I have been deep sea diving in the digital world since 2011 and I still feel that I have only scratched the surface. Here are some techniques I have taught myself to enhance my creative vision.
BEFORE The best start to a high key image is to expose for high key right at the beginning, if you can. Here we have good exposure, sharp focus, defined shadows. The bright sky provides a blank canvas for the background. Metering mode is set to spot wherever the focus point is set, exposure is taken.
AFTER pre-set red filter Lightroom s preset red filter and preset punch reduces this image to its basic core elements the play of shadows and values against a white background. A well exposed image yields less post processing and more pleasing results.
BEFORE Here is another high key image produced incamera. Bright morning backlight blows out the background. Exposure set to center-weight meter with bias to the right to let in more light and more detail. This image is in color, but the fog reduced any strong color overtones. When I saw this in post, I knew that monochrome was the only way to go.
AFTER I adjusted WB, contrast, clarity, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks the usual suspects - and a minor tweak in tone curve. There is no right or wrong in edit it s just a tool to help communicate your aesthetic vision.
BEFORE This is an Easter Lily backlit from an east facing picture window. The image in its un-altered state is pretty good. The white petals and bright background set the stage. To further enhance the white background I exposed a full stop to the right to help blow out the whites and highlights, and I used a little fill flash to bring out the detail.
AFTER minor adjustments I adjusted the white balance, reduced exposure and increased contrast, reduced blacks and increased whites, hit it with preset punch, a little dodging and burning here and there, and to really enhance the high key feeling, I slid the vignetting tool to the right, blowing out the corners. Cropping creates a nice tight viewpoint and further eliminates any distractions.
BEFORE Again, I exposed in-camera for high key with exposure bias to the right by 1 2/3 stops almost a full two stops! preserving backlit detail but blowing out the background. Notice the histogram is completely squished up to the right. This would typically be an unacceptable exposure but with high key exposure this is what to expect. This image did not need a lot of editing.
AFTER I tweaked the exposure, contrast, and used preset punch. Also, I de-saturated the colors just a touch. Sometimes colors can be over saturated and look cartoonish resulting in loss of detail (they won t print well, either). It s okay to de-saturate your images. This is especially important when soft proofing for print.
BEFORE This is a surprise shot from my garden one fine summer morning. I exposed a full stop to the right to compensate for the backlight and expose for the subject. It s a nice little picture, but the left side is little distracting. I don t mind the shady feeling of the flowers it was after all shot in the shade!
AFTER I made adjustments to the usual suspects in the development module. I completely de-saturated the blues and aquas to reduce background distractions. Overall, this image did not need a lot of editing. With a little cropping and post vignetting, I transformed this image into one of my favorite garden shots.
BEFORE This image was not originally intended to be high key. I exposed to the right by 2/3 of a stop to compensate for backlight. I liked the image in post, but decided to fool with the settings to see what would happen.
AFTER I adjusted the vignetting slider to the right and in effect I created a high key effect in post. Basic cropping brought it all together. By now you will have concluded that proper incamera exposure is crucial to creating high key images.
BEFORE Sometimes mother nature does not cooperate and the light is terrible. What can you do? Here is a good example of uncooperative lighting. This shot was taken in Key West, Florida, on dark and dreary day. I liked this image when I uploaded it into post, despite its un-inspiring exposure. This was just straight on shooting, no bias, no flash, nothing. This is when the magic of post processing comes in handy.
AFTER minor adjustments I was able to create a high key background by blowing out the highlights and whites. It also reduced the distracting sidewalk without destroying the rest of the image. The white background creates an airy feeling for the grassy bits so that they seem to be flying into formation - to me, it has a magical effect.
COMPOSITES A composite is multiple exposures in one frame. Traditionally, with film cameras this was achieved by underexposing each shot and holding down the rewind button while advancing the frame. You could take as many or as little shots as you wanted, so long as you compensated for exposure. It was not the easiest thing in the world to master. Now, thanks to digital, the camera does all the heavy hitting for you.
BEFORE This image was one of the first successes I had with the composite feature, although initially it is a bit underwhelming. This was multiple exposures, straight on shooting with no compensation. When I uploaded it and applied some basic editing, it came to life.
AFTER minor adjustments minor adjustments It didn t take much to create my vision. Just a few minor adjustments with dodge and burn tool, whites and blacks, and contrast. The composite can be key to creating a viewpoint., but it s not easy. Compose twice in the same frame, and remember where elements are in relation to each other. There will be a lot of trial and error.
This is a composite that required several trials and errors before it finally all came together. At last I was able to create the viewpoint I had been after for years! This image captures the essence of the Michigan roadside flower show during the summer. Again, both images were caught straight up shooting. Very little editing was necessary in post. 1/320 sec f/2.8 ISO 250 50 mm
Here is another viewpoint I created using the composite feature. This one only took about three tries practice makes perfect. (Not always, though.) Lighting conditions are key and the camera s functions will fail you. The camera does get confused. Be prepared for disappointment, but keep trying. Very little editing was needed for this image. 1/800 sec f/8.0 ISO 200 50 mm
Again, another viewpoint I was able to create with a composite. In this case, I used one focused frame and one unfocused frame, which created this ethereal quality. I love the spring crocus but capturing their spirit remained elusive to me until I tried this. 1/200 sec f/4.5 ISO 500 70 mm
BEFORE When I reviewed this image in post, I knew it had potential. It is a composite done in-camera in studio. I used a small crystal vase and Christmas lights, a macro lens and a tripod. This image did require some careful edits take note of the changes to the histogram as seen on the next slide.
AFTER Successful edits depended on the tone curve and the HSL sliders This image required a little more editing than usual, but I am pleased with the end result.
BEFORE 1/13 sec f 3.5 ISO 500-2 EV 50 mm Here s a composite which at first didn t look right, but I knew it had potential. The first frame I un-focused the lights, then removed them from the frame and took the second shot, filling in with a flashlight.
AFTER It still falls into the realm of the abstract, but I like it, and the composite feature was the source of inspiration. Then, by rotating and cropping, I transformed the image and created a viewpoint that expressed my vision.
STARBURST A starburst can add that one special feature to an otherwise ordinary image.
BEFORE The autumn leaves are spectacular, but add a starburst, and a story unfolds. I manipulated my camera to create my viewpoint. A starburst requires an aperture of f16 to f22. Every lens is different and you will have to experiment to find the best setting. You will discover a favorite lens for shooting starbursts. I shot this at f18, and used a bit of fill flash to fill in the shadows with my favorite starburst lens my 50mm macro.
AFTER This is the same image in its final edited form. I just rotated it and applied a few basic edits.
1/180 sec w/ flash f/18 ISO 800 7/10EV 50 mm Here s another similar example. I did use flash to fill in the shadows and preserve detail. Please, whatever you do, do not look directly at the sun. I blindly compose by NOT looking directly through the viewfinder and relying on MY peripherals. It will take some tries to get it right.
BEFORE 1/500 sec f/18 ISO 400 7/10 EV 50 mm Notice I have exposed to the right by 2/3 of a stop to capture the detail in the clouds. This image required many trials and errors until I got one I liked.
AFTER I adjusted the usual suspects, but also adjusted the luminance levels of blue and purple. This helped to pop out the sky, and more accurately reflects what I saw and how I felt.
1/100 sec f/16 ISO 800 1 EV w/ flash 50mm 1/400 sec f/13 ISO 400 55 mm I used fill flash to preserve the detail and fill in the shadows. Here, I worked the angles of the sun if the angle is not quite there, you won t get that nice star shape, And you risk flare. You have to experiment until you get a feel for it. I captured this sunburst in my earlier days. Notice how the f stop is at 13 the quality of the starburst is quite different due to the larger f -stop (it was a different lens, too).
1/100 sec f/16 ISO 800 50 mm You can also create starbursts in your studio no sun required, just a source of direct light. In this case, I had two sources of light below my subject, wrapped in black cloth to hide stalks and wires. No flash was used in this case, but you will notice that my f-stop was set to 16. It took a little finagling with the angles to get the light bursts just so.
CONTROLLING YOUR MOTIONS
1/2000 sec f/4 ISO 200 58 mm 7/10 EV You can capture fast moving water with a very fast shutter speed in this case 1/2000 sec. This shot was set up on a tripod as well. Note that exp bias is set at 7/10 (about 2/3) to the right to compensate for backlight. Capturing moving water with a fast shutter speed will yield some really interesting results.
¼ sec f/13 ISO 200 70 mm But then again, using a slow shutter speed and a tripod will also yield some interesting results. I took this in the dark California woods under a very overcast sky the best conditions for long exposure for flowing water no harsh light and you probably won t need any light-stopping filters to achieve the effect. A polarizer will help reduce glare.
1/10 sec f/16 ISO 100 45 mm Here I used a slow shutter speed while hand holding the camera. Honestly, I was just fooling around with the camera to see what would happen. I was familiar with the technique but so far had not had much success with it. I swung it up while releasing the shutter.
2 sec f/20 ISO 200 70 mm This is an example of racking the lens. Zoom in or out while releasing the shutter. You need a slow shutter speed to do this if it s too fast you ll get a blurry image that should be deleted. BTW, if you are shooting Christmas lights at night or in a darkened studio, it helps to underexpose by about 2 stops to avoid hot spots.
MACRO IS NOT JUST FOR BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES
Here I have used my macro as a prime lens. Subject is the interior of an upright piano. 1/100 sec f/11 ISO 100 50 mm 7/10 EV w/ flash
Here I have used it as a close up lens, but not really macro. Subject is resting on glass block with side lighting. 1 sec f/16 ISO 200 50 mm
1/200 sec f/13 ISO 100 50 mm 3/10 EV This is true macro. Crystal bowl filled with water, ice, food coloring, and veg. oil. Had to keep moving the subject until I got a pleasing composition.
True macro, again. Same technique as previous slide, but worked better in color. 1/15 sec f/13 ISO 100 50 mm 3/10 EV
0.8 sec f/8 ISO 100 50 mm True macro shot. Magnified view of antique glass bowl, lit from side and back.
Macro used as a prime lens. Northern sea oats completely ensconced in ice dripping from eaves above. No room for tripod had to be handheld. Exposed as for snow WB at cloudy and exp bias 2/3 stop to right. 1/400 sec f/11 ISO 400 50 mm 7/10 EV
When a macro is not really a macro 1/250 sec f/5.6 ISO 400 70 mm 1 EV Even though my zoom lens says Macro at the far end, it is not a true macro. A true macro reproduces images at a 1:1 scale, or bigger. Most zoom macros are at 4:1, and are really close up lenses. Either way, you can still do some nice work with your zoom lens macro setting and the quality is pretty good.
Just a few more
1/125 sec f/6.3 ISO 200 37 mm I discovered this image along the tracks by the train station in Ann Arbor. It is one my favorite shots, but what I had to do to capture it! I preset my camera, and held it way over the railing. I blindly released the shutter and kept my fingers crossed that it would work and it did!
I created this last year by busting out of my comfort zone. This was taken from atop the Z parking garage in downtown Detroit on a glorious summer morning. If I hadn t tried something new, I never would have gotten the shot. 1/250 sec f/8 ISO 200 128 mm
TAKE CHANCES TRY NEW THINGS It is important to take chances and try new things as you travel along your photography journey. You never know what you will end up with, and you always want to keep your inspiration fresh. You too can create your own unique viewpoints with a little help from the features already in your camera. Always remember, you control the camera, it does not control you. Most importantly, have fun and share your viewpoints. Thank you! gwenrothphoto@gmail.com www.gwenroth.zenfolio.com