J.W. Lee Photography

Downtown Jacksonville from up high

2012-01-07T11:37:00.001-06:00

Here's a shot I took last night from the top of a 10 story parking garage in Jacksonville, click on the photo for a large gallery view. Enjoy!

St. Augustine Fountain

2012-01-07T11:35:00.002-06:00

Here's a shot I took last night while in St. Augustine, click on the photo for a large gallery view. Enjoy!

New Years Fireworks

2012-01-04T15:35:00.003-06:00

Here are a few shots from the New Years fireworks taken at The Pier in St. Petersburg, FL and one of the sunset on New Years Day in Key Largo, FL. Click on any photo to take you to the gallery and view it large! Enjoy!

Aircraft Launch

2011-07-21T01:48:00.002-05:00

Here are a few photos I snapped the other day of an aircraft launch. Click on each photo for the original size. Enjoy!

Drummer Nate Grimes of Mindslip

2011-07-14T08:23:00.002-05:00

I was finally able to get around to editing a few photos I shot of Mindslip drummer Nate Grimes. Hope you all enjoy them. Click on the photo for the full size.

Bleeding in Stereo Band Shoot

2011-04-22T15:43:00.002-05:00

Just finished up the final images and I'm very pleased with the way they all turned out. Click on the photo to see the original size. Enjoy!

Bleeding in Stereo Band Shoot Preview

2011-04-21T23:23:00.004-05:00

Had a chance to work with the awesome guys in Bleeding in Stereo tonight, shooting their new band photos. Had to edit this one and get it up tonight cause I REALLY liked it. Can't wait to share the rest of the images with everyone. As always, click on the image to see it full size. Enjoy!

Bleeding in Stereo @ The Pit

2011-03-20T12:24:00.002-05:00

Here are the shots from Bleeding in Stereo's show at The Pit on St. Pattys day. Enjoy!

Surf's up!

2011-03-07T19:05:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple shots I took yesterday afternoon at Jax Beach. Enjoy!

Mindslip

2011-02-26T19:36:00.002-06:00

Here are a few shots from the Mindslip show last night, enjoy!

Allele

2011-02-26T18:42:00.003-06:00

Here are a few shots from the Allele show last night, enjoy!

Marion Crane, Manna Zen, Bleeding in Stereo

2011-01-29T11:02:00.003-06:00

Here are some shots from last nights show at the pit. I have many more that will be put up tomorrow so be sure to check back. Enjoy!

Mindslip

2011-01-25T11:26:00.003-06:00

Here are the edited images. Enjoy!

Rockin' out!

2011-01-24T17:18:00.004-06:00

So I finally got a chance to shoot my first concert last night and it was a blast! I already had tickets to see one of my favorite bands when I found out that some old friends of mine were one of the opening acts. Luckily I didn't have to jump through any hoops with the venue to be able to bring my gear in and shoot. I'm familiar with most of the venues in Jacksonville but have never been to Brewsters Pit, which is where the show was taking place. After taking one step in the door and looking at the lighting conditions inside I thought to myself, "there's no way I can shoot in here without flash". The place was about as bright as a cave with a campfire, and black walls everywhere. There was no photographer's pit and the stage was about 10'x30'. The fact that the stage was so small would make it easier for me to keep track of the musicians, but would limit their movements so I wasn't expecting to get many good action shots. The crowd was extremely generous in letting move around freely in front of them, but I still tried staying as low and close as possible as to not hinder their view of the show. The last thing you want is someone from the mosh pit to come flying into the back of you unexpectedly and helplessly watch $3000 worth of gear bite the dust. I just held on tight and tried to mind my surroundings while getting the best shots I could.

After taking a preliminary look at all of the shots this morning I was extremely pleased with the way they turned out. I shot the whole show with a 50mm 1.4, @f1.4, and had to rack the ISO out to the max (3200). I shot in shutter priority keeping it at 1/250th. Even without any editing the shots came out pretty clean. Enjoy and stay tuned for the edited shots coming soon.

And this is my favorite shot of the night!!

St. Augustine

2011-01-03T08:49:00.001-06:00

A couple shots from a recent trip to St. Augustine.

New Years Fireworks

2011-01-02T16:01:00.002-06:00

Here are the rest of the photos from the fireworks display on New Years night. Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T13:09:00.002-06:00

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a safe and wonderful time last night. He is one of the photos from the fireworks display last night in downtown Jacksonville, FL. As always, click on the photo to take you to a full screen view, many more photos to follow. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T12:24:00.003-06:00

Here's a couple shots from downtown Jacksonville I took last night. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Photo of the day for November 8th

2010-11-08T16:26:00.001-06:00

Photo of the day for November 7th

2010-11-07T12:26:00.001-06:00

Photo of the day for November 6th

2010-11-06T17:15:00.000-05:00

Photo of the day for November 4th

2010-11-04T13:39:00.001-05:00

Photo of the day for November 2nd

2010-11-02T19:56:00.002-05:00

Todays photo of the day is of the southbound train leaving downtown Chicago, and was taken last summer. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for November 1st

2010-11-01T20:11:00.002-05:00

After a little break for the holiday weekend, the photo of the day is back with a shot of the Cloud Gate, also known as "The Bean", in Downtown Chicago, IL. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 27th

2010-10-27T08:10:00.001-05:00

Sunset over the Skokie Lagoons at Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe, IL. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 25th

2010-10-25T07:49:00.002-05:00

The photo of the day for today is of a waterfall at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe, IL. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 24th

2010-10-24T09:52:00.002-05:00

It's Sunday! Big day for football. So I thought it would be fitting to have the photo of the day be football related. This is a photo of Cornerback Jordan Mabin from Northwestern University. The shot was taken last season when Northwestern played East Michigan. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 23rd

2010-10-23T10:14:00.002-05:00

The photo of the day today is of a jaguar at the zoo in Jacksonville, FL. There were two jaguars fighting with each other so I was able to get some pretty good shots. Enjoy!

Photo of the Day for October 22nd

2010-10-22T18:08:00.002-05:00

Todays photo of the day is of a snowy sunset over Fort Sheridan. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 21st

2010-10-21T09:02:00.002-05:00

Todays photo of the day was taken this summer of a sunset over the Skokie Lagoons in Glencoe, IL. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 20th

2010-10-20T10:18:00.002-05:00

Here is today's photo of the day! This photo was taken last spring and shows how flooded the Des Plaines river gets when all the snow starts melting. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 19th

2010-10-19T09:06:00.001-05:00

Today's photo of the day is a shot of the Des Plaines river winding through northern Illinois. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 18th

2010-10-18T11:03:00.002-05:00

It's a cool and dreary day here in Chicago, and this photo reflects how I feel about that. Although there are clouds overhead, there is a beautiful sunset on the horizon. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 17th

2010-10-17T09:51:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning with Florida on my mind. The photo of the day was taken last summer in downtown Jacksonville, Florida of the Riverwalk. It is a five-exposure HDR. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 16th

2010-10-16T18:11:00.003-05:00

Todays photo of the day is a five-exposure HRD of a piece of driftwood on the shore of Lake Michigan. I really like the clouds in this shot. Enjoy!

Photo of the day for October 15th

2010-10-15T10:59:00.002-05:00

Today's photo of the day is of the sunset over Lake Michigan. This photo was taken last summer and is a five-exposure HDR. Enjoy!

Fall is here

2010-10-12T18:25:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple shots from the tower at Fort Sheridan. Enjoy!

What's your favorite photo, and why?

2010-08-28T12:48:00.003-05:00

Only a couple more weeks of down time before you can look forward to some brand new images. So in the mean time, tell me what your favorite J.W. Lee Photography image is, and why? Hope you all are enjoying your summers out there! Cast your vote to the right of this post in the poll box. Leave comments below or on the Facebook fan page. Looking forward to viewing your feedback!

#1 Lightning over Jacksonville Beach, Florida

#2 Fireworks over downtown Jacksonville, Florida

#3 Cloud Gate in Chicago, Illinois

#4 Staring into the sunset Fort Sheridan, Illinois

#5 Riverwalk Jacksonville, Florida

#6 Snowy sunset, Fort Sheridan, Illinois

#7 Icy fence, Fort Sheridan, Illinois

#8 Fierce jaguar, Jacksonville Zoo

#9 Botanic Gardens, Chicago, Illinois

#10 Sunset reflections, Chicago, Illinois

Brookfield Zoo

2010-07-17T13:27:00.002-05:00

Spent the day at the Brookfield Zoo yesterday. Here's a few of the photos. Enjoy!

Naval Station Great Lakes 4th of July

2010-07-05T13:25:00.003-05:00

Here are a few of the fireworks images I got at Naval Station Great Lakes last night. Had a great time, and they put on a wonderful show, as expected from my United States Navy! Hope you all enjoy them.

2010-07-04T23:43:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July! Here's one of the shots from tonight, I'll try and get the rest up tomorrow. Enjoy!

4th of July Preview

2010-07-03T12:01:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day! Hopefully all of you out there have already been enjoying a beautiful weekend. I treated myself to the Taste of Chicago yesterday, it was great! So today I look back to last summer and wonder if I will be able to top the beautiful photos I got of the fireworks last year in Jacksonville, Florida. Here are the photos from last year, look for this years photos late Sunday night or Monday afternoon. Wishing you all a happy and safe 4th of July!

Sunset at Chicago Botanic Gardens

2010-06-19T22:47:00.002-05:00

Took a short trip to the Botanic Gardens again today at sunset. It was a beautiful day out and I really wanted to get some shots of the dramatic evening sky. Here's a few shots, hope you all enjoy!

Chicago Botanic Gardens

2010-06-07T17:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a few photos from my trip to the Botanic Gardens yesterday. Due to the weather my trip got cut short however, I should be making another trip back soon. Hopefully the weather will hold out long enough this weekend for me to get some more photos. Enjoy!

Downtown Chicago

2010-05-30T11:58:00.003-05:00

Spent a few hours downtown on Friday, came home with a few good shots. I'm hoping to head back downtown at sunset/night time to get some of the same shots with better, more dramatic lighting.

The best shot of the day

2010-04-18T22:05:00.002-05:00

My favorite shot of the day from my senior portrait session this afternoon. The setup: two SB-600's bouncing off a 42" white reflector that is pulling double duty as a flag for the sunlight off camera left, 45 degrees off subject. One SB-600 at ground level gelled one full cut CTO aimed at the old luggage boxes in the background to create the warm "sunset light". Slight fill from on cam flash.

Wedding in Florida, Senior Portraits in Chicago, I'm all over the place!

2010-04-13T14:56:00.003-05:00

Two weekends in a row, two shoots, and all went well! The wedding was a bit of a bear but I'm glad to say the Bride and Groom are very pleased with all of the images. There's no second chance when shooting a wedding so knowing your gear is an absolute must. Luckily, over the past year and a half I have grown to the point where the D300 is just an extension of my eyes and hands. I can't even begin to explain how extremely pleased I am with that piece of gear. It makes tough situations and tricky lighting a breeze to work through.

As for the senior portraits, they went off without a hitch. Everything went well and hopefully the young man is thouroughly pleased with the images.

Let me know what you all think!

2010-04-01T14:04:00.001-05:00

A couple recent shots for an upcoming wedding.

Jaguar at Jacksonville Zoo

2010-03-31T17:43:00.002-05:00

A couple more of the Jaguar from the Jacksonville Zoo.

Florida at night

2010-03-30T22:32:00.002-05:00

A cool shot I got tonight looking out over the inter-coastal waterway.

Jacksonville Zoo

2010-03-30T17:36:00.002-05:00

Had a great time at the Jacksonville Zoo today. They have really put a lot of work into that place, one of the nicest zoos in the country in my opinion. I was there for about 3 hours an walked away with 624 photos. Here are a few of my favorites from today. Hope you enjoy!

2010-03-30T00:14:00.003-05:00

A couple recent portraits.

2010 Chicago Auto Show

2010-03-11T10:15:00.003-06:00

A few images from the recent Auto Show here in Chicago.

Baby it's cold outside...

2010-02-25T21:50:00.002-06:00

We're in the thick of the winter here in Chicago. Here's a couple recent images from around the park. Enjoy!

More colors of fall

2009-10-20T08:42:00.003-05:00

The colors are really starting to come out! Yesterday was beautiful, mid 60's and a clear sky. Here's a couple of the shots I got around the neighborhood. Enjoy!

The colors of fall

2009-10-15T01:14:00.002-05:00

I made it out yesterday afternoon to get some shots of the fall colors that are beginning to show up in the area. Here are some of the images I captured. Enjoy!

Northwestern VS East Michigan

2009-10-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

I had planned on going out today and getting photos of the beautiful fall colors, but the wonderful Chicago weather put a stop to that. So instead, I went through a few photos I took at the Northwestern and East Michigan game from last month. Hope you all enjoy!

Gearing up for fall...

2009-10-09T19:33:00.004-05:00

October in Chicago, the windy city. Summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye. For a few months out of the year this city turns into one of the greenest, most beautiful cities I have ever been to. And I've been all over this earth. But the reality is creeping in that this beautiful city is diving into the winter months head first. Temperatures have already fallen with lows getting into the thirties. Snow will be coming soon. No sir, Chicago wastes no time when it comes to the winter months. After all, being a Florida boy, I consider 9 months out of the year here to be "winter" months. However, the beautiful thing about the change in seasons are all the wonderful colors it produces. I can't help but be in awe as I drive to and from work looking at all the beautiful fall colors. It truly is a special time of year. The change in colors almost seem to replicate the post processing of a lot of my photos. Bringing the photo in from the camera and looking at it on the screen, it looks a lot like summer. The colors are pretty neutral, and everything seems bland. Nothing really jumps out at you. Typical summer in Chicago. Adjust the levels, tweak the contrast, bump the saturation, apply a filter, and all of a sudden the colors come alive! Looks a lot like a Sunday drive in the fall, so beautiful, so rich, so full of depth and imagination. One more click on the filters tab, selecting my Nik Silver Efex Pro filter, convert to a stunning black and white, and in a matter of seconds all of the color is gone. Winter... cold, blank, everything's black and white. Ahh, the emotions of a season change in the northern mid-west. As much as I waited patiently for summer to arrive after the long, cold winter months, I have also long awaited capturing the beautiful colors of fall.

It's been a while...

2009-09-26T12:07:00.004-05:00

Well, with all the work and family business going on lately I haven't had much time to post anything. I'm getting ready to start working really long hours, seven days a week, next month. So I have been spending a lot of time with family and friends. Recently, a good friend flew out from Denver and stayed a few days with us here in Chicago. We took him downtown to see the city at night. Here's a few photos from that night.

Digital Photography Unleashed by BetterPhoto.com : Review

2009-08-04T18:47:00.003-05:00

While browsing through the local library's video collection I came across a recently added title, Digital Photography Unleashed. The video, which is hosted by Jim Miotke (more info on him here), seems to be aimed more at the beginner stepping into the DSLR world and has a run time of just over 2 hours long. Overall, the video contains excellent tips for the beginner and the host made everything very easy to understand. However there were a couple tips that concerned me, we'll get more into that later.
The video is broken up into five sections ranging from very basic tips on ISO, shutter speed, and aperture; to a bonus section with tips on what to look for when purchasing a new digital camera. I loved the tips on using the rule of thirds, it was broken down and illustrated well enough for anyone to understand. Jim's explanation on the triangle of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture was also beautifully illustrated giving the viewer a better understanding of the trade offs when adjusting each of these settings, how they affect each other, and how they affect the final image. But twenty minutes into the video, Jim performs a "field cleaning" technique that makes me cover my eyes like an 8 year old watching a horror film! This "tip", that could pose a disastrous threat to your image sensor, was to use a can of compressed air to blow directly into the opened camera (lens off) to get dust or debris out of the camera. For the sake of your gear do not, under any circumstance, ever do this! There is liquid inside every can of compressed air, that can harm your cameras image sensor, rendering your camera completely useless. Later in the film Jim's buddy shows the proper tool to use for this, a simple Rocket Blower, but the cameras lens was removed and the body was pointed up towards the sky leaving the sensor again exposed to anything that could potentially fall into the camera. The only reason you should ever remove your lens in the field is to put another lens on, and even this should be done quickly with extreme caution with the camera body facing downward. You do not want to be the guy taking your camera to your local service agent to get bird droppings cleaned off your image sensor because you were out in the woods with your lens off and the camera pointed straight up to the heavens, you'll probably get some funny looks and comments.
Later in the film Jim compares JPEG and RAW formats, once again beautifully explaining and illustrating them to the audience. However, if you are making the commitment to step up to using a DSLR, you should always shoot in RAW format. One day you will be out shooting and capture the the best photo you have ever taken. You'll want to blow that image up, make a poster out of it, and hang it on your wall. If you're shooting in JPEG, your options are going to be severely limited with enlargements and post processing. You bought the best gear, shoot in the best format.
I know I sound like I'm ripping Jim a new one, but those were really the only two things about the film that I didn't like. I think Jim did a beautiful job explaining everything simply enough for anyone to understand, and packed a ton of great information in there! His explanation of composition and exposure are top notch, and he really makes you feel like you are learning from a friend and not just some "professional" on the television. While this film did not teach me anything I didn't already know, it was a beautiful refresher on things I've learned in the past. It may not give the advanced amateur or pro any new tips, but is definitely worth viewing if you are a beginner or thinking about stepping into the more complicated world of SLR photography.
I'd like to thank Jim Miotke and BetterPhoto.com for putting out a beautiful instructional video on the introduction to advanced digital photography. I recommend it anyone who is new in the field.

Textures

2009-07-29T13:28:00.006-05:00

Playing with different textures can give a neat look new images, add a new flare to your old ones. You can find all kinds of free textures online in various places. Go to Google and search "free photoshop textures" and you should come up with plenty options to get you started. Once you load Photoshop, open the image you want to add the texture to, and open one (or more) of your textures. Copy the texture(s) and paste it to your photo, it should now be it's own layer. Resize it using ctrl+t to make it the size of your photo and hit enter. Then all you have to do is change blend mode in the layers palette, multiply and overlay usually work the best but don't be scared to experiment with other blend modes. You can be as simple or complex as you want with it, using multiple textures, multiple blend modes, masking, ect. Have fun with it. Give it a try and link me to some of your experiments. Here are a few before and after shots of mine, click photos to view a much larger image.

You must have a really nice/expensive camera!

2009-07-27T03:54:00.009-05:00

How many times has someone looked at one of your photos and subsequently uttered this famous quote? How did it make you feel? Did you all of a sudden feel inferior to the gear that you chose; a mindless button-masher led around to take beautiful pictures by this modern marvel of technology? Don't worry, it won't be the last time you hear this comment. But should it invoke the feeling that your gear has surpassed your talent? That all depends. I'll give you my take on this.
When I was a child I was always in awe of the lead guitarist in all my favorite rock bands. Somewhere around the fourth minute of the song where he busts into that mind bending array of "finger magic" set my speakers, and impressionable mind on fire. But no matter how many guitars, amps, and effects pedals I bought, I was never able to recreate my favorite riffs. Young and ignorant, I blamed it on my equipment. "If I only had this guitar, or that pedal", I would always mumble to myself. By the time I was old enough with a steady income from Uncle Sam, I had come to the understanding that no matter how much money I spent on that fancy guitar, it wasn't going to turn me into the next Jimi Hendrix. Although the gear was perfectly able to make the sound, it would only do it in the hands of a well trained and sometimes gifted musician. My hopes and dreams of being a lead guitarist in a metal band had disappeared.
While taking a picture may be nowhere near as difficult as belting out the lead solo in your favorite song, attempting to create a masterpiece on either of the equipment can set you back quite a bit in the financial department. But Kirk Hammet (lead guitarist of Metallica for those less enlightened) could just as easily shred out the entire song on a $50 pawn shop guitar, as Joe McNally could capture a stunning portrait on a Nikon D40. While it may not sound or look exactly the same, it can be done. Why? They are both masters of their trade and equipment. I know, most of you are now saying "Well if they could both do the same on a college students budget, why do they use such expensive gear?". Simply put, that expensive gear enables them to do so much more.
To the advanced amateur or Professional photographer, the camera is simply a tool. Just like any other tool or piece of equipment, the operator must be trained well enough to make the most of it. To say that the quality of the gear is the sole purpose behind the quality of the image is only telling half of the story. Better gear can yield better results, but only if the operator has the training and experience to fully understand and operate the equipment. Now on the other end of the spectrum, there are some people that will say that the camera has nothing to do with the final image and all of the credit is due to the photographer. This statement is equally as ignorant as the other. There is a happy medium between both of these statements. And it's within that happy medium that quality images are produced. Where do you stand between those two statements?
Before you go and place the blame on your equipment for your lackluster images, ask yourself one question: Has my talent and experience surpassed the ability of my equipment? If the honest answer is yes, then maybe it's time to step up to something a little more advanced. But don't think for a second that it's going to make you a better photographer, or make your images any more appealing. And do yourself a favor, before you go throwing your money away on the "latest and greatest", do some research. Is that new camera you're thinking about going to do what you want it to do? Be sure that your leap to new equipment is justified. What's the sense in spending a bunch of your hard earned money on a camera that is only a fraction better than what you are currently using? Don't waste your money on a camera with a bunch of options that you will never use. Remember, when you decide on a camera , make an educated investment in a camera system. Over the years as you grow, cameras are going to change and advance. You're eventually going to replace a body or two. Lenses, on the other hand, can last you a lifetime. But that's another story for another day.
In closing, the next time someone looks at your images and makes the ill-educated comment about your "nice camera", politely remind them that the camera is only half of the story and the other half was an educated and experienced person standing behind it.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography

2009-07-23T17:35:00.022-05:00

We've all seen them. Some of you have seen them and not even known it. That beautiful image that makes you go "WOW!", or "How did they do that?", or "Is that even real?!". There are many ways that HDR photography can catch our eye. There's the subtle images that the untrained eye doesn't even realize. And there's the over-the-top, bold-colored images that look like something out of a movie or a fairy tale. With the technology we have today, HDR is increasing in popularity more and more each day. Some people love it, and some people love to hate it. There are some "purists" who say it's "trick photography". I say it has its' place, just like any other form of art. Like it or not, it's not going away any time soon. I happen to love HDR photography and usually shoot at least one HDR every time I go out. HDR helps me capture the world the way I see it. So let's get started and hopefully learn something about the beautiful world of HDR photography.

I'll credit Wikipedia and Trey Ratcliff (Stuck in Customs). Some of the following information are excerpts and reinterpretations from their sites. If you want another phenomenal tutorial on the "how-to's" of HDR, check out Trey's site. He is the master of HDR as far as I'm concerned.

"So what is HDR?" HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It is a set of techniques and processes that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between light and dark areas of a scene than normal imaging techniques. The purpose of HDR is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows. This technique was originally developed in the 1930's and 1940's by Charles Wyckoff whose detailed pictures of nuclear explosions appeared on the cover of Life magazine in the mid 40's. It wasn't until the late 80's and early 90's that the process of Tone Mapping brought us the images we see today. Tone mapping is the process that generates the final image created from multiple bracketed shots. Confused yet? It sounds more difficult than it actually is. Stick with me.

"Why should I learn how to use HDR?" A camera of any kind is limited in the amount of dynamic range that it can capture and reproduce in and single image. This dynamic range is measured in contrast and "F-Stops". The worst photographic representation of contrast is Color Slide Film, which can reproduce a dynamic range of 6-8 stops, or a contrast of about 100:1. Next would be Digital Compact Cameras at 6-8 stops or 100:1 to 200:1. Step up to Color Film, or a Digital SLR, and you'll get 8-10.5 stops or a 2000:1 contrast ratio. But that's only half the amount of contrast that black and white film can capture at 10-12 stops or a contrast ratio of 4000:1! But here's the kicker. At a single glance, the human eye can accommodate light within a range of about 100,000:1. Given the time to adjust, the human eye is capable of seeing and registering starlight with a strength of 0.000,000,1 cd/m²(candella per square metre) luminance, all the way to direct sunlight with a strength of 1,000,000 cd/m² luminance. That is the equivalent of a whopping 32 stops! So as you can see, the human eye can see anywhere from 3 to 5 times the amount of contrast when compared to photographic equipment. On a typical day outside in direct sunlight there is a dynamic range of about 12-16 stops or a contrast between 4,000:1 to 50,000:1. That's without casting any large dark shadows. You get into an area that has a mix of direct sunlight and hard shadows caused by large objects, such as trees and buildings, and that number goes up to 14-20 stops or a contrast of 8,000:1 to about 100,000:1! By capturing a scene using the techniques of HDR imagery, you can capture a closer representation of what you actually saw while taking the picture. Have you ever seen a beautiful sunset over a lake, whipped out your camera and taken a picture, only to get home and show it to your friends and it looks nothing like what you saw? Either the sunset looks beautiful with a completely black (underexposed) foreground, or the lake and trees look beautiful with a completely white (overexposed) sky. All you can say to your friends is "You had to have been there.". Not if you captured the image using HDR techniques.

"Okay man, enough mumbo-jumbo, how do I make an HDR image?" Simmer down now, here's the good stuff.

What you'll need:
1. A camera that will take "bracketed images". Almost any Digital SLR camera will do this process, some will even do it automatically. Bracketed images are a series of 3, 5, 7 or even 9 images that range from severely underexposed to severely overexposed.
2. A tripod. Even the steadiest hand will move ever so slightly while taking pictures. HDR's can be shot hand-held in a pinch, but I advise against it. I'm not saying your image will not come out, but you have a significantly greater chance of getting a quality image when using a tripod. And unless you are shooting a HDR with tons of sunlight, a large aperture, and a pricey camera that shoots at 8 frames per second, I wouldn't even bother trying hand-held HDR's.
3. Software. There are several programs out there that will aid in creating a great HDR. I use Photomatix and Photoshop CS3. I'll explain more about my choice of these two programs later, as well as a couple Photoshop plug-in's that help me get the final look. Just know they are the most commonly used programs for this process for very obvious reasons.

Capturing the shot.
Okay, you're on location looking at a scene you want to capture. You're downtown in the middle of the afternoon and there's tons of sunlight pouring in between the buildings. You want a picture of the statue beside the building, but you want to get the buildings and the sky in too. It's all beautiful. HDR to the rescue.
Step 1: Check your camera settings. Any time you shoot a HDR, your camera should be in "Aperture Priority" mode. On most modern cameras this is signified by the letter "A". The reason for this is, you do not want the focus point to change while taking the pictures.
Step 2: Put your camera into "Bracketing" mode. Some cameras have auto-bracketing, but if yours doesn't, don't worry. Refer to your camera manual if you are unsure how to do this. The amount of shots you will need depends on the range of light from the dark shadows to bright highlights. For this scene we are downtown and the change in levels of light are dramatic, so we will use 7 shots. In most scenes you may only need 3 to 5 shots. I normally take 7 shots ranging from -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3. Each shot increases by one stop.
Step 3: SHOOT IN RAW! I don't care what you've been told elsewhere, always shoot in RAW. The one time you don't shoot in RAW, you will capture the most beautiful picture you have ever taken. Your options of enlarging it and printing it out to hang on your wall will be severely hindered. Any time you shoot a HDR, you want the software to have as much information about the shot as possible. Therefore, shoot at the highest quality possible. You will thank me later.
Step 4: Check your ISO settings. Most cameras have a native ISO of 200. This is an excellent setting. The lower the ISO, the less noise in the image. Remember, everything you do here is multiplied. Seven shots at ISO 200 give you a final image that is essentially ISO 1400. Now imagine you had your ISO set to 1000. You got it! That would be a final image at ISO 7000! Not a pretty picture.
Step 5: Set your Aperture. Generally, you want a rather small aperture for landscapes. Set your aperture somewhere between f9 to f12. This will ensure that the entire scene is in focus. Remember, everything we do here is multiplied by the amount of shots we take.
Step 6: Place camera on tripod and compose the scene. Make sure you are zoomed in to the focal length you want your final image to be. Cropping and zooming after the fact will be messier than normal. The image will not be as sharp as a single exposure.
Step 7: Get focused. This is a very vital part of the process. The last thing you want are seven different shots with seven different focus points. You might as well hit "delete" at that point. Pick the spot you want focused on and focus the camera. Immediately set the camera or lens to manual focus. This will ensure that your camera does not auto-focus in between shots. Check your camera's operation manual if you are unsure how to set it to manual focus.
Step 8: Get the shots. You want to reduce the possibility of camera shake. Even on a sturdy tripod, there is a possibility of slightly moving the camera when pressing the shutter release button. If you have auto bracketing, this is where it comes in handy. If you have a remote shutter release, this would also be an optimal time to use it. If not, you may be able to use the self timer. Set it to the lowest delay possible to minimize time between shots. Just remember, if anything moves in the scene it could cause problems when composing the final image. You will get what is called "ghosting" on moving subjects. More on that later.
Step 9: Chimp away! If you're not familiar with the term "Chimping" as applied to photography, it means to look at your images in camera after you take the shot. Some "purists" frown on this. I say, it's there for you to use, why not use it. Just don't judge them too much in camera. Wait till you see them on "the big screen". Now, what you should be looking at are the exposure levels. If your darkest image is not almost completely black, grab another shot on the low side one stop lower (-4). And if your lightest image is not almost completely white, grab another on the high side one stop higher (+4). It's important to not move the camera while checking these, just in case you need to grab another shot or two.

Whew! I know that may be a lot to take in, but trust me, it's nowhere near as difficult as it sounds. The more you practice, the better you will get at it. Don't expect that first image to be an award winner. As with all photography, the best way to learn is from your mistakes. Once you're satisfied with the images you have, let's take them back to the house.

Now we're in front of the computer. It's best that we minimize our time in this spot. "Why?", you say. The less time you spend behind that monitor, the more time you spend looking through the lens taking pictures. Be forewarned. All you "instant gratification" seekers out there, this process may take some time and will not always yield the result you were hoping to get. I have tossed many HDR's that I thought would come out looking stellar. Not all HDR's pull through, in the end, for various reasons. It may take you a few tries to get a good one. Remember. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice.

Before we get into the process of creating the image, let me take a little time to explain why I chose the software that I spoke about earlier. Photomatix is by far the best program available today to begin the HDR process. That's right, begin the process, because we aren't going to stop there. While Photomatix is far superior at tone mapping and creating a HDR image, it lacks the flexibility Photoshop has to create the final image. Think of this step as you would think of building and furnishing a house. When you want a house built, you call a contractor and they bring their merry band of men (and sometimes women) to build you a spectacular house. Now, would you want that same team of hammer-swingers handling the interior decoration of the house? Absolutely not. Photomatix builds the house, Photoshop makes it pretty. So lets get started with building the house.

Money saving tip!!! Head over to Trey Ratcliff's website (link in the second paragraph) for a 15% off coupon for Photomatix.

Okay. First you're going to want to open whatever program handles your photos. From there you should be able to send those files to Photomatix for HDR generation. I use Nikon's "View NX" to select all of the photos, and then right-click to open with Photomatix. Do not use the plug-in within Photoshop. It does not handle the photos or generate the HDR in the same fashion as the stand-alone program does. Don't ask me why. E-mail the fellas over at Photomatix and ask them.
Step 1: Generating the HDR. Once you open the files in Photomatix, you will get a "Generate HDR - Options" window. Select the first box that says "Align source images" and the first bubble that says "By correcting horizontal and vertical shifts". This will get your images all lined up. Next, if you had moving objects such as people, water, or foliage, select the appropriate boxes and bubbles. Leave everything else alone. "But, but, but..." NO! Don't do it, leave it alone. Remember, we're still building the house. Let Photoshop make it pretty. Now click "Generate HDR", and go grab a drink. This is where it helps to have that ever so nerdy super-computer. If you're working with some old hardware, pack a lunch, cause it's gonna be a while. But make sure you keep an eye on the computer just in case it catches on fire... I'M KIDDING, I'm kidding, calm down fancy-pants .
Step 2: Sooner or later (depending on the speed of your computer) an ugly looking image will pop up on the screen. Don't fret my love, we've only just begun. This is where I urge you to resist the temptation of playing with too many buttons and dials and sliders, etc. Keep in mind, we are still going to use Photoshop to handle the "interior decoration". Off to the top left you should see a dialogue box that says "Details Enhancer / Tone Compressor". Make sure you have "Details Enhancer" selected. Below "Details Enhancer" are all the little dials and sliders. Proceed with caution. Anything you do here could cause a drastic change in your final image. That is why I urge you to follow along with me step by step. There are only two areas that we are going to adjust here, "Strength" and "Light Smoothing". First, let's tackle the "Light Smoothing" part. This is what is going to give you that subtle final image, or the over-the-top fantasy look. Be forewarned! The over-the-top look can go too far and make your final image look like the photo from h... if you don't know exactly what you're doing. Let's be gentle here. There are other tutorials out there that will show you how to get the really crazy look. This isn't one of them. Learn this method before you start trying to create the next "Fantasia". There are 5 buttons for light smoothing, we'll call them 1 through 5 from left to right. Start off at number 3. Resist the urge to use 1 or 2. You may notice something we call "Haloing" across your image. Look at the edges of buildings or trees. It mostly happens where the sky meets an object. If you notice a lot of strong white halos around objects, you may want to move up to the button number 4 or 5. Now on to "Strength". This value should be set somewhere between 70 and 100. Resist the urge to go below 70. You will get a flat looking image if you do. Adjust this until the image on screen looks the best to you. Just remember, we're not done yet. Once you are satisfied (Don't you do it! Don't you touch those other sliders!) with what you see on screen and have the best looking image using only those two adjustments, click "Process" at the bottom of the screen. After a few seconds (or minutes for you Commodore 64 users) you should see an image pop up on the screen. Congratulations! This is your new house! Lets close on this deal by saving the image as a .jpg (make sure you select the right folder so your image doesn't end up somewhere you can't find it).

On to Photoshop! Hang in there, we're reaching the end of the roller-coaster. Now it's time to call in the interior decorators and pimp your house! At this stage it helps to have a few plug-in's for Photoshop. I have two plug-in suites that I absolutely love. One is Nik Software's full suite which includes Color Efex Pro, Dfine, Silver Efex Pro, and Sharpener. If you're going to throw some cash at any plug-in suite out there, this should be the one. It has everything you need to make your images beautiful. Most of the time, it is the only plug-in I use. The other one I use from time to time is Topaz Labs "Topaz Adjust". This suite has some really cool effects in it that will give your image that crazy, over-the-top look. Topaz is rather inexpensive, while the Nik Software suite is going to set you back a couple Benjamin's, but oh-so well worth it. It may be the only plug-in suite you ever have to buy.
Step 1: Adjusting the Levels. Hold down ctrl+l to bring up the "Levels" dialogue. Here you'll see your histogram with three little arrows at the bottom of it, one left, right and center. Left will adjust your shadows, center will adjust your mid-tones, and right will adjust your highlights. Your histogram should look like a mountain, starting out low on the right, peaking in the center, and back down on the right. Bring the sliders in on the left and right sides until they reach the bottom of the mountain on either side. If there is no room to bring them in, leave them where they are. Move the center slider back and forth to your liking. Make sure you have the "Preview" box selected until you like what you see and click "OK".
Step 2: Get rid of all that noise! There are plenty of programs out there that handle noise. I use Nik Software's Dfine 2.0, and I love it.
Step 3: This is the final step where you give the image that personal touch. Go as subtle or as crazy as you want. If you have one of the two plug-in suites I mentioned earlier, this is the time to put 'em in high gear. If not, play with the saturation, curves, color, or whatever else you normally do to your photos to give them that final touch. If you don't know how to adjust any of those things in Photoshop, there are tons of great video tutorials on YouTube that will walk you right through it. Or, head over to Kelby Training. For $20 you can get a one month subscription and watch all the videos you want. Learn Photoshop from the masters, Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski. Trust me again, it will be the best $20 you've spent on anything related to photography. If you want to know more about HDR, you have to check out Trey Ratcliff's site. He has a stellar tutorial on HDR that takes a slightly different approach than mine. He is the HDR master.

Well, that's it boys and girls! The ride is over. Is your house looking like it belongs in Beverly Hills? Or are you still kicking it in a shack in the 'burbs? Don't worry, you'll get much better in time. This process, next to portrait retouching, is probably the toughest in photography, in my opinion. There's so many ways it can go bad. Sometimes you're not in complete control of the outcome. If your image came out looking bad, keep trying. Sometimes these things just don't come out with Five Stars at the top. Either way, I hope my lesson helped to shed some light on the subject for you, or at least opened the door.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my "FIRST EVER" tutorial on photography. Please leave any questions or comments you may have, and I will do my best to get you the answer or point you in the right direction. Take care, have a wonderful day, and pass the knowledge on!

Enter, the dragon

2009-07-22T17:19:00.003-05:00

So, this is a little new to me. I've never been one for words and yet here I am starting a blog. Hopefully those who read this will feel it has some validity. I will probably use this to help teach those who follow my photography on the in's and out's of what I do. From preparation, on location, to post processing, how do I make my photos look the way they do. I truly believe that every pixel was meant to be punished. After all, if I wanted an untouched image I'd shoot film. But that's not what I'm all about, that doesn't capture the world the way I see it. I see big colors that pop, skies as blue as the mid-oceans, and grass that is true green. Does that mean all of my photography is fake? No way! I really don't do that much to it. Most of my images are created by simply adjusting the levels, kicking the saturation in the pants a little, and every now and then adding a diffuse glow to some of the shots. I like selective color images. I love High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. But most of all, I love creating an image that is pleasing to look at. After all, that's what we want right? With all the craziness that goes on in the world today, this is my therapy. Creating a beautiful image, that maybe someone else will think is beautiful also. Welcome to my blog, let's get this thing moving!