Photoshop CS6 – New Content Aware Tools

Spring Color at Sobranes Arch, Garrapata State Park, Big Sur Coast, California
Canon 5DMKIII, 16-35mmLII @ f22, 1.3 second timed-shutter, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray Neutral Slim Polarizer

I have been having a blast this past week playing with some of the new features in the recently released Photoshop CS6. Over the course of the coming month, I will be reviewing some features I find useful in my daily workflow. For this piece, I’d like to start with perhaps the king of the show, the newly revamped Content Aware tools. Adobe says that they have improved the algorithms of this popular tool. Both the select and blending have been updated so they work more seamlessly along higher contrast edges. My initial tests seem to bear this out!

For this image captured at Big Sur’s Sobranes Point, I was drawn to the colorful foreground. Unfortunately, nature is rarely perfect, so this was a “perfect” candidate to test the new Content Aware features. Here is what the foreground looked like prior to applying Content Aware.

Notice the barren patch near the top-left of the foreground. This is where I will put most of my attention. First, I selected that area.

Next, I tapped the Delete key to bring up the Content Aware Fill Box. If Content Aware is not listed next to Use:, simply click on drop-down menu and select Content-Aware.

Next, I clicked on OK and let Content Aware chew through the problem. Here is how it rendered the scene:

As you can see, the newly updated algorithms did a nice job at seamlessly filling in the area. Next, I wanted to test the new Content Aware Patch tool.

I select the area that I wish to fill with the Patch tool, then move it over another portion of the image that I want to replicate.

Here is the result of the Content Aware Patch tool:

New in Photoshop CS6 is the ability with both the Patch and Move tool to select from five different region preservation options:

Next, I wanted to try the Content Aware Move tool. Personally, I don’t see this tool as practical for my workflow as I do not move elements in my scene. But for the purpose of this blog, I have decided to show it. This tool allows you to move a selected element and move to another location within the image. It not only moves, but fills in the area where it originated. I decided to move a yellow sea daisy.

By default, the Tool Palette will show Spot Healing Bush. Simply click and hold to get this fly-out window and select Content Aware Move Tool. Next, I selected the sea daisy.

Now, I simply moved it to the area I wanted to paste it into:

Once you release the mouse, Content Aware Move Tool will automatically start merging. Here is the result:

As you can see, I will have to touch-up the surrounding area along the top of the daisy. A more careful selection would also be useful.

The image leading off this article is the final version. For me, Content Aware is simply a tool to help along nature’s rough spots. I would not use it to move elements such as a moon. Sure I could do that, but I get no personal satisfaction on doing extensive digital surgery. Ultimately, each one of you will have to make your own choice as to how far you will go with the new technology.

Say More With Your Images by Adding Less to Your Compostion

Crescent Moon and Oak – San Benito County, California
Canon 5DMKIII, 70-200mmLII @ f16, 2.5 second timed-exposure, 100 ISO. Image captured 25 minutes past sunset.

Visual messages, similar to verbal and written messages, are generally stronger if one follows to old axiom: Less is More. This was drilled into me as a young Journalism student at San Jose State University. We endlessly practiced rewriting our copy in an attempt to learn to strengthen our ideas by simplifying the message. Reporters for USA Today are masters at this task.

Well, the same can be said for visual communication. Sounds easy enough, but in reality (and I know you all have experienced this) it is anything but. Let’s face it, nature can seem chaotic at times. Moreover, it is human nature (pardon the pun) to want to add elements to our scene. Once I find a potential scene to photograph, my first thought is find the best light. Oftentimes, the right light helps to simplify. In this period of HDR everything, it’s nice to fall back on the camera’s limited vision to help hide certain elements. This hillside was pretty with dry hay and this stately oak, but by turning into a silhouette, I simplified and turned the tree and hillside into a strong graphic element – still recognizable as an oak and a hillside.

Next, it was knowing a few facts about what would happen – in other words, I did my homework. I first utilized one of my favorite moon plotting programs, The Photographer’s Ephemeris. A quick check for Tuesday, May 22, told me that I would see a 9% waxing crescent moonset. I also learned that sunset time would be 8:12pm with civil twilight lasting until 8:41pm. OK, things are shaping up. Knowing how long civil twilight lasts is key, especially on a clear sky day, as I know if I shoot towards the west, especially near where the sun had set (and near the path the moon was setting), I will have warm color on the horizon. Color is important to me as it evokes emotion. I especially like the combination of a warm horizon transitioning to a blue to dark blue sky.

Now came the big question: where would the moon be after sunset? A 9% crescent would not be visible to my naked eye until the sky began to darken. Well, back to the Ephemeris for that answer. I clicked on a tab labeled “Details” to plot my location and find the location and height of the moon. There are tutorials galore on both the Ephemeris’ site and You Tube so I won’t bog you down with the procedure, suffice it to say it is simple. I knew where some scattered oaks were along a west facing hillside, so I simply plugged that information in and the program told me that from my position, the moon would be at an altitude of +18.1° at sunset and drop to +12.5° at the end of civil twilight. A negative number would have meant that I would not have been able to see the moon from my location due to the hill in front of me that crested  at an altitude of 35 feet from my position.

I captured this image 10 minutes prior to the end of civil twilight. I did increase the angle of the moon relative to the oak by moving to my left by approximately 100 yards. I did this as I liked the implied diagonal line formed between the oak and moon. Diagonals are action lines and serve to keep the eye moving in the scene. Implied lines work the same as real lines as your brain wants to essentially connect the dots, or in this case, connect the elements.

I did find another scene that included multiple trees but this scene, as simple as it appears, was a much stronger composition. Try to keep this concept in mind the next time you are out in the field. Instead of thinking: add, add, add, try thinking: subtract, subtract, subtract. Keep it simple!

Determining Your Camera’s Real Dynamic Capture Range

Do you know your camera sensor’s true dynamic range? Are the numbers that the camera manufacturers provide reliable? I honestly did not know so I decided to find out. A recent article written by photographer Alan Ross got me thinking about testing my Canon 5DMKIII sensor. This is a real-world test, not arbitrary numbers I found on the internet, though DxO Labs does test sensor sensitivity. Problem is, the numbers they provide don’t mean anything to me in regards to what my eyes see. In a recent comparison between the Canon 5DMKIII and the Nikon D800, DxO rated the D800 as having and 14.4 exposure value range versus the 5DMKIII’s 11.7 EV. But can we really see that much difference with our own eyes? How could we if our human vision only allows us an approximately 11 stop range?

Ross based his tests on the way a meter records a scene. Essentially, a meter is dumb. All it knows is that whatever you point it at, it tries its best to make 18% gray – about the tone of the backside of a Caucasian’s hand. If I point my meter at a gray card, it gives me exposure settings that allow it to record gray. If I point my meter at a black card, it gives me settings that will also allow it to record gray. Lastly, if I point my meter at a white card, you guessed it, it gives me an exposure to make that card look gray as well. Get the point? Your meter is really geared to do one thing – give you exposure settings to render an 18% gray. Why? Well simple, that is middle-ground for most average scenes where all your highlights and shadows can fall neatly into place on either side of 18%. Problem is, scene contrast ratios rarely fit the sensor’s dynamic capture range.

Studies have proven that human beings can see contrast ranges on average of 2,000:1 at any given time. That’s 11 stops of light. But can our digital sensors record that much light? If so, can we see the difference in the tonal ranges? Using Ross’s methods, I took a card containing true white, true black, middle gray (bottom right) and RAW gray (bottom left). Here are my results with my Canon 5DMKIII

Click on image to enlarge.

I set my meter to spot mode and read directly off the bottom right gray panel (18% gray). This is represented by Zone V. I then took 4 images each at a stop less light (Zones IV, III, II, and I), then took another 4 images each at a stop more light (Zones VI, VII, VIII, and IX). The test card was lit evenly by indirect window light so I simply changed shutter speeds by one stop per image. Based on the results of the above test, I would say my Canon 5DMKIII can comfortably record shadows between Zone II and Zone III (let’s call it Zone 2 1/2). Once my 18% gray starts to look black, that’s as much separation in darker tones that my sensor can record on the shadow end. Conversely, the camera records detail on the highlight side up through Zone IX. Once my 18% gray starts to look white, that is as much separation in the higher tones I can get on the highlight end. In total, that’s 6 1/2 stops of dynamic range.

So how do camera manufacturers get numbers outside this range? Well let’s take a look at the following set of numbers:

Here is an example of a 12-bit encoding Digital SLR capturing shadow to highlight, (0 to 4096 tonal values). This is assuming a perfect expose to the right capture.

1st stop = 2048 tonal values
2nd stop = 1024 tonal values
3rd stop = 512 tonal values
4th stop = 256 tonal values
5th stop = 128 tonal values
6th stop = 64 tonal values
7th stop = 32 tonal values
8th stop = 16 tonal values
9th stop = 8 tonal values
10th stop = 4 tonal values
11th stop = 2 tonal values

As you can see, by using this math, my camera can record the same dynamic range as my eye, but really, its just numbers, not practical numbers as the above test reveals. In fact, I could extrapolate these numbers even further and make my sensor look like it has the broadest dynamic range capture ability of any on the market!

So what does all this information really tell us? Well, if you know the dynamic range of your sensor, you can then meter the contrast range of a scene and know if you are inside or outside of the range that your sensor can record. If you are outside the range of what your sensor can handle, then you can make intelligent decisions to use either a graduated neutral density filter to lessen exposure in areas of the scene that are too bright, or you can bracket frames and combine later in an HDR program.

Personally, I control the highlights in my scene. I now know if the scene has a contrast range of 6 1/2 stops or less, I can record detail in my shadows and highlights in one frame. If the scene’s contrast range is greater than 6 1/2 stops, then I will make the best decision to record the scene the way I think it will look best: a.) expose for the highlights and allow some detail to be lost in the shadows, b.) use a graduated neutral density filter to control the highlights while allowing the shadow detail to also record, or c.) bracket enough frames to record detail in both the shadows and highlights then combine various sections of the frame using either an HDR program or by painting in sections of the scene using layers and masks.

Having the correct information is so key when it comes to making intelligent decisions with exposure. Test your camera’s dynamic range and use that knowledge to make better exposures!

Previsualization in the Digital Age

Dusk Light, Desert View, Grand Canyon National Park.
Canon 5DMKIII, 70-200mmL @f/11, 3 images combined in-camera using HDR, 1/8th second starting exposure, +1/-1 additional exposures, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray neutral polarizer, Lexar Digital Media.

As an impressionable 14-year-old I hung on every written word I could find by the great Ansel Adams. Not only was he credited with developing the Zone System for more accurately exposing and developing B&W negatives, but he also preached the importance of previsualization – something that has stuck with me even into my digital years. In fact, I am such an advocate of previsualization, that I constantly discuss this with my workshop students. A recent case in point came this past weekend as I co-instructed an iPhone workshop with Scott Schilling and Mike Hall in beautiful Carmel, California.

I talked to the students about the importance of learning each app’s (camera or processing) strong point(s) then using it/them to their advantage. Once one knows what the apps do, then they can previsualize the finished image in their mind (Ansel called it your “mind’s-eye). Well the same holds true for our other digital cameras. Most of us are working with some form of 35mm digital cameras these days (though I know some of you are into medium and large format). So there are really two keys: a.) knowing what your camera can and can’t capture and using it to your advantage, and b.) know your processing software (be it Lightroom, Photoshop, Aperture, etc.). I can now also add a third item to my list: in-camera HDR (new in my Canon 5DMKIII).

Let’s first take a look at the camera. Studies have shown that our sophisticated human vision system can see an incredible contrast range of 2000:1 (11 stops of light), while our cameras can see roughly 64-128:1 (6-7 stops of light). Oh sure, the camera manufacturers will tell you more, but I’m talking real-world – what our eyes can see on either a computer monitor or LCD. It will be even less for a print but that is a discussion for another day. This can mean loss of detail in either shadows or highlights or worse case – both! This is often the reason why newer photographers are upset with their resulting imagery. The camera simply cannot reproduce reality (but this was also true of film).

In my new Canon 5DMKIII, I now have a 3-stop HDR function and I am learning the pros and cons of in-camera processing. I decided to use it for this image that I captured along the south rim of the Grand Canyon looking west after the sun had set as I simply could not capture the range of tonality I desired in a single frame. Why not bracket and use an HDR program? Well I do that also, but I was looking for speed (and I also wanted to test this function under various lighting conditions) and thus far I am favorable of the results this new technology is giving me. I then used the outputted file as a starting point and treated it like a RAW file (even though it is already processed by the camera as a JPEG file). The key is that I previsualized the image in my mind, then I simply allowed the technology to match my vision. I was amazed at how much more subtle the tonalities were of the Canyon’s receding ridges and outcroppings. Quite truthfully – this is what I had envisioned (previsualized) in my mind. I did not want the image to scream “HDR,” and I don’t believe it does. I think it looks quite natural – more the way my eye saw it. The contrast range of the light was still outside of my camera’s sensor dynamic capture range and I have other single exposures that prove it to me.

Now, I am not advocating by any means that all images need HDR. In fact, I use it sparingly. In many scenes I actually use my camera’s limited vision to my advantage. For example, there are times I may want something in my scene silhouetted while exposing for a particular highlight. As long as I know what my camera can’t give me – I can intelligently use that information to my advantage. I can also use various apertures and shutter speeds to my advantage. Testing and using the camera regularly is key in my opinion, but you are learning a craft and any craft must be practiced on a routine basis.

Lastly, it is extremely important to learn the basic photo editing functions of Lightroom, Photoshop or whatever your choice of processing software may be. I hear from many of my students that all they need is Lightroom. Well, they are selling themselves short when it comes to localized fixes. I recommend adding the Nik Software’s line of plugin filters. My favorites are: Color Efex Pro 4, Dfine 2.0, Viveza 2 and Sharpener Pro 3.0. Virtually all of my images are touched one way or another with these four incredible plug-ins. Coupled with Lightroom – it is an unbeatable combination. But again, the key is in understanding what the plug-ins can do for you. This in turn frees up your creative vision allowing you to look at a scene in nature, then visualize the finished version on your computer screen. This, similar to the camera, takes lots and lots of practice – more than once-per-week practice.

The key of all this is that Ansel’s philosophy is as true today and it was in the film/darkroom days. It’s all about the photographer controlling the image to match what they see in their own “mind’s-eye.” So get out there and practice. Set aside some valuable processing practice time. If you still feel stuck, send me an e-mail and I’d love to work with you to help you better achieve your goals.

If you wish to purchase any of the fine Nik products, please use my code: DSMITH at checkout and receive a 15% discount off the purchase price!

Learning Some Weather Basics Can Improve Your Landscape Photography!

Canon 5DMKIII, 16-35mmL @ f/16, 1/4th sec. shutter, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray Slim Neutral Polarizer, Singh-Ray 3-stop soft-edge GND.

I firmly believe that part of successful landscape photography lies in the photographer’s ability to understand some meteorology basics. This is easier than it sounds and we can be in constant contact with the latest weather reports thanks to our smart phones and some reliable apps. Rarely is there a time when one of my photographs can’t be made better with the right weather. I’ve just returned from 8 days of photographing Northern Arizona (4 1/2 days with workshop participants) during my Northern Arizona Workshop. We started at the Grand Canyon, then journeyed northeast to Page to photograph Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon, then finished in the incredible red rock mecca of Sedona!

For me, the weather-watch begins in earnest a couple days prior to departing. A quick dash over to the National Weather Service site told me that we were in for some unsettled weather in store for our trip – exactly what I wanted to hear as unsettled weather adds drama and excitement to most scenes. There are a plethora of sites offering forecasts, but I go right to the main source and the most experienced meteorologists in the business for my forecast. Partly cloudy skies and a chance of a thunderstorm was in the forecast for the Grand Canyon. Though we did get some nice clouds, I never did hear the crack of thunder. I try not to get overly excited as many forecasts never actually pan out, but I also never venture out without checking. I routinely will change planned location shoots to try and optimize the best light I can find for my participants. In Page, I actually had to eliminate a planned shoot at one location because the forecast called for an 80% chance of thunderstorms. The road was not paved and the area we had planned to photograph was a wash area during flash floods, so I did not feel it met with my safety expectations given the latest weather information. As it turned out, the rain never materialized, at least in Page, but we had no idea what was happening in the surrounding mountains and that is where the flash floods begin. I decided to take the group back to Horseshoe Bend where we had photographed sunset the day before and we were treated to entirely different light from a gorgeous sunrise!

After checking out of our hotel, we were to meet up in Sedona for an early afternoon image review session. My concern was that the forecast called for 90% chance of showers throughout the day and we had a planned sunset shoot at Oak Creek Crossing. I began to get excited as a quick check of the Doppler Radar showed that the front was indeed hitting Sedona, but it was only 9am and were weren’t planning on arriving until 5:30pm. Outside of Flagstaff, we met the storm front head-on. We experienced everything from a dust storm, to heavy rain, to finally snow in Flagstaff! The snow continued as we began our descent into Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon, but began to lighten as we made our way down the canyon from 7,000 – 4,000 feet. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Sedona, we were treated to blue skies and I was somewhat dismayed. But my co-instructor Gary Hart quickly reminded me that unstable air follows fronts and that the clouds would more than likely materialize.

By the time our image review session ended, we departed for Oak Creek Crossing and were treated to threatening skies. I walked our participants to the location you see above (Oak Creek Crossing) and discussed a number of alternate locations along Oak Creek. I reminded them that the sun would be setting in line with Cathedral Rocks and the hope was that as it was setting, it would find some openings in the clouds and paint Cathedral Rocks with its warm light. As you can see – all went to plan! One of our participants,  a doctor from Buffalo, had been with us on our inaugural workshop in 2009 but we had blue skies then (still pretty but not the drama that storm clouds provide). He had three images in mind that he was hoping to make on this workshop and this was the final image he wanted. He told me after the shoot that he got what he came for. To see the excitement on his face was very gratifying for me as an instructor!

So what iPhone apps and links do I use on a regular basis to chart the weather, tides, lunar phases, etc? Here’s my go-to list:

National Weather Service:  (great for charting forecasts, doppler, fog, etc.)

Focalware:  Calculates sun and moon position for a given location and date. Use the interactive compass to determine the path and height of the sun or moon.

Tide Graph: The #1 US Tide Prediction app has redesigned for iPad/iPhone) with extra features like saved tide tables, calendar date picker, built in map, improved graphics, and more.

FourthDay: The Fourth Day is an astronomical clock and almanac for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Customized for your location, The Fourth Day displays information about the daily, monthly, and yearly astronomical events related to time keeping.

weatherTAP: weatherTAP zoom pushes personalized, current weather to the max with detailed storm tracking capability not available on any other app. Follow tornadoes and super cells with pinpoint precision using animated, interactive, real-time radar that is seamlessly integrated and scalable on friendly, familiar maps.

Surf Report: Check the surf height, swell direction, and tide. Monitor the weather. View a 2-day forecast. You’ll know exactly where to go when there’s a low tide, with an epic SSW swell, and an onshore breeze.

The Photographer’s Ephemeris: The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) helps you plan your outdoor photography shoots, particularly landscape and urban scenes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BoltMeter: The only application with real time lightning strikes utilizing a compass based system to provide up to the minute distance and direction information. Not some clunky click a button when you see the flash and click the button when you hear the sound. This is actual lightning strokes. Real data in real time.

Moon Seeker: Provides a list of LUNAR PHASES, a CALENDAR view, a FLAT VIEW COMPASS and an AUGMENTED REALITY CAMERA 3-D VIEW showing the lunar path and its hour intervals.

Canon 5DMKIII Light Leak Issues

Hurricane Point, Big Sur, California. Canon 5DMKIII, 24mm @ f/2.0, 10-sec. timed shutter, 800 ISO.

I have been receiving many e-mails this past week regarding the LCD light-leak affecting the meter in the new Canon 5DMKIII.

Here is the statement from Canon: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer?pageKeyCode=prdAdvDetail&docId=0901e02480538fc7&WT.mc_id=C126149

Here are my answers to most of your questions/concerns:

Yes, the problem is real and Canon is working on a fix. No – I don’t know if it will be a hardware or firmware fix (I would assume the former but we will see). Does it bother me? No, I shoot and meter in manual mode (so much easier than auto where it will cause a problem). Remember, Canon is stating a dark environment and night photography certainly qualifies. They are also stating that this is a AE problem. Here is there statement: In extremely dark environments, if the LCD panel illuminates, the displayed exposure value may change as a result of the AE sensor’s detection of light from the LCD panel.

I’m setting the ISO, shutter, and f/stop – not the camera. My LCD (which Canon claims is causing the problem) is also turned off.  They are stating: if the LCD panel illuminates. I still correct exposure as I look at my LCD (finished picture only – not Live View) and my histogram combined to make my final exposure compensation. Again, for me, this has been a non-issue though I will indeed get my camera fixed when Canon comes up with the solution.

I metered this scene from Hurricane Point (using matrix metering) in Big Sur with no issues – exposure was right on the mark! I’ve now had (4) night shoots with this camera without issues. I would advise setting LCD to “auto mode” for night (just the opposite for day) as the screen is so bright in manual mode that it will fool you into thinking you are overexposing. As I always preach – watch your histograms! Underexposure is always your enemy as you will introduce noise in post when you try to brighten.

Real world ISO: After all these shoots, my real ISO limit with this camera is 1600. I know Canon says it can go higher and many videos on the web say the same – this is just what works best for me. I have to get these images past the eyes of my discriminating editors at Getty and they are sticklers when it comes to noise. Always remember to make your final determination viewing image at 100%. You will need to run a noise reduction to get noise out at 1600 ISO (especially if you are a bit underexposed – so meter carefully). I recommend either Nik DFine 2.0 or Topaz DeNoise. In a pinch, I would not hesitate to go to 3200 ISO, but I will have to live with some noise in my final image.

As soon as Canon posts a fix – I will send out an update. For now, I wouldn’t let this be a determining issue against not buying the camera. As I have been writing, it is by far the best digital 35mm camera I have ever used!

Successful Landscape Photography – It’s Really All About The Light!

Sand Harbor State Park, Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Canon 5DMKIII, 16-35mmL @ f/16, 1/25th second shutter, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray slim polarizer, Singh-Ray 2-stop soft GND angled to hold back light on top right sky.

It seems rather cliche’ to say, but successful landscape photography really is dependent upon the light one chooses to work with. Yet it amazes me that I continually hear from other pros and readers of this blog that they disagree. I’m not writing this piece to change anyone’s mind – so please save the nasty emails and comments. For “me,” and I can’t emphasize that strongly enough, my best images constantly are the direct result of working with quality light. My definition of “quality light” begins with dawn light, continues through sunrise, but ends when the warmth begins to leave (typically 30-60 minutes after sunrise on a clear day). Conversely, it arrives with the late light of the day, usually around 60-90 minutes prior to sunset through the end of civil twilight (which varies based on time of the year). Clouds and fog provide a soft light that also allows me to shoot during the middle of the day. Beyond that, indirect light (open shade) is the only other type of light that I will consider working under. Harsh mid-day light (tourist light) is simply not my cup of tea.

This lesson was recently learned by two of my favorite clients (and reinforced for me) during a private lesson at beautiful Lake Tahoe. We had a really nice sunrise shoot at iconic Emerald Bay and surrounding locations, then headed back for breakfast and some class time. Having wrapped up shortly after 1:30pm, we all decided to go back out and shoot through sunset. I knew from past experience the the northeast side of Lake Tahoe is the best for capturing the alluring hues of blues that makes this lake a favorite amongst visual artists and nature lovers in general. We headed towards Chimney and Secret Beaches but found the mid-day light difficult to handle. The colors were visible in the Lake, but the contrast range due to the high sun angle made exposures difficult. I even resorted to some in-camera HDR with my new Canon 5DMKIII, but it simply wouldn’t turn bad light into good. We tried shooting backlight and sidelight with not much luck.

We finally decided to take a break and grab a bite to eat around 3:30pm. Shortly before 5pm (2 1/2) hours before posted sunset) we went back out. Our first stop was an overlook of the Lake high high above Incline Village, Nevada. The light was still a bit hazy resulting in a flat look to the scene. We discussed ways of handling the low-contrast during post processing, then moved back down to lake-level with a stop at Sand Harbor State Park. Arriving at 5:30pm, I knew we were starting to get into the period where the sun’s angle was dropping low enough to allow for more delineation of shadows. We were not disappointed. It’s amazing how images start to appear much more readily once the light gets good. The above image was captured about 70 minutes prior to sunset. As you can see, the rock shadows were beginning to elongate creating the illusion of depth. Moreover, the low sun angle resulted in a warmer light evidenced by the foreground sand.

The other benefit of working at this time of day was that our sought-after Lake color became a breeze to capture. Sand Harbor is home to various shallow sand coves. As light penetrates the Lake, water molecules absorb various colors. Fine particles and the exceptional water clarity allow backscattering of the predominating light color toward the eye of an observer. The lake water appears blue as other colors in the light spectrum are absorbed at deeper depths and the predominant blue light is scattered back toward the observer’s eye. The center of the Lake can appear cobalt blue, as blue light is absorbed further, leaving visible violet light as the predominant light color. In shallow areas (such as this cove), the water can appear emerald or turquoise  in color since green is the predominant light color at shallow depths. Due to an impending storm, the Lake was rather choppy all day. I have witnessed it with a glass surface, which results in amazing displays of sky and mountain reflections.

Bonsai Rock, Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Canon 5DMKIII, 70-200mmL @ f/16, 1/2 second shutter, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray Circular Polarizer, Singh-Ray 2 stop soft GND.

We left Sand Harbor about an hour prior to sunset and drove 5 minutes down the road to iconic Bonsai Rock for our sunset shoot. The image above was captured right at sunset as the clouds hovering above this scene caught subtle sunset light and reflected the warm hues into the Lake. A great end to a fantastic day!

So if you are one who routinely shoots during the middle of the day, I’d suggest you try working more around the fringes of the day and see if you aren’t a bit more pleased with your results. Webster’s Dictionary defines photography as follows: the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (as film or a CCD/CMOS chip). Remember, we are really painting with light. Start with quality light and watch your photographic paintings improve accordingly!

Tips for Improving Your Wildflower Photography

Canon 5DMKIII, 100mmL macro @ f/71., 1/320th second shutter, ISO 100, Lexar Digital Media. Hite's Cove, Merced River Canyon, California

Well spring has most certainly sprung here in the foothills of central California. Our hills are alive with our state flower – the golden poppy! There are also a plethora of other wildflowers that have begun to make their annual appearance.

I have just returned for co-instructing Gary Hart’s Spring Yosemite workshop. Neither of us could remember a year where the poppies were this bountiful, and as an extra bonus, Gary scheduled three sessions for participants to capture these lovely flowers! I had shot a bit on my way to Yosemite via the Merced River Canyon on Highway 140, so I really had four straight days photographing everything from grand view to macro! All this shooting reminded me of some of the difficulties with flower photography  – not the studio variety in which photographers control the scene, but in the actual field.

Here are some tips to help you as you venture out this spring:

1.) Part of the beauty with shooting poppies is that they need full sunlight in order for the petals to open. Generally this is the time of day when most serious landscape photographers are not in the field because the lighting is too harsh. Quite the opposite for flower photography. The key is in paying attention to the direction of the light. For the image above, I positioned myself literally inches off the ground (I have no center column with my tripod allowing me to flatten the legs). I also made sure that the poppies were backlit so the petals looked translucent. I also positioned the poppies against a non-distracting background (a shaded hill and the sky). Anytime I can eliminate the background, or soften it to be non-competing, I have succeeded. My viewer’s attention will be directed to the flowers! I used a macro lens at f/7.1 that allowed for a 1/320th second shutter and just timed a lull in the wind. Patience is the optimum word.

2.) The time of day one chooses to shoot flowers is also important. Though the above image was captured around 3:oo in the afternoon on a clear day, I would rather shoot in the morning. This is the time of the day when conditions are most calm. As the sun warms the ground, small updrafts (called thermals) begin the rear their ugly head (due the the heating of the ground) and the flowers begin to bob and weave. Tough condition if you are shooting macro.

3.) If the wind is moving the flowers around, you must use a faster shutter. What speed? That’s impossible to say as motion is a factor of both focal length, subject distance, and wind speed. There is no magic bullet formula I can pass on. Thankfully, we have LCD’s to immediately preview our results. With macro photography, I am shooting wide open. That means an aperture of f/2.8  for all of my lenses, but even f/4 would be fine. This should allow for a range of shutter speeds between 1/125th and 1/500th. Again, you are trying to soften the background as much as possible.

4.) Types of light. If you are faced with a blue sky day, then try as best you can to shoot backlit. If you have overcast (clouds or fog) then you are in luck. Generally the wind will be less of an issue regardless of the time of day, and also, contrast range will not be much of an issue so all the tones will record on your sensor. Indirect light (shooting in the shadows) also works. Soft light is your friend!

Dancing Sunflowers. Canon 1DsMKIII, 300mmL @f/5.6, 1/13th second shutter, ISO 200, Singh-Ray Circular Polarizer, Lexar Digital Media.

5.) If you can’t beat em – join em! I had spotted this field of sunflowers (not actually a spring flower) near my home a few years back and decided to try freezing them against the blue sky. Problem was, I was faced with a relentless stiff wind. Instead of getting frustrated, I decided to go with the wind and spent the next hour simply playing with various slower shutter speeds allowing my flowers to dance. Moral of the story: if the conditions aren’t cooperating, go with what is dealt! Don’t get mad, get creative!

Lupine Against Poppies - Merced River Canyon. Canon 5DMKIII, 70-200mmL @ f/4, 1/200th second shutter, ISO 100, Singh Ray Circular Polarizer, Lexar Digital Media.

6.) Look for complimentary colors in nature. I found this lupine amongst a field of poppies and isolated it with a 200mm focal length. I froze the lupine by using a relatively short shutter speed of 1/200th. The purple-blue color palette contrasted nicely against the softer warm hues of the out-of-focus poppies. The other key was that the focus was strictly on the foreground lupine allowing for all the other poppies to be non-distracting. Also, a cloud cover had moved over allowing for the scene’s contrast range to fit nicely with what my camera’s limited dynamic range sensor could handle.

Backlit Echiums, Pacific Grove, California. Canon 5DMKIII, 70-200mmL @ f/5.6, 1/250th second shutter, Lexar Digital Media.

7.) If the sun is relatively low in the sky, position the flower so it is backlit and allow the sun to add a rim light to each flower. I found these Echium candicans near the ocean in Pacific Grove and allowed the low afternoon sun to add this rim light, essentially adding a pop to each.

8.) Get low to the ground to allow for the flowers to look larger in your scene. This is specially the case if you use a wide angle lens and get close to a flower. The change in perspective along with a close focused flower can make even the tiniest of flowers appear larger than they really are – sort of an optical illusion.

So that’s it. Hopefully these tips help to make your next flower shooting session a success!

Canon 5DMKIII – High ISO Tests

Stars Over Big Sur Coast. Canon 5DMKIII, 24mmL @ f.2.0, 20-second timed exposure, 1600 ISO, Lexar Digital Media.

This week I finally got to do some real-world night photography with my new Canon 5DMKIII utilizing the much touted high ISO settings. I’ve seen lots of sample shoots on the internet but I needed to know what would work with my workflow.  Can I shoot high ISO files and submit them to my agency, Getty Images, without having the images rejected for excessive noise? Here is a summary of my tests.

I can comfortably say that images captured up to 1600 ISO can be processed with little or no worries of noise being a issue. BTW – all of my RAW files were prepped in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, my only way of converting these images until Adobe Camera Raw puts out an update – which I hope will be soon! Once I did some basic adjustment with DPP, I opened the files into Photoshop CS5 and followed my standard workflow. BTW – If you wish to read more about my workflow, please read my blog article that I wrote for Nik Software. Note that I always apply a noise reduction layer after coming out of the RAW converter.

UPDATE: Since writing this blog, I have installed the Release Candidate of Adobe Camera Raw v.6.7. Initial tests seem normal and Raw images open fine!

In the image above, I was with some clients. We were not certain if we were going to get out of the fog as a persistent wall of the soup locked onto much of the coastline. As we climbed up to Hurricane Point, we realized we were above the fog and quickly got setup. What immediately caught my attention was the warm color the camera was picking up from the ambient light of Carmel – color that our eyes simply could not see. The brighter white you see is a car’s headlights illuminating the fog from underneath as it climbed up Highway 1 – pretty cool! The stars were crisp and sharp and the camera easily focused on the crescent moon that was off to my left (not included in frame). I also tried focusing of both Venus and Jupiter to test the autofocus sensitivity and it worked flawlessly. I have not yet had time to fine-tune my focus choices in my menu so this was all done with the camera’s default setting.

Sobranes Point, Garapatta State Park, Big Sur coast, Canon 5DMKIII, 16-35mmL @ f2.8, 30-second timed exposure, 3200 ISO, Lexar Digital Media.

Next I wanted to test some frames at 3200 ISO. The image above was a bit underexposed and taught me that I should perhaps leave the camera in its auto LCD brightness setting when shooting at night. I had placed it into standard mode on the prior day. The LCD is so bright that it gave me a somewhat brighter view than the image you see here. More tests will be needed with both settings. Getting back to the noise, luminance (contrast) noise was visible but very little color noise at 3200. After opening into PSCS5, I immediately applied a noise reduction layer using Nik DFine and it easily got rid of the noise without affecting much sharpness. As you can see, the fog had pushed in even deeper and was indeed covering the moon when I captured this frame, thus, the landscape had very little light. We had sent my friend Mike Hall down the trail about 60 yards and had him hold up a headlamp that we were all able to focus on. He in turn was able to focus on a car’s headlights on nearby Highway 1.

Sobranes Point, Garapatta State Park, Big Sur coast, Canon 5DMKIII, 16-35mmL @ f2.8, 30-second timed exposure, 6400 ISO, Lexar Digital Media.

Here is a scene looking a bit more towards the south to pick up more of the headlands. The only change I made was to bump the ISO up a full stop to 6400. This did bring out some of the features on the headlands and did add a bit of color noise to the frame. Fortunately, Nik DFine was able to deal with it just fine.

I should mention that all these images were sharpened for the web using Nik Sharpener Pro 3.0 and by using Color Range, I removed sharpening of the sky, fog, and water. I only sharpened the landmass.

As with any new camera, one night of testing does not answer all questions. In my opinion, I would not hesitate shooting at 1600 ISO and would even comfortably use 3200 for most of my night work. Fortunately most of my lenses that I use for my night work are f/2.8  or faster. Should I ever feel the need to push to ISO 6400, I would, but would also realize that I will have some noise issues but not too extreme.

I did not add images with 100% crop magnifications. As I said, there are plenty of web sites that are offering that sort of analysis. For me, it was more about what I felt would work and meet the high tolerances of my editors at Getty. This camera will more than meet my needs and will take my night photography to the next level!

Canon 5DMKIII – First Impressions

Spring Hills, Diablo Range, Southern Santa Clara Valley, California.
Canon 5DMKIII, 16-35mmIIL, f/16, 1/10th second, 400 ISO, In-Camera HDR +3/-3 brackets. Click Image for Larger View.

After months of anticipation, I finally received my new Canon 5DMKIII yesterday afternoon. More than anything, I was excited by the high ISO test images I had seen on the web. Coupled with the fact that this camera would be replacing my 4-year-old Canon 1DsMKIII, and well, I just couldn’t wait to get going! The camera arrived mid-afternoon, and after getting a battery charged and spending close to two hours with my head buried in the instruction manual, I decided it was time to take my new toy  for a test drive!

I drove to one of my favorite places near my home, Lone Tree Road, in San Benito County outside of Hollister, California. Within 15 minutes I was viewing lush oak-lined rolling hills. As a bonus, there were some interesting storm clouds hanging around. New camera, peaceful setting, what more could one ask for? The goal of the shoot was to test not only the camera, but also some high ISO frames. What I wasn’t planning on was testing the new in-camera HDR feature. I have to admit that I have had an ongoing love/hate relationship with HDR. Trying to make a living as a landscape stock photographer and workshop instructor means I have to be fluent with the plethora of software out there, but what fits into my workflow can be quite different. Gaudy looking HDR’s simply don’t cut it in the world of stock photography. Thus I would spend hours trying to get natural looking images. Sometimes this would be the result of HDR programs, but more often it would involve complicated layer and masking in Photoshop. I am also a big fan of graduated neutral density filters and employ them quite often, but not all scenes fit for these filters. Now I had an opportunity to see what in-camera HDR was all about. This, to the best of my knowledge, was a first for Canon.

Click Image for a Larger View.

With in-camera HDR, the 5DMKIII fires three frames (the user has the option of retaining these frames or discarding them), one frame to the exposure indicated by the camera, then one frame under and one frame over. The user has the option of setting Auto, +-1, +-2, or +-3. I found myself using the latter two settings as I was working within the last hour through sunset. The image leading off this article was a +-3 setting captured in manual mode. I metered the sky as a starting point and the camera nailed it on the first try. I confirmed this by checking all three color channels in my histogram. I was working in RAW+Large JPEG mode and opted on most of my HDR captures to not save the bracketed frames. The resulting HDR is saved in JPEG format only. The image here is straight out of the camera with only a quick Curves adjustment to set highlight/shadow points. One also has a choice of 5 processing affects: Natural, Art Standard, Art Vivid, Art Bold, and Art Embossed. I randomly chose Art Vivid for my captures as I did not have time to consult the manual. In retrospect, it appears that Art Standard will best preserve the highlight/shadow areas though the resulting image will be a bit flatter. Not a problem as I would bump the contrast back in during post. I’ll have to test this further.

Here is another HDR from a scene containing dark shadows and bright highlights. This image has not been processed beyond what the camera gave me other than a Curves adjustment to again set highlight/shadow points (remember these files appear a bit flat). This again was captured at +-3 and Art Vivid.

Canon 5DMKIII, HDR +-3, Art Vivid. Click Image for a Larger View.

While having fun shooting these amazing in-camera HDR’s, I realized that I had yet to test the camera’s improved ISO performance, and as the sun lowered below the horizon, I found some isolated poppies that had closed their petals for the day. I placed my Canon 100mmL macro on my the 5DMKIII and got low to the ground. I played with numerous settings but this was the frame I liked best and was captured at an amazing 6400 ISO!

Canon 5DMKIII, f/8, 1/32th shutter, ISO 6400, RAW converted with with Canon Digital Photo Professional converter. Click Image for Larger View.

High ISO shooting will open-up entirely different ways of working in the field. Flower photography will be made easier with a slight wind as I would not hesitate to dial-up my ISO to get a faster shutter. Moreover, night photography should be a blast! I will be attempting some night work starting early next week!

So what were my first impressions? Suffice it to say I was texting and calling my colleagues with giddy excitement. The new DIGIC 5+ processor yielded images of outstanding quality. Moreover, this camera had the pro focusing system that one will find in the new Canon 1DX (a first for a D-series camera)! It offers a ISO range of 100-25,600 (though my initial tests show that 6400 may be the limit that I will use – more testing is needed). The menu interface will take me a bit of time but useful items such as Mirror Lockup are easy to find!

Here are the key features of the Canon 5DMKIII:

I will be posting more as I put the camera through its paces in the coming weeks – stay tuned!