looking back, moving forward

"Mehr licht!"  

That was my blog post title on January 1st. Always more light. Always more enlightenment. There were goals I had in mind for 2013. For the first time in my life, I accomplished what I set out to do.

I wanted to bring my photos to a new level, and I think I've achieved that. I shoot with intent. I have the end in mind. I don't always arrive at that end, but I have it in mind. I have learned a lot about editing, and I think I create images now, as opposed to taking snapshots. This is of course an ongoing and ever evolving thing, but I've made that move, to creating images. Check that off the list.

I wanted a web presence. More than my photo blog. More than facebook. So here is my site, you're here, so it exits. Check that off the list too.


(Maybe this resolution thing isn't so bad. Just don't take away my food, my wine or any other vices I may or may not adopt.)

Old year. New Year. Things past can't be changed. Learn. Move on. Spend some energy on what I will make happen next.

Starting to learn, properly, about black and white is long overdue. I joined the B&W Project on Google Plus. I'm committed to completing this project.

I've have tools I don't use. Things that are uncomfortable. Awkward. Using them and getting good results doesn't come easily. I'm going to make them useful. Natural. I'm going to learn to use the things I have at hand. More gear isn't the answer. Learning to confidently use what gear I've got is. 

This year what I want is confidence. I'm starting out with very little. Less than I expected I would have at this point, in fact. So that's the goal for the year. I'm building on success. We'll see how it goes. 

focus stacking versus deeper focus shooting

(Not the most interesting title for a blog post, I'll admit. )

Most of the work I've posted lately has involved focus stacked shots, using a very shallow depth of field to achieve sharp focus in the subject while maintaining a soft bokeh in the background. I was asked recently if the same results could be achieved by shooting with a deeper focus, applying a blur layer and painting in the areas I wanted in focus. On the surface, it seems like it would be achievable. Outside of aligning and merging the original photos, the rest of the process is very similar.

While out on my daily walk, I found a candidate in this leaf, all alone on a stem and nicely curled, showing both it's front and back texture.  I shot this at ISO1600 f8.0 1/60sec. (It was late afternoon and a cloudy day, hence the high ISO.)

  

Next I took 5 shots, in aperture priority mode, at f2.8, with my ISO at 800 this time (the wider aperture allowed a lower ISO) with exposures ranging from 1/100-1/200sec, each time focusing on different parts of the leaf,.

The following is the result of aligning and merging the 5 shots in Photoshop, without any other editing.

I opened the first image in Photoshop and applied a high pass filter at 2.6 pixels, masking the area of the leaf to reduce the already high noise level in the background. I applied a levels layer to increase the contrast and deepen the mid tones. Next I copied the background layer and applying a Gaussian blur at 62.7 pixels to try and replicate the background of the second image. Using the quick select tool on the background, I selected the leaf and applied it in an inverted layer mask to the blur layer. I spent several minutes with a brush tool cleaning up the edges. The following is the result.

I switched over to my second merged image and did basically the same process. I applied a high pass filter at 2.6 pixels and applied it to the leaf to keep the noise to a minimum. I applied a levels layer to add contrast and deepen mid tones. Here is the result:

  

After playing with a few different textures, I decided on one and applied it to both images, switching the blend mode to Soft Light at 100% opacity in both images.

My conclusion? I prefer the focus stacking approach. Once I have the merged layers, I can much more easily apply sharpening to it than I can paint in a blurred layer mask. In this particular image I managed reasonable results, because the leaf was alone, and had clean edges. Even still, I think there is an unappealing artificial look to the image (which was reduced when I applied the texture). My recent shot of burst milkweed pods would have been impossible to do in this way. The variation in focus in the surrounding areas that don't make it in the focus stacking make for a more natural looking image, in my opinion. Lastly, I find that naturally occurring bokeh looks nicer than one I artificially produce in Photoshop. This is just as likely to be my own inexperience in Photoshop as for any other reason. I tried using other blur filters and was not able to replicate what I achieved by shooting with a low aperture.

The beauty of Photoshop is that there are multiple ways to achieve the same or similar results. Each can be used according to the dictates of the image being edited, and the comfort level of the person editing the image. I have developed a work flow that I am comfortable with and get good results with. That doesn't make it the best way, just the best way for me. My work flow is ever evolving, as I learn new things about photography and editing, and adapt them into my creative process.

Artistic Intention.... and on Being Aware

I am blessed with friends who challenge my thinking, and make me strive for better. One of the areas I am always challenged is in giving some voice to what I'm feeling when I do what I do. A lot of the time, I'm "going through the motions" to a certain degree. Photography is part of my existence, and so I live, I breath, I shoot, I go through my day.... Often though I have this thought that I need to do more to express myself. Photos are supposed to tell a story. Art should elicit some emotional response. Am I doing enough to do that?

"don't you let that yearning pass you by" © Marjorie McDonald

When I saw the geese flying overhead, and heard their calls to one another, I felt a longing to go with them. These simple creatures will travel further in their life time than I ever will. James Taylor's lyrics "and don't you let that yearning pass you by" came immediately to mind. The walking man walks.

That's the feeling I put in this piece. The processes and textures I used to give a nostalgic feeling were intentional. I felt the pull those geese felt. The yearning to go...

 

Unedited photo... the beginning of "don't you let that yearning pass you by"

The process is my expression of what I'm feeling. There may or may not intentionally be any artistic rules being used (or broken). I only know that in that moment, what I felt when I heard the call of those geese and took the shot you see above, I felt what you see in my finished piece, even if I didn't visualize it in my mind in that moment.

Should I do more to put this expression into words? Part of me thinks if I have to, then maybe I'm not putting enough in my images. And then there is part of me that senses the value of delving deeper, and struggling to put the emotions into words. That maybe this struggle will make its way into my images as well.

What happens next

I sat at that intersection for a long time (sorry for continuing the crossroads analogy). Now my direction has been chosen, and but for a few details (like actually signing on Smugmug's dotted line) I'm on this new path. And I'm finding that already, without doing anything except choosing the direction, things are already happening.

I'm astounded, frankly. I don't necessarily buy into the new aged mumbo jumbo about positive thoughts leading to positive outcomes... I've had a lifetime of being positive and getting no where. That said, something is happening, and besides my intention shifting, I haven't really done anything concrete to make anything happen.

A long time ago, I made a commitment to myself. I would not say no to a new photographic opportunity. That commitment made me do things that I normally would have said no to. Portraits, for one. I am slowly growing into a love for this. Its still early, and I still get jitters, but every time I do someone's portrait, I learn something new. Photographically, and personally. I can talk to people, when I didn't think I could. I can deal with challenges, and come up with on-the-fly solutions. 

So here's a first. Today someone contact me. Cold. I don't know them, she saw my work for another family, and wants similar photos for her own family. (Can I just say how incredibly amazing that is?) I don't advertise as a portrait or family photographer. I don't advertise, period. Of course, in line with my commitment to myself, and this direction I've chosen, I will do this session and any others that come to me. And here's another first. I'm excited about the prospect. It never occurred to me to second guess it, like I normally do. 

The journey begins... I'm excited in a way I haven't felt before. Let's go!

Crossroads

Crossroads

I've been shooting a long time, and for the most part, I have shot to please myself. Its been about creating and getting better, and driving myself to learn new things. I feel like I have accomplished that, and in the process, I've met some wonderful people, made great connections, and (hopefully) become a better person. If that's all I ever do with this, it would be enough. I never want to lose the passion I feel for photography. That said, I've come to a sort of cross roads. Well, I've been here a while in fact. Sitting at the intersection, watching traffic, trying to decide which direction to go, and trying to muster the courage to move.

I've spent the last few days on a trial version of smugmug, tinkering with the layout, uploading photos, and in general, getting accustomed to the idea of hanging out my virtual shingle.


Blogging will be (hopefully) a part of this new direction. I'm not driven to write, so I will have to push myself. I won't make any promises beyond that. 

I've chosen the direction. I'm just going have to see where it takes me.