HL sunset clouds - HDR

HL sunset clouds - HDR, originally uploaded by Ralfraz Ruck.

Hall of Languages, Syracuse University. 5-shot HDR sequence processed with HDR Efex Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom.

New George Jardine tutorials on the way

George did some excellent video tutorials on Lightroom, and I learned a lot from them. He is a superb photographer and a natural teacher. He is working on a new tutorial series on the Lightroom-Photoshop interface and how to use the two together in an integrated workflow. I’m looking forward to seeing these when they’re ready mid-summer.

Amazing photos of newsworthy events

at the Atlantic’s page called In Focus.

Farbspiel’s HDR Cookbook

Klaus Hermann (Farbspiel) maintains a blog on High Dynamic Range imaging called HDR Cookbook — chock full of tips & tricks & interesting info about making HDR images. Klaus’ own images are posted on his Flickr page. Remarkable work.

Camera Sim

A slick simulation to illustrate how camera settings will affect depth of field, motion blur, etc.

lights on Brooklyn Bridge

lights on Brooklyn Bridge, originally uploaded by Ralfraz Ruck.

A reworked HDR sequence originally shot in February 2009.

evening tram, Ave. de la Constitucion, Seville.

evening tram, Ave. de la Constitucion, Seville., originally uploaded by Ralfraz Ruck.

One of my faves. Shot with a 3-stop neutral density filter to enable the longer exposure (2.5 seconds). The framing of the carriage by the moving tram lights was serendipity.

There was some (by my standards) complicated post-processing in this image. It’s actually a composite of two different raw conversions — one very dark to try to recover some of the information in the very bright highlights where the spotlights are. I used a layer mask to blend in the info from the dark conversion in the spotlight areas. I also used Tony Kuyper’s Triple Play technique to darken the sky, lighten the shadows a bit, and bring out some more detail. Lots of other fiddles and diddles to get this result. I like it.

Video tutorials on Lightroom, Photoshop, Rhotomatx

from JHP Photography

Photo Nerd, Dweeb, or Dork?

On a really good day, I aspire to be a photo nerd, but I’m probably just a dork.

Portrait of Anna on prom night

This was my 1st attempt at a portrait using multiple speedlights. There is one on the camera for fill and catchlights, and another to the right of the camera providing the main light. I like the effect.

Wow: Time Lapse Video in HDR

24 Hours of Neon from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

A very cool photo project in our local community

Bob Gates photographs people at Syracuse's dowtown bus station.

Loads and Loads of Lightroom links

Links assembled by Ambient Troutmask for the Flickr Lightroom group.

VERY cool time lapse photography

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

Triple Play Photoshop Actions for Tone, Contrast, Detail

I'm learning how to use Tony Kuyper's "Triple Play" photoshop technique. It uses luminosity masks to precisely adjust specific tonal ranges in an image, to adjust overall contrast, and to enhance local contrast.
I'm enjoying learning how to use these tools, and Tony's tutorials are superbly clear (he's a natural teacher).

After installing Tony's Photoshop Actions, I used Adobe Configurator to create a custom panel within Photoshop, so the Triple Play actions are easily accessible, along with the most commonly associated photoshop tools and commands, and can be activated with just a couple of clicks. I've made similar custom panels for lumiosity masking & painting, dodging and burning using neutral fill layers and blend modes, and various smart filters that I use more frequently. Kind of slick.