tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41698866349894046952023-11-16T08:51:13.628-08:00Stephen Johnson Photography BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-51813749585227229722013-04-16T12:59:00.000-07:002015-02-11T13:06:22.739-08:00Essay- Robert Adams Quotes<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Essay</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Some Quotes from Robert Adams from his book "Beauty in Photography"</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Robert Adams Quotes</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am a great admirer of <a href="http://artgallery.yale.edu/adams/">Robert Adams</a>' photography and writing. In one of my favorite books about photography are several lines I refer to in my teaching. I thought I'd share a few with you here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Truth and Landscape essay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Geography by itself is difficult to value accurately - what we hope for from the artist is help in discovering the significance of a place.<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We rely…on landscape photography to make intelligible to us what we already know</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Gardens are…strikingly like landscape pictures, sanctuaries…the Persian word for paradise is "walled enclosure" much like what a photographer sees through the finder of his camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">from Beauty in Photography</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the word beauty, is in practice, unavoidable. It accounts…for my very decision to photograph.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Beauty that concerns me is form. Beauty is a synonym for the coherence and structure underlying life…Why is form beautiful? Because…it helps us meet our worst fear, the suspicion that life may be chaos and that therefore our suffering is without meaning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Quoting William Carlos Williams…poets write for a single reason - to give witness to splendor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Art…abstracts. Art simplifies…a careful sorting out in favor of order is called composition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A photographer can describe a better world only by better seeing the world as it is in front of him. Quoting Weston from his Daybooks, he started to photograph because of his "amazement at subject matter."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I think we judge art "by whether it reveals to us important FORM that we ourselves have experienced but to which we have not paid adequate attention. Successful re-discovers Beauty for us."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Quoting Stieglitz "Beauty is the universal seen"</span><br />
<img align="top" alt="beauty cover" border="0" src="http://www.sjphoto.com/adams-beauty-cover.jpg" hspace="5" onmousedown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')" width="428" />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-47159417630054503022013-04-16T12:55:00.000-07:002013-04-16T12:55:37.340-07:00The View From Here - April 2013<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/msh1a.jpg" alt="st helens" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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</strong><font size="1">Mt. St. Helens. 1995. from <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/parks-home.html">With a New Eye: The Digital National Parks Project.</a></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">
The Connected Photograph</font></p>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><p>
For years I've been talking about the idea of a "connected photograph," an image that exists not only in its space as a visual, and hopefully heartfelt record of what seduced ours eyes into making a photograph, but also as a connection to the place, time and technology embedded in the image.<p>
I find the idea very seductive of linking a photograph that I care very much about, with the surrounding information now automatically generated by digital cameras, and augmenting that information where possible. Time, date and means of exposure are useful, the technical information regarding lens, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, metering modes, exposure compensation, all of which are gathered automatically now. These data points can be deeply useful in trying to determine technical success of a challenging image, and should definitely be looked at when trying to analyze image quality, positive and negative.<p>
Where We Were<p>
I've long been intrigued by the GPS potential. Since the beginning of my project on the national parks, <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/parks-home.html">With a New Eye</a>, I've carried a GPS receiver to log exact location. Early units had no digital compass as part of the data stream, so I carried a compass to record bearing as well.
<p>
The location and bearing can have all sorts of useful derivations. When used with good maps and mapping software like Google Earth, places and landforms in photographs can be identified and named better than the best note taking I've ever managed. This has proven deeply useful in as commonly traveled a place as Yellowstone and as remote as the Antarctic Peninsula.
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In a recent essay, I also mentioned <a href="http://flightaware.com">FlightAware</a> as a way of knowing where your commercial flight aerial photographs were taken.
<p>
Where Were We
<p>
This information can be extraordinarily useful in rendering a better understanding of the geography of a space, both while present, which is becoming ever more possible, and later. Certainly, after the fact placing the photograph in time and space has some dynamic implications. I often use my photograph from the top of Mt. St. Helens as a great example of the photograph carrying its own aesthetic weight, but the context of the actual location dramatically deepening the power of the image.
<p>
The weather can often be determined later as well. Although much of environmental conditions might be obvious from the photograph itself, such as sunny or overcast. Temperature, wind direction and speed can also be aids in more fully understanding the scenes. For the most part, this information currently needs to be gathered independently and contemporarily with the image-making.
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It is interesting that so much of this information is now automatically gathered by our cell phone cameras. Innovation often comes in the back door even as we lobby the big camera companies to build GPS into the professional cameras. Of course, for reasoning I don't quite understand, the first cameras with GPS built-in seem to be point and shoots rather than pro-bodies. Nikon has made connection with external GPS units as part of their strategy for awhile, <a href="http://sjphoto.com/gps-canon.html">Canon has made provisions</a> in recent years.
<p><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/canon-gps-screen.jpg" alt="yos class" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')">
<p>
As one of Canon's Explorers of Light, Canon will send in equipment to me through their <a href="http://www.cps.usa.canon.com/">CPS program</a>, and I borrow equipment frequently for testing. I was most intrigued by their new <a href="http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_6d">EOS 6D</a> and have been enjoying the built-in GPS and wireless connection. My iPad controlling the camera is fun and potentially useful.
<p>
In so many ways, I deeply believe we photograph to hold what we see, which is why I'm so conservative about photo manipulation and fakery. But frankly, it is a huge challenge to hold the wonder of the real world with our cameras. It takes very careful recording and a great deal of finesse in RAW interpretation and image processing to move the recorded view close to the experienced scene.<p>
The Color of Light<p>
One of the areas that continues to be a real challenge is getting the color right. I've talked a great deal about this over the years, and real progress has been made with better cameras, better White Balance controls and tools like the <a href="http://www.xritephoto.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=224&gclid=CJmvpZqmurYCFe1_QgodUWAA3A">ColorChecker Passport</a> and Adobe's <a href="https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs_dngprofileeditor">DNG Profile Editor</a>. But there is a missing component here that could be a great aid toward realism in photography, and that is the inclusion of a spectrophotometer in the camera itself.
<p>
I believe having a spectral measurement of the ambient light, knowing the real color characteristics of the camera, and being able to integrate those two real pieces of information into the basic interpretation of the photograph, could make real progress toward narrowing the gap between what we see and what we get. This won't fully account for the limitations of the single camera capture as opposed to the almost unbelievably sophisticated images our memory, eyes and brain can experience at the scene. But it could eliminate some big information gaps.<p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/gps-spectro.129-010.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')">
<p>This is one of those issues where some companies have scoffed at the value of the added capability, but I believe some variant of this deeper color interpretation capability will not only come to be embedded in our cameras, but will make a big difference in our ability to be faithful to the wonder we see.
<p>
Of course, as I eluded to earlier, a spectral measurement of the light is just another useful piece of information. It cannot account for our own color adaptation to the scene and consequently what we actually "see," being a product of our eyes, our own internal "image processing" and our brain trying to adapt to different light conditions over time.
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<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/63543789" width="500" height="400" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
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</strong><font size="1"><br>
Mt. St. Helens View Rendered by Google Earth.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rendering out photographic sites in software like Google Earth can give us an unparalleled sense of the geography of the scene. It is a remarkable tool, and of course, works best when you have the exact location of the image rather than just an approximation. However, it is amazing how close you can reason out your position by working with the software.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Interestingly enough, in trying to relocate to exact site of the photograph for this rendering, it appears as though it is no longer there, likely succumbed to the constant landslides we were seeing on the crater rim.</font> </p>
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<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Flora and Form Workshop Coming Up</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Check out the </font><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-flora.html"><b>Flora and Form</b></a></font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Workshop <b>April 16-18, 2013</b> or <b>May 16-18, 2013</b> at <a href="http://www.shelldance.com/">Shelldance Orchid Gardens</a>. Any and all cameras welcome.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130310_shelldance_0076.jpg" alt="agave" width="500"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1">Shelldance Nursery. 2013.</font></font></p>
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<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Latest Video Study: San Francisco Bay Bridge Light Show</font> </p>
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/63528804?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1"><br>
Canon 1Dx video. 2013.</font></font>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-30984703449002970242013-04-16T12:48:00.000-07:002013-04-16T12:48:03.931-07:00Tutorial - A Reply to a Student <p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A Reply to a Student</font></p>
<td width="456" height="484" valign="top"><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>I frequently get emails from photography students around the country having been asked to research a photographer whose work they enjoy. Typically they ask me about my work habits, equipment and processes. In answering one of these this morning, it seemed that it might be relevant to a wider audience</i>.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I use a variety of cameras depending on the situation, 35mm style dSLRs like my Canon cameras for highly portable work, my Hasselblad cameras with Phase One back for higher resolution, and my 4x5 Betterlight scanning back for my most serious work.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't really have any tips or tricks, just the most sincere application of craft I can put into the image. I don't use Photoshop to change the image, but just like with silver based photography, I use the raw file much like the exposed but undeveloped negative and carefully process it in Adobe CameraRaw and then in Photoshop to reveal, to the best of my ability and the best of the technology, what was before the camera.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Fast shutter speeds, careful use of aperture for desired depth of field, no smaller aperture than required to maximize lens sharpness, normal ISO when possible, making sure I get adequate exposure and take full advantage of the tonal resolution of the device. These and many other considerations go into any well-crafted exposure in the camera.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't believe in concepts like enhancement in Photoshop. The world is already self-embellished, As I see it, my job is to be a loving witness to the wonder of the planet, bring sensitivity to making a photograph, take the time and care to execute a well crafted exposure, then be faithful to that inspiration all through the processing of the image. The real world is so much more interesting than the chromed-up cartoon-like results I see so often from extensive use of Photoshop to alter and manipulate.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I hope that helps, with my perspective at least.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Steve</font></p><br>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20090709_steve-prints_0001crop.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')">Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-23736543276311619572013-04-16T12:45:00.000-07:002013-04-16T12:45:29.277-07:00The View From Here - March 2013<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130217_yosemite_0067.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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</strong><font size="1">Ice Sheet at Dawn. Merced River. Yosemite.</font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">. 201<strong>3</strong></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Redwoods, Flowers and Ice.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Themes can run strange as you start to look through recent work. The photographs may not be necessarily related except in the time frame you might have made them. But there are also times when visual relationships and sensitivities do suggest something going on bringing somewhat disparate work together. Sometimes only as timeline, sometimes an evolution of your current state of heart.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Those sequences of interests inevitably couple with what we notice in looking back at the photographs, picking out what we want to work on. That in and of itself can be interesting, because we don't just record our photographs, we have to decide to process them into more finished works. It becomes a continuum of selection and caring and that may be more revealing than a conscious effort to create a body of work.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So as I looked through photographs from the last month, I chose a few that moved me, some I wish were more successful, and some that sprung new ideas, and even a new workshop.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130218_yosemite_0061.jpg" alt="yos class" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
<br>
Yosemite in Winter Workshop. 2013.</font><br>
</p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Yosemite in Winter Workshop</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our Yosemite Workshop last month went great, good people, comfortable weather and a wide variety of photographs were made. Moving through the park did bring back many memories of challenges and opportunities over the years. Yosemite Valley is a place full of photographic icons, which can prove challenging to see uniquely. We were somewhat amazed as we passed hundreds of people lined up to get a photograph of Horsetail Falls at sunset. For me, I think, the photograph would have been of the photographers.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Giant Sequoias are always dramatic, but very difficult to photograph in a way that communicates their grandeur accurately. Mid-19th century photographs often posed people next to the giant trees to portray their unbelievable size. Those photographs were documents for the most part, needed documents, and were amazing. Their immense scale is now well known. Seeing the trees for the first time overwhelms the viewer with that very size. Their reality is impressive. So our photographs now seem to strive to confirm their amazing scale, but not repeat the cliches', and make art as well. A big challenge, so to speak.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm not sure I've ever risen to the challenge, but thought I'd share a few recent photographs and past efforts to render these giants.</font><br>
</p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130218_yosemite_0156-160.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Bachelor and the Three Graces. Mariposa Grove in late afternoon light. 3 shot HDR file. 2013.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The photograph above works for me mostly as a memory jog of the light and scale. It is reasonably well-executed, but an obvious location, and an expected, even if natural composition. I am unmoved in the sense that I feel like I've seen many variations on it, from old hand-colored postcards to hundreds of advertisements over the years. Postcards and these trees have a long history together that continues.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <br>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/Big-Trees-Postcard-ca1905.jpg" alt="postcard" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks to <a href="http://www.tedorland.com/">Ted Orland</a> for the postcard above. His <a href="http://www.tedorland.com/books/yosemite.html">Man and Yosemite</a> book is well worth checking out.<br>
</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sequoiahistory.org/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=617&idcategory=32"><img src="http://www.sequoiahistory.org/store/pc/catalog/postcard-jumbo-comparison_500_detail.jpg" alt="postcard" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"></a></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
A few years back, working on the digital national parks project, <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/parks-home.html">With a New Eye</a>, I also struggled with the Giant Sequoias with only ok results. The photographs are fine, but I've yet to make a photograph of these trees that even comes close to the emotional response of being in their presence.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By the way, check out the <a href="http://www.savetheredwoods.org/">Save the Redwoods League</a>.</font><br>
</p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130217_yosemite_0071.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ice Yosemite Valley. 2013</font><br>
</p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/1977-icy-leaves-yosemite.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ice Crystalled Leaves near Merced River. Yosemite. 1977.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ice in Yosemite has been another matter. Even early photographs from the 1970s revealed my fascination with ice in the park. This workshop proved again that for me that small scenes, like the ice, can often be as rewarding photographically as the iconic and massive rocks and cliffs of Yosemite's famous skyline. It's not that the tiny ice abstractions match the grandeur of Half Dome or El Capitan, but in the light-based world of the photographic image, beauty is not only derived from the spectacular, but also often from the small and humble scenes, and has little to do with scale.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We spent more time during our dawn session at the Merced River looking down at an icy eddy than staring up at the rather spectacular Yosemite Falls. Although the falls, cliffs, ice dune and frozen mist did get some deserved attention.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130303_shelldance_0011.jpg" alt="agave" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1">Succulent. 2013. iPhone Photograph.</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Flora and Form</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Before my friend Michael's memorial service last week, we sought solace in the natural beauty and form of wondrous flora by visiting our local orchid nursery. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">An idea I had been considering for awhile arose once again, of putting a workshop together exploring the challenges and great opportunities of the natural form and photography. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.shelldance.com/">Shelldance Orchid Gardens</a> agreed that it was a good idea and a new workshop was born.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Check out the </font><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-flora.html"><b>Flora and Form</b></a></font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Workshop <b>April 16-18, 2013</b> or <b>May 16-18, 2013</b>. Any and all cameras welcome.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130310_shelldance_0102.jpg" alt="altamont" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1">Orchids. 2013.</font></font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></p>
<div align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130303_shelldance_0017.jpg" alt="altamont" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1">Weird Plant. 2013. iPhone Photograph<br>
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<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/michaelblack-C9SN8821.jpg" alt="dv woorkshop" width="275" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
Michael Black</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I lost a dear friend last week, my friend of 30 years, Michael Black. I first came to know Mike about 1984 as an advisor/helper/consultant on the <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/gcvp-home.html">Great Central Valley exhibition</a> I did with my friend <a href="http://www.robertdawson.com/pages/8/Bio/Bio/">Robert Dawson</a>. Michael had been working for years on native Salmon runs, their destruction and mismanagement. He taught as a visiting professor of political science at many universities and had written widely on the Salmon issue. Michael put together a Symposium on the Central Valley, its people, its water and agriculture during the Great Central Valley Project Exhibitions' run at the California Academy of Sciences in 1985.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Michael was a great humanitarian in his generosity of spirit, support for his friends and deep love of his 16 year old son. We lost Michael to a hit and run accident as he was walking back to his car from a nature walk in Santa Rosa California. Mike was 64 years old and was deeply loved by many friends. He was a fellow board member on the <a href="http://www.pacifica-land-trust.org/">Pacifica Land Trust</a> on which I serve. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I will miss his friendship, his appreciation for the natural world, his encouragement for my art, and his companionship that will now only be memories rather than plans.</font></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-86690149989506794152013-04-16T12:39:00.001-07:002013-04-16T12:39:40.471-07:00Tutorial - The Moon and the Land<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Moon and the Land</font></p>
<td width="456" height="727" valign="top"><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The recent full moon I witnessed over Death Valley and the eastern Sierra was a good teaching moment for me. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We get into habits, some of them dating back decades, and sometimes it takes awhile for those old habits to be challenged and supplanted by new and better ways of doing things.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The brightness difference between the full moon, which is very bright, and the rather dimly lit landscape below, can be a real photographic challenge. Although our eyes and mind rapidly adjust as we glance between the ever so slightly different locations in our gaze, the camera cannot. Timing a day before or day after the actual full moon can give you more light on the ground for exposures that are more manageable. But when confronted with what to do at a given moment, we witnessed a real challenge of extremes this past week.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the days of film, we would have likely calculated how bright the moon was, assumed a N minus 2 or 3 development, and seen how much exposure we could capture of the ground. Then in printing, a really good job of burning in the moon would have probably also been necessary for the print. Some examples from photographic history do come to mind.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Last week, I instinctively just hand bracketed the exposures assuming I would put them together after the fact, as digital can often allow. But with the 600mm lens I had borrowed from Canon, the magnification was such that the time lag of manually adjusting the shutter speed and taking the second exposure allowed the moon to drift. Consequently, small differences in feature location between the exposures emerged with the long magnification that the lens provided. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The result was that very few of my photographs line up well. And this might be ok, but there were other factors I ran into, the glow around the moon itself that needed to be preserved as well as the color coming through in the sky around it. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My manual exposure changes were simply too different in moon location to do a standard HDR integration after the fact, although I'm still thinking that one through.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Doing a standard HDR integration should have been obvious to me at the time, and not unlikely what my students were already doing with their auto bracketing habits. I simply should have set up a bracketing sequence on the camera for a very wide range, and had the camera do a continuous stream of exposures to encode the range as automatically and as independently from any human jiggle and as close in time as possible. That would have minimized any difference in location of the moon relative to the proper exposure and the over-exposure of the image designed to record some ground detail. Then a standard HDR integration might have worked well.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In other words, I should have simply done an HDR set, and a standard HDR integration after the fact.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130128_eastern-sierra_0021+17.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')">
</p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The moon exposure was<i> f</i>8 at 1/400 of second, the mountains below <i>f</i>8 at 1/8, six stops of exposure difference which is not an unusual spread for HDR at all.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The two images were opened into Photoshop Layers, aligned, and the moon shot masked to only let the moon through, with considerable work on the still imperfect mask. The lens exhibited some chromatic aberration not completely eliminated by the Adobe RAW controls, which had to be hand tweaked.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although it seemed worth including here as an example, it is still very much a work in progress.</font><br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-75566532178132687562013-04-16T12:37:00.001-07:002013-04-16T12:37:57.167-07:00The View From Here - February 2013<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130124_death-valley_0031-33.jpg" alt="altamont" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1">Hills, Zabriski Point. Death Valley. 2013.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Journey of Remarkable Light and Form</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The last few weeks have given me the pleasure of witnessing some truly remarkable light. Spending some time at the beach, on our way to our Death Valley workshop, in the park itself, coming up the eastern Sierra and then a quick trip to Yosemite, all within the last few weeks.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130128_eastern-sierra_0271-272.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Spectral Breakout on Lenticular Cloudbank. Dawn Lone Pine on the Eastern Sierra. 2013</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Death Valley was a reminder of the beauty of desert and the wonder of it as a place. This year brought some rain, beautiful light and skies that frankly will take some time to sort out, there are so many photographs I am looking at with interest.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">On our way home from Death Valley, we stayed over at Lone Pine to see the moonset on the eastern Sierra crest. The moon setting at dawn was wonderful, even if a bit cold. But behind us to the east, a lenticular cloud had formed that I turned a 600mm lens toward, very near the rising sun.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At first glace, zooming in on the cloud bank was dramatic. Unexpectedly, a wonderous rainbow like spectral breakout was suddenly visiable around the cloud. It jumped out at me, quite unbelievably. My first thought was that the color ring was some artifact of the long optic pointing so near the rising sun. Then, as we looked closer, with only our eyes, we could barely make out the exact same color breakout on the cloud's edge. Although visible in the photograph, the effect pales in comparison to seeing the real thing.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130128_eastern-sierra_0519.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Radio Telescopes along Owens River. Owens Valley Radio Observatory. Big Pine. 2013.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Driving up the eastern Sierra in the Owens Valley, through Lone Pine and past Manzanar, we noticed some satellite dishes on the east side of the valley. One of our Death Valley Workshop students mentioned a radio observatory on the east side, and we appeared to have found it. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We took the first way in, though it felt like a back way. We followed a dirt road across the desert leading us up to the Owens River, just opposite the telescopes. It was an unusual mix of form with the winter desert brush, cottonwood trees, river cutting through and the space age construct plucked down in the landscape.</font> </p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130128_eastern-sierra_0680.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Highway 395 above Conway Summit near Mono Lake. 2013</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The following weekend we couldn't resist a quick trip to Yosemite. It's only a little beyond a planned trip to see my sweet 85 year old mother, which made it good loop of love and beauty. As is almost always the case about Yosemite, I was treated to scenes I never imagined and a slightly deeper understanding of this so familiar place, enrichening my mind and heart.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130203_yosemite_0074.jpg" alt="dawn" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="left" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></p>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tree and Mist. Bridalveil Falls. Yosemite. 2013.</font>
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</div>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The waterfalls and bellowing mist from them are always part of my delight in Yosemite. In fact, falling water is almost synonymous with Yosemite Valley. When mixed with ice and cold, it can be almost other worldly and surprizing. Part of the delight in wandering the planet with a camera is just such surprize, even in places we think we know well.</font></p>
<p align="left"></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130203_yosemite_0207.jpg" alt="dawn" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"> <font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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Snow Dune. Yosemite Falls. 2013.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The sheets of misty water draping over a dune of ice at the base of Upper Yosemite Falls was amazing to watch. The pattern changed with every moment, leading to many stills, and some very graceful video.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130203_yosemite_0371.jpg" alt="dawn" width="400" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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Ribbon Falls Rainbow. Yosemite. 2013.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In looking though the photographs made last weekend, when we did the short swing through Yosemite, it made me particularly grateful for our <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-land-yoswin.html">Yosemite in Winter workshop</a> coming right up. I'm anxious to go back and spend a few days. I know many of the people coming to the workshop and a few days spent with some fine people in such a special place sounds really good.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130128_eastern-sierra_0021+17.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Full Moon Setting over Eastern Sierra. HDR with Canon 1Ds III and 600mm lens. 2013.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130123_moon-ring_0005.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Moonring and Jupiter over Paso Robles. 2013.</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Along the Coast</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A recent trip to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, brought another set of ongoing curiousities renewed. The Reserve is one of my local haunts here on the north peninsula coast near San Francisco. The extreme of compelling visuals I found those few weeks ago drew me deeply into a diversity of natural form. From the brilliantly lit cliffs above the tide pools to the oh so blue sky through the trees, and the intricate alien form of tide pool life, particularly the anemones. I was entranced.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130101_fitzgerald-reserve_0009.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cliffside. Fitzgerald Reserve. 2013</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are some places that keep drawing you back, some out of convenience because they are nearby, and some you go to great lengths for. This stretch of coast, from San Francisco south to Santa Cruz, remains a road of refuge and heart engagement for me.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-land-smcoast.html">Highway One Coastal Journey Workshop</a> April 20-21 seemed worth a mention with these photographs that have stayed with me these last few weeks.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130101_fitzgerald-reserve_0021.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130101_fitzgerald-reserve_0029.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
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Anemone. Fitzgerald Reserve. 2013</font></p>
<hr width="400">
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20130126_death-valley-fiona_0177.jpg" alt="dv woorkshop" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Death Valley Workshop 2013 Group Photo. Titus Canyon, Death Valley.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our workshop Group Photo from Death Valley this year captured a moment of delight that in some ways summed up the wonderful light we had all day exploring Tutius Canyon, the road in from Nevada and wonderful Red Pass. We were contantly reaching for superlatives to describe what we were seeing, and feeling a heartfelt gratutude at being able to witness such beauty with the excitement at having a chance to photograph.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We didn't get everyone in the photo, but thanks to Fiona for capturing these wonderful expressions.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Irresistable Motion</font></p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cBMctS_H1Wg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Snow Dune Video. Yosemite Falls. 2013. Canon 1Dx, 600mm lens Stabilzed with YouTube Filter. </font>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-40123281941522247792013-04-16T12:29:00.000-07:002013-04-16T12:39:56.618-07:00Tutorial - DSLR<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">DSLR VIDEO</font></p>
<td width="456" valign="top"><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This may be more an enthusiasm than tutorial.</font></p>
<p>
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/57498478" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
</p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cuts assembled in Photoshop CS6. Surf audio thanks to Bill Schwegler, <a href="http://www.fyreplug.com/">Fyreplug</a>.</font>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lee Vining Creek 2010 (from the September Newsletter)<br>
</font></p>
<p align="left">
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/57495127" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
</p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I started with an overall scene of the creek, then decided to zoom into various areas where the design and movement seemed interesting. Finessing length of shot to the dynamics of the scene is key. This particular edit simply assembles the cuts into what might be a starting point for a shorter piece. Canon 5DII video.</font>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-71626535053362225042013-04-16T12:15:00.001-07:002013-04-16T12:15:34.893-07:00The View From Here - January 2013<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120107_death-valley_0024.jpg" alt="altamont" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
<font size="1">Hills, Zabriski Point. Death Valley. 2012.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Solace of Natural Form and Open Spaces</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The connection between our humanness and our planet is in many ways too obvious to even discuss. It is self-evident. I would think. But I know in my own life, it is something that easily slips away, lost in the daily tasks of our modern lives inundated by our creations. We value so many of our tools and toys, the very Mac Book I'm writing on now, or the smell of the coffee maker brewing a fresh pot. I am grateful for the shelter from the rain and cold, and the ability to transport myself to the redwoods or around the world in a very short time.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Without getting deep into our place in the world psychologically or philosophically, we do pay a price for our modernity. From a strictly experiential level, our sense of well being is obviously shaped by our daily surrounds. We strive to make our homes and workplaces comfortable, productive and life giving. My books, CDs, musical instruments are of value to me and make a difference in my daily life.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But it is also clear, that the connections to the source of everything, our very planet, can be easy to view as separate, as though we are separate. Of course we are not at all separate, and we know it. The challenges of making a living, spending time and doing right by our loved ones, rising to our own aspirations, financial, artistic, or spiritual can be all consuming. It can be so easy for the disconnect from the earth to take care of normal life, even where the other aspirations directly benefit from a plunge into a starry night or the deep woods, we don't give it the time.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Photography has played a critical role for me in engaged in the natural world, connected to the sun and stars, even when no photographs or cameras are involved.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are senses of space and surrounds that become iconic as we experience them. Over time, they evolve into a kind of memory shorthand, where the smell and sound of a place can be called to mind with only a vague association. These memories become part of an </font><font size="2">underlying consciousness, almost iconic, certainly part of our inner romance with the ideal.<br>
</font><font size="1"><br>
</font></p>
<p>
<embed src="http://www.artistsforchange.com/media/dv.mov" width="475" height="240" controller="true" pluginspage="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/"> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">Death Valley from Dante's View. Quicktime VR. which may take time to load.<br>
Click and drag Mouse to pan, or use left/right arrow keys, shift to zoom, control to zoom out.</font><br>
</p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
The desert is one of those places, full of light, space and dust, dry air, uncanny silence, an echoing ring to the rocks as our own footsteps knock them against each other...a dryness you can almost smell, mixed in with the sounds of a bird's wings pulling itselve through the air. I can feel the desert in my skin, even without heat. The air is dry. You can taste it.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But it is the open space and vast distances I've experienced in the desert that have been most profound. There are not many places you can see almost 100 miles. In Death Valley I have. It makes an impression, not only about the size of the place, but about my own smallness.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Playing off the differences in these natural environments is inevitably part of the photographic experience. We get pulled to these different environments, we keep trying to encode their realities into our images. Reaching for the camera is instinctive as we witness the remarkable, dramatic or sublime. The camera isn't always there, but I hope my heart always is.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Landscape photography sometimes seems like the product-producing excuse for hanging out in wonderful places. And maybe it is. It is also transportive of more than just physically moving around. At its best, the photograph becomes an act of consideration and concentration that starts with giving the process intrinsic value, and continues through to a love of craft and beauty most often manifested in a print. All done best when slowing down, focusing on what is happening on the planet around you. I don't believe it comes out well when hoping for something else or being driven by dissatisfaction or impatience. It works best for me when I care about what I am seeing, and feel that calm of the time invested being deeply worthwhile. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is after all a privilege to be witness to splendor and work your craft to hold an impression of the sacred light our miracle eyes manage to see.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121016_mono-lake_0065.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mono Lake and Paoha Island. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Standing near open water has become one of the life-sustaining natural experiences in my life. Watching the rhythm of the waves, the roll of surf, the very real huge spaces I can see, and the unimaginable space beyond. I always say that we are drawn to water not only because it is life-giving, but because at some level we sense that this is where we are from, still carrying the salt water of our origins in our blood to this day.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Living near the Pacific Ocean has been a passion of my adult life. It wasn't something I dreamed of, but rather kind of happened into by a series of choices. I could never have anticipated the role the sea has come to play in my life. It is a constant, the low level sound of surf is never far away, and becomes something like a sacred rhythm of the earth's breathing. The coastline is where I most frequently watch the sun set, walk under the stars and walk for the sheer pleasure of being outside. I spend great times there with my partner Fiona and our dog Sandy. The sea is a constant reminder of a living earth.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The surround and fecundity of the forest carries a sense of the tall and complex, mixed with strong scents of healthy trees and undergrowth, decay and new life everywhere. Forests are often filled with the sound of running water, birds and trees squeaking in the breeze, insects buzzing. It is both full of bigness and a curious closed-in surround without horizon. The forest can be a most curious place.<br>
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</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/CF005731.jpg" alt="forest" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
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<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Forest. Pt. Reyes. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">These are not small experiences. They may be quiet, or dramatic, but they are born from our core notions of the earth, of belonging to this planet, ultimately of having the solace of a home amid much disconnect and challenge.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I have no intention of raising praise for a our natural connections to a religious experience, although I understand how it is for some. I do however, want to remind myself through my writing, of the sensitivities and values that make me whole, and influence my work as an artist. Mostly I work by instinct, but naturally I also muse on my work, its place in my life, my values as expressed through my art, and how I want to spend the time and energy I have here, living and breathing on this planet.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I want to be immersed in the trees and mountains, the coast and surf, the desert sand and the sacred sun. I am very fortunate to have a partner who loves wandering the planet as well.</font></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-28229915765984851352013-04-16T12:03:00.002-07:002013-04-16T12:03:53.369-07:00The View From Here - December 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121012_Altamont-Pass_0005.jpg" alt="altamont" width="500"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
<font size="1">Clouds and Hills over Interstate 580. 2012.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our Hands on Earth</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I've been photographing our marks on the landscape for my entire career. The tension between the natural world and our constructs is often strange, challenges perspective, downright odd, and sometimes compelling.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Despite my concentration on the natural world, I have never sought to idealize it, but rather plunge deep into what I find, whatever direction that might take. For over 30 years I have been drawn to the curious marks we make, the things we build, together with the debris and evidence we leave behind.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As is often the case these days after so many years of working, a body of work can emerge from looking at what I've been curious about over time. We see a photograph, get reminded of others, start to associate even more images, and without consciously deciding to consider a grouping, the associations start to form. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Many of the images that could be gathered under this idea of our hands on the land come from other projects, the <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/gcvp-home.html">Great Central Valley</a> work, my series <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/western-artifacts.html">Western Artifacts</a>, and countless isolated images that seemed irresistible at the time. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The theme also reminded me of a song I wrote over 30 years ago watching the moon rise and the sun set on the Anasazi ruins at Waputki near Flagstaff. Thinking back to the making of those buildings, a vivid image came to mind of people working hard to build a community, their very home clearly made from the earth, rising from the ground toward the sky.</font></p>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>I'm riding the wind back a 1000 years<br>
I can see his skin in the sun<br>
With his careful hands he shapes his earth<br>
his red house growing in the blue</i></font><br>
<br>
</p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/kettleman-plain.jpg" alt="kettleman" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">Kettleman Plain. 1984.<br>
<br>
</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/132-Dredge.jpg" alt="kettleman" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">Gold Mining Dredge Tailings. Sacramento Valley. 1982</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We are native to this planet. Naturally we leave evidence of our presence. Although there are many reasons to decry this impact with so much of what we do, it is also the very delight of researchers trying to understand our past, and the casual cultural anthropologists we all become in our fascinations. How old does graffiti have to be to become pictographs and evidence of who we were?</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We often impose ourselves on the land incidentally, our works becoming visual evidence of land use, from agriculture to dumps, by merely <i>using</i> the land. We've been making such marks for at least 5000 years. Sometimes the impact is direct and intentional, human humor and art laid onto the land. Other times it is debris, the decay of what we leave to collapse back into that very land. Visually they can all be compelling in different ways.<br>
</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20080627_Ireland_0125.jpg" alt="kettleman" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
</strong></strong></font></strong></font><font size="1">Stone Fence. Ireland. 2008</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It was invigorating to explore some of these files, and go searching for a few I vaguely remembered, most of which there is not room for here. But the last few days have been a good exercise. Whether this little archive exploration continues and is joined by others will depend on how these few images settle in, and grow on me, the feedback I may get, and if my curiosity dares open those daunting drawers with thousands and thousands of negatives...</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Looking again at some of the work from the Western Artifacts Project does make me want to pull those together into a set of great scans and finished modern prints. Anyone want to come in and intern on some projects?...</font></p>
<p> </p>
<hr width="400">
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/teaser_TwelveMen_.jpg" alt="trees" width="200" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121027_new-york_0002.jpg" alt="trees" width="225"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A must see if you are in New York City, <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/press-room/exhibitions/2012/faking-it">Faking it: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop</a> is a wonderful exhibition at the Met in NYC through January 27, 2013.</font><br>
<br><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/Truck-WinnemuccaWEB.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="left"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Truck Stop Tower. Winnemucca, NV 1982.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Strange Constructions</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Deliberate impositions on the land, using it as a surface for the making of art is often not as interesting as something that happens coincidental to the makers intentions. But sometimes you come across that rare combination of intention and aesthetics that makes you really notice.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Many of you know <a href="http://www.robertsmithson.com/earthworks/spiral_jetty.htm">Robert Smithson</a>'s work, like the Spiral Jetty, work by <a href="http://www.ucblueash.edu/artcomm/web/w2005_2006/maria_Goldsworthy/TEST/index.html">Andy Goldsworthy</a> and others. An artist from Santa Cruz, <a href="http://jimdenevan.com/">Jim Denevan</a>, has been doing massive beach markings for years. Their art is in the marks they make on the land, by intention and hard work.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> In Jim's case, they are ephemeral marks that the next wave can wash away. I documented some of his work many years ago, and greatly admired his dedication to drawing something so temporary, and that so few would see. The photo documentation became the record, and for most, the experience, the temporal quality part of the preciousness of the creation.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My good friend and former assistant David Gardner has been working an a great series <a href="http://www.lightight.com/galleries/Marking_Our_Place/content/index.html">Marking Our Place in the World </a>which directly relates to these ideas.<br>
<br>
</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/landsharksWEB.jpg" alt="sharks" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Landsharks. 1984.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I've delighted in driving by the Landsharks for years. Where natural form has suggested a palette for art and humor, graffiti and comment, those sites particularly engage me. I wish I knew who did it, how long they thought about it, and if it was carefully planned or quickly improvised. I know the paint has been touched up over the years, so somebody cares.</font><br>
<br>
</p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/gcvp-windmills.jpg" alt="altamont" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
Windmills Altamont Pass. 1983.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20090724_iceland-aerial_0561.jpg" alt="kettleman" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">Rolled Grass. Iceland. 2009.</font></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-64340584076626900382013-04-16T11:55:00.000-07:002013-04-16T11:55:08.940-07:00Tutorial - Aerial Photography from a Commercial Plane <p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Aerial Photography From a Commercial Plane</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)</font></p>
<td width="456" valign="top"><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Photographing from a commercial airplane is both difficult and irresistible. The views can be astounding. I'm amazed that people close their windows. There are a few obvious, and perhaps not so obvious things, that can make a difference in making the best of a challenging situation, to take advantage of the view, and occasionally make some fine photographs.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Plan Ahead
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unless seeking a specific view, try to book a seat on the opposite side of the plane from the sun, usually in the northern hemisphere this means facing north.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Book early and try to get a seat well in front of the wing to avoid jet exhaust. If that is not possible for increasing far and late bookings, try as far back in the plane as you can get.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dress for minimizing internal reflections with a dark, non-patterned shirt.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Bring a rubber lens shade with sufficient flexibility to press against the acrylic plane window without it squishing and blocking your view. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Making the Photographs
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Do what you can to buff the inner window of smudges. A laptop screen cleaning kit seems to present no problem for the airlines and can help. The elbow cloth of your shirt can also be a quick help.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Always use fast shutter speeds for normal plane motion, but particularly in turbulence. Higher ISO with the noise they can bring is better than blurs.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I usually opt for my 28-70mm lens as that is slightly too wide to avoid the wing in many cases, but long enough to simplify a bit without too much added apparent motion from a long lens. There are times when I wish I could go a bit longer though, so I keep a longer lens handy when I can.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Documentation
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Use an app like <a href="http://flightaware.com/">Flight Aware</a> to download the path of your flight, save the flight log and map to know where you were and when to match the time of the photograph to the log in order to identify your subject. This can be particularly satisfying when really bizarre things are seen and you become determined to find out what on earth they are.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20080609_aerial_0060.jpg" alt="dolphin" width="500" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Biscayne National Seashore. 2009.</font></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-62851772875784364642013-04-16T11:50:00.001-07:002013-04-16T11:50:52.135-07:00The View From Here - November 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121102_aerial_0035.jpg" alt="aerial" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
<font size="1">Clouds and highway Over.... 2012.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">On Aerial Photography: Commercial Flights</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I am a deep fan of aerial photography. I am always seeking a window seat and carrying my camera, as I have been for over 30 years.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Flying back from my recent east coast lecture tour, I looked into using an App from my iPad/iPhone called <a href="http://flightaware.com/">Fight Aware</a> to track the route we flew. As I was exploring it, I noticed I could save the route as a Google Earth compatible .gmx file and save the times and location of the entire route,</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121023_aerial-sf-to-nyc_0014.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">San Francisco at Dawn. 2012.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This led me down a path of tracing back some photographs I made along the way of curious sites and some nice compositions. I now have the ability to determine locations, place names and some investigative opportunities to find out what on earth some of these markings on our earth actually were.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121102_aerial_0076.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">Baker Lake, Arkansas. 2012.</font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121023_aerial-sf-to-nyc_0055.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">Razor Bluff, Colorado. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/flightaware11-12.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font><br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
Flight Aware Route Screen.</font></p>
<hr width="400">
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/teaser_TwelveMen_.jpg" alt="trees" width="200" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121027_new-york_0002.jpg" alt="trees" width="225"" border="0" align="middle" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A must see if you are in New York City, <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/press-room/exhibitions/2012/faking-it">Faking it: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop</a> is a wonderful exhibition at the Met in NYC thruogh January 27, 2013.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121028_Washington-DC_0052.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="left"><br>
<br>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Snapshot: Steve in the White House Press Room. 2012.</font></p><br>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A West Wing White House Tour</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">While in Washington DC last week, I was fortunate to be able to tour the West Wing of the White House. It was amazing to look into the Oval Office and take in all that has happened there. The fate of our nation rests with decisions made in that room.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Presidential election this year probably heightened that since of history. But I do find my mind keeps coming back to staring into that room, the Oval Office. The fact that it is smaller than all of the wide-angle photographs have suggested, the concrete non-emperor quality of ordinary old paint on old wood, the simple reality of the real space. We were not allowed to photograph on the tour, but the scene made a deep impression on me.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121028_Washington-DC_0023.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<font size="1"><br>
North Portico of the White House from the West Wing.2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just moving around the White House, going in and leaving the tour, brought a core reality to the place that took myth and made the place real. Even the interrelationships of the rooms and space was surprising. It was hard not to photograph, as so much of what I saw contextualized spaces I had never before put together quite right. I was happy to make a few images outside and in the Press Room.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121028_Washington-DC_0001.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Like most any visitor to Washington DC, I am always taken by my first sighting of the Washington Monument. It seems from almost any view, I keep making photographs of the spire. To say that it's iconic is a bit obvious, but there is something singularly remarkable about it as a form and symbol. I get emotional at the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and particularly at the Vietnam Veterans Wall. But there is something about this towering spire...</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20121028_Washington-DC_0081.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></strong></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1">The Washington Monument from the Old Post Office. 2012.</font>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-38517455197155248142012-10-02T11:40:00.000-07:002012-10-02T11:40:42.970-07:00Tutorial - Being Prepared<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Being Prepared</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)</font></p>
The photograph you may see will often only be a photograph you make if you are prepared to capture it.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Check existing settings that might be left from a previous situation that may be quite different than what you need now. Common problematic settings may be methods of focus, high ISO setting, Manual vs Auto exposure, Image Stabilization turned on and customized for the movement, or off if on a tripod.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thinking through the ambient exposure and likely subject matter needs can anticipate a moment so that your camera is preset for what is likely.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Fast moving action means pre-setting a fast shutter speed, and possibly high ISO if limited light needs it.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As you walk down a street, consider what it is you are noticing, and prepare for possible unfolding events that needs quick response. Put on the most likely needed lens, but arrange the pack for other things you may need, the second most likely lens.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although it may seem an unlikely pairing, being prepared also makes for a greater possibility of serendipity playing a wonderful role in recording the completely unexpected. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The dolphin photograph to the right could not exactly be seen, it was happening too quickly. The settings I set up were able to capture a magic I could intend, but not actually see and react to quickly enough to capture. I had to just set the camera and keep tripping the shutter, sometimes on continuous bursts and hope that some of the magic I was seeing could be held. It was, and more.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120907_coast_0275.jpg" alt="dolphin" width="500" hspace="5"" border="0" align="left"><br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-57599613557151930552012-10-02T11:38:00.000-07:002012-10-02T11:38:02.930-07:00The View From Here - September/October 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120825_yosemite_0011.jpg" alt="trees" width="475"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong></strong><font size="1"><br>
Tuolumne River. Tioga Meadows. Yosemite. 2012.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Water</font> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font></strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I rarely know what these essays will turn toward, as I write from the photographs I make, and the experiences that evolve. Water reflections, movement, flow and its very precious nature seems to be holding my mind the last few days.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A few recent experiences contributed to this. A quick trip just before Labor Day to the high Sierra and Mono Lake brought me back to some deeply inspiring places. The lake water rising, reflections, the streams and rivers of the Sierra, all filled my head. The very life of water running brought relief from the desert heat. Then, just last week, a long awaited whale watch cruise into Monterey Bay with whales and dolphins moving through the blue-green Pacific brought water back into my head.</font></p>
<p align="top"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120824_mono-lake_0138.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<font size="1"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
Last Light Cloud. Mono Lake. 2012.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The constant movement of water is one of its infinite fascinations. In photography, I never know exactly what the result of moving water will look like rendered. Whether it is ocean streaming off a Humpback Whale's fluke as it dives, the tumble of a waterfall, or the laminar flow of water in, and around dolphins speeding through their liquid world.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The dolphins were a great example. They played with the boat, racing along, round in front, speeding so fast it was impossible to understand how they could move so rapidly through the water. I wasn't fully prepared for the photographic opportunity, it all happened so quickly. I had carelessly left a slow card in the camera, and had only a very long lens handy when we encountered the dolphins. Sharp, carefully planned shots with real bursts of exposures, backed off in zoom were not going to happen. So I rolled with the abstraction of some blur and wildly improvisational compositions, largely out of necessity.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We were told they were Common Dolphins. We thought they were anything but.<br>
<br></font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120907_coast_0405.jpg" alt="birds" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Common Dolphins, Monterey Bay. 2012.</font><br>
</p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It reminded me of other experiences and photographs, of mammals, birds, water flow and reflections, even probably inspiring new work over the next few days where form and movement kept playing into the magic of water...</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A few from the last two weeks, Monterey Bay, from the Russian River, and the Sonoma Coast seemed worth including here.</font><br>
<br>
</p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120915_bodega-bay_0393.jpg" alt="birds" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">White Pelicans. Sonoma Coast. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120907_coast_0028.jpg" alt="birds" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1"><br>
Pelicans. Pescadero. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120916_russian-river_0077.jpg" alt="heron" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Great Blue Heron Landing on the Russian River. 2012.
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120825_yosemite_0074.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"><br>
<br>
</strong></font></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Reflections and Granite Shoreline. Teneya Lake, Yosemite. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">High Sierra and Tioga Pass</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Driving over Tioga Pass in Yosemite is always special for me. I have to continually renew my connections to this road that takes me to 10,000 feet amid the mountains that have given me the greatest solace of my life. Just short of Tuolumne Meadows heading from the west is Teneya Lake which happened to have some unusual water color layers and reflections.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mono Lake</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">No visit ever fails to deepen my fascination and appreciation of the wonder of Mono Lake. It is curious to see the lake rise and re-flood so many of the familiar tufa formation we came to love. We hoped this would happen, as it is critical for the lake's vitality as an eco-system. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But as trails get reworked and formations start to return to the water of their birth, I am also reminded that getting to know many of these places was a fluke of careless water diversions. Watching them start to disappear under Mono's ancient waters is simply the right course for this precious resource. It does also give us a short window (hopefully) to still see some of these magnificent formations.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Join us if you can on our <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-lnd-ml2.html">Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra Workshop</a> October 13-16, 2012.</font></p>
<p align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120824_mono-lake_0107.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"></strong></font></font></strong></font></strong></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Submerging Tufa Towers. Mono Lake. 2012</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Last week, revisiting Lee Vining Creek, one of Mono Lake's feeder streams, reminded me of some video I made last year which took me down a meditative path of water movement poetry. Here it is, unedited, for whatever transportive qualities it may have for you.</font></p>
<p align="left">
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Lee Vining Creek. Mono Lake. 2011. Canon 5dII. (streaming may be slow)
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-70367617219801994932012-10-02T11:32:00.001-07:002012-10-02T11:32:23.315-07:00Tutorial - Black and White or Color<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Black and White or Color</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)</font></p>
Black and White or Color? A question that has changed in some fundamental ways in this digital age. Now we almost always make our photographs in color through Bayer pattern filters spread across our sensors filtering the light into red, green and blue. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If we want black and white, for the most part, we are starting in color. This is frustrating on one level, because it means if we want black and white, we have to derive the color first, then transform the photograph into grayscale.. This lowers the resolution of the file as compared to what it would be without the color filters.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But there are also some wonderful advantages. It means the black and white world we derive from color (albeit, now on the computer) can be almost anything we imagine, or stumble into through experimentation. The <b>Black and White Adjustment Layer</b> in Photoshop further enables a level of customization that it is almost unbelievable. We can experiment with conversions, customize different areas with masks, and re-imagine the nature of what a black and white photograph can be.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although Grayscale (BW) conversion can be done in Camera Raw, Lightroom, Capture One and other raw processors, I prefer Photoshop because of the masking and control, allowing different areas to be converted in different ways, as shown below.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20110622_acadia_0126colorBW.gif" alt="dusk" width="450"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></font></strong></font></p>
<div align="left">
<div align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular">From July 2011 Newsletter: Black and White Selective Conversion. Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park. Maine. 2011.</font></div>
</div>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/ps-cs6-bw-layer.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="300" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle">
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120812_still-life_0033.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="500" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Chard, Veggie Series (color). 2012</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120812_still-life_0033BW.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="500" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Chard, Veggie Series (custom black and white with adjustments shown on graphic to the left). 2012</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the example here, the color file provided the raw material for separating the BW conversion into dark stems on glowing leaves. It's a major tonal shift, but demonstrates the flexibility of the process.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-72035464468092634952012-10-02T11:28:00.002-07:002012-10-02T11:28:29.361-07:00The View From Here - August 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120815_veggies_0018.jpg" alt="trees" width="475" vspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br></strong></strong><font size="1">Pepper. Veggie Series #4. 2012.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Raw Form</font> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font></strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font>I've been thinking about form, organic, sensual form, living objects, the things we grow and eat, the things we subconsciously pick up at a market, the fruits and vegetables that make up so much of our diet. Or ought to. The beauty of these objects, their vibrant color, improbable form and connection to the earth are all compelling sources we instinctively seek.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our new <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/one-day-class-raw-from-raw.html">RAW from RAW class</a> and a visit to the <a href="http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=1058">San Francisco Farmers Market</a>, brought a plethora of peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and strange fungus into our lives to serve as models for the class. We needed them as subjects, now feel somewhat overwhelmed at their beauty, imminent decay, and the need to act fast to do them photographic justice before they collapse into something quite different.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The class was fun, very hands-on, and filled with immediate feedback on our work, which was wonderful. In the studio, a slight change in approach shows up immediately. Working with depth of field in such a demonstrable and dramatic way was very rewarding. Making photographs as a depth of field expansion set, then demonstrating how to put them together was also very effective, and fun. (see <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/web_quotes.html#raw">Testimonial by Alan Kushnir</a>).</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It makes me want to wander the beach, collect more stuff, go through the rock and artifact collection, get lost in those most curious things we pick up and hold on to. There must be a reason after all, for me to hold onto so many of those precious jewels of the moment for so many years.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120815_veggies_0027.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="400" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"></strong></font><br>
</font></strong></font></strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1"><br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pepper. Veggie Series. 2012.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Help! Bell peppers everywhere!!!!!! </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I feel like we're drowning in the veggies we gathered for the class. Although it is shame they are wilting, it is also a delight that we are eating very well.</font></p>
<p align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120817_veggies_0003.jpg" alt="peppers" width="350" hspace="5"" border="0" align="left">
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120815_veggies_0060.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"></strong></font></font></p>
<p align="top"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120815_veggies_0060BW.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="left"></strong></font></font><br>
<br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cucumbers, Bitter Melon, and Peppers in color and custom black and white. 2012.</font></p>
<p align="top"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Black and White or Color</font></p>
<p align="top"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">With the advent of the Black and White Adjustment Layer in Photoshop, whole new worlds of black and white interpretation have opened up to us. The veggies above are a simple example, the tutorial below explores the possibilities a bit further.</font></p>
<hr>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120717_mussel-rock_0012.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"></strong></font><br>
</font></strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font></font></strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular">Surf at sunset, north Pacifica.. 2012..</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Another Surf Photograph</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Why do we keep photographing scenes we've seen a thousand times before? When do they become compelling once again, and what can the photograph be that makes the new particular experience stand out. A topic we'll explore in the <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/one-day-class-photo-beauty.html">Beauty in Photography</a> course coming up November 3rd.</font></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-11299533915601175282012-07-13T10:32:00.000-07:002012-07-13T10:32:32.219-07:00Tutorial - Low Light, Needed Depth, Low Noise<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Low Light, Needed Depth, Low Noise</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">On a field trip to the <a href="http://www.remsen.com/studio.html">Richard Remsen's Foundry and Gallery</a> in Rockport Maine two weeks ago, I remember working my way into serious work that seemed like a process that might be worth flushing out a little bit.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The class was visiting a place I had never been, and as such I wanted to assess the situation before I started hauling equipment in. Naturally I was there to help my students, so initially I just set my equipment down outside and wandered the site. It was clear we were being made very welcome and so the class started to explore. The light was often dim, the detail intriguing, with dust, metal, wood and tools everywhere.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It was one of those situations where space was tight, light was low and interesting collections of objects and form could be seen from almost everywhere.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At first I wandered and simply cranked up the ISO to be able to handle the low light. It soon became abundantly clear that only a serious approach with tripod and long exposure would have any chance of rendering the complexities of the scene and depth.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In other words, it was an opportunity, that done casually would be useless, and done right might be quite nice. So I did what I knew I should do, grabbed the tripod, the remote release, locked the mirror up, lowered the ISO and went for the long exposures at whatever aperture was needed for the depth of the scene. Of course, rather than guess, I tried to calculate the necessary depth, and use no smaller aperture than required.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The exposures were in the 30 second range, the aperture often f16 or f22, but I kept checking with every shot what I actually needed with near/far, rack the focus method of determining the ideal focusing point, guessing at the needed depth, then checking with the depth of field preview button and capture inspection.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It was another Maine Media Workshops outing with wonder and great curiosity.</font></p>
<p><font size="2">
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120619_foundry_0038.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="500" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Richardson Foundry. Camden ME. 2012</font></font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tripod</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mirror lock up with Remote Release</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Low ISO to drive exposure long rather than noise up (long exposure noise reduction on)</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/tutorials-depth-field.html">near/far, rack the focus method</a> of determining the ideal focusing point</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Needed Aperture estimate</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Depth of Field Preview to check on depth</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Image inspection by Zooming in on the Camera LCD</font></li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-53926787886299958592012-07-13T10:22:00.001-07:002012-07-13T10:22:46.566-07:00The View From Here - July 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/120614-Eastman Johnson1a.jpg" alt="trees" width="475" vspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong></strong><font size="1">Steve Lecturing at the George Eastman House Museum of Photography. June 2012.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A Full Few Weeks of Travel, Teaching and Plunges into Photo Technology and History</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I've been on a bit of a whirlwind these past few weeks and been anxious to sit down and write about some of the experiences. Hopefully writing about them will sort them out, as the memories are already starting to run together and form non-linear associations that have more to do with inspirations than linear story telling.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The first stop on my recent trip was an honor of a lifetime, lecturing at the <a href="http://www.eastmanhouse.org/museum/history.php">George Eastman House Museum</a> in Rochester NY. It was a real high to be coming into such a prestigious institution to talk about my national parks work "<a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/parks-home.html">With a New Eye</a>."</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Introduction to the talk by Eastman House Director of Communications Eliza Kozlowski can be found <a href="http://www.artistsforchange.com/media/GEH-talk-intro.mp4">here</a>. We'll be working on the video of the full talk.</font> </p>
<p align="left">
<a href="http://www.artistsforchange.com/media/GEH-talk-introQT.mov" target="_self" rel="qtposter" jscontroller="true">
<img src="http://www.artistsforchange.com/media/GEH-talk-intro/Resources/GEH-talk-intro.jpg" width="474" height="290" alt="GEH-talk-intro"/></a>
<br>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">QuickTime link of the Introduction to Steve's Lecture at the George Eastman House. June 2012.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We shipped in a few big prints which were shown briefly at a Welcoming Reception at the Image City Gallery, then in the foyer of the theater at the Eastman House. A season record breaker for attendance gave me quite a boost as so many old friends from Kodak came by to say hello. I believe the talk went well and we will be preparing a video from the footage, slide show stills and the audio made by the Eastman House.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/201200613-imagecity.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></font></strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Image City Gallery Reception. Rochester, NY. June 2012.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After Rochester and the Eastman House talk, we drove across New York state through southern Vermont and New Hampshire to our two weeks of classes at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Maine</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My annual two weeks of classes for the Maine Media Workshops were yet another pleasure of people and place. The first week was a field work and editing class, the second a printing class. A few people stayed for both, which is ideal. Although teaching all day for two weeks straight is a challenge, the friends I make and the work I get to see and aid continues to be a wonderful spinoff of the classes.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The first evening of the class we (my partner Fiona, friend and fellow instructor Bobbi Lane, her assistant Lena, and my student Bill Filip) were invited out on the <a href="http://www.appledore2.com/">Appledore</a>, a local 86 foot schooner, for a sunset cruise which started out the two weeks with a real Maine coast immersion. We happened to be the only clients that evening and got to not only enjoy the sea and sunset, but also got to steer a bit.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120618_maine_0217.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0"></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font></strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
Fiona Sailing the Appledore. Camden Maine. 2012..</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/Maine-Vision-2012-IMG_3295.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0"><br>
<br>
</font></strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><a href="http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/galleries/vision-craft-perfecting-photograph/2012-06-17">Vision and Craft: Perfecting the Photograph</a> Class. Maine Media Workshops. 2012..</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My lecture at the workshops this year was a slide show of my Exquisite Earth 1 show set to music, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fantasia-on-theme-by-thomas/id36787213?i=36787224">Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams</a>. Although I did a short introduction and follow-up, this was quite a departure for me, as I rarely just show the work. It was refreshing and curiously gave me a different perspective on this emerging body of work.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/Maine-2012-038_Class_01.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
</font></font></strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><a href="http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/galleries/printing-photographic-beauty/2012-06-24">Printing Photographic Beauty</a> Class. Maine Media Workshops. 2012. Reid Elem.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Maine Media Workshops experience is always such a great mixture of disciplines, ages and projects all going on simultaneously that it continues to be a rich and rewarding part of my summer.</font>
<table width="496" border="0" cellpadding="10">
<tr>
<td width="200" valign="top"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120615_maine_0202.jpg"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120615_maine_0202.jpg" alt="postpile" width="200""
border="0)" align="top"></a></font></strong></font> </td>
<td width="250" valign="top"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/Aldrin_Apollo_11.jpg"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/Aldrin_Apollo_11.jpg" alt="postpile" width="250"" border="0" align="top"></a><strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></strong><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></font></strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Left: Steve getting to hold one of the Hasselblad cameras like Neil Armstrong used to take the photograph above of Buzz Aldrin at the Apollo 11 landing site. The same design was used on every lunar landing through the final flight of Apollo 17.</font></font></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Eastman House Archive</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The art and technology collections of the <a href="http://www.eastmanhouse.org/">Eastman House</a> amazes me with every visit. This time we took the time to look at some of the historical processes collections, including some <a href="http://www.geh.org/fm/mismis/htmlsrc26/dagmania_sld00001.html">Daguerreotypes</a>, ambrotypes and tintypes. Autochromes are always on my must see list as well and I saw my first 8x10 Autochrome on this trip. Many thanks to archivist Joe Struble for taking the time to show us so many beautiful pieces. I didn't know at the time that this experience would end up inspiring some work two weeks later in Maine.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There were a couple of special treats to this visit, Alfred Stieglitz's 8x10 Eastman View Camera given to the museum by Georgia O'Keefe (used for his <a href="http://www.geh.org/fm/stieglitz/htmlsrc/stieglitz_sum00003.html">Equivalences</a> series and Georgia's <a href="http://www.geh.org/fm/stieglitz/htmlsrc/m196701200009_ful.html">Hands Portraits</a>), Ansel Adam's first Brownie, and the specially designed <a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11-hass.html">Hasselblad 500EL</a> made for the Apollo program and the moon landings.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The second week in Maine, my partner <a href="http://www.artistsforchange.com/fiona/fiona.html">Fiona McDonnell</a> (inspired by the collections we saw at the Eastman House) helped out with a Wet-Plate Collodian class and learned how to make tintype and wet-plate negatives from instructor <a href="http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/photography/collodion-process">Jill Enfield</a> who ran a fine and inspiring class.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/Fiona-Wetplate-tree.gif" alt="wet-plate" width="475"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</font></strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"><br>
Birch Tree. Rockport Maine. Wet-plate Collodian Negative. Fiona McDonnell. 2012.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Fireworks and the 4th.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120704_fireworks_0080.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"></strong></font></font></p>
<p><br>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Like most of us, I love seeing fireworks, but once again this 4th of July, the scene I witnessed being out watching the fireworks was the photograph that stuck with me. It was the nearly full moon rising over the hills to the east of my studio with the broken clouds forming what seemed like a celestial nebula.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Tidbits</b></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A few things I would like you to keep in mind...</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We'll be going back to the eastern Sierra for a 7 day trek along its dramatic escarpment and into the White Mountains with their ancient Bristlecone pines. This is one of my favorite areas of California and allows me to link the high country of Yosemite to Mono Lake and the Owens Valley. The area is deeply embedded in my early years of landscape photography and often feels like a sojourn home.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20110825_white-mountains_0122-123.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular">White Mountains. 2011.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-69868938356875631472012-06-11T14:33:00.000-07:002012-06-11T14:33:59.197-07:00Tutorial - Photoshop CS6, RAW and HDR<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Photoshop CS6, RAW and HDR</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Camera RAW 7 Can Now Decode HDR Encoded Multiple Bracketed Exposures</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As I mentioned last month, with the release of Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6, we now have a power in Adobe RAW processors to hold shadow and highlight detail like never before. Their new <b>Black, Shadow, White</b> and<b> Highlight </b>sliders essentially allow you to smoothly narrow the dynamic range of the capture through the RAW interpreter.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Photoshop's HDR ability to <b>Merge to HDR</b> Pro multiple bracketed exposures into a floating point 32 bit per channel file has long been in place. Adding the <b>Remove Ghosts</b> function to the encoding function a few years ago really helped manage misalignment of moving objects in the set. The main problem with the Merge to HDR feature was in the conversion from these encoded HDR files into a useable 16 bit/channel (normal) file. Previously, it was just very hard to manage the look and feel into something natural while transforming the image from this high bit depth state.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now we have support for HDR conversion built right into the Adobe RAW processor with Camera RAW 7 and Lightroom 4. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The procedure is rather simple. Just save the open HDR integrated file as a TIFF (turn on support for TIFF in Camera RAW Preferences) or DNG, and <i>poof,</i> magic, you can now convert your HDR encoded files via the familiar RAW interface with all of the controls you are already accustomed to.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This has dramatically increased my use of HDR and the usability of the files themselves.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You can download a free 30-day trial of Adobe Photoshop CS6 <a href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop">here</a>.</font></p></td>
<td valign="top"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/cr7HDR.jpg"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/cr7HDR.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"></a><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Adobe's New RAW Processor in Camera RAW 7 Transforming and HDR TIFF</font></font></td>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-57082855841324568792012-06-11T13:27:00.000-07:002012-06-11T13:27:52.731-07:00The View From Here - June 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/another-bridge-bw.jpg" alt="trees" width="475" vspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong></strong><font size="1">San Francisco and the Golden Gate from the Marin Headlands. 1994.<br>
<a href="http://www.betterlight.com/">Betterlight Scanning Bac</a>k.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A Summer of Photography, Educaion, Travel and Tasks</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm thinking through the summer ahead, of the places I'll be going and the tasks where progress can be made.The travels often come from my speaking engagements, the tasks from what I now may feel empowered to do, and some are long overdue. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The tasks can seem endless, and however carefully I plan, they are rarely caught up nor central to my photographic motivations or inspirations. Many are business related, some are purely photographic in this digital age, but just tasks. Some critical. The business of the arts, is fundamentally different than making art.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Trips</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I almost feel as though I've been on the road already with many recent visits to the Golden Gate, but it is only 15 miles from my studio. Showing people around and the 75th Anniversary of the Bridge were the supposed reasons, but an impulse to just walk across the Golden Gate Bridge one evening was acted upon and really enjoyed. It was a real reminder of how we take things nearby for granted, and shouldn't.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The first trip comes next week as I head off to Rochester for a June 14th. lecture at the<a href="http://www.eastmanhouse.org/museum/history.php"> George Eastman House International Photography Museum</a>. I must say, I'm deeply honored to be invited to lecture there. I'm speaking on my national parks project, <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/parks-home.html"><i>With a New Eye</i></a>, and looking forward to describing my journey and the remarkable results I was able to hold. <a href="http://www.imagecityphotographygallery.com/">Image City Gallery </a>will also host a reception for me on the evening of June 13. If you're in the area, please come see us.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Next, onto the northeast where I'll be teaching for two weeks at the Maine Media Workshops, a field workshop </font> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/photography/vision-craft-perfecting-photograph">Vision & Craft: Perfecting the Photograph</a> June 18-22, 2012, and the</font> <font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/photography/printing-photographic-beauty">Printing Photographic Beauty</a> course running June 24-30, 2012</font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">. I've been teaching in Maine for a few weeks each summer for over a decade now. It is a part of my summer experience that I have come to treasure. The landscape shift, the weather, the community of the Maine Media Workshops, all part of a great experience.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In August I'll be off to Michigan to speak at the<a href="http://www.swmccc.org/WeekendOfPhotography.html"> Southwestern Michigan Council of Camera Clubs photo conference</a> and explore more of the Lake Michigan shoreline and dunes.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20110825_white-mountains_0122-123.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular">White Mountains. 2011.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Later in August we'll be going back to the eastern Sierra for a 7 day trek along its dramatic escarpment and into the White Mountains with their ancient Bristlecone pines. This is one of my favorite areas of California and allows me to link the high country of Yosemite to Mono Lake and the Owens Valley. The area is deeply embedded in my early years of landscape photography and often feels like a sojourn home.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-land-east-sierra.html">High and Eastern</a><br>
A High Sierra, Owens Valley, and White Mountains Photography Workshop</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" color="#000000"><br>
<b>August 19-25, 2012</b></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Projects</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/blu_ray_logo.jpg" alt="ps6CR7hdr" width="125" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"></strong></font></font></p>
<p><br>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">On photographic tasks, I am readying a big archive project with Blu-ray Gold disks to back-up all of my hard drive archives onto what I now believe to be a stable media. So far, the project is starting off well with both 25gb and 50gb double layer disks. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The latest push to move forward on the project is the availability of gold disks which are just now coming onto the market. I consider the gold reflective layer to be one of the critical factors in building a reasonably stable archive of disks on an additional technology to hard drives, without their mechanical risks and fragile directory structure.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As I have mentioned earlier, I will keep updating the newsletter as I gain experience and confidence in the project</font>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20110826_lonepine_0117.jpg" alt="postpile" width="475"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular">Alabama Hills. 2011</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Printing and the Evolution of Vision and Skill</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Its funny, and fascinating, the way our vision of the possible just keeps expanding. It is partially due to this high technology medium that the recording and rendering of light has evolved into, but it is also a measure, I hope, of continued growth in aesthetics and at least in an individual maturing of vision and craft.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'll be 57 this year, and for many that may seem young, for others nearly ancient, but having worked in the arts for more than 40 years, you might think I would know exactly what I want to do to and how to do it. It really hasn't worked that way for me. My aspirations keep growing, as do my skills, I still learn so much in the process of asking more and more of my work.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This has certainly been influenced by the opportunities I've had to push the technology forward. I've been consulting on the development of printers, printer technology, software development and printing papers for almost 20 years. That has given me a chance to tackle and help solve many of the very issues that stood in my way, and tackle new ones as they were revealed or developed with the evolving technologies.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I have had confidence in my printing and my judgment as to what a print can be for a very long time. But it is also true that my prints are getting better. I am making the best prints of my life, and I am very proud of them.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is not to say that my relentless pursuit of perfection has been achieved, but it is quite a profound feeling of satisfaction to be able to make prints that rise so high on my level of satisfaction. It makes me anxious to see the work 20 years from now, as I assume this process will only continue.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are still some issues I want to address and the real world so beautifully rich...</font></p>
<hr>
<p></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Tidbits</b></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A few things I would like you to keep in mind...</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Virtual Education: </b>Our <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/virtual-consulting.html">Virtual Consulting</a> and <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/mentor-program.html">Mentoring Program</a> is working well. Readers of this Newsletter can still get a discount by mentioning this reference when you enroll.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our <b>One on One Program</b> links you up with Steve at his bay area studio, or when he is on the road near you. Keep an eye on when Steve will be near your town.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Catch Steve Live:</b> Steve will be speaking here and there around the country over the next few months, June in NY, late June in Maine, early August in MI.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Some other opportuniities to see Steve follow the Viewpoint Gallery invitation below.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/ViewpointReception.jpg"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/ViewpointReception.jpg" alt="viewpoint" width="475"" border="0"></a></strong></font></font><br>
</p>
<ul><li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Exhibition Opening</b>: Friday June 8, 2012 5:30-8pm<br>
<a href="https://www.viewpointgallery.org/exhibit/david-gardner-marking-our-place-world-and-stephen-johnsonthe-exquisite-earth-portfolio-and-s">Viewpoint Gallery, Sacramento, CA</a><br>
Exquisite Earth Portfolio and Selected Works by Stephen Johnson exhibiting with David Gardner</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Lecture: With a New Eye<br>
</b><a href="http://www.eastmanhouse.org/museum/history.php">George Eastman House.</a><br>
Rochester, NY<br>
<b>Thursday June 14, 2012. 6pm</b></font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><a href="http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/photo">Maine Media Workshops</a> Artists Lecture</b><br>
Rockport, ME<br>
<b>June 26, 2012</b><br>
</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.swmccc.org/WeekendOfPhotography.html"><b>Summer Weekend of Photography and Digital Imaging</b></a> <br>
Southwestern Michigan Council of Camera Clubs<br>
Hope College,
Holland, MI <br>
<b>Saturday August 4, 2012</b><br>
<b>Workshop: 9-11am, Artist's Lecture: 7:30pm</b></font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Keynote at <b>PSA International Conference of Photography</b><br>
South San Francisco. September 20, 2012.</font></li>
</ul>
<blockquote><blockquote><p align="right"> </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-25764165699829295242012-06-07T17:20:00.000-07:002012-06-07T17:20:06.343-07:00Tutorial - Photoshop CS6 and RAW<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Photoshop CS6 and RAW</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)</font></p>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Control of Highlight and Shadows, for Real</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">With the release of Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6, we now have a power in Adobe RAW processors to hold shadow and highlight detail like never before. Their new Black, Shadow, White and Highlight sliders essentially allow you to smoothly narrow the dynamic range of the capture through the RAW interpreter.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This has already enabled me to "rescue" high dynamic range images that really did have critical detail locked up at both ends of the histogram. In some cases it has already worked better than combining an HDR set, making me able to do more with a single, albeit difficult capture, than with a set of bracketed exposures as candidates for HDR.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is a capability I've been asking for many years, and I had even sketched out various ways of handling the interface for Adobe, so I am delighted to have this power in place. It is a huge step forward for my RAW processing.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My general methodology on a very contrasty photograph is to move both the Black and Shadow sliders up, and the White and Highlight sliders down, to generally lower the contrast of the interpretation and getting control over the extremes of the encoded raw data. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I then fine tune the blacks and whites to only as much shadow lightening as is really needed, and the highlights to only as much highlight darkening as needed. This can easily yield a somewhat gray interpretation, but that is fine with me as I always emphasize that I use the RAW processor to reveal and preserve information, moving it toward what I want the photograph to look like. I leave the heavy lifting of real image editing to the powerhouse of control and finesse that is Photoshop. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Here is one example of both default (contrasty) processing and one customized as I've described.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You can download a free 30-day trial of Adobe Photoshop CS6 <a href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop">here</a>.</font></p><br>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/cs6-CR7-tone.jpg" alt="ps6CR7" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Adobe's New RAW Processor Interface in Camera RAW's Basic Tab</font><br>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/cr7-default.jpg" alt="ps6CR7" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"></a></strong></font><strong><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Camera RAW Processor in Default mode letting high contrast go.</font></font></p><br>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/cr7-custom.jpg" alt="ps6CR7" width="475" hspace="5"" border="0" align="top"></a></strong></font><strong><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Camera RAW Processor in Custom mode with highlights and shadows now accessible.</font><strong><br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-22941543187030378662012-06-07T17:13:00.001-07:002012-06-07T17:20:31.308-07:00The View From Here - May 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/fitz-trees.jpg" alt="trees" width="475" vspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong></strong><font size="1">Trees, Fitzgerald Reserve. 2004.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Highway One Coastal Gems</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thinking about the <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-land-smcoast2012.html">Highway One San Francisco South workshop</a> coming up, naturally made me think about times along the coast and some of places I return to again and again. There are so many gems along the way, but a few do stick out, and we will be spending time in some of those during the workshop.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For those of you in the Bay Area, or visitors to California, take these places in when you can.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One of my favorite places along the coast is the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in
Moss Beach. Named for the former county supervisor who helped create its
protected status, James Fitzgerald, the reserve is mostly known for its great tide pools
and wide variety of species.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">However, as a photographer, it is the scenic qualities of the place that keep me coming back. The forest on the cliffs above the tide-pools are what stay in my mind. A beautiful long stand of cypress trees lines the east side
of the rise running roughly north and south. Most of the cliff top is covered in a
forest of straight and tall Monterey pines, contrasting beautifully with the reach of
the cypress.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Crossing San Vicente Creek SW of the parking lot leads to trails extending
through a maze of trees, some fallen, and vines, including such diverse oddities
as palms, german ivy and pampas grass. The trail can be looped south down to
the beach, past the old foundation of the Smith-Doelger homesite from the early
1900s. It is a short 1.2 mile walk along the cliffside, down the beach and circling
back to the parking lot via a walkway along the creek.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Views to the south include the well known Moss Beach Distillery and Seal Cove,
to the north the mountains and cliffs of Montara mountain, Devil's Slide and on a
clear day even Pt. Reyes stretching out to sea from Marin county.
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The reserve exists because of tide-pools and marine life. The sea life drew
people here longer than recorded history. What is believed to be a stone tool
dating back 5,700 years was discovered here in 1994. People gathering seafood,
researchers amazed at the biological diversity, and visitors simply fascinated by
the unique glimpse into tidal life have been coming here for the last hundred
years. I certainly came to know the place much better by bringing my children
here many times.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Marine life is the heart of the reserve, including anemones, and sea urchins. Over
25 new marine species have been observed at the reserve, several of which are only
found at Fitzgerald. Wildlife flying and swimming through the area include California sea lions, harbor
seals, and many birds including Great Blue Herons, egrets, terns, and
gulls.<br>
</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20110327_fitzgerald-reserve_0007.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong>Trentepohlia, Fitzgerald Reserve. 2011.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the late 19th century by German immigrant Juergen Wienke built The Moss
Beach Hotel here. He built a successful business, drawing tourists to the area,
and planted the many cypress trees seen there today. The Ocean Shore Railroad
brought more people after it reached the area in 1908. The Hotel flourished until
burning down in 1911. The Reefs restaurant was built before World War I by
Charley Nye who also made a successful business here. The Reefs was
destroyed by storms in 1931, then later rebuilt further up the hill as Reefs II.
</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/fitzgerald-C9SP0884.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
</strong></font></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cliffs, Pebble Beach.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In response to increasing damage to the area from visitation, motorcycles on the
cliffs, cars on the beach and other high impact issues, the county created
the reserve in 1969. Naturalist Bob Breen was hired and made a huge difference in the
preservation, and understanding of the reserve</font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today the reserve is blessed with and endures 130,000 visitors annually and in
the classic challenge of public conservation projects, is being loved to death by
such high visitation.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Good resources on the reserve can be found on the web at:<br>
</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.fitzgeraldreserve.org/reserve.html">Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve</a><br>
</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/Attachments/parks/Files/Park Maps in PDF/Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Park Map.pdf">Map</a></font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CI0BEBYwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.co.sanmateo.ca.us%2Fvgn-ext-templating%2Fv%2Findex.jsp%3Fvgnextoid%3D8a6bc8909231e110VgnVCM1000001d37230aRCRD%26cpsextcurrchannel%3D1&ei=cTatT_2DJIiTiAKT9JiTBw&usg=AFQjCNEXHmEKyEXmJWCfc2CRe1sgb_4yIQ">San Mateo County Parks link</a></font></li>
</ul>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20080106-SanMateoCoast-001.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Brush and Hillside, Stage Road. 2008</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Stage Road and Pescadero</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The hills and farms along the old Stage Road leading into Pescadero is one of my country road retreats. I love the wander, the hills, the views, all so close to the coast, leading to an entirely different view of the Bay Area.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The San Gregorio Store is a must stop along the way, as well Duarte's in Pescadero.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120510_coast_0012.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></font></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Butano Redwoods</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Redwood forests of 2800 acre Butano Redwood State Park keep drawing me back, into another world of a coastal rainforest with towering trees, banana slugs, creeks and ferns. The trails take you into a forest of redwoods on the hills, with fern lined creeks cutting through the lowlands.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/butano-C9SP0893.jpg" alt="lobos" height="400" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong></font></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Butano Creek. 2008</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although most of the park is second growth redwoods, some huge old growth trees remain. The park is drained by Butano creek, a name apparently derived from local native American stories as “a gathering place for friendly visits.”</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120510_coast_0004.jpg" alt="butano" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong>Butano State Park. 2012 </font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is a magical place, where light is constantly scattering through the trees which sway in the wind and make their own creeky stand up sound. It smells like a forest, where life and decay are in a constant dance of renewal.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/pebble-pano.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
</strong></font></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cliffs, Pebble Beach.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pebble Beach (Bean Hollow State Reserve)</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One of my favorite places anywhere is Pebble State Beach on Highway One near Pescadero. The tide pools, pebble beach and small bay are great. But the unearthly landscape of rocks is almost beyond belief in their abstraction and sensuality. Among the formations, a unique erosion pattern called tafoni is scattered about the the more sensual sandstone forms.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The beach is a great place to watch wildlife as well, from harbor seals, pelicans and the life-filled tide pools. On a field trip many years ago, one of my photo classes was blessed with a breaching whale, just offshore. Whether or not on the workshop, it is a place one must go!</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120510_coast_0056-58.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
<br>
</strong></font></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rocks, Pebble Beach</font></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-28008610202624482712012-04-18T12:46:00.001-07:002012-04-18T12:46:58.047-07:00Tutorial - Digital Black and White: Part 2<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Digital Black and White: Part 2</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <i><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html">Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography</a></i> unreleased revised electronic version)</font></p><br>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Printing Black and White Digitally</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I fell in love with photography largely because of the beauty of a black-and-white gelatin-silver print. I have now mostly abandoned that darkroom approach in favor of digital printing. However, my darkroom equipment remains, with lots of paper in the freezer. The digital era created a bit of a black and white limbo-land, but some very beautiful solutions are now in hand.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Inevitably, we compare our black and white results to traditional printing methods, whether gelatin-silver or platinum. A digital inkjet-based print is a different animal—one that can chase the look and feel of other mediums and that has its own unique aesthetic potential. The path you go down is of your own choosing; I'm finding it difficult not to pursue many as I try to understand what I want out of a black-and-white print in this digital age.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Black-and-white printing is both necessary and difficult. It is critical to many of us for its sheer beauty and because the language of photography does not always require color. In fact, scenes are often strengthened without color, relying instead on black and white’s inherent increased abstraction.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Digital printers are designed mainly to print color. Many twists and turns in gray balance and tricks to human perception are employed to make the highly capable color printers we now have. But many of those very improvisations have made printing neutral black-and-white prints very challenging. It is also true that most of us would prefer to have only one printer, one that will print our color and black and white equally well. This was very hard to do for a long time.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Various ways have been developed to creatively adapt to black and white challenges: substituting the printer’s color inks with black and grays (even 6 or 7 grays with black), elaborating workarounds to avoid a printer’s default color processing, or adding gray inks to the color set. All worked to some degree. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Black Gray Custom Inksets were a common solution to digital black and white inkjet printing for a long time, but have now been replaced by good options from the printing manufacturers themselves, Epson, HP and Canon. We now have a substantial effort by the printer companies to do great color, long life, plus added gray inks to the 6 color photo sets making for a dramatic versatility and stunning results.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Gray Ink Plus Color</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Epson Ultrachrome K3 (on selected Epson printers)</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hewlett-Packard: Verio color, plus extra black and grays (on selected HP printers)</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Canon: Lucia inkset of 6 color plus grays</font></li>
</ul>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The basic operation for all of these black and white driver controls is to start with what the manufacturer has determined to be neutral black and white printing, then enable us as users to customize the appearance through trying minimize or create color casts. Additional controls are often offered for overall density, and in some drivers shadow and highlight tonality.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As in so many of the these cases, allowing a little time, experimentation, good notes and <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/Quadtone_Print_Test.jpg">test sheets</a> are very helpful to the process.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Issues with Black-and-White Printing</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Software: How do you preview and control the printing?</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Neutrality<br>
-Paper/ink combinations produce image color variations.<br>
-Viewing conditions and color temperature of light influence neutrality of most black/gray ink combinations.</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Density<br>
-Comparison to silver usually results in inkjet not quite coming up to a similarly rich black.</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Longevity<br>
-How long will these inks last on which papers?<br>
-How are they tested, by whom, according to what standards?</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Paper<br>
-Rag papers hearken back to platinum printing and births an altogether new look.<br>
-Glossy looks more like traditional silver prints.</font></li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Black inks for matte and glossy paper<br>
-New Inks from Epson and others.<br>
-Photo Black for glossy papers. Matte Black formulated for matte papers, extra need for black density.</font> </li>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Print Drivers/Control<br>
-Black/Gray Ink Printing Software<br>
-RIPs (raster image processors): software to translate your data into the printer’s format.</font>
<ul>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">ImagePrint RIP, Best Color, etc.<br>
Replacement Drivers: QuadTone RIP</font></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
ImagePrint<br>
<a href="http://www.colorbytesoftware.com/">ImagePrint</a> is software for printing, featuring wide printer model support and profiles for color and black-and-white prints using color, gray inks, and supporting image tints. It includes an extensive library of downloadable profiles supporting a wide variety of papers and viewing conditions. Very neutral black-and-white prints are possible as well as image tints and split-toning. By supplying direct and beautiful solutions to black and white printing, ImagePrint has made a significant contribution to digital black and white photography.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">ImagePrint includes traditional RIP features like scaling, nesting, and crop marks with extensive print correction controls for color, tone, saturation, and resolution are all built-in.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">QuadTone RIP<br>
A number of ink-makers and interested third-party developers have offered black-and-white printing solutions as well. The <a href="http://www.quadtonerip.com">Quadtone RIP</a> appears as another printer and if driven by tone color curves for different printers, papers, inkset for color tone, cool, neutral to warm. They can be mixed in various ways and is extremely versatile but requires experimentation.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/epson3800ABW.jpg" alt="epson3800ABW" width="450" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">Epson Advanced Black and White Print Controls
</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/HP3200Gray.jpg" alt="hp3200BW" width="274" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
<br>
</strong></font><font size="1">HP Z3200 Grayscale Print Controls </font></font></p>
<p align="left"> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/quad3800.jpg" alt="quad3800" width="350" hspace="5"" border="0" align="middle"><br>
</strong><font size="1"> <br>
Quadtone RIP Print Controls</font></font></p>
<p align="left"> </p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tutorial with Related Subjects:</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Black and White Conversion from Color</font>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-50141611175592642642012-04-18T12:40:00.000-07:002012-04-18T12:40:17.884-07:00The View From Here - April 2012<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/sales/Previews/Kenai.jpg" alt="pad39b" width="475" vspace="5"" border="0" align="top" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"><br>
</strong></strong><font size="1">For all of the magic this photograph conveys to me, it still pales in comparison to what I saw. <br>
Exit Glacier and Tundra. Kenai Fjords, Alaska. 1995.<br>
from <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/parks-home.html">With a New Eye: The Digital National Parks Project.</a></font></font></p><br>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>THE VIEW FROM HERE<br>
by
Stephen Johnson</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our Eyes, Our Hearts, Our Photographs</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We photograph because we see something of beauty, irony, human emotion, and countless other specific scenes of wonder and curiosity. Our eyes take in the visuals, our ears and skin various levels of ambiance, and we pull camera to eye and try to hold an impression of the light.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We often want to imbue the photograph with far more than was literally, visually there, and that is not surprising as human aspirations know few limits. We also want the recorded image to capture not just the moment and the electro-optical capabilities we set in the camera, but also we want our memories held. Those memories are assembled from the many moments spent looking around, taking in the scene and stimulating our desire to hold it in some way.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Challenges</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are a number of challenges along the way to this idea of bearing witness to what we see. Many of them are not specific photographic challenges, but tied deeper to all sorts of reasons we want to remember and share. Breaking some of those issues down a bit seemed worth a bit of effort for the essay this month.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For most of us, some level of beauty perceived and beauty rendered is at the core. Sometimes this is also the strange context of the word beauty as in something disturbing held and rendered with high craft and perception.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Whether color nuances or a myriad of other technical issues, and for all its pleasure, photography ties aspiration to product, experience to fixed rendition.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Color Accuracy</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One challenge we face as photographers in love with the beauty of the natural world, is the depth and purity of a real world color. Seen color is often very different indeed from the photographic rendering. As unbelievable as the glacial blue I've managed to capture in some of my photographs, it pales in comparison to the real world experience of seeing that ice in reality.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are many reasons for color misinterpretation, light sources and real-world nuance are some, the capacity of the cameras to hold the real light and color another.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Some color issues relate to the camera design, and its ability to process the color correctly. The silicon sensors in digital cameras are very sensitive to infrared, some IR cutoff filters on cameras are particularly aggressive and can render near IR visible color incorrectly, as in purple flowers being rendered cyanish blue. Other errors can be introduced with the JPG processing assumptions on-board. This needs to be noticed and corrected by editing the jpeg or watched through the RAW interpretation process to make sure the color is interpreted properly.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I always carry my <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/graycap.html">Gray Caps</a>, and my <a href="http://xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?ID=1257">ColorChecker Passport</a> so that I can photograph known colors, in the light that I am working in, with the same lens and exposure, to give me a reference point to process the color in the RAW file. This might be a simple white point adjustment by neutralizing the gray to identical RGB values, to making a new custom profile with the ColorChecker Passport software.</font></p>
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<iframe width="475" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ppTrTBaBWF0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1">A Photoshop CS6 Video Edit of some color misrendering of purple flowers in Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2012.</font></font>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are other issues less related to photography and more to the totality of the experience, our being there, the smell, the being outdoors, the taste of the air, the exhilaration of being in the world, none of which is directly able to be photographed. It is an ambitious goal, meant for something far more than light capturing devices.</font>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Memory and a Single Light Capture</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We also have the element of our memory of the experience accumulating over a period of time, not a slice of a second of a camera's shutter. I call this experience the concatenation of memory. Photographically we end up wanting a single moment's image, based only on light to hold a stream of experience that we lived. Even without overtly thinking of motion or time passing that might suggest video, we assemble a mental image of memory from all of our glances around the scene, exploring the photographic possibilities, and want to hold them.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Memories of a place, even a specific scene, are built-up from dozens of glances. Our eyes refocusing, iris opening and closings, detail being noticed and mentally zoomed in upon, all of which ask the resulting photographs to encode these very diverse and wondrous memories into a single, two dimensional light-based captured moment. It is daunting.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Depth of Focus</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For me, this dilemma suggests a number of approaches. One of which is to try to render the scene as much in focus as possible. I've never been a fan of selective focus. No matter what I glance at in the real world, it snaps into focus because that is how our eyes work. We focus on where we are looking. My own values regarding focus are much more closely linked with the heritage of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_f/64">Group f64</a>. So my agenda is to always pay sufficient attention to discovering the ideal focus point and aperture to achieve the depth of field the image needs. As I've discussed elsewhere, this is rarely solved by just stopping down the lens and hoping, but rather through careful calculation and evaluation.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mixed Light</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shadows and highlights in the same photograph can sometimes look very strange in the rendered file. Your up front experience was able to experience both, remember both, but then you have to deal with overly blue or overly warm renditions of a whole. There are times when the rendered scene demands modifying one or the other to match your dominant memory or what you now judge to look realistic. As neither is completely wrong or right, this is a fascinating dilemma. Sometimes easing off on both extremes of color adjustment to find a middle ground can work. Most often the scene is balanced for the brightest light, and any out of the ordinary overly blue shadows can be de-saturated a bit if their realism becomes a question. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Implication and Hope</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In order for photography to be a means of communication, the subject matter must be light, by definition. It is amazing how often we expect an image to convey our feelings, perhaps because we felt something so strongly at the time we made the photograph. And that meaning may always be re-conveyed to us as our memories are triggered. With an audience, it can be much trickier. As the language of the medium is light, and we often hope for word based ideas to come through, we often ask of the medium qualities it is simply not capable of carrying.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are some images though, so unique in the power of their human appeal of emotion, with very strong visceral reactions, that can generate all sorts of responses. They may not be specific ideas, but deep emotion does seem to be at the heart of our photographic medium's capabilities.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I frequently tell students you can't photograph ideas, but you can capture emotion. Words and meanings like nostalgia are elusive, and that you cannot depend upon your words being in the photograph you make. On the other hand, photography is such a remarkable and challenging medium that you can record things that are not even literally there by most reality standards, like a shadow.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We hope to communicate with our photographs, but that is often through implication and allusion, rather than literal meaning, even while we may hope for far more. That hope can be limiting though, our own intent may contain less than someone else might take from and bring to it, even as the image may contain less literal meaning than we may hope for. It is curious.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One of the attributes of most visual art is the ability to make something visually strong, but simultaneously somewhat ambiguous, giving the viewer a wide range of possible emotional reactions. This can sometimes take our own creations into realms we never imagined. This might be the best of all worlds.</font><br>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20120403_sierraclub-book_0002.jpg" alt="lobos" width="350" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sierra Club Exhibit-Format Series Photography Books</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Browsing a used bookstore in Half Moon Bay, I came across one of the exhibit-format series books <a href="http://wildnesswithin.com/drb.html">David Brower </a>put together for the Sierra Club in the 1960s. This one, the 9th in the series, the 1964 "The Sierra Nevada Gentle Wilderness," was a first edition for $20. I've got too many books, but I bought it after a moment of thought and my friendship with Dave, a few people on the Club's Publishing Committee such as Ansel Adams and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Litton_%28environmentalist%29">Martin Litton</a>. Martin was still flying when I last saw him a couple of years ago, then about 85. He started wooden dory trips down the Colorado River in the 1970s, and I was lucky enough to be invited along on one of the last trips in 1989. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">These books were deeply influential on the environmental movement, photography's role in conversation and my own commitment to the natural landscapes of the earth.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/AmericanEarth-cover.jpg" alt="lobos" width="250" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></font></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The first book in the series was the 1960 "<a href="http://www.wildnesswithin.com/americanearth.html">This is the American Earth</a>" by Ansel Adams and photo critic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Newhall">Nancy Newhall</a>. It was a deeply influential book.</font> </p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shortly thereafter "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" appeared featuring the work of Eliot Porter. It was a remarkable call for the preservation of the natural world.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I remember a time in the early 1980s at Friends of the Earth, Dave Brower showed me the original 3-ring binder containing Eliot's book proposal, with prints in sleeves and typed captions. I don't remember clearly how much text was in the binder, but I felt privileged to see and hold what I considered to be a treasure.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My friend Dave Bohn continued on with the 9th. installment of exhibit-format series in 1967 with the book "Glacier Bay: The Land and the Silence." It was a major influence on me years later. In 1979, I was introduced to Dave Brower who offered to help me with my "<a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/aml-home.html">At Mono Lake</a>" project through which we became friends. Dave Bohn also helped with the book, contributing a commentary, some photographs and some organizational finesse. A world started to open up for me that circled right back to some of the people who opened up my eyes to the power of photography to inspire people to save natural places.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Do you know these books? Which influenced you and how?</font><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <a href="mailto:info@sjphoto.com">Let us know.</a></font></p>
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<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Photoshop CS6: Better RAW and Video</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">With the release of the Photoshop CS6 Beta I can now talk about what I believe to be some of the significant new features.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">RAW<br>
</font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The increased power and smoothness of the RAW Processor is an important improvement. It is now possible to hold very high dynamic range captures and process them into a very useable form. The Recovery and Fill sliders have been replaced by new Shadow and Black sliders for the dark values being managed and White and Highlight sliders.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Aggressive use of Recovery and Fill in the past could produce an unusable banding between the extreme values held and the rest of the image. These new controls seem to give much more flexibility and not produce the banding, which is a major step forward for the program. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Since this is very close to what I've been asking for for some time, I am very pleased with the progress. Although Eric Chan already no doubt had a good idea where he was going with this part of the RAW Processing engine, it does make me feel great that the result is almost a mirror of what he and I talked about at a party in New York next to a big picture window at sunset overlooking lower Manhattan in 2010. Thanks Eric. And of course, as always a special thanks to Thomas Knoll and Zalman Stern.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/20101028_nyc_0002-5.jpg" alt="lobos" width="475" hspace="5" vspace="5"" border="0" onMouseDown="alert('This is a copyrighted photograph by Stephen Johnson, contact info@sjphoto.com for information on use rights.')"></strong></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The View Out the Window NYC, RAW and Dynamic Range Discussion. iphone photos. 2010.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This doesn't eliminate the need for HDR exposures in some cases, but if the scene can be captured by the camera, it is now much easier to render out extremes of contrast into a smooth and human rendition.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Video<br>
</font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The new video editor in CS6 makes editing and correcting small video projects almost a joy. With the comfort and power of Photoshop's familiar controls, I now feel empowered to do color and tone correction, generate titles and assemble cuts into a photographically based set of decisions. It is a kick to use and opens up many possibilities.</font></p>
<p><font size="2"><a href="http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/photoshopcs6.html"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Link to download the Photoshop CS6 Beta</font></a></font></p>
<iframe width="475" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gpuFLv83iuM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-41554927451016956782012-04-18T11:56:00.000-07:002012-04-18T11:56:11.991-07:00<br />
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April Special: A Free Print or Consult</div>
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Take our <b>Pt. Reyes Workshop</b> next weekend<b> </b>April 21-23,<b> </b>or the <b>Pt. Lobos/Carmel Workshop</b> coming up the following weekend, April 28-30, 2012 and you get your choice of a <b>Print of the Month</b> original signed photograph or a Coupon for a <b>One Hour Consulting with Steve</b> free with your enrollment!</div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/digital-photo-wksp-land-ptlobos2012.html">http://bit.ly/I33vP5</a></span></div>
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Students can choose either this month's <b>Featured Print from Pt. Lobos</b> or <b>One Hour of Consulting</b> (normally $250), in-person or virtual. The consulting might take the form of a color management tutorial customized to your needs and equipment.</div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/print_special_april_2012.html">http://bit.ly/Im95d0</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/virtual-consulting.html">http://bit.ly/JhTwUP</a></span></div>
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We’ve also posted some new videos on our <b>YouTube</b> page that might be useful to you. Be sure to “thumbs-up” the video if you do!</div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/sjphotosjphoto">http://bit.ly/I6tfIN</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169886634989404695.post-28890094908397740312012-04-06T15:03:00.000-07:002012-04-06T15:03:13.042-07:00Tutorial - Contrast Without Saturation Change<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TUTORIAL</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Contrast Without Saturation Change</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(excerpt from the book <a href="http://www.sjphoto.com/on-digital-photo-ann.html"><i>Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography unreleased revised electronic version</i></a>)</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Using <b>Adjustment Layers</b> to edit photographs in Photoshop is a wonderfully freeing and powerful way of working in a non-destructive manner. My most common edits involve small contrast changes in a <b>Curves</b> <b>Adjustment Layer</b>.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In color photographs, increasing the contrast will also likely lead to a perceptible increase in saturation when the <b>Adjustment Layer</b> is set for it's default <b>Norma</b>l Blend Mode. This can create an unnatural level of saturation when only a contrast change is being sought. The default Blend Mode, normal is just that, the normal blend mode which edits all three <b>grayscale</b> channels making up the <b>RGB</b> file in a way that also pushes the contrast, even if such a side-effect is not desired.</font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A simple change in the <b>Blend Mode</b> from <b>Normal</b> to <b>Luminosity</b> will eliminate this saturation change, imposing the curve as though the image was currently in the <b>LAB mode</b> where the grayscale brightness values can be edited separately from the color.</font></p>
<img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/CurveLayerNorm.jpg" alt="ps layer norm" width="308" border="0" align="top"><img src="http://www.sjphoto.com/CurveLayerLum.jpg" alt="ps layer lum" width="308" hspace="5" border="0" align="top"></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18176925884512373757noreply@blogger.com0