Fall Colors in Greeley, Colorado, November 1, 2008

Fall colors against a building Greeley, Colorado, November 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Scenes with contrasting organic and geometric shapes are certainly fun to explore. This building, since demolished, provided a good backdrop for the leaves. An additional element, the shadows, provides a third layer. Colors are a bit muted in this treatment, but I think it's fitting. Inside the windows we find some blue for additional contrast with the warm tones. Generally speaking, I like the arrangement of shapes within the frame, except for the shadow in the middle right that cuts across the window. And the lonely branch on the bottom left. Now that I mention it, that bottom left originally had a dark shadow crossing it. Jay Maisel, of the "Light, Color, Gesture" school, teaches that those corner issues are weaknesses, so I selective lightened it. Even so, that corner isn't quite finished, but I'll come back to it, and probably get rid of the thin branch while I'm at it.

Nikon color goodness in Camera Raw

An update to an earlier post about getting Nikon colors in raw converters other than Capture:

It turns out that in July Adobe released camera profiles that give Camera Raw colors very similar to those from Nikon Capture (and by extension Nikon cameras in general). The results aren't exactly the same as what Capture outputs, but by my subject quality factor testing they are pleasing and are now part of my normal workflow.

Nikon-specific profiles in UFRaw

UFRaw by default produces rather different output than Nikon's in-camera rendering. Looking through my files after a shoot, I found myself disappointed that the color from UFRaw lacked the contrast and saturation of the preview JPEGs.

After some fiddling with UFRaw's settings, I found references to Nikon's own color profiles being useful. If you have a copy of Nikon Capture (even the demo will work), you can retrieve the temporary profiles it produces from an NEF. Use that profile as your input and presto — rendering just like Nikon's.

The problem is that Adobe Camera Raw uses yet another approach, and I can't specify an input profile like in UFRaw. So I must tweak my Camera Raw defaults until I get something approaching the Nikon rendering. And so far it's proven a bit tedious…

Evening Leaves, Chadron, Nebraska, July 9, 2008

Evening sun backlights leaves in Chadron, Nebraska, July 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I was drawn to these leaves that were glowing in the evening light. With a long lens to frame them, this scene is all about the shapes of the leaves and outlines of the stems. I like the texture on the middle left leaf, which shows some of the detail in the intricate veins.

Custer County Aerial, June 20, 2008

Aerial view over Custer County, South Dakota, June 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I was excited to have an opportunity to photograph from a helicopter, and took a few interesting photos in spite of the high angle of the sun, which reduces shadows on the ground that might reveal the texture and character of the terrain more effectively. In this light, you have to look for more elements with more obvious contrast. I like the combination of straight lines and curves created by the Cheyenne River, and repeated in a less organic way by the cleanly divided field.

Sunset over Cherry County, July 3, 2008

Sunset over Highway 20 in Cherry County, Nebraska, July 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While driving on Highway 20, I was taken by an irresistible impulse to photograph the sunset. There was enough haze in the air to dim the sun at its low angle. I adjusted the tones to open up the shadows. This is a single-point perspective arrangement, and I always like being able to throw in some power lines marching into the distance. The water tower and radio tower on the right create the balancing elements. I like the yellow-orange gradient across the sun.

Remote Triggers

Part of the fun of working with off-camera lights is figuring out how to trigger them. I started, like everybody else, by messing about with sync cables, even going so far as setting up a Y-connection with a bunch of BNC connectors. It worked without a hitch; the real problem was the trip hazard that much cable created.

So the next step is radio triggers! I am currently using the now-discontinued AlienBees RFT1 system, which is great for the price, but one of the receivers has been unreliable lately. This is apparently not uncommon, because AlienBees now sells a "new and improved" CyberSync system, which also costs a bit more. They do well, though, because you can get back the full cost of you RFT1 system, making the transition more bearable.

Whatever the pluses and minuses may be of this system's reliability, its real weakness is compatibility with other flashes. See, the receivers are AC-only, so only useful with AlienBees lights or similar.

My next step, then, is to take the plunge and start buying Pocket Wizards. Sure, they cost several times as much as the Bees system, but they're portable and, in my experience, ultra-reliable. I will start with the Plus II model and go from there.

The other remote trigger I use is the Phottix Cleon, which I bought from a Hong Kong company off eBay. This is a combination wired and remote release, and it works like a charm -- except that the radio release interferes with my RFT1 triggers, another reason to go for the Wizards. My primary use of this is as a wired release for long exposures, so whatever works or doesn't work with the radio release is less important.

The Ring Flash Repository

The effects of a ring flash are rather in vogue right now. It used to be that only macro and the occasional fashion photographers needed ring lights. But thanks to Dave Hill and his signature wraparound style, we all want to be cool hard light photographers. And so, many people have worked up do-it-yourself ring lights, because $400 for an ABR800 is a bit much, not to mention you need a large battery to make it portable.
Here are just a few links to the do-it-yourself models.

• David X. Tejada has put together a nice and portable unit with the help of a salad bowl, some ducting, two feet of dental floss and a paper clip.


• David Hobby went large scale with his multi-light setup, which is probably not designed to be used around the easily frightened.


• Paul Duncan put together the simplest design, which works well in the studio.

Duncan's ring light is the only one I have tried so far because the other two require parts that I don't have around the house. I plan to try Tejada's next, though I will probably form the base from a bit of steel instead of buying a flex arm.

DT gear videos

David X. Tejada is an annual report photographer who takes great pains to organize his gear. And he's nice enough to share the videos with the rest of us! These are some gear videos he's made.

• This shows his portable DVD player in use as a larger preview screen.


• The first of three videos on camera gear he took to a location shoot at a quarry.


• The second video shows the lighting equipment he took.


• The third shows the miscellaneous equipment, including spare fleece jackets to add a splash of color if needed.

What's That on Highway 20, March 6, 2008

 

Smoke billows from a plant on Highway 20 in Pierce County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Ticket booth from the drive-in theatre in Brown County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A building that was part of a drive-in theatre stands empty off Highway 20 in Brown County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Abandoned Drive-In, March 6, 2008

A building that was part of a drive-in theatre stands abandoned off Highway 20 in Brown County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The drive-in movie screen eventually disappeared completely, but for a long time you could drive past this on Highway 20 and see a bygone era. This would have been the snack stand or bathrooms or projection booth or all of the above, now shown in stark black and white with some nice clouds across the sky. Once again we have a triangular arrangement of elements to strengthen the structure of the composition, with the tree providing a path from ground to sky.

Missouri River Ice and Snow, March 3, 2008

Ice and snow on the Missouri River in Ponca State Park, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Patterns in the frozen ice are overlaid with wisps of snow, creating a counterbalancing arrangement of lines. This scene should work as well in black and white, but I like the range of blues in the ice, especially the medium-dark areas, the transition from ice at the top to water at the bottom. The fine detail in the snow on top provides additional points of interest.

Cowboy Trail Bridge, March 1, 2008

Bridge along the Cowboy Trail in Cherry County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This bridge spans a short gap between two hills along the Cowboy Trail. It's fun to poke around under the bridge, but this time I was drawn to the linear possibilities on top. With a wide lens and some helpful shadows, I showcase arrows toward infinity. All it needs is a moon composited at the end.

That's better. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Two Stops on Highway 20, March 1, 2008

 

Ice fishing at Cottonwood Lake, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Swingset at Cottonwood Lake, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Shoreline at Cottonwood Lake, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Bridge along the Cowboy Trail in Cherry County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Bridge panorama along the Cowboy Trail in Cherry County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)