Zenobia In Chains, Study #2

Here is a front view of Harriet Hosmer's "Zenobia in Chains" at the St. Louis Art Museum.  The current lighting on her face is unfortunate, but it works for other details like her crown.  The image here is a faux-Fresson (see an exmple), similar to work by Sheila Metzner and others.  I found an interesting comparison of printing techniques at Durbin Photographics.  I'm still adjusting the technique.  For instance, I'm finding that I'll need to adjust the amount of grain noise for print size.

Technical: Nikon D700, AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.4 G, ISO 1600, Tungsten WB, f/1.4 @ 1/250s, handheld. RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to crop, noise reduction with Nik Dfine, color adjusted with Nik Vivenza and Fresson effect applied with Nik Color Efex Pro.

The center sharpness of the 50mm f1.4 G at f/1.4 is amazingly good.  In fact, it looks as sharp to me as the venerable 50mm f1.8 at f/4.0.  I've seen mixed reviews on NikonGear.com and other Nikon equipment blogs, but I think it is a solid performer.

Black-Eyed Susan with Insect #2

Last summer I posted a version of this photo where the flower and insect were colored a bright red after processing in Lightroom 2 with a split tone preset.  I thought the interpretation was interesting and, amazingly, none of my purist pals caught on that the red color was entirely false.  Armed with a new arsenal of tools from Nik, I thought I'd to the original for another go.  The colors here are fairly close to accurate, except for a little help I gave to the dull brown bug using two Nik Vivenza control points.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4, ISO 200, 85mm @ f/4.0 @ 1/80s, macro mode, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to crop and apply Nikon Landscape camera calibration, the edited in Nik Dfine to reduce noise.  Nik Vivenza was used to color the insect red and adjust structure.  Finally I added noise back for a faux-Fresson effect using Nik Color Efex Pro.
 

Color Management

A couple of years ago I posted a question to this blog asking why my images appeared to have higher contrast when posted here than when viewed in Lightroom and other applications on my desktop. I think I finally know the answer to that question.

I've recently added a second display (NEC P221w) and I've been working to calibrate and profile the new display to match my primary display (Eizo CE210w). After some struggles I think I have the displays set up pretty well but noticed that I'm still seeing oversaturated reds on my website on both displays. As it turns out, what I mistook for higher contrast on this blog was actually a color management issue in the browser.

Most of you will not be affected by this issue because it requires a particular combination of software and hardware:

a color-managed browser (Safari, Firefox)

a wide-gamut display (both of the above are)

Mac OS X ? (I'm not clear at this point about Firefox on Windows)

The bottom line is that color-managed browsers make certain assumptions about the color profiles of images on the web that may not be correct, causing the color to shift in the wide gamut displays.

There's a lot of good information here: http://www.gballard.net/photoshop/srgb_wide_gamut.html

If this problem is of interest to you please pass along any other resources you find.

Malayan Sun Bear

Shot with the new Nikon 80-200 f/2.8. I'm really liking this lens - very useful focal length range and nice rendition of color and out of focus elements. It's heavy but has a good solid feel and nice balance. Don't know how I did without a mid-long zoom for so long...

Nikon D3, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, 1/160 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, tripod.

Utility Pole At Dusk With Moon

The parking lot behind our Grand Center studio provided this addition to my collection, presented here in the manner of a Polaroid transfer. I'm endlessly fascinated by these ubiquitous eye sores. Not sure why... perhaps it is because at casual glance they all look the same, rigid, regimented and uniformly ugly.  Upon closer inspection, however, far from being mass produced, each is intricately hand crafted for a variety of purposes. Somewhere out there, there must be a pole still standing that started life in 1844 holding telegraph wires, followed by lines for phone, electricity, cable TV and finally optical fiber.  At least, I like to think that.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, Auto WB, 70mm @ f/4.5 @ 1/30s, handheld. RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to set Nikon Landscape camera calibration and remove the vignette (+36!) that with the 24-85mm is pronounced at wide apertures and subjects like blank sky.  Further editing in Nik Dfine to reduce noise and Nik Color Efex Pro to apply the Polaroid Transfer style.

Zenobia In Chains, Study #1

One of the more celebrated statues in the St. Louis Art Museum collection is "Zenobia in Chains" c.1859 by St. Louis native Harriet Hosmer.  At the moment, the statue's face is not well lit, but I rather like this back view.  I'm still working on a faux-Fresson appearance that I think suits situations like this.  I think the bokeh here is very painterly.  The new AF-S Nikkor f1.4G is my main museum lens.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4G, ISO 1600, f/1.8 @ 1/500s, custom white balance from a Color Checker Passport (2950K), handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, noise reduction in Nik Dfine, Fresson look created in Nik Color Efex Pro Film style.

Dusk with Barbed Wire

As we were leaving the Grand Center Artist Studios today, Susan and I were greeted with this blazing sky just after sunset.  This picture was taken from the alley behind the building.  I have shots of just the sky, but I like how the barbed wire adds a little something extra.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, auto white balance, 70mm @ f/4.5 @ 1/60s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to apply the Nikon Landscape Camera Calibration, then run through Nik's Dfine, Vivenza and Output Sharpener.    

Venus of SLAM #4

This is my final variation on this bronze stature at the St. Louis Art Museum, this time with Man Ray firmly in mind.  The path here was a bit long, as per technical below.  Susan said, "She looks like she has a skin disease."  That, of course, means I'm on the right track.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8, ISO 1600,  WB - Tungsten, f/3.2 @ 1/200s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, noise reduction in Nik Dfine, edited in Nik Color Efex Pro to apply the "Gold Reflector" style, which pulled up the detail and shifted the color to an overall yellow.  Finally, monochrome conversion in Nik Silver Efex Pro, applying the Antique Solarization style, applied red filter and full strength copper toner effect.

Venus of SLAM #3

This third study of the bronze lady in the St. Louis Art Museum comes from the "Polaroid Transfer" style in Nik Silver Efex Pro.  You can see the effect of mixed lighting, where the primary source is tungsten, but the strong blue highlight on the left is the reflection of the main entrance.  The Polaroid Transfer style mutes the blue highlight color somewhat and fortuitously balances the color with by emphasizing the blue shift of daylight lit wall on the right.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8, ISO 1600,  WB - Tungsten, f/3.2 @ 1/200s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, noise reduction in Nik Dfine, edited in Nik Color Efex Pro Complete using the "Polaroid Transfer" style. 

Venus of SLAM #2

The bronze statue in the main hall of the St. Louis Art Museum presents a number of photographic technical challenges.  First, it is lit by mix of daylight and tungsten that can't be neutralized.  Second, the statue is very dark.  It is hard to see detail with the naked eye.  Finally, tripods are not allowed in the museum (without special arrangements), so multiple exposures for HDR assembly is not a viable option.

Grayscale conversion is an easy fix to the mixed light condition.  To pull out shadow detail in the film days, we'd pick a long toe film, use a filter to adjust tonal contrast, expose for the shadows, shorten development time and do some fancy dodging on a #3 paper.  Here I've done the digital equivalent in Nik Silver Efex Pro.  I started with the Ambrotype style, applied the blue filter to darken the warm walls relative to the bronze, and added a new film stock based on the old Kodak Super XX emulsion.  In this version, I'm trying for an early 1930's Art Deco feel.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8, ISO 1600,  WB - Tungsten, f/3.2 @ 1/200s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, noise reduction in Nik Dfine, monochrome conversion in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Venus of SLAM #1

Picture of a bronze statue just inside the entrance of the St. Louis Art museum made with a Silver Efex Pro style I've been working on that helps make dark subjects pop.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8, ISO 1600,  WB - Tungsten, f/3.2 @ 1/200s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, noise reduction in Nik Dfine, monochrome conversion in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

St. Louis Art Museum by Helicopter

My second attempt with slightly steadier hands. If you ever get a chance to ride in a helicopter with your camera do it immediately. What a rush!

Nikon D90, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 @ 50mm, f2.8, 1/30, ISO 3200 hand held

St. Louis Arch by Helicopter

This was my first attempt at aerial photography - at night no less! I was too excited to focus on composition but thought I'd share. Taken Dec 29th around 6 pm.

Nikon D90, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 @ 31mm, f2.8, 1/20, ISO 3200 hand held

KW Station

This is a considerably more stylized image using Silver Efex Pro. After adjusting in LR 2.6 I used the pinhole camera preset then reduced the effect.

D3, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 145mm, 1/40 @ f/8, ISO 200, tripod.

Silver Efex Pro

My first effort using Silver Efex Pro. Adjusted in LR 2.6 then used the dark sepia preset in SE Pro.

D3, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 120mm, 1/15 @ f/2.8, ISO 200, tripod.

Roman Face Study #2, St. Louis Art Museum

I keep returning to shoot to this ancient Roman bust at the St. Louis Art Museum because it just feels so iconic.  This time, I'm giving our old pal the faux-Fresson treatment and I'm very happy with the result.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4 in macro mode, ISO 400, f/4.0 @ 1/60s, handheld, manual focus.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 first, then in Nik Color Efex Pro to create the Fresson sytle.

Degas Little Dancer with Monet Water Lilies, SLAM

Susan asked that I make this picture, so I must give her art direction credit.  We came upon this scene yesterday as we were walking through the few galleries still open at the St. Louis Art Museum since the expansion project started.  My first few shots were with a 50mm, but they failed to convey the impression one gets because the Monet is too small in the frame.  The picture was made with a 180mm to pull the painting closer to the statue.  A big technical problem here is the mix of tungsten and skylight, which tends to muddy the colors.  Lightroom actually could not fully adjust the color properly without introducing some posterizaton artifacts, so I tried further editing in Nik Vivenza 2.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 180mm f2.8 (Leni lens), ISO 1600, f/2.8 @ 1/200s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 with further editing in Nik Dfine to reduce noise (some was visible in shadows) and Nik Vivenza 2 to tweak color and contrast.  As capable as Lightroom is, I can see the value add of the Nik products.

Infrared Willow #7, Lafayette Park

Revisiting one of my favorite locations, the pond garden at Lafayette Park and the willow tree that shades it.  This image started out as an infrared capture.  I like the technique best when it is not self-consciously infrared, yet still conveys a ghostly feel.  With film, the image making is was relatively straight forward.  With digital infrared, one would seldom want to use the dull red image without manipulation.  Here I'm going for the Ambrotype look from the 1850's.

Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, Cokin Infrared filter P007 (similar to the popular Hoya R72, which I think is close to a Wratten 88a), tripod, 50mm @ f/16 @ 0.7s. RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, filtered through Nik Dfine to smooth some noice, then edited in Nik Silver Efex Pro to apply the Ambrotype custom style.  

Roman Athlete Detail #1, SLAM

Another face from antiquity, name forgotten, but likeness surviving 125 generations so far, this is a detail from a Roman athlete statue at the St. Louis Art Museum.  I'm running out of local antiquities!


Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4G, ISO 1600, f/4.0 @ 1/100s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to adjust white balance, crop 1x1 and apply my variation of Mike Lao's "300" develop preset.

Moon, Before and After Nik Tools

I purchased the Nik Software Complete Collection for Lightroom last night, so I'm revisiting some photos I've already posted here to see if they can be improved with the Nik tools set.  This is picture of the moon from my back yard with an inexpensive Celestron mirror telescope.  While the Newtonian design is free of chromatic aberration, the sharpness, resolution and contrast are very low.  There isn't much that can be done about the resolution, but there are digital tools available to improve contrast and apparent sharpness.

This first image is was processed in Lightroom 2 and improved as much as possible by adjusting contrast and clarity, but still looks muddy due to lack of sharpness.    

Technical: Nikon D700, Celestron Newtonian telescope (1000 mm equivalent), ISO 200,  f/11 @ 1/400s, Zone VI wood tripod with a Gitzo pan/tilt head.  RAW file cropped to 1x1 and adjusted in Lightroom 2.

This version is the result of additional editing in the Nik Software collection, using Nik's suggested workflow.  First, I applied a mild noise reduction with Dfine 2.0, which helped remove some of the "fuzz" characteristic of capture from cheap telescopes.  Next, ran the picture through the Sharpener Pro RAW Pre-Sharpener to improve general sharpness, followed by the "Contrast Only" tool in Color Efex Pro give a slight boost to contrast, brightness and structure.  Finally, I used Sharpener Pro's Output sharpening for "Display".

The Nik tools are no substitute for a good lens, but based on the degree of improvement here, I'll be running more pictures through a similar workflow.
   

Pumpkin Stem Variations

My original idea for this shot was to make a monochrome abstract with a shimmering tonality, similar to the "Rotting Gourd" picture posted earlier, and, after meandering through a number of treatments in Nik software, I settled on this image for printing.
Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, macro mode, ISO 200, 66mm @ f/11 @ 1/400s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, then edited in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

As I explore the trial version of Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Nik Silver Efex Pro, I'm finding that I like the extremely fine control one can exercise after choosing a preset style.  To demonstrate, I thought I'd share the runner up images...

This is a nearly straight image, RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to tune color, adjust to Camera Landscape, dodge the stem shadow and lighten the upper left corner.  It has technically correct color and contrast, but is a rather dull picture.

In Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 there are quite a few style presets that emulate old tricks we used back in the darkroom era to boost detail.  This one is called "Bleach Bypass", which refers to skipping the bleach step during the processing of color negative film, in effect leaving a black and white silver image on top of the color image.  Tight control of the technique was pioneered by Technicolor labs for cinematography and became something of a standard visual cue to signal a flashback.

If you've ever watch CSI Miami, you'll instantly recognize the "Glamor Glow", courtesy Nik Color Efex Pro.  I'm going to stipulate that from now on, all photographs of me are run through this filter.

I deliberately went a little too far with the Nik Color Efex Pro "Film Effects" to make the faux-Fresson style visible in this small size.  The Fresson print is named for Theodore-Henri Fresson, who in 1899 demonstrated a technique for making carbon prints directly on charcoal paper in one step, unlike the earlier multi-step carbon transfer process.  In 1952, the Fresson family introduced a direct color process available only at Atelier Fresson in Paris.  A Fresson print generally looks very grainy with slightly muted pointillist color.  The process caught on with photographers in the 1980's during a brief resurgence of pictorialism, most notably in the dreamy photos by Sheila Metzner and Joyce Turbeville.  Reproductions don't do the process justice.

Finally, here is the Nik Color Efex Pro push button "Polaroid Transfer" style, complete with the characteristic green shift, softly desaturated color, muted focus and slightly ragged edges with a cyan outline.  Perfect!  I can't believe I bought a Polaroid slide copier to make these!

Solarized Iris #1

The flower makes a good subject for pseudo-Sabattier effect experimentation.  The original color version is nearly monochrome yellow and the lighting is flat.  The digital solarization technique introduces Mackie lines that outline the important details.
Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-84mm f2.8-f4 in macro mode, ISO 200, 85mm @ f/4.0 @ 1/2500s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, then edited in Nik Silver Efex Pro to solarize and add film effects.

African Twin Pin, St. Louis Art Museum

This small wood carving from 19th century Africa is has eyes that seem to follow as you walk past it in the basement of the St. Louis Art Museum.  Identical twins have symbolic meanings in most cultures, and I think this piece is supposed to look somewhat sinister.

Who remembers Kodak 2475 High Speed Recording Film?  It had a nominal ASA of 1000 and golf ball sized grain, especially when processed in Kodak HC-110, dilution A.  A number of figure photographers, like Robert Farber and Pete Gowland, used 2475 rated at ASA 1600 and processed in formula DK-50 to shoot nudes.  The extended red sensitivity, grain and low resolution immediately signals a pictorial intent and reduces the need for body make-up.  I've been experimenting with film grain styles in Nik Silver Efex Pro, and I think this picture comes close to the 2475 look.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4G, ISO 800, f/2.0 @ 1/6s, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, then edited in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

St. Louis Art Museum Muse Study #1, Solarized

The St. Louis Art Museum muse to the right of the entrance.  Both of the gals are looking worse for wear these days, suffering from missing bits and a layer of grime.  I hope the statues get some restoration attention as part of the museum expansion.  The solarization effect is a custom style I've developed for Silver Efex Pro.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 G, ISO 800, f/4.0 @ 1/8000s, hand held.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to crop and straighten, then edited in Nik Silver Efex Pro to apply the solarization effect.