Category: Photography

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Profiles, Camera, Print & Screen – Introduction

Profiling is a key element of modern digital post processing.

Many people just shoot and publish either on web or paper, but getting your images to look right can be tricky if you do not fully understand all the elements.

Using the correct colour space, shooting RAW, calibrating your monitor are all essential elements to shooting digital and getting good output. Then there is Camera Calibration Profiles, Print Profiles etc. For beginners it can quite a minefield.

There is also the fact that not all monitors are created equal and laptop screens are inferior to desktop monitors, and while it may seem contrary to common sense, Black & White photography needs even higher end monitors then does colour.

A few years ago trying to get all these elements correct would prove extremely challenging but today things are a little easy.

High quality monitors which can approach the AdobeRGB Colour Space are now available well under £1000, cameras have a setting for AdobeRGB, and Software tools like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop support work spaces like ProPhoto RGB, to maximise range of colours and tones available while editing.

Its a fact that while people understand that the computer screen can display a different set of colours and a wider dynamic range it is not better or superior to a paper print. Then there is the web, many browsers while capable of handling colour management some do not. sRGB is still the colour language of the internet and a picture in a web browser is a poor substitute for your own calibrated screen showing your own work in Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop or Apples Aperture, or a fine print.

The best way of learning is to attend a good course on the subject but the next best thing is to purchase the series of video tutorials on the website Luminous Landscape.

Over the next few posts i’ll attempt to offer an introduction to the art of profiling, because without it no matter how you edit your photographs you are working in the dark.

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V1 Sample Images

Tintern AbbeyAfter my post about V1 lens yesterday I thought I would post a few sample images I have taken with my V1, enjoy.

Nikon Raws-4 Nikon V1 - 28mm fov-2 Nikon Raws-2

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Nikon V1 Lens – a few more options

nikon1

 

The V1 was initially dismissed by many as being an over expensive system with too small a sensor.  While I still think its over priced and has some ergonomic issues, its actually not a bad camera, with good image quality and its one of the fastest focusing mirrorless cameras.

I bought mine with the standard zoom, telephoto zoom and the 10mm f/2.8 prime.  It seems a while since some more lens have come along.  We had the Nikon 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6 but that was not much different to the existing Nikon 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 VR which I already had.

Finally now we seem to have some nice primes coming through and a wide angle zoom.

The new zoom is a Nikon 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 VR wide angle and there is a new prime Nikon 18.5mm f/1.8.  The most interesting of the bunch is the new 32mm f/1.2.

Nikon 32mm f/1.2Yes you heard right a f/1.2.  This fast lens goes a long way to addressing many concerns about the small sensor size.  While you are never going to get selective depth of field as with a full frame sensor it produces a pleasing out of focus backgrounds.

I am still using my Nikon as a compact and keep thinking about replacing it with something like a Nikon Coolpix A or Ricoh GR, which have large sensors but if Nikon keep investing in some interesting glass and finally produce a V system body that addresses my usability issues with the V1 has and were not full addresses in the V2, I might stay with the system and invest in a little more glass.

 

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Panasonic Deliver the Goods?

Panasonic GX-7The Panasonic GF-1 was a stunning little m4/3 camera.  Aimed at the enthusiast the biggest issue to me was the lack of viewfinder, and that was addressed with the plug in EVF.

Then Panasonic seemed to loose there way a little with the GF series and each new version seemed to be dumbed down and aimed more at the camera novice.

They then released the GX-1 which returned the camera more to its GF-1 roots.  Finally though it looks like Panasonic have delivered the goods with the new GX-7 with the first tilting built in EVF.

All the normal review sites should have a review by now including www.sansmirror.com

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Which Packages for Post Production

Where possible I have tried to standardise on as few post production software packages as I can.

The majority of my work is all done in Adobe Lightroom but sometimes you need either the added power of a third party plug-in or application or its just easier to do in some packages.

I feel its better to be a master of one package and try to do as much as I can in it.

Postproduction - Flat JpegIn the above photograph you have a basic flatly rendered JPeg, I have just added a crop to tighten up the image. I then ran it through my usual Adobe Lightroom work flow and I was pleased with the result but I still felt it lacked a little zing.

Postproduction in Lightroom
Postproduction in Lightroom

So I exported it as a tif into Photoshop CC to see what I could do with it in there. Now starting with a colour image there are at least four different ways to process an image to make it Black & White, including some very advanced techniques using LAB mode and also creating separate layers each Black & White based on the luminance values of each of the Red, Green and Blue Channels. All of which give very advanced control. Here through I just wanted the image to have a bit more pop and zing!

Dodge and Burn, Overlay method
Dodge and Burn, Overlay method

First of all I thought I would do a little more dodging and burning to improve the local contrast of a few areas. Now the dodge and burn tool in Photoshop is not the best and can cause issues and colour shift. Not too important with a Black & White image but still there are better ways of accomplishing this.

Now this technique is one that I learn’t from a printing tutorial by Jeff Schewe. Create a new layer and fill it with 50% Gray.

Photoshop CC 50 Gray

Now set the Layer mode to Overlay. Now to lighten parts of the image just paint on this lay with white (Dodge) and to darken parts of the image, just paint on this layer with black (Burn). Using a soft edged brush you can quickly and easily fine tune the image.

The next part is the contrast. I want the darker parts of the image to have a real boost in the contrast. I do this with a curves adjustment. While this has been possible in Lightroom since V4 it is more controllable in Photoshop.

Levels
Levels

For the dark portion of the image I have added two control points to steepen the curve and thus the contrast. I have added a third control point to bring down the mid-tones and return the highlights back to normal. For this image I felt the contrast in the mid-tones was still a little to high so I added a second Curves layer to bring it back under control.

I finished the image with a little sharpening.

Photoshop Dodge and BurnSo here is the finished image and this months “Picture of the Month”. I did try and reproduce this just in Lightroom but I could not get the same degree of control and the image lacked contrast.

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Boutique items; limited editions and special editions

Handbags costing hundreds of pounds, shoes that cost more then a months wage, fine watches and fine wines.  Apart from the last two I cannot quite see the point.Leica S2

Limited edition electronic equipment does not make quite as much sense as a piece of finally crafted none electronic equipment, often I feel some of the limited editions devalues the company.  Over the last few years many photographers feel that Leica moved away from real photographers.  The company ignored digital with the exception of the re-badaged Panasonic compact cameras, and kept releasing ever so strange and odd limited edition film M series cameras.  Well at least it kept the company afloat, and now with the release of the Leica M (digital M 240) and the Leica S medium format SLR’s, they have not only embraced digital but have produced two stunning lines of cameras that are attracting professionals back to the fold.
Sony NEX7For my medium format use, I use the excellent Hasselblad V series.  This modular camera system has been the main stay of many professional wedding and studio photographers.  You can either shoot film or digital, just chose a suitable back module.  For a while now Hasselblad having been pushing their newer H series system but some of the changes to try and lock photographers into upgrade paths have made some switch back to their trusty V series or with the ever increasing megapixel race in SLR’s, people have switched to full frame digital SLR’s like the Canon 1D series and the Nikon D3x and D800e.  Some even went to the Leica M9 with its full frame CCD sensor giving a similar feel to medium format.

Now though it feels that Hasselblad are moving away from the needs of real photographers.  With the release of the Ferrari Red Hasselblad H and now the rebadged Sony NEX-7 people feel that Hasselblad have lost there way.  They have now announced the discontinuation of the V series.  Well at least that in a way is good news for me, its driven down the cost of Hasselblad lens so I can buy some more, and its proving good news for Leica, Canon, Nikon and PhaseOne to sell there highend offerings.

 

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Visiting Melrose

Melrose Abbey

After our day in Jedburgh, we decided to hit the road, but ever so briefly and visit Melrose.  We made a quick stop first, just on the outskirts of Jedburgh to visit a quilt shop.  Caroline was restrained and only bought one kit, well we had limited luggage space on the bike ;).

A quick ride out and we were soon at Melrose.

It was a hot day and we left the helmets and gloves with the bike when we parked up.  We then quickly found a air conditioned tearoom to cool down and relax.

Sandwiches, Bannock Cake, and petit cakes, with Caroline having a pot of tea was lunch dealt with; it was now time to visit Melrose Abbey.

The lady at the till kindly offered to look after our jackets while we went round the Abbey.

Melrose Abbey Remains

 

After the Abbey we visited the local gardens.Flowers at Melrose

The gardens were used to produce dried flowers.  They still had a drying room and a lady there demonstrated some of the techniques they used.

Melrose Drying Room

Wondering round the gardens, taking in the views and taking photographs.  As we were on the bike I just had the Nikon V1 with me.  Walking round the gardens it proved to be an excellent choice.

Melrose House

With my biker jacket hung over one shoulder I only had one hand to operate the camera, but the V1 can easily be operated with one hand as long as you do not need to change modes.

SweetpeasOne handed operation and being able to quickly change settings is something to consider in small cameras.

Melrose was a great day out, if a little warm.  Heading back to Jedburgh we went via Kelso as that is another place we want to spend some time in the future.  As we rode through the town, the bunting was out and crowds lined the streets.  There was even groups of men and women on horse back.  Like the recent event in Jedburgh the riders were going to ride the boundaries of the town.  With its cobbled streets the town is definitely on our list for another longer visit.