BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY LOVES WEDDINGS!

Having started in photography doing my own black and white fine art (wet) printing, over 40-years ago, it was only natural that when I turned professional and started doing weddings that some black and white film would be included in my work. However, it happened too often that my favorite image that I wanted to be in black and white was often taken on color negative film! And yes, I did try to print those color negs on Kodak Panalure paper for a black and white conversion, but it never looked as good as B&W prints from B&W film.

Well, digital cameras to the rescue! In 2001 we started using our DSLR’s for weddings and it was like the artistic handcuffs were finally off.  I was totally free to change my ISO at will.  Anything I did in color could be easily converted to B&W! I never looked back and as time passed there was no point in longing for film as all my favorite films and printing paper were discontinued anyway.

When and Why I Convert to B&W

Anything to do with the bride’s dress usually looks great in B&W provided her dress is white, off-white, or most pastels. (B&W can render those ugly pastels beautifully!) 

The bride and groom together, in traditional garb, are ideal for B&W since, with him in a black tux, you have your reference black and white with detail in her dress.

Black & White with soft-effect

B&W keeps your attention on the couple; you don’t tend to wander to the background. I then added some softness to the conversion for a more romantic feeling in their image.

The original version had a nice background, but it was just too colorful and the overall sharpness of this image was a much too literal representation of the moment.

One of the reasons we did B&W in the film era was to enhance the look of the wedding album.  An all color wedding album, in my opinion, is just not as interesting or artistic without some B&W sprinkled in to accent its look.  The addition of B&W adds interest and keeps the viewer turning the pages to see what’s next.

My Take on “Spot Color” in B&W

It seems that the instant the digital camera was released the B&W image with a single patch of color (the first digital cliche) went viral in both the amateur and professional worlds.  As professionals, I think it’s our job to be creative and avoid the trendy and the cliche. That being said, when I tried out these effects early in my digital career I wanted an artistic, SUBTLE, inclusion of color in my B&W images.

One of my first was this wedding dress portrait by window light…

Titled: Black and White and Something Blue

I created this image in early 2002 with my first generation Fuji Pro S-1 camera. Looking at it by today’s standards its only flaw is the obvious lack of dynamic range—those early sensors could not record detail in the highlights like today’s professional DSLRs can.

In spite of that I entered a 16x20 Print of this image titled: Black and White and Something Blue in the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) International Print competition that year and won a merit in the very tough wedding category—overcoming the double cliche of being a wedding dress image AND a spot color image! I think the title helped this image a lot.

Winning that Merit was instrumental in earning my PPA Masters Degree that same year.

As usual, should you have any questions or comments don’t hesitate….’Til next week…

Author:  Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site:  http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com

ACTION PHOTOS — FAST SHUTTER OR SLOW SHUTTER? YES!

Your first decision is do you want to STOP the action to reveal the instant in detail? Or do you want to SHOW motion in a more abstract way—implying motion symbolically by bluring the subject or its background?

These two techniques are probably the still camera’s greatest advantage over the human eye. The first technique (stopping action) is simply using a fast shutter speed. But, how fast and under what circumstances? Two factors determine this: Speed of your subject and (very important) DIRECTION of the travel relative to you camera.

Subjects traveling directly towards or away from your camera can be stopped at a much slower shutter speed than subjects moving across your film plane (or perpendicular to your lens axis). Here’s an obvious example with my subject coming right at my camera…

 f10.0 @ 1/500 sec., ISO 400

I probably could have stopped the boy with a much slower shutter speed here because he was slowing down (at the end of the slip-n-slide), but the water, that he is pushing, is accelerating and I wanted to freeze the water to look solid.

In this next image we have one of the most challenging high action sports—rodeo. Because rodeo’s action is so intense and unpredictable I call it chaotic action. It tends to need even higher shutter speeds than motorsports.

f8.0 @ 1/5000 sec., ISO 800

So, I tend to keep my shutter seed very fast so that when the action moves across my film plane, as in this image, I can stop any action. Ironically when I photograph the fastest sports—motorsports like race cars and motorcycles—I like to use my slowest shutter speeds, so that I can impart the sense of shear speed that is lost when you merely freeze their action. However, I don’t want to create abstract blurry images that a stationary camera would give me at slow shutter speeds. This is where the practiced art of panning with your subject comes into play. I discovered many decades ago that panning worked best in motorsports (or any sport on a track or course) where the action is predictable. To get a high yield in panning action you need to know the direction of travel of your subject and where they’re coming into your frame and leaving so you can smoothly follow through as you rotate your body following the action.

Here’s one with a pretty slow shutter speed…

 f16.0 @ 1/15 sec., ISO 400

My panning rotation is nearly 180º from when I first see the racers coming towards me. Then I click the shutter when they are at the 90º point (directly in front of me), which is their closest point relative to me. I then keep panning (the follow through) even after I click the shutter.  The panning follow through is important—especially at slow shutter speeds like 1/15 sec. as in this image—because the pan creates the horizontal lines and streaks in the background. And, to make those lines and streaks smooth and straight across the image you need to keep the camera moving the entire time the shutter is open.

My pans of race cars and motorcycles are usually at 1/60th or 1/30th sec. for a nice crisp subject. Using 1/15th sec. yields a more radical, artistic look because you get some “jiggle-blur” in the subject as seen here because these flat-track bikes are on a dirt-rack and are sliding and bouncing as they approach a turn at 100+ mph!

Hope you enjoyed…should you have questions or comments don’t hesitate…’Til next week…

Author:  Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site:  http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com

USING THE HARDEST LIGHT—DIRECT SUNLIGHT

As a professional portrait photographer I’ve spent most of my career avoiding direct sunlight on my subjects. Simply put, direct sunlight is evil and ugly on people and it’s my job to make people look great; end of discussion.

There are several properties of direct sunlight that also make it difficult yo use: 

1. It will create a scene with very high dynamic range that many digital sensors can’t handle. From highlights to shadows this range can be 14 stops!
2. The shadows it creates are pure black with razor sharp edges (a good thing/bad thing).
3. Because the sun is always moving (the the lower it is the faster it seems to move!) it’s constantly changing your direction of light and the length of the shadows. (A good thing/ bad thing depending on your subject!).

That being said, item #3 reminds me of the only exception to my no direct sunlight on people rule—magic hour (especially at the beach).  The last hour—the last half-hour—and, even better, the last 15 minutes of warm light from the setting sun is magical.

Some photographers use sunrise in the same way, but none of my clients have ever agreed to getting up and out that early for a portrait session! This brings me to using the worst type of direct light that I avoid using on people. What’s the best use of this super hard light? 

My Rule: Use hard light on hard things. 

It just happened that I had the perfect collection of hard things for this type of light….

f18.0 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 400

This image I called Grandpa’s Tools had been germinating in my mind for several years. It wasn’t until I moved to Idaho that it all came together. I already had my grandfathers tools and when my mother gave me my late step dad’s WWII trench knife and my great-grandfather’s riffle all I needed was a base or background for all these subjects.

I knew I’d found my background the instant I saw this old door while rummaging around a local antique store in Boise. It was a six-foot side door to an old barn—another casualty in the war between Idaho’s old farmsteads and spreading urban development.  

At 10am I placed the door, flat, on two “apple boxes”, in the direct sunlight coming through a large window in my studio. As I was placing the “tools”, deciding on a nice composition, I could see the shadows move.By the time I had placed them the rising sun had moved enough that I had to move the entire set-up closer to the window to keep everything in the sunlight. Because this became a race with the sun—get a couple shots…move the set-ups, etc.,—using a tripod was out—I did it all hand held.  This is not the perfect method of doing still life or product photography in the studio!

I really like the results of this effort, but the next time I did photography of guns in the studio I used my professional studio flash system, creating as many different compositions and set-up as I could think of, at a nice relaxed pace. That’s how I prefer to do studio photography.

Hope you enjoyed my adventure…should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave me a message.  ’Til next week….

Author:  Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site:  http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com

WINDOW LIGHT PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST

This was one of my first formal portraits with my first DSLR Camera (the Fuji Pro S-1) taken in 2002.  The subject here was Lee (my late step-Dad), a professional architect, psychologist, writer, and sometime artist. He was highly educated, extremely well read and it was always marvelous to chat with him (well, He did most of the talking!) about politics, art, war, psychology, architecture, and the history of just about anything! 

When we were visiting my Mom and Lee, not too long before he passed, she asked that I do his portrait. One of his few foibles was his inability to look into the lens when being photographed and don’t even think about using a flash on him. I was momentarily panicked because all I had with me was my digital camera and a short zoom lens. OK, type of camera does not matter, I told myself, and I went into wedding portrait mode…Like I had been doing these past 12-years using my medium format cameras on film.  It’s all the same basics. Just like interior portraits of my brides, I looked for a window with no direct sunlight coming in. I placed a chair to get him as close as I could to the window without the window being in the scene. 

Basic studio lighting rule: You don’t photograph your light source—the window is your light source NOT the subject!

Since I had brought nothing to use as a background and I realized that his art was hanging on several walls in their home, I gathered some of his paintings and surrounded him in his art.

 f8.0 @ 1/30 sec., ISO 800

We had a blue theme around him so we had him wear his navy blue pull-over; I got him in long sleeves and got my color harmony.

Since Lee could not look at my camera this lighting set-up was ideal—because the best lighting pattern on the face—getting light in both eyes and a shadow side (called short lighting) is achieved when the subject’s nose is towards the window.   All I had to do was direct him where to look out the window after I got his nose where I wanted it.

I don’t usually choose f8.0 for an individual portrait (I like f4.5 to blur-out the background), but in this case I wanted all the layers—him and his paintings—in this image to be sharp.  To do that I had to go to 800 ISO to get a nice hand-held shutter speed of 1/30 second.  Using 800 ISO is no big deal with DSLR’s these days, but back then most of the digital cameras were pretty noisy at that level and terrible at any higher ISO—especially if you included any deep shadows in an image.

This Fuji’s custom chip produced great color in skin tones and if you kept the dynamic range in your image low (as in this portrait) the results were really nice.

As usual, don’t hesitate to make comments or ask questions. ’Til next week…

Author:  Jerry W. Venz, Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site:  http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com

ART THROUGH THE WINDOW OF A MOVING TOUR BUS!?

Alright, I know this is not the modus operandi of your basic National Geographic photographer, but when we’re going through some third-world countries I don’t even want the bus to stop—much less get out ( “Never get out of the boat!” ) and walk around wearing a bunch of expensive camera gear!

Admittedly these images are not my photographic destinations (where we do get off the bus!); these images are just happenstance on the way to our destination. Even though my yield is low doing these moving targets of opportunity—so is the risk!

Sometimes I capture something special that I can call art….

 f9.5 @ 1/500 sec., ISO 400

Someone’s faded dream in a small Mexican town. This image demanded to be in Black & White so I compiled.  

The key to succeeding at this kind of photography is:

1. Get in the bus early to get a window seat.
2. Open the window, if possible, if not clean it. The image above was captured through the glass and I had to edit out some class glare.
3. Use a shutter speed of 1/500 sec. or higher; don’t hesitate to up your ISO; I’m usually at 400 or 800 ISO.
4. Get a seat on the same side of the bus for the trip back (they usually return the same route) so you can photograph something different.
5. And, really important, look ahead and be ready (I keep my camera just below eye level); when the bus is doing 30 mph you’ll only get one or two images off as your subject flashes by.

Some of the poorest towns we’ve visited have been in the Caribbean….

f5.6 @ 1/640 sec., ISO 400

Passing through the run down little towns on Grenada was sobering yet colorful.  This one was also captured through the glass on an overcast day—so there was no glare. Then on our way back through town our bus was slowed way down in traffic so I was able to get several images of this little store….

f5.6 @ 1/500 sec., ISO 800

With so little color in the scene this too was a natural for black & white. Of course, the men seen through the store’s open window was my focus.  That is the man at the window still was my focus; I didn’t know that man to the right—sitting in deep shadow—was even there until I cropped-in on the original image.

I’m still struck by the stare on the man’s face as he leans on the window sill. It’s much like the “thousand yard stare” that happens to soldiers in battle. He looks beat-down by his environment, hopeless, resigned to his fate.

Then there’s my guilt when I look at him, because he gave me something here and I gave him nothing. He gave me new appreciation for all that I have and where I just happened to be born.  I guess this unfair exchange is the occupational hazard of most street photographers.

As usual, should you have comments or questions please don’t hesitate to jot them down. ’Tis next week…

Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site:  http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com

LOW LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND ISO

Digital cameras have freed us in many ways—not the least of which is choice in ISO.  As a professional photographer in the film era it was very frustrating being tied to a film type once it was loaded—especially 35mm, where if you had to change film mid-roll you had to rewind it back into it’s canister without loosing the leader, etc. 

When I went fully professional, using only medium format cameras, at least we could change film backs at will for more film/ISO choices.  Of course, you had to invest (at $400 to $500 each) in 4 or 5 film backs pre-loaded with the film you thought you would need for each job.  In addition we bought our pro-film in bulk that had to be refrigerated and couldn’t be loaded into our cameras until it was acclimated to room temperature—so, film usage took planning.  Those were the “Good Old Days”…I do not miss those days!

Where I really like this ISO flexibility is when I’m walking around in a low light environment, without a tripod—I hate lugging a tripod, especially on vacation! So, because I’m usually hand-holding my camera, regardless of my lens choice, my ISO starting point is 400. I’ve never been fond of any of my DSLR’s “native” ISOs—I’ve always regarded 100 ISO pretty much useless.  Nothing new here; in all my professional years using medium format film my starting point was….ISO 400 films and then the advanced 800 films supplemented by 1600 and 3200 Black & White (loved T-Max 3200 especially pushed to 6400!) films. 

The following images show three different camera generations at higher and higher ISOs….

f2.8 @ 0.3 sec., ISO 800 ~ Camera Fuji Pro S-2 (2003)

You want low light try a cave!  This was taken in the Cavernas Chaaktun at Playa de Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico.  With the lens wide open at f2.8 I went to 800 ISO ( 1600 was pretty noisy back then ) to keep my shutter speed to a controllable .3 seconds, where I could rest the camera on a safety railing.  Love that crystal clear water and reflections!

Next we skip a camera generation where I’m walking through the Idaho State Fair at 8:30pm ( right at sunset ) when I spot this antique farm pump.  It’s whirring, popping and hissing along with a dozen other steam powered farm machinery that stops me in my tracks.

f5.0 @ 1/30 sec., ISO 1600 ~ Camera Fuji Pro S5 (2010)

I picked f5.0 to give me the depth-of-field I needed to see what’s behind the spinning flywheel—I’m in pretty close, so my depth-of-field is shallow.  I only need 1/30th sec., (it’s an easy hand held shutter speed) to blur the flywheel; if I went any slower the flywheel would be too clear loosing its sense of motion—and 1600 ISO got me there.

Key Point:  In the digital age we use ISO as a tool to achieve the f-stop and shutter speed we require to tell the story.

Five years later I’m back at my Idaho State Fair, this time using a quantum leap in camera development over my previous DLSRs—the Canon 5D MKII.

f5.0 @ 1/100 sec., ISO 3200 ~ Camera Canon 5D MKII (2015)

Again, I pick my variables and use my ISO to get me there. With my lens at 24mm I pick f5.0 for good depth-of-field. I picked 1/100 sec., (with some testing) because that shutter speed will stop the spinning ride’s red wheel, but let the people’s motion blur a little.

Technical Note:  The ISO “sensitivity” settings on your DSLR are NOT analogous to film speed or sensitivity.  Despite what you see on the internet or forums your DSLR camera sensor’s sensitivity is FIXED—it is NOT variable.

Raising the ISO number on your digital camera merely underexposes the image. Then, post-exposure, gain is applied to the signal, from the sensor, proportionate to how many stops you have under-exposed the image. Unfortunately, the gain applied to boost the signal also boosts noise, especially in the darkest (most underexposed) regions. That’s why it’s better to slightly over-expose a low light/high ISO image than to under-expose it. 

I’ve been using the ETTR ( Expose to the Right ) maxim for 15 years; I encourage you to do the same.

As usual, should you have comments or questions please don’t hesitate…’Til next week…

Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site: http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com

DYNAMIC CROPPING IN PHOTOGRAPHY

The power of cropping, either in camera or in post capture, cannot be over estimated. How much or how little you show of your subject can completely  alter a viewer’s reaction to an image. I tell my students that with careful cropping, “you can reveal more by showing less!”  I believe what sets the amateur snap shooter apart from the professional image maker is how the professional Narrows His/Her View of the world. As a professional, I start the cropping process in camera with my choice of lens. Rarely do I use the so called “normal” 50mm focal length lens. I’m either in close with a wide angle or, more often, I’m backed-off using some kind of telephoto taking slices of my subject—looking for interesting details. 

In contrast most amateurs using fixed lens point and shoot cameras or cell phones take pictures of everything with the same lens—usually a short range zoom or a medium wide angle.  This creates a sameness to their images. They just take, what we call in the film making world, a series of “Master Shots”—which is recording the whole scene in front of their camera. In the professional world of filmmaking the Master Shot is just the beginning—it sets the stage—and is followed by close-ups, reverse angles, and inserts.

The image bellow is the most interesting piece of a small barn here in Eagle, Idaho.

f13.0 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 400, lens @ 170mm

This is the color image I started with….my “Master Shot”.

Lens @ 200mm

Then I moved closer went vertical, and shifted my position to the right to clear out most of the vegetation seen through that window on the far side of the barn….

Lens @ 170mm

The final version I cropped and converted to B&W in Adobe Camera Raw. 

If you want to progress as an artist in photography you must use the power of cropping at least some of the time. To do that you need to get past the “Master Shot”—it’s only the starting point in exploring a subject. In order to accomplish this you must also recognize the unique characteristics of the subject in front of you—that requires Vision. Unfortunately many photographers’ work I see tells me they have sight, but not the vision to show me something ( anything! ) original in their work.

So, the next time you find yourself standing in front of some iconic subject that everybody has photographed (e.g. the Roman Colosseum, Yosemite, Delicate Arch, Monument Valley, etc.) don’t just do what the other photographers have done—sure, get your master shot, but then go further—slice it up, change lenses, move to the position other than the “scenic view”!

As usual, should you have questions or comments don’t hesitate to drop me a note…’Til next week.

Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site: http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com