I often receive requests to show some “before and after” images to help people understand how much of my work is done in camera and how much is done in Photoshop.  I’d say it’s generally about 50/50 but that can vary by image with some images almost ready right out of the camera and many requiring extensive processing in Photoshop.

Lone Man No. 20 is a good example of a 50/50 image.  As you can see, the image I started with and the final image are both quite similar and yet quite different.  The original shot has all of the important elements; the composition, the long exposure of the water, the clouds and the lone man, but it doesn’t have the dramatic effect of the final image.

Probably the first change you’ll notice in the final image is that the severe vignetting has been repaired.  I was shooting with an extremely wide angle lens and I had two stacked neutral density filters on my lens, as a result a great deal of the filter was included in the photograph.  To repair this I first cropped the image and then I used the clone tool to fill in the missing corners.

Next you’ll notice that the sky in the original image has very low contrast and is quite bland.  To bring out the sky detail I split the image into two halves, upper and lower, and converted them to b&w differently.  In each conversion I used Photoshop’s “Channel Mixer” but in the upper half I used some blue channel to improve the contrast and detail in of the sky.  Next I used some pretty aggressive dodging and burning to bring out the definition and detail in the clouds, this information was in the image but it was almost hidden to the eye.  As a rule you can generally recover image detail as long as you have not over-exposed the image to the point that you have blown out the highlights.

Note: one of the side-effects of using blue channel in the conversion and dodging and burning is that the image can get very grainy.  When using this technique you must carefully balance the good-effects with side-effects.

Next I converted the lower half of the image to b&w, darkened the image and greatly enhanced the contrast.  This dark and contrasty approach is the look that I like and it often has the effect of making daytime look like night time.  The March/April issue of Photo Technique Magazine featured an article on my work and they used the phrase “Darkness at Noon” to describe this look.

All of this produced a basic final image, but it still didn’t have the dramatic impact I was seeking and that I had pre-visualized before I captured the image.  So my final step was to dodge and burn to bring out the highlights and selectively darken blacks to locally enhance contrast.  As I did this I carefully monitored the histogram below:

This histogram shows that I have a good black and a good white, something your eye cannot always discern when looking at the image on the screen.  Monitors are often out of adjustment and our eyes can be fooled, but the histogram never lies.  People often complain to me that what looked good to them on screen, often prints flat and muddy.  Generally the problem is revealed in their histogram; they lack a “true” black and good contrast. 

As you can see from my final image, it does not represent reality.  Reality is not my goal but instead I strive create images that reflect how I see the scene through my vision.  That is why I advocate that photographers work just as hard on developing their vision, as they do on their technical skills and equipment.  The image begins and ends in your mind’s eye.

Dear Abby;

I’d like to get into digital photography, but I’m afraid.

Afraid because there seems to be so much to learn about Photoshop!  Profiles, curves, masks, adjustment layers, RIP’s, and etc.  I’ve been reading the manual for 4 hours a day for a month now and I still feel like I know very little.

Please help!  Signed “Reluctant in Rochester.”

~

Dear Reluctant;

I feel your pain!  Technology can be overwhelming and the size of the manuals today, Oy Vay!

But there’s good news, you don’t have to read the manual before you start using Photoshop and you certainly do not need to use all of it’s features to produce wonderful images.

My close friend and FANTASTIC photographer Cole Thompson (smile) says that he generally only uses the contrast tool, and dodging and burning.  He uses the same techniques in Photoshop that he used in the darkroom, it’s a very simple and effective approach.

In fact, a few years back Popular Photography did an article on him entitled The Photoshop Heretic.  They said of him:  “Cole Thompson breaks every rule in the book, but he makes digital black-and-white prints that will take your breath away.  Just don’t try this a at home.”  (I think they were just kidding about not trying this at home though)

An approach Cole favors is to just jump in and try something, and once you get stuck, then look up the answer.  He says that he only uses about 2% of Photoshop’s features anyway, so don’t be intimidated by all of them!

Go ahead, give it a try, it’s not as complicated as you think!

Signed, Abby Thompson

~

Click Here to Read the Photoshop Heretic

A friend recently wrote me and said that I had come a long way, and asked “What in retrospect could you share with me about your journey?”

My answer was:

1.  I stopped thinking like a photographer and started thinking like an artist.

2.  I quit looking at other photographer’s work; it lead to imitation and limited my imagination.

3.  I stopped listening to other’s advice on my work; it was sincere advice but it came from the perspective of their vision, not mine.

4.  I strove and am striving, to find my own style.

I am certain there will be those who disagree with these points,  but remember I do not offer them as advice, but only share what worked for me.

Cole

“Rocks and Mist” is another one of my long exposure shots.  The image was captured late one night on the rocky shore of La Jolla Cove in San Diego.  I was standing on the eroded lava rock about 10 feet from a precipice that fell off to the ocean.  The waves would come up and go over my feet as I stood there for the 30 second exposure.

The effect of the waves going in an out over the 30 seconds gives the misty, foggy effect.  The only illumination were the distant lights and stars.  I was using a 16mm lens and so there is a distorted almost fish-eye effect, which is not really noticeable since the viewer does not know what the scene really looks like.

This was shot in 2005 and I recently returned to the same spot and was very surprised at how small this rocky area really is.  The wide angle lens added much to the look and feel of the image.

Water and long exposures are a great combination.  A very long exposure can smooth out water for a very simple and clean look.  Sometimes a shorter exposure can give form and shape to the water and then there is the misty look as in the above image.  Using a digital camera allows you to experiment and get right before you leave.  I love digital!

Cole

Never center the subject!  Everyone knows that rule.

I don’t like rules and I don’t like being told what to do.  So I was taken aback when someone told me that my image of the Angel Gabriel (Click Here) didn’t work because Gabriel was centered.  I had to disagree, that’s exactly why the image works!

I created the image above last week in San Diego, at LaJolla cove, its title is “Opposition in all Things.”  Yes, I know it’s centered, and yes I know that breaks the rules!  It’s not a masterpiece, but part of it’s charm (in my opinion) is that it’s centered.  I like it like that.

I do readily admit that I’ve had this fascination with centering subjects for more than a year now, and I quite expect that I’ll have a new fixation next year.  That’s okay, but what’s not okay is not trying something because of some dumb rule.

There are lots of “rules” in photography and I’m not sure who declared them rules, but I like to think of them as “vague suggestions.”  Sure they might make sense some of the time, maybe even most of the time, but certainly not all of the time!

If you’re ever going to find your own style (and for me that’s what it’s all about) then you must not follow the rules.  A fun exercise is to deliberately go out and break some rules.  A few suggestions are:

*  Wear plaids and stripes together

*  Run with scizzors in your hands

*  Go out into the WalMart parking lot and cry Wolf!

*  Center your images

*  Look in the mirror and say “I will ignore the rule of thirds”

If you’re looking for “Kodak Moment” then follow the rules.  But if you’re looking to create killer images, ones that grab and hold your attention, then break the rules and see what you get.  You might be surprised.

Cole

I just drove down to Las Cruces, NM for an exhibit of my work at the Preston Contemporary Art Center.  I was there for a week and had a fantastic time; the Preston Center is new and UNBELIEVABLY nice, the town is small, friendly and warm (it was 68 degrees one day) and it’s extremely affordable.

I had some good luck with my art while there and think I might have added a couple new images to my Harbinger series.  Above is an image I created of a Pecan orchard at dusk.

If you’d like to get away for a few days this winter, consider Las Cruces.  I think it’s about to be “discovered.”

Cole

Why is there so much cancer around us?  Is there really an increase in cancer rates or is it just talked about more?  Is it safe to microwave plastic ware?  Does organic food really help to prevent cancer?

I have so many friends, family members and associates with cancer that I ask myself these and many other questions.  Yes, we’ve improved the treatments for cancer, but it so often seems to come back.  Our treatments don’t seem to be addressing the root causes of the disease.

When I was a teen in 1971 we declared war on cancer, I think 20 years was the goal.  It’s been almost 40 years now and the cure still seems to elude us.

I had the chance to photograph a friend who has cancer, had a masectomy and is undergoing treatment.  These photographs are about the human side of the disease.

This portfolio is entitled “Linnie, a Portrait of Cancer.”

View the Portfolio

I just returned from a trip to Southern California and Death Valley.  I created a few images and had the best luck in Death Valley.  I hadn’t been for years and what a treat to travel there in the low season, there were extremely few people and mild 70 degree days.  It was a treat!

The image above was taken at Zabrinski Point, perhaps the most photographed location in Death Valley.  I’ve seen photographs of the photographers at Zabrinski point and they are packed in like sardines waiting for the sunrise.  When I was there, there wasn’t a single soul there, photographer or otherwise.

What impressed me most about Death Valley is how time stands still there.  The tentative title of the image above is “Time No. 1″

More images are coming from this great trip, so watch for the newsletter.  If you’re not receiving it, you can read past issues or sign up HERE.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cole

Well folks, it looks like this blog has evaporated into cyberspace.  Sorry about that!

This is the Angel Gabriel.  I met him on the Newport Beach pier as he was eating French Fries out of a trash can.  He was homeless and hungry.  I asked him if he would help me with a photograph and in return, I would buy him lunch.

The pier was very crowded and I wanted to take a 30 second exposure so that everyone would disappear except Gabriel.  We tried a few shots and then Gabriel wanted to mess up his hair and hold his bible.  The image worked and the only people you can see besides Gabriel are those “ghosts” who lingered long enough for the camera.

Gabriel and I then went into a restaurant to share a meal; he ordered steak with mushrooms and onions.  When it came, he ate it with his hands.  I discovered he was Romanian and so am I, so we talked about Romania.  He was simple, kind and a pleasure to talk with.

I asked Gabriel how I might contact him, in case I sold some of the photographs and wanted to share the money with him.  He said I should give the money to someone who could really use it; that he had everything that he needed.

Then the Angel Gabriel walked away, content and carrying his only two possessions: a Bible and a bed roll.