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Archive for March, 2007
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
As more and more people are discovering, digital photography opens the floodgates for lots and lots of picture taking. There was a time when I wanted to take more photos, but cost of film and developing, plus the hassle of dropping off, picking up and dealing with tons of prints or slides kept my shooting sporadic at best. These days I find I have the opposite problem. My camera goes along with me pretty much everywhere and I can shoot when the conditions aren’t perfect or just to experiment and have fun without concern about the cost, piles of slides building up or guilt for being wasteful. The recent explosion of very accomplished digital photographers is testimony to how many people are shooting a ton and getting good quickly.
All this prolific creativity does have its downsides, the most common being trying to manage and organize gigabytes worth of image files that are overflowing your hard drives. Without an image management system you will soon have a photo collection that is about as useful as a library in which all the book pages have been torn out and stored in a large pile in the center of the room. There are unlimited systems that could work well for indexing and organizing large quantities of image files. There isn’t one correct way to do it, just as long as you find a system that works for you and you actually put it to use.
My system is by no means perfect, but I generally make good use of my hard drive space and can find images without too much effort. Here are my top 10 tips for managing a digital photo collection.
1. Download images from your camera to your computer often. After months or years of sitting on your memory card in your camera, images are more likely to be forgotten and deleted to make more space when the card fills up. I usually download images after any photo session and then format the card so it is empty for the next photo session.
2. Initially put images in “delete and edit” folders. I have about ten numbered “delete and edit” folders into which I download images right from the camera. I know that images in these folders are awaiting processing and require my attention before they can be filed away into my larger archiving system. If I put images directly into my filing system then I forget they are there and never do any deleting or editing.
3. Be merciless about deleting images. Before moving images out of your “delete and edit” folders to your filing system, trash can any image that isn’t great, isn’t sentimental, isn’t useful or has one or more close duplicates. There is a tendency to save every single image we take. Be strong and hit the delete button on all images that won’t stand the test of time. It is also a good idea to go back through your filing system from time to time and further purge photos. You’ll save tons of memory space in the long run and you won’t have to search through so many dogs to find your winners.
4. Leave the original images unchanged and save any cropped or enhanced photos under a new name or file type. If you are going to do any enhancing to your photos, such as color adjustments, cropping or other “Photoshopping”, make sure to save the enhanced “master” version with a slightly different filename so you don’t make permanent changes to your original image. You never know when you might want to go back to the original. Way back in the day I made the mistake of downsizing a bunch of images for email and saving them as originals, not as copies. Later I wanted to make enlarged prints only to find that the shrunken images no longer had enough resolution. I also save my “master” files as .tif or .psd (Photoshop document) files that don’t further compress the image. .jpg files are good for images you are prepping for email or web because they are smaller. But each time a .jpg is saved, the image gets compressed again and loses some quality so it isn’t a good option for your “master” copy. If an original file from my camera is called IMG_4562.jpg, then I would probably save the enhanced copy as IMG_4562.tif, or IMG_4562copy.tif or IMG_4562crop.tif. I keep the same image number in the file name instead of giving it an entirely new name so I can always trace my “master” images back to their originals.
5. Use a piece of image browsing software like Bridge in Adobe Photoshop or a stand alone application like ACDsee to rank images and place them in categorized folders. Once you have done all the enhancing you’re going to do for the time being, it is time to move your images out of the “delete and edit” folders into your greater filing system so that you can find them again when you want them. Software designed for this purpose makes it fast and easy to create and name folders, move photos from folder to folder, rename photos and rank them in various ways for easy sorting and locating down the road.
6. Create a hierarchical folder filing system. Mine is based on geographical location and/or main subject matter. Dates and numbers don’t work well for me because it is difficult to pinpoint any one image to the date it was taken or to an unrelated folder number. In my system a folder path leading to a certain image might go something like this: Landscapes>Mountains>Oregon Cascades>Mt. Jefferson. Within the final Mt. Jefferson folder are…you guessed it…photos of Mt. Jefferson. In addition to “Mountains” my top level “Landscapes” folder also contains folders for Lakes, Deserts, Rivers, Valleys and so on.
7. Create as many subfolders as needed so there are never too many images in one folder. Instead of putting all 700 of my mountain photos in one huge “Mountains” folder, I break it down by mountain range and then by specific peak if necessary.
8. Use your image management software application to add keywords to your image metadata. This can be time consuming and tedious so I only recommend it if you plan on having many thousands of images in your archives. However, if you do, it can be a savior. Let’s say you have an image of a snow-covered mountain in winter. At the time you decide it fits better in the “Winter” folder instead of in the “Mountains” folder and a year later you’re pulling your hair out because you can’t find it. If you have added keywords that describe the image you can do a search for one or more of those keywords and let your computer quickly locate the image for you.
9. Use a back up system so if you have a hard drive crash all your photos are not lost. See my post on back up systems by clicking HERE.
10. For your best photos create one finished “print ready” file and then use that to size or crop for various uses. Don’t save multiple “master” versions of the same photo. It gets too confusing trying to keep track of them and it takes up memory. In a future Photo Tips feature I will explain preparing images for printing, email and other uses from your “master” in more detail.
Posted in Digital Image Editing Tips, Digital Photography Tips | No Comments »
Saturday, March 24th, 2007
Last week I took the Eurovan on a road trip to southeast Oregon to do some photography in the Alvord Desert on the east side of Steens Mountain. Talk about some remote country. There are only about four public roads in all of Harney County. From the town of Fields (population less than 20?) on the south end of Steens Mountain to Burns, the county seat, one must drive for two hours on a paved road along the western side of Steens or three hours on a dirt road along the east side of Steens. Either way you pass through only one town not any larger than Fields. One day I drove the entire loop and saw fewer than ten other cars the entire day.
Steens Mountain is actually just one fault block mountain but because it stretches from north to south for so many miles it is often mistaken for an entire range of mountains. From the west it gently slopes up making it look like a large hump in the desert landscape. Then the eastern slope abruptly drops nearly a mile to the Alvord Desert below. Viewed from the east Steens looks very impressive.
The Alvord Desert, named after an old ranch in the area, is an alkali flat that once was a shallow lake. The ground in the flat is, as the name implies, completely level and devoid of any plant life or other features for 100 square miles. It is very similar to the Black Rock Desert where the Burning Man festival is held each year.
Part of the time I focused on taking wide landscape photos of the cracked surface of the Alvord Desert with Steens Mountain as a backdrop. Stormy, dynamic or otherwise dramatic skies and sunset or sunrise light are critical elements in interesting photos here since there is very little else to place in a composition. Unfortunately, with the lowest rainfall totals in Oregon, the skies are often clear. But, when there is moisture in the sky it is often pushed up the west slope forming wave shaped lenticular clouds similar to those on the east side of the Sierra.
There are also several hot springs in the area that are fun to explore and photograph. On the northwest side of Steens is the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that sees many thousands of migrating water birds each spring and fall. Not far from there is the French Round Barn, one of the last remnants from Pete French’s 19th century cattle empire. During the middle of the day the interior of the barn makes for some interesting photography. Soft light reflects in the open doors gently illuminating the intriguing geometric patterns created by the umbrella shaped roof structure.
The town of Frenchglen makes a great staging point for driving and hiking trips up the western slope of the Steens. The road is closed by snow in the winter and spring, but in the summer, the views from the top are great. There are several glacier-carved gorges that can be accessed by hiking from the Steens Loop Road.
Posted in Photography Travel Journal | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 16th, 2007
In April of 2007 I made a solo trek through four valleys in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. While part of the country of Nepal, this region is largely populated by the Sherpa people, who practice Tibetan Buddhism and whose ancestors are Tibetan. The Chinese occupation of Tibet over the last half century has made practicing traditional Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet very difficult, restricted and often dangerous. In 1959, in the face of growing danger from the Republic of China, the Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India . As the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama has been leading his government in exile and working for peace and the freedom of Tibet ever since. Thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns have also fled Tibet to practice in peace in other parts of the world. Being close to Tibet, both geographically and culturally, the Mt. Everest region is a desirable place for refugee Buddhist monks and nuns to come to. Monasteries are found in many of the villages in the region and carry out their traditional roles as an integral part of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
While trekking through the small village of Thamo in a valley to the southwest of Mt. Everest I came across a partially constructed monastery. The lama in residence was glad to give me a tour. The monastery is being built to house a group of Buddhist nuns who have been worshipping in the village for some years and have outgrown their space. As funds are raised, construction on the new monastery goes forward. The project has been underway for several years and several more years are needed before completion. In the meantime the nuns have been conducting their daily practices in a very small hut that used to be a schoolroom. I was allowed to observe their ceremony and, for a donation to the construction effort, encouraged to take photos. The young nun in the photo is a Tibetan refugee who had first studied in the south of India and had recently moved to the Thamo monastery. During their puja, or ceremony, she never stopped chanting but was very curious about the blond foreigner with the camera. Her inquisitive gaze followed me around the room while many the older nuns continued chanting as if I wasn’t there.
1/50 sec at f/5.6
ISO 1600
Canon 5D
28-135 mm lens
More…
Posted in Featured Photos, Photography Travel Journal | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 8th, 2007
Recently, two of my images were honored in juried photo competitions. The photos “Dark Places” and “Confetti” were both printed in the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA) publication called Expressions. Confetti was one of 100 showcase winning images chosen from over 3,000 photos by 418 photographers. It is also featured in the Expressions showcase on the NANPA website.
“Dark Places” was also just selected for the “Top 40″ juried competition to be exhibited at the Los Angles Center For Digital Art (LACDA). The LACDA Gallery is locted on “gallery row” in down town LA and will run the show March 8-31.
Posted in Events, Photography Journal | No Comments »
Thursday, March 8th, 2007
Ever since the days of three time Tour de France winner, Greg Lemond, I have been a European cycle racing fan. I also enjoy getting out on my bike as much as I can and even riding in some organized centuries and local races. Now and again I even photograph local road and mountain bike races, finding that the quick thinking and response time required for action photography is a nice break from landscape work. I have a dream about one day following the Tour de France or one of the other grand European pro tours and capturing classic shots of the peleton riding through the Alps or fields of sunflowers.
At the end of February this year I had the opportunity to do the next best thing, and just a few hours drive from my home. Along with some other local cycling enthusiasts I drove down to the San Francisco bay area to follow the first few stages of the Tour of California. In only its second year, the tour attracted over 1.6 million viewers along it’s 650 mile, eight day course which starts in San Francisco and winds its way through wine country and along the coast, ending in Long Beach. It brought together the most distinguished selection of riders to ever compete on US soil. In addition to many strong national teams, nine of the biggest Euro pro tour teams showed up. If you follow the Tour de France, then teams like Discovery, CSC, Rabbobank, Gerolsteiner and Credit Agricole as well as riders like Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie, Ivan Basso and Paulo Bettini will ring a bell.
I mostly went to be a spectator, but couldn’t resist bringing the camera gear along to try my hand at shooting some world-class cycling action. While I didn’t have access to a motorcycle escort or a media helicopter like the great cycling photographer, Graham Watson, does, I was pleased by how accessible the event was to spectators and photography enthusiasts like myself. In most US professional sporting events, the spectators are confined to stadium seats and may only get within binocular range of the action. But as European cycling enthusiasts are well aware, in road racing the competition is held on public streets and highways where fans can line the course and cheer on their favorites from just inches away.
I traded off using a Canon 20D fitted with a 70-200mm telephoto zoom for distant shots with a Canon 5D fitted with a 16-35mm lens and a camera mounted flash for shooting the riders when they were so close I could touch them. For most shots I tried to maintain a shutter speed of at least 1/800 of a second to freeze the motion. Slower shutter speeds, panning and fill flash can also be used to create some fun motion blur effects to create the sensation of speed.
I followed the first three days of the tour. With a little map work I was able to shoot the race from one pre-scouted location along the course and then drive to the finish city ahead of the riders and capture the action at the end of the stage. It was as fun and exiting as I imagined it would be. Next year I hope to be able to be there for the entire eight days. Then I’ll be ready for a European grand tour. If anyone knows of a motorcyclist with a press pass to the Tour de France and who happens to be looking for a photographer, give him my number.
To check out some of the race photos on my stock site click HERE.
To see a more complete selection of images from the race log on HERE.
Posted in Photography Journal, Photography Travel Journal | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
I have trouble getting inspired to take photographs in the winter even though there is often the most interesting light and fog, snow and ice can create the most mystical settings. In early February I forced myself out of bed at 4:30 AM for a drive over the Cascade mountains to Rocky Point on Klamath Lake. In the early dark I could tell it was overcast, but the weather is often more clear on the eastern side of the mountains, so I kept going. By the time I reached the pass it was raining steadily and I almost turned around. Arriving at Rocky Point in the dim early light Everything was grey and wet. I decided that as long as I was there that I might as well do some location scouting and held out a little hope that the rain would stop. After an hour of driving down backroads I came accross a group of aspen trees engulfed in a tangle of willows. It was still raining, but I was able to park my vehicle on the side of the road so that I could line up my tripod with the trees from under the protection of the uplifted hatchback. For a few minutes some faint sun was able to filter through the clouds giving the scene some needed warmth. Even still, the rain kept spotting my lens. I was able to keep everything reasonably dry for about ten shots, of which I like this one the best.
Canon EOS 5D
EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens
Gitzo Mountaineer Carbon Tripod
More…
Posted in Featured Photos | No Comments »
Monday, March 5th, 2007
Finding the right projector for presenting digital images can be tricky. There is a lot to discuss. The March 2007 issue of Outdoor Photographer Magazine just ran a several page article on digital projectors for photographers. I would recommend seeing if you can find a copy.
There are three main technologies used in digital projection LCD, DLP and LCOS. LCD projectors use transmitted light while DLP and LCOS projectors reflect light off of an array of thousands of microscopic mirrors. LCD projectors tend to have very good color saturation and image sharpness, but the image is broken into small visible squares or pixels. DLP projectors have a very seamless image with no apparent pixels. Both projectors have improved dramatically in recent years and either can offer a great image for projecting photos. LCOS projectors offer the best of both worlds with great color and sharpness and no square grid pattern. The trade off here is cost and larger, heavier equipment.
I have a Canon Realis. They have the highest resolution and best color on the market due to their LCOS projection system but they are also quite expensive ($3000 – $5000). There are many good LCD and DLP models out there for much less. When comparing projectors there are some key characteristics to consider. Contrast ratio is important. Look for 400:1 or 500:1 for an LCD projector (higher is better). For DLP projectors a contrast ratio of 2000:1 is good. How many lumens you need is another consideration. If you plan to use it in a completely dark room then fewer lumens (1000 to 1500) is OK. If you want to show during the day or in lighted rooms then you need more lumens (2000 or more). For good photo sharpness you want as much resolution as you can afford. Stay away from VGA (640×480 pixels) and SVGA (800×600 pixels). If you can afford XGA (1024×768 pixels) or SXGA (1280×1024 pixels) you will get a much sharper picture.
As a starting point you might want to Google the Canon LV-X6, Epson PowerLite 76c, ViewSonic PJ400 and the Sony VPL-EX3. The best way to decide on a projector is to go somewhere you can actually see and compare the projected images. However, most electronics stores like Best Buy or Circuit City tend to carry mostly home theater projectors or business presentation projectores. The former generally use wide screen format and are optimized for showing video and not still images with crisp detail. The latter are often lower resolution and best for showing large graphics, clip art and limited colors.
I almost always project images and multil media shows directly from my computer’s hard drive. If you want to play from DVD you have a few options. You can play from your desktop computer’s DVD player if you will alway be projecting at home. If you need to be portable, you can project from a laptop computer or you can use a dedicated DVD player to project images on DVD. If you are planning on creating slide shows with music, fades and titles then you will need some sort of editing software that can create the show. Microsoft Windows Movie Maker works pretty well for basics and comes with the system software in new PCs. Adobe Premier or Apple’s Final Cut Pro are top of the line. You will also need some sort of sound system as well. If you plan on only projecting from your home then everything is much easier. You can set up a permanent home theater with good sound and the size and weight of the equipment isn’t so crucial. If you want to take it on the road, then a laptop, small sound system and portable screen are essential.
Posted in Digital Photography Tips, Photography Equipment | 2 Comments »
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