"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer."
                                                                      Ansel Adams

iPhone Photography-Cracking The Code

I witnessed something this last week that confirmed all along what I've been feeling about iPhone Photography, but wasn't able to wrap the right words around it.

There's been discussion after discussion on the merits of iPhone shooting, whether its real or not,
or even a capable device for this medium. With thousands of app's available for the iPhone, crossing the line of reality, similar to those conversations about the truth in HDR effects on images, is a constant source of debate.

As a camera device, the iPhone is rock solid and indeed a camera. The usage of app's and image altering techniques is as old as the hills. Quite simply, its no different than glass plate printing in the 1800's or platinum printing at the turn of the century or making contact prints directly from negatives in 1980's.

The variety of techniques available allows the millions of photo minded people now out there to embrace a visual voice of their own. Whether it's real or not depends of the end result of how images are used. In the editorial world, manipulations are unacceptable. In the art world, commercial field, or the vein of personal artistic expression, it's natural and acceptable to push the medium as far as it can go. I love this about photography. The endless methods of how to see the world with fresh eyes is wonderfully exciting.

Teaching a one-day workshop through the MPLS PHOTO CENTER on iPhone Photography with fifteen talented folks was pure photography. Our group brought a wide range of photographic skills and interests. Some own ten's of thousands of dollars of gear while others just own the iPhone. What was so cool was everyone was a photographer that day. And that's cracking the code. We were using a real camera. It's just called the iPhone Camera and everyone was out treasure hunting for visuals.

At one point, we found an interesting brick wall & shadows in an alley. Passerby's would see fifteen people pointing iPhones up in the air as they looked down the alley. Nervous to venture down the alley, they stood there and watched. Once enough of them gathered (strength in numbers I guess) they inched their way towards us.....only to be told we lied the shadows on the wall! It was hilarious. I think they thought we had seen a grizzly bear or something.

What became evident very quickly was the absence of all the camera bags, lenses & tripods. We could walk anywhere and snap away without the label of being "photographers" which in many instances granted us access to people, places and locations. In many of these locations, permission, permits and questions would have greeted the photographer. The iPhone camera allowed to shoot instinctively and without restriction. This was a treat. And, folks felt like Bresson out there with one camera, making visual observations on the street, seeking poetry with these simple cameras. The code was intact. Indeed they were photographers.

Some of the app's being used in the Workshop include:

HIPSTMATIC-SNAPSEED-WORDFOTO-PHOTOAPP-ToonPAINT-VINTAGE-SLOWSHUTTER-PHOTOSYNTH-AUTOSTITCH-IRIS-iTIMELAPSE-CAMERA-

Some addt'l info you all may find useful:

- three lenses in one small package: http://olloclip.com/
- tripod mount: http://www.studioneat.com/
- case battery: http://www.mophie.com/
- learn more about my favorite app: http://hipstamatic.com/
- fun place for iPhone and other photography accessories: http://photojojo.com/store/
- get inspired, learn how to use some photo apps and get to know some iPhone photo artists: The Art of     iPhoneography by Stephanie C.Roberts
- blog reviewing apps and accessories: http://www.iphoneography.com/

A wonderful opportunity for these Workshop shooter is to have their works included in the NORTHERN SPARKS event for this summer. Their images will be projected on the sides of four giant grain silo's in downtown Minneapolis on the evening of June 10th, 2012 from dark to 2:00 a.m.

Theresa Link, one of the talented shooters with us this weekend created a collection of images with her iPhone. Here's a sampling of some of her images taken last weekend in the Twin Cities. Wonderful work Theresa! 

These will be projected on to the side of these giant silo's during the Northern Spark along with all others in the MPC Workshop.

Here's the link to Northern Spark 2012

http://2012.northernspark.org/project/mpc

It is the ease and instinctive approach from our iPhone camera's that has allowed a new breed of images to emerge in the mainstream. Aurora Photos recently opened myPhone Collection of stock images to their stock inventory. On my last submission to CORBIS, one of my agencies, they accepted several images captured with the iPhone camera. I was thrilled to see this.

There's no question that images created with these cameras are part of current cultural trends worldwide. It would be a mistake to disregard this influence. FACEBOOK must have agree'd when they recently purchased Instagram for a billion dollars. It makes sense. I asked my kids what they like most about FACEBOOK and they say, "the photos."

The code is cracked.

Wireless Adventure Photography

Let's face it, being a photographer is a great gig.  The opportunity to "walk in the shoes of others," learn about life while making pictures, getting up before dawn reaching locations before anyone else, experiencing that glorious light all to ourselves is our bonus check.

How great photographers approach their craft usually includes a few common denominators. The most typical? Problem solving. How do I get that shot? Sounds simple enough, right? More often than not it is. The idea that is. But, where most fail, is they decide not to execute the necessary efforts to get there. They leave it in the idea phase. There's millions of great ideas. Taking the time to carry it out is the most crucial step. And, its work.

How can I capture a moment like no-one else? What do I need to make this happen, what special equipment, trips to the hardware store, assistants, waterproofing, shock resistant material, auto or manual, duck tape, helicopter, so on and so on. These are good questions and investigating how you accomplish this elevates your vision to photographic reality.

The key for young shooters is to think big. Don't let your goal be dampened by saying "I don't have this or know how to do that." FIND A WAY! Your vision gave you an idea, so follow it up. What you learn from this will be another vise-grip in your visual tool bag. And, I promise you'll revisit it time after time solving other photographic problems.

One of my favorite techniques is the use of remote triggering. Mounting a camera on top of kayak and triggering from a bridge or shoreline to capture action, clamping my camera on the wings of an airplane and firing remotely as the pilot banks a turn, digging a hole in the ground and placing a camera in the path of stampeding buffalo. All these options give me the chance to create something new, a different perspective that places the viewer in places they have not experienced before. Plus, its damn fun trying this stuff.

The challenges as you can imagine are plentiful. But remember, this is problem solving and a big part of your job. Don't let the fact that its tough at times to figure out the what, when, where & how deter you. Once the solution is found, its easy........and rewarding.

One of the most beautiful examples of problem solving I've seen recently are the images of Minneapolis Photographer Paul Nelson and his bird images. (http://www.wildbirdsflying.com/)  and the underwater dog photography of Seth Casteel (http://twistedsifter.com/2012/02/underwater-photos-of-dogs-fetching-their-ball/). Both shooters have approached their subjects using different techniques but the end results are simply off the charts cool as hell.

There are a number of ways to use remote triggering devices to achieve the desired photographic results. I've mounted cameras on the back of backboards in basketball games, wings of aircraft, the bumpers of cars, bridges, kayaks, tree's, and am currently working on remote set-ups in the forest to capture wildlife on popular game trails at night.

 

 Some devices use infared beams to trigger the shutter, others use wire connections (although these are mostly obsolete) and the more common is the wireless trigger. Other options include using a intervalometer that is a separate unit or even built into some higher end cameras. These are popular with time-lapse photography (see previous blog post here).

Take a internet trip into You Tube and you'll find all kinds of homemade recipes for creating remote triggers that work quite well, but also companies like Pocket Wizard make exceptionally engineered products that are trustworthy (http://www.pocketwizard.com/). Also, popular with bird watchers and outdoorsman is the Reconyx brand (http://www.reconyx.com/). These mount to tree's or rocks and can be used to capture wildlife in the field. Another one, I believe this is one used by photog Paul Nelson is THE TIME MACHINE (http://www.bmumford.com/photo/camctlr.html).

You've done your job when you hear the accolades and comments like "you've got the greatest job in the world." No need to tell them how tough it was to get it. It comes with hard work and the conclusion to an idea. On a side bar thought.....For you young shooters, this is important too..........get a dayrate that is fair when taking on such assignments. Your time is money, just like the client. You use resources, time and energy to capture that split-second. Don't back down on getting paid for it.

In the end, finding a way to best capture what you are trying to say visually isn't always easy.
But, its always worth it.

HDR-Is It Real Or Not?

MICKEY'S DINER, above,  in downtown St. Paul, was manipulated on purpose to help define its unique positioning among the skyscrapers. The renowned diner has a storied history and the combination of color and b/w seemed to aid in visually describing its presence.  (Click on images to enlarge)

Pick up any newspaper, photo magazine, or dive into a feisty photography forum, and most likely you will see a discussion about HDR Photography.

The expanse of stories will range from its appropriateness in editorial publications to the incredible creative vision shooters bring to their imagery. What I've noticed over the last few years is how the definition of HDR has kinda morphed into something other than was it was originally introduced.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, was a great tool allowing photog's the ability to extend the range of tonal values through a series of exposures combined into one. Bracketing several exposures to keep the highlights in check and bring out shadow areas, using HDR software gave the opportunity in difficult lighting situations the advantage of having all the desired tonal values in our photograph. Always a frustration to photog's to see it with our eyes, but full well knowing the limits of our medium were problematic. Wonderful software programs like Photomatix Pro provided a valuable tool. I have seen amazing HDR images particularly in architecture and landscape photography.

Holy smokes, a shooter can stroll into a fabulous hotel lobby in Morocco, see all those gorgeous mosaics and polished marble floors with windows running 20 feet high and be able to capture all the tonal values using HDR. In some ways, I guess it's the modern day equivalent to Ansel Adams Zone System using exposure & development to master complete tonality in a pre-visualized scene.

But, it seems when folks discuss HDR today, it less about the bracketing of exposures and more about the usage of colorful presets to manipulate and create super-duper dynamic images. It's so tempting to rev up the colors, contrasts, grain, vintage looks, whatever on some of your photographs. Chances are if you want it, a special effect is there waiting for you to click a button and see how your image reacts.

 The photograph of the Fulton Harbor Bait Stand in Fulton, Texas did not need any HDR ramping. It was a stormy scene in the twilight hours with bright neons and rain. Perfect for a natural shot. Yet, a slight boost in vibrancy using HDR Efex Pro gave it a bit more punch.

Superb programs like HDR Efex Pro, from Nik Software, make the process of creating fun. With all the presets available, you simply click on each effect, find the one to your liking, tweak it if you wish, and your altered image is banging at the door to be shared.

Therein lies the biggest controversy under the umbrella of HDR. Not that an image has been altered or gone too far in appearance, but ultimately where its being presented. Its my opinion that any image taken for documentary, news, or journalistic purposes cannot be altered. If an image is altered and used in an editorial publication, it needs to be captioned as such.

The biggest abuse of this seems to be in landscape photography. Why? Because an image can be made more dynamic and interesting than it was in real time. After the debacle last year over the News coverage of Iceland's volcanic eruptions, images were juiced up in saturation to accentuate the glow of the spewing lava, but in reality the scene was flat and tame in comparison. This is misleading to a audience seeking truth in coverage. Its a line that can't be crossed in this type of photographic coverage, no matter how cool it looks. Its place is to be real. And, its time to go old-school in the most traditional of approaches and just be there at the right time. Be a photographer, not a technician in post-processing.

Some publications today will even ask the photog for RAW files if an image appears to be over-manipulated for verification. Let's face it, the credibility of the publication. Its not a bad idea.
However, let's say an editorial magazine hires you to do a photo essay on State Parks. It allows you the freedom to create images any way you choose. You might choose to shoot the entire essay in over-the-top HDR imagery as a visual style. Its how you wanted to shoot the essay. Even though this is in an editorial publication, this approach is a personal vision and totally acceptable. Where the line might be crossed is if the photographer's work included within the collection of "straight" images of some of the State Park's natural gifts, images that are enhanced through software. When this happens, what can the viewer believe is real or not real.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I still cherish the hunt of making real photographs. Doing my homework, being at the right place at the right time, allowing instincts and purpose dictate what I'm trying to say visually. Its what I still do professionally and I never mix the real with the experimental in the magazine work I do.

That said, I'm also a visual artist. Experimentation has from the very start been part of my interest in this medium. From the days of darkroom work, creating multiple images in what master photographer Jerry Uelsmann did in his painstaking "Saving Silver" process, to sepia tones warming a photograph, to today with the multitude of iPhone app's allowing us to create images on the fly with numerous image flavors to choose from. Its exciting and creative.

We have more options for visual expression than ever before. While the economic model of being a photographer has changed forever, its also a very exciting time to be a photographer. Experiment away, make the boldest, most outrageously creative images your imagination allows. I know I will.


But, I think a line has been drawn in the sand on what's real and what's not real. Its up to us shooters to understand where that line exists.

 :)

And, my favorite way of shooting. The natural gifts of light, movement of the swirling currents along the shores of Lake Superior make a beautiful, natural photographic capture.

Minnesota Twins Fans at Home Opener in Time-Lapse

Thanks for all the emails about this quick TIME-LAPSE sequence created of baseball fans streaming into Target Field for the Home Opener of the Minnesota Twins in downtown Minneapolis.

I enjoy photographing crowds and this was a good opportunity in a festive environment (even if they did lose the game!) to observe the river of people flowing towards the ballpark.

I won't go into deep detail on this process since there's no substitute for experience, but here's a few tips to get you going. Once you create your first time-lapse sequence, your brain quickly fills with ideas that will take you out shooting feeding that creative energy.

For the one created here, I shot 500 frames at 3 second intervals. I'm using my Nikon D3 and in the Shooting Menu I scrolled down to Interval Timer Shooting. Check your owners manual for this camera and the camera you have for add'tl detailed info. To capture this many images it took 25 minutes. 60 seconds divided by 3 fps (frames per second) = 20 x 500 = 25 minutes.

Once the images are captured, I load them into Lightroom, and for the purposes of speed and efficiency, I converted them all to 72 dpi. Once converted, I placed them in a folder on my desktop and opened Quick Time Pro, a $30 software program that turns the images into a Quicktime Movie. To see how this is done, there are several wonderful videos on You Tube with good lessons on creating Time Lapse movies.

As an alternative to Quick Time Pro, you can also use Lightroom. While Lightroom does not have a 24 fps preset (which is the most desired fps) you can get one free from Sean McCormack at Lightroom-Blog.com and download the presets in a Zip file and load into LR. Thanks Sean for creating this. Follow his simple instructions and your on your way. http://lightroom-news.com/2009/10/28/direct-timelapse-video-export-from-lightroom/

I tried several different fps and as expected, the 24 fps were the best for this. When I dropped down to 10 fps the time-lapse appeared choppy and too slow. While I could see more of what people were doing, the flow was off and not pleasing. I jumped to 50 fps and I got tired just watching all the people run so fast. So, settling into 24 fps worked well. There is enough time to see the flow, watch what people were doing and not lose interest.

If you have time-lapse settings on your camera, take the camera out for a walk and give this a try. You could even train the lens on the birdhouse in your backyard and shoot 500 frames per second as they feed their babies this Spring. Of course, with time-lapse you will need a tripod, and turn off the auto-focus. I've done exposure both ways, on manual and auto. Both worked fine. I'd prefer manual, but in the case of clouds moving back-n-forth over the sun, exposures changed 3-4 stops. That's too much of an exposure swing. Keeping the camera on auto allowed for good exposures of my main subject through-out the 500 frames.

Go out and have fun. Think stars, storms and streets. You'll be amazed at the world seen in a time-lapse sequence.

Nikon SB-900 Speedlight

Creating photographs in winter brings its own set of challenges. Its a good thing photographers are capable problem solvers or this season could easily get the best of you.

The first obstacle, the most common one, can be overcome with desire and proper clothing. Let's face it, when its really biting cold it takes a compelling reason to get out and shoot. I see this more than anything else in winter months with shooters. They resist pulling the camera out of the bag and shooting. Its easy to stay bundled up and warm. Yet, the moment you activate your imagination and start creating, you overcome the chill and walk away with images only a handful of people are willing to capture.

The second winter hurdle?  Light.

All photographers understand that light is everything. A bright, sunny winter day can be a tough working situation with contrast and exposure. Yet, capturing good winter light can really make a photograph electric and lively. And, the quality of light in the high arctic, with its pink hues and soft texture is some of the most gorgeous light found anywhere on the planet. Seeing deep blues against a snowy scene is a marriage akin to peanut butter & jelly. It just works.

And technology has made some fancy advances to making our lives pleasant and more productive. Personally, I think the greatest innovation in the digtial age are those wonderful "blinkies" that instantly provide information about overexposed areas. I never use a histogram, but adore that flashing black light indicating I've lost data in the bright areas. What a great tool.

The flip side to sunny conditions is that limp light, dark and heavy that provides no contrast, miniscule inspiration, and its own nasty method of defiance. This really pushed the best shooters to a mode of creative options that while limited, can be very rewarding. The best way to think of this is bad light can be good light...........for some visual techniques.

I like implementing two techniques as soon as I see light go limp. That dark overcast light is actually quite good to use with panning for motion and also close-ups. The light is even, though dark, and along with a good exposure subjects come to life.

Panning is one of my favorite types of images to create. They are a nice break to the frozen still shot and offer the viewer a new way of seeing a moment in time. And, don't be afraid to break out that flash and use it with your long panning expsoures. This technique, which we used to define as "flash & slash" is a great way to add motion and sharp focus in a photograph.

Last week while dogsledding in Northern Minnesota, the weather pattern could be ID'd in the dictionary under the word GLOOMY. Holy darkness Batman, it was dark all day and did not fluctuate one f/stop the entire day until darkness set in. We missed shots like fresh wolf prints in the new snow because of the flat light to name one. But, when we broke out the Nikon SB 900's and kicked in Rear-Curtain Sync, we started having fun.

There is a secret to using the flash & slash technique that will dramatically improve your adventure
photography. This same skill set is popular in outdoor portraits as well so the technique has numerous valuable contributions to your personalized vision. Using dark conditions with digital is not something you should shy away from or put your camera away for the day. Use the darkness to experiment with new and exciting ways of shooting.

In the photo below, the light was already too dark capture action, even at very high ISO's. So, I put on the Nikon SB 900 Speedlight on my D3 and took a normal ambient exposure. My fastest reading was 1/6th of a second. Way too slow to stop action. But, I knew if I set my camera on Rear Curtain Sync (your camera by default is set to Front Curtain Sync) and flashed the dogs, I get get some movement and also some sharpness. The perfect combo in this conditions.

                                  CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

The key here is the ambient exposure.

Here's another photo taken just moments later using a faster shutter speed with the Rear Curtain Sync still set. You can see the difference. The ambient light has gone dark, like those terrible christmas party photos you've seen thousands of times. The subjects are brightly lite by the flash and the light fall off is extreme and your subject swims in a sea of blackness.

This is the reason for using the REAR CURTAIN SYNC. The flash fires at the end of the exposure as opposed to the beginning of the exposure. This technique "pops" the flash at the end freezing the action giving you a sharp split-second at the end of a long exposure. If you were set for front-curtain sync, the flash fires at the beginning and the remaining exposures washes over flash creating a blurring result.

In this photo, as dogs are returned to the dog yard after a day of running lakes and forests, the light has usually gone. But, its important to see the dog yard. A automatic photograph flashed with blackness wrapping the scene gives your audience little or no information about what's happening. They want to see what's going on. The dogs are so strong that its easier to lift their front feet off the ground to get them safely to their doghouse. Its part of the story and capturing it is integral to understanding the dynamics of the dog yard. This technique allows you to do that!

So, on the next nasty, dark day go out and give it a go. Practice with moving subjects, and your camera set at rear-curtain sync.

In this photo, a straight pan with no flash is another effective way to capture action with movement.
Just keep that thought in the back of your head when shooting in poor light;

Bad light is good light!

iArt with iPhone

Editor Sarah McKenzie called with an idea to do a short article on the creative use of the iPhone camera. The number of creative app's for the iPhone have simply exploded on the market. Some are wonderful visual tools and others not so great.

I thought I'd share Sarah's article here.