Decision About Lightroom 3

After quite a bit of study I'm going to include LightRoom 3 in my workflow. I was looking at the software primarily as a way to manage my digital image files but I found a wonderful resource that helped me understand a lot more about Lightroom. George Jardine has put together two on-line video series, one set of 16 videos on the Library Module and the other set of 15 on the  Develop Module. The cost is $24.95 for each series. George is an amazing instructor who can keep the details moving along and make it interesting. And the best part of it is, I can go back as many times as I want so that I can review any one of the videos in the series as many times as I want to.

There is also a Print Module in Lightroom that blows me away. I don't know anyway to describe it except to say that it is comprehensive and it is elegant.

At this point I still need Photoshop to do some image processing chores but it is easy to take an image over to Photoshop, do my thing, and then bring it back to Lightroom to manage the image file and to print through the Print Module. There are still a lot of things I need to work out for my own personal workflow but I am going to include Lightroom.

The image above was made in Pozos. We went over one Saturday with a friend. Right after we got out of the car, I stopped to make this image. My friend said he was interested in what I might shoot since I was a serious photographer....or something to that effect. Actually, I think he was wondering why I stopped to photograph these leaves of the agave plant.

Evaluation of Adobe Lightroom

I sometimes have people ask me what image editing program they should buy. I often recommend that they look first at Adobe's Lightroom and if that doesn't suit their needs then I'd recommend Adobe Photoshop. Lightroom is about 1/3 the cost of Photoshop. I have a lot of photography friends who tell me that they are using Lightroom almost exclusively for their image editing. I'm told that Lightroom is superior to Photoshop in managing a image library. I've got lots of photos and I surely could use help in managing these files, edits, and backups.

So from time to time I look at the latest version of Lightroom. I've downloaded a trial copy and this afternoon when we came in from Parque Juarez where the plant and flower show for Candelaria has just opened I downloaded the files I had shot via Lightroom. I have Scott Kelby's book, Lightroom 3 book for digital photographers and so I have referred to it to do the tasks I wanted to do. I'm trying to keep an open mind until I decide if Lightroom really offers me advantages over the workflow I've developed in Photoshop. The jury is still out.

This was the first image I shot when we walked into Parque Juarez. I like patterns. I converted it to black and white to better show the patterns. I think with a little work it could make a good large print but wouldn't it make a mind-blowing jig-saw puzzle?

Back to Photography

One of things this blog is about is photography but sometimes I have several posts without a photograph. It is time for a photograph.

This week I was playing with some older image files and changed them from color to black and white in Photoshop. It is really quite amazing how much control you have in making this transition. I feel fortunate that I have many years in a traditional darkroom making black and white prints. I think it really helps to make the transition from the color file to black and white.

The New Photoshop, CS5

I'm digging in again after the book blitz. I have so much to do. I am learning CS5, the latest version of Photoshop. Doing the book gave me the opportunity to use some of the new features but there are others to explore. So far one of the best new features is the improved noise reduction in Camera Raw. I was using a third party plug-in that did a good job but I like to keep all my workflow in Photoshop. Makes my life simplier.

Selection and layer improvements are appreciated. In general Adobe fixed a lot of little things that just make the workflow smoother. Then there are a couple of things that have changed which aggravate me and I'm sure that there is some way to go back to the old way but I haven't had time to figure that out yet.

There are two new things that might be helpful for commercial photographers and they get a lot of play on videos touting the new Photoshop version but I doubt I'll use them much. One of them is the content aware fill. I've tried it. Sometimes it doesn't work very well but other times it can fix something that you would have sat at the computer for a long time gradually filling the area. It worked for me when I wanted to take an ADT sign out of one of the images in the book. Zap! It was gone. The other is puppet warp. The tutorial videos are amazing but I don't think it is a feature that I will use.

So, okay. I've paid my Adobe Photoshop tax. I'm probably good to go for another 18 months.

I made the image above last February. We went to Mass at the Chorro Church. Some Mexican friends say that prayers made in that church have been answered. It is a tiny church and the service was beautiful. I said my prayers. I also made a few photos with my little point & shoot camera the Canon S90 at 800 ISO. The camera starts to get a bit noisy at higher ISO's so I used the noise reduction in CS5 and the Post Crop Vignette. They worked very well.

Obsession

Printing is an obsession. It was in the darkroom and it is with a digital print as well. When I worked in the darkroom things were much more stable. I used the same enlarger, the same chemistry and paper over and over and over. You got to know your materials. That did not necessarily make printing easy but it did take away some of the variables. If I made one acceptable print in a three or four hour session in the darkroom it was a good session. Acceptable did not necessarily mean "final" print. I would tack the acceptable print on the wall and look at it and wait a few days. Sometimes, really most times, I found things about the print that could be improved. 

By now you must be wondering how processing a digital print could be worse than a darkroom print. It is because every element in the technological process is changing at a pace far beyond what happened with the elements in a darkroom. One variable affects other variables. Then, there is Photoshop that allows you to use layers so you can keep tweaking here and tweaking there without having to make a final decision. It is hard to find a digital rock to stand on.

I, and a lot of other photographers, obsess about making the best print possible. I've spent the day making variations of the image you see above. I've tried different papers, different shades of monotone, different this and different that, a tweak here and a tweak there. If I were to lay all of the prints I made today out for you, I just wonder if you would see the differences. Differences to me that are deal breakers but you might think they are miniscule.  At least I have made one print that is acceptable to me and I'll tack it on the wall and look at it and wait a few days to see if I think I can improve it. That part hasn't changed.

Rejects

I made and scanned this image some time ago, like more than a year ago. It was shot with color film in the Holga. I see this tree everyday when I walk up Pila Seca and I love the early morning light as I approach this corner. But when I tried to work with it in Photoshop, in color, it just did not work. The other middle of the night/early morning when I couldn't sleep, I changed it to a monotone image and played with it again. I liked it but didn't see much chance for it with the public. What the heck, I uploaded it to Facebook and was surprised at the positive response I got. Of course these are my Facebook FRIENDS. Still this is a reminder that when I feel an emotional response to something, I might be able to capture something in the image that will stir a response in someone else.

Justification

A little jarring isn't it after the smooth black and white images. Hey, if I'm going to photograph taco joints at night, in color, why not let 'er rip.

I do like low light photography and I like doing it without a tripod. I'm using that as the justification for buying the Canon 5D Mark II. I should have it tomorrow. This new camera has been on my "Lust List" for a while. I almost bought it last December. Then again in January. I had decided not to get it on this trip to the USA either but somehow while we are still here in Houston, I was finally able to justify why I couldn't wait another minute longer. It is really quite amazing how I can finally talk myself into a photography purchase. Unfortunately I also had to order the latest version of Photoshop, CS4, so that I will be able to convert RAW images from this new camera. Some smart but evil Adobe marketing executive thinks up these schemes to collect an upgrade fee from me every 18 months.

Adobe Security and Other Computer Stuff

I can't add a photo to the blog today because I'm in the midst of changing over to a new computer and photos are still on the old one. I've always used a computer tech to set up and get a new computer rolling but this time I'm trying it on my own. Although I did have my tech check out the computer overall before I brought it down to Mexico. What made me think I could do this was I read about the Windows Easy Transfer Program and so I thought that meant EASY.

I knew that the transfer program really only transferred data not application programs so after putting off doing this for almost a month, yesterday I finally started the process.

Of course my most important program to get up and running is Photoshop CS3 (haven't bought CS4 yet). Adobe allows you to have CS3 on two machines. I have it on the laptop and the desktop. I knew that the program called home everytime you started up to ask for permission to open the program but, just to test it, I installed it on the new machine. It installed just fine but when it started asking for serial numbers, it stopped. Adobe said, "Billie, you know you are only allowed to have this on two computers. If you want to use it on this computer, you will have to deactivate it one of your computers....otherwise, NO! You can NOT open it on this machine." Okay, already! I went over and clicked the appropriate clicks to deactivate it on one. Back to the CS3 on the new machine and Adobe said, "Congratulations, now you can activate CS3 on this computer. Remember, we are watching you all of the time, day and night."

The other software that I was worried about was the software for the Epson 4000 printer. The new computer is a Vista 64 bit machine and I'd heard horror stories about getting things to work with Vista 64. Besides the printer is a bit temperamental so I was expecting problems. I went to the Epson download site and downloaded all the appropriate stuff. So far it looks like everything is working just fine. Whew, that is a relief.

At anyrate, yesterday I put my application software on the new computer with few problems. Now it was time to use Windows Easy Transfer. The computer came with a brochure on how to use it. By the way the computer was made in Mexico and the brochure was printed in Mexico. The brochure seemed simple enough but just to be sure I googled 'Windows Easy Transfer' and even went to Microsoft's website. I wanted to read several sources before I started. Confusing. Even Microsoft had several versions of how to use the program. As instructed I loaded the program on the old computer and started out trying to use it. A couple of things just didn't make sense. I stopped. I went back to Microsoft and re-read several of their instructions. One of them seems to make sense from what I encountered last night so today I'm going to give it another try. I'd like to use it because if I understand the information correctly it will also transfer the kind of hidden data like Photoshop preferences and actions and that will definitely make it easier to be sure I get everything over to the new computer.

One way or another today, the data is moving to the new computer. My mantra today is, "Be calm. You can do this, you can do this. Be calm.

Seeing in the Dark

The candlelit cemeteries during the Dias de los Muertos are beautiful. But there is more than just beauty. There are truly spirits in them and a feeling of a deep connection not just with recent lost relatives but a connection with many generations who have lit candles and sat in these same places.

This image was made just before dawn in Cucuchuchu in the State of Michoacan. Some of the people were wrapped in blankets and sleeping in chairs or on the ground. Some were quietly talking with each other and some were beginning to gather their blankets and baskets of fruit and food. I was so thankful that I could walk around and feel the atmosphere, smell the wood smoke of small fires and exchange smiles and my limited Spanish with some of the people. It was a very special time for me and I'm grateful that I was allowed to share in a small way this tradition.

It is very difficult to photograph in this environment. I understand that in some of the cemeteries that camera crews come in and set up lights in order to photograph. And some tourists use flash and or tripods. Those are ways to manage the wide range between the candle light and the night. But all of those methods seem too invasive to me. If the ancestors are to come back during the night wouldn't all this light and bolts of flash confuse them? So, personally I can't use a flash....maybe a tripod although it would be hard to manage on the rough terrain and tiny spaces in the cemeteries.

This image was shot at f1.8 at 1/125 of a second at 1600 ISO. I might have used f2.8 but then I'm taking the chance of blur because of the movement of the people. I could have gone to the higher extended ISO of 3200 on my camera but it is so noisy that I can't stand it....1600 ISO is bad enough. Those are the parameters that I had to work with in the camera. I also had Photoshop to help lighten the image. The image was much darker before running through Photoshop but even Photoshop has limits.

Better parameters are on the horizon. Canon has announced the new Canon 5D Mark II with a range of ISO from 100-6400 and an extended range of 12800. I'm really amazed at what I've seen from examples at ISO 6400. It was just three years ago that I purchased my current DSLR. That is the problem with digital equipment, there is always new technology on the next generation that is intriguing. There are several new features and more megapixels on the new Canon5D MKII but the one that interests me most is the higher ISO feature. I'm not sure this is enough of a reason to shell out more dollars to Canon but this camera is definitely better at seeing in the dark.

Austin Weekend

What an inspirational, invigorating, fun weekend. I drove to Austin Friday and met up with Kay at Precision camera. The Canon rep was there but he didn't have the new Canon 5D Mark II which I was hoping I might get to see. He had sold out of the new Canon G10 so I didn't get to see it either. He did have the new 50D but it isn't a full frame DSLR. Kay and I pestered him for a while then headed out to get something to eat. We spent a long time talking and then went over to Davis Gallery for the Texas Photographic Society Print Auction. There were so many great images in the auction and I just kept walking around and looking at them. There were probably more digital prints than silver but there were also a number of alternative process prints. Black and white and color images were split about 50/50. It is really inspiring to see other photographers' work. Not that you are going to copy it but it does get the creative juices flowing.The next morning I met up some other photographers for a late breakfast at one of those great funky eating places that are unique to Austin. Migas, refried beans, potatoes sauteed with tomatoes, onions and tomatillos, tortillas and a huge cup of great coffee. Oh so good. There is just something so satisfying about a Tex-Mex breakfast in Austin. We sat at one of the outside tables and ate and talked and ate and talked.

Saturday afternoon I went to Sean Perry's workshop about Photoshop. WOW. Sean said that he wanted to leave us with a few "nuggets" to use and he did. I hope that my notes make sense when I get back to the studio.

Austin is a unique city. Besides being the State Capital, it is the home of the University of Texas, Texas music, great restaurants and dives and you will see signs and T-shirts reading Keep Austin Weird. And there are always things going on in Austin. This weekend was the Austin Film Festival, a University of Texas football game and Parent's Weekend, a marathon and probably several other things as well. Parking is at a premium all of the time but this weekend a parking space was like gold. This morning I walked around the grounds of the Capitol and down Congress Street and made a few pictures before I headed back to Houston. It was really a great weekend. Seeing my photography friends and lots of images was great. I'm inspired and invigorated. Oh, I hope the color and tonality of the images are okay. I'm never sure when I'm working on the laptop.

Advice on Photoing

I bet you didn't know that 'Photoing' was a word. It is my short-cut word for photographing. I don't think you will find it in Merriam-Webster now but Merriam does adopt new words from time to time so if you'll take up the cause and add 'photoing' to your vocabulary maybe we can get it included in the dictionary in a few years.

But what this blog is really about is an email I had from Isla Gringo. He suggested that I should do a series of blogs on "How to take a good picture for your blog." Oh my, that is a huge undertaking. Just go to Amazon.com and search for 'How To' photography books. You have lots of choices. So much has been written on that subject and I'm sure that it is much better than what I could do. One of my blogger friends, George Barr regularly writes in his blog, Behind the Lens, about finding images, composition and post processing. George has even put it all together in a book, Take Your Photography to the Next Level. I don't think I can improve on what George has to say.

Isla Gringo also mentioned that he had Photoshop but it was so hard to understand that he didn't use it. Ah....Now here is a place that I might be able to offer a suggestion. If you are going to use Photoshop then you need a tutorial and a good bit of time for the learning curve. My favorite down-to-earth, easy-to-use tutorial is Scott Kelby's, The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers. If you are going to use Photoshop then you are committing to paying the Photoshop 'tax' of $200 every 18 months for the latest up-grade.

I don't think most bloggers want to commit so much time and money to images for their blog. But I think that doing some post processing on some of the blog images I see could improve them a lot. A lot of them need just a little more contrast and a bit of sharpening, maybe a little lightening or darkening or even some cropping if you aren't a died-in-wool full-frame guy. I still say that cropping is not a mortal sin! I'd like to suggest that those of you who want to improve your pictures but don't want to spend the time and money to Photoshop, take a look at Picasa. Take a look at the Getting Started Guide. Doesn't look too hard does it? It is a free download.

Okay, now that you have a way to edit your photos, don't go overboard. A little bit of editing goes a long way. Just because you can invert colors doesn't mean that you should!

So that's my advice on Photoing. Just go photoing and have fun. The more you shoot the more you learn.

This image was made at the Feria Sunday evening. It has nothing to do with the blog entry except I was just photoing and having fun.