Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 11, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

It doesn’t happen all that often anymore when I can go out on a shoot, go home, offload the images, review them, select one to process, and prep it as the next day’s 1S24H shot. So, I’m really happy to share this image because it brings back good memories of those sorts of times.  Nowadays, the tendency is to go in waves of over-shooting, then overprocessing. Sometimes, getting a crack at some fresh brackets lets your ride the flow of creativity that you had (hopefully) during the shoot that you just came home from.

In the case of the shot above, this was the very first bracket series of the day. Bob and I got together for a short shoot around Boston because it had been a while and it’s always nice to catch up with good friends. We happened to have heavy rain earlier this morning, along with a relatively dry day. I was hoping for this because it slowed down the evaporation of the puddles. The puddles were important to me because I knew it would add some dynamic to the shots of an area that is already so ‘over-exposed’. I don’t think it would have been half as interesting without the puddle.

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 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 EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I’m not a superstitious person. I try to keep a level head about most things (and usually fail at that) but there are certainly some things out there that just unnerve me… like a pentagram when I least expect it. I was walking around this abandoned mill area of Holyoke by myself when I came across this cheery bit. It was one of those things that stopped me in my tracks and really made me swivel around in a 360-degree angle, as if seeing this sign triggered whatever it was that would cause my demise. And that’s my mind for you, my friends.

I know that a lot of the UrbEx shots that I post excite people. I love the comments, tweets, and emails that you share. And it is the responsible thing to give my fellow UrbEx adventurers out there two pieces of advice:

1. Wear a thick skin (literally and figuratively) – There is so much debris, sharp objects, and overall crap that can physically hurt you in a lot of ways so be sure to wear some thick-soled shoes, cover your arms and legs, and wear a cap. Also, you will likely see a lot of the ugliness of people through mindless graffiti and tags (like the one above). And this is relatively tame compared to some of the things that my friends and I have seen. So, consider that before you head out. If you are easily offended, prepare to jolted.

2. Do your due diligence – There are a lot of things that you can do to prepare but for now, my one piece of advice is: make sure you give your destination, route, timetable, and agenda to a loved one or a friend. While I don’t really recommend going at one of these UrbEx shoots alone (especially if you’re new to it), if you do, ensure you make routine check-ins. Some of these places are MASSIVE and getting lost can be very easy.

I do love these shoots – I’d do them every day if I could. And if it interests you, I hope you get the opportunity to, as well. I just want to make sure that you all approach it safely. We’re all here to have a great time and make amazing images. See you out there!

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

It’s pretty awesome when you are on a photowalk with some buddies and one of them knows you well enough to call out a particular shot that you may have missed (ok, definitely missed).  I was with my buddies, Laz and Rich, roaming around the downtown Boston area, trying to beat the heat and snap some cool shots. Laz saw this particular scene and knew that I was giving my new 14mm prime lens its inaugural go-round. He pointed it out and said, “This can be a cool shot, right?” Sure enough, he was on the money.  The distortion that the lens added to this already-angular facade was right on.

I know that I’ve written about the positives regarding solo shooting but I tell ya, having some great buds with you can be such a great thing, too.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

There are two good points to make about this shot. The first point came to me when I was standing there in NYC, shooting it. The second came during Post. Regarding the first point, when I first turned the corner and saw this barricade with the graffiti on it, I initially walked by it. I didn’t really pay it any mind. I think it was because the lettering on the barricade didn’t make perfect sense. Having two loops (representing the letter ‘O’) made my brain just assume it was gibberish. But something told me that there was more to it and I turned around to look at it again. Now, it isn’t rocket science but there is something to be said about letting the viewer’s mind fill in gaps and make their own decisions about what actually is in the frame that you present. It was enough to make me set up the tripod and compose this shot.

The second point has to do with selective processing. A lot of the time, the easiest way to draw focus on an element in a scene is to have contrasting light and shadow. The focal point can be brighter while the remaining scene drops into darkness. That is certainly an effective method but I tend to apply a different method with the same principle. What I did with the shot above was apply more of a texture boost to the barricade while dropping the texture a tad on the rest of the scene. I wanted the luminosity to remain consistent and let the texture shift do the work. I’m actually pretty happy with how it came out.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 16mm, F 11, ISO 100, HDR, 5 Exposures

I tell ya. I’ve gotta get in the habit of shooting more brackets at night in urban areas. There is nothing quite like the wonderful tones and detail that HDR can pull out when the sun goes down. Urban areas are especially fantastic to use as a playground because, often times, your scene will have quite a variance of localized dynamic range. Think about it. For the most part, the scene above is pretty dark. You have a great shift in dynamic range when you include the street lamps and the lit interior with all of the details that you can see there. It just adds a dimension that I find so pleasing. I admit that it’s been a good long while since I’ve done some serious nighttime bracketing and me thinks that a change is in order stat.

As a side note, one of my absolute favorite times to go out shooting is just after a heavy rain storm. The storm that passed through Old Montreal on the night that this shot was taken was doubly beneficial. First, the rain was coming down with such strength that just about every other tourist resigned to staying indoors. I jumped at the first break in weather and had my way with the general area. Second, freshly wet pavement provides some spectacular and moody reflections to help enhance to feel of your scene. It really gives it a timeless quality.

So, maybe ‘Rain, Rain, don’t go away’?

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Sometimes, you’re just grasping for anything to shoot. You’ve got your gear and you’ve got the best of intentions but the ignition just doesn’t turn over. If I could sum up yesterday’s shoot with my good buddy, Chris Lazzery, that would be it. We drove for hours, had some fuzzy ideas in mind of what we wanted to shoot, but we were just dealt a pretty cold deck of cards.

But here is the thing. We didn’t stop. We didn’t pack up our bags and head home. We pushed through and gave it a shot. Sure, there were definitely times yesterday when I felt like I was simply crowbarring a shot. But, I’ll take a day of trying to shoot something over a day of not doing any shooting every single time. If you’re out and you have your camera, just shoot. You’ve got so much room on that memory card and it doesn’t cost a dime to download and review them. And you just never know. You may end up with a shot that you love.

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

How about we end July off back in Acadia National Park. This wooded path makes up about one half of the Jordan Pond trail and was a huge relief on our feet after hiking the Bubble trails. I remember when we first came onto this portion of the trail, built primarily to help restore the natural habitat along the shore of the pond by limiting foot traffic to this path. Pretty much as soon as we got onto the path, I set my tripod down and started bracketing. Almost halfway through my brackets, I realized that I was falling into a habit that I have been working hard to break and that is to stop blindly shooting as soon as I come onto a new environment.

What I told myself was that I had to try and be more discriminating. I wanted to be methodical about what I was shooting. My scene provided a constraint that limited me to shooting while standing on this narrow path so an alternate, skewed perspective would be out of the question because it would require me and my tripod to stand on the forest floor. Resolving to be a good thru-hiker, I opted to observe this rule and did not break it. Instead, I walked at a slow cadence, taking in the path as it unfolded. When I came onto this portion of the trail, I knew that this was the shot that I wanted.

I opted for a portrait perspective to give the idea of the pathway stretching out into the horizon. But what made the shot for me was the way the path curved out a little, right where the sun was shining on it. This provided something that was visually pleasing for me. I felt like there was a story that I could craft around this shot and that was exactly what I was going for.