I’ll be showing this for the first time at the Joshua Tree Art Festival tomorrow. Hope other people love it as much as I do.
(391)
Tag: California
Lightroom Tutorial – Expose to the Right
For a followup post read
http://ralphnordstromphotography.com/wordpress/articles/how-to-articles/expose-revisited/
The light meters in our digital cameras don’t always give us the best exposure. That’s not to say that they give us the wrong exposure. But the ‘correct’ exposure doesn’t necessarily produce the best image file as far as post processing is concerned, especially if we’re shooting RAW.
If you expose an image at the exposure selected by your light meter and check the histogram, chances are it’s skewed a little to the left, toward the shadows. This is especially apparent in low contrast scenes. The image might look great on the camera’s LCD and in Lightroom. But a slightly overexposed image will capture more information and is therefore better to work with later – given of course that it’s not so overexposed that you have highlight clipping. An ideal histogram is one that is just to the right of center. This technique is called ‘Expose to the Right,’ and is practiced by many of digital photographers.
Continue reading “Lightroom Tutorial – Expose to the Right”
(7852)
Tent Abstract
We had a pretty good wind during the Joshua Tree Gathering. But that didn’s slow us down a bit.
(383)
Principles of Composition – Chaos
“… nature – unadulterated and unimproved by man – is simply chaos.” Edward Weston.
There’s no argument that Edward Weston was one of the finest photographers that ever tripped a shutter. And one of the aspects of his photography that he is most revered for is his compositions. He was the absolute master in his studio but when it came to photographing nature he admitted that it was the most difficult of all. Why? Because nature is chaos.
Nature is Chaos
Continue reading “Principles of Composition – Chaos”
(1843)
Zabriskie Point 6 (2009)
Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom
I just added this to my website today. It is also on fllickr. I’m very happy with the way it turned out. It’s moody and I like it that way – have it as the wall paper on my laptop now.
It was photographed in February 2009 at last year’s Death Valley workshop. This is a bit unusual for me in that it is a sunset image. I normally like sunrise at Zabriskie Point so this is a departure and one I’m very pleased with.
(316)
Work in Progress – Death Valley
Some photographs of Death Valley that I’m still working on.
I’m getting excited about the upcoming Death Valley photography workshop. It’s only a month away. I thought about the photographs I took last year that I hadn’t quite gotten to and decided to revisit them.
So this week I went back and took a look and am excited about what I found. These aren’t done yet; they haven’t been printed on paper which is often the most time consuming step in the workflow. But I would like to share them anyway.
Zabriskie Point is one of my absolute favorite places to photograph in Death Valley. In the past I’ve always liked sunrise the best. But this last trip I found some treasures at sunset. Here are two of them.
and
They feel very organic to me and when blown up on my monitor I find them fascinating. The two have totally different feels to them. The top on has a soft quality of light while the bottom has a massive, dark presence – dark, powerful but not ominous. I’m very eager to work with them both on paper and see then matted and framed.
So much of the south end of the valley is dominated by salt that I thought some photographs of the different moods of the salt flats would be interesting.
This first one was taken at midday, not a time we photographers generally have our cameras out. But what really caught me was the soft ridges with gentle folds that stretch across the center of the image contrasted with the jagged salt formations in the foreground and the chaotic mountains behind.
A different mood entirely is the salt flats of Devils Golf Course at sunset on what was otherwise a very cloudy day. Talk about luck.
A photographic visit to Death Valley requires a sunrise or sunset on the Mesquite Flats Dunes. This was a sunrise and it’s not so much about the dunes as it is about the flats themselves and the Panamint Mountains that frame them to the south west.
I really like the soft quality of the morning light on these strange formations that are found everywhere throughout the dunes.
Golden Canyon must be one of the most visited places in the Valley, judging from all the cars that spill out of the parking lot and park along the road. So photographing in Golden Canyon can be challenging because of the masses of people. Unless you go for sunset on an overcast day and not on a weekend.
One of the things about photographing in overcast conditions is you have the most wonderful open shade light. And Golden Canyon abounds in little vignette images that are really very rich.
This is an abstract detail of one of the canyon walls. And I have more where that one came from.
I’m so excited about these that I couldn’t wait to share them, my Death Valley work in progress.
To see more of my photographs click here.
Join me on an upcoming workshop.
(396)
Color Saturation in Lightroom
On three techniques for saturating color in Lightroom.
Last night we had a beautiful sunset. The sky was baby blue, the clouds were pink and the horizon was golden. I couldn’t resist. So I grabbed my Canon PowerShot G11 and walked over to the neighbor’s front yard where the view is just a bit better. I composed what I thought was an interesting image and snapped a few.
This morning I uploaded them and got to wondering about color saturation in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. I have a technique I’ve used for years to enhance colors but there are a couple of other techniques I thought I’d like to understand better. The three Lightroom controls are:
- Saturation
- Vibrance
- HSL (the control I use the most)
So, for starters, here’s the original unadjusted image.
As you can see, the colors are really quite nice. But my recollection of the sunset was that they were a little more saturated, more intense.
Continue reading “Color Saturation in Lightroom”
(4226)
Why You Should Consider Taking a Photography Workshop
Reasons for takikng a photographic workshop and what to look for to get the most out of one.
Do you love photography? Is it a passion within you? Are you inspired by nature? Do you want to get out to some great locations and come back with some stunning photographs? Do you want to become a better photographer?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, than you should consider taking a photography workshop (or another workshop if you’ve already started down that path).
What Makes for a Good Workshop?
What are the reasons for taking a photography workshop?
Well, first, you get to photograph an area with someone who is really familiar with it. They know both the great iconic locations plus some out of the way, intimate places. They are aware of how the light plays on the subjects and can get your to them at the best times of day. They can respond to developments with the light such as sudden storms and take you to the best locations to take advantage of them. In other words, they draw upon their intimate knowledge of the area to bring together the two most important factors that go into creating outstanding nature photographs – great subjects and fantastic light.
Second, good workshop leaders will freely share their ‘secrets’ with you. They have acquired a vast amount of knowledge, not only about the area but also about photography in general. They have their own personal approach to photography. There can be a lot you can learn from them and they are willing and eager to pass it along to you.
Third, good workshop leaders will spend time working with you one-on-one to help you develop your skills, whether they be creative or technical. They will spend time working with you in the field on things like exposure, focus and composition. They will look over your shoulder as you work and offer constructive comments and tips. They will also take time to review your work and provide you with ongoing feedback. They will also not confine their help to techniques in the field but help you with the critical post processing where the true potential of the photograph is ultimately realized.
The best workshop instructors will also probe you a bit to find out what you want to work on and help you with it. If you’re not sure, they can help you identify areas of focus. Their assistance will be very much personalized to your specific needs
How to Select the Workshop for You
There are several things you should think about and look for when selecting a workshop.
Start by thinking what you want to get from the workshop. Are you primarily interested in a new and exciting location? Do you want want to grow as a photographer? Are there specific skills you want to work on? Is there a photographer whose work you particularly admire? All of these factors are things you should consider when you start looking for a workshop.
Finding Candidate Workshops
Search engines such as Google and Bing are very effective in helping you find a workshop. Often people will search for a workshop in a particular location such as “photography workshop, Utah” or “photography workshop, Eastern Sierra.” This works well if your goal is to photograph in a specific area. These search sites can produce pages and pages of workshops, especially for the more popular workshop destinations.
Maybe you’re interested in a time of year such as “photography workshop, Napa Valley, fall” or “photography workshop, Death Valley, winter.” Searches like this can get you to locations when conditions are most favorable and also when you can take enough time off for the workshop.
Finally, you may be interested in the work of a particular photographer. Searches like “photography workshop, Ralph Nordstrom” or “photography workshop, Jack Graham” will prove effective.
Selecting the Workshop for You
Once you have a list of candidate workshops, how do you go about narrowing it down to just one?
You’ll find lots of information about the workshops on the web. Based on what it is you determined you most want to get out of the workshop, review the information. The following are factors you can consider.
Location
This is almost always an primary consideration. If you’ve searched for workshops by location you should have lots to choose from. Some websites will post itineraries. Some will be general while others are very specific. Take these itineraries with a bit of a grain of salt, especially the very detailed ones. Rarely does a workshop follow the itinerary. Conditions will change and the good workshops will adjust to make the most of them. Itineraries are good, however, to give you an idea of what sites you will be photographing.
Time of Year
This is often another important consideration. The workshop schedule need to fit with your availability. But more importantly, they need to be scheduled when the light is the best for the location. Again, if you searched for this you should have a sufficient number of workshops to choose from.
Personal Attention
This is where some workshops start to stand out from others. This is the single most common reason workshop attendees are not totally satisfied with a workshop. Review the information carefully to see what it says about one-on-one attention. Read the references from past workshop attendees. If the workshop leader does not call attention to this either in the information they provide or comments from past participants, chances are you’ll be disappointed in the level of attention you receive.
Reviews
Will the leader review your work? This should occur early and often. This way you can incorporate the feedback into subsequent photographs and practice the things they share with you. Another aspect of this is print reviews. Does the leader invite you to bring along prints of your work for review and feedback. Again, review the information carefully looking for some mention of this. If you don’t see it you may want to strike that workshop from your list.
Assignments
Will you be given assignments during the workshop? Assignments with the follow-up reviews are terrific learning tools and you could benefit greatly from them. Again, if this would be of interest to you review the information to determine if assignments will be offered.
Reputation of the Photographer
You may admire the work of a certain photographer and want to study with them. In that case this could be a primary consideration. Chances are excellent that they will be going to great locations at the best times of the year. If the photographer is well known, one thing to keep in mind is their workshops fill quickly (often a year in advance) and they can be pricy – supply and demand you know. Also, some of the big name photographers will give you lots of personal attention, some will make themselves available for questions but not necessarily reach out to you with suggestions and still others, it’s sad to say, will spend virtually all their time photographing along side you.
Cost
No discussion of workshops would be complete without a word or two about cost. As mentioned above, the big name photographers will charge commensurate prices. A few include transportation from the meeting point, lodging and meals but this will usually run several thousands of dollars for a three to five day workshop. Some of the really high end workshops run as high as $10,000 and more. Others will charge four figures but leave all the transportation, lodging, meals and fees to you. You’ll have to evaluate these workshops to determine if you’ll get want you want from them and if it’s worth the price.
There are a lot of lesser known photographers whose workshops are terrific values. Many of these are very talented photographers in their own right. Because they’re not as well known their workshops will be more affordable, often half that of what the better known photographers are charging. And many of them will work very hard to add value that may be missing from the big name photographers. Generally, this value will be in the form of more personal attention. When selecting a lesser known photographer’s workshop, be sure to check out his or her work to see if it’s what you like. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to take a workshop from a photographer whose work you’re not particularly impressed with, no matter how inexpensive it is.
Contact the Photographer
If you think a particular workshop is for you but you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact the photographer. Send an email or make a call. Ask your questions. Don’t pass up this step. The photographer will be happy to explore the suitability of his or her workshop with you.
Photography workshops are excellent ways to take your photography to the next step. But workshops can be costly. So, when you’re ready to take that step it’s important to make the right decision. Following the suggestions discussed in this article will help you select the workshop that is right for you.
Join me on an upcoming workshop.
To see more of my photographs click here.
Become a fan on Facebook and follow along.
(1140)
Morning Quite Time
One of the joys of morning at home is slipping quietly downstairs, brewing a cup of green tea, catching up with friends on the computer and watching the world outside our kitchen window turn from night to day.
This morning the moon is hanging in the dark western sky and there’s a blue haze in the atmosphere. The city lights down the hill are twinkling softly. The air is chilly and fresh. Blue is just beginning to gather in the sky but the hills behind us are still black.
I love watching the day come to life. The hills will first turn blue. On a clear morning the approaching sun will crown them with a glorious and vibrant earth shadow of indigo and pink. Then the hills will gradually turn golden as the sky in the east begins to brighten.
The light of day will march towards us across the city below. Windows from homes and offices will punctuate the approaching light with momentary sparkles of light. Then the sunlight will touch the hill tops and begin its march down the slopes into the valley below.
Day has arrived. And the cup of warm tea is in my belly, the taste still lingers on my tongue. Time to get on with the duties of the day.
To see more of my photographs click here.
Join me on an upcoming workshop.
Become a fan on Facebook and follow along.
(415)
Composition – Rule of Thirds
A short discussion of the rule of thirds with examples.
There’s a simple compositional technique you can apply to quickly improve the quality of your pictures. It’s fun and easy and works in so many situations. It’s called the “Rule of Thirds,” and it goes a little something like this.
Continue reading “Composition – Rule of Thirds”
(1828)