Those of you who know me probably know that I usually do whatever I can to avoid having people in my shots, but in this case, it is the person who makes it. This man was sitting at the end of the dock, reading a newspaper while his son or grandson was kayaking around the lake. He sat relatively still for the most part, so I felt that using the Lee 10-Stop Big Stopper ND Filter would be ok here. Doing so gave me that glassy surface to the lake.

However, every time I tried to take a shot, someone either walked into the frame next to the man, causing the dock to shake or a boat/kayak would float by, disturbing the water. I must have gone through 20 mintes of attempts here and my urge to rage out was quickly rising. :)

However, persistance paid off because I finally found my narrow, little window where no other people or floating crafts interfered. When I chimped the shot, I saw that the man had shuffled around a bit in his chair, causing some motion blur. At first, I was disheartened at this but when I looked at the image on my larger display, I came to love the juxtaposition of how still the dock, water, and trees were compared to his fidgeting motion. It provided some really nice visual contrast.

And so, there is the ever-important lesson of waiting. Of having patience. And, most importantly, of finding a shot that you must have and doing whatever it takes for however long it takes to get it.

In terms of processing
I processed the trees and the foreground separately here. For the trees, I simply masked in the Magic Forest effect from Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. For the foreground, I applied the Magic Ocean effect. I added the Tonal Contrast effect globally and masked out the water, thereby giving the scene some more bite.

Next, I sent the image to FocalPoint 2 and rendered the background slightly out of focus to help the man pop off the frame.

Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC2.

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As we meandered up the beach, I came across this lone spray can. I wasn’t really sure who it belonged to or what it was used for (or on), but I claimed it for my own and walked over to a spot of beach that was, for the most part, untouched. I wanted to compose a shot where this can was lodged in the sand at this particular angle and kept very much in the lower left quadrant of the frame, filling most of it with the moving water.

You’d think that this shot would be easy to get but it actually took a bunch of attempts because as the waves would roll in, the sand I had packed on the base of this can would slide away and cause it to move. Even the slightest movement in this long exposure would ruin the shot because the can would be soft.

Still, after several attempts, I got the exposure I wanted and it got me thinking a lot about how we interact with our scenes. Often times during the Autumn, photographers will grab a bunch of colorful leaves and add them to the foreground. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we can save ourselves a lot of time cloning and healing our shots by removing distracting twigs, branches, and so on. In a more extreme sense, as with this shot, the entirety of how this image came to be was by placing the object of focus exactly where I wanted it.

It’s these little thoughts around photography that get me so excited whenever I’m out in the field and, even more so, when I share these thoughts with you here.

In terms of processing
This is a single, long-exposure image taken with my Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 24-70mm lens. I had my Lee Big-Stopper 10-stop ND filter affixed to the front element so that I could glass out the surface of the water.

Processing was straightforward in Perfect Effects 3. I applied some Tonal Contrast on the can and sand to bring out the texture. Next, I selectively applied a Blue Filter to the water and a Warming Filter to the sand and can. I then covered this image with the Rice Paper Lighttexture to add some body. Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.

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Shot after shot, I looked at my LCD and knew that I wasn’t happy with any of them. The shots were either too wide to maintain any interest or I wasn’t getting enough foreground elements to layer the image the way I wanted. I knew that something wasn’t working and I decided to make a very quick change, rather than work with what I had.

So, I waded back to the shore as fast as I could and switched out to my Canon 24-105mm lens with a 3-stop Lee 4×4 ND filter mounted to the front threading. As I waded back to the position from where I took this shot below, I instantly knew that the longer focal length would yield the results that I was going for.

Sure, I could have kept the 14mm on and forced a shot, but where is the good there? Yes, as photographers, it is very important to be able to work the lens that you have on, to train your eye to master that focal length. But, there is also an equal amount of importance in knowing when to change up the glass (if you’ve got it with you) to get the exact shot that you’re looking for.

Just do what you need to do to get the shot. If that means hauling six lenses with you, then that’s the call you need to make.

In terms of processing
This image is made up of three exposures. They were blended with masks in Perfect Layers 2, by +onOne Software. Rather than tone-mapping, I wanted to preserve the pixel information for this scene so I took three shots, each one exposing for a separate tonal range. One for the ultra-bright background, one for the overall mid-tones, and one for the dark shadows. Masking was pretty straight forward, thankfully.

Next, I stylized in Perfect Effects 3. I used a dupe layer of the Fashion Passion effect – one using a soft light blending mode and one using a color blending mode. This combo effect was selectively applied to the water to give it that unique blue color that you see. I applied a small amount of Green Enhancer to the foliage and then a combo of Deep Forest Glow and Tonal Contrast for a balance of softness and texture.

After that, I sent the image into FocalPoint 2, where I used two Focus Bugs to drop the background very slightly out of focus and bring the attention directly to the foreground.

Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC2

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The answer is both straightforward and somewhat ambiguous, and is in no way intended to cause any sort of consternation. Basically, the path I take when I style my images varies on an image by image basis. I take the photo with my camera, import it into Lightroom and, when I’m good ‘n ready, I go to work on it.

The path of stylization for some images can be very clear whereas others take a lot longer to figure out. I don’t rush it and I’m not at all afraid to quit out of all programs without saving if I’m just not feeling good about what I’m seeing, even if I had been working the image for several hours. I also don’t really work in iterations – I start on an image and I work at it until it’s done. If the process breaks down midway and I lose inspiration, I stop and quit without saving. I’ll attack it again another day. The image isn’t going anywhere.

The process of stylizing an image like this one of Mt. Hood is one of my favorites. I opened this image up and have absolutely zero idea of what I wanted to do to it. In fact, I didn’t even think I wanted to ever work on it – just keep it on ice. But then, I applied one effect that changed the entire look and feel of the image and everything else instantly sprang together in a very harmonious way. As soon as that one effect was applied, the path became very clear to me.

And that is how things work in my head. No two images are treated the same way and I see no sense in rushing your own art. The only stipulation is that when you’re done with your art, you and only you are truly happy with it.

In terms of processing
This is a single, long exposure taken at Laurance Lake in Hood River, OR. Despite being flanked by some amazing photographers and friend, +Jay Patel, +Varina Patel, +Patricia Davidson, +Michael Riffle, and +Nicole S. Young, I felt totally at ease. When photographers come together with their intentions refined razor sharp, magic happens. Ideas and musings are shared with no pretense. It was amazing.

When I began working on this image, I really had no idea what I wanted for it. That is, of course, until I applied the Blue Dawn effect from +onOne Software Perfect Effects 3. The result here was a perfectly moody blue tint, with all traces of minute texture and details wiped away – giving the image an painterly feel. From here, I jumped into action.

I selectively applied a heavy amount of Tonal Contrast back onto Mt. Hood to bring out the details. I also applied the Rice Paper Light texture overlay, which added some nice fodder for the eyes in the negative spaces while also adding some nice warm swatches above and below the horizon.

Final touches were applied in Lightroom 4RC2.

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However, in this case, the strongest filter isn’t necessarily always the best one to use. Sure, I could have placed that filter on and drag my shutter to a minute or two. That would have easily glassed out the water. However, I would have also wiped out those smaller details, namely the sharper wisps of waves as the water contours around the ground.

It’s those little details that I feel are critical to giving the shot more directionality and flow. To achieve this, I used a lighter ND filter – the Lee .9 3-Stop 4×4 resin ND filter, which gave me the benefit of a longer exposure while also being fast enough to retain those wisps.

It’s akin to a phrase that I use very often on my webinars: Just because a slider can go to 100 doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to.

In terms of processing
This is a two exposure blend. The first exposure took care of the water and the second was a much longer one that brought in more details for the scene itself. Masking was done in Perfect Layers 2 by +onOne Software.

I then sent the image to Perfect Effects 3 and applied a Green Enhancer, a Deep Forest Glow, and some Tonal Contrast.

Next, I sent the image to FocalPoint 2 and selectively applied a tiny amount of blur to the background forest. This gave the image a slight 3D feel.

Finally, I used a custom adjustment brush in Lightroom 4RC2 with a cooler white balance on the water.

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The problem is that getting to this view is strictly prohibited and access is seemingly non-existent. Still, not to be deterred by such meager technicalities, we decided to roll the dice and take our chances. True to form, we were quickly approached by a security guard who was clearly prepping to have us leave the premises.

And that’s when Jacob went to work. Like a champ, Jacob laid on the Australian accent and verbiage nice and thick. A lot of Please, Thank you, and G’Day! words spewed out of Jacob’s mouth. I think he may have even batted his eyes a few times. The guard was no match. The Aussie prevailed. We toasted with huge cans of Fosters (Australian for beer).

Despite my jest in telling the story, there is a lot of truth in what happened and why we did eventually get access to this amazing view. We only had about 20 minutes to get our shots, and we all used those minutes with precision – each walking away with images that we’re truly proud of and all because of a little composure and a lot of kindness.

You can check out the renditions of this skyline view taken by my cohorts here:

+Nicole S. Young – https://plus.google.com/113097851206100618060/posts/fUdDzWW6hGr

+Jacob Lucas – https://plus.google.com/111204757488124368395/posts/UbkTRMTm8XL

+James Brandon – https://plus.google.com/111349868439224262161/posts/44ajjmrwhZR

In terms of processing
Given that all four of us were photographing the exact same scene, standing only a few feet apart from each other, I wanted to see how I could set myself apart. I think that is an integral concept to always keep in the forefront of your mind, especially when shooting around other photographers.

To that end, I shot six single exposure images with my Canon 70-200mm lens – panning from left to right and then stitching them together using Autopano Giga (http://bit.ly/J0vH7n).

I then stylized in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software, including the Havana and Moulin Rougeeffects to give the skyline a more sinister feel. Final touches were applied in Lightroom 4.1RC.

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Stitched Panorama

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You’ll flag the image as done and export it out to a folder containing other done images that are ready to share on the social media universe for public consumption. It may garner comments, +1s, likes, retweets, and whatever other form of digital sentiments that the public can share.

But what about the memory of the moment itself that you worked so hard to capture? Do you remember why you even took the shot, other than because it was pretty or compelling or cool?

We tirelessly work to preserve moments with our images but how much do we actually preserve the memories that accompany them? It’s not a criticism by any means – rather, it’s a reminder that what makes our photos truly our own has to do with the memories that we form while taking them.

Take this shot of the frozen Umbagog Lake, for example. I have so many tiny, fond memories of taking this very exposure. We had just finished an exhausting day-long trek through the forest on dog sled and had just made camp for the evening. The sun was setting behind me and to the right a bit. Despite the frigid temperature from the air, I remember feeling extremely comfortable standing on the frozen lake covered in a foot of snow with my snowshoes on. I remember how ludicrously quiet the entire area was up until the entire pack of 30+ huskies simultaneously burst into a beautiful, synchronized, and harrowing howl (that was my favorite memory).

I also remember handholding the camera here, for fear that my tripod’s spiked feet would break through the frozen ice. I remember metering off of the mountains in the background and composing my shot so that the little island of trees was placed slightly to the right of center. I remember being relieved that, despite the relatively low light, I was able to get a quick shutter speed even at f/9 and ISO 200. I also remember being very thankful for having a lens that has image stabilization.

I remember the exposure being taken and looking down to the LCD. I remember being happy that I nailed the shot but also being wary of having just one exposure, so I took four more… just in case.

All of these things that I remember make this shot mine. Sure, the actual composition and stylization choices may have my stamp on them but what makes up the soul of this shot are the memories that surround it.

So next time you’re out and about, take a few moments to capture the memories first. The image capture will surely follow.

In terms of processing
This was a very simple image to process. I didn’t want to do much to it as I felt that the beauty of the scene did more than enough to make it compelling. I did add a slight amount of Blue Dawn Leonidas from PhotoTools 2.6 by +onOne Software. I also selectively added a tiny amount of Golden Hour Enhancerto the sky to add some warmth. Other than that, I applied finishing touches in Lightroom 3.

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This was one of the last shots I took on Saturday. The sun was making its final hurrah for the day and we were left to enjoy the nautical twilight. My original frame of this scene didn’t incorporate any sort of foreground element. If you could, imagine the bottom of the frame beginning just above this rocky overlook. While reviewing the image on my LCD, I realized that it was sorely lacking. There wasn’t nearly as much depth as I had hoped for and I knew that I needed to address that if I had any hope of making this shot more compelling.

So, I backed up a bit and framed the shot so that I had a nice little chunk of this overlook protruding from the bottom right corner of my frame. It gave me the exact amount of balance and depth that I was hoping to achieve here and I got the added bonus of including some nice color contrast between the green grass and the predominantly blue scene.

In terms of processing
This was a single 30″ exposure at f/22 taken with the stunningly gorgeous Zeiss 35mm prime lens that Rick was kind enough to let me use for the day (I still have it…). I used a gentle amount of Green Enhancer and Hollywood Glow on this shot. Both found within Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC2.

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Horsetail Falls, seen here, was our first stop. The first portion of the trail climbs at a moderately fast pace, but once you level out, the rest of the trail is easy going. Once we reached these falls, we all naturally gravitated to our own areas, giving consideration to space out and get different comps.

I took this shot after having a particular conversation with Jay about minimizing the amount of dead space in the scene – namely, the dark and dull rocky areas that were devoid of foliage or moss. It just served to suck away attention from the shot. So, my aim was to fill the frame with as much of the greenery as possible while also including the waterfall.

As it so happened, I also caught Varina prepping her own shot in the distance. I remember being impressed with the sense of scale that was created here, as if Varina was a tiny figurine in this shot. If you follow the trail that bisects the waterfall, you’ll eventually bump into her.

This sense of scale is an effective visual tool that we should always keep in our back pockets when shooting such massive expanses, especially with wider lenses (this was taken with my Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS). It’s something that I’m going to challenge myself to keep in mind going forward, especially as my frequency of shooting landscape increases.

In terms of processing
This was a bit of a tricky one. It’s a single exposure image – properly exposed throughout with the help of my Lee 3-stop ND filter. The key here is to bring out the beauty of this lush scene without losing Varina’s presence. So, I applied the Magic Forest preset along with a Tonal Contrast preset to the entire image. For the water, I selectively masked in a Blue Filter in a tiny amount. Finally, I used custom Lighter and Darker effect layers and masked them so Varina had a slight glow around her, facilitating the viewer’s eyes to find her. All were achieved in +onOne SoftwarePerfect Effects 3. Final touches were applied in Ligthroom 4.1RC2

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The nice thing about going on a hike in as picturesque of a scene as this one is that there will never be a shortage of pathway shots. The key is to take the shot so that it actually makes sense to the viewer (and to you! ). As you can see, it can be very easy to overwhelm your viewer with a crazy amount of visual stimulants here. It’s your job as the photographer to define what the viewer should focus on. When processing this image, I tried to summon a lot of the conversations that my friend, +Jay Patel, and I recently had about utilizing different types of contrasts effectively as a service to your image and to the viewer.

In this shot, I intentionally dimmed the glowing green of the mossy trees and brought out more of the cooler tones of the gravel pathway. I feel that this helps give the viewer’s eyes a defined path to take, albeit a short one. I chose this particular path because I was fond of the way it curved into the madness of the forest, so to speak.

Effective use of color contrast is just one method to create visual logic for your viewer – the key is to be cognizant of what you are trying to achieve when you’re in the field and behind the computer display.

In terms of processing
I did a very slight tone-map process on this shot to wrangle in the highlights beyond the trees and to bring out some of the shadows in the thick forest. Stylization was minimal – I selectively applied a Deep Forest Glow on the foreground trees to accentuate the moss. I also burned most of the image and dodged the path using masking brushes in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC2.

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