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I was in Bangkok in December when I received an email from Adobe asking if I wanted to be in promotional video for the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 premiere. Of course! Lightroom has helped my digital workflow in so many ways: editing, cataloging, RAW processing, web pages, and now creating books and maps.
Adobe had also featured me in 2008 on the Adobe website for another Lightroom launch; and it was so much fun to work with them. Naturally, I was extremely honored that they considered me for the latest promo. I am one of Lightroom’s biggest fans and teach Lightroom weekend seminars, when possible, for Jerry Courvoiser’s weekend Lightroom workshops www.lightroomworkshops.com
I returned to Santa Fe a week before the fabulous crew from eMotion Studios arrived in January to film in my “cozy” 2-storey Santa Fe pyramid. Winter is not the loveliest time of the year in Santa Fe but at least it didn’t storm and howl, too much, for the two days they were filming. They interviewed me in my house, and my “Grayroom” (where I do all my digital work… yes the walls are 18% gray), and also on location at Tesuque Glassworks.
I am honored to be on the Adobe website and I hope all of you visit it and, natch, upgrade or begin using LIGHTROOM 4. Remember, Lightroom is only in its adolescence, so it behooves you to stay up to date. You may moan that it doesn’t have “this” or why did they do “that”, however it is a GREAT program. Have patience Grasshopper, it is evolving. LR4 is still cheaper than Photoshop and it is designed for you.. the photographer. Embrace the wonderful evolving world of digital photography! It is so exciting!
So click on this link and watch the 3-minute video!
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html
Here is a short interview for Pictureline blog
Sorry I haven’t had any new entries on my blog in the last few months, but I’ve been working on a new book and traveling…as always!
Enjoy!
That Luang Festival. Vientiane, Laos 2002
- Canon EOS 1V 17-35mm f/2.8L (Actual focal length Unknown) Camera Setting: Unknown Media: Kodak Ektachrome SW ISO 100 pushed to 200 Canon 550EX Flash
Although this image was made in the long ago days of film, it highlights a number of technical considerations that are still relevant and important. First off, I would like to give a Shout Out to those of us who learned how to make exact exposures on celluloid! I was consistently in a state of Exposure Angst while photographing in difficult light. If the exposure wasn’t within 2/3 stop, the image was too light or too dark. So, my images had to be double-perfect coming out of the camera: the composition and content had to be impeccable (you couldn’t crop slide film unless you brought out the scissors or gaffers tape) and the exposure had to be spot-on with the intended saturation.
And, guess what? It is still critical to make the correct exposure in low-light situations. Although noise reduction is getting better and better in new cameras, if your image is underexposed and taken at a high ISO, you are going to have problems when you begin brightening it in your editing program. Noise is inherent in all shadows, especially if you are using a lower-end camera with a small sensor, and is more pronounced at high ISOs and long exposures. As you move those brightening sliders you will begin to see discolored pixels that makes your image look grainy and odd. Film has plump pleasing grain; digital has square slovenly pixels that are best hidden in the shadows.
And, another Shout Out to Spot Metering! Although most of the time I use Evaluative Metering (Matrix, Segmented, etc. to non Canon users), high-contrast situations beg for the more precise Spot Metering. I have always used the in-camera meters; I find them very accurate. There is no reason to carry more gear than necessary.
So circling back to the above image: I was in Vientiane, Laos photographing the magnificent That Luang Festival. Many of the festival events take place during the day but my favorite time to photograph was in the late evening when people circumambulated the lit That Luang Stupa holding candles. Since I was using Kodak Ektachrome SW transparency film ISO 100, pushed to 200, there was not enough light to stop the action without panning or using a flash. I decided on the later since I wanted the beautiful That Luang Stupa sharp in the background. I put my camera on a tripod in the vertical position, set my meter to Spot Metering (2% coverage on the Canon 1V) and aimed the focusing/meter point at the stupa. I don’t know what exposure I used but I am guessing that it was about one second, maybe longer. Although people were carrying candles there wasn’t much ambient light in the foreground, plus the That Luang was so bright that the rest of the frame was bound to go dark (slide film only has a latitude of approximately 4-5 stops exposure range).
I can’t remember if I put the Canon flash directly on the hot shoe or was holding it with a TTL wire; either way would be a very similar result since I would not have held it too far out. I powered down the intensity of the flash output probably to – 2 EV. Finally I added a Lumiquest FX diffuser with an amber gel.
I took a couple of frames and (vision of light bulb going on) I realized that my flash was set to Front Curtain Sync (1st Curtain Sync), which meant that the flash was going off at the beginning of the exposure. At a fast shutter speed that doesn’t matter but at the slow 1 – 2 second exposure it meant that the flash (about 1/800th sec) would illuminate the people but then the shutter will remain open for the rest of the exposure. The stupa would have the correct exposure but, the bright candle flames would show up as a trail of light in front of the people. That would look strange; the candlelight needed to trail behind. So I set the flash to Rear Curtain sync (2nd Curtain Sync) to correct this problem. Of course that created, yet another, problem. I had judge when to click the shutter when a person would be in the right position in the frame when the flash went off. That wasn’t so easy. I would see a likely looking person; click the shutter to begin the exposure; then, they would stop to talk to someone and no one was in front of the camera when the flash went off. Or, they would slow down or speed up, or someone would pass them at exactly the wrong moment, or… so many possibilities for a bad image! Since it wasn’t possible to review the images in a film camera (ah bless the digital LCD screen), I had absolutely no idea if I was getting a useable image. So I just kept at it. I learned early on, in difficult situations, click deliberately and copiously! It is still true
When I got home to my light table I reviewed the images and most ended up immediately in the trash. (I just loved tossing slides away, so cathartic!). Finally I found this image of a young child looking up at the camera at eye-level. I was thrilled. Notice the candle flames neatly trailing behind. And, it was a perfect exposure as well as a compelling frame.
“Everything has to matter in an image.” I always say.
Canon 5DMarkII 24-70mm f/2.8L (40mm) 1/4 sec. at f/14 ISO 100 Canon 580EXII
Welcome to my world of Bad Light Photography. I’m constantly photographing great situations in mid-day contrasty light (bright highlights, dark shadows). I internally tear at my mind pondering, “What can I do? Think creatively!” I believe in the ancient Chinese proverb: Crisis = Opportunity.
A couple of years ago I was traveling in the lesser-known state of Chattisgarh in India, photographing some of the numerous tribal groups. I stopped at Kangrapada village to make images of the Godaba Tribe’s fast-moving Dhemsa dance. It was a cloudless day at the stark hour of 2pm. They were outside, ready to dance, under big trees. The first thing I always do when I see a situation that I’m interested in photographing is to ask myself, “What is the problem?” Well, this problem was very evident: the light was mottled bright light and deep shadow, beyond the contrast range of my sensor (about half the range of the human eye). They were dancing under the shade of the trees, but it was an inconsistent pattern of light and shade and beyond the dancers was a glaring background. “What can I do? Think creatively!” Eureka, an idea: Pan and Flash!
I set my Canon 5DMark II camera at ISO 100. Then made an exposure for the lowest shutter speed possible of the dancers when they were the shade. That was ¼ sec. at f/14. Perfecto! My starting point for thinking about panning is 1/15 sec., but the slower the shutter speed the more dramatic the background blur. However, the problem with panning people at very slow shutter speeds is that the feet (and the hands) move at a much faster speed than the torso, so they can “ghost out”, disappear completely, and you are left with an image of a footless, handless torso drifting through space.
This is when using direct, bright flash is very helpful (I was using a Canon 580EXII, but a pop-up would work great in this situation). A flash burst is about 1/800th sec., so it will accentuate and freeze that moment within the blur. So it gives an illusion of sharpness with a blur. I always expect mistakes and misses so I “panned and flashed”for dozens of frames. I experimented from 1/15th sec. to ¼ sec. shutter speeds (aperture was not important). I was standing a bit away from the dancers and I needed a bright burst to make an impact, so I probably was on + 1.7 EV with the flash pointed directly at the dancers without a diffuser.
I had a number of interesting images to choose from but this frame I liked the most. The troublesome, splotchy light was smoothed into lines that mimicked the stripes in the women’s dresses. The multiple feet are not a problem as they enhance the feeling of the dance. If you look carefully you can see how the use of flash sharpened the toes and heels. The background of people, bushes, bicycles blurred into patterns of color.
I actually love it when there are problems because then I’m forced to think of a creative solution. Most of my initial photographic ideas are ones that are familiar to me and come easily. As the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci wrote in his diary:
“Life is pretty simple: you do some stuff.
Most fails. Some works.
You do more of what works.
If it works big, others quickly copy it.
Then you do something else.
The trick is to do something else.”
The first photography magazine I read religiously was Outdoor Photographer. I bet I bought its inaugural issue in 1985. There was nothing like it on the newsstands for avid photographers. I poured over the magazine, tearing out pages about technical and creative tips that inspired me. I learned so much and was riveted by spectacular images.
I was first featured in the November 1993 issue (photos from my first book Land of Nine Dragons: Vietnam Today). I was ecstatic! I continued to be featured over the years in various articles: Landscape & People, India’s Himayalas, an article about my National Geographic Blue Nile expedition, an article I wrote on flash “Flash on the Go” — are ones that come to mind. OP also supported Visual Journeys, a nationwide lecture series with Lisl Dennis and myself, that was on the road from 1995 – 1997. I owe many thanks to Steve Werner, the Publisher/Editor in Chief.
I have to admit that my subscription lapsed as I became more adept in photography. I moved on their pro digital magazine Digital Photo Pro. [And, there was that article I promised to write years ago that I never did. Editor extraordinaire, the extremely witty Christopher Robinson, I think has forgiven me. Please?]
Generously, they just profiled me in the recent November 2011 issue People in Color. I heard it was out so I bought the magazine a couple of days ago and think it is a well written article. Aside from this bit of vanity, I still love OP! [And, shout out to them for putting a watermark on the photo, not just a credit in the text.]
However, I don’t need another printed magazine subscription; I can barely get through the four I have: Photo District News, Digital Photo Pro, National Geographic, and Mac World. I love printed books, newspapers, and magazines. I like flipping pages. However, I like even better not toting all this heavy printed matter on my travels (that’s when I read them). So, I do have an increasing number of digital subscriptions: NY Times, Wired, National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, and I’m sure more will come. I love to read. And, now I have a digital subscription to OP! I didn’t know it existed until a few hours when I was researching for this post. I get to see more great images on my ipad!
So, please read the article and think about subscribing. In fact continue to subscribe to magazines, printed or digital. I got my start in professional photography being published in magazines. I wish that for today’s emerging photographers. Hopefully, once this awkward period of publishing is over, photographers might be able to make a reasonable living again in editorial magazines.
What’s your favorite photography magazine? Printed or Digital version?
Peru. Lampa. Nighttime on Plaza.
5DMarkII 24mm f/1.4 1/40sec at f/1.4 ISO 1250
I am starting a new section call Anatomy of a Photo. I’ll post different images (mostly recent) and explain the inner workings of how they were made. Enjoy!
I was in Peru a couple of months ago; I hadn’t there for five years and I really loved it. We went to Lampa, a lovely small town, north of Julicaca. I enjoyed photographing in the late afternoon when the shadows were deep and long, however I knew that plaza would be lovely just after the sun set and the artificial lights appeared. Lampa is 15 degrees south of the equator so the dusk does not linger. The sun set at 5:35pm on July 11th. I figured there would be 10 – 15 minutes of “dull” light before the ambient artificial light glowed with the same intensity as the lingering blue in the sky. Then there would only be 10 to 15 minutes, maximum, to photograph before the sky turned too dark.
The first evening I brought my 5DMarkII with a 24mm f/1.4 lens and photographed hand holding, occasionally with an off-camera flash with a 1/2CTO gel. It was fine and I got some reasonable images. However, the church was a dominating presence and it begged to be sharp. The next evening I returned with my tripod and set up near a food stall and waited for people to cross into my frame. It is not a busy plaza, even on a Saturday night. I felt very lucky to have this confluence of activity. I only had ONE opportunity, and ONE click of the shutter when the spacing between the subjects was perfect.
It was taken on 7/11/2011 at 5:53 PM. A couple of minutes later the sky was too dark.
So why did I use such a shallow depth of field since I was on a tripod? Because I needed a relatively fast shutter speed so that my subjects would not ghost out. I did want a bit of motion blur but not too much; the subjects had to be recognizable. The church was at “infinity” and I almost parallel to it so I know it would be sharp even at the very shallow f/stop of 1.4. (You get what you pay for… the Canon 24mm f/1.4 fast lens is expensive but sharp). I kept my White Balance on Daylight to preserve the Kelvin temperature of the various mixed lighting. ISO 1250 was as high as I wanted to go with this camera.
Any other questions?
Hola everyone!
I have the honor of being listed in the recent issue of Photo District News as one of thirteen top workshop instructors. You can read the article here: PDN article And an interview with me: PDN Interview
PDN Reader Survey: The Best Workshop Instructors. August 03, 2011
2-Day “Hands On” Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.0 Workshop
Dallas/Ft Worth Saturday, September 17, 2011 – Sunday, September 18, 2011
The cost for both days is $295.00 with an early registration $100 discount. Early Discount is applied to all registrations before the start date of the scheduled. For registration www.lightroomworkshops.com
Flash and Low-Light Photography w/Nevada Wier & Carlan Tapp
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops Santa Fe, NM October 5 – 8, 2011 For more information: www.santafewworkshops.com
Low-light, late evening, and nighttime photography are challenging and rewarding aspects of travel photography that are often overlooked. This action-packed, four-day workshop delves into long exposures; work with on-camera and off-camera small strobes, and painting with light. Geared to the traveling photographer who desires to photograph hand-held in low light, we work with accessories that are easily carried in your camera bag. No big heavy cases in this workshop! Nevada and Carlan use a lively blend of lectures, discussions, and assignments to support the challenges of tackling low-light photography with a digital camera. Their emphasis is on expanding your creative vision in the realm of low-light photography in order to elevate your travel photography beyond the ordinary. The historic town of Santa Fe is a perfect backdrop for our photographic forays. In addition, the workshop coincides with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which provides abundant and exciting opportunities for late-evening or early-morning photography. The workshop includes group and individual critiques and personal assignments. Those who want to explore the creative possibilities of low-light photography, and don’t mind staying up late, are encouraged to attend.
The Dream Team Travel Photography Workshop
San Cristobal de Las Casa, Mexico January 13 – 21, 2012 For more information: www.pixelchrome.com Field Instructors: Nevada Wier, Brenda Tharp & Holly Wilmeth Logistics: Jeremy Woodhouse & Ita Gelada
You are not going to want to miss this opportunity to photograph with four of America’s active travel and nature photographers – all together for six days in the wonderful colonial town of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico. This town is still remarkably “Mexican” and does not boast the crush of expat winter residents that many other colonial towns in Mexico do – on the other hand it is still well set up to take care of visitors who choose to travel beyond their comfort zones.
There are a maximum of 18 places on this instructional tour together with the 3 field instructors (and since it is billed as an instructional tour, the instructors are encouraged to photograph). Participants will be divided into 3 groups of 6 people and each group of 6 will be assigned an instructor for the day. The instructor will rotate every second day so that during the 6-day tour each participant will have the opportunity to work with each instructor for two days, giving them the opportunity to experience distinct photographic styles. Each instructor will make a presentation during one of the late-morning sessions. These sessions will include audio-visual presentations and there will be plenty of time for interaction with the instructors – they alone will be worth the price of admission!
CREATIVITY WITH LIGHT
Nevada Wier and Dan Westergren, Photography Editor for National Geographic Traveler Magazine, presenting a one-day seminar on LIGHT!
Have you ever anticipated getting to a beautiful location you want to photograph only to arrive and find yourself thinking, “The light’s not right, now what?” Whether it’s a once in a lifetime vacation to a remote location or an important magazine assignment, you know you have to get the picture. Join National Geographic Traveler senior photo editor Dan Westergren and world-renowned travel photographer, Nevada Wier as they demonstrate how to find great light and what to do when it’s “not quite right”.
Dallas Sunday, September 25, 2011 Richland College, Fannin Hall Performance Center
San Francisco Sunday, October 2, 2011 Fort Mason Conference Center
Philadelphia Sunday, October 16, 2011 Moore College of Art & Design
$195.00 per person (includes lunch) Sessions will run from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For information and registration: www.ngtravelerseminars.com/light/
I’m in SFO on my way home from Bhutan.
Can you believe… I now have a small fracture on my foot (a common fracture of the 5th metatarsal) and am wearing a fashionable cast courtesy of the Punaka hospital. I was collateral damage from a “yak attack”.
“The Yak” courtesy of Elizabeth Menzies (wouldn’t you run from him!)
The beast was going for someone else but he looked mean so I decided that I should move also. I turned to run but tripped down a hill. Thinking of my neck (see previous post) I propelled myself into the arms of a hefty Bhutanese but landed on a turned foot. Luckily I was with Hill Hastings, a brilliant orthopedic surgeon. I had an x-ray in Punaka and Hill put on a plaster cast and fashioned a walking shoe out of my Chaco sandal with a rocking piece of wood on the bottom. Hooray for Ortho Engineering. So I hobbled my way eastwards through Dzongs and high roads. I rode a horse on the Merak-Sakteng trek up and down thousands of feet of steep rocky trails (although we got snowed out from crossing the pass.). Hooray for Norbu and Rakpa. My driver painted a huge phallus on the cast to keep away evil spirits (a common motif in Bhutan — huge ones painted on houses, wooden ones handing from roofs, etc.) The Bhutanese were thrilled and giggled copiously at the sight. However, I was not so sure that the airport security would understand, so I shrouded it with a lovely blue scarf. The cast is being replaced on Tuesday with a boring western one which I probably will wear for another three weeks. However, I am making sure that “Dick” remains intact and upright and will have a place of honor as bathroom art!
They lie about “trouble only comes in threes”. Oh, they lie!
Nevada, Rakpa and Norbu
Dick
Sorry everyone! there has been a glitch in my comments section but it is fixed now. I hope.
Hola I’m in Mexico City on my way to San Cristobal! I’m teaching a workshop in Mexico The Travel Photography Dream Team Tour (with Jeremy Woodhouse, Brenda Tharp, Holly Wilmeth, and myself)… I’m going to teach myself the i phone camera with lots of help from everyone here in Mexico!. So I got started yesterday with an app called Hipstamatic! This is going to be fun… and very challenging for me. It seems to require lots of fumbling and missing shots, but that’s the learning process! I know there are a zillon photo apps out there. Favorites anyone?
© copyright nevada wier Mexico City.
(iphone 3; App: Hipstamatic; Film: Blanko; Lens: John S)
This one is very simple straight-on (not my favs as you know) but I’m amazed how good it works in high noon contrasty sunlight. You have to frame properly with the Kodat funky border lens and that is a bit challenging with Hipstamatic, as the frame box is teeny on the iphone. I love that the new technology has opened up so many alternatives… but you still have to frame an interesting image. The funky processing helps, but only to a point. The first image is a more interesting photograph.
© copyright nevada wier Mexico City.
(iphone 3; App: Hipstamatic; Film: Kodat XGrizzled; Lens: John S)
I returned a few weeks ago from five weeks in India leading a National Geographic Expedition photo group to Rajasthan (great fun, great group!) and then I was photographing tribal groups in Orissa and Chattisgarh for three weeks. I wore my neck brace 24/7 (see this post). I felt like a robot since I had to turn my entire body whenever I needed to look to the side; but interestingly, only a few people ever commented on it. I think most tribals thought the brace was a fashion statement (and I was accessorizing with a buff and scarves).
Nevada photographing in Orissa © Manoj Sharma
So how did my travel vest plus Lowepro Street and Field work for me? Thumbs up for Lowepro and thumbs down for the Magellans Travel Vest. (see this post)
Well, as I wrote in the previous post, I never found a suitable lightweight photo vest for tropical weather, so I tested travel vests and decided on the Magellan Travel Vest. It failed “the photo vest test”. In its defense, the Magellan travel vest is not meant to be a photo vest. However, it also failed “the travel vest test”. I love the fabric and cut of the vest. Yet for the pockets to be truly useable they really do need to be bigger (and there is room). I did wear the vest a few times when I didn’t want to carry my Eagle Creek Departure waist pouch (see this post) but needed a place to hide money in an interior pocket and stow my sunglasses. Otherwise the vest was not that useful and since it was hot in India I abandoned it most of the time.
Now the good news! I love the Lowepro Street and Field system. It was perfect for walking around markets and in villages. I brought all my gear over in my trusty Lowepro Orion AW bag (I may have to mount a campaign for Lowepro to resurrect this great camera bag from its discontinued status, join me!) but it was primarily a vessel for my equipment and stayed in the car most of the time. Honestly I usually only needed two lenses: the 16-35m f/2.8 and usually the 24-70mm. Occasionally I also carried the 24mm f/ 1.6 (I love it, so sharp!). I think I only walked around with my 100-400mm f/4.5 a couple of times.
Nevada photographing in Orissa © Manoj Sharma
Nevada photographing in Orissa © Manoj Sharma
So I had 2-3 pouches on the waist belt for the 1-2 lenses and one pouch for flash accessories. I also carried my Garmin GPS and Canon S95 on the belt. In addition, I usually had my converted Canon 5D infrared camera in an older TopLoad Zoom (it is not as bulky as the new ones) slung over a shoulder to my left side. So I still looked armed and dangerous (well, not so dangerous) but all the weight was off my shoulders and my neck. It really was just perfect.
Nevada photographing in Orissa © Manoj Sharma
I also found that I could slip my Canon 580EX flash into one of the pockets with the Rogue Flashbender – Small Positionable Reflector or LumiQuest FX diffuser and have a workable off-camera flash when I was kneeling and photographing upwards. The new Pocket Wizards Flex TT5 and Mini TT1 Radio Slave for Canon function so much better than the Canon wireless transmitter.
Now I’m on my way to Myanmar and am taking the same setup with me. I have some suggestions for Lowepro about the pouches but generally I am really happy with the gear.
I have graduated to a soft collar and am beginning to get some movement back in my neck. Bless the healing power of bones, and bless seat belts!
I am going to have to design a photo vest though.
Nevada Wier Photography 
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