Elizabeth Carmel's Landscape Photography Blog

Tahoe Wildflowers!

It has been a great week for photography here in Tahoe - I'm excited about this new image I was able to get a few nights ago. The wildflowers have been very happy with all the rain. The wind cooperated long enough to let me capture this with my H3d (it was a 1.5 second exposure with split ND filter to hold back the sky). Most of the shots were blurry with the flowers blowing, but a brief lull allowed this shot. I also took some backup shots with my Nikon D700 but always prefer the H3D files if they come out clean & not wind blown.

I am off to photograph the Bristlecones in the White Mountains next week. This Saturday  we are displaying at the Calistoga Art in the Park, stop by & say hi if you are in the area.

What is Overcooked?

Using HDR techniques you can really go overboard with the effect and make images that end up being slightly alarming to the average viewer. Most people are looking for landscape images that are somewhat nourishing and soothing. Here are examples of two images, the one with the dock uses HDR techniques with a lighter touch, the one of the Lake has HDR dialed up to the max. I am not sure if anyone would purchase the overcooked one as wall art, it is slightly alarming and a little overwhelming (it is fun to make from a personal standpoint though!).

 

Some HDR Techniques in Apple's Aperture

Here is a question I received about HDR which I will respond to for this week's post:

From Wayne: Here is one(or several) for the blog. Some questions that have to do with capturing your HDR images. I'm new to HDR methods as I have been recently introduced but have not yet practiced them (as may be obvious with the questions). My questions have to do with your "routine" HDR methodology. Do you usually capture a landscape HDR series at your most often used aperature of f22? How many exposures do you capture in your typical bracket series, and what is your typical f-stop range: fractional stops, 1 full stop to X (?) stops for each sequential exposure? It all depends on the particular image and the lighting conditions as changing variables I'm sure. How about sharing the data for this particular image as an example (without revealing your trade secrets of course)?

Oh and also, are you using any sort of add-in for processing or merging the images or just using a Photoshop, Bridge, or Lightroom "Merge to HDR". You may have addressed this before? I don't visit the blog as often as I'd like!

Response: Hi Wayne, thanks for your question. The image Wayne is referring to is my new shot of Fly Geyser. I shot this in the very early morning light at sunrise and bracketed 5 shots at 1 stop difference (2 below, one at normal, and 2 above). I am finding that HDR works so well that a split ND filter is not as critical as it once was. (See my comments about split ND filters at this post). You can do HDR compositions with a smaller range of bracketed images, but 5 seems to work well. My favorite tool for doing HDR compositions is the Photomatix Plug in for Apple's Aperture. I can select the raw images I want to combine in Aperture, then tell Photomatix to align and combine them into one image with amazing tonal range. I can then "develop" that image in Aperture and export it to Photoshop for final sharpening & upsampling if needed. It is not a difficult process, but can be time consuming as my computer & photmatix process the large 39 megapixel files from the Hasselblad H3D. I personally like Photomatix plug in better than merge to HDR in photoshop, I just find it easier to use and easier to get better results from. I have to resist the temptation to "overcook" the image, I think they look better with a more subtle HDR treatment than the over the top treatments you can get if you really go for it. I have also found that the "tonal contrast" filter in Nik Color EFEX gives a little HDR like boost to most images, but again it is easy to overcook the image and it is good to fade back the filter. Nik filters can be used in Apple's Aperture and also in PS CS4 (an I think Lightroom although I do not use that). I am doing HDR on most images now, as long as there is not moving foliage it seems to work well. Problems arise in windy conditions and long exposures with moving clouds, etc. 

I have found that you can get better color and tonal range from an HDR image than from a single exposure no matter how good that initial capture is, as long as the conditions allow merging of images. Of course a tripod is critical to get images to properly align.

Sierra Thunderstorms

We have been having some wild thunderstorms here in the Sierra, I had a chance to go out to Donner Lake last night after the last storm cleared and get this sunset shot. The storms should continue for a few more days, hope to get out and get more shots of Donner Lake and Lake Tahoe (still waiting for a shot of a rainbow over Emerald Bay)!

New Series: Response to Inquires - Today's Topic Hasselblad H3D vs Nikon D3X

I receive many questions from people who visit my website / blog who are looking for advice on photography gear etc. This most recent question fits in with a topic I have been dealing with this past week, so I thought I would post my response for blog readers. I will be selecting a question to respond to from the many I receive each week - I do ask forgiveness since there is no way I can respond to every question that I receive, but I hope this blog will help somewhat.

Question/Comments: 1.  How do you achieve the DOF in your landscapes?  I'm having a difficult time getting DOF like that - used to with my 4x5 but not with my H3DII-39.
2.  Were you pleased with the Nikon D3X enough to consider it adequate for your primary camera?  I'm thinking of moving from H3DII-39 to the D3X

1. As far as DOF, I do stop down to about f22 on most of my shots. I have found that stopping down lower does introduce some distortion that can negate the increased DOF.  I have used some DOF bracketing if I am doing a very near to far composition, this can be tricky though since it requires bracketing not just the foreground and distance but also the middle  ground area, so that you do not end up with a fuzzy mid ground. I would love if one of the camera makers would develop software that would do this in camera, a custom DOF bracketing function that composites the pictures automatically would be great. I have not had much luck with the photoshop DOF merge feature, maybe they can perfect that. I tend to rely on layering the images in Photoshop and using masking to reveal the most in focus areas. Hasselblad has a new tilt-shift adapter that I am looking forward to trying out at some point, that could be a solution as well.

2. The D3X is  a great travel camera and was easy to carry around Italy in a smaller pack that fit easily in airplanes and busses & the metro. Now that I have had a chance to analyze my images from the trip, I do find the picture quality very different from that of my Hasselblad H3D 39. The resolution difference is very noticeable to me, both on screen and in prints. The D3x produces lovely images but there is a slight painterly quality to them when enlarged, not as crisp and photographic as the H3D. I also noticed that there is less of a definition between colors - it is hard to describe but the H3D seems to produce images with more color variation and depth to them. The main area I notice a difference is when I really enlarge the image with Genuine Fractals 6.0, my preferred enlarging software - the H3D files always hold together even up to 8 foot wide prints. The D3X files can look a little stressed at that type of enlargement. If all I needed to do was make 16x20 prints the D3x would be adequate, however I find it necessary for my work to have a certain quality to it I need the larger file sizes of the H3D. I would not convert over to the D3x as my only camera, but it is very good for magazine images, smaller print work and low light handheld shooting, or inclement weather shooting, which the H3D is not really designed for. 

I am looking in to upgrading my H3D 39 megapixel system to the 50 megapixel system, which will require me to sell both the D3x body and the H3D 39 body and a few lenses - if anyone is interested in either of these send me an email at liz@thecarmelgallery.com and I can give you more details. The H3D 39 will come with a one day Lake Tahoe field training session on the system by me. 

Nevada's Black Rock Desert

I did a quick photo trip to the nearby Black Rock Desert of Nevada, home of the August Burning Man Festival. This is a very wild and beautiful area, similar to Death Valley but without the crowds and hassle of a National Park. I had permission to photograph the unusual Fly Geyser, located on a private ranch in the area. The image below is an HDR series I took at sunrise, HDR worked very well for this image so I could hold the color of the sky and still get the weird colors of the geyser. It is always spewing out hot water that collects in the little limestone reservoirs along the sides, a very otherworldy place. The other images I took are in a new portfolio on my website: Nevada & Black Rock Desert. I plan on returning there for more photography opportunities and to photograph the scenic Pyramid Lake.

New Portfolios of Images from Italy

I have put together 2 new portfolios of my images from Italy. This is just the first group, I will be adding more throughout the months as time permits. All these images were taken with the Nikon d3x. The first portfolio is titled "Tuscany I", and I have put all the images from my previous trip to Tuscany in a portfolio titled "Tuscany II". On this most recent trip I had a chance to spend more time in the scenic Val d'Orcia, where the hill towns of Montepulciano and Pienza are located. The light is constantly changing on the beautiful landscapes in this area; scenes never appear to look the same twice. As with any location photography, the best landscape shots were in the golden hours around sunrise and sunset. I experimented with doing some HDR images using Photomatix in Aperture. I have found that sandwiching images together with Photomatix does not work that well for shots with moving foliage, since it leaves a little halo around the leaves. It works wonderfully if the subject matter is not moving, but alas that rarely happens in landscape photography.

I have also put together a portfolio of images that are more retouched and stylized (Stylized Italy). For this collection I used a series of filters in Nik Color Efex Pro. I also experimented with the Lucis pro filter but then discovered that the Tonal Contrast in Nik Color Efex does almost the same thing without bleaching out the color. These images were taken throughout Italy, and include some from Rome and Amalfi. I will be adding more shots to this portfolio when I get around to processing my images from Pompeii, which truly is the singular most impressive historic ruin I have ever visited. This is a must see for everyone, and photographers will be especially delighted with the wonderful compositions that are everywhere among the ruins.

 

Quick Summary of Italy Photo Shoot

We are back from Italy and now I am beginning the long process of using Apple Aperture to sort through my images and process the raw files. Italy is a wonderful overload of photographic inspiration - everywhere are interesting, unique subjects and landscapes that could occupy a photographer for a lifetime. It will take me a while to complete my new portfolio of images from the trip, but I have posted here one of the first images, taken on a rainy night in the Tuscan Village of San Gimignano. The Nikon D3x worked like a champ in the rain, I just used a plastic bag from the hotel to try and keep the rain off the body and lens, but that did not work to well and the camera got pretty wet and never acted up. Next time I will bring my KATA camera rain cover. I was also really pleased with how the Lowe Pro flipside 400 pack worked, it is much easier to unzip the back of the pack (opposite most packs) to access gear, and I could wear the pack and access it at the same time. The waterproof cover kept everything dry. As far as the Epson 6000 card reader / image viewer - I really liked how quickly & easily I could back up my cards with that, but I ended up filling the 80gb drive on it in about a week! It is easy to lose track of how much data space you can gobble up bracketing shots with a D3x. I will be exchanging that for a larger capacity model. The acratech ballhead and Gitzo traveller worked really well as a lightweight set up - I would not use them as a primary tripod system for car-based shooting, but it worked well as a lightweight backpacking / travel system. I will be doing some additional future posts about Italy and discussing some of the great locations we went to.

Nikon D3X Adventures

We are off to Italy for a few weeks and I wanted to travel a bit lighter and do more handheld photography, so I have purchased a Nikon D3x 24 mp camera. I sold my D3 and a few odds and ends on Craigs list to help fund the purchase. I do think the $8k price in the US is very high, so I purchased mine from Robert White in the UK and saved about $1400 by the time it was to my door (why is it so much cheaper in the UK???). It has a UK 2 year warranty, and there appears to be the option of extending it to 3 years. I would have to send it back to the UK for repairs, which is not that big of a deal via fedex. These things are so bomber that I do not anticipate problems. It did come with a UK power plug so I will have to get an adapter to use that in US sockets. I will be taking the 14-24 zoom, the 24-70 zoom, and the 80-400 zoom. I started a series of statue abstracts last time I was in Italy and want to continue this series, so the 80-400 VR should be great for that. I really loved using the D3, the ergonomics and ability to do ultra wide angle shots and low light shots made it a great complement to the Hasselblad H3D. I am not taking the H3D on this trip due to the hassles (no pun intended) of air travel with such big lenses, and the need to do more handheld shooting in Rome. I plan to stitch multiple frames with the D3x to see how they match up to a 40 meg H3D file, so I can create very large prints from the D3x if needed.

I am also trying out the new acratech GP ballhead, the tiny but mighty Gitzo traveller tripod, and the Epson P 6000 photo storage viewer which I will use to backup files from my Macbook Pro 15". The camera and lenses will be carried in the Lowe Pro flipside 400, which is a great pack for urban areas because the zip is in the back where the pack hits your back, making it impossible to unzip & steal stuff while it is on your back. It seems that everything will fit in there, it is a very compact little pack.

I will post updates and images when possible. We are going to Tuscany, the Dolomites, and Rome. Arrivederci!

PMA 09 Report

I was recently able to spend a few days at the PMA trade show in vegas, and came across a few things if interest to fellow landscape photographers:

1. A new company called Clik Elite has introduced a new line of technical camera packs for active photographers.These packs use the same high tech components as the most modern mountaineering packs, making them lightweight and comfortable without the bulk of most camera packs. Their Pro Elite model has a huge capacity (2500 cu.in.) in a low profile pack that would be easy to fit in an overhead airplane bin. REI picked up their line of packs, I hope this startup company from Utah has great success by offering these more modern packs for active photographers.

2. A company called Trek Tech offers a carbon fiber monopod with small tripod legs on the bottom. This seems like a less obtrusive way to stabilize a camera when traveling, particularly in areas where a tripod is not allowed. I am thinking of trying one of these out on an upcoming trip to Italy. While it would not offer the same stability as a tripod, it would be better than handholding and could offer stability with a cable release in a non-windy environment. They fold up into small size to fit easily in luggage.The Trekpod XL carbon fiber would be the way to go, with a much lighter weight than the other models. They also double as a walking stick.

3. Acratech has a new GP Ballhead that weighs less than 1 pound, that can also be used as a gimbal head and as a leveling base for shooting panoramic shots. This seemed like a very sturdy ballhead and a great choice for situations where weight is an issue. We have an earlier model Acratech that we use when we are trying to go very light, I am thinking of upgrading to this model which seems sturdier and has the new features.

4. There was a profusion of digicams - I did not really spend much time evaluating those, with the advent of the smaller dslrs, such as the Sony Alpha 900 that provides 24mp resolution, I cannot see much need to add a digicam to my collection. The Sony Alpha 900 is a very exciting development, and is worth checking out for its compact size and high image quality. As a Nikon D3 user I am also looking forward to trying out the new 24mp D3x - it has the same build as the D3 but the higher resolution is a real plus for landscape photographers. There are situations where a D3 (or D3x) is more functional than using a 40 mp Hasselblad, such as very windy days, extreme weather conditions, and situations where a super wide angle is needed.

5. DIY  Photo Books are exploding onto the market - there was a great display of samples of all the photo books that you can order online. A very impressive sample book was put out by  Embassy Digital. I am thinking that they would be a good company to use to create a prototype of my upcoming book The Changing Range of Light.

6. I stopped by the Photomatix Booth and downloaded their HDR software yesterday. I have done a few new HDR images that I will be posting soon and discussing on this blog. The key with HDR is to not "overcook" images, even though it is tempting....

I will write some PMA updates on new fine art papers and other finds in upcoming posts.