Vol 3 May / June 2019
Nature and Outdoor • Travel • Architecture • Photo Illustrations
P h o t o g r a p h y
solutions e-zine
Exposure Blending: A William Manning Photography Publication
An HDR Software with Promise
Kansas Tallgrass Prairies A Great Place to Photograph A Lesson in Simplicity
iPhone Landscape & Nature Photography
Editor’s Comments The photo below was taken in Bishop California, the Sierra Navadas. I caught the wildflowers at their peak on this trip. I enhanced the colorful flowers to lead the eye through the photo. I also had to replace the sky because I had a cloudless blue sky which made the scene look flat. Intrigued? I will be sharing a tip on how to replace sky’s in an upcoming issue.
This May/June issue of Photography Solutions is coming a little late. The spring is a very busy time for me as I’m traveling and shooting assignments this time of year. Never-the-less, it was important for me to produce this issue as I don’t want to skip any of the bi-monthly issues. This being said, although it is only the third issue, I believe it is the best of the three.
Each month Photography Solutions E-Magazine’s readership has grown. I need your help, if you have been enjoying the magazine please pass the word out to your camera clubs, fellow photographers, social media friends or anyone you think mightlike it. You can copy and paste the link below to your social media, emails, etc...
Copy, Paste and Share: https://williammanning.com/may-june-2019-photography-solutions/ If you are not a subscriber yourself please subscribe below: Click here to subcribe to Photography Solutions. The May/June edition features three articles, Exposure Blending, Kansas Tallgrass Prairies, and iPhone Photography. Exposure Blending features what I believe is the best HDR software to date. Finally we have a program that will give us consistant realistic results. Each issue I feature a location for photographers to consider for a travel idea. Kansas Tallgrass Prairies won’t disappoint but it does take a keen eye and a little creativity to put it all together. If you use your iPhone for taking pictures, Ian Adams has written this incredible book on how to do it all with your iPhone. Would you like to show off your work to our readers. This is free and your opportunity to show and say what you would like about your work. Go ahead and give it a try. I would be delighted to talk if you’re interested. Guidelines can be found at the following link.
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Exposure Blending
An HDR Software with Promise
Text and Photography by William Manning ©
I have never been a fan of the term HDR. When HDR comes up in a conversation, I along with many others envision a grunge or cartoonish looking illustration. HDR (High Dynamic Range) images are created by combining multiple exposed photos together of the same composition, typically light to dark. I prefer the term exposure blending when I want the results to maintain the realistic characteristics of a photograph. When do photographers consider HDR or Exposure Blending? This decision is made in the field when one exposure won’t cover the entire light to dark range of the composition. How does one know when this is needed? The histogram on the back of every digital SLR camera reveals where your exposure lies. This is good reason why every photographer should know how to read a histogram and use it. It is very simple, see illustration in next column.
HDR Software Continues to Improve Over the years HDR software has developed and continues to improve. There are two main stream programs in use by a high percentage of photographers today, Photo Matix and Aurora HDR. I have never been a fan of any HDR software, therefore I manually blended my photos using masks in Adobe Photoshop. The results using Photomatix and/or Aurora HDR didn’t give me the realistic look I needed, especially for my architectural clients who are paying a lot of money to show off their projects. They need perfect color match for wall coverings, fabric, carpet, etc... I could never get this using automated software. Not only could I not get good color, the results were never consistant. By manually blending my exposures I had complete control of every detail and color match my clients expected. The problem with manually blending is time. This is a time consuming process especially when you have 30-40 photos from any given assignment.
These two histograms are from the original photos taken from the tall redwood trees, the featured photo on previous page. The right side of the histogram reveals where the highlights fall on the photo. If the graph begins to climb up the side then you know your highlights are over exposed and those areas in your photo have no detail. The prefered point for highlights would be for the graph to end at or before the red dot. (Red dot was created for illustration purposes only). In the case of this photo the sky is white with no details therefore there will be some climbing up the side but an improvement can still be made.
The left side of the histogram reveals the shadows or dark areas of the photo. As you can see there is a significant amount of dark areas that need to be opened up, otherwise you have a large amount of black in the photo. Again, the perfect stopping point for shadows or dark areas is at or before the red dot. To fix this, simply expose on the bright side.
Aurora HDR 2019 Almost Perfect Finally, Skylum developer of Aurora HDR 2019 has created their best version ever. This is the first automated process for blending exposures that I am comfortable using and confident it can get me going in the right direction. I am excited about the software giving me near perfect color match, realistic results and consistant from one photo to another. This isn’t even mentioning the artifacts
and halos common to HDR. These issues have been completely eliminated. No more grunge or cartoonish looks to those automated blending modes. Skylum credits AI (Artificial Intelligence) for the incredible results of Aurora HDR 2019. Almost Perfect means there are still issues the software doesn’t handle perfectly. When extreme
The three exposures shown are of 5 total used to create the photo to left. Shown are the lighest, middle and darkest.
exposure differences occur such as architectural interiors, where windows are present in the photo (blue light) and often artificial light sources (typically warm light), the exterior view tends to look cartoonish while rendering the interior beautifully. This is really a small issue anyone with a little experience using Photoshop can fix. Manually blend the exterior view with the HDR rendered photo. I suggest doing this in small increments. Another problem I found is the more exposure layers you add the more saturated and exaggerated the colors become. Extremely dark exposures need to be kept to a minimum. I suggest using more of the lighter to mid tone exposures and only one dark exposure. For consistant results keep the number of exposures to a minimum. I have experienced the best results with no more than 5 or 6 exposures kept at 1 to 1.5 stops different between each photo. In rare situations will one need more than 6 exposures.
The Blending Process Lets walk through the very simple process of blending exposures through Aurora HDR 2019. The finished photo on the right was created through Aurora with the four photos at the bottom showing their corrosponding histograms. Working with Aurora is easy and one can learn the software in a few trys. The software does most of the work for you. Before we begin I think it is important to mention Aurora HDR comes with a bunch of presets. I personally don’t use these presets because most are far to artsy for me but some photographers may find these to be fun to play with from time to time. Keep in mind these presets are only starting points, one can make adjustments to their taste. Have fun with them. Our purpose here is to get that realistic look using HDR.
Step 1: Select Your Exposures First, select the exposures you want to blend. Keep the number of exposures to as few as needed to accomplish your objective. This is best done by looking over your histograms. As mentioned earlier I suggested using only one very dark exposure if possible to minimize the over saturated look and to keep colors true to their original state. Drag your selections to the Aurora icon. This will open your photos into Aurora as seen in illustration on next page.
Step 2: Make Processing Decisions The opening window has a gear symbol at the bottom left hand corner along with a check box that allows you to chose Auto Alignment. If you did not use a tripod to capture your series of exposures you need to check this box. The gear drop down menu gives you a couple options to consider. Ghost Reduction, check this box if you had anything in the photo moving such as leaves, flowers, people, cars etc... moving during the series of exposures. This will allow you to select which photo you want for the position of those moving objects or it will auto select an image. The second option is Chromatic Aberration Reduction. If you are using raw files I suggest you select this option. If using tiff files, depending of your proccessing work flow, you may have already reduced Chromatic Aberration. You can now hit the Create HDR button located in the bottom right hand corner.
Step 3: Make Needed Adjustments The software will now process the photo. The next window that comes up will be the HDR photo with options to adjust on the right hand side of photo. Depending on the exposures you selected the photo may be perfect and ready to open up in Adobe Photoshop or the editing software of your choice. Because I am careful in my selections, I typically have no or very few adjustments I make in Aurora before exporting my HDR back into Photoshop. When I do have adjustments to make it is typically nothing more than Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, and/or Saturation with minor adjustments on each. Saturation is typically on the minus side with -2 or -3 being enough.
Step 4: More Processing Control Aurora gives the photographer complete control of editing beyond the basic global adjustments. I tend not to use these options because I typically make adjustments as needed in Photoshop. Those who want to complete the photo in Aurora have more control when using layers and the brush tool. Next to the word Filters (See Illustration Top Right) you have the option of using the Transform Tool to correct any perspective issues you might have and also Lens Correction. These are all powerful tools not to be overlooked.
Next to the word Layers you can click on the + symbol to add an Adjustment Layer. After creating a new adjustment layer you can choose the brush tool to make desired adjustments only in the areas of the photo you desire. More layers
can be added simply by clicking on the + symbol. From here you can create a radial or gradient mask or Luminosity Mask. There are no limits to the number of layers one can create. If you don’t like the effects of one of your adjustment layers simply activate that layer and click the - symbol to delete it.
Step 5: Save and Export HDR complete, export it to your desired folder or location. In the far upper right hand corner is the Export Symbol. Click on symbol and choose your desired location. Caution: I highly recommend you choose “Export to Image” and choose your location from here. If you choose “Open In” it will open in your desired program but it saves it to some obscure folder you will never find. This is a real problem Skylum needs to fix. Overall this is an incredible HDR program and one I believe is the best on the market.
Aurora HDR 2019:
Great Smoky Mountains, TN
Aurora HDR 2019:
Rila Monastery, Bulgaria
Aurora HDR 2019:
Architectural Interior
Photography Tour
Landscapes of Arches and Canyonlands November 9-15, 2019
3 Openings Available
Join William Manning on this Colorful Journey of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks November was chosen for this photo tour because of the changing seasons providing interesting skies, shorter days but longer low light situations setting us up for many unique photo situations. The iconic landmarks of Arches and Canyonlands National Park are known throughout the world and have been the subject of photographers for many years. This red rock landscape sits in the northern region of the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah but offers so much more than those iconic shots. This photography tour will put photographers on ....
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https://williammanning.com/travelprograms/archescanyonlandsphototour/
Photography Tour
Springtime on the Beautiful
Oregon Coast
April 25-May 1, 2020
All Inclusive Photo
Join William Manning on this Beautiful Journey of the Oregon The Oregon coast stretches 363 miles and runs from the Columbia River to the California border. It is considered by many to be the most scenic seashore in the lower 48 states. This coastline is an inspiring landscape abundant with wild and beautiful subjects from ancient old growth forests, sand dunes, tide pools, lighthouses, roaring wave action and graphic landscapes.
Learn More: https://williammanning.com/travelprograms/photography-tour-oregon-coast/
ography Tour
Kansas Tallgrass Prairies A Great Place to Photograph A Lesson in Simplicity
Text and Photography by William Manning ©
Photographers don’t often speak of photographing in Kansas. I understand, for a good part of my life when I thought of Kansas, Wizard of Oz came to mind. Who the heck wants to go to a place known for endless farm fields and tornados. I stumbled upon the eastern and the middle parts of Kansas by accident. I was given a photo assignment in Kansas City a few years back. I had an extra week to explore thinking I might head over into Colorado. I travel with a tent, hammock and sleeping bag in the trunk of my car on most trips and this one was no different, thank goodness because I never made it to Colorado. After leaving Kansas City I decided to take the back roads after a local Kansas photographer suggested I take a detour through the Flint Hills known for their Tallgrass Prairies and many great stories about the wagon trains heading west and the role they played in developing the small towns amongest these rolling hills. It didn’t take long after departing Kansas City, I saw the potential for some interesting photography as the sun was setting low and long shadows and streaks of light covered the rolling hills and the golden grasses. The Flint Hills is home to what remains of the once massive 170 million acres of tallgrass prairie. While only 4 percent still thrives it is here amongest these rolling hills one can see an endless sea of grass. There isn’t much that breaks up these fields as there are but a handful of small towns scattered
throughout the Flint Hills. You won’t see farms because the land is to rocky for farming but you will see cattle grazing everywhere. Small ranch houses are hidden in the hills, typically only seen when driving down one of what seems like thousands of miles of gravel and dirt roads with no end in sight. Best of all there are a lot of old stone school houses still standing throughout the region.
Where to start The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a great starting point. This will provide an amazing view into what much of the midwest once looked like when early settlers made their way west. This is both a good early morning and evening location to photograph. The chances are you’ll be all alone with nothing but you and a gentle breeze blowing across the prairie. There are many hiking trails, easy terrain, with plenty of interesting views. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is easy to find as it begins near the intersection of US 50 and SR 177. The Preserve itself is a little over 10,000 acres but this is just the beginning of an incredible journey through many, many miles of the Flint Hills. Photographing in this kind of environment requires patience, an observant eye and a creative spirit. You don’t have the eastern forests and streams, the snow peaked mountains of the west or the pounding surf of the pacific northwest. This place truly requires time to train your eyes of the simplistic nature of the land. Most eye catching photos are those that are simple in their composition, therefore, this is the best place to practice simplicity. A minimalistic approach to your work will yield you a treasure of unique photos few other photographers will have in their portfolios. Take a GPS with you as you explore the backroads of the Flint Hills. I highly recommend a GPS that relies on satelite and not cell service. You’ll
find there isn’t much cell service in much of the area. Trust me on this one. I was lost for most of a day driving endless miles of dirt roads with no GPS to get me back to civilization. It wasn’t until I finally found some eletrical lines to follow that got me back on a main road. Never-the-less, I may have been lost in time but never lost in spirit. The
rolling hills, abandoned stone structures, historic landmarks and solitude kept my mind and camera open.
Historic Towns There are many old towns scattered throughout the Flint Hills and most if not all had plenty to
keep me and my camera busy. Most of these towns had buildings dating back to the 1880’s and some even older. I would be hard pressed to suggest a route because getting lost is part of the fun. I would recommend start your adventure by highlighting any small
town on a map, preferrably a DeLormes Gazetter and go from town to town and enjoy the backroads inbetween. Most streets will be empty but lots of old historic stone buildings, old fainted hand painted signage, rustic cars and an occasional old timer enjoying his pipe as the sun begins to settle lower in the sky. Cottonwood Falls, Council Grove, Eskridge, Alma, Alta Vista, Parkerville, Harveyville, Skiddy, Wilsey are but a few of the small towns I found interesting. Mark these towns and others on your map and explore. Councel Grove is known as a highly traveled wagon trail and train area, carrying poineers settling in the west. Sits on the well known Santa Fe Trail. Check out the Hays House Restaurant while in town. It’s been in business since 1857 and was owned by Seth Hays, Daniel Boone’s great grandson. Seth Hays also has some history in Cottonwood Falls. It is here he founded a cattle ranch on the Cottonwood river in 1854. Cottonwood Falls has a beautiful historic Court House and some interesting buildings lining the super wide brick road going through town. Pick anytown and give it a shot. Most of these towns have a population less than 1000 people some with only a few hundred.
Backroads Other than the 47 mile stretch of Flint Hills Scenic Byway, I can’t offer any road names or numbers to follow, simply drive any of the asphault roadways and enjoy the drive. There’s a of lot of turnoffs onto backroads along the popular developed routes, I highly recommend taking one or two to see what you may find (a GPS is helpful). To truly explore and get a feel for what it must have been like for early settlers, pick any of the gravel and
dirt backroads. They’re all over, simply take one and drive it. I had absolutely no problem navigating the roads in a standard two wheel drive car.
My exploration on three occasions has been to map areas between interstate 35 west over to Great Bend on State Route 281 and north to
south from Wichita to Manhattan. This is a large area with plenty to see and photograph.
Pack your camera gear and few changes of clothes and head off into the beautiful tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Enjoy, have fun and be creative.
Kansas Tallg Photographing here requires patience,
grass Prairies an observant eye and a creative spirit.
Photography Tour
Land of Fire and Ice
The Extraordinary Beauty of Iceland July 3 - 13, 2020
Only 1 Opening Available
Join William Manning and Adam Jones on this Extraordinary Journey into the Land of Fire and Ice Join William Manning and Adam Jones on an immersive photography adventure in one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. During this ten day tour, we will explore all that Iceland has to offer beneath the golden glow of the Midnight Sun, from the stunning waterfalls of the south to the geothermal areas of the north and the steaming beauty of the Highlands. This summer photography workshop will take you to a variety of glorious locations for photography in Iceland. You’ll have incredible opportunities to capture pseudo-craters and lava fields, as well as the enchanting Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon where ...
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Land of Fire and Ice: The Extraordinary Beauty of Iceland
iPhone
Landscape & Nature Photography Text and Photography by Ian Adams ©
Ian Adams has been a good friend of mine for many years. Over these years of our friendship, Ian has inspired and helped me grow into the photographer I am today. Once again he has done something that has inspired me and I wantw to share this with my readers. Ian has written a book on iPhone Photography. This may not be the first book written on the subject but from what I have seen and read this is certainly the best. I have included several excerpts from his book. Keep in mind as you look over these pages these photographs were created with the iphone. I think you’ll be equally impressed. I am including a hyperlink at the beginning and end of this article for those interested in ordering Ian’s Book, iPhone Landscape and Nature Photography. Enjoy. Order Your Copy of iPhone Landscape and Nature Photography
Order Your Copy of iPhone Landscape and Nature Photography by Clicking Here
Ian Adams
iPhone Landscape and Nature Photography
Join William on this All-Inclusive Photo Tour on the Olympic Coast.
Rainforest and Olympic Coast May 11-15, 2020
A Rewarding Photography Experience Not to be Forgotten Olympic’s Rainforests offer a treasure of photo opportunities when approached with an open mind and a spirit of adventure. The observant photographer who walks slowly with long pauses will leave the forest with a body of work filled with beautiful and exciting photography. A mix of full scale landscapes and small intimate scenes, often missed by the casual visitor, await us each day as we walk the quiet paths of the forest. The Olympic coast is equally rewarding. There are several locations along this northwestern coast that provide easy access to discover the beauty of a untamed Pacific coast. We’ll photograph these beaches from late afternoon to sunset for the colorful palette that will be layed out before us by mother nature.
Learn More: Rainforest and Olympic Coast
California Redwoods and Southern Oregon Coast May 26-31, 2020 California’s Redwood Forests are a inspiring site to behold and photograph. Northern California’s Redwood National and State Parks are home to the tallest trees on earth. Standing beneath these giants is special and to photograph them is a memorable experience not to be forgotten.
The Oregon Coast the most beautiful coastline in all of North America. Adding this incredible coastal region in with the California Redwoods will allow us a wide variety of subjects and situations to explore and learn.
Learn More: California Redwoods and Southern Oregon Coast
Photography Tour
Palouse: The Photog June 15-20, 2020
Join William on this Creative Journey into Eastern Washington, June 15-20, 2020. Southeastern Washington better known as “The Palouse�, at least within the photography community, has become a favorite location for photographing patterns, rural scenes and artifacts of old Americana. This is a major agricultural area primarily producing wheat and legumes. Many sleepy little farming communities are hidden amongst the rolling verdant green hills in the region making this a quiet place to explore and enjoy a creative journey.
Learn More: Palouse: The Photographers Palette
graphers Palette
Photography Tour
Autumn Landscapes of Bulgaria
September 27 - October 12th, 2020
Join William Manning and Iordan Hristov (Dancho) on this unforgettable journey Our journey into Bulgaria will take us to some of the most spectacular regions in the country. Bulgaria is a hidden gem with endless miles of natural beauty awaiting the photographer to explore this land of extraordinary opportunities. The diversity of the land, made up of beautiful high alpine mountains, forests, fertile farmland, mineral springs, sand pyramids, waterfalls, and a rugged coastline make Bulgaria unique and a rewarding photo journey. All of this wrapped up into a small country with lots of history and a friendly population between it all.
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Autumn Landscapes of Bulgaria
The Last Frame:
This photo was taken at the old Klotz Throwing Mill better known as the Lonaconing Silk Mill located in Lonaconing Maryland. This photo was created using Aurora HDR 2019. I blended 4 exposures to render all the details from light to dark. The one problem, as mentioned in the article, was the exterior views through windows often render in an unrealistic look as it did on this HDR. I manually blended the broken window in this photo to match the look of the interior view. To complete the photo I opened it in Photoshop to make contrast adjustments with Curves and also added a vignette with Nik Color Effects software. I’ll write about Nik Filters in a future issue of Photography Solutions.
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