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Dr. Doug No. 2, Terlingua Texas, Big Bend – Gritty Portrait Technique

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Gritty Technique, Lightroom, People Photography, Photography Technique, Portrait, Portrait Photography, Sony α900, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 2 Responses »

Jun 122011

Dr. Doug, Terlingua, Texas. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Images exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/90th of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am in the midst of getting ready for a week in the field that will see my first trip into Canyon X in the Antelope Canyon Drainage. But before I get there I have all the usual “getting out of town” issues that seem to consume a lot of time. Getting a new blog post out was not on that list but I had started this one a few weeks ago and as it turned out it did not require too much time to finish the processing.

My frequent visitors will recognize this image as my wise old friend, Dr. Doug, of Terlinqua, Texas. Recently I was inspired by some beautiful portrait work of surfers on the North Shore of Lake Superior by my friend Alec Johnson. The gritty, hard look of these images were amazing and really brought out the character of the subjects. In today’s post I decided to explore my own version of the “gritty” portrait technique. The technique is characterized by a “hyper-sharpened”, desaturated processing technique. While I do not think it is appropriate for all portraits it is none the less an effective technique that produces an edgy look. The details in Dr. Doug’s face, from his piercing eyes, to his coarse beard, all lend themselves to applying the technique.

Dr. Doug. The processed RAW file used as the starting point for the "gritty" look.

The original shot was made in natural light in the late afternoon. I moved in close using a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. To the left is the processed RAW file developed in Adobe Lightroom. I followed my usual processing procedures for the RAW file including curve adjustments, fill and recovery, color luminosity adjustments, and sharpening. The file was exported into Adobe Photoshop for the final finishing. The work for the final image proceeded in the following steps:

Step 1: I duplicated the file and performed a little “digital gardening” on the copy to remove a few dust spots.

Step 2: I added a Levels Layer and set the White and Black Point. I routinely perform this step on all my files.

Step 3: I created a Black and White Adjustment Layer set to Soft Light Blending Mode with an opacity of 40%. This is a salt to taste setting but generally 40% is a good starting point. You will begin to see the “gritty” effect with this layer.

Step 4: I created a Selective Color Layer. From there I went into the Red Color Selection and set Cyan to +20 and Yellow to +20. This has the combined effect of removing the Red Cast.

Step 5: I created a Hue/Saturation Layer and in the Master set the overall Saturation to -35. In the Red I set the Slider to -40, and -20 in the Yellow. Steps 4 and 5 are a salt to taste adjustment. Make sure the preview button is set so you can visually see the effect of the changes.

Step 6: Make sure the top layer in your layer stack is selected then go to the Layer Menu and select Merge Visible. Hold down the Option Key when you do this so you can retain your other layers. This will put a merged file on top of your layer stack.

This is my sharpening layer. For this effect I used two sharpening passes; A Large Aperture Sharpening Routine and a Small Aperture Routine. For the Large Aperture go to the Filter Menu and select Unsharp Mask. Set the Radius to 20 and the Amount to 75. Generally the amount will work between 50 and 100 but you will need to judge the effect on each image. Once you are finished close out to apply the sharpening. Add a filter layer and fill will black. This will hide the sharpening effects. Using a Soft Brush set to 15 to 20 percent, paint white over the filter layer to reveal the sharpening effect. I concentrated on Dr. Doug’s eyes, nose and part of his beard. I do not bring out all the sharpening. Only enough to begin to see the “hyper-sharpened” effect.

Now for the Small Aperture Routine. Using the same image layer go to the Filter Menu and select Unsharp Mask. Set the Radius to 5.0 and the amount to 225. This will tweak out finer detail but it will be mitigated but the Layer Mask. Using the Soft Brush at an Opacity of 20% to 25% I painted White over the eyes and the beard to bring out these areas. In a portrait the “eyes” are the key. This is where the soul resides.

Step 7: I made a Curves Layer and lightened Dr. Doug’s eyes to increase the intensity and bring out the lighter colors in the whites and the iris.

Step 8: I also created a Dodge and Burn Layer to Lighten and Darken a few areas in the portrait. This is a key component for all my work whether it is a portrait or a landscape. The pushing and pulling of light and dark is a painterly process that helps create the sense of depth I like in a photograph. To make a D and B layer add a new Layer on top of the Layer Stack. Change the Blending Mode to Overlay and the Opacity to 66%. Fill this layer with 50% Black. Using a Soft Brush set to a low opacity of 5% to 10% I paint in with White to lighten areas and Black to darken. This is a subtle building of tones. There is some intensive work on Doug’s eyes to create a 3-D quality.

And that is the technique. The combinations and applications of color adjustment, saturation, dodging and burning, and sharpening are all on a per image basis. The settings used above are a starting point. I also had a good, solid starting image to make the adjustments. The differences in my mind are not subtle. The starting image is soft and on its own would make a fine file under a normal workflow. But I like the intensity created by this technique. Dr. Doug appears more intense and worldly. The gritty look deepens the story for me.

Give this technique a try on your next portrait. I will be back in a week or so from my Grand Canyon/Canyon X trip. You can follow me through my Twitter and Facebook Feeds.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Canyon Portal – Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona

Abstracts, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Uncategorized No Responses »

Apr 162011

Canyon Portal, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 12-24mm lens at 18mm. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f14 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I have resolved my site issues and as promised here is a new image from Mountain Sheep Canyon, located just outside of Page, Arizona. For sheer textural complexity Mountain Sheep Canyon is one of my favorites. Canyon walls can be rough, revealing complex textures and patterns, to smooth, worn clean by the force of water. In this image the textures and smooth walls contrast against each other while reflected light illuminates the chamber beyond. There are several compositional ideas in this image. Most of you who visit my site know that I employ leading lines in many of my photographs. This is an obvious compositional device to use when shooting in many slot canyons due to the striations cut into the sandstone. I also try to create a way to enter the shot, a portal if you will, to begin the journey of exploring the image. These ideas are easily apparent in this shot. But there are several others which add additional complexity and interest to the image.. The first is the idea of repetition. This is found in the repeating planes of stone which have similar shapes. Repetition is a powerful component that adds a dynamic quality to a shot. Repetition is a way to create movement in a photograph – to lead the eye. Here leading lines work together with similar shapes in diminishing perspective to lead the viewer. The other idea is the concept of dark to light. The darker planes of stone frame the illuminated chamber drawing the eye inward. The eye will always be drawn to the light. The leading lines, stepped back planes of stone, and the tonality of dark to light completes this compositional study. In my mind this is a fairly simple shot but with a lot of complexity. It is the simplicity, as well as the complexity, that I enjoy about this image.

The RAW file was processed in Adobe Lightroom and finished in Photoshop. Mountain Sheep Canyon is located on the Navajo Reservation and is only accessible with a Navajo Guide. I first visited the canyon in 2009 and have been back on four other occasions. If you would like to visit the canyon please contact Carol Bigthumb at Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Inner Light – Antelope Canyon

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Chiaroscuro Lighting, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Uncategorized, Zeiss Lenses 2 Responses »

Feb 252011

Inner Light, Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 4 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. We are in a transition now. Spring is nearly upon us. The days are gradually getting longer, I see a lot of activity from the birds, and we are getting a some warmer weather. But then again we have had some major snowstorms at the end of February. Last year at this time we had about three feet on the ground. So it wants to be spring but we are still at the back end of winter. So it is a transition. An interstitial time that occurs between the seasons. Mother Nature it seems is a tease. Over the last week it has snowed, the winds have blown, and the sky is grey. “Oh I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day”…

I find transitions somewhat difficult. The thought of what is coming, of course, is exciting. But it is just being stuck in the grey of the day. The inner light, my inner light is dim. At times like this I just seem to drift, my mind wandering-not really centered and in the moment. Today’s image is one that centers me in the moment. Part of it relates to being in the place. The other relates to a series of opposites: Light and Dark; Stable and Unstable; and Solid and Fluid. In each of these concepts we can find a transition. Light transitions into dark, or dark into light depending on how you view the image. Stability in the forms of the sandstone gives way to instability. And solid rock in the foreground becomes fluid and wave like. Within these transitions is the inner glow. A molten glow of warmth that stabilizes and centers the images. All the opposites and all the transitions lead inward to the inner glow.

So when it becomes grey and life seems to be in a time of transition I will try to find a place to center myself and ride out the flux of instability. Sometimes it does not take much. Just a change in routine can do wonders. A trip to the desert is like a giant B-12 shot. Photography is one avenue I use to rekindle the fire. Many times I am drawn to images like this because of the power they have over me. I love opposites, especially those which feature light and dark. I think many of us can relate to this one concept. We are all drawn to light over darkness. How many times I have waited in the darkness of the early morning hours for the sun to rise and spread its fingers of light across the landscape. The darkness retreats in the face of light and warmth replaces the cold. With light is hope. And with hope we can go forward. My grand mother once told me that a person needs three things: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. With these you can ride out the storms that rise in between. When I am in a place of transition I think about these words. They provide an anchor in the storm that allows me to regain my inner light.

Thank you as always for stopping by to visit this site. The photographs I make for myself, but the joy is sharing them with you.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Postscript: I have been asked on several occasion whether I use any filters when I shoot in Antelope or other slot canyons. The answer is no. To achieve the glow I simply follow the light. Slot canyons by their very nature are an exploration in the juxtaposition of light and dark. This type of lighting is called chiaroscuro. The word is derived from Italian and means light-dark. Chiaroscuro lighting is about opposites, or contrasts in light and dark. The quality of the reflected light on the sandstone walls can be intense and colorful. Filters are not necessary for image capture. RAW processing techniques I use including adjustments to curves and luminance values brings out the intense colors.

Hopi Point Sunrise – Grand Canyon National Park

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Colorado River, Desert, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, National Parks, Photography Trips, Photoshop Workflow, River, sunrise No Responses »

Jan 312011

Hopi Point Sunrise, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park. Shot with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 28-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f18 for 1/20 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. In past posts I have eluded to the fact that I often revisit files in an effort to tweak out more detail through better processing. This image is one of those that has been processed several times and each time I do I get a little closer to realizing my original vision for the shot. The image was made from Hopi Point located on the West Rim Drive on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The large formation in the foreground is known as “The Alligator” and the formation to the right is part of “The Tower of Ra”. The shot was made just after sunrise and illustrates just how intense the sunlight can be as it illuminates the canyons buttes and landforms. The intensity of the light striking The Alligator was difficult to balance with respect to other formations in the shot and for some time how I wanted to process the shot escaped me. Shooting red rock formations such as these can pose some problems in terms of the luminosity of the image capture. In this case the light was so intense that much of the buttes detail was lost in a wash of intense color. The trick was to retain the beautiful sunrise color but dial back the colors luminosity and recover the detail. The way to do this is to reduce the color saturation slightly and then dial back the color luminance. Using the sliders in the HSL/Color/B&W panel in Adobe Lightroom I selected HSL and clicked on Saturation. Here I reduced the saturation in the Red and Orange channels. Next I clicked Luminance and reduced the Red and Orange channels. The net result decreased the color intensity and enabled me to recover some beautiful detail in the rocks. Working the Color Sliders along with manipulating the Curves achieved a good RAW file to import to Photoshop for final finishing.

Proper RAW file development is one of the cornerstones in creating a good image and you should not rush through this process. After selecting an image to work on I always start by “zeroing” the image to return it to the RAW state captured by the camera. I almost never rely on the established development Preset in Lightroom. From there I set the White and Black Point and manipulate the Curve Sliders while also working with the Fill and Recover sliders. It is a back and forth process where I am looking to bring out the maximum detail in the shot. Once I finish the major curve manipulations I look to adjusting the color saturation and luminance. In some cases I work these sliders along with the curve sliders. The final step is to apply capture sharpening and noise reduction.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

Jan 052011

Storm Light over the Grand Canyon, Lipan Point, South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 30mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 3.0 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I spent today sorting through my Lightroom Library in an attempt to edit out images and open up some space on my hard drives. It is an interesting exercise that requires you to make some hard decisions and let go of images that don’t make the cut. Editing ones own work is difficult but you really have to take a hard line and keep only the best. Many times when I come back from a shoot I gravitate to the better images and work on those first. I start by rating the shots-5 stars for my real keepers and 3 stars for the “I’ll come back later shots”. The ones that don’t make one of the stars usually gets the ax. But not immediately. I keep them all for a while and return often to continue the judging process. Today’s image did not receive any stars on the first pass. I can’t say why except that there were stronger images that I worked on first. But on a revisit through the library I was attracted to the intense light and color in the clouds and thought I might have a go at processing the file.

The shot was made after the sun had set which can be a difficult scenario when shooting at the canyon. The reason is that light leaves the inner canyon rapidly as the sun moves lower to the horizon. This makes balancing an exposure a delicate proposition. You need a longer exposure to bring out inner canyon detail but you have to hold back the sky to prevent a blow out. When you have clouds such as these you can take advantage of the relighting effect that occurs after sunset. Light bouncing up into the clouds will reflect into the canyon and provide some subtle fill light that helps bring out some details. The addition of a Singh-Ray soft edge split neutral density filter will hold back the sky and help balance the exposure. Of course I could have made two exposures and blended in Photoshop but I prefer, if possible, to get the capture in one take. I adjusted the white balance on capture to 5500K to warm up the shot. Even so the blue light from the sky gave a blue cast to the shadows in the canyon. During RAW processing I knocked this out with the Blue Color Sliders in the HSL Color Panel in Lightroom. This was adjusted again in Photoshop to create the final color balance.

This shot was taken from Lipan Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The butte in the foreground is part of the Escalante Butte. The white area along the Colorado River is Tanner Beach which sits along the Tanner Canyon Rapids. I’m glad this one did not hit the cutting room floor.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Cadillac Mountain Fall – Acadia National Park – Adobe Lightroom RAW Development Process

Acadia, Acadia National Park, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, Maine, National Parks, Photography Technique, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Jan 012011

Cadillac Mountain Fall, Acadia National Park. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f14 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image from Cadillac Mountain is from a late fall shoot in Acadia National Park. The day was cold and overcast with fog and occasional rain showers. It was just a typical day early winter day in Maine. The light was a bit flat but this is the kind of shooting condition that helps bring out the colors in the foliage. There was also a stiff breeze and after I had zeroed in on my exposure I had to be patient and wait out the wind cycles. I took eight shots and after inspection in Adobe Lightroom chose this capture to develop. My thought process here is to maintain the softness and hold on to the beautiful colors in the plants. It is not a complex image but it does have some intricate detail in the foreground plants and on the stones. The steps below describe my processing steps in LR to prepare the file for exporting to Photoshop.

My Typical Adobe Lightroom Workflow

Image 1: Screen shot LR Preset Panel

Step 1: Once I have selected an image to work on I will open it in the Develop Module in Lightroom. It is important to understand that Lightroom will apply a Standard Preset to the file. This is applied when you view the files in the Library Module and when you open it in the Develop Module. The LR Preset applies a Tone Curve and Brightness and Contrast adjustment along with a minimum pre-capture sharpening. On first inspection the Standard Preset was not too bad but I thought I could recover more detail in the rock and plants. So the first step is to “Zero” out the file. To do so I apply the LR Preset > General-Zeroed which is selected from the Preset Menu on the left side. This will display the file in its RAW state, as captured. The file will appear flat and the only thing that will apply is the white balance that was selected at the time of capture. On first blush it is a pretty ugly looking file but as long as you have a good histogram with the values well distributed in the mid to quarter tone range you will be able to prepare a good file for export to Photoshop. Image 1 to the right shows the LR Preset Panel and the General – Zeroed selection.

Image 2: Screen shot of LR Tone Curve Panel to set White and Black Points.

Step 2: The next step is to apply a White and Black Point to the image. This is done using the Tone Curve on the Development Panel on the right side. To set the White and Black Point select the “Curve” box in the lower right hand corner of the Tone Curve. See Image 2 to the left. The graph will be in a 45 degree linear line with the black/darker tones to the left and the white/lighter tones to the right. Select the Right Point and move it to the left. As you do so watch the histogram redistribute the pixels to the right. Select the Left Point and move it to the right. As you do so watch the histogram redistribute the pixels to the left. Do not allow the pixels to clip. Leave yourself some wiggle room.

Once I have set a basic White and Black Point the development moves to a back and forth series of adjustments involving the Tone Curve Panel and manipulation of the Recover and Fill Sliders on the Basic Panel. See Image 3 to the left. You may add selection points to your Tone Curve just like in Photoshop by I prefer to use the Sliders for Highlights, Lights, Darks, and Shadows. Just click back on the “Curve” box in the lower right corner to toggle back to the sliders. What I am trying to do in this process is achieve a good starting file that has plenty of detail and headroom to take to Photoshop for final processing. While difficult to show in a lower resolution .jpg file the image has a lot of fine branch detail that needs to be tweaked out. The Standard LR Preset, in my opinion, does not do a good job of bringing out this detail. LR employs Brightness and Contrast sliders for RAW development which I think is less than adequate for the job.

Image 3: LR Screenshot of Tone Panel Sliders and Recovery and Fill Sliders.

To see how effective my changes are working I will select the Before and After view and increase the image magnification to 50%, and sometimes up to 100% when I want to dial into an area. So the tweaking process is a back and forth series of adjustment utilizing the Tone Panel and the Recover and Fill sliders. I will continue to work this until I am satisfied that I have a file with as much of the detail as I can recover and a good histogram that does not clip any of the highlights or shadows. Take a look at Image 4 below. On the left is the image with LR Standard Development Preset. On the right is the image developed through my LR Workflow. The darker areas within the twigs has been opened up and there is now much better separation and detail.

I also reduced the red saturation just a little in the using the HSL Sliders in the LR HSL/Color/Black and White Panel. Too much saturation in this part of the RAW development can cover up needed detail. Final color manipulation can occur in Photoshop. The Clarity Slider will add a hit of Mid Tone Contrast. I don’t use this very much and if I do I tend to keep the adjustment low-usually no more than 10. The same goes for the Vibrance Slider. The reason for this is that I will employ a Mid-Tone Contrast Layer in Photoshop where I have more control over how I apply the layer.

Step 3: The last thing to do before exporting to Photoshop is Sharpening and Noise Reduction. Sharpening in the RAW developer is necessary to counteract the slight blurring that occurs during capture by the sensors anti aliasing filter. I tend to sharpen in several phases during the development of a file. At RAW development, another round to a Filter Layer during processing in Photoshop, a Mid-Tone Contrast Layer, and finally a final sharpen prior to printing. So lets talk about the RAW sharpening. This is done in the LR Detail Panel which includes Sharpening and Noise Reduction. The amount of sharpening I apply depends on the image. I think in terms of “low frequency” versus “high frequency” when considering sharpening. Pre sharpening a “low frequency” image composed primarily of smooth sandstone will receive a different treatment than “high frequency” image with a lot of fine detail, such as this shot. For an image like this I will keep the Radius to 0.5 to 0.8 and the amount to around 50. For smooth surface shots I can afford to set the Radius higher-usually 1.0 to 1.5 with the amount set to 50. To see the effect make sure you are viewing the image at 100%. I also apply a Masking effect which is similar to a “Find Edges” mask in Photoshop. To see the effect of the Masking hold down the Option Key while moving the Masking Slider. The Mask will change from White to Black and White as you increase the amount. Like Photoshop White reveals and Black conceals the effect of the Sharpening. At this stage I will, if necessary, apply some Noise Reduction. Again I will look at the image at 100% and move the sliders. Image sharpening can reveal the noise. If it does a little back and forth manipulation of the Sharpening Sliders and the Noise Sliders will usually correct the problem.

Image 4: Screen capture of LR Preset Development versus Zeroed Out Development.

When I am happy with all the results I will export the file out to Photoshop where it will be developed into a layered masterfile. Image 5 below is a 100% crop of a section of the masterfile and shows just how much detail there is in shot.

Image 5: A 100% crop from a section of the masterfile showing the detail in the plants.

If you have gotten this far I want to thank you for hanging in. I know this was quite a bit of information but hopefully it will give you some starting points for thinking about how you process your RAW files. I will admit that I tinker a lot with my images. In some cases I will go all the way through to Photoshop only to trash the file and start again. It has led me to be more critical of my work.

Thank you for stopping by today. If you have any questions or comments please drop me a note.

Bob

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