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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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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Trying to define it seems almost as fruitless as going on a shoot with the intention of only photographing it. The way I have always approached abstract photography, when I am shooting or viewing it is by following a very simple and personal edict:

You’ll know it when you see it

For the most part, I feel that abstract photography is a very personal thing, both for the photographer and the viewer. I cannot impose on you what I saw when I shot this image… nor do I want to. I just know that when I shot this little part of Panther Creek Falls on Saturday, it wasn’t just a piece to a larger puzzle, but rather it was something in and of itself. And to me, that fits inline with thinking in abstracts.

This is also the first in a series of five or so images from this location that I shot in such a fashion. I am very much looking forward to processing, printing, and hanging them. I want to give a huge shout out to the fantastic company that I had with me in +Varina Patel, +Jay Patel, +Patricia Davidson, +Michael Riffle, and +Nicole S. Young. It was one of the best days of shooting in a group that I can ever remember. I’m also sure that it was just the first of many to come.

In terms of processing
This was a two exposure blend using principles I learned through discussions with Jay. One exposure was for the very bright, flowing water and the other was for the far-dimmer rocks. I added a slight Green Enhancer on the moss, along with a tiny bit of a Blue Filter on the water to help provide some cooler color contrast. Deep Forest Glow was selectively applied to water to accentuate its softness. All applied in Perfect Effects 3 by +onOne Software. Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC.

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But in all seriousness, the amount of inspiration and knowledge that I gleamed off of these two people is staggering. After spending the day chatting about Macro photography with Varina, I found myself itching to dust off my ol’ Canon 100mm Macro lens and see what I see.

Now, yesterday was also the 2nd +PDX Photowalk ( #pdxpw ) and it was the perfect time to try and expand my horizon, as it were, by getting nice and close with my subject. To say that I was so outside of my comfort zone is quite the understatement.

Everything from what to shoot, how to shoot it, and how to process it were thrown out of whack. I kept trying to summon the lessons Varina shared with me about effective composition and aperture. Jay shared some fantastic tips on using color effectively to determine what your focal point should be. I tried to apply all of what I gleamed here and I ended up walking away with this shot of a tiny ladybug on a branch.

I deliberately waited for the bug to walk over to the long edge of the branch, thereby giving me a nice cross section for my plane of focus (did I get this right, Varina?). I also dimmed the brightness of the background to help let the ladybug stand out but did I dim it too much, Jay?

So many questions surrounding such a simple subject.

But here is the key!
Instead of being frustrated and agitated with not knowing what I’m doing here, I am excited and hopeful. I can’t wait to go out and experiment more with this type of photography. And I can’t express how lucky I am to have made two new friends who are so talented and creative – it is a real driving force to become better at this.

Growth is king here, people.

In terms of processing
Not much going on here. I selectively applied the Daily Multivitamin effect to the ladybug and the branch that it was walking on. I also added two custom vignettes to draw focus to the ladybug. All done in +onOne SoftwarePerfect Effects 3.

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As a photographer who absolutely loves architecture, I find this practice to be logical – akin to trying to find symmetry and parallels in a scene. I tend to terminate lines into corners because it gives the viewer’s eyes a logical start point – a springboard of sorts to begin the visual journey through the frame. You start in the corner, work your way in and then work your way over. All areas of the frame get some eye-love and the viewer begins to develop a story in their minds. They get engaged with the shot and it gets gears to turn, spurring their own creativity.

As far as I’m concerned, the greatest gift of a photograph is that it is another source of fuel for imagination, creativity, and most importantly, inspiration.

In terms of processing
I took this shot with my good friend, kick-ass photographer and onOne colleague, +Rick LePage about two months ago on Hayden Island, bordering Oregon and Washington. This is a two image long exposure blend using the Masking Bug in Perfect Layers by +onOne Software (it’s free, ya know!). One exposure covered the sky and the other covered the remaining foreground.

Next, I liberally applied a Blue Filter from Perfect Effects 3, masking it out of the pylons and the refinery in the background. I didn’t do much to process the rest other than add a tiny Warming Filter and some Tonal Contrast for texture.

Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC.

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However, with it comes responsibility – most notable is being mindful of ones own surroundings. This shot taken on Buntzen Lake, near Vancouver, BC allows me to illustrate my point quite lucidly, I think.

Imagine me standing here for what seemed like 30 minutes, waiting for:

1. The light to hit this structure exactly right and
2. Two other photographers to clear that little pathway as they deliberately chimped each shot they took without any consideration for their surroundings.

Now, picture Nicole Young standing 1 foot to my left, also going for a similar yet different shot of this structure (we had totally difference lenses on and were shooting at different focal lengths). Our tripod legs were sort of crossed over because we both wanted to share this ideal vantage point.

Finally, the stars aligned as the sun lit the scene perfectly and those two other photographers cleared the way (after a teeny bit of verbal provocation). I was the first to start exposing. I saw that I got the shot I wanted and then took one more for insurance.

When the second exposure completed, I picked up my tripod rather hastily and, in the process, slightly bumped one of its legs against Nicole’s tripod. There was no doubt that her exposure was ruined. All it takes is a tiny bump to kill a long exposure. And the worst part was that it was her first (and only) shot. By the time she prepped for another exposure, the light was gone and would not return in the same way for the rest of the day.

I was that photographer. Faux Pas Master. I felt awful for ruining her shot due to my carelessness but Nicole took it in stride the way that she normally does. Still, it was a good lesson on the responsibilities we owe ourselves to take when shooting with our peers. That extra second of thought to look around and be very deliberate with out movement can go a long way.

In terms of processing
I only needed one exposure here (taken with my Lee 10-Stop Big Stopper ND Filter) to get all of the gorgeous detail that this scene had to offer. The light hit the structure perfectly, thereby making the reflections clear and glassy (again, due to the extended exposure time from the ND Filter).

I brought the image into +onOne Software Perfect Effects 3 and selectively applied the Green Enhancer and Golden Hour Enhancer effects to the tree line. I added the tiniest Blue Filter onto the mountain range in the background and on the water to help contrast using color temperature. Finally, I applied a Deep Forest Glowonto the whole image in a very nominal amount. Finishing touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC.

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We were near Burnside in downtown Portland and decided to make use of the ornate glowing neon signs that sprinkle this wonderful city. Unfortunately for me, nothing was jiving. Not one shot sang out and it was clear at the time that my muse was taking the evening off.

This is a pivotal point for a photographer, or really for any creative. If you’re experiencing any sort of bloc, do you choose to force something – create a contrived shot – or do you simply let it all go and chalk it up to a cold hand being dealt?

I go with the latter. Forcing creativity just seems wrong. There is nothing gained here and it is very much a zero sum game. Sure, you may walk away with images in hand, but do they have soul in them? Did you just point your camera in a direction and click the shutter?

So, I chalked this evening up to a loss of any photographic merit and turned my focus to spending the time chitchatting with my visiting friends as they rifled off their own shots. And you know what? It was really great!

I absolved myself of any burden or onus to get new shots. It was really OK to just enjoy the evening even if my camera was not cooperating. And the best part? It was only after I relieved myself of this burden that my muse did show up, if only for three fleeting shots. Something about this streetlamp caught my eye and I ran with it.

Having my Canon 14mm prime lens on meant that I was looking for linear distortion and this fit the bill. So, I craned the ballhead up, composed, and fired. When I got home, I knew that this shot would be my favorite and I’m sure that it never would have even happened if I was forcing myself to shoot when my heart just wasn’t in it.

In terms of processing
The star of the show here was actually FocalPoint 2 by +onOne Software. The stylization was done in Perfect Effects 3, using a combination of Blue Dawn, Frumpy, and Tonal Contrast effects. However, I really wanted the sign to literally pop off the screen. To that end, I applied a 0% opacity FocusBug on the whole image. This rendered the image in blur. Next, I scaled down the amount of blur to a mere 4% and used the Focus Brush to paint the focus back onto the sign.

Final touches were achieved in Lightroom 4.1RC.

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