The Digital monochrome worker August 09 issue by martin Henson

The Digital-monochrome worker August 2009 issue By Martin Henson

ÂŠ Martin Henson

Change your view for ever

See the light

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See the light Without it we are blind.... colour and tone do not exist.... reality is by touch. Light is the source of all things we see! It changes by time of day.... alters perspective with shadows.... changes mood with intensity. It’s what we capture in that split second of time. But, are we doing it right? Are we capturing the right light, the correct angle? Let’s look at those last two points.

The right light Light is light. Or is it? It can be split into three main types: morning, midday, and evening light. They all come from the same source, but vary in quality. Morning light often gives soft light and shadows with less intensity than the other two. As the sun rises, it diffuses the light in varying degrees. The shot of Lindley reservoir in the Washburn Valley was taken on an early, warm summer morning. The quality of light is of a soft nature. The image seems to be shrouded in a soft mist, making the subtle tones blend beautifully. Shadow detail is minimal, again adding to the overall lighting effect. To catch this type of light, you have get out of bed early! It does not last long. A tripod would also be useful. Shooting into the light will give fast exposures, so a pod is not always essential. If you do use a tripod, then bracket the shots one stop either side of the cameras auto reading. In this way, you will have greater exposure latitude to play with and the option to blend the exposures together in Photoshop. Always remember to protect the highlights with your exposure, make sure they’re not blown. I tend to bias my exposures to under expose slightly. You do not want to lose the cloud structure. Be patient! I waited for the swan to get into the right position in order to add some foreground detail to the mass of darkness in the lower half of the image. © Martin Henson [You will see this better in the PDF Exposure settings below the image show a fast shutter speed, optimal f. stop and low ISO to capture the finest of detail. The picture was taken at on 2006:07:23 08:20:56. in Raw format and edited in Photoshop using one Raw file.

Model : Canon EOS-1D Mark II ExposureTime : 1/500Sec FNumber : F8.0 ExposureProgram : Aperture Priority ISOSpeedRatings : 100 ShutterSpeedValue : 1/500Sec ApertureValue : F8.0 ExposureBiasValue : EV-1.0

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Mad Dogs and English men go out in the mid-day sun! Or so it’s said. It is a challenging time of day, in summer, as the sun is high, shadows are short and contrast is high. It’s difficult for taking photos from around 12 till 3pm in the height of summer. But, if the subject is chosen with care, dramatic results can be had. This time of day produces the deepest blue skies that contrast well with fluffy clouds and shadows are vertical, creating strong contrast. The image below works well in this light. The blue sky is dark, nearly black, making the clouds appear majestic. The ploughed field has a texture that's strong and the rear ground is clear, as all moisture is burnt away.

EOS-1D Mark II 1/2500Sec F8.0 Aperture Priority 200 17.00(mm)

Did I use a tripod? No! I had to take a quick shot as I was parked on a single track road. However, you can usually find a readymade pod if you look around. For this, I used a fence post. Although the shutter speed did not necessitate using any support, I find it better to compose the picture whilst resting the camera on something in order to avoid any viewfinder movement. Did I use a filter? No! The dark sky was done in Photoshop, using red filtration for that area plus an increase in tonal contrast. For high contrast and maximum definition, this time of day will give just that. Provided the sun is out, of course! If not, then forget it and re-visit when the conditions are right.

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In late afternoon and evening light, we get long shadows with more contrast than early morning light. The sun is at a low angle, giving shape and structure. There is more chance of shooting “into the light”, as the intensity is less. As the sun gets lower, the light is brighter, lower to the horizon and the sky darkens as we look upwards. This gives a wonderful gradation of tones from light to dark. The light is skimming over the land and that gives a three dimensional look. Tripods come into their own for late evening pictures. The difference in exposure values from dark to light is extreme and bracketed shots are always advisable. These can then can be blended in Photoshop. The image below shows how low evening side light gives that three dimensional look.

The sun is a free and very powerful flashgun! I’ll bet that, when you take indoor portraits, you’re careful as to how you set up your studio lights; the angle and intensity etc. So, what separates a great landscape picture from a snap shot? Yes, you’ve got it! The angle and quality from it. I am often asked what my favourite time of day to take landscapes is. The answer to this is, that it depends on what mood I am after. For soft misty light, the morning is best. Even if there is no sun, because its that look that I want. For stronger and more contrasty looking pictures, it would be mid-day. For dramatic images to show form and texture, evening light. Take mental notes of potential scenes around the area in which you live. Calculate where the sun will rise and set. Visit that area at the right time of day and season. There are no set rules, but taking a photo like the viaduct above, at Mid day, the shape and texture would be lost and the mood and character gone. Angle and direction are so important in landscapes. Many images on www.digital-monochrome are not “lucky to be there at the right time shots”. They’re planned and subjects are visited when I feel the time of year and light are right. This can mean several re- visits to the same location. But it’s worth it when you get it right. On the next page there are more examples of how the time of day and the sun’s angle influence pictures. View images @ www.digital-monochrome.com

A selection of images taken at different times of day:  Early morning - bottom right  Last light of day - top right  Late afternoon - top left  Mid afternoon - middle two images You can see that I like to shoot into the light, thus adding texture and shape. Different times of the year affect how we see light and its effects. The best times are when the light is low, creating longer shadows. Try to partially hide the sun behind the clouds or use a natural structure to do the same.

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Steve is a long standing member of The digital-monochrome learning forum, you can join us there at http://www.runboard.com/bthedigitalmonochromeforum and see a selection of his fine art work or go to his web site www.photoprintscanada.com well worth a visit to see some wonderful monochromes by him

Lets go off the UK shoreline A Shetland Panorama The archipelago of Shetland is the most northerly collection of the British Isles lying at a latitude of 60 degrees but bathed in the warmth of the Gulf Stream. An appreciation of Shetland only comes on your second visit when you step off the plane or disembark from the boat. That which you couldn't describe when you were first here comes flooding back – its special. It is a land of big skies and open moorland.

But that may be about to change. In Shetland we have the most efficient w ind farm in the world. There is nearly always a background wind in Shetland so the Scottish Plague, known to many as the !”£$%^& midge, is not very common. This wind though has brought plans to build a 150 turbine wind farm



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The new farm will have towers half as high again as these productive five and will cover the moorland of central Shetland and be seen for miles.

The slipway and piers of the old base are still in use today to service the modern industries of fishing and aquaculture The other culture of crofting has littered the landscape with dilapidated houses.

They hide in the landscape unlike the modern Shetland house

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So if you like hills

and the sea â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rough

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or you like the sea â&#x20AC;&#x201C; smooth

Sunrises

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or sunsets

or just the clouds themselves

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and if civilisation calls, then there is always the capital, Lerwick

Shetland is a dynamic group of islands with its own history linking it to Scandinavia before Scotland and then the United Kingdom and over the next few years the end of this chapter in its development can be seen and enjoyed. There is much more than just the landscape. There are many music festivals, many sites of archaeological interest, some of the best sea kayaking in the world, deep wrecks to dive and a generally friendly atmosphere for the visitor. Midsummer, the tim e when it does not get dark, brings on special events. You can go to the island of Mousa at m idnight to see the Storm Petrels come in and feed their young as well as look around the best preserved broch in the dark (you can also go in the day time)

Or you could join the summer carnival

Or go to the Flavour of Shetland Party on the Pier (http://www.paddle.shetland.co.uk/fos%2009/) and sample Shetland produce prepared in many different ways.

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Use that well known search engine to find out more about Shetland and how to get here and where to stay. And yes we do have electricity and photographic shop that can print your images while you are up here. The roads are good. The only item you will need to get in and out of the isles is photo-ID but unfortunately your passport will not be stamped with the name of this unique place.

This picture tour and brief history to a unique place within the British isles was written by Chris Brown. All pictures ÂŠ Chris Brown. There are many wonderful places within and around the UK coast line, Chrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s article makes me want to visit this place more an more, (any chance of free lodgings Chris).

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Is your camera a tool or a toy We all love our investments in camera equipment and, like any serious hobby, it does get expensive. So, how do you treat your camera? Is it wrapped up and only comes out when the sun shines? Do you stick it on program mode and snap away, only to play hell when all the images are underexposed or the picture is just NOT what you were after? If you answer “yes” to any of the above, then you need to re-think before you spend any more hard earned cash on equipment. Any camera can take a picture. It’s easy! You just press that little button and, Bingo, you’ve got it! But, if everything in life was so easy, it wouldn’t be a hobby. We need to learn how to use these computerized wiz machines. They’re really no different to when Fox Talbot took the very first image many years ago. The only difference being that Fox knew he had to think about what he was doing and, guess what, we have to use that grey matter as well. Look at the picture below......the inside of a Canon 1DSMK3, and this is just the front of it.

Yes, it’s all needed to make the camera function as designed. But one thing is missing......a thinking brain. Its not got one...... it does what it’s told by virtue of what's put into its processor. It can’t think for itself and that makes this camera no different in real terms to the one Fox Talbot used.

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A camera, in simple terms, be it film or digital, exposes light onto light sensitive materials. With film, density on the negative is built. With digital, I don’t know what the hell it does really!! But the outcome is the same, the image is created. So what am I ranting about, wasting your time reading this rubbish? Before you skip this page, think about what I said, “light builds density and creates the image”. So, you’re asking, what's this to do with my 2000 quid DSLR? Everything, is the answer! Be it a £200 or £2000 camera, the ability to adjust exposure determines the output of the image. But you must enter the values to do that. Most modern cameras give great results with semi or full auto exposure. The clever chaps that design them, program thousands upon thousands of simulated exposures for the processor to pick the one nearest the exposure value it reads in a nano second. So, you go on holiday and take hundreds of photos. Back at home, after uploading and viewing the shots taken, there will be a mixture of good pictures and bad ones. The good ones will be where the camera had no problem in getting a correct exposure. The bad ones, the under and over exposed shots, the blurry ones etc, are where the camera simply did not have a clue what it was doing. This is a fact and we have all seen it. That's where we must re-think what our camera is. It’s a tool for controlling light and time. Here is another example; you see a full moon and decide that will make a great picture. Everything is set, camera on a tripod, cable release and mirror up to avoid the shakes, click a few times and it’s in the bag. Or, is it? You upload to the computer and view..... there’s not one bit of detail on the moon’s surface, just a big white blown blob! Why? It’s because you camera thinks it’s pretty dark out there and over exposes to compensate for that darkness. Yes, it was dark, but it’s the moon you want correctly exposed. You need a relatively short exposure to capture the detail. The way to do that is use the camera as a working tool, by either using a spot meter or just having the knowledge to shorten the exposure time. I know what you’re saying; it does not matter because I can check the image on the camera’s LCD. But that does not teach you anything. You’re better to know what you’re doing than just firing aimlessly and hoping for a good image. Knowledge of how your camera works and evaluates a scene is a big advantage to any photographer.. This is how its works Your camera’s metering system is calibrated to always average out a scene and to give 18% grey. To prove this, try this little experiment.  Cut two pieces of matt card about 10 inch square, one pure white and one jet black.  Set your camera to any auto setting and take a picture of both cards filling the view finder.  Upload both images to your computer and you will see the white card is not white but grey and the black card is also the same grey. The camera’s reflected light metering system has been fooled into thinking the white card represents a very bright source of light and underexposed the shot. When metered for the black card, it has overexposed, thinking the light source is dark. What it is not doing is taking into consideration the ambient light shining on both cards, from the same angle at the same intensity. So, back to the moon shot, this is exactly what has happened. Moonscapes are taken when it’s pretty dark, but it’s the bright area that needs to be exposed correctly. The auto reflected reading from the camera has detected overall darkness and overexposed the brightness of the moon and hence that white toneless blob with no detail. What is relevant here is how exposure often determines mood in a picture; moody pictures tend to feature darker tones and detailed highlights by intentionally underexposing a photo. Over exposure gives higher key and can be used to isolate dark areas. It’s a question of vision, what you want a picture to transfer to the viewer. This can all be done by using your camera, not just as an all singing 40 FPS monster, but as a tool to paint with light. We could now go on to how that other fairly important part of the system, the lens, affects the shot. But I guess you’re pretty bored of my rambling and so will save that for another issue.

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Another place to visit in Yorkshire I am quite lucky to live on the outskirts of some of the best country side in the UK. Well, I would say that, being Yorkshire born and bred. But I do live near some very beautiful scenery and one of my favourite places is only a stone’s throw from where I live and that's a place called Baildon

Given its modest height of around 970 feet above sea level, the views are quite spectacular. To the south is the Aire Valley and, to the west, Rombald’s Moor. To get to the top is easy as a road runs to the side, with ample parking. Best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon when the sun is setting. Winter time is wonderful up there. The temperature is always 5 to 10 degrees lower than the valley’s and so, if snow has fallen, it’s always a lot thicker and colder up there. It’s a place of activity. There is a golf course that surrounds two sides...fell runners and horse riders are plentiful. It’s windy most of the time and you will see plenty of model aircraft enthusiasts flying their remote controlled gliders. I have been up there when complete areas around the Moor have been shrouded in low cloud, making you think you’re on top of a mountain. You know when you at the very highest point as the ordinance survey post is well fixed at the top. I have had lots of images from this area published over the years and never run out of photo opportunities. Every time I go, the weather always gives something spectacular to see. The pictures on the next page show you what I mean.

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Taken from the top, looking south, the whole area around the summit was covered in low cloud

The image below shows the advantage of high view points. This spectacular light show over the Aire Valley was a sight to behold. This type of lighting, taken in the winter season, happens quite often in the late afternoon.

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As stated previously, in winter the temperature is very low. Baildon Moor is full of pits where coal and peat was dug. These redundant holes fill with water and freeze over providing great photo opportunities. This one is from the top, taken with a 15mm fisheye lens.

A strange eerie place at times

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I could show a book full of images that I have taken there. It’s one of those locations that draw you back, time and time again. Remember what I said previously about using your camera as a working tool, pre-visualizing the scene and exposing accordingly. That's how you get the look that I have achieved in my pictures. I have protected the highlights and under exposed the mid to dark tones. This gives images that put my own feelings into them. It separates them from snap shots and makes very good, moody, prints with a signature of their author.

If you venture up this way, make this Moorland a visit. It’s not far from Ilkley, nor Leeds. It’s best visited in the morning or later afternoon when you can catch the sunrise or sunset. There are views of the famous Salt’s Mill and Village, Leeds City, Shipley Glen and much more. Take some warm clothes in the winter months! A long telephoto lens is an advantage up here to pull the distant hills in and pick out detail. This is an area that is included, dependent on time of year and weather, in my workshops (unsubtle hint intended!!!!).

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A word on calibration I was at a client’s house a few weeks ago, to show some of my mono work with a view to use in a company reception area. At that time I was having problems with my laptop and decided to take a selection of images on disc to view on their computer screen. What a mistake! To be brutally honest, they looked c**p! Not one highlight was intact and it was like looking into a coal mine. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but, fortunately, I had also taken my printed portfolio. That saved the day and provided me with an order from them. The problem was that the computer, on which we were viewing my images, was way of calibration and a picture is only as good as the monitor we view them on. If your are serious about your work and I would presume you are, after spending hundreds of pounds on cameras and lenses, then a way of calibrating your monitor is a must have item. You don’t have to spend the earth for a screen calibrator but I would stay clear from the real cheap items (which I won’t mention by name for fear of being sued). Now here's a plug, I use, and have done for a few years, the Spyder 2 by Colour Vision. It’s simple to use and setup and what a difference a calibrated screen can make. You see colours as they should be seen! Also, with correct printing procedures and profiles, you will almost certainly get far better print output. That alone will save you the cost of paying for the screen calibrator, as the wastage of paper and ink is minimal. The software of these machines does not adjust your monitor settings. It actually reads the colours and greys and applies the settings to your graphics card. Thus giving optimal colour representation at all times, even when the monitor is getting a bit old and out of date. Because your LCD or CRT is degrading from day one, it’s always advisable to calibrate at least once a month or even twice. Modern computer setups are very good these days and, after calibration, you might not notice a big difference. But accuracy of on screen tones is essential for all editing, so it’s still worth the outlay for a colour calibration system. If your screen is correctly calibrated you should be able to differentiate every shade from white to black. If not, you are not seeing MY WORK nor your own at its best. Dig deep and get one. You will not regret the purchase!

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Selling your works of art Finally, for this month’s late issue [better late than never :-) ], a few tips on selling your images. You will find it hard to get people to part with their hard earned cash, especially if viewed images are of a poor quality. So the following recommendations are given, not from a book, but from my own experience. Is your work of a quality that prospective buyers would be interested in? You have to be hard and critical of your own work and printed output. Take a good look at a finished print and ask yourself “would I be happy if I bought this print?” Is it black and white with no colour casts? If there is a doubt, refine your workflow until the answer is “yes, I would be happy if I bought it”. Also, show your work to other people, preferably photographers, and ask their opinions. If the feedback is good, then that's the first and most important part covered. Next, you need to get your work and name known. Set up exhibitions...visit local camera clubs.....join forums.....even put an advert in your local paper. Every bit helps to get some sort of recognition! Set up a web site to show your work. Make sure the site is easy to navigate and sell prints from; PayPal is a good international way of receiving funds from all over the world. Take a look at www.photium.com - possibly the best pre-made site, with a superb admin section and support facility. There are others out there but I can personally recommend them from my own experience. Always print using the best printer you can afford - one that will allow at least A3+ prints and preferably one that uses pigment inks. When you upload images to your web site, get them looking as near to the original as possible. People like to see what they’re getting, not something that's totally different from what they’re viewing. Decide what sizes you will sell your images at. If you show un-cropped images on the web site, remember that, if you sell a 10X8 inch print of it, a good chunk of the image will be missing because of the 10x8 crop. Think about centring the images on paper sizes bigger than the crop. That way, the image will be printed in its entirety, as viewed in your web galleries. Don’t be greedy! Make a fair profit but more sales are likely at reasonable prices. Offer a matting service but be wary of sending framed prints by post. It’s costly and liable to damage.........not worth the hassle IMHO. Always keep backups of your files. You don’t want customers paying for something you don’t have. That’s bad business. Be prompt with completing and the despatch of orders. Customers always appreciate that. Give good communication with clients..... such as telling them their order has been posted etc. It makes them feel comfortable and re- orders are improved.

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Just a thought, don’t dismiss film cameras Digital is great to work with, you can edit and do things that was near impossible years ago using film. Even film negatives are turned to binary code, they have to be to work on a computerized system. But one thing is obvious when viewing a scanned negative and a pure digital file is the quality that is sometimes hard to define. Recently I have been printing out black and white prints from medium format film negatives that have been scanned, it has made me think hard about once again using my dusty, redundant medium format film cameras again and shooting film. The look of well scanned negatives, for me, beats digital files by miles. You have that wonderful texture that the grain gives plus that smooth tonal range only film can capture. The drawback for many is the cost of buying film and developing the negatives. That is the only two downsides. The benefits out way the drawbacks. Using film cameras and the cost involved makes you more carefully when taking pictures, you will asses the exposure more accurately, perhaps using a hand held light meter, and compose the pictures with more care getting the image right in the camera first time. Your hobby will become more intense as you may try to develop your negatives at home. This might frighten people off doing this, but believe me its not complicated or hard to do . You do not need a dark room, opening and loading the film into the developing tank can be done in daylight using a light proof changing bag, a small wet area such as a bathroom to develop the negatives, chemicals are still readily available, only two are essential, the film developer and film fixer. Once washed and dried your on easy street scanning them and editing on the computer. Another advantage is you will never loose the data if your hard drives blow up, you have real life copies, THE NEGATIVES. If you really don’t fancy messing with chemicals then shoot film and let the processing house’s do them, of better still shoot slides. The advantage of using colour scans is the RGB channels remain intact, and as we all know this is important when converting colour files to mono. So don’t throw your old camera away, load it with film and give it a go, you might love the finished results and save a packet of dosh in the process by not buying forever changing new digital camera models. Talking of scans, prints etc, www.digital-monochrome.com [that's me :-)] provides a printing service that's rather posh and bespoke. Your files are printed on the ultimate Fine Art Papers with loving tender care that beats the processing houses by miles. Yes I am more expensive, but quality rarely comes cheap, The edited files you send to me, are carefully checked and adjusted if needed, for maximum quality print output and posted back within one week. Give it a go, as the saying goes “You have tried the the rest, try the best, or something like that :-). Click link to view prices etc http://martinimages.photium.com/page4668.html Good discounts for multiple orders, for more details mail me through the contact page at digitalmonochrome That's it till the October issue, sorry this one is late, good things can’t be rushed, well that's my excuse.

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