December 21st, 2009 Rob Sheppard
My goals are always to help photographers master digital photography and gain better and more satisfying results. I have completed a couple of new things that you might find of interest. First, I have a new class at BetterPhoto.com called Composition Boot Camp. Based on a lot of workshops I have been doing, I felt a need to really challenge and help photographers get better and more effective compositions. This class is a little different than most because we have a little fun with the boot camp theme. But it will challenge any photographer to better use composition to more effectively communicate about their world and affect their audience, whoever that might be.
Second, I have a couple of new books out. First is How to Take Great Photos with the Canon D-SLR System from Lark Books. This is a book about better photography with a Canon slant. There are lots of tips about dealing with all sorts of things from exposure to choice of focal length and more. Second is almost out: Photoshop Elements 8: Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks, a book designed for photographers who want to get the most from Photoshop Elements 8. This book is not available in stores yet, but will be in January.
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December 18th, 2009 Rob Sheppard
I just got a copy of George DeWolfe’s new book, B & W Printing. George is a very fine nature photographer who should be a lot better known. I think this book has a lot of great ideas that go beyond black-and-white printing. I was really impressed with the book. It talks a lot about midtone tonalities that are so very important for nature photography especially, regardless if you shoot color or black-and-white. This is one problem I see a lot with many digital photographers’ color work, especially in the dark midtones. They are often dark and muddy and have little definition.
Also, he gives some great stories about how he has analyzed and looked at the tonalities of great artists. His discussion of tonalities gets maybe a little esoteric, but the photos illustrating this are great, showing both before and after, and are worth the price of the book alone. He talks quite a bit about the difference between how we see the world versus how the camera sees the world, a really excellent discussion, although maybe not everyone will stay with it because it gets a little academic. Still, even if you just look at the photos and the captions in that section you will get a lot from the book.
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October 22nd, 2009 Rob Sheppard
Adobe just announced its next version of Lightroom as Lightroom 3 beta. That is exactly what it says, a beta, meaning it is unfinished. This is not a program to use for your main work as it has bugs in it and things that don’t work quite right yet. While Adobe tends to be very secretive about their plans for a final version of anything, I would expect the final version of Lightroom 3 to be available maybe by early spring next year.
Before I talk about some of the new features that you might find of interest, I should just talk a little about Lightroom and RAW converters. To be honest, I am not that interested in other programs. I find that Lightroom is the best image handling and processing program available today for most photographers. I don’t base that simply on my work with Lightroom (although I can tell you very honestly that I could not produce the books and workshops I do now at the pace I do them without Lightroom). I also base this on working with many, many photographers in classes, workshops and even one-on-one consulting that Lightroom works very well indeed for photographers. Compared to Photoshop, it is interesting that when I do a Photoshop workshop, it can take a week before students really start to feel comfortable, yet with Lightroom, they are actively and confidently working on their own within 2-3 days.
I cannot recommend Aperture, for example, because it is missing some key photographic controls — you cannot check black levels with a threshold screen (which I consider vital to good image processing) and you cannot do dodging and burning non-destructively (you must use an export plug-in). Lightroom does dodging and burning non-destructively within the program and truly brings me back to traditional darkroom work. Nikon’s Capture NX is a superb program, for another example, but it is only available for Nikon RAW files (though it can handle anyone’s JPEG files), so that makes it limited in use for only a select group of photographers.
Lightroom 3 has had its processing engine taken apart and rebuilt, from what I hear from Adobe. This is a big deal with RAW files as images from such files must be “built” from RAW data such as keeping the color pattern of pixels from the sensor as is (the color pattern from nearly all sensors is not the way the world looks and has to be “developed” in order to get a correct image). So having a better processing engine will mean better final results in many aspects, including a cleaner file from any camera. Some people are finding that the program is now giving substantially improved results from smaller sensor, many megapixeled cameras that starts to rival larger sensor cameras.
One thing that is different is a new noise reduction set of algorithms (and this comes from the new processing engine). I was never much impressed with the noise reduction of any Adobe products. This now promises excellent noise reduction within the Lightroom workflow, which is a welcome feature. Color noise works in the beta, but luminance is not functional yet. I am still optimistic, given Adobe’s talents, that the final results will be quite good.
One thing I quite like about LR 3 is the new Import feature. Import was not bad before, but it is such an important function, and the old version didn’t give it the feeling of importance that it deserved. Consequently, many photographers breezed by many key import decisions. I think the new interface for Import is well thought out and uses a similar format to the modules of Lightroom, which elevates it to “module level” of importance. I think that is a good thing, plus the new Import interface makes it easier to make the right decisions for importing photos.
Another thing I really like about LR3 that has absolutely nothing to do with better photos is the change from Grayscale to Black-and-White. It’s about time. Grayscale was never a very photographic term. No one who worked with black-and-white photography ever said they were going to do some grayscale printing today! Grayscale is a computer term and an affectation for photographers who have no sense of history. Black-and-white continues the very strong emphasis that Lightroom has on being highly photography centric.
I have really liked the vignetting feature of LR2 that allows quick and easy darkening of the edges of a photo. Ansel Adams made a big deal about edge darkening in his books (and I still consider his book, The Print, a must for digital photographers — just skip all the chemistry stuff). In LR3, the post-crop vignette gains some new algorithms which have been described as giving a “more natural look.” Although I am not sure what a more natural look really means for such an effect, the new vignettes do look quite pleasing and you get some new options on how color and tone are affected.
A very noticeable new feature of LR 3 is the Publish Services in the Library. To be honest, I have not used this part of the beta. It is designed to make publishing photos to websites (such as Flickr) and other “off-site” locations easier.
Slideshows now get music that can be fit to the slides, plus you can save your slide show in a video form that keeps music with it. That is a big improvement, but still, the slideshow capabilities of Lightroom are pretty limited. If you are serious about slide shows, check out ProShow Gold from Photodex Software for Windows or FotoMagico from Boinx Software for the Mac. Even a simple video program such as Adobe Premiere Elements will give more flexibility with slide shows.
There is more, but the highlights above are what stand out for me. Check out Victoria Bampton’s blog, Lightroom Queen, to get more info on LR3.
Posted in Books, Lightroom | 2 Comments »
September 14th, 2009 Rob Sheppard
As many of you know, the national parks are coming up on 100 years in 2016 and you will begin seeing a lot about the national parks, including Ken Burns new documentary at the end of September (I am really looking forward to watching that). It is true that there were parks established before 1916, but that was the year that Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation to establish our National Parks System. It is a phenomenal system that is a model for the world. There are some challenges to the system that we must also be aware of, but it is still a popular and important part of our national identity.
A friend of mine, Ian Shive, has just come out with his book, The National Parks, Our American Landscape, and I highly recommend you check it out. I have long discussed the need for nature photography to go beyond simply repeating the pretty pictures that we have already seen. There is so much good nature photography available today that when it looks like just another pretty picture that you have seen before, audiences tend to tune out. Ian’s book brings a very fresh look at the national parks. You will see photos that do not look like every other park photo you have seen. This is really a phenomenal book for photographers, nature lovers and anyone who cares for the national parks. You can also see more about Ian at www.waterandsky.com.
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April 20th, 2009 Rob Sheppard
A couple of things have come to me that show off quite interesting approaches to nature photography.
First is a new e-book by William Neill. Bill is a friend and a superb landscape photographer. He has long been known for his wonderful and thoughtful color nature photography. He takes a journey into classic black-and-white nature photography with his new e-book, Meditations in Monochrome. Yet this is not a retro, back-to-Ansel sort of photography. Meditations in Monochrome truly does offer a new look at nature through Bill’s discerning eye now turned to black-and-white. This is a beautiful book to go through and use for your own meditations on nature. Plus, he includes information about how he did the black-and-white work. Check it out at http://www.williamneill.com/books/meditations.html.
The second reference is Niall Benvie’s blog at http://niallbenvie.churchilljohnson.co.uk/blog/. Niall is a UK photographer. I’ve known him for a while from my work at Outdoor Photographer magazine. European photographers definitely have a little different point of view than Americans. That isn’t better or worse, just different, but I find that difference can be inspiring. Niall’s blog is not the usual nature photography blog, either. I think he has a lot of great ideas to check out.
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February 6th, 2009 Rob Sheppard
I recently got a question from a reader that is a good item for the blog. He noted that he knows Photoshop technology pretty good, so he knows how to use it to control the image. But he felt he is not so good in recognizing and knowing what actually needs to be done to an image to make it look its best. He wanted to know what books might help.
I do hear this comment often enough that I know it is a concern. Unfortunately, a lot of Photoshop and Lightroom books are more about “gee-whiz” techniques than in working on this issue of how to look at an image and know what needs to be done. I admit that this can be hard to explain at times.
However, I do feel that a good resource comes not from modern Photoshop or other computer books, but from a classic of good photography — Ansel Adams. I highly recommend his books, The Negative, The Print, and Examples, the Making of 40 Photographs. They are all still in print, but can be also found at used booksellers (such as Abebooks.com) and libraries. You can skip all the developing and chemical stuff in the negative and print books, but the captions, the discussion chapters, are all quite good.
The Print has some really excellent discussions of specific photos and what Adams did working on them, plus I think his opening chapter should be required reading for all nature photographers. Examples, the Making of 40 Photographs gives some very specific information on how Adams worked on 40 photos, from the actual shooting through the darkroom work.
Posted in Books, Digital Photo Techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop techniques, nature photography | 1 Comment »
December 2nd, 2008 Rob Sheppard
A friend of mine, Jim Miotke, has a great book for photographers who are challenged by digital and want some answers – The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography (published by Amphoto). As the founder and leader of BetterPhoto.com, Jim has had a lot of real-world contact with the average photographer, where his or her problems are, what the challenges are, and so forth. He used this information to good effect with this book.
To be honest, and in the interest of full disclosure, Jim is a friend, as I said, and he approached me about helping him to “get the word out” about his book for a special one-day promotion. I agreed to help because his book does demystify a lot of technical topics with clear, simple lessons.
If you order Jim’s book today, Tuesday, December 2nd, you can get a bunch of extra goodies. Jim has partnered with several photography companies and individuals to put together a special promotion that includes some unique bonus extras. He put together a special link for me to send readers to learn more about this special event:
http://www.betterphoto.com/offer-rob.asp
You’ll probably see this in other locations as Jim really did put together a special deal for one day. It is a fascinating use of the web. If you are interested, click on the link. JIm also promises to return the favor to his friends at some point!
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September 30th, 2008 Rob Sheppard
One of the challenges all nature photographers face today is that there are so many photographers taking pictures of nature! And a lot of good photographers, too. A lot of this imagery is excellent but looks a lot like the rest of the photos out there. That’s not necessarily bad, but it does mean that sometimes good nature photos get lost in the crowd.
One way of getting your photos to stand out is through the use of ideas and techniques that are not expected, giving photos that are not like everyone else’s. There is certainly a danger in doing that because not everyone will like your photos if you start bucking the commonly accepted ways of photographing nature.
My friend, Bill Neill (the landscape columnist for Outdoor Photographer magazine), has long followed his own drummer in his work. Bill photographs in many areas, but he lives near Yosemite National Park, so he photographs there quite often. Very few of his photos look like everyone else’s shots of the park. He strives to go deeper than a quick shot of a beautiful scene, looking for images that connect people with nature in different ways.
That’s why a few years ago, he started adding movement to his photos of landscapes. He actually moved the camera during the exposure. He has created a striking body of work that has a spiritual quality, I believe, that goes beyond simple identification with a specific scene. He has now put these images together in an inexpensive e-book called, Impressions of Light. This is a stunning group of photos that I think can inspire anyone who loves photography and nature. Don’t expect to see the “usual” in nature photos, though — you can expect the extraordinary. This book is about light, color and how they play out in nature. You can find out more about Bill’s new book at www.williamneill.com/books/impressions.html. He even has special pricing until October 1. 
Posted in Books, Nature, landscape photography, nature photography | Comments Off
September 9th, 2008 Rob Sheppard
If you like the East Coast and great nature photography, I would recommend you look into a book by my friend, Jim Clark, called Between Ocean and Bay: A Celebration of the Eastern Shore. It is about the life of the Eastern Shore of the mid-Atlantic part of the East Coast around Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
I have always enjoyed Jim’s down home, truly heartfelt books of nature photography and thoughts about nature in the Mid-Atlantic states. But when Jim sent me a copy of this book, I was truly wowed. It is a very impressive book of excellent photography. This may seem odd, but there is a shot of a mosquito swarm that is just stunning. It is shot at dusk and is quite amazing. What makes this so interesting is that this is so representative of a naturalist/photographer, which Jim is, not just a naturalist, not just a photographer.
The book is inspirational in its photography, plus Jim gives a lot of ideas about how he got the shots, too.
Posted in Books, Nature, nature photography | Comments Off
July 8th, 2008 Rob Sheppard
My friend, Bill Neill, recently completely rejuvenated his wonderful book of landscape photography, Landscapes of the Spirit, as an e-book. Landscapes of the Spirit — Digital Edition has been created as a high quality PDF from the original book. This beautiful book first came out in 1997, but now Bill has revitalized it, getting even better renditions of the original images because of new, high res scans and optimization work in Photoshop.
The book is available for $15 from Bill’s website, www.williamneill.com/books/spirit3.html. This is really a bargain for seeing some wonderful nature photography that will inspire you both in terms of the photography and Bill’s sensitivity to the natural world.
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