Project 52 by Mal Schulstad

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I really like the last one Mal, can't really comment too much as I'm still leaning, but sure looks great to me, especially with the Light box.

Thanks Bob - we're all still learning I don't think that ever stops.

Mal,

I am rookie at Digital photography but thought I can offer some points of view. I think that possibly 'variety is the spice of life' could apply. I have found that by taking shots of a range of subjects not only helps to build knowledge but also keeps you 'fresh' i.e. by having to think about different situations/compositions it can help all aspects of your image taking. I think and believe that is what I am doing. Even if you have experience and expertise in one field it is good to step out of your 'comfort zone' and try different things.

From my 'rookie' point of view looking at your images leaves me with the impression that you certainly have the skill and ability to produce great images. Absolutely, something to aspire to!

Cheers for now

Gary

My mother used to call me a "Jack of all trades but master of none" As much as I have some preferences with what I enjoy shooting I do have a habit of branching out and trying my hand out at a number of different styles of photography. You're absolutely right that taking photos of a range of subjects helps to build your knowledge and stops you from getting bored which is probably why I haven't gotten back to shooting people just yet - that along with giving the family a break from taking photos of them

But like everyone else here I'm still learning and there's a lot of things on the people and portraiture photography side that I still want to learn and get better at so I need to get back into it

Glad you enjoy the photos - I do my best, but being on here at CiC has helped me out immensely.

[Geoff F]

As that lower flower is the one which lacks the sharpness of the others, I have been wondering about cropping it out. Or perhaps a mixture of crop and clone.

But I just can't decide about it.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

As that lower flower is the one which lacks the sharpness of the others, I have been wondering about cropping it out. Or perhaps a mixture of crop and clone.

But I just can't decide about it.

I see what you mean - not sure what that is as the flowers were all on the same plane. I think that the particular flower in question was dying more than the other ones and didn't actually have much detail to offer at that point.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Okay - well, I've finally managed to get myself back over to people photography using the Schulstad household's favourite model. I decided this week that it was time to get the hang of the that I bought about a month ago. I have to admit to being very comfortable with shooting without a flash in low light by just reverting to the 50mm and shooting at f/1.8, just taking care to make sure the focus is absolutely perfect.

Of course, there are times when the lighting demands a different approach, which is the whole reason for procuring an external flash in the first place. There is, as tends to be the case with anything in photography, a lot to master on the subject so I thought I would focus on one step at a time. The first area - using the flash as fill for less than ideal lighting situations.

The first situation to do this came when I rolled into the garage and out of the pouring rain. Jasmine was heading out in the opposite direction with an umbrella in hand to go singing in the rain. I conveniently had the flash on my camera already so I wacked the 50mm on it, found my golf umbrella and headed outside after her.

As it turns out, learning on-board flash photography is not easy, in my humble opinion. I feel exactly like I did when I first posted on Cambridge and started getting all the helpful feedback from everyone to improve my shots - except that I was giving it to myself!



First attempt - waaaayyyyyy too bright. What was the camera thinking? What was the flash thinking? What have I got the damn thing set up on? How do I balance the light of the flash against the background to look more natural? Where's the menu setting to change the output of the flash? Hmmmm... it's not there - oh, that's right! I have to hold the flash button down and play with the dials! Should I change the l light meter to do spot metering? Should I set my exposure to neutral instead of 1/3 over exposure - my default setting for most photos? These were just a few of the thoughts that ran through my head upon seeing the first photo in my view finder.



Attempt #2 - I decided to leave all of the settings the same and see what happened when I had a background that was a little brighter. A marginal improvement in terms of actually being able to see the background this time. However the flash on Jazz was still just over powering.



Attempt #3 - I figured I wanted to learn how to shoot with the onboard flash in the same way that I shoot without it, which meant leaving the light meter on matrix metering and anticipating what the camera would attempt see by recognising the ambient light in the surrounds. In short, play with the flash output. I reduce the output by 1/3 EV which yielded a noticeable improvement on the standard TTL output. While I'm on the subject of TTL, for those of you who are unaware, TTL stands for "Through The Lens" and is where the camera determines the flash output based on what it sees. In this case, the camera needs some glasses!



Attempt #4 - Flash output reduced by 2/3s EV, however the full bodied shot meant that Jazz was also further away. This seemed to have an impact on the power output purely because the camera added more power to the flash with her being further away, which seemed to yield a result similar to attempt #3.



Attempt #5 - A full stop of power reduce combined with an upper body shot yielded a result that was acceptable, although probably border line at the end of the day. Umbrellas, even little ones, always look so large on little kids so I decided to crop and tone the colour of the umbrella down a bit.



I have to confess to not being happy with this whole series of shots. I wouldn't have ordinarily posted this series of photos however I've been short of time lately to shoot much more. Jazz for some reason was also beginning to bemoan the fact that it was a little cold and wet, and didn't really want to stay out for anymore photos.

In any case, I thought that some of you lovely folks might take some learnings from my experiences, so here they are. Until next week!

PS - learning to get the hang of the flash in the pouring rain is not something I recommend, even if you have a really big golf umbrella!

[Geoff F]

None of these is what I would call a bad photo, Mal, and a little bit of editing would save most of them. Except perhaps #4 where you have those rings, which is a pity because I think that is one of the best for her facial expression.

I remember when I first got a Speedlite and couldn't achieve anything decent. All my adjustments appeared to be going in the wrong direction.

Then I though, I use the basic pop up flash reasonably successfully for insect shots, so why not try the same. And suddenly, setting the camera manually, to suit what I wanted from the scene then allowing the flash to pick its own output, with a bit of compensation, started producing better results.

I still don't do a lot of flash photography so I'm a long way from being an expert; but manual camera and auto TTL flash works best for me.

Incidentally, I started doing some more experiments with outdoor fill flash plus a Stofen diffuser on insect shots today. When I tried this last year I was disappointed and found the Stofen produced very variable results.

It was the same today, and I soon removed it then continued shooting with straight flash plus a little exposure compensation. Manual camera settings of 1/200, F 14, ISO 200 and flash compensation around -1/3 to -1 depending on the background.

However, I have found that using the Stofen, at a 45 degree angle, for indoor shots where that is the main light source produces much better colours than straight flash.

There are a number of other flash diffusers; but I wanted to see if I could get the cheap Stofen alternative to produce good results.

ps. and I fully agree with you about the problems of trying to learn; or remember what you have recently learned when under pressure. In those conditions my brain just goes numb until I have the time to 'think at my own pace'.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I've heard about the Stofen diffusers but haven't seen any to buy around here. I know my local camera shop were getting some other portable diffusers.

My speedlight has an inbuilt diffuser for macro shots - it's what I used on the dragonfly and fly when I took those photos. But for portraits - more playing is needed for me as I haven't quite absorbed it yet. There's another diffuser that came with the camera as well as colour filters which I also need to play with. Just looking at these photos again I can't help but think I should have had a colour filter to align the temperature of the speedlight to the light produced by the clouds.

Anyway, here's a bonus shot - finished in a way that I hope depicted the mood as Jazz started feeling the cold. Did I mention how hard it is to take photos with a heavy camera, with a heavy speedlight attached, while holding onto a golf umbrella on a windy day?

[johnbharle]

Some of the challenges that come from a reluctant subject (and by reluctant I mean someone who really, really doesn't want their photo taken but won't actually stop you from doing it)...

My mother was the same. She never took a good photo, or very few. The only good ones I ever got were when she was distracted somehow and you could catch her unawares. After she had suffered with dementia for several years, she finally lost her self-consciousness. Those are my favorite photos. Don't think they were great technically, but they bring her back to me in spades.

[johnbharle]

In the first version I'm not sure if I've over done the colours:

I like the bright colors, but I find that I can only do a few like this before I get tired of the saturation.

The second one was my thought that there seemed to be enough tones and textures for a black and white conversion. However, on doing it, I'm not sure that it really has a dramatic impact:

I started using Silver Efex Pro this January. It really has made a difference in the quality of black and white photos I develop. If it's in your budget, I'd really suggest it for your b/w conversions. It allows you to try out different color filters which can change your contrasts. Also allows you to increase structure in the photo. Lastly, you can mimic multiple b/w films and adjust your grain.

So I ended up doing a hybrid:

I like this one the best of the three. The subdued green tones make me feel comfortable.

The second photo is my attempt at trying to get my people subjects into a natural setting. In this case the colour photo was a bit bland so I did a B&W treatment and a partial removal of colour.

Again, I like the selective colorization the best. SilverEfex makes this a pretty easy process also. Great shots!

[johnbharle]

I've decided to go back to shooting what I'm naturally better at (at least in my own mind) for the time being. All this learning was beginning to make my head hurt and take some of the fun out of shooting. And I'm not convinced that I was getting any better either! ...

When you think you're not progressing and feel stuck, that always turns out be the time when you're growing the most, at least in my experience...

[johnbharle]

I tend to stay away from flash photography for exactly the reasons you gave in your criticisms of these photos. It's totally beyond me. Keep going. I'd like to vicariously learn how to use the flash from you

[johnbharle]

I've titled this photo "Portal". I hope the photo itself holds enough interest for a viewer to realise that all is not as it seems.

I have to admit that if you hadn't pointed out that all is not as it seems, I might not have looked closer. That is a marvelous reflection! Even when I thought you were looking out of a cave mouth, I still liked the color and composition. Great shot!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I like the bright colors, but I find that I can only do a few like this before I get tired of the saturation.

I agree - I think that's why I came up with the different versions.

I started using Silver Efex Pro this January. It really has made a difference in the quality of black and white photos I develop. If it's in your budget, I'd really suggest it for your b/w conversions. It allows you to try out different color filters which can change your contrasts. Also allows you to increase structure in the photo. Lastly, you can mimic multiple b/w films and adjust your grain.

I'd love to but can't justify the costs. I have a number of Lightroom presets that emulate different settings but I just don't do enough B&W photography to justify the expense. As Kerry will tell, you I have way too many expensive hobbies as it is

I like this one the best of the three. The subdued green tones make me feel comfortable.


Again, I like the selective colorization the best. SilverEfex makes this a pretty easy process also. Great shots!

It was my favourite too. Thanks for taking the time to comment on these.

When you think you're not progressing and feel stuck, that always turns out be the time when you're growing the most, at least in my experience...

Let's hope so - that's how I'm feeling at the moment. Particularly with so many things on the go right now.

I tend to stay away from flash photography for exactly the reasons you gave in your criticisms of these photos. It's totally beyond me. Keep going. I'd like to vicariously learn how to use the flash from you

I like to make a point on working on stuff that I'm not good at - the only problem being that sometimes it can dampen enthusiasm for an activity. However I need to get better at on and off camera flash for the portrait stuff - if to learn to be more flexible at least. How much you learn from my experiences is probably going to be questionable though!

I have to admit that if you hadn't pointed out that all is not as it seems, I might not have looked closer. That is a marvelous reflection! Even when I thought you were looking out of a cave mouth, I still liked the color and composition. Great shot!

I have to admit that it's one of my favourites, although sometimes I think it's too subtle. I thought I'd left enough elements in the water for people to realise that it's not what it seems, but you do have to look at the photo.

Thanks for all your feedback John - very much appreciated.

[SpiderBob]

Mal, sure would like to trade my city for your scenery for just a little while. Wonderful pictures.

[johnbharle]

I'd love to but can't justify the costs. I have a number of Lightroom presets that emulate different settings but I just don't do enough B&W photography to justify the expense. As Kerry will tell, you I have way too many expensive hobbies as it is

I hear what you're saying. But when the budget allows, look at the Nik package. You can buy the lightroom version of entire Nik software package for a very reasonable price. Cheaper than you can buy any one of the plugins separately. ColorEfex has some portraiture filters that might come in handy for you. As soon as money gets right for me, I want to find out if I can upgrade to the version that supports both lightroom AND photoshop :-)

[Letrow]

Slow Monday morning, so I had time to go through some of the threads. I am getting a few nice ideas from this one Mal. The macros are great, but I am already doing that. The boy in motion though, that is definitely something that I should be trying.
Bit weird, this is one of the techniques that I have seen practised so often and yet I don't think I ever tried it seriously.
I think you got the speed element very well in there and thanks for the tips on settings for shutterspeed.

[Wendy Stanford]

Hi Mal, I like attempt #5 of Jazz, she is looking at you and the crop is good, I like the raindrops in her hair and the drops off the side of the umbrella, I think we all need experiement with different angles and light to know what looks good and meets what you are trying to do image wise, you have a good series of shots, and thanks for the wonderful explainations of what you were doing and trying to achieve. I also have an external speedlight, which I haven't really experimented with as yet except to take family shots at gatherings that are inside, has worked well bouncing off the ceiling etc, need to find myself a willing subject to try some portrait work with, might have to try the dog, possibly will be the most co operative

[ScoutR]

In any case, I thought that some of you lovely folks might take some learnings from my experiences, so here they are. Until next week!

Great series Mal, I can see the improvement in each shot, but as your technique gets better your model obviously tires of her job. Cute story on it's own.

I really appreciate you posting these shots and the notes. I don't think I've ever managed a decent flash shot, and even thought it's not something I want to do all the time, the flash would certainly come in handy in certain situations.

Thanks again
Wendy

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Wow - I get busy for a couple of days with work and a photo project that I'll elaborate on shortly and all of a sudden everyone posts!

Mal, sure would like to trade my city for your scenery for just a little while. Wonderful pictures.

The wonderful thing about where I live is that there's a great combination of cityscapes, the ocean, rainforests, mountains, and country all within a short drive. About the only thing we don't have here is snow.

I hear what you're saying. But when the budget allows, look at the Nik package. You can buy the lightroom version of entire Nik software package for a very reasonable price. Cheaper than you can buy any one of the plugins separately. ColorEfex has some portraiture filters that might come in handy for you. As soon as money gets right for me, I want to find out if I can upgrade to the version that supports both lightroom AND photoshop :-)

I'll make sure that I add it to the list of things that I need to buy.... it seems to be a really long list that never stops growing!

Slow Monday morning, so I had time to go through some of the threads. I am getting a few nice ideas from this one Mal. The macros are great, but I am already doing that. The boy in motion though, that is definitely something that I should be trying.
Bit weird, this is one of the techniques that I have seen practised so often and yet I don't think I ever tried it seriously.
I think you got the speed element very well in there and thanks for the tips on settings for shutterspeed.

Glad you could get a bit of inspiration I enjoy the challenge of the panning photos but they certainly require a bit of practice, and in my case a lot of luck. I'll need to try panning on a tripod sometime.

Hi Mal, I like attempt #5 of Jazz, she is looking at you and the crop is good, I like the raindrops in her hair and the drops off the side of the umbrella, I think we all need experiement with different angles and light to know what looks good and meets what you are trying to do image wise, you have a good series of shots, and thanks for the wonderful explainations of what you were doing and trying to achieve. I also have an external speedlight, which I haven't really experimented with as yet except to take family shots at gatherings that are inside, has worked well bouncing off the ceiling etc, need to find myself a willing subject to try some portrait work with, might have to try the dog, possibly will be the most co operative

Great series Mal, I can see the improvement in each shot, but as your technique gets better your model obviously tires of her job. Cute story on it's own.

I really appreciate you posting these shots and the notes. I don't think I've ever managed a decent flash shot, and even thought it's not something I want to do all the time, the flash would certainly come in handy in certain situations.

Thanks again
Wendy

Glad you found this week's post helpful Wendy (both of you ). I've found the speedlight a bit intimidating with everything there is to learn - like I said, it feel like I have to learn photography all over again. But there's only one way to get better and that's to keep trying. Thankfully Jazz is usually happy to model for a little while. And of course there's always Kerry

[johnbharle]

In the first version I'm not sure if I've over done the colours:

After catching up with the rest of the world and watching Season 1 (and part of 2) of Downton Abbey, I must say that you have captured that show's color palette exactly!

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Well, I haven't been on here very much over the last few weeks due to a couple of things happening. I won't bore you with the details other than to say that one of these events somehow managed to turn into a photo job.

It started with Alex's touch footy team photos, and Kerry offering for both her and I to take the photos for the team. However, rather than just doing a team shot, I wandered around during the game with an aim to take photos of each of the kids in action while the game was going on. Between Kerry and I we compiled a collection of over 300 photos, which we wanted to display to the parents and kids of the team

What evolved was the creation of the new Moments From A Life site to display not only the photos we took but our other photos as well - it was one of the projects that was taking a lot of my time up but I think well worth the effort.

While that was going on Kerry posted the culled down collection of photos - some 114 of them onto Picasa for the other parents to view. Ultimately, I'm not sure how many of the parents actually looked at the galleries - there's only 5 kids on the team. However one of the mothers of the boys playing was so enamoured with the photos of her son that she asked to buy a CD and a collage canvas off us.

Well, that resulted in a whole lot of work - resizing of photos for standard size prints, more tweaking and PP of the photos to make them properly presentable, researching on canvas prices in Australia etc etc etc. It was an interesting exercise on the whole and Kerry and I learnt a lot, in particular the effort involved in doing this and why professional photographers charge what they do!

I think all up we spent a few hours on this exercise. It's certainly not an exercise that will ever make anyone rich. However, the one thing I will say is that the smile and gratitude we received from this project can only be described as priceless. And to be perfectly honest, that is why Kerry and I (well, me at least - I probably shouldn't speak for Kerry) take the photos that we do.

Anyway, I thought given the effort that went into this project I should share some of the photos that I took to give you all a sense of what our "client" received. These are some of the more interesting ones of Alex during the game.



I noticed through this shoot though that I had a habit of cutting off feet while the kids were at full sprint. It's something I need to make sure I keep an eye on next time.



I know - the horizon needs to be levelled and ideally the background tidied up. But I like the action going on in this photo.



Does anyone else have children that stick their tongue out when they're focussed on their sporting activities?



This one is my favourite. Kerry was the one that decided to PP in B&W and I just love it - the little boy looks a lot more grown up here