CONVERTING IMAGES TO SEPIA

We have all seen those old weathered historic photos of old buildings, downtown streets, and even people from the 1800s or later. Some of them are in black & white, while others have that reddish-brown hue to them. Those latter photos are said to have a sepia color to them.

Fast-forward the picture to 2016. There is an easy way to convert modern-day color photos to sepia. All you need is photo editing software that has the options to 1) Convert to 

B&W (black & white) and, 2) Adjust the color balance to your photos.

If you do have those options/tools, here are some quick and easy steps to achieve that sepia look to your images.

1) Select an image that will look good in sepia. I prefer old buildings, old cars or machinery,
    outdoor museums, and old trains and railroad scenes.

2) Convert the image to a B&W image. You can make adjustments to that image either  
    prior to converting it to sepia, or after. That's your choice. Adjustments can include
    brightness, contrast, vibrance, etc. Whatever looks good to you.

3) Once you have the conversion to B&W, save that B&W image as a copy. You don't want 

    to lose your original.           

4) Now that you are looking at your B&W image, go to Select Image-->Adjustments-->Color

    Balance. When you get to color balance, select the slider that shows Cyan and Red. 

    Move the slider toward the red side. How far you go with it simply depends on your taste, 

    and how brownish or reddish you prefer.    

Below are examples of the interesting results you can get. You can also add a vignette if you have that option, as I did for a couple of these examples. 

                                      Downtown Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
                                      Not a soul in sight at 6:00 am. 1990s. 

                                      Part of downtown, Crested Butte, Colorado,
                                      with vignette added.

 Caboose, fence and street light. Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado,

 with slight white vignette.

                                  

                                                    Colorado Railroad Museum

                                                      A beautifully restored '31 Ford

As you can see, they all have a slightly different feel to them, in terms of the degree of brownish-reddish look.

So, pick a couple of your favorite photos that are conducive to this type of vintage looking photographs and convert them to sepia. Have fun.

Eli Vega,
Author of Right Brain Photography

THE ART OF SLOW SHUTTER SPEEDS
(Why not to use auto everything)

You can do a lot of fun and artistic stuff with slow shutter speeds, even if your subject is not moving. I'm talking about shutter speeds in the range of 1/5 of a second to 60 minutes. My 

examples for my tip this month range from 1/5 of a second to 5 minutes. I can get long exposures even when shooting in AV mode (Aperture Priority) because I understand the relationship between f/stops and shutter speeds--I'll save that discussion for a future tip of the month. For exposures longer than 30 seconds, I use the BULB setting. 

Let me share some examples of the opportunities that open up when we use slow shutter speeds, even with stationary subjects. 

I made sure I got a slow shutter speed so I would have time to move my camera slowly to the left. A 1/5th of a second allowed me to do that for this image. 

For this image, I did not want to depict the strong, powerful, vibrating force of the rushing waters of Ouzel Falls in Colorado. I wanted to create the peaceful, soothing feeling I got when I was there. A 1/6th of a second on fast-moving waters gave me the effect I wanted.

This image was also created with 1/6th of a second, but, unlike the image above, I chose that speed so I could move my camera slightly downward. The result was an artistic rendition of this stationary flower.

Maroon Bells in Colorado is a magnet for photographers, me included. I have photographed it several times, mostly in the fall, and usually in the early morning hours when there are 20 other photographers doing the same thing. During my last visit, I was there in the morning, but I also decided to photograph it in late afternoon. By the time I got there, the sun had already set behind the mountains. Rather than give up on it, I decided to get a long exposure. I had done that before with another nature scene and it worked well for me. So, I tried a 25-second exposure and got this translation of Maroon Bells after sunset. When you leave the shutter open that long, the sensor (or film) is just sucking up light. The result is completely different, and better, than what the eyes see. Don't see with your eyes; see with your imagination.

Whatcom Falls in the town of Bellingham, Washington got my attention. As with the Ouzel Falls image, I wanted to create that soothing peaceful feel. The water was not flowing as fast as Ouzel Falls. 1.3 seconds (shown as 1.3" in the camera) was all it took to get this soothing effect. 

A 1/30th of a second shutter speed in broad daylight allowed me to slightly zoom into this grove of aspens. Some of you are wondering, "How can you get a shutter speed that slow in broad daylight?" The answer: with an f/29 aperture. 

For this image, which is on the cover of my new book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (Be an artist first), I chose to photograph these formations at Garden of The Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado at night. Yes, at night! It was about 10-15 minutes after sunset. It was dark. I picked these formations because of the composition they and the formations in the distance gave me. Setting my camera to BULB, I "painted" the formations with two everyday off-road emergency flashlights for about 5 minutes.

The Ultimate Photographer's Goal: Get The Correct Exposure. Really?

I cover this topic in more detail in my new book, Right Brain Photography (Be an artist first). 

Are you sitting down for this? There is no "correct" exposure. There is only the right exposure, as defined by you. If you like the way your image looks, it's the right exposure. 

Many photographers gasp in disbelief when I tell them I don't look at my histogram. In fact, 
I have mine turned off. It gets in my way. Why? Because the histogram is driven by the camera's built-in light meter, and I don't trust it to give me the "look" I want. It is engineered to let me know when all tones are evenly distributed throughout the image, or not. Well, guess what? I usually do not want all tones evenly distributed throughout my images. That, to me, can look very boring and more like just a great snap shot.

This is part of being an artist first. I don't want a left-brain engineered graph to determine my desired creative aesthetics.

Here are some examples that illustrate what I mean. If I were to look at the histograms related to each of these images, they would all tell me, "Dude, you are way off!"

The histogram for this image says, "Whoa! You're way to the left toward the black side of things!" To get this result, I under exposed this scene by -2 stops!! In photography terms, that means I "under exposed" the image by 200% from what it "should be." Now you see why I ignore the histogram.

Using spot metering to create this, again, the histogram was scolding me! I'm glad I didn't     adjust my exposure to get the "correct" histogram.

Same story here. I spot-metered on the brightest part of this giant leaf, giving me
a -2.33 stops under exposure. When I offer my 1-on-1 lessons and tell my students
to under expose by 1-3 stops, they gasp, fearing the worst---until they see the results.

By now you know what the histogram looked like for this image. It said, "Are you crazy?" This too was at a -2.33 stops under exposed. I have gone as far as -3 stops for some of my images.

Now, this image would have come closer to satisfying the histogram. Which one would you choose? This is also closer to what it looked like to the naked eye. This is why I teach in my book to see with your imagination (see image above), not your eyes (image below).

My challenge to you is to go out and experiment with under exposures. Don't be afraid. Ignore what the books and pundits tell you-- just relax and go for it! Photography is more art than science. 

Contact me if you would like some 1-on-1 field lessons on how I combine technical know-how with creative aesthetics. 

www.elivega.net 

 Converting Backgrounds Into Backdrops 

This is really part of my concept of "seeing with your imagination." Next time you see something you like, but you notice the background is too busy and ugly, don't keep walking. Look at it again and ask yourself, "What could I make this look like?"

Sometimes it is just simply impossible to eliminate unwanted backgrounds, but the following tips will help you with that frequent dilemma. There are three easy techniques I use to convert backgrounds into backdrops. I mention these in more detail in my book.

1) I use f/stops like f/2.8 and f/4, which give me wide apertures and thus blurred
    backgrounds.

2) I use my 32" diffuser to eliminate ugly, unappealing backgrounds.
3) I use my "props" to create in-studio looking images when in the field. 

The following are examples of the results I get when I apply these simple techniques. Let's start with the first one--the use of low-number f/stops.

For me, although these are interesting and colorful blooms, the background is just too busy. Two things happen when we take a photo like this. First, psychologically, we really don't notice the background because we are so caught up in the foreground plants. Secondly, when we go home and look at it, we proclaim with disappointment, "They looked much better than this when I was there," right?

                                  f/22                                    

Now, with just two simple steps, I converted the above image to this. Instead of f/22, I used f/4 to get a blurred background. Then, I underexposed the scene by a minus one and two-third stops! The combination of those two adjustments subdued the background and made the foreground "pop." It doesn't even look like the same scene, huh?

f/4

Now let me illustrate my second tip, the use of my diffuser.

I simply opened and placed my diffuser right up against the flowers in the background in order to soften them. The effect forced them softly into the backgound. They complement the foreground, not compete for attention. 

My third tip involves the use of one of my favorite props-- a large piece of black (non-reflective) velvet material, which I carry with me when I'm shooting nature close-ups. Again, the goal is to eliminate or minimize unwanted backgrounds.

So, here is what this scene looked like to the naked eye. No doubt, they are very nice flowers, but, wow, what a background. It's enough to force most photographers to keep walking.

  

Now look how dramatically different they look with a studio-like effect, by simply placing a black piece of material behind them--that's all!! The different exposure and background enhance the hues, making the flowers more vibrant .

These are but a few of the many tips, ideas, and techniques I share in my new book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (Be an artist first). 

If you are nearby, call me for a customized private 1-on-1 lesson. I will walk you slowly through every step necessary to convert pictures to artistic images.

LEFT BRAIN STUFF

This month's tip is about calculating the right exposure, beyond 30 seconds, when shooting in very low light situations, while keeping the ISO at 100....yes, 100.

Here is the scenario

You are inside a darkened church; most of the lights are off. You want to photograph it with a high f/stop (like f/20) and use a low ISO. You are ready to get the shot, but your camera talks back to you. I don't know how your camera talks back to you, bu mine prompts me with 'Lo.' What it's really saying is, "Hey, I'm designed to give you an exposure of up to 30 seconds.You are aiming me at a very dark area, you have me set at f/20, and on top of that you have my ISO at 100. It's going to take more than 30 seconds, but I don't know how much more. You're on your own!" What to do?

Here is the very simple mathematical solution. Rather than sacrifice depth of field coverage (other than f/20) and in order to minimize the chance of noise/grain, I kept my f/stop at f/20 and my ISO at 100. Now, here is the simple left brain calculation.

1) I simply pumped my ISO up to 200. Voila! My camera woke up and gave me a reading of
    20 seconds.   

2) ISO 200 is twice as much as ISO 100, right? Easy math.
3) I simply multiplied the 20 second exposure by 2 (twice as much), which=40 seconds.
4) I simply set my camera to the BULB setting, clicked (using my cable release) and held it for 40 seconds. Voila! I got a spot-on exposure.

If my camera had not given me a reading (a shutter speed) at ISO 200, I would have simply pumped my ISO one more time to 400 and then followed the same math logic. If that had happened, I would have kept my shutter open for 80 seconds (20 seconds X 4).

I took some shots for the purpose of this exercise. I went inside the Unity of Boulder Church Center, with their permission. I intentionally chose the darkest corner of the church for the sake of this exercise.

The following image looks very much the way it looked to the naked eye.

  

This is the image I got after following the above simple math. I left it untouched for the sake of this lesson. A forty second exposure, f/20, at ISO 100.

This is just one of many tips, creative ideas, and concepts I include in my new book,
RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (Be an artist first). Contact me for your signed copy.

I highly encourage you to try the above easy solution to difficult lighting challenges. So, go to your favorite building, get permission first, and try it. You will amaze yourself. Have fun.

                       ON-CAMERA FLASH: LOW TECH SOLUTIONS 

You've heard the country song lyrics, "I've got friends in low places." Well, I've got "friends" in low tech places.

I seldom use flash. I am more of an available light photographer. Sometimes I use diffusers or reflectors to properly light my subjects. Occasionally I do use flash--the flash on my camera. However, that little sucker can be overwhelming. It's got more punch that its size would make you think! What to do?

Yes, you can buy custom-fit diffusers, even for your on-camera flash. I have chosen to create a free and low-tech solution. I simply use my lens cleaning cloth and gently drape it over the flash head--that simple. Sometimes, I even use small pieces of tissue--the kind you get to clean your eye glasses.

 Here are the simple steps I take when using my lens cleaning cloth. I know-- it doesn't seem like the light from a small on-camera flash would "cut" through the cloth, but it does!

Step 1. First, I just drape the cloth over the flash, leaving me room to see through my viewfinder--that's important. :-)

Step 2. Focusing on my subject while in manual focus mode, I adjust my f/stop to cover my subject, but not too much f/stop--I like to blur the backgrounds.

Step 3a. I get my shot.
Step 3b. My camera has a flash exposure compensation feature. If my shot was a little too dark, I overexpose my next shot slightly; if my shot was a little too bright (which seldom happens), I underexpose my next shot slightly. 

Keep in mind that with most images, whether I use flash or not, there is always some slight fine-tuning in photo editing. But, surprisingly, not much. 

Here are three recent examples--butterflies, using my lens cleaning cloth on my on-camera flash. 

===================================

Because of my perspective, the background was quite a distance from the butterfly, thus
the black backdrop.   

    

I like to diversify my shots between clean and simple shots, like the one above, and others with more compositional elements thrown in, to add context.

                                
For this last example, I was sitting on a bench, shooting up at this cooperative model, which allowed me to get a different perspective. The most common butterfly shots are either side views or from the top of the butterly. I was about 3-4 feet away for this one. 

So, go out, explore and experiment with that little flash that sits right on top of your camera. You might surprise yourself.

If you are in the Denver/Boulder area, contact me if you would like a 1-on-1 or small group field lesson.

PAINTING WITH LIGHT

                                  

The etymology of the word "photography" leads us back to a Greek word that means "painting with light." That makes sense, since at the time photography was invented in Europe, the closest art form that resembled this new invention was painting on canvas. Canvas artists painted with oils; photographers "painted" with light.

If we take that concept and push it to the Nth degree, only our minds can limit what we can do with photography. One of the most fun and creative techniques I have applied to my photography is just that--"painting with light." I like to select subjects that are commonly photographed in early morning, during the day, or late in the afternoon. I like to photograph them at night or twilight and "paint" them with light.

Let me know if you would like a 1-on-1 lesson. I can help you add something new to your photo collection.

Although I have several images, the first three examples were all created at Garden of The Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.


For this one, the exposure was slightly over one minute, with my camera set at BULB. 
I used two simple off-road emergency lamps/flashlights, one with a warm-colored output; the other with a blue/gray output. While my camera was in BULB mode, I just held one flashlight in one hand and the other in my other hand and moved them slowly around the edges of this particular formation. It was approximately 8:40 pm. I prefer to shoot these at 15-20 minutes after sunset. 

I chose a variation of "painting" for this next example. I painted the walkway first as I walked and shined the flashlight on it. When I was done, I walked back next to my camera and then painted the formation on the left. Combined time for the walkway and formation was slightly over two minutes, at approximately 8:00 pm. When it's pitch dark, moving objects, like me walking back to my camera, are not recorded on the film or sensor.

  

This next image appears on the cover of my new book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (Be an artist first). Feel free to contact me for your own personal signed copy.

Here are some factors that went into the creation of this image. The distant formations were so far away I knew they would not receive any light from my flashlights and would turn out as silhouettes. Any moving clouds in the sky would be blurred as a result of a long exposure. It was pitch dark, so I had to light the front formation with my flashlight so I could manually focus on it. I then set the BULB feature on my camera, like I did for the other two examples, and proceeded to slowly "paint" with light. Like the first example, I used both flashlights for this one, outlining the formations, then filling in the middle more quickly just to add some "fill light" to the formations. And, voila!! The exposure on this one was just under five minutes! It was around 9:00 pm. 

This last example was at famous Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, Utah. Photographers love to photograph it early in the morning when it glows reddish-orange. But, I wanted to do something I had not seen done before---photograph it after the sun went down, but not at nighttime. 

I went there in December, hoping to get some snow-capped mountains in the background. 
I chose that magical twilight, that time between sunset and nighttime. I only used one lamp/flashlight, my warm-colored one. After I got my composition, I simply "painted" the underside of the arch for about 30 seconds. Doing it is simple; it's thinking about the idea that is more difficult, especially when applying left-brain photography which relies more on proven facts, real examples, and linear thinking. I have been asked if this was "Photoshopped." 

  
Now that you know how this is done, go out and have fun with it. Experiment. Let loose. Don't be afraid of giving up control. In fact, the more you let go of control, the more control you'll have. Any subject you can shine light on is a good subject. Use your imagination!! 

Again, contact me via my website if you would like some lessons or would like to order a copy of my book.

The mind.....birthplace of limitations.