Capturing the Image
1. Always take your images in color, so a full range of contrast is acquired. Avoid Sepia and Black and White camera settings.
2. Set your camera’s file format to RAW, so the colors of the photos will not be compressed--avoid jpeg. The RAW format will also allow tons of non-destructive settings in the “digital negative” development.
3. In the end we want to capture the most neutral image possible, so don’t push the exposure too low or high. Select the AV (aperture priority) mode on you DSLR camera, choose the desired focal length and trust your camera for the rest.
4. Try to stay within 100-400 ISO range to avoid excessive noise.
These will get you off and shooting with a good start.
|
|
|
The Post Production Process
There are plenty of options to develop your RAW images, but I prefer using Camera Raw from the Adobe Creative Suite combined with Adobe Bridge and Photoshop CS5.
In Camera Raw I will first straighten my shot when needed. Then I will aim for a neutral output by correcting the exposure. I use the “recovery” option for overexposed areas, but I’m careful not to push it, so as to avoid clipping. Use the over/under-exposed alarm from the Camera RAW histogram. Once happy with the overall exposure I usually export in *.PSD and open up the image in Photoshop.
In Photoshop, I would go for a filter called “black & white”. From this filter option you can control all the color channels and convert the information into black and white contrasts (manually or with presets). Don’t be afraid to push it in extreme settings and see the results. Sometimes I would change the blending mode to “soft light” and repeat the filter a couple of times, playing with masks or not to bring the attention on a specific element of the composition. Of course it’s not a one-shot technique, the best way to learn is to make mistakes, so don’t be afraid to go for it.
I have recently discovered some amazing software that really helps me to get the most of my long exposure black and white shots--Silver Efex Pro. It is a plugin for Photoshop CS5 which allows the user to control the images black and white settings, such as contrast, brightness, structure/softness and more. It provides a very simple means of creating area selection (U-Point technology). With this plugin you can either browse for some common settings and effects or you can also create your own and apply them to your images with ease.
©
Geoffrey Gilson. All rights reserved.
Guillemins Train Station, Liege, Belgium
Exposure 10 - Aperture f/9.0 - ISO 100
Additional Tips
1. If you’re a dreamer like I am, try to sketch your ideas on paper when they pop up.
2. Be square-minded. Square formatting really brings a plus to architecture and long exposure shots.
3. Flickr from Yahoo is full of very good quality images, so check them out. It is a very inspiring platform for photographers and it could help you to climb the ladder.
4. You may also want to submit your images for critiques on image sharing communities. I will also be happy to have a look at your work.
|
|
I hope this has helped you to get closer to reaching your own goals and I would be very pleased to receive your feedback.
Feel free to visit and share my portfolio at www.geoffreygilson.net or http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffreygilson ~~~~~ I’m Geoffrey Gilson, 31 years old from Liege (the French speaking part of Belgium). As a forestry and environmental bachelor, my first passion is nature. Nature and entomology led me to macro photography 5 years ago. Since then I try to appease my thirst of knowledge and images through some very contrasted themes: architecture, landscapes, nature, and abstracts. I enjoy sharing my point of view and telling stories through the simplicity of the photo subject. I invite you to escape, travel and discover the world through my eyes.
|
