Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, 73 mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

And we’re back from the desert. I returned home from Las Vegas, and Photoshop World, yesterday after five days of non-stop photography-related fun. And, I have a massive head cold to prove it.

While Photoshop World ended mid-Friday, my mate, Jacob, and I stayed through Sunday night to try and do some shooting outside of the city. We rented a car and headed to Red Rocks Canyon and Valley of Fire National Park. Both were simply gorgeous, even during the mid-day with the harsh light coming down. One of the themes that I had in mind was to get some windy road shots. It has been a while since I last visited the southwest and I always love how open the roads are to passing traffic. You can park your vehicle and take all the time you need to set up and get a cool shot. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll share a few different vantage points of these roads, all showcasing the way they wind around and how they fit within the gorgeous natural landscape.

This road leads you directly into the entrance of Valley of Fire. We had a great time zipping through it from one end to the other. There really never is enough time but I’m so glad that we got to experience some of these amazing landscapes.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 10, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

You should never underestimate the kindness of strangers. However, you will never be in a position to underestimate (or overestimate) this kindness until you actually ask them of something. In this case, I was in a gorgeous church in Amalfi and knew exactly how I wanted to frame the shot, but there was a family of about 7 people standing in this main aisle. I walked over to them and politely asked if they would mind clearing the way so that I could get my shot. It turns out that the father of the family was a photographer and was eager to see what I was composing and was even familiar with HDR.

Not only did he and his family clear the way, they even recruited themselves to help prevent other tourists from walking in during the bracket exposures. Gotta hand it to strangers sometimes.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I am notoriously finicky about shooting brackets with people in the frame. I have no good reason for this and I freely admit that I am not the most rational person. But, I am coming around to it. I think part of it has to do with how ingrained the lessons are when you learn HDR photography that you want to minimize any moving elements… especially people. But the reality is that embracing people (in the shot, not literally… ok, maybe literally, too) adds some realism and warmth to an otherwise lifeless scene. Sure, there requires a lot more during post, with having to mask certain areas and contend with ghosting in others, but overall, I think it is something that I will spend a lot more time with.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 11, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

This shot is for my father. Or rather, my father inspired this shot. This door leads to a mechanic shop in Portsmouth, NH. I was staring at it for a few minutes before I came to this particular framing. The door has so much character – there is no mistaking that a lot of hard work goes on behind it. Everything about it screams it.

My father is a mechanic. He owns a shop in Brooklyn, NY and has been his own boss for as long as I can remember. He is the hardest worker I know and has some of the most sound business ethics and morals out there. He works hard every day, freezing by a space heater during the winters and sweltering during the summers, and has provided his family with everything we could ask for. I was given a great education, had lots of toys as a kid (and as an adult), and never went without copious amounts of support and love. And for all of the grunt work that he does, he is also one of the most creative and methodical people that I know. If I could be even an infinitesimally small fraction as crafty and handy and creative as my father, I’d be thrilled. I’m a lucky guy to have my father as my father.

And so I am giving this one out to my pops.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 15mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 5 Exposures

I figure that we are due for another grungy UrbEx shot.

I’m not sure about you, but there are so many times when I get a wacky idea to compose a shot in a certain way only to bail out on it after psyching myself out. I tell myself, “ehh, this is going to be a stupid shot”. That was the case with this shot. I remember walking from one room to the other, while Bob was shooting something else behind me, and thinking about this composition. I set everything up and just before I started exposing the brackets, I started talking myself out of it.

But the more I think about it, the more ridiculous that is. We have at our disposal SO much capacity on our media cards and on the hard drives in our computers. We can store thousands upon thousands upon millions of images without batting an eye. So, with that in mind, I ended up taking the shot and I’m so thankful for it because when I got home and really started processing, this shot became one of my favorites from the day.

With today’s technology and massive amounts of storage available at an affordable price, it simply doesn’t make sense to forsake a shot.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 15mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Getting this shot was something of a redemption for me. About two years ago, shortly after I had picked up the Canon 15mm Fisheye lens, I went to go shoot the Fed in downtown Boston. I thought it would make a perfect subject for major distortion. So, I set out towards the end of the day after businesses were closed and started composing my shot. Sure enough, within two minutes, I had two federal police officers on either side of me, telling me to leave. Now, to be fair, I was technically on government property so I didn’t have much of an argument. The shot that I ended up getting can be scene here and you can even make out the silhouette of one of the officers approaching me on the bottom right of the frame.

While I was happy with the shot, I always wanted to redeem myself and get another version without being rushed. So, a few weekends ago, I went back to the Fed and started testing the waters. I set up my tripod but just stood by it for a minute or two. No guards. Cool. Then, I started composing the shot. No guards. Sweet. Finally, I let the brackets fly. Still no guards!

Whatever the reason, I had ample time to grab a few different comps and it gave me a great sense of satisfaction. So, for those of you who miss out on a shot because of the authorities, don’t give up. Try going on weekends when the overall crowd may be thinner and security may not be as strict.

August

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

By the time you read this, I’ll likely be running around somewhere within Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas. I’m attending the Photoshop World Expo. If you’re there too, please swing by and say hi! I’ll be leading the APC HDR Walkshop tonight and will be presenting at both OnOne Software‘s booth (on Thursday at 2PM and Friday at 11AM) and at APC‘s booth (throughout the Expo).  As such, I’ve pre-built each daily post thru Monday, when I return home. Text content may be a little light on these posts, as I’m scrambling to make sure that I packed enough boxer shorts.

The scene above was a great example of setting your tripod and camera down while you go to rest from your hike, and you place it in a way that frames a shot wonderfully. We had just reached the summit of the Bubble Rock trail in Acadia and I set the camera down so that I could collapse and catch my breath. After resting up for 15 minutes or so, I decided to flip on the Live View to start composing. What I saw required no further movement or adjustments. It was just perfect to me. It had a little bit of everything that I love to see in a nature landscape shot. So, I metered, programmed the Promote, and bracketed away.

Serendipity can be such a nice thing.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 2.8, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

There was a period in my photo pursuits when I did everything in my power to get rid of distortion. I don’t know why I did, or what caused it – because I never used to really pay much mind to it. But, at some point, something really did snap in me and I went all out with trying to correct for linear and barrel distortion. And then, probably 3 or 4 months ago, I started embracing it again. I realized that there is merit to distortion. I saw shots that my peers would post, and I found a lot of great qualities there.

And that’s when it sort of hit me. Distortion can be a very viable element to the shot. Let’s lay it out here – there are two types of distortion:

1. Intended
2. Not intended

So, the more I thought about it, the more I was trying to get rid of the ‘Not intended’ distortion to the point where I wasn’t even allowing for the creative outlet of factoring it in. So, I upgraded to the Canon 14mm Prime (Canon’s widest lens until their insane 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye comes out). And what I started doing was going totally against the grain, for me at least. I started looking for objects and elements to distort. I wanted the distortion to convey some visual feature. And that is how I came about the shot above. Getting in close and at a low angle provided this unique look to the motorcycle, along with creating some great lines through the frame.

So, if you do have a tendency to eliminate a facet of photography, try to qualify what would happen if you incorporated it in a meaningful, or intended way. I’ve never looked at distortion the same way since.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

<Pun Alert>It’s great when a scene is sitting there, waiting for you to shoot it.</Pun Alert>

Sometimes, there is an element in your scene that is clearly the focal point of the image.  You know that you want your viewer’s eyes to go directly to it.  And, there are plenty of ways to make that happen. In the scene above, I ended up tilting my 17mm T/S lens upward to change the plane of focus to the lower portion of the frame, where the clock face is.  I also ran the image through Focal Point, part of the OnOne Plug-in Suite family, to accentuate the shallow depth of field.  Finally, I ended up dodging the clock face so as to make it pop, while burning the rest of the scene and adding a vignette.

There are tons of ways to focus the attention of your viewers and it should be a major consideration with any image that you share.

PS – You can save 15% off the purchase of any OnOne product by using the coupon code MATIASH at checkout.