Make Light Real

Neil July 18th, 2008

My thanks go out to the Professional Photographers of Ontario for hosting a wonderful half day workshop for their members with me as their speaker at the Ashbridges Bay Yacht club in Toronto.

I was able to present to the group a motivational lecture, an on-location shoot, and an image review and quick post processing example after dinner.  However to extend your experience, I’m going to provide you with some original Canon 1Ds raw files shot that day to try your hand at lab color mode post processing, as well as altering the mood of the photo with a lighting overlay image you can download from the Create Cart:

Have a brand new free texture from me as you check out from the cart - there are a few more free ones and several sets of high resolution texture and lighting files if you are interested.

Now on to the full raw file downloads:

Download Test file one (13mb Canon CR2 raw file): Blue background accentuated by a tungsten gelled main flash, if you weren’t there you can download this screen cast movie file to learn to process your files for rich and vibrant blues : or view this post page on photoshop manipulating the blue in images.  This image would be a fun one to try out the texture - if you try it - post a link in the comments to your blog page, flickr page, or other way to see your results. In this image we use the principles of Make Light Real:

• provide a clear subject - by making the subject brighter than the background
• create compelling color and contrast - by altering the flash color temperature with a gel to warm it
• compose the unexpected - I waited until the boat was in the right place to add the added ’story line’ to the photo

Download Test file two (13mb Canon CR2 raw file): another gelled image of the model on the rock, this is would be a great candidate for the lighting overlay you downloaded from above.

Download Test file three (13mb Canon CR2 raw file): a strong test of balancing the very dark nigerian model with the bright summer sky on the lakefront.

Have your fun with these images and post your versions to the comments and I’ll do my photoshop edits and post back in about a week.

• Free stuff , Hear the Shadows , Inspiration , Motivation , Photography Lighting , Photoshop , Real-light Overlays , Tutorials , Workshop , learning
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Neil June 28th, 2008

Fleeting Instant by Delerium - my pre-wedding inspirational soundtrack

I wake up, put on my face
Identify with the human race
i fall asleep take off my face
somehow the light can’t keep up the pace
don’t be so hard on yourself
you’ve got so much to pull off the shelf
pack it away
then pack it in
life is too short

the airs getting thin

the dying moon compels the arrogant seas
the deathless ‘me of me’ caught up in the tease
you still inspire me though you hurt and deceive
and if you hear me now awake in your sleep

Alleluia
Alleluia

don’t be so hard on yourself
you’ve got so much to pull off the shelf
pack it away
then pack it in
the airs getting thin

the dying moon compels the arrogant seas
the deathless moon caught up in the tease
you still inspire though you hurt and deceive
and if you hear me now awake in your sleep

Alleluia

i go to sleep take off my face
eyes open to the darkness
identify

the dying the moon compels the arrogant seas
a fleeting instant i was led to believe
and what you give so shall you receive
and if you hear me now
AWAKE!

I’m listening to this song on my MP3 player as I get my creative juices started up for the wedding I’m about to shoot.  You can buy the MP3 from amazon here.  Or the whole album with this link…

I think this song is a soothing reminder of how I need to put behind me my human frailties and move into the moment to enjoy it, be inspired by it, and capture it!

• Creativity , Inspiration , Motivation
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Neil June 25th, 2008

FlashFlavor » Blog Archive » more SOL inspiration

Read through for the details and some inspiring photography from Mexico by Matt and Sol.

Note the bending the direction of the sunlight…

I’d particularly like to discuss this second shot.

In terms of “Hear the Shadows” which is now a new category after my teaching experience in the UK reminded me how often photographers have a hard time breaking the barrier to seeing against the norm - to make extraordinary - flavorful images.

Seeing what is happening in the negative space - or shadow space always creates the mood in a photo.

You control the shadows - with the light - you don’t actually create the light…..let it sink in.

Here Sol created an interesting shape by backlighting the bride and side lighting the groom - the comparison of the two shadows is what’s interesting and creating the powerful interest.

I’ll also note that Sol created color contrast with the CTO gel - and split her background space with opposing gradients….the natural light is opposed by the fash, and the wall opposes the sky - very ying-yang  

• Inspiration , Motivation , Photographic Flash
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Neil June 20th, 2008

Episode 22 - Myth of Talent Revisited - The Radiant Vista

The Myth of Talent page at CraigTannerCreative.com

Scientific American Article

Elements for creative success:

1. Massive amount of motivation/do what you love
2. 10 Year Rule of Practice
3. Support: yes you can do this, be around people are positive (surrounding yourself with people that believe you can achieve the highest vision you have for your photography)
4. Get Serious about practice: make it conscious when you practice!
5. There is an area of mystery in an expert - where is the motivation coming from? how do they continue to shatter their own limits?
   1. Belief itself allows you to go beyond your own limits

And this is where the podcast get’s interesting! So keep listening beyond 14 minutes….

• It’s a false assertion that our beliefs are coming from an external fact or source; so many are based on our own opinions or interpretation of that event
• so many of our beliefs are not individual thoughts, they are formed from a belief system: the belief system is an energy form that is incredibly powerful

• Creativity , Inspiration , learning
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Neil May 28th, 2008

YouTube - Joseph Arthur - Can’t Exist

Since I’m in London today….

• Inspiration
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Neil April 27th, 2008

Mind like water is a visual metaphor for a state of being. A nugget I hope you gain from watching this video is quoted “choice is a function of awareness, awareness comes as a function of meditation.”

So if no-one has ever taught you the goal of meditation let me help you “observe things from a place of non-reaction, which does not mean detachment, but means not attached to an outcome.” And this is my personal favorite photographic mode, allowing my own choices to be fully aware and scooping creative power from the natural surroundings….I hope you begin a practice of meditation into your life to help you create with a watchful eye and this article blesses you with the inertia to start that practice.

YouTube - Michael Beckwith - The power of Meditation

• Creativity , Inspiration , Mind Like Water , Philosophy , The Zone , Video , Workshop , how to , learning
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Neil April 25th, 2008

JoeyL Tutorial Review - Behind the Scenes | An American Peyote Scribble

Well, if you haven’t been ‘up’ on a recent internet fad, there was a buz about a Photographer calling himself Joey L…..he was interviewed glowingly by Strobist, and self produced a tutorial DVD to teach others how he produces his shoot. Just so you’re informed on the pop culture behind this review. I’m about to review this review in talking about the creative process….

“This is the first Photoshop tutorial I’ve ever bought, and it was purchased for the following reason: I’ve become comfortable with the basics of Photoshop, using the clone tool for basic corrections, levels and saturation control for various tonal adjustments. Basically using those tools to enhance the feeling I wanted to communicate with the images taken using my cameras. I’ve been looking for a learning package to help me take things to the next level and to expand beyond the basics of enhancing an image and start using Photoshop as a tool to create a specific visual impact with my digital images – beyond what can be accomplished with cameras and basic lighting.”

Now that’s a good reason to get yourself a PhotoShop tutorial. Maybe it’s just cause this guy’s a climber, but he’s definitely articulate and intelligent.

” Did the JoeyL DVD contribute in the aim of fulfilling my creative desires? “

That’s a great question, I sometimes find the same desires in my life as I’m hard pressed for creative time when business tasks take up 90% of my day.

” The creative process was a main draw when I finally sent my credit card info for the DVD, knowing full well that $249 was just dropped electronically. In my opinion a description of the creative process is probably the weak point of the tutorials. “

An American Peyote was disappointed by the DVD - and while I feel for Joey, I’m not surprised that the creativity mark was missed. Why?

While Joey the photographer certainly has a style - it’s a level 6 style - one that is recognizable and marketable. The current trend is in love with anything dark, or low key a little bit pictoral. A style is repeatable, and marketable in a DVD, and powerful enough to convince an intelligent person to spend $249, but real creativity is almost too hard to see. Real creativity hides among the interaction between a self and a medium ….like in Tao 33.

Creativity is a process.

A process of pouring out oneself into a medium: for understanding, for expression, for communication, for documentation.

Technique is a gateway to open up the flow of creativity.

“During the lessons Mr. Lawrence talks through his thinking process in adding various layers and how to do different adjustments. Adding layers and blending and the use of manipulating shadows and adding light to images is well explained. This is exactly what I was looking for, since it shows you how to enhance lighting effects in Photoshop which were absent or difficult to produce in reality.”

But to learn creativity, one must learn to be open.

Evidently the reviewer did open up after watching the video again a few times “In this capacity I’m very happy with my decision to drop $249 on the JoeyL DVD tutorial and would do so again.”

One day I’ll have a DVD worth spending $300 on, that will leave it’s customers open, educated and inspired. But creativity is never something that can be bought, only something that can be initiated or opened as I impact you, or you draw from the universe. I wish a creative blessing for my climber friend, and that JoeyL learns to communicate what wells within him. So let this review remind you as you’re tempted to buy the latest DVD, to instead go out and watch the sun set, feel the grass in your toes or hug your daughter. Open up to the flow, instead of spend your cashflow.

• Creativity , Inspiration , On Art , Photoshop , Reviews , Tutorials , Workshop
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Neil April 24th, 2008

TAO - 33

Knowing others is intelligent.

Knowing yourself is enlightened.

Conquering others takes force.

Conquering yourself is true strength.

Knowing what is enough is wealth.

Forging ahead shows inner resolve.

• Inspiration , Mind Like Water , Quotes , Tao
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Neil April 23rd, 2008

Please join me in a meditation on ancient Hebrew scripture:

Genesis 1

The Beginning

1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2. Now the earth was ^[a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
5. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Well, where to start with all that.

First do you have any potential biases? Have you ever considered the truth contained in Hebrew scriptures? If you can find truth in the oldest spiritual text on the planet - then you might have a chance with a lens too. Clear your mind of any haze of skepticism and find the essence of these scriptures and how they may effect you.

Vs. 1 is an intro - kinda set’s the stage with the most important summary of all. Connect with God and you’ll connect with creativity itself, more on that later.

Vs. 2 - can you actually conceptualize nothingness? Try it - oops - no you can’t do that, because you exist - I kinda see this verse along those lines. A little gotcha joke, that teaches a lesson. Quantum physics is now just learning and informing us that the mind creates the universe……another very tricky catch22, that we all find the answer to when we die.

Vs. 3 - Ok so we’ve tackled some pretty major philosophical hurdles, what’s next? Well we know a few things about light now in the Twenty First century. We admit to knowing less about God so let’s put it together. E=mc² is the best explanation that we have so far. It’s no such thing as why - but a very nice how. Energy, can become matter if it’s moving fast/slow enough. Pretty cool so Genesis has it right, God created ‘light’ and there was matter all nice and tidy in His one substance. Those ancient people knew a bit of something about reality didn’t they! they just communicate it differently than we do.

Now let’s draw some parallels that are important for our craft. God’s first creation he used for our primary interface with the world. I don’t mean to Kinda tricky how he did that eh? We are created to interact with the light. Ponder the multidimensional wonder of that thought for a while since you’ve now realized that light gives us information, as well as creates the substance we inhabit.

But wait, I have to burst that wonderful thought bubble to break in that we don’t actually interact with the light anymore - we interact with the darkness. Yep, you’re responding to the darkness around you. The darkness tells you where your keyboard is; the darkness tells you where the subject in your viewfinder is; the darkness defines color and shape in your photographic prints. The study of visual perception has been around since the Greeks were able to guess that light came into our eyes, and the first photography book that really opened up my mind to understand the intricacy of how we see was Perception and Imaging by Richard Zakias. It is always my first recommendation for those seeking to study photography and understand building a photograph with visual elements.

So here you begin to understand the levels upon which I developed the concept and the motivation for this site - to Make Light Real

As another perspective on light as a key to metaphsyics, you can watch this clip by Bob Proctor

• Color Theory , Creativity , Inspiration , On Art , Philosophy , Photography Lighting , Technical
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Neil February 26th, 2008

Strobist: The Lighting Journey: Where Are You?

That said, I believe that all photographers experience a fairly similar series of growth phases as they strive to improve at lighting. Some people may blow through the phases, while others get to a wall - or comfort zone - and camp there for a while.

Too true, I’d love to show you one photo that blew me through that wall and into ‘the journey’ in earnest.

I shot this one in 2004, in the stairwell of a wedding reception hall in Upstate New York. Overall it was a pretty average wedding, and I was actually tired out and wouldn’t have shot this had not my wife and assistant at the time convinced me that she would do the posing if I did the lighting. So I figured something out, and I shot it - and when Liesl got the magic out of them I nailed it. But I was tired and didn’t think much of the shots until I got home and was able to edit them. Then it really struck me. Wow, still it gives me goosebumps. It’s really a timeless shot, abstracted from all location or context….

…..but it has that mood, and that energy, and style…..

This is when I realized lighting is the key. Lighting is the key to freedom, to speed, to expression in photography. Now not all photographs need be lighting driven, as in my job documentation is important, but getting to art is equally important. This shot drove me to experiment and play until I had learned the essence of lighting.

Strobist defines 7 levels of lighting competency:

1. Available Light is Best
2. Competent On-Camera Flash
3. Overdone Off Camera Flash
4. Experimentation
5. Bag of Tricks - interestingly where he suggests most professional editorial photographers reside.
6. Personal and Unique Lighting Style - financial success is a nice hallmark to have
7. Subject-Driven Light

Level seven is defined by absolute mastery of the craft to the point where it transcends into art on a regular basis. Well that’s very Hebraic numerological of him - ha! But it’s very astute, and I respect him for admitting that his average day is shooting at the ‘bag of tricks’ level - but I don’t think he’s giving himself enough credit for his realization of the craft. It’s only his job restraints that hold his craft down - because if you’ll note, the level six ‘lighting style’ is marked with financial success, it also becomes a necessary step to reach subject driven light for a commercial photographer. Because in reality, selling oneself is the hardest step - not producing art.

However, I think that I can get you to the level seven “Subject Driven Light” within one workshop experience with me. How can you make that claim?

“When you turn that fantasy into a fact, you’re in the position to build bigger and better in fantasies….and that my friend is the creative process.” - The Secret

From there you can then revert to play and experimentation to increase your regularity of reaching the level of art - but you know what it is, you can begin your journey with the end in mind and be motivated by a small taste of nirvana at the workshop. The nirvana of light transforming my vision was what it took for me to look deep enough to find it.

If the answer is what you seek

Then the question you must define.

In my philosophy of teaching, to avoid the cliché ‘do what I do’, and to avoid the pitfall of style, you must reach not for the right answers - but for the right questions.  And when you ask the right questions - the subject will give you the right answers.

And once in a great while, someone seems to transcend this process and become the lighting equivalent of Yoda, able to snatch the X-Wing fighter out of the swamp with the sheer power of will. These guys have no predictability to their lighting other than extreme quality….But very rare is the photographer who is both gifted and versatile to the point where sheer quality and elegance are their only calling cards.

All you need is a jedi photography instructor :-p …..

• Creativity , Inspiration , Motivation , On Art , Photography Lighting , learning
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