Thoughts on Photography

An interesting thread

It's becoming more rare to come across useful information on the dpreview.com forums.  Understandably, the site is essentially a technical site and attracts comments predominantly from Napoleonesque techie-types. 

Well, today, I found a post that almost devolved into the same technical bickering, but was saved by a comment from the original photographic artist in question.  He quickly put all the technical speculation to bed and gave some inspiring insight in creating great photographs...it isn't done in front of the computer. 

Here's the original post.  Look for Marc Adamus' replies to the thread, specifically this one. 

Slade Zumhofe's lesson on Tonal Balance

Recently I featured the galleries of Slade Zumhofe in a "Diamond in the Rough" post.  Since that time, I've had a couple of short online discussions with him that are well worth sharing.   The first of which concerns the concept of "tonal balance". 

When I first saw Slade's work, I immediately knew I was seeing the work of a very skilled photographer.  I remarked on his work as having a mastery of the concept of compositional balance.  As abstract a concept as this can be, his work seems to bring some concrete examples of beautifully balanced compositions. 

Slade's Manito Fog image above for example, has such a perfect visual weight to it.  The huge tree in the foreground with it's converging trunks and root structure is repeated, and balanced with the smaller tree in the background.  Notice how the background tree converges right at the horizon line, giving itself the same grounded feeling as the foreground tree.   This composition didn't happen by accident, and I doubt if it would have the same feel if the camera was moved even a couple of inches in any direction.  This is beautiful compositional balance.

Here I would like to share Slade's comment to my original post about his work:

"I was very impressed what you pulled out of my images....balance.  This is something that I have strived to express each time I create an image.  I get the opportunity twice a year to teach a one day seminar at the local college about "tonal" balance vs. "compositional" balance.  Many photographers work so hard at the compositional balance they forget about tonal balance."

What did he say?  "Tonal Balance?"  What's that?  I asked him to explain more about the concept.  Somehow I knew his answer would explain the very subtle difference between good B&W photography and outstanding B&W photography. 

Here is Slade's reply to my question about tonal balance:

"Well....from my experience, tonal balance is the most difficult thing to teach because there really aren't any rules.  The only method I have found helpful is a "before and after" comparison of images.  When I began photography I was drawn to several photographers work but wasn't sure why.  My images were just as sharp and I felt I had a few that compositionally were just as strong....but mine still lacked something.  The best way to learn and understand tonal balance is by continually looking at others work and seeing exactly what it was they did to create that image/print.  "Examples" by Ansel Adams is a great book for this as well as several books by John Sexton--he gives before and after examples in the back of his books....Bruce Barnbaum also has a book that shows how he interprets his images scalled 'The Art of Photography--An Approach to Personal Expression'.

Tonal balance has more to do with the print than anything else.  It is the pushing and pulling of tones (burning and dodging)--massaging of the tones that are already there.  I'm not talking about drastic changes to an image but it is VERY rare for an image to have that sparkle if printed straight."

Ah Ha!  Now I get it.  Now I can see it.  All of a sudden this light bulb goes on over my head and I am seeing in a entirely new way.  I'm seeing what I saw before, but with more mature eyes.  Tonal balance is the difference between "average looks" and "supermodel looks" (sorry, that's just a poor analogy that came to mind).  It's hard for me to explain, but once you see it, you know.  It's what makes the photographers' work that Slade mentioned stand out.  It's also what makes Slade's work such that I can look at it for long periods of time and see something new each time.

Our discussion continued:

"Compositional balance happens before exposure and tonal balance happens during printing.  I tend to put tonal balance into 3 categories and use them in this order (although I don't necessarily use all three on every image).

The first is correction--we all know film/paper sees tones much differently than the eye/brain does. The first thing I do is correct the overall tone with a contrast adjustment and then a few individual tones that either appear unatural or unappealing.

The second tonal adjustment I do is for "movement". Much the same as one would do compositionally, I try and create movement in the image by slightly altering tones--either darker or lighter--to move the viewers attention around the image. The simplest method of this that most printers do is an edge burn.  By darkening the edges of a print slightly it keeps the viewers attention towards the center of the image.

The last tonal adjust is the most difficult and I call it "visual appeal".  What do I want to say with the image?  What did I feel at the moment of exposure?  Or, what an awfully boring image so what can I do to bring it to life?  There are no rules to this one--I begin by looking at the image as a whole and try to accentuate certain tones and attempt to bring a 3 dimensionality to the image by setting darker tones against lighter tones.  You never know when you are done but you usually know when you have gone too far--the image becomes unrealistic."

Let's revisit the Manito Fog image.  I've asked Slade to comment on this image from the standpoint of tonal balance: 

"I've included the before and after image of Manito Fog for your reference."   

(ORIGINAL IMAGE seen below.  Roll mouse over the image to see the FINISHED IMAGE)

 

"It was a very gloomy day without much in the way of light or shadows.  I do enjoy photographing on overcast days but this was a bit much.  As you can see in the straight print, all the necessary tones are in place and there are some decent blacks and a good deal of light greys.  Normally this is what we are after, but the image really lacked brilliance.

You can see not only is there very little local area contrast, but overall the image is fairly boring-tonally.  The main tree trunk doesn't stand out as much as I remembered against the fog and the left side of the image really lacked anything at all.

I began by giving the image an overall contrast adjustment--equivalent to about a grade 3 paper.  This helped the local contrast but overall the image was still dull.  The main subject--front tree--was not jumping out at me as it had when I was standing in front of it with my camera.  I took the entire tree down about 1 zone and then began dodging all the areas of the trunk that had some form of light on them.  This began "forming" the trunk--giving it shape and visual appeal.  I also lightened the leaves at the very top of the hill to almost bring them together as to appear more of a carpet than individual leaves.  This is how I saw the image at the moment of exposure.

Now begins the third part of tonal balance -- I knew I wanted the background fog to keep its softness, but the left side was very bland.  Holding the image in front of me and squinting -- the whole left side of the image felt too light -- not in tones per say but in tonal weight.  I immediately knew I would need to darken the tree, which would not only help the balance, but give a more 3 dimensional effect as it produces another layer of detail as the viewer moves further into the fog.

As I stood there to take the image, that tree stood out beautifully and had wonderful form.  As you can see in the straight print it gets lost against the other grey forms.  I brought that tree down considerably -- even more so than it really was, but this is the freedom we have as printers.  The image needed that visual weight.

The last step was to move around the image and lightly dodge small sections to give the print some brilliance.  You may notice -- hopefully not before I mentioned it -- that certain leaves in the forground are lighter than they probably should be.  This keeps some interest in the foreground and keeps the viewers eyes moving in that circular pattern I intended."

Slade's thought process with this image reminds me how much more there is to think about beyond just subject choice and composition.  This truly beautiful image has been brought to life by the vision and talent of the photographer, with tonal balance being a key ingredient in the success of the final print.  After this lesson, it is worth another long visit to Slade's galleries to see just how this idea of tonal balance sets his images apart.

I want to personally thank Slade for taking the time to share his thoughts here.  He's a very busy bank executive along with being a terrific photographer.  In the middle of a very busy time, he made the effort to answer my inquiries in depth.  His generosity is much appreciated. 

Free Photoshop Video Tutorials? You've got to love the internet!

More frequently now than ever, I run across great informational websites having to do with photography.  One doesn't have to look far to find in-depth reviews of camera equipment, software, and post-processing techniques.   

Being a firm believer in becoming the best Photoshop user you can, I thought I'd share a great new website I found last week in addition to one I've know about for some time.  Both offer video tutorials for learning useful photoshop techniques.  And even better, both are FREE! 

The first, designed with the photographer in mind, is one I found last week based out of the UK called PhotoshopWalkthrough.com.  This is a gem of a website, started about one year ago, with great Quicktime movies showing Photoshop techniques in action.   

The second is made by the people who run NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) and includes tutorials and tips for both photographers and graphic artists.  These videos include the big names of the Photoshop "How To" books like, Scott Kelby. You will find this site at PhotoshopTv.com.

Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and be amazed that this quality of material is available for free. 

Online Photo Courses...are they worth the money?

Over the last 2 years, I have participated in 8 online photo courses.  Given that these courses can cost between $300-$400 USD each, it's not something many people would do without a little research.  I mean, heck, you can buy some decent photo equipment instead, right?  So for those considering one of these courses, I thought I would share my experiences.   

The websites where I took these classes are www.betterphoto.com and www.ppsop.com. These courses are taught by professional photographers (people who make a living with photography).  My class topics ranged from image design, to photoshop techniques.  The courses I have taken are:

• Beyond the Postcard - Taking Memorable Travel Photos with Brenda Tharp
• Understanding Exposure with Bryan Peterson
• Photographers Toolbox for Photoshop #1 with Lewis Kemper
• Photographers Toolbox for Photoshop #2 with Lewis Kemper
• Mastering Light with Jim Zuckerman
• Street Photography with Susan and Neil Silverman
• Image Design -Revealing Your Personal Vision with Tony Sweet
• Controlling Weather & Mastering Light in Photoshop with Danilo Piccioni

Course Format:
Most courses are 8 weeks in length (although some are 4 weeks and some last for a full year).  Each week you are given an assignment and required to submit work according to that assignment.  For non-photoshop courses, this usually requires you to submit 3 or more photos according to the theme of the assigment. For example, you may be required to shoot and submit 3 photos that utilize the rule of thirds as a design element of the image. 

For photoshop courses, your assignment often includes a photo to work with to learn the processing techiques of the assignment.  You are also encouraged to use the same technique on one of your own photos. The photoshop courses at PPSOP are now including downloadable video files showing the instructor applying the techniques of each week's lesson.  (I'm not aware if Betterphoto classes are doing this yet). 

Instructor Critiques:
Your instructor gives you feedback each week on your image submissions.  This is where the real value lies.  For an eight week course, you are going to receive critiques from a professional photographer on more than 20 of your own images.  In addition, you will get to see the insructor's critiques on your fellow students' photographs.  It is this cumulation of critiques that brings value that can't necessarily be achieved by just reading a book about photography.  Over the course of 8 weeks, you are exposed to approximately 300 professional critqued images. 

Because the instructor often has many images to critique, they usually hit just the highlights of why an image is working or not working.  If you would like further detail, you just ask.  I can't emphasize enough that the true value of the class is the cumulative effect of the instructors comments on all images.  You will eventually find yourself almost predicting how an instructor will comment on fellow students' images when they are initially uploaded.  When you are able to do this, and you are right, you confidence will build as a photographer.

Sample Critiques:
For an example of the types of critiques to expect, here are a couple of critiques I received this week from Tony Sweet on images submitted for the Image Design course: 

Assignment: Capturing Mood
Tony Sweet's Comment:
The foggy layers in the distance are quite nice, but the black foreground is too much. Minimizing the dark foreground, using a grad ND filter, or shooting two shots (one of the foggy area, which is fine, and a properly exposed foreground) and then blending them in PS is another alternative to bring detail into the foreground.

 

Assignment: Capturing Mood
Tony Sweet's Comment:
The early morning misty street scene with the solitary couple is outstanding, capturing a wonderful mood. Very well composed with the frame divided 1/3:2/3 with the couple placed in the extreme lower portion of the frame. An excellent lesson illustration and a Photo of the Week!!

 

Each instructor has their own style, and some are defintely more detailed and unforgiving (you want this) than others.  My favorite instructor to date is Tony Sweet over at Betterphoto.com.

 

Other Good Stuff:
In addition to receiving thought provoking assignments and critiques, each course offers a Questions & Answers board that functions as a great forum for both the students and instructors.  Here you'll find discussions about equipment, technique, post processing and more.  If you have a photographic question, this is your chance to ask a professional photographer.  I've found all my instructors very willing to share their personal and professional experiences.

One final element of participation in these online classes that I have found challenging and entertaining is the opportunity to enter you photos into a monthly contest.  Specifically, I'm speaking of Betterphoto.com.  Each month they have a contest with mutiple themed categories into which you can enter your photos.  Over 20,000 images are entered into the contest each month.  From there the judges (photo instructors) usually choose 800 "Finalists".  Then a few days later the Winners are finally voted on and posted.  Any image that makes it to the finalist catetory is a good image.  The Winners are broken down into three categories:

Grand Prize winner (the top pick of the 20,000 image submitted)
First Place winner (the top pick in each category)
Second Place winner (the top 10 runner-up images for each category)

These winners receive prizes that vary from a free website, to a camera bag.  More importantly though, I've found these contests to be a good gauge of technical skill and creativity.  When I first started, I struggled to get a photo in the Finalist rankings.  As my skills improved, I've had more success.  I've had a number of 2nd place winners and even one Grand Prize winner.   For this, they have given me a free gallery.   Heck, it's just cool to see that little award icon under your image.  Here's my most recent contest winner. 

Conclusion:
The single most important area for improving your photography is developing your ability to "see".  Seeing starts before you even lift the camera to you eye and it continues into the modern darkroom (Photoshop).  It's hard to place a value on these abstract concepts.  However, I can think of nothing else I have done that has improved my photography more than taking these classes. 

Online photo courses are like a modern form of apprenticeship.  Many of these photographers have themselves studied under the masters of photography.  Why not learn from them?   By the time the class is finished, you might just find yourself wanting to take another. 

Feel free to email me if you would like more specific information about any particular class or instructor.