"Thinking" in Colour or Black and White

I approach photography as a process of visual journal writing.  I don't really know where it comes from or where it's going, but I respond to what excites me at the time I take each photo.  I suppose it could be the subject matter, a photography process I'm exploring, something that I've been reading, current events, or travel.  It all spills out over the course of time, and a big part of my process is to re-examine things afterwards and decipher what it may mean for me.

I look for trends, and then go back out and specifically try to get certain results.  In general, my first trip out usually produces a series of visual sketches, and the later visits focus more image craftsmanship and finish. I love to come back to the same stomping grounds again and again to examine what's changed, and revisit what hasn't (a habit that may drive some of my friends mad). But it's always a balance between fresh new ideas, and working out the details of older ones.  Spend too much time reworking an idea and things can get stale quickly.  This is when I usually find myself already moving on emotionally to more visual journal writing.

So why the title to this blog?  Well, over the last several weeks I've been shooting outside in the industrial areas in Portland (which usually ends with a stop at a local coffeehouse). After the last trip I went through my images in Lightroom and felt that something was kind of bothering me.  Something didn't feel like it was working, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I was seeing the specific locations, and had difficulty removing myself from the places, and just looking at the images as unique entities (more abstractly).  Then, I decided to see what a few of the images would look like as black and white. Oh wow. That was the mental switch that I needed, and one that I wasn't in the habit of making.

There is a challenge with shooting with a DSLR, and that is colour.  Everything about them propel the image author into thinking about colour.  Colour this, colour that, more or less saturation, more vibrancy, more clarity of colour.  In the film days, I would take my Nikkormat and pop in some TRI-X PAN into it. That was it, I had a Black and White camera, and tri-x was not known for it's it's high-realism.  It was contrasty, and pleasantly grainy.  No post-shooting colour thumbnail or histogram on the back of the camera to look at, just my imagination and high expectations. Yes, I saw colour through the lens, but somehow I was forming a link to how the film would interpret things.  That freed me up to break outside of the reality I was viewing.

So with DSLR's, when I'm out and about shooting images, it seems more natural  me to focus on colour relationships, instead of the abstraction of reality through tones, contrast, texture, etc.  Sometimes things ARE about color, and things work in wonderful ways, and other times they distract from the greater story.  Colour is very descriptive, and it entices us to look at the realism of the image.  Colour can communicate the season, the time of day, the weather.  Sometimes it's just too much distraction for the subject.  Turning that off can instantly transport the image outside of time, or give the viewer more incentive to look harder into the image for more visual clues.  Perhaps to a place just a bit more abstract than we're normally comfortable with in our metadata, geotagging era.

So I'm currently focused on: Is colour important for the telling of this story?  What makes an image timeless?  How can I say more with less?  And finally, Am I photographing for my own visual journal, or for a greater audience? (looking for the universal money shot).  The last question has always been a difficult question, which I do a lot of ruminating on, just might become a future blog topic; written of course at a local coffeehouse.

Have a great time conducting your own Visual Journal Writing.

Nikon D800 is Formally Announced, Now What?

So the new Nikon D800 has been announced, and will ship sometime in mid to late March.  Exciting news for a lot of us, but how will we use this camera in practice?  With a 36.3 megapixel sensor, image size is going to quadruple over what I have right now.  That will equate to fewer images fitting onto a dvd, and it postpones the possibility of quickly posting these images onto ftp sites for clients (at least at full size).

It seems that so far my clients aren't really sure what to make of the increased image density.  They are happy that they will get more image megapixels for the same price, but they too wonder how that will impact space on their already constrained hard drives, backups, slower saves, network drives, etc.

I imagine I will have some clients that will request lower resolution images for some projects, maybe requesting higher res images at a later date.  Or maybe they will want me to hold onto their master images (so to speak) and issue them primarily working images as jpegs or lower resolution tiffs.

It will take time for all this to evolve of course, and in that time, clients will upgrade computers, hard drives, etc to respond to these new constraints. And it's not like hard drives are all that expensive these days.

The one challenge will be archiving.  With really large images, burning to hard media becomes impractical.  As it is now, I have a client catalogue that approaches 700gb, and so there really is no backup to disc option.  In this case my catalogues are cloned onto three other drives:

• Daily backup. Every night one drive is updated to match my primary drive.  If today my primary drive failed I can always go back to yesterdays just by rebooting to the other drive and renaming the disc as my Primary.
• Weekly backup.  One a week my hard drive is backed up onto my second backup drive.  This allows me to go back a week if there is something that has happened in the past week that made my system unstable.
• Monthly backup.  Pretty much the same as my weekly backup except that I can go back much farther into the month to ensure I can roll back to before any issues that made my system unstable, but happened over a week ago.
• On top of all this, I also run Time Machine, to keep track of document versions, etc.  It's strength is different than the cloned drive, as I can literally go back to an earlier version of a specific file only.  A very nice compliment.  Note that it doesn't work well with Lightroom databases (and I hear almost all large databases), so I exclude them from the Time Machine world. Catalogues themselves are only cloned at night.

Sounds like a lot of fun to me.  Now I just have to wait for my D800 to arrive.  Open open open...

Nikon's Rumoured D800?

Nikon Rumours - The "rumoured" new Nikon D800.  Quite an evolution for my work when this puppy comes out.  I hope it uses the ProPhoto colour space and has a wider dynamic range.  Those would make it a great upgrade.

Upcoming blog ...

Just posted the Digital Workflow.

Upcoming posts will include Colour Managed Flow, an updated price list for 2012, and creation of a few product image portfolios.

A Digital Workflow - An Evolving Process

For myself, the digital workflow has been a great evolution in my photography. I like the fact that the results are instantaneous, require no exposure to chemicals, and requires fewer generations (conversions).  The digital image IS the image, and the means to track the context of the image stays with the image.

To start out with, I prefer to use Adobe Lightroom as my image editing and asset management tool.  It is what they call a "non-destructive image editing environment". This conserves hard drive space (by not having to resave complete copies of the image), as well as preserve the original image file.  All edits are stored as instructions on how to make the edit, with the instructions saved into the file as metadata (but not in the save area as the image data itself).

The following bullet-points outline my basic digital workflow with some key milestones.  It's not for everybody, but it at least demonstrates how complicated it is just to take a photo and process it to the final "client ready" image.  So many decisions to have to make, and make in the right order.

• I usually shoot two identical images in NEF format (which would divulge that I use Nikon equipment).
• Import images into Lightroom via "Convert to DNG".  I have never had any troubles converting to DNG, and I've stopped imbedding the original NEF file now (to save space).  I like the fact that all edits and metadata are saved within the DNG file and not in a sidecar. As I import, I create a metadata keyword which includes my company information, and the project number.  Down the road, ALL images can be tracked back to a specific project (invoice).
• I select the best of the two images and reject the inferior one (to save space I usually delete the reject, although if it's an "alternate" shot, I would just stack them under the "pick".).
• Add metadata to each image.  Usually I'm adding product description as supplied by my client.
• Rough crop image with a frame around the product.  This is so that the image fills the entire screen during further post processing work, and I don't have to see too much of the wasted background space.
• From within Lightroom, I would use the lens correction tools to straighten edges (if necessary), and clean the image (such as remove dust spots).
• I apply white balance correction, add sharpen, and may add some clarity in Lightroom.
• Colour correct product images.  My lights in my studio match the lights in my computer studio, and my monitors are colour managed. This ensures that the results are controllable.  If I didn't do this, images would look vastly different on my client's computer monitor.  Now that may still happen, but it's a very good practice to manage colour upstream, and work downstream.  I would always encourage a client to use a colour managed workflow as well.  I specifically use NEC monitors, and run SpectraView II monitor calibration software.  Until I used these, I was never able to have two side by side monitors be completely colour corrected and matched.  Now I do.  This makes running Lightroom, Photoshop, etc, that much easier. Beside my monitor are colour corrected spot lights, for which I physically compare the product to the image of the product on my monitor(s).
• Depending on the need to crop, more organic products usually need to be masked around the outside.  I use Photoshop for this, and import back into Lightroom. If I export out of Lightroom, it usually will flatten the image, but note that the original file is unchanged and can be reopened in Photoshop for further edits. While in Photoshop, this is also my opportunity to do any optical corrections.  Maybe the straight lines aren't so straight, or a corner that should be more square. This is the time to correct it.
• I always to a final run through of all images before I decide to export for the project disc.  By reviewing all images, I'm looking for inconsistencies in post processing settings (missed settings maybe), consistent exposure between product shots, all dust spots removed, good colour correction, and a cleanly masked background (if applicable).
• The standard export I use is a 16bit TIFF image file. Colour Space is "ProPhoto".  This colour space is also used when I export and return back from Photoshop.
• If client requires Jpgs, then those are 8bit (can only have a 16bit Jpg when using JPG2000 which no one uses).  Usually 640x480 for web at 72dpi. I usually strip all Metadata out, as these are usually only used for web. Colour space is "sRGB".
• Exports are predominantly always RGB and not CMYK unless specifically asked to do so (very rare these days).

As I mentioned above, I prefer to work in Adobe Lightroom.  I create a separate image catalogue for each client. I can then transfer parts of a catalogue over to my laptop if I'm doing onsite photography, or just need to input a lot of metadata into images. I currently save all catalogues into a 3 TB drive, which is automatically backed up on a specific schedule to 3 other hard drives, plus one off-site hard drive.  It's an amazing amount of redundancy, but it's necessary to ensure that nothing catostrophic happens to anyone's group of images.

So that's the primary nuts and bolts.  I could probably fill a page on any one of the bullet points, but I hope the big picture is adequately conveyed. In a future postings, I'll focus on colour management, file format options, and my favourite "metadata".  :-)

Archival Paper - Options for Printing

Overall, I really enjoy printing on Hahnemuhle papers, although for practical reasons I also print on a few Epson papers as well.  I'm always experimenting with new papers, but I have developed an emotional connection to using Hahnemuhle paper. It's just great paper to print on, and the final prints look and feel fantastic.


Hahnemuhle FineArt:
Hahnemuhle has a wonderful collection of archival papers.  Of their dozen's of options, I've gravitated to the following, which I hold inventory in sizes 8.5x11, 13x19, and 17x22:

• Hahnemuhle FineArt Pearl (100% a-Cellulose, bright white, pearl finish).  The surface is fairly smooth, with a soft texture.  The texture is not distracting, and does not have a mechanical pattern.  What I especially like about this paper is the colour reproduction.  The paper is probably the most "true" white (perhaps on the cooler side).  So colours reproduce rather well.  Here is a link to Hahnemuhle information on FineArt Pearl.

• Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin (100% cotton, white, satin finish).  This paper is a reletively new release.  Although the surface has a matte feel to it, the final print has remarkably more sheen.  There is slightly more surface texture, and the colour is quite a bit warmer than the FineArt Pearl.  Paper colour has a fairly important impact on the emotional character of the print, and I would say this paper has a nice warm tone, without screaming "warm".  It's probably my favourite paper right now; not only because it's a completely 100% cotton based archival paper, but because it also has a VERY nice black tone response, nice texture, and the paper colour is not distracting.  Here is a link to Hahnemuhle information on Photo Rag Satin.

• Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl (100% cotton, natural white, pearl finish). This is paper has a lot of similar characteristics as the Phto Rag Satin, BUT a bit warmer and greener.  Some may really like this paper.  I'm not quite as fond of it now, but there is a place for it, so I keep it available for printing.  Here is a link to Hahnemuhle information on Photo Rag Pearl.

• Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth (100% cotton white).  A very nice, smooth, warm tone (slightly green) matte paper.  Why print on a matte paper?  Personal preference. If I photograph a water colour print, I would definitely print on this paper.  Rendering a water colour on a lustre based paper looks weird.  Here is a link to Hahnemuhle information on Photo Rag Ultra Smooth.

Epson Photographic Paper(s):
Epson makes a very wide range of professional and generic paper for digital printing.  I have tried all of the professional papers, and for my purposes, I use only one paper.  When I need something a bit more "all purpose", I'll print on Epson Premium Lustre.  


Epson Premium Lustre: It will appear like the old generation of Resin-coated (RC) papers you'd get from the photo lab.  This "RC" paper will last 100 years. Being that it has a lustre to it, the blacks have a bit more punch to them.  For that it gets my approval.  The sheen is not too distracting, but it does look like plastic (which it should, because it is).  


Here is a link to Epson's fact sheet.


Choosing any paper is a process of personal expression.  Everyone is going to be attracted to a paper, or print style for different reasons.  The options are literally infinite, as change is always happening around us.  Finding that balance is the great challenge, and remaining open to new possibilities while also printing on something wonderful is also a challenge.


Printing is a collaboration between materials and unspoken vision. Always have fun.

Considerations for Product Photography

Over the past several years I've compiled a list of things that always seem to come up as I'm photographing products.  They are little insider thoughts to consider.

• Crackles:  Crackle glazes show their pattern best with a single light source. Two light sources will compete with each other, but will create more even light. If shot with one light source an exposure gradient can be used in Lightroom 3.x to even out the exposure.  Some time is needed to find the best exposure where the shadows aren't too dark (lose shadow detail), and the highlights aren't burned out.

• File Names:  By default, file names are unique sequential numbers that are generated by the camera itself and will never repeat. In essence, they become unique serial numbers. "Smart file names" can be created on export from Lightroom, but note that it's easy to accidentally generate a duplicate part number this way. This may require extra planning to ensure the naming logic can't create duplicate names. I do recommend entering all "smart information" into the metadata fields. The metadata fields will remain with the file itself. Data can always be added over time. Structure the fields to track specific information. Also define the format for the data. Use semi-colons between data elements. Once completed, all data contained in these metadata fields (and elements), can be easily searched for and/or filtered.  I am a TOTAL proponent of Metadata and Keywords.

• File Types:  Images can be exported from Lightroom in almost any format, size, colour space, etc as needed. Metadata can be left in Jpegs or removed if necessary.  Remember that Jpegs.

• Labels:  Labels that are stuck to the front side being photographed, will add significant time to preparation time.  I also recommend attaching labels to the back side of the product itself and not to outer packaging that will be removed during photo shoot.

• Macro Products:  The smaller the product, the better it's cosmetic condition needs to be. The camera will see "everything".

• Masking/Cropping:  Before shooting it is important to know what the aspect ratio requirement will be. Will the camera's aspect ratio be preserved, or should the shot be cropped to 1 to 1. Is it important that the outside edge detail be preserved by masking background, or should it be cropped tightly to inside edge?

• Mirrors:  Should mirrors reflect light or shadow? A flat light with no object will usually reflect no surface details. Remember that with formal shots, the camera is usually in the frame and has to be photoshopped out.

• Orientation:  Knowing the final orientation can be very important. A soft but focused highlight is added to the top which helps to solidifies the image. Since sometimes its difficult to know which way is up, its helpful if there is an arrow on the back, or the Metadata on back is created to show intended orientation. Useful for maintaining consistency.

• Transparency:  Usually more appropriate for glass. Need to know how much (if any) backlighting should be applied. Usually depends on the end purpose of the product. Remember that any writing or labels on the back of glass can be seen by the camera. Post-its are good, because they can be removed for the shot, then re-attached afterwards.

An introduction

Greetings all.

I've cleaned the slate so to speak for this blog, done a bit of personalization, and now actual have a purpose for this space.  In previous incarnations I rambled on about things that were impacting me (photographically speaking).  I may still ramble on a bit, and rant about this and that, but mostly I plan to make this more of a resource page.  Types of things you'll find here (other than my addiction to bullet points):

• Technical resources for the equipment, paper that I use.  Why do I like Hahnemuhle so much?
• What my process work-flow is. How do I track my time.  How "Type A" am I really? (perhaps the use of bullet points give that away). 
• Discussions on developing and maintaining an effective workflow (color management, data backup, metadata (my favorite).
• Why I like Kraft dinner with tomatoes.  Okay maybe not that one.

This is new to me, and of course time slips by quickly.  But there are so many subjects that come up during my workday that could be of benefit here, so I'll give it a go.

Thanks, and happy photo taking.