HDR Workshop with Hal Schmitt

Photo taken during Hal Schmitt's HDR Workshop.

This last Thursday and Friday, (1/27 and 1/28, 2011), I had the opportunity to take Hal Schmitt's workshop, "Photographing and Processing HDR Intensive", through Light Photographic Workshops in Los Osos, CA.

I first met Hal during the Kelby Photo Walk in August of 2010. Light Workshops had sponsored the walk in San Luis Obispo, near the Old Mission, and had noted in their information that this would be a good place for shooting HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography. I wasn't familiar with Hal, or the Photography school that he and his wife, Victoria own. I knew of the school when it belonged to George Lepp, but had never attended any of the workshops or classes.

While attending the Kelby Photowalk, I had quizzed Hal on some of the techniques he used for shooting HDR. Hal was forthright with his techniques for determining the proper capture of images for HDR. I knew by his approach and the way he could explain the process of shooting HDR, that if I ever was to take a workshop, he would be the instructor I would choose.

I had signed up for the California Photo Festival, sponsored by Light Workshops and had a great week of learning and photographing the Central Coast. However, I did not get the opportunity to take one of Hal's workshops. I did however take workshops and classes by a few of the well known instructors that were at the workshop. Hanson Fong, Rick Sammon, Jane Conner-Ziser and Jim DiVitale, were just a few of the instructors that I was able to learn from during the California Photo Fest. I learned much and have been able to take my photo processing skills to new personal levels.

So, last week, the opportunity came up to take Hal's HDR Intensive, and I decided to do so. I can tell you, this was one of the most informative photographic workshops I have ever taken, and I have taken many in past years by some of the worlds best photographers. What you may not know about me is that I am an information addict. I am that guy that reads instruction manuals for fun! In my construction business, people will call me to install products that no one else wants to install, because of the technical issues involved. I LOVE those challenges. So over the years I have not only taken many classes and workshops, but have taught a few also. So when I signed up for Hal's workshop, I thought I would pick up a few good tidbits to add to what I had already learned about HDR, through books by Trey Ratcliff, Rick Sammon, David Nightingale and others.

I have to say I was completely impressed by the information, and the structure, by which Hal instructed for the 2 days. After the 2 days I had learned more about HDR and the processing of HDR images, using Photomatix Pro, Photoshop and other programs, than from all the other information I had gathered prior to the workshop. Hal took us through the complete procedure for capturing the images to using the right programs for processing the images for the desired effect. He showed us numerous "tricks and shortcuts" to help us with our HDR processing. Hal is one of the BEST instructors I have ever had. He knows his information, and better yet knows how to deliver it in a precise and direct manner, building a solid structure of information for the listener with a great foundation.

Victoria, Hal and Becky from the Light Photographic Workshops, are great to work with, and full of valuable information when it comes to anything photographic. I look forward to my next 'outing' with them.

The Grapes photo process...

I've been asked by a couple of people, how I processed my photo of the grapes I posted on flickr. So I will give a quick overview of what I did.
I started with 3 photos (as shown in the photo below). I shot the grapes as an HDR using 0, -2 and +2 Exposure values. I then tonemapped the 3 photos in Photomatix Pro and blended until I got the photo below marked 'Tonemapped Tif'.
After tonemapping the photo, I opened it in Lightroom 3. There I did a little tweaking in the 'Basic' section of the Develop module. I adjusted the photo with - fill light, highlight recovery, black clipping, contrast, temperature, tint, clarity and vibrance. I didn't adjust any of the above by very much. It was like making a stew... I adjusted to taste!
I then opened the lightroom-adjusted photo in Photoshop CS5. I don't like adjusting the sharpness of my photos in lightroom, so the first thing I did was to sharpen the photo on a new layer. (This photo did not have much noise, but if it had, I would have used Topaz DeNoise before I sharpened.)
After sharpening, I used a curves adjustment layer and grabbed the top point of the diagonal adjustment, (highlight side), then pulled it straight down to just below the middle of the scale. This will darken the whole photo without changing the color. Then making sure I was in the adjustment layer mask, I hit B(brush), then D (default colors),then X (switch foreground/backround color), choosing a large brush (1400 - 1600 dpi), with 0% hardness. I then clicked the areas I wanted to highlight with the brush. I have seen this technique used many times, and there are a number of ways to do it. Jim DiVitale shows another way in his Creative Lighting tutorial. (Click on the "Creative Lighting by Jim DiVitale" link.)
So after this, I saved the file and went back to Lightroom 3, and cropped and tilted the photo to my taste.
Simple Huh! Well it wasn't real difficult, but, as all my past photoshop instructors have said... Just play with it. There is no right or wrong way to do this.
Thanks... Dan O.

Morro Bay Panorama_02

Morro Bay Panorama_02, originally uploaded by albazap.

Ever since I started using Lightroom 3, I have been organizing and processing some of my older images. Over the years, I have shot for panoramas, but have not processed many, because the last time I did one in photoshop CS it took me 3 hours to get it right. So, since I had heard it was easier in the later versions of Photoshop, I decided to try processing some of the older panoramas. MUCH EASIER to work with CS5! this panorama only took 10 minutes to stitch and maybe another 5-7 to cleanup.
No wonder we have so many good photographers in the world now. The technology available to us is astronomical, and the things we can do with our photos really sets off the creative juices! Happy Shooting.

Sunset...

Saturday afternoon, the clouds were in the sky and the setting was perfect for what looked to be a great sunset. I had already taken my walk along the beach, but having just purchased my new Canon 7D, I was contemplating going back for the chance of the colors in the sky.
It was about 7:30pm when we sat down to eat dinner, after which we were going to watch a movie. As I relaxed and began to settle in to another uneventful evening, I continued to have the gnawing feeling that I should go down to the beach for the sunset.
I have seen and photographed hundreds of sunsets and sunrises, and this would be just another one, or so I tried to convince myself! All said, having seen all those previous mentioned sunsets, I knew that all were special in there own way. I started to forget about it, when Marilyn, speaks out and says, "Danny, look at the colors outside".
That was it! I grabbed my gear and headed the 1/2 mile to the beach. Walking through the Monarch Butterfly Grove, the pictures presented themselves to me. First a bench glowing in the low sun light. The trees bathed in yellow/orange, The sun saying its last 'good evening' behind the trunks of eucalyptus... I was in heaven!
The sun was just about to disappear behind the hills across San Luis Bay when I arrived at the beach. The clouds were orange red and the reflection on the surf was gorgeous! A swath of virga hung lazily below the clouds blowing in the breeze, creating a watercolor effect in the atmosphere.
I started clicking, trying different settings and getting to know my new camera. Damn! I didn't bring my tripod! Oh Well! I set the camera to a higher ISO and started shooting, the anti-shake feature of these new lenses was great. I could hand hold the camera and take pictures even as it became almost too dark to see! I LOVE THIS!
DONE! I began to slowly walk back home, enjoying the transition of the sky into twilight. Approaching the State campground, I could see all the campers prepping for their evening activities and made note of how glad I am to live in a place where many travel to visit!

To see more pictures click here

Today is My Birthday...

I was born on the 5th of July... I was supposed to be a 4th child, but my mom had to be scheduled for a cesarean section on the 5th.
Being late for my due date had a major impact on my life. Because of that major trauma of not being a "real live nephew of my Uncle Sam", I have spent my entire life striving to be on time, or even early, for any event I am involved with! Hell, I even joined the military and fought in Viet Nam, just to prove I should have been a 4th of July child... To no avail. No matter how hard I try, I will always be a plain ole 5th of July child. No special celebrations, no special acknowledgements, just a regular old birthday based solely on who I know, and family. "Alas, poor Yorick..."
Think how you would feel if everyone always celebrated so hard the day before your birthday, that they had no energy left to celebrate your birthday! OH THE SUFFERING I have experienced! All of you who are born on the 5th, you know what I mean. There is only one thing that I could imagine might be worse, and that is being born the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. OHHH the agony!!
So... Happy Birthday to Me!

Drivers - Slow Down and Pay Attention!

I was watching the news today and saw that 2 Highway Patrolmen were killed while working for our safety on the highways. The people that killed them were obviously either driving impaired or not driving with any care for the conditions of the road!
I have been driving since 1968 and have also been riding motorcycles on the road since then. Over the years I have obviously seen some stupid and inconsiderate drivers, but in the last couple of years I have seen more and more IDIOTS on the road.
To me driving is a privilege that demands my complete attention. I know that there are many who think that they can do more than pay attention to the road while driving, but if that was true, then why do they continue to make laws against doing things while driving, ie. talking on the phone, texting, etc. IT'S BECAUSE YOU CANNOT FULLY CONCENTRATE ON DRIVING!! The same people who "multi-task" while driving, are the first people who will blame someone else when something goes wrong. I have seen it, read it and heard it on the news!
Some of you may think, well this guy is just getting old! I got news for you, even though I am 58 years old I still can ride a motorcycle faster than many 1/2 my age and recently hit speeds over 150 mph on a track. So I know it has nothing to do with me, other than the fact that I see and recognize more and more BAD DRIVERS.
So what's my point you might ask. The point is this. We have the responsibility of not only ourselves and loved ones in our hands when we are in control of a motor vehicle, but also the responsibility of all others that we are sharing the "PUBLIC" Roads with! The roads are not only for me but for all. So I ask that when you drive, that you make a concerted effort to concentrate on the job at hand of DRIVING! Also report any of the idiots that are putting my families lives in danger by acting stupid while driving!
My condolences to the families of all those Patrol Officers who have given their lives, working for the safety of mine!

A short note...

It is a beautiful and warm day in Grover Beach. I've been taking it easy today, getting caught up on personal chores that don't seem to get done during the week. I have been updating information in the computer and responding to messages from friends.

I am sure glad I live by the beach. It looks to be pretty warm inland.

I plan on doing some family research this evening and maybe watch a good movie.

Until next time...