HYPERFOCAL
h e lpin g you be come a bet t e r l an dscape pho t o g r aph e r
PHOTOSHOP ISSUE
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Issue #28
IMAGE OF THE MONTH
Image by Austin James Jackson James Schmizu kayaks off of 95 foot Abiqua Falls in Oregon after heavy rain in the early spring raised the water level just enough to drop the falls in a kayak.
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3 Photoshop Tricks to Improve Your Photos In this short article, landscape photographer Austin James Jackson goes over three Photoshop tricks you can use to create better landscape photos.
The Best Shutter Speed for Waterfall Photos Ever wondered what shutter speed you should be using when shooting waterfalls? In this article, Austin James Jackson goes over a few of his favorite shutter speed tips in order to create stunning waterfall images.
Story Behind the Shot In this issue’s edition of Story Behind the Shot, Austin James Jackson talks about one of his favorite images from a backcountry trip in Washington’s Cascades.
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3 Photoshop Tricks to Create Better Photos
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Orton Effect via Gaussain Blur
Selective Color Adjustments
The Orton effect is something that many landscape photographers apply to their photographs, especially when they’re trying to enhance beautiful light. This effect works well on most photos with some form of light or fog in your scene.
The most powerful feature of Photoshop is the ability to create highly refined masks in order to apply effects to only certain parts of your photo. This allows you to add contrast or change colors on very specific parts of the image. Examples of this include increase the brightness and saturation of a lake or even increasing the color of sunset clouds. While Lightroom contains powerful sliders to effect the image as a whole, Photoshop is nice to create fine tuned adjustments that only effect very specific parts of the image.
How It’s Done: You can find tons of different methods of the Orton effect online, but I’ll be giving you the simple, yet effective way that I prefer to do it. First, create a new stamped layer of all visible layers (CMD+Alt/Opt+Shift+E on Mac, CTRL+Alt/Opt+Shift+E on a PC). Then, change the blend mode to screen. Finally, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussain Blur, and set the radius between 20-60 pixels. Generally speaking, 40 pixels is just right, but it’s always worth experimenting with other values. Now, you’ll see that the image is brightened and softened overall. At this point, I usually lower the opacity to taste, and then use a layer mask to refine the Orton effect to just spots where the light is hitting in your frame.
Custom Vignette If you’ve never used a vignette before, it’s not hard at all. A vignette is simply where you darken the edges of your photograph, which helps bring the viewers eye to the center of the frame. When viewing a photograph, our eyes are drawn to the lightest part of the image first, so darkening the edges helps ensure that the center of the image (generally where your subject is) is the brightest part of your image.
How It’s Done: First, create a new group with two blank layers above all other layers in your Photoshop file. The new layer button is on the bottom right next to the trash can, and the group button is one more to the left of the new layer button. Next, grab the Elliptical Marque Tool (the circle selection tool, seen selected in the photo above) and draw a circle around your frame, not quite to the edges. Then, go to Select > Modify > Feather and feather the selection by 1000 pixels. Now, while on one of your blank layers, go to Edit > Fill and change the “Contents” to white. You should now see a cloudy white circle in the middle of your photo. Select the other empty layer and go to Select > Inverse. This inverses the selection. Then, go back to Edit > Fill and change the “Contents” to black. After that, you’ll want to select the layer that has the black on it, and go to Edit > Transform > Warp. You are now able to drag the black vignette around to make the perfect custom vignette. It will take some practice to master, but this is my favorite way of creating a vignette. Toggle the results of the warp on and off on the group layer by hitting the eye icon just to the left of the layer. You may want to adjust the opacity of the brightening or darkening layers. Also, be sure that the darkening layer didn’t oversaturate anything on the corners of the frame. You can also mask out the effect in certain spots.
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While there are many ways to create layer masks, one of the easiest and most effective ways is by using a color range selection. The color range tool is a tool in Photoshop that allows you to click on your image, and Photoshop will automatically select things that are similar in color. You must refine this selection of course, but Photoshop allows you to easily make refinements using a couple of slider bars. You can also use this tool to select (and refine) highlights, shadows, or midtones.
How It’s Done: Go to Select>Color Range. You must have the background layer selected when you do this. When the Color Range box pops up, you’ll want to click on your photo on the spot that you want to select. I prefer to set my Color Range Selection Preview to Grayscale. By default, the Color Range is set to select Sampled Colors, meaning that it will select whichever color you click. However, you can change it to Highlights, Shadows, or Midtones if you want to target a particular lightness value in the image. Once you have your selection made, click OK. What was in grayscale is now a selection. To apply it to another layer, simply create a new adjustment layer and it will be automatically applied. In the example below, I’ve created a curves layer with the adjustment, which allowed me to reduce the brightness of the highlights. This method works for any of the adjustment layers, but I prefer using it with curves if I want to effect the lightness values of my image, or the Hue/Saturation if I aim to effect the colors in my image.
Waterfall Photography What’s the Best Shutterspeed? photography and text by austin jackson
Living in the Pacific Northwest my whole life, I’ve shot my fair share of waterfalls. One thing I enjoy about each waterfall is that each one requires it‘s own artistic approach. . Some look good with a wide angle, while others might look more appealing with a telephoto. Over the years, one of the most common questions I get about waterfall photography is “What shutter speed?”. This week’s blog post is designed to give you an understanding of what shutter speed to use and when, as well as different ways to achieve certain effects.
Short Exposure
Long Exposure
Shutter Speeds to Avoid
While less frequently used by photographers, I love finding ways to use fast exposures when shooting a waterfall. Quicker exposures don’t work on all waterfalls, and I generally find them to work best on falls that are very large. Using a short exposure allows you to capture the individual drops of water as they come over the falls, as well as capturing any mist or spray that may be coming out of the falls.
Most photographers use long exposures when shooting a waterfall. Using a long exposure allows for the camera to capture the flow and movement of the water, which can result in a silky look and feel with the water. When shooting long exposures, it’s crucial that you don’t allow the exposure to be too long.
In general, you’ll want to avoid some shutter speeds when shooting a waterfall. Steer away from anything between 1/3 of a second to 1/200. These shutter speeds aren’t fast enough to show the individual drops of water, but they aren’t slow enough to get a nice smooth look. You’ll end up with a lot of “blurry” photos in this range.
When trying short exposures, use a shutter speed no slower than 1/250 of a second. If light allows, you can even try 1/500 to help freeze the moving water into place. If you were to use a slower shutter speed, such as 1/60, you’d notice that you didn’t capture individual drops of water because they’d all be slightly blurry. In order to shoot shutter speeds this fast, you may have to open up your aperture or increase your ISO, which means you‘ll be sacrificing depth of field or image quality to do this. Be sure that you are aware of this in the field. Faster shutter speeds generally doesn’t look great when you have a wide angle with water in the foreground. Keep this trick in your bag for those times where you don’t have any immediate foreground, or perhaps you have a foreground that is foliage rather than water. These shorter exposures look great on some of the huge, gushing waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest like Sahalie, Koosah, Abiqua, a nd more!
Generally speaking, I like a shutter speed between 0.5 seconds and 1 second when shooting moving water. When you shoot with a shutter speed slower than this, you’ll lose some detail and interest in the moving water. With a faster shutter speed, the water often appears blurry, rather than smooth. To achieve a shutter speed this long, you’ll likely need to use an ND and/or polarizing filters. An ND filter helps to block light (like sunglasses), which allows you to get a longer exposure. Sometimes, the darkness of a polarizer is enough to get a shutter speed of 0.5 seconds. A polarizer is also an essential tool for photographing a waterfall, as it removes glare on the water, rocks, and foliage. You can find out more information on filters, as well as get recommendations, on this blog post here. I find long exposures to be very effective on wide angle scenes with strong leading lines, or on cascading waterfalls where the water collides with many rocks on the way down. Smaller waterfalls also generally look better at slower shutter speeds. Here are some example photos shot using a long exposure.
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I also find shutter speeds longer than 2 seconds to be too long. Once you open the shutter for this long, the water will become too smooth, meaning that you loose any detail or unique water patterns in your frame. If you’re new to waterfall photography, I recommend trying both short and long exposures in your photography to really figure out the difference and which setting to use for different scenes. I used to always shoot both fast and slow exposures so that I didn’t have to make a decision in the field. It’s always better to get the shots in the field and then have the option of deciding on the computer which one is better.
f/8.0 ISO 50 0.5 seconds
f/8.0 ISO 400 1/200 second
f/8.0 ISO 800 1/250 second
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Story Behind the Shot: Sunrise Before the Storm photography and text by austin jackson
The Core Enchantments is one of the most challenging backpacking trips in all of Washington, due to both the difficulty of the hike as well as the challenge of getting a permit. Last year, 32,000 permit applicants were awarded 1,800 permits. I’ve tried to get a permit the last 3 years, coming up unsuccessful until this year, where we scored a highly sought after October permit. October is the most beautiful time to visit the Enchantments because all of the larch trees are golden in color, anxiously awaiting winter.
is about 30 minutes from Leavenworth. The parking lot was almost completely full with through-hikers, attempting the 24 mile through hike in one day, which does not require a permit. I got out of the car, adjusted my backpack, extended my trekking poles, grabbed my smile, and we were off. I wouldn’t see or hear another vehicle for the next three days. First, we had to hike about 5 miles to Colchuck Lake. The hike gradually gains elevation, which we thought was moderately difficult at time. Looking back, this part of the hike was cake compared to the following miles after Colchuck. We stopped at the lake, and sat down to have some lunch. Colchuck Lake is know for having huge granite slabs surrounding the lake, so we sat down on one of them to eat. One of the guys in our group (who had never been backpacking before) accidentally dropped his food bag, which then rolled down the granite, until we
The night before we drove up to Leavenworth and stayed in town so that we could start early the next day. Even though the hike was only 10 miles, we suspected that the difficulty would make it an all day ordeal. We woke up early the next morning, had the hotel breakfast, and we were off. We started our journey at the Colchuck Lake trailhead, which
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heard a splash. Luckily after spending some time fishing everything out, the contents of the bag were okay except for his stove, but we had plenty of those to go around. After lunch, onwards we went. The next part of the hike was the most challenging, which was an ascent up Aasguard Pass. The pass is long and steep, but you can see all the way to the top from the bottom, which makes things a little better. The whole way up is mostly loose rock, which makes walking even more challenging. After a few hours, we finally made it. I was originally under the impression that once we were at the top, we were basically at our campsite. I guess defining what “basically” meant would have been helpful. We ended up walking for about another hour before reaching the spot that we would eventually call camp. The area was beautiful, and it was everything I had read about and more. Lakes everywhere, all connecting with small streams, and glaciated mountain peaks every direction you looked. Going into the hike on Thursday morning, we knew that the weekend had a chance of snowing between one and three inches on either Friday or Saturday. At camp, we didn’t have phone service, but found a place a short walk away from camp where we could get service to check the weather and send out a few texts. Upon arrival, we found the weather forecast to be accurate, and sunrise the next morning appeared to look very good. The rest of Thursday was uneventful, and I spent most of the day exploring the area and the many different compositions that it provided. I didn’t sleep particularly well, which I believe was due to the excitement of being in such a pristine, protected, and magical area. I was also anxious for sunrise the following morning, and I couldn’t wait to do some more exploring! As always, the first thing I did on Friday before putting my jackets back on was peek out
the door of my tent. I was first disappointed because the skies did not look as I hoped. I thought it was going to be a completely clear sunrise. However, I got up anyway because I didn’t want to miss any opportunities. When I see boring skies in the backcountry, I never lose hope and always remind myself that stranger things have happened. It was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit on this particular morning, so getting up was no easy task. I got out of my tent, shivering, and decided to head to the north of our camp to get a classic view of the Core Enchantments. All of a sudden, the sky started turning orange. In the dark when I first checked, I wasn’t able to make out the light clouds that would eventually catch color. Now, it was clear. This sunrise was going to be one for the books. I settled on a composition with the granite rocks helping to frame the scene, larch trees in the foreground, and of course, the classic Prusik Peak in the background poking out of the hills. However, the fun was only just beginning. Remember that 1-3 inches of snow I mentioned? That was predicted to drop Friday night, so we thought it was a little odd when it began
all of a sudden , the sky started turning orange .
my rainfly and the ground, as the snow had filled that. I knocked the snow off my tent, and opened the fly just enough to peak out. As Michael Bublé would say, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This was the first indication I had that we might be in for more than we bargained for. Fast forward to sunset, which was about 6:30 PM. It was so foggy that I couldn’t even see twenty feet in front of me. The snow hadn’t let up all day, and I estimated there to be about 6 inches at this point. I opted to eat dinner in my tent and stay warm for the night. Following dinner, I went to bed early. I woke up multiple times throughout the night to find that it was still snowing, and there was lots of snow accumulating on my tent, which is not a winter tent, by the way. Surprisingly enough, I made it through the night, and when I woke up, the skies were still cloudy, but the wind was calm and everything was covered in white. I stuck around for a while, and found a composition to set up at for once the clouds cleared. At the time, the Core Enchantments trip was cold and a bit out of my comfort zone, but that’s what 2018 was all about. Looking back, this was one of my best memories of the year, and I can’t wait to revisit this area. Looking back, trips like this are always worth the memories that come out.
snowing at ten in the morning on Friday. By 11:30 AM, we had already reached the predicted three inches. I figured the storm had just rolled in early, and it would stop soon. I decided to take a nap to stay warm and pass some time. When I woke up at three in the afternoon, I was surprised to find that the rainfly of my tent was covered in snow, and I was also surprised to find that there was no longer a gap between
pictured right: the snow on the ground the morning after the storm contrasts with the bright orange larch trees. 10
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