellectual and artistic property.

Yes, a photograph is property of the photographer.  If you have your photo taken at a studio, or by anyone for that matter, that photo is “licensed” to you to display.  You do not have the rights to make copies of it.  You do not have the rights to give it to a local newspaper and say, “Use this picture with your story.”  (That is not the case with my client.  WHEC and WHAM snagged the photo off a web site that had license to display the photo.)

I like how a friend described copyrights.  He said if the author or artist is losing out on a sale, then you are infringing on the copyright.  Although that is only partially correct, it is for the most part a good measure of thumb.

For example, if you see a photo on a web site, and you right click on it and then print that photo, frame it, and hang it in your house, you are infringing on a copyright.  You should contact the photographer, and purchase a copy of the print.

I see a lot of copyright infringement on social media.  Be safe.  If you didn’t take the photo, don’t post it.  There are serious fines and legal ramifications.  The same goes for songs and videos.

Buy it, license it, or don’t use it.