Trisha Bradshaw - HDR Dark City Variations

At long last, I worked through the details of applying the HDR tone mapping I used for architecture, which adds turquoise to mid tones and yellow to highlights, to people without making them look monstrous.  Trisha Bradshaw is standing on the fire escape for the Grand Center Artist studios, with makeup by Sarah Lynn and styling by Susan Page.  The base shot at the bottom of this post was processed in Nik HDR Efex for single image tone mapping, which I softened quite a bit with the Glamor Glow tool in Nik Color Efex Pro.  The acid wash border came from PhotoFrame Free.

From "Dark City" to "Sin City", the Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 has a new selective tone feature for control points, which allows dialing some original color back in.

This picture is from the Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 "Yellowstone 2" preset, which looks like an old print from Polaroid PN 55 or the high contrast night shots Helmut Newton produced in the early '70s.  

Here is the un-varnished picture, straight out of Nik HDR Efex.  It isn't all that rough now that I look at it.

This is the straight shot, before the grunge processing.    

For reference, here is a processed "Dark City" architecture shot I'm trying to match.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/60s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	D700 built-in flash
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios GPS
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 23, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - Bond Girl in Dark City Variations

 It took nearly a week to find the right balance of grunge, but I finally got 'round to processing Trisha Bradshaw's Bond girl into the Dark City series.  This picture is straight out of Nik HDR Efex Pro using a custom single image tone mapping I call "Dark Vintage".  Many thanks to Trisha, makeup artist Sarah Lynn and Susan Page.

This is the base image, color corrected in Lightroom 3 and level adjusted in Photoshop CS5.

So how could I resist the new "Film Noir 1" preset in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, with green filter and blue/sepia split tone.

Exploring the new selective color tool in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, with dark blue toner and green filter, Trisha becomes something of a vamp.

Working the night shift for "CSI Miami" thanks to Nik Color Efex Pro.

And finally, a gritty Fresson from Nik Color Efex Pro.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/60s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Ambient night plus on camera flash
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 25, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - 80s Portrait Variations #2

This final picture from our 2/19 shoot with model Trisha Bradshaw and makeup artist Sarah Lynn goes for Hollywood glamor, '80s style.  This monochrome was created in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, using a new preset I made just for portraits.  Trisha's right arm, which you'll see in the shots below, didn't read quite right in this version, so I took it out with Photoshop.  The blue/sepia split tone was applied in Lightroom 3.

This is the base picture, color corrected in LightRoom 3, spotted, leveled and lens corrected in Photoshop CS5, noise reduction in Nik Dfine, treated with Nik Sharpener Pro and brightened in Nik Vivenza.

It would not be the '80s without a nod to Sarah Moon and Sheila Metzner with a Fresson image made with a custom preset in Nik Color Efex Pro.

And of course, the who can forget medium format, warm toned prints by Bruce Webber?  Nik Silver Efex Pro at work again, using the Ilford Pan-F 50, green filter and coffee toner settings.

And finally, the look of 6cm x 4.5cm Kodachrome 64 Professional and a B+W black net filter printed on Cibachrome.

I'd like to thank one more time Sarah Lynn, Trisha Bradshaw and Susan Page for lending me their talents for a few hours last Saturday.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4.4 @ 1/30s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Single Calumet Quattro beauty with 5500K fluorescent bulbs
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 23, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - 80s Portrait Variations #1

With a slight change to the lighting and wardrobe, model Trisha Bradshaw enters the '80s with makeup by Sarah Lynn and styling by Susan Page.  The starting image is the last in this set.  This split tone monochrome was made in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, which just released today.  I used a using K2 yellow filter, Agfa 100 film type and blue/sepia split tone.

Sheila Metzner and Sarah Moon rediscovered the Fresson printing process and gave it a resurgence in the '80s.  This was made from a preset I made in Nik Color Efex Pro starting in the film section.

Before there was "CSI Miami" there was "Miami Vice", which also added a warm glow to every scene.  This picture comes from a custom "CSI Miami" preset in Nik Color Efex Pro's Glamor Glow.

A cliche that started in the '80s was to include the edges of the film.  The effect here comes from the OnOne Photoframe Free, a Photoshop plug-in.

Another common treatment from the '80s was the practice of filing a larger opening in the enlarger carrier, which allowed printing the full frame and gave a small black smudge around the edge.  A new feature of Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 is a random frame effect.  This picture was made using a green filter, Agfa 100 film and coffee toner.

This picture is the basis for the rest.  To get to this starting point, I used this typical (for me) workflow:

1. In Lightroom 3, balance color using X-Rite Color Checker Passport, crop, minor dodge & burn and clarity adjustments.
2. Open in Photoshop CS5 for levels adjustment, spotting, resizing, etc.
3. Pass through Nik Dfine in auto mode.
4. Use Nik Viveza to adjust brightness, contrast and structure.  I lowered overall structure slightly, then pulled it back up with control points on Trisha's eyes and mouth.
5. Back in Lightroom 3, I added some black and boosted recovery.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/15s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Single Calumet Quattro beauty with 5500K fluorescent bulbs
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 23, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, Nik Color Efex Pro

Questions for Nik Users

I've had a few days to work with the Nik Complete Edition for Lightroom, primarily Color Efex and Silver Efex, and I'm finding some really useful enhancement tools - the Pro Contrast tool is killer.

The user manual can be hard to understand, partly because it covers both the PS and LR/Aperture editions. So I have some questions about using the tools:

1. In Color Efex, is it possible to apply multiple filters to an image? Or is this an advantage of the Photoshop edition? I can see now how convenient it would be to place each filter in it's own layer...
2. Is there anyway to track which filter(s) have been applied to a particular file? I create a lot of files while experimenting and need a way to know how they've been altered. Do you use metadata for this? or is there a better way?

I hope these aren't *really* dumb questions, and advice will be much appreciated...

Trisha Bradshaw - 70s Portrait Variations #3

This third installment of '70s style portraits with model Trisha Bradshaw and make-up by Sarah Lynn begins with a natural color shot.  The processing started in Lightroom 3 for color adjustment based on the X-Rite Color Checker Passport, using the +1 portrait square with the eye-dropper.  Lightroom also cropped, added black and reduced clarity.  In Photoshop CS5, I adjusted levels, applied lens correction and did some clone tool type spotting.  Finally, Vivenza lowered brightness, boosted contrast and control points increased structure on the eyes and mouth.

The Fresson look was made in Nik Color Efex Pro.

Finally, the monochrome was made from the top picture in Nik Silver Efex Pro, using Agfa 100 stock, a K2 filter and coffee toner.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/13s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Single Calumet Quattro beauty with 5500K fluorescent bulbs
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 23, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - 70s Portrait Variations #2

Leading with the Fresson print this second '70s style Hollywood portrait of model Trisha Bradshaw, with makeup by Sarah Lynn, executed in the manner of Skrebneski and David Bailey.  The top three pictures all started with the bottom shot followed by removal of the hand in Photoshop.  This picture was made with a Fresson preset I made for Color Efex Pro.

This monochrome was made in Nik Silver Efex Pro using the Agfa 400 film preset and the orange filter.

This gum print look was made in Nik Silver Efex Pro using a preset I made called "Grainy Nude".  

And finally, the straight shot after some minor clean up and levels adjustment in Photoshop CS5.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/13s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Single Calumet Quattro beauty with 5500K fluorescent bulbs
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 22, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - 70s Portrait Variations #1

Channeling the style Victor Skrebneski used in the '70s for celebrity portraits, where he dressed everyone from Bette Davis to Orson Welles in the same black turtleneck, this picture was made with my collaborators, makeup artist Sarah Lynn, model Trisha Bradshaw and stylist Susan Page.  Pulling off this seemingly simple portrait sitting was actually fairly involved.  The picture above is exactly the look we aimed for.  Nik Silver Efex Pro made the conversion based on the color picture below, and the lower left detail was removed in Photoshop CS5.

The shot above is the starting point for all the variations.  Processing involved basic Lightroom 3 workflow adjustments, like color balance, cropping and some burning in, followed by levels adjustments in Photoshop CS5.  Next came contrast and brightness fixes in Nik Vivenza and adding a touch of crispness with Nik Sharpener Pro 3.  Note Trisha's wrist and chair highlight in the lower left corner.  I kind of like the balance it brings, but can see where it would be distracting.  Any opinions?

The Fresson print look is courtesy Nik Color Efex Pro.  This might be my favorite version.

It is pretty easy to hit the button for "CSI Miami" preset I made for Nik Color Efex Pro, so I usually do just to see what it looks like.  Trisha picked up a bit of tan this trip South.

Finally, back to Silver Efex Pro to apply my "Grainy Nude" preset.  The idea is to look like a gum print, and I think it comes pretty close.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/13s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Single Calumet Quattro beauty with 5500K fluorescent bulbs
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 21, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - HDR Bond Girl Test

 This single image HDR test, starring model Trisha Bradshaw and makeup by Sarah Lynn, is an homage to the Connery-era Bond Girl.  Both Trisha and Sarah nailed the concept.  The picture got single image HDR tone mapping in Nik HDR Efex using a preset I named "Realistic Nude", followed by levels and curves adjustment in Photoshop CS5.

The first shot looked a little "catalog clean" to me, so I took it through processing in Nik Color Efex Pro to make it look like a Fresson print.  I think the grain makes the tie to the '60s stronger.

The monochrome was processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro using my "Grainy Nude" preset.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/13 @ 1/60s, Daylight WB, RAW
Lighting:	Single Broncolor head and small Chimera Super Pro bank
Support:	Gitzo Basalt tripod w/Acratech GP head and RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 19, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - The Blue Light

Starring model Trisha Bradshaw, with make-up by Sarah Lynn, this picture's processing is inspired by the haunting, innovative photography of the 1932 film, "The Blue Light", directed by the amazing Leni Riefenstahl.  There were quite a few steps involved for this picture, which used Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Vivenza, Nik Sharpener, Nik Dfine, Nik Color Efex Pro and finally Nik Silver Efex Pro.  

This color picture is the step before the monochrome conversion.  I find that a modified version of the Nik Color Efex Pro "Glamor Glow" effectively emulates look of film before anti-halation backing was invented.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4.5 @ 1/15s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	1 Calumet Quattro beauty and 1 Flashpoint bank with 5500K fluorescent lights
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 20, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw #2 - Metropolis Lighting

Model Trisha Bradshaw, with make up by Sarah Lynn, sat for this picture made with a simple two light glamor setup that was commonly used in 1920s German cinema.  Most of the close-ups in Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis were lit like this.  Processing for the color version used Lightroom 3 to crop and reduce clarity and saturation, followed by brightness adjustment in Nik Vivenza and minor stray hair cleanup in Photoshop CS5.

Taking the 1920s German emulation a little further, I set up a preset in Nik Silver Efex Pro that emulates the look of a Leica IIc and an early Agfa ortho-chromatic emulsion.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4.5 @ 1/15s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	1 Calumet Quattro beauty and 1 Flashpoint bank with 5500K fluorescent lights
Support:	Gitzo Basalt Tripod, Acratech GP head, RRS L-bracket
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 20, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Trisha Bradshaw - Sin City Version

Many thanks to makeup artist Sarah Lynn and model Trisha Bradshaw, who lent their considerable talents to me today to make some pictures.  Trisha and Sarah did such a great job, I have about 100 picks to sift through.  I was eager to start processing, so I picked, almost at random, this very last shot of the day.  We shot this on the fire escape of the Grand Center Artist Studios.  Light is a mix of ambient and the D700 pop-up flash. I followed these processing steps:

1. Nik HDR Efex tone mapping using the "Granny's Attic" preset as a starting point.
2. Adjusted Levels in Photoshop CS5
3. Some localized color and brightness correction in Nik Vivenza
4. Add the "CSI Miami" glamor glow in Nik Color Efex Pro
5. Applied a "Color Isolate Red" develop preset in Lightroom 3, as well as some burning and dodging.
6. The sepia/blue split tone below was processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

The picture needs some refining before I make prints, but I was eager to share the work in progress.  I was not expecting to channel Helmut Newton, but apparently I can't help it :)  More to come...

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/4 @ 1/60s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Ambient night plus on camera flash
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - February 19, 2011, Processed - February 19, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Andrew

This week we did some studio photos of this very serious young man named Andrew. I also recently purchased the Nik Tools Complete Collection for Lightroom (on Preston's strong recommendation), and this Black and White is my first conversion using the Silver Efex plug-in. I used the 'Dark Sepia' preset, then increased lightness and reduced contrast a bit. I like the results and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the other tools, particularly the new HDR Efex.

The other significant thing about this session was the use of the 'Artic Butterfly' dust removal tool. We obviously shot this on white and in doing some test shots I realized I had a boatload of dust on the sensor. I think I reported doing a 'wet' cleaning of the sensor around 6 months ago. I bought the Artic Butterfly around the same time but had not needed to use it until now and it worked really well - I didn't need to do any spotting of the photos from this session.

A word of caution: if you plan to use a brush on your sensor be sure to do a 'wet' cleaning first, in case you have oil spots on the sensor as I did. I quickly ruined my first sensor brush this way.

Nikon D3, AF-S Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 @ 70mm, 1/125 @ f/10, ISO 200, Handheld, Studio

Looking Back at the World's Best Photographers

© Irving Penn, Miyake Sunglasses, February 10, 1995

For the past two weeks I've been taking a break from making pictures to reflect on the photographers and photographs that inspired me to pick up a camera.  The project started as a simple top ten list, where I'd name the photographer, his show iconic picture and find a pertinent quote or two.

However, I quickly realized that I had many, many more influences I had imagined possible.  In many cases, the photographers I admire most, not surprisingly, mastered multiple fields to the point that they have more than one iconic photo.  The search for images online was very interesting and rewarding.  For instance, I'd never seen this arresting Irving Penn shot of Miyake sun glasses.

Researching the quotes was also interesting.  I remembered very well most of the quotes from the photography press super stars, but stumbled upon some new precious nuggets.  For instance, I'd never read this one:

"I myself have always stood in the awe of the camera. I recognize it for the instrument it is, part Stradivarius, part scalpel." - Irving Penn

For some reason, I lost track of my early heroes, like Bert Stern and Hiro.  It was great to catch up!  I missed it that Stern reprized his famous "Last Monroe" session 46 years later with a Marilyn-wig-topped Lindsay Lohan.  Hiro's style changed from ultra-wide angle, ultra sharp, ultra saturated color still life work to moody monochrome portraits and cocks fighting in a dizzy blur.

I'd love to hear from everyone about who their favorite photographers are.  If you like to see the rest of my top 38 favorite photographers, see my Influences - Photographers page and let me know what you think!

Bert Stern, Marlyn Monroe

Bert Stern, Lindsay Lohan