Archive for Life Of Photography
January 2, 2009 at 2:38 pm · Filed under Life Of Photography
Not long after I opened my portrait studio, I received a visit from the wife of a local competitor. An expert hand colorist, she was curious to know my expertise in medium oils and whether I used an outside artist. (I didn’t). Upon entering the studio, she zeroed in on a wall sample of a bride.
“This is beautiful”, she praised, “What color lab to you use?”
I avoided her question, answering, “That’s medium oil, not natural color”. Well, if she had a magnifying glass, she would have used it.
There are several problems inherent in trying to turn a black and white photograph into color. The color added to a normal image will look too dark and will also diminish the clarity of the highlights. White and cool colors are easy to produce on a black and white image, but warm colors appear subdued. The former problem is solved by printing the image two tones lighter than normal, but retaining the full spectrum of tones. If the latter problem is a concern, partial toning is recommended. In this process, the areas that will be cool colors is masked off with a waterproof removable medium, allowing only the to-be-warm areas to tone brown (sepia). The same effect can be done digitally.
A lightly textured surface is preferred like Ektalure G or Canvas, however, any luster surfaced paper will do. If an inkjet paper is used, use a heavy weight (90 lb.) matte surfaced paper. A protective coat of matte lacquer will be needed for color oil application. Apply Marshall’s Oils Flesh 2 to the lighter areas of the face and Flesh 3 to the shadow areas. Work from the center of the area using a ball of long fiber cotton. Blend and wipe until an even coat covers the skin. Lightly rub out the highlights with a fresh ball of cotton. Do not get any oil color on the other areas. If you do, go over the line, use extender to clean off the error. Clean out the eyes with extender on a cotton tipped stick and apply the eye color. Add a small dot of cheek to the corner of the eye and a little blue to the whites. A light coating of black suffices for the pupil. Clean out the highlights.
Apply cheek color using a patting motion. Delicately blend the color without removing the under layer of flesh. Apply lip color with a pint of cotton on a stick in a heavy layer. Wipe down with fresh cotton starting from the corner of the mouth toward the center. Use a pointed fresh cotton stick with extender to clean out the highlights. A soft ended stick without extender creates the nose highlights and a cotton ball the forehead, cheeks and chin.
Next, color the hair using blends of Verona Brown, Ochre, and Flesh2. The darker the hair, the more Verona Brow, the blonder the hair, use more ochre. Clean out the highlights only about 80%.
Add color to the background, blending carefully into the hair and overlapping into the clothing areas. Clean out and rub dry the areas of clothing that received some background color. Color the clothing last. If rich color is indicated, use the intense variety of Marshall’s Oils. Work quickly to achieve an even coat, wiping out the lighter areas with fresh cotton balls.
If you would like to try your hand at the latest fad of partially colored black and white photographs, choose or create a photograph with solid, large areas for coloring. In a photograph of a child holding a rose, color only the rose. A high key head shot of a pretty girl would look great with only the eyes or lips in bright color. Allow the portrait to dry at least two weeks before framing. With proper care, your charmingly hand colored portrait will be enjoyed for at least one hundred years.
A retired portrait photographer with too much time on his hands.
December 30, 2008 at 11:44 pm · Filed under Life Of Photography
“When I shoot in RAW format, I can’t see the image”
When you take an image in RAW format, the data is stored on the memory card in its unadulterated format. It is not a format that is visible without special software to view it. You may be able to see a representation of the image on your camera screen, but you will not be able to view it directly on the computer screen.
Software is needed to view the image. This will convert it into another format (e.g. JPG). You then have the ability to make adjustments as you wish to things such as the contrast, sharpness, white balance etc.
Your own adjustments can be fine-tuned to your liking. Any such adjustments in the camera are basically a gross and crude generalisation based on what the camera manufacturer feels is likely to work best.
Because the image in RAW format contains all the information from that exposure, you have a greater range of possible adjustments than you would if the camera had manipulated the image. Once an image has been saved as a TIFF or JPG file, some detail is permanently lost.
The software you use to view a RAW file will depend on your make of camera and your pocket. There are free packages available on the internet or software which comes with the camera itself. Otherwise you can purchase commercially produced platforms for this work.
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com
December 25, 2008 at 8:33 pm · Filed under Life Of Photography
One of the most common places for people to use their digital camera is while they are away on vacation, and no wonder, because we all want to preserve those special events and memories as much as we can. But digital cameras require their own advance preparation for the trip. So here are the top five tips for taking your digital camera along with you on vacation.
1. More so than any other camera, digital cameras rely on a good solid power source, usually its batteries. If you haven’t used your digital camera in a while, the batteries you have may not be sufficiently charged for your entire trip. And even if your current batteries are sufficiently charged, it’s a very good idea to have extras along with you on the trip because you just don’t know how much use your camera will get and you don’t want to be caught short at the wrong time. Sometimes, batteries for certain digital cameras can be very specialized too. So it’s always a good idea to buy batteries before you leave to have them handy with you on the trip.
2. You’ll want to give attention to your storage cards before you leave as well, and be sure that you have enough for the trip. Remember, storage media is sort of like film in that if you have no way to upload the photos each day, it will eventually get full and you will need a replacement to continue shooting. Also before you leave check the storage card that you have in the camera to see what images are currently stored there. If there are photos on the card that you wish to keep, now is the time to upload them while you are still at home and then wipe the card clean for use on the vacation.
3. Taking a camera on any vacation or trip can subject it to a lot of use and getting banged around if you are not careful. So having a good camera bag to put your digital camera in while on vacation will be very important. If you have a digital SLR camera, then you may even want to take extra lenses along with you on the trip. If so, be sure that the camera bag can handle all the equipment that you need to take with you, and that it is comfortable to carry along with you each day. It’s good to have storage capacity in your camera bag for extra media cards, lens cleaner, and any other accessories that you find useful too.
4. A very useful accessory for both film and digital cameras that many people forget is a tripod or mini tripod. Handholding a camera is one of the largest reasons for blurry unfocused photos. This is a common problem with many people, and it can all be solved with the use of a tripod. Obviously, you can take a large tripod with you on some excursions as it would just be too heavy to carry, but here’s where a mini tripod can come in very handy. Many times they can fit right in your camera bag with you and be set up quickly and easily on a flat surface. The use of a good tripod is guaranteed to help you take sharper, better photos.
5. If you plan on bringing your laptop computer with you on the trip, don’t forget to bring along the necessary USB cables to connect to your camera and upload your photographs at the end of the day.
If you take just a few minutes before you leave to organize your digital camera and accessories, you can assure that you will be able to have plenty of opportunities to record the fun and good times that you will enjoy while in vacation.
Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including digital photography. You can find a digital photography tutorial and the digital photography basics by visiting our Digital Photography website.
October 20, 2008 at 8:37 am · Filed under Life Of Photography
Copyright 2006 Francesca Black
Capturing photos of a pet is as much about capturing their unique markings as it is about capturing their personality. When taking a picture of your pet, take a photograph that you believe displays their personality. While slightly more challenging than landscape photographs, pet photos can store precious memories of man’s best friends.
Eye Level:
When you are taking a photograph of a small pet, be sure to get on their level. Sit on the grass, lie on the floor, whatever it takes. This is especially important for full body shots, which generally look significantly better from the side rather than above. The same is true for large pets, if you are photographing a horse you might find you need to use a step ladder to take full body shots. Try to avoide having the pet looking up at you, unless that is the specific image you wish to record.
Pet Position:
If the pet will not sit still, have someone hold them in position. If the photographs are solely for the portrait, then hands and arms in the frame do not matter and can easily be removed as long as they do not cover important markings. Pets are most amniacable when you go to where they are most comfortable; it is crucial you don’t make the pets come to you.
Capture The Pet’s Personality:
Capture the most characteristic expression and pose of the pet. If the pet is generally happy, capture their version of a smile. Lighting: The best possible lighting is achieved outside, in natural light. Try to take all photos in natural light, even if the pet is an indoor only pet. The sun and natural light will enhance the pet’s coat and bring out any natural highlights, that may not show up in photos taken with poor lighting. Using a flash when photographing pets will often cause red eye.
A flash can also distort the true coloring and shades of the pets coat. The exception to this unwritten rule is if you are photographing a black pet, if that is the case a flash can actually bring out shading and texture which may be lost in photos taken under other lighting conditions.
Photography Props for Pets:
A good idea is to have the pet’s favorite treats or toys handy. Hold them up near the camera to catch the pet’s interest. In fact, photographing pets is often not very different from photographing young children, don’t be afraid to be silly. Sometimes making funny and unusual noises or movements will capture the pets attention and focus.
Some great Horse Photos - http://www.horse-supplies.org/funny-horse-pictures.htm
Pets have a special place in their owner’s hearts. Capturing their true personality can be a challenge, but a good pet photo will last along with the memories of a furry loved one forever.
Francesca Black enjoys photography as a hobby and manages content at Future Photo www.future-photo.com and Digital Photo Tips www.digital-photo-tips.com/
October 19, 2008 at 2:44 am · Filed under Life Of Photography
Many people have switched from mere bird watching to a more exciting hobby of photographing birds.The pleasure of bird watching, and the capability of preserving the visual image that brought that pleasure is possible only with photography.Therefore, bird watching and bird photography complement each other.
You don’t need to be an experienced birder to enjoy photographing birds,but you need to know your subjects - study birds and know their biology,travel patterns,habits, and behavior.
The best way to start photographing birds is to begin in your backyard with subjects that are easily accessible.To attract birds - set up a feeding station in your backyard. Choose some location with a non-distracting background. Set up a blind close to the feeder and shoot.Or,you can shoot through an open window.
Also, you may have some of your best luck with photographing birds at bird sanctuaries.
Begin photographing from a distance, and with a wider angle lens, and photograph birds in a larger context.Wide-angle lenses and short zoom lenses are useful for some of the more creative aspects of bird photography.
For bird photography you’ll want to own the absolute best quality lenses you can afford.A 400 mm lens is usually considered the minimum acceptable focal length for serious bird photography - a quality 500mm f/4 telephoto lens is ideal.
Alternatively,use extension tubes.They move the film plane further away from the lens resulting in magnification of your subject.However,extension tubes reduce the amount of light reaching the film.
Some form of camera support is required for bird photography. A tripod is recommended since you’ll use a long focal-length telephoto lens. When photographing birds from a vehicle in a game park, a good window support is useful.And,for photographing birds in flight,the shoulder stock is very helpful.
Use the slowest film possible for the conditions you are shooting under.If the light is low, go with film in the ISO 200 and above range.On bright sunny days,you can use slower films such as ISO 50.
When photographing birds, study their reactions.If they become agitated - back off.Never put their safety into question. Avoid photographing nesting birds and also be sure not to stress a bird for the sake of a photograph.
With the right equipment and a little patience, you can get impressive results photographing birds.
Felix Zhucha owns http://www.postersphotosartwork.com. Come and find popular photographs and posters.
