Sometimes simplicity is tough but it's always worth it.
These are dry Holly and Salal leaves that have fallen from their plants and have weathered through the spring and summer. Both Holly and Salal are evergreen plants in the Pacific Northwest and the leaves are tough, thick and waxy. As they deteriorate, they dry out and lose their Chlorophyll, always curling up in some way. As they decay, each leaf is attacked by various bacteria, fungi and mechanical processes that cause them to develop new textures, holes, bumps, abrasions and missing chunks of various sorts and sizes.
In the process of its individual deterioration each leaf develops, to my eyes, an amazing amount of character. I find that close examination of each leaf is liking looking at the collection of laugh lines, freckles, and scars in a person's weathered face. I find myself profoundly fascinated by these decaying leaves, and I come back again and again to collect and photograph them.
The leaves (which seem to take on some individual animate qualities after awhile) are patient and allow me to arrange and rearrange them endlessly until some spatial variation strikes an inner chord. The dessication of their former leather-like toughness gives them a unique preservation of texture and sometimes a metallic color range as they fade and age. All in all, they make for nearly perfect subjects for black and white composition studies as well as for experiments in black and white conversion, toning and printing.
This set of leaves were collected and photographed on 11 August 2008 from a vast collection currently lying around the gardens near my home.
The processing for this image has a number of features that commend a short discussion, most notably that the final photo is a 2 image JPEG composite combined using Photoshop HDR methods to gently expand the dynamic range. This image confirms a notion I've had recently that a few, closely spaced bracketing exposures can go a good way towards expanding the dynamic range of an image without all the usual garish hallmarks of an HDR image.
After making a composite image, the usual cropping, levels and curves processing steps were done followed by a conversion to black and white using the CS3 black and white adjustment layer tool. I have been experimenting with this technique some and comparing it with other methods for B&W conversion with increasing satisfaction. I don't quite feel like I have it completely under control yet but I'm getting there I think.
After the B&W conversion, the image was given another round of levels and curves to normalize the new tonal range. Next, color tones were applied. After looking at some silver gelatin prints at a recent art show I decided to return to this set of colors again with more care. The tones on this image wound up as a combination of silver gelatin, platinum, and selenium. I think the combination came off very well and I am quire satisfied with it overall.
Next, a burning and dodging layer and a final sharpening ended the image processing with a final conversion to 72dpi and JPEG format.
I'm fairly pleased with this image and feel like it represents a leap in my compostion, in-camera visualization and my B&W processing skills. If and when I return to this image, I'd like to boost the range and contrast in the mid-tones a bit and experiment to see if compositing RAW images (as opposed to the JPEGs used here) returns significantly improved results or if the HDR process undid the JPEG color compression sufficiently that a RAW composite is not visually differentiable.
As always, comments and criticisms are welcome (does anyone actually read this blog?) either here on on flickr. Of course signed prints are for sale as well.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Fading White Iris (detail)
Taken in the Japanese Garden in Portland Oregon's amazing Washington Park on 14 July 2008.
An amazing flower to begin with, even past it's prime.
This image presented a fairly interesting set of technical challenges. Shooting handheld with the Canon G9, getting the shot was reasonably entertaining. Since the light was mostly high and flat, creating an image that brought out the right contrast for the leaves took some work. I'm still trying to get the G9 to do what I visualize but it's coming along slowly. The resolution on the little beast is just amazing though.
Photoshop CS3 processing went along the usual lines: separate layers for levels, curves, and then the new CS3 b/w conversion layer. This was followed by some significant foolling around with toning, some burning and dodging and a final, gentle sharpening followed by conversion to jpeg.
The Messy Details:
Levels were corrected in the usual way to expand the dynamic range; I also tweaked the alpha up a bit higher to lighten the whole thing.
The color curve on this image was somewhat unique; since the histogram had a decided broad U shape, I made the curve echo this slightly, with a decrease corresponding to the trough of the U in the histogram.
The toning was more involved than usual as well. I usually stick with a straight and fairly subtle Platinum toning on nearly everything but lately I've been adding a little Silver to the mix as well to create some brighter whites. Today at an art festival I saw some work by Emanuel Volakis who prints his big landscape images with Silver gelatin and then gently tones with Selenium. As a result I futzed around for a bit with Platinum, Paladium, Silver Gelatin and Selenium, finally settling on an Ag Gelatin-Platinum toning for this image.
I'm fairly happy with this image. Retaining the yellow in the falls of the Iris was a bit challenging - most b/w conversion methods either lose that completely or don't give it enough contrast with the surrounding intense white. The toning experiment worked out well and I will likely be using this combination in the future as well.
An amazing flower to begin with, even past it's prime.
This image presented a fairly interesting set of technical challenges. Shooting handheld with the Canon G9, getting the shot was reasonably entertaining. Since the light was mostly high and flat, creating an image that brought out the right contrast for the leaves took some work. I'm still trying to get the G9 to do what I visualize but it's coming along slowly. The resolution on the little beast is just amazing though.
Photoshop CS3 processing went along the usual lines: separate layers for levels, curves, and then the new CS3 b/w conversion layer. This was followed by some significant foolling around with toning, some burning and dodging and a final, gentle sharpening followed by conversion to jpeg.
The Messy Details:
Levels were corrected in the usual way to expand the dynamic range; I also tweaked the alpha up a bit higher to lighten the whole thing.
The color curve on this image was somewhat unique; since the histogram had a decided broad U shape, I made the curve echo this slightly, with a decrease corresponding to the trough of the U in the histogram.
The toning was more involved than usual as well. I usually stick with a straight and fairly subtle Platinum toning on nearly everything but lately I've been adding a little Silver to the mix as well to create some brighter whites. Today at an art festival I saw some work by Emanuel Volakis who prints his big landscape images with Silver gelatin and then gently tones with Selenium. As a result I futzed around for a bit with Platinum, Paladium, Silver Gelatin and Selenium, finally settling on an Ag Gelatin-Platinum toning for this image.
I'm fairly happy with this image. Retaining the yellow in the falls of the Iris was a bit challenging - most b/w conversion methods either lose that completely or don't give it enough contrast with the surrounding intense white. The toning experiment worked out well and I will likely be using this combination in the future as well.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Taken at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, Washington on 27 June 2008.
I'm finding some very interesting floral images using backlighting to highlight the texture and form. This image is perhaps the strongest use yet of that technique.
When this shot was taken it was mid afternoon and so the light was very strong and quite harsh overall but here it worked really well to show the thickness of the petals and the reflected texture on the leaf.
From a technical point of view the highlights are blown out in this image but the strong light was necessary to get the veins on the right leaf to show up.
I did a fair amount of manipulation with Photoshop on this image - but primarily just to balance the colors during the black and white conversion and the usual toning (Platinum - Silver), burning and dodging.
I'm finding some very interesting floral images using backlighting to highlight the texture and form. This image is perhaps the strongest use yet of that technique.
When this shot was taken it was mid afternoon and so the light was very strong and quite harsh overall but here it worked really well to show the thickness of the petals and the reflected texture on the leaf.
From a technical point of view the highlights are blown out in this image but the strong light was necessary to get the veins on the right leaf to show up.
I did a fair amount of manipulation with Photoshop on this image - but primarily just to balance the colors during the black and white conversion and the usual toning (Platinum - Silver), burning and dodging.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Forward!
The hood ornament on an old Buick Super 8 was just such a statement! Bold Hermes guides with speed and power down the American Road and all that.
Fun subject that was nearly monochromatic to start with and just cried out for a really close dramatic shot. The first time ever that the first view on flickr yielded the first comment on an image.
Too fun.
Fun subject that was nearly monochromatic to start with and just cried out for a really close dramatic shot. The first time ever that the first view on flickr yielded the first comment on an image.
Too fun.
Double Columbine
Between the multiple stacked petals of the Columbine and the multiple fractal leaves of the fern branch, this shot just buzzes visually, setting up some sort of optical illusion of motion and discord. Fun to look at closely but tiring and difficult to process!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
What does one say to the Iguana perched on a pile of Artichokes? Hello?
What does one say to the Iguana perched on a pile of Artichokes? Hello?
Originally uploaded by doug_r
Feeling the Music
People and street photography usually isn't my cup of tea but this Busker in Pike Place Market was concentrating so intently and putting out so much good music that it was worth the effort to try to capture as an image.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Tulips at the Farmer's Market: 12 stems for $10.00
A bucketful of peach colored Tulips being sold at the Issaquah Farmer's Market last weekend just cried out for a good black and white high key treatment.
The flowers at the farmer's markets this time of year are just incredible, riotous, and astounding in color, scent, texture, shape, and most of all profusion. One simply cannot absorb enough.
There is now a month of evening's shots in the archives just waiting for work. Grist for the Winter when color and wil be hard to find...
The flowers at the farmer's markets this time of year are just incredible, riotous, and astounding in color, scent, texture, shape, and most of all profusion. One simply cannot absorb enough.
There is now a month of evening's shots in the archives just waiting for work. Grist for the Winter when color and wil be hard to find...
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
I spied this bunch of Calla Lilies during breakfast on Sunday in a hotel restaurant, so I went back Monday during the lull between lunch and supper to see what I could get out of them. There were some workmen there but they pretty much just ignored me while I snapped away getting the exposure right. Much to my delight, the image came out more luminous than I could have hoped.
Some detail:
This image was developed from a single image composited twice using an HDR technique. An initial RAW file was adjusted to to bring up the low key color and detail in the stems and bases of the flowers and saved off as a photoshop psd file. In the same way, another psd file was created, this one bringing down the high key tops of the callas. These two files were then combined to create a single merged version of the image with a much broader range of exposure than would otherwise be possible in a single image. After cropping the image to a square format and some rather careful levels and curves processing, the resulting image was converted to black and white. A few passes of burning and dodging brought out more local detail in the tops, sides and stems of the flowers. Finally, the image was then Platinum toned, and sharpened.
This image and the top-lit sunflowers image made last spring at Pike Place Market are inspiring me to take a look at how top lighting highlights flowers in novel ways. The luminous effect one sees is rather unique.
Some detail:
This image was developed from a single image composited twice using an HDR technique. An initial RAW file was adjusted to to bring up the low key color and detail in the stems and bases of the flowers and saved off as a photoshop psd file. In the same way, another psd file was created, this one bringing down the high key tops of the callas. These two files were then combined to create a single merged version of the image with a much broader range of exposure than would otherwise be possible in a single image. After cropping the image to a square format and some rather careful levels and curves processing, the resulting image was converted to black and white. A few passes of burning and dodging brought out more local detail in the tops, sides and stems of the flowers. Finally, the image was then Platinum toned, and sharpened.
This image and the top-lit sunflowers image made last spring at Pike Place Market are inspiring me to take a look at how top lighting highlights flowers in novel ways. The luminous effect one sees is rather unique.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
After two years in the making, it finally blossomed this month!
The flower is indeed a deep velvety black and the white face is truly stark against the petals.
More properly known as Asarum maximum, this lovely little flower is native to China where it is an endangered species in the wild. Fortunately, it grows well in the Pacific Northwest, although this particular specimen grows slowly in a pot in a cool but sunny location in the garage.
The flower is indeed a deep velvety black and the white face is truly stark against the petals.
More properly known as Asarum maximum, this lovely little flower is native to China where it is an endangered species in the wild. Fortunately, it grows well in the Pacific Northwest, although this particular specimen grows slowly in a pot in a cool but sunny location in the garage.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Stubborn
Seen on the terrace of the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Miami, this tough little plant is determined to compete and thrive in the cresent of soil between the stair rail post and the brick paving. An amazing act in a solid concrete non-natural sort of place.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Taken out the window of an Airbus A-319 at about 35,000 feet somewhere over the Dakotas with a Canon G9 on 7 April 2008.
I'm not sure everyone will anthropomorphize this pattern of frost filled cracks in a airplane window into a witch riding a broom, but it popped out at me after studying it for a while.
This image grew out of frustration trying to take aerial landscape photos out the plane window. However, on older planes, the windows craze and scratch a bit from the expansion/contraction cycles and ablation that take place during flight. At high altitude, frost begins to form in the scratches and pits forming random designs. After fighting trying to take pictures through the frost, I finally decided to see what could be done taking pictures *of* the frost against the deepening color of the sky above the ground surface.
The new G9 is an amazing little camera but one that takes some learning. When you get it working, you can just keep diving down and down into the image and it stays sharp. All in all an astounding little camera.
I'm not sure everyone will anthropomorphize this pattern of frost filled cracks in a airplane window into a witch riding a broom, but it popped out at me after studying it for a while.
This image grew out of frustration trying to take aerial landscape photos out the plane window. However, on older planes, the windows craze and scratch a bit from the expansion/contraction cycles and ablation that take place during flight. At high altitude, frost begins to form in the scratches and pits forming random designs. After fighting trying to take pictures through the frost, I finally decided to see what could be done taking pictures *of* the frost against the deepening color of the sky above the ground surface.
The new G9 is an amazing little camera but one that takes some learning. When you get it working, you can just keep diving down and down into the image and it stays sharp. All in all an astounding little camera.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
White on White
Spring is late and long in coming this year. Last Saturday night, it snowed a little more than 5" of heavy wet stuff followed by rain on Sunday and hail and thunderstorms on Monday. It took until today (Friday) to melt the last of it away. The amazing thing about the snowstorm was that there was absolutely no wind - the snow even stacked on 12 gauge wire fencing, to say nothing of branches and larger features. When it finally began to melt Sunday morning, it came down in cascades of miniature avalanches from the high tree branches and tops.
This little bit of decorative Kale presented an interesting black and white conversion problem and so seemed worth posting here.
This little bit of decorative Kale presented an interesting black and white conversion problem and so seemed worth posting here.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Saturday, February 02, 2008
If you see the Buddha
After ten days of snow and rain, the Buddha's face emerges, still calm, still serene.
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