Issue 51: March 2016
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W
elcome to the latest issue, I recently read that Adobe: the makers of Photoshop and Lightroom, have increased their profits since moving to licensing their software instead of selling it. I’d like to think this is because more people are now signing up for their products than before; that before they were prohibitively expensive for most people, but now people feel they can afford them.
ABOUT Whether you’re an enthusiastic weekend snapper or a beginner who wants to learn more, NZ Photographer is the fun e-magazine for all Kiwi camera owners – and it’s free! EDITOR Allan Cox, allan@nzphotographer.co.nz GROUP EDITOR Colin Kennedy ART DIRECTOR Jodi Olsson
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NZ Photographer is an Espire Media publication
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I’m a real fan of Adobe Photoshop and consider it an essential photographic tool. At A$9.99 per month (approx NZ$11 by the current exchange rate) it’s less than three cups of coffee a month. If you haven’t already got it, may I politely suggest that you stop dilly-dallying around. Get it and learn how to use it! It is a big program so do expect to be overwhelmed when you first start to play with it. Certainly do not expect to instantly turn your photos into masterpieces with a few mouse clicks. To quote Piet Hein “Problems worthy of attack, prove their worth, by hitting back” There are a ton of online tutorials available. A simple Google search starting with the words ‘how to’ and finishing with the word ‘Photoshop’ will give you enough to choke a horse. Of course it’s not just about learning how to do things in Adobe Photoshop. Equally important is knowing what to do to your photos!
Allan Cox
Allan Cox Resident Judge NZ Photographer
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INSPIRING ARTIST
Chip Phillips
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NZP: Do you have a personal philosophy with regards to photography? If I do, it is a pretty simple one. I like to take pictures of beautiful things and have fun while doing it. NZP: What ‘words of wisdom’ would you give to someone starting out in photography Look at everything, read everything, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. NZP: What is your favourite photography accessory/lens? Probably my wide-angle lens.
NZP: How much post-processing do you do and what do you use. It depends on the image really. If there is a lot of dynamic range, or a focal blend needed, then I spend quite a bit of time on the image. Even if it is a single exposure sometimes I will spend quite a bit of time processing the image to where I like it artistically. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. NZP: For you, what helps the creative process? A good mood, good light, lots of interesting subject matter to work with.
NZP: Who do you admire and why. NZP: What is ‘quality’ in an image? What is it about I admire many of the people whose work I view each day, including my colleagues in PhotoCascadia. the good images that make them so? Outside of photography I admire my dad for his work I think that art is successful when it sparks an ethic, my mom for her huge heart, and my symphony emotional reaction. This can really be any reaction colleagues for their passion. in my opinion-there is no right or wrong way to feel about a particular piece of art, whether it is photography, a painting, or a piece of music. www.nzphotographer.co.nz 5
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NZP: You are a professionally trained classical musician; does one artistic life feed/help the other? Yes, I think so. As a symphony musician I am accustomed to working really hard and being kind of a perfectionist. I find the fact that I have been teaching clarinet for over 20 years now, that really helps me teach photography workshops. NZP: What is next for you? Any planned adventures with your camera? Yes. I can’t wait to teach a workshop with Erin Babnik in the Dolomites of Italy this summer!
As a symphony musician I am accustomed to working really hard and being kind of a perfectionist. I find the fact that I have been teaching clarinet for over 20 years now, that really helps me teach photography workshops. www.nzphotographer.co.nz 7
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I recently came out with a new editing video that I am really excited about. I go through the entire editing process on a single image from beginning to finished product. NZP: Tell us about your video tutorials. I recently came out with a new editing video that I am really excited about. I go through the entire editing process on a single image from beginning to finished product. This video, as well as others, is available here: http://www.chipphillipsphotography.com/Other/ Videos/n-j6rMms/
NZP: And finally where can we see more of your fantastic photos? My website: http://www.chipphillipsphotography.com 500px: https://500px.com/phillips_chip Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ chipphillipsphoto/?ref=hl NZP: Thanks Chip for taking the time to share your thoughts. â–
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LESS IS MORE NEW EOS 100D
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*As at 1st March 2013
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RAWs looking like JPEGs
By Allan Cox
I
’m not going to get into the debate of RAW versus JPEG in this article, suffice to say that personally I am strongly in the RAW camp. I believe that the sooner you switch to shooting RAW files and using the advantages that these files offer, the better your photos will be.
If we are shooting RAW files by contrast, the small JPEG can look quite different to the RAW.
What I would like to do is address one of the complainants I hear from people about RAW files. Namely, that their photos, as seen on the back of the camera, look quite different when viewed on the computer.
I’ve heard people advocate shooting a RAW and a JPEG, with the JPEG to be used as a reference photo while working the RAW files. I don’t buy into this idea. The reason I don’t is that although a RAW file can look quite different, it doesn’t have too look different.
When we take a photo, the camera produces a small JPEG file for reviewing on the back of our camera. If we have our camera set to give us JPEG files the photo we see on the computer will look similar to the JPEG produced from the back of the camera (the difference between the two JPEGs being that between the two display devices).
It comes down to how the program you are using to open the RAW files on your computer, interprets the file. Often these programs can be set so that your photos look the same on your computer as they did on your camera. This can be achieved by asking the computer program to interpret the RAW file the same way that the camera did.
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On a side note, this is one of the big differences between shooting RAW versus JPEG. When we shoot JPEG files the camera starts by shooting a RAW, then that data is interpreted depending on the choices we have made like white balance, etc. This interpretation is used to produce a JPEG file. Once the interpretation has been achieved, and a JPEG file has been created from the RAW file, the RAW file and all of the extra information contained in the RAW file, that wasn’t needed for this particular interpretation, gets dumped. When we shoot RAW, we get all of the information.
The first time we view it on our computer, we see it the way our chosen program has been asked to interpret the data. I’ll show you how to set this up to interpret it the same as your camera did, but then if we want to, we can also go back and reinterpret it however and how often we like. And the beauty of this approach is our RAW file, with all of its extra information, is never altered or deleted. In this month’s article, I’ll show you how to ask Adobe Bridge/ Adobe Camera RAW to interpret it the same as your camera. If I’m feeling generous, next month I’ll look at Lightroom. www.nzphotographer.co.nz 13
I believe that the sooner you switch to shooting RAW files and using the advantages that these files offer, the better your photos will be. 14 www.nzphotographer.co.nz
How to do this using Adobe Bridge / Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) It is important that we start with a file of a photo that we haven’t altered in any way i.e. it hasn’t been opened, and none of the sliders in ACR have been moved, as they need to be set to their default settings when we open our photo. • So, go and find an unopened photo or take a photo and then open it for the first time in ACR. • If you are using a version of Adobe Photoshop earlier that CS6 then your sliders in ACR should look like my screenshot. If you are using CS6 or CC, then your sliders will all be in the middle and read 0. • Make sure the ‘White Balance’ box is set to ‘As Shot’ • Click on the ‘Camera Calibration’ box and under ‘Camera Profile’ choose the picture style (Canon)/ picture control (Nikon) that you have set on your
camera. If you haven’t set one on your camera, then your camera will probably be set to ‘Standard’. Choose ‘Standard’ or choose one that sounds good to you and then go and set this one on your camera also. All that you need is for the two—the one on the camera and the one in the program—to match. (some Canon cameras have an Auto style, and you certainly don’t want to have this chosen) • When setting the picture control/style on your camera, don’t do any fine-tuning or the two will not match. • Click on the icon indicated in my second screenshot to get a drop down menu and choose ‘Save New Camera Raw Defaults’, And you are done, how easy was that? • Test that is has worked by shooting some photos with the camera set to ‘RAW and Jpeg’. When viewed in Adobe Bridge the two sets of photos (the RAW and the Jpeg) should look the same. ■
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BABY BURROWING OWL ATTACKING A GIANT HARRY SCORPION by William Lax I like the perceived danger of it, and the contrast of stinger and talon. Perhaps there is no danger to the owl; Burrowing Owls will eat scorpions. On this day however, it was all hunting practice and fun in the sun for the owl…not so much for the scorpion. Shot with a Nikon D4 and a 420mm lens (300mm f4 with 1.7 TC) at 1/640 second at f5.7, AUTO ISO.
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THE BEST by Roxanne Crawford Candid image of my daughter at the beach taken with a Canon 50mm.
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SUMMER DAYS by Susan Blick Surfers and an eager to see you pet dog at Bethell’s Beach one summer afternoon. This was shot with a Canon 6D and the 17-40mm at 40mm, 1/160 sec, F/13, ISO100.
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KIDS HAVE NO FEAR by Paul Robertson Canon EOS 600D, f/2.8, 1/3200sec., ISO-400, focal length 70mm, no flash, Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
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LEFT BY THE TIDE by Dianne Whitehead A late afternoon image - tricky to get without black sand or salt water getting on the camera. Not to mention very wet and sandy knees! Canon 6D ISO 200 f/4.5 100mm 1/160 sec.
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SOFT PASTEL by Marina de Wit Flowers at Auckland Winter garden. Nikon D5500, f3, 1/400, ISO 200
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LACE WING ON THE CORN by Bev McIntyre This tiny lacewing was on the corn leaf in my garden. I converted to a b&w layer then erased the layer over the lacewing to reveal the colours. Canon 7D, 100mm Macro f4 1/15 sec
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OHIWA HARBOUR AT OHOPE by Dominic Scott I was set up to capture a sunset but a one minute opportunity presented with this image before the sun and the sunset were engulfed by thick cloud and the rain fell. Sony A7RM2 / f22 / 1/100 / ISO100 / 67mm
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By Carolina Dutruel This is a photo of one of my daughters in the Auckland Domain. I use my Canon 6D with a 50mm prime lens
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SPOONBILL LANDING by Murray Lowe Taken at Bicentennial park Sydney. Canon 7D MK II F 5.6 1/2000 sec.ISO 500
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DEVONPORT WATERFRONT by Liz Gordon Devonport waterfront looking towards Waiheke Island. Olympus OMD-EM5 mkll (micro four thirds system) with 75-300mm lens @ 300mm (600mm equivalent).
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PHOENIX FROM THE MIST by Frank Bennett In actuality, a small Mantis that happened to land on the table where I was sitting. I like the fact that it was a quick grab shot and was surprised at the final outcome.
GALAXY STAR TRAIL by Tim Bond I shot this one while camping on the Stony River bed in Egmont National Park. It is a composite shot of many layers to achieve the star trailing with one frame more prominent to show the galactic core. This was my first serious attempt at creating a star trail with the galactic core as the highlight. I was using a Canon 6d and Samyang 14mm lens. F/2.8, 16 sec, iso 3200. Approx 100 images stacked together.
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PETUNIA by Marina de Wit Purple Petunias at Auckland Winter Gardens. Nikon D5500, 105m m Macro, f5.6, 1/600, ISO 200
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PEARL MAT by Roxanne Crawford Up close favourite of my niece, love the naturalness and sharpness. Taken with a canon 50mm.
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JUST A FEATHER by Jacquie Scott I had wanted to do some high key photography so I placed this feather in a light box and used natural light.
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“If your pictures are not good enough you are not close enough.”
- Robert Capa
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