You’ve heard me rave about the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter, the one that I use for most of my images? My work and a short article was recently featured on their blog.
Click Here to Read the Singh-Ray Blog Entry
Cole
When I created my first Harbinger image, I broke the “centering” rule.
When I created the next and the next and the next, I centered them also. It just felt right.
But about a week ago I created the new image above, and decided not to center the cloud. I’m not sure why.
The definition of “harbinger” is:
\ˈhär-bən-jər\ noun
That is exactly what I see when I create each Harbinger image, a foreshadowing of future events.
James wrote and asked:
“Can you tell me how to get better at dodge and burn. I try and try, but I overdo the blacks and whites and get an image that’s too contrasty. Any tips you can give me would be great.”
This is a very common question and issue, and one that can easily be addressed.
First a little background, for those who don’t follow my workflow, it’s a very simple one. I primarily adjust brightness and contrast and then dodge and burn the image in a fairly detailed and intricate manner. To successfully dodge and burn you must own a pen and tablet, a small 4X6 Bamboo tablet can be purchased for about $100 and a larger one is very nice if you can afford it. I like Wacom tablets.
When you dodge and burn there are four basic controls you want to be aware of; Diameter, Exposure, Hardness and Range.
The “diameter” of the brush is simply how large the brush is and choosing a brush size is generally obvious; big brushes for big areas and little brushes for little areas. The larger the brush is, the easier it is to blend in your work and make it look natural. So for big areas such as skies, use a very large brush. Obviously for bringing out the highlights on tree branches you want a brush about the size of what you’re dodging.
The “exposure” or strength of the brush is perhaps the most critical setting and the easiest to abuse. I generally use an exposure of 4% and work the dodge/burn very slowly, building up the areas with many passes of the pen. I often see people going at it with 50% and this where things get overdone and artificial looking. Think of dodging/burning as painting the image, you must work slowly and carefully.
The hardness is how hard of a edge you want on the brush. I generally work with a 0% brush for areas such as skies. When you are working in very small areas with very sharp detail, you might choose a small and hard brush, so that you can confine the dodge/burn to a very tight area.
The “range” of the dodge/burn refers to the range of values you’re affecting, either the highlights, midtones or shadows. This is the hardest technique to describe (it’s much easier seeing it being done). If you set your dodge to highlights, then your brush is brightening the highlights and ignoring the midtones and shadows. While this three setting separation works pretty good, you have to be careful because the highlight dodge will tend to bleed over to the lighter midtone areas as well. So you might choose to use a smaller brush and confine your dodging to just the highlights that you want to brighten. Likewise with the burn tool, if you set it to shadows you can generally darken just the shadows, but again be careful not to affect those darker midtones.
In general, I’ll dodge my midtones to bring out detail in shadow areas and my highlights to increase contrast and make my images pop. I’ll generally burn my midtones and shadows to darken down my images. I rarely will dodge shadows or burn highlights.
An example: The image above was created recently at Stonehenge; I wanted to darken the blue sky, increase the contrast in the clouds, darken the foreground and stones and bring out the highlights in the stones.
I started with the sky, if I had tried to darken the sky with a big brush, I’d have also darkened parts of the stones I didn’t want to. If I had tried darkening the sky with a smaller brush, I’d have done a blotchy job of it and I’d have created halos where the stone and sky met. So instead, I masked out the sky so that I could process it separately without affecting the stones, and then I reversed the mask so that I could process the stones without affecting the sky. I’ll address my masking techniques in another article.
First I took a midsized midtone brush and burnt the blue sky and some of the darker parts of the clouds. Then I used a medium sized midtone brush to dodge the highlights in the clouds and then did the same with a midsized highlight brush. Going back and fort between dodging and burning, and working slowly, I created a dark sky and contrasty clouds.
All along this process I keep careful eye on my histogram. Your eye doesn’t always accurately tell you if your blacks are dark enough or when your whites get blown out, so the histogram is my constant companion.
Then I reversed the mask so that I could work the foreground and not affect the sky. I burned the grass almost to black with a large brush set to shadows. Then I burn the stones down, first with the midtones and then the shadows and finally I brought up the highlights on the stones with a stronger dodge.
The result is my preferred dark image, with strong contrasts. lots of 100% blacks and 100% whites.
So summarizing; get a tablet, set your exposure to 4% and work slowly, alternating between the dodge and burn. When necessary, mask and work each part separately. Paint and caress your image like a painter would a canvas!
I know this is a quick overview, but a lot of what you need to learn will come from doing, not reading. So get out and do!
Cole
Many people ask me to tell them the “secret” of my black and white conversion. Here is the secret: great black and white images are not made in the conversion process. You can buy the most expensive plug-in’s and execute the most complicated processes to convert your images, and it will not guarantee a great image. There are no shortcuts or simple proceedures.
Okay, so what is the “secret?”
It’s that you must plan for a great black and white image starting with the selection of the scene and then all the way through the processing. I tell people that it’s 50% the shot and 50% the post-processing.
Taking the Shot:
My style relies on dark images with bright subjects. It’s this contrast that creates an image that can really jump out at you, so when I go out shooting, I’m looking for these types of scenes. While there will be many scenes that catch my eye, if it doesn’t have this potential, then I know the shot will not work for me.
Post-Processing:
When I create an image, I have a vision of what it’s going to look like, and generally the original shot doesn’t look anything like my vision of final image. That’s where the post-processing comes in; using very simple techniques I “create” the image. I do not use curves, profiles, layers, plug-ins or any sophisticated techniques. I simply adjust the brightness and contrast and then dodge and burn the image like a painter would paint a canvas.
Above is one of my latest images from England; the Old Wardour Castle. While it appears to have been shot at night, it was a 30 second daytime exposure. The key is that I knew in advance what I wanted the image to look like and this vision was realized by underexposing the image and then extensively dodging and burning it to create a night-like scene.
So while the conversion process is important, it’s not really the key to a great black and white image. What’s most important is that you visualize the image in advance and then take control by creating the image along the way.
Cole
P.S. For those of you who are still interested in my conversion process, here it is: First, I shoot in b&w mode and RAW which produces a color image that I convert using the “channel mixer” method. In Photoshop you choose Image/Adjustments/Channel Mixer. Check the “Monochrome” box and then adjust the Source Channel color sliders to see how adjusting each color changes the image (note: some prefer the “Black and White” converter over the “Channel Mixer” method as it offers slightly more control and is a bit easier to use). That’s it!
From Ansel Adam’s Biography on his first meeting Edward Weston at Albert Bender’s home:
“After dinner, Albert asked Edward to show his prints. They were the first work of such serious quality I had ever seen, but surprisingly I did not immediately understand or even like them; I thought them hard and mannered. Edward never gave the impression that he expected anyone to like his work. His prints were what they were. He gave no explanations; in creating them his obligation to the viewer was completed.”
I love Weston’s work, but I love his attitude even more; he created for himself.
Cole
I’m still in England, but the visit is nearing the end. We spent the first week in a extremely small village on the southern coast and visited Stonehenge and several ancient castles. While there, I did get excited about an image or two and and I’m tentatively calling my new work “The Ghosts of Ancient England.”
The image above was created at the Berry Pomeroy Castle, which is rumored to be haunted…here’s a bit of the castle’s history:
The ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle, reputed to be one of the most haunted castles in Britain, stand on a steep wooded hillside above the Gatcombe Brook.
It was built in the 15th century as a fortified house for the Pomeroy family, and was later sold to the Seymour family who built a new mansion house within the defences of the original castle.
A plan to further enlarge the house was never completed and the castle was abandoned by the beginning of the 18th Century.
For more of the story, click here.
When I return home I’ll complete these images and hope to have the beginnings of a new body of work.
Cole
I’ve just spent the last couple of days at the Moab Photo Symposium and what a great time I had! Moab was of course fantasticly beautiful, but the real highlight were the people I met.
During the “Seeing in Black and White” workshop, we went out to Mill Creek Canyon and walked, talked and created images. During the workshop I took an image and then demonstrated my b&w conversion and post processing techniques. Above is the final creation.
If you get a chance, join the folks at next year’s symposium. Good people, good photography, good scenery, good food and good discussions. A wonderful weekend.
Cole
At 14 years of age, I knew that I was destined to be a fine art photographer.
Even at this early age I found myself drawn to a particular style of image, one that would literally cause a physical reaction in me. They were dark images created by Adams, Weston, Bullock and others. At age 14 I knew that I was destined to create such images.
An important early influence in my life and my art was the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul.
~
In the fell clutch of Circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance,
my head is bloody, but unbowed.
~
Beyond this place of wrath and tears,
looms but the Horror of the shade,
and yet the menace of the years,
finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
~
It matters not how strait the gate,
how charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
~
For me, this poem evokes dark images which form the inspiration for my photographs. Darkness in my images represents the trials of our human existence while the light represents the strength that comes from the realization that we are the captains of our souls.
Ahhhhrrrrrrgggggg! I’m in an artistic slump! What do YOU do when this happens?
I get asked this question quite often, in fact weekly. While I don’t have “the” solution, I have “my solution” and perhaps the concept will work for you too?
The first thing I do, even though it’s hard, is to not panic. Panic and dwelling upon the problem just makes it worse. So relax and accept these two facts; slumps are normal and they will pass.
But I do find that there are certain things that can help the slump pass faster:
First, find something that inspires you artistically; for me it’s reading the Edward Weston Day Books and listening to the Beatles. Reading about Weston’s creative journey really excites me, almost immediately, and makes me want to get out and start shooting again. This man has always been my photographic idol and a true bohemian artist.
Listening to the Beatles inspires me in different way. Some musical groups have success with a certain sound and then they stick with that sound forever and ever, either because they are not creative enough to evolve or because they are afraid to change the sound that made them famous. Not so with the Beatles, they thrived when exploring new sounds and changing their style. That inspires me to do the same.
The next thing I do, and it’s a hard one, is to keep shooting with no expectation of doing good work. Just go out like you used to when you first discovered photography, shoot to have fun. Accept that you’ll bring home absolutely nothing of value and just enjoy the journey.
Now this last point I raise at the risk of fanning the flames of protest that I kindled a few weeks ago. During this time of wandering in a barren desert of creativity, I find that I can get a bit down on myself and question whether or not I’m any good, if I’ve ever done anything good, and if I ever will do anything good in the future. At these low points I find that looking at other photographer’s work is very depressing! I see how many great photographers there are out there and I just want to give up. So for me (please note this qualifier) I do not look at other photographers’ work when I’m down
Really, everyone goes through these periods and I promise they will pass. Just relax and enjoy the journey.
Cole
Are you a photographic grazer? You know, someone who shoots here a little and there a little, and has an album of “greatest hit” images but doesn’t have a cohesive group of images?
I understand, I used to be a “grazer” too. I hated focusing on one subject and enjoyed looking around for something that would catch my attention. The image above, “Skeleton,” was created during my grazing period. It’s a nice image (one of my favorites) but it has no companion pieces and it’s not a part of a collection. It’s a stand alone image.
I grazed for several years until something happened.
I proudly assembled my “greatest hits” and sent them off to Lenswork. While polite, Brooks Jensen’s response was basically: “Hey! Didn’t you read the submissions guidelines? Pick ONE image and send me 15-25 on that subject.”
Ouch.
That kick in the butt was what I needed, and I think I was ready. I then picked “Grain Silos” to focus on, and worked on that project for several months. Instead of getting bored like I thought I would, I became obsessed and really enjoyed myself. This resulted in my first “portfolio” that I purposely set out to create.
I enjoyed that process so much that I went on to create other portfolios:
I’m currently starting a new project that I’m very excited about entitled “Surprise!” (don’t ask me what it’s about, I won’t tell!)
Now for those of you who also resist picking a subject and focusing on it, again I do understand. It may be that you’re not ready yet, I think you have to satisfy that “grazing” desire by indulging in it for a while.
But it might be that you are ready, but haven’t found the right subject that really excites you. I believe you must be completely passionate about a subject before you can have have fun with it and do a great job. If you don’t feel that way, I’d suggest you choose another subject.
It’s very satisfying to create a “cohesive body of work,” it’s also addicting!
Cole
