Grid #13

This is a building in Clayton, Missouri.  Playing photographer mash-up today, the processing approach here is sort of the abstraction of Ralph Gibson meets the sensuous tonality of Jeanloup Sieff.  

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: AF NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED

Exposure: ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/6400s, Auto WB, handheld

Lighting: Daylight

Location: Home studio GPS

Processing: Lightroom 3 and Silver Efex Pro

Ray with Nikon D3

Ray, shooting at our Grand Center studio with his Nikon D3.  Something about the ambiance made me think, "Hasselblad and Tri-X pushed to 1000" like the good old days.  I love shooting first, then make the camera and film selection later.


Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 D

Exposure: ISO 400, f/4.0 @ 1/25s, handheld.

Lighting: Window Light

Location: Grand Center Artist Loft Studios

Processing: RAW in Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Skull Study #4

After researching the properties of an alternative printing method called the "German Two Color Bromoil Process", I decided to see if I could reproduce the effect.  This picture is the result of my first attempt.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Nikkor 180mm f2.8 "Leni Lens"

Exposure: ISO 200, f/4.8 @ 1/30s, handheld, window light

Location: Grand Center Artist Lofts

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite.

Fallen Tulip Petal #1, Monochrome

I can't resist trying B&W versions of flower pictures, possibly due the influence of Karl Blossfeldt's amazing book, Urformen de Kunst - 1928, which might not have been as compelling had color film been available to him.  As a bit of trivia, I've read several places that Blossfeldt's masterwork is the best selling photography book of all time.  I have a great Tachen version, Karl Blossfeldt: The Complete Published Work, that I visit frequently.

I had a blast shooting a heap of dead tulips, and would like to give public thank to my wife, Susan, for bringing them into the house,  pointing out their spectacular demise and suggesting that I might like to take some pictures.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Silver Efex Pro

Decaying Tulip #3

Still standing on the mantel, but only just, these two tulips collapsed moments after this picture was taken.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite workflow

Crushed Tulip

Lying just as I found them on the fireplace mantle, one tulip crushed another as it fell.

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite workflow

Fallen Tulip Petal #1

The colors seem to get richer and more varied on tulips after the flower starts dropping its petals.  I shot this in place, sitting on our fireplace mantle.  

Camera: Nikon D700 

Lens: Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: ISO 200, f/45 @ 1/3s, tripod

Location: GPS

Processing: DNG in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Suite workflow

Decaying Tulip #2

An entertaining read for monochrome aficionados is George DeWolfe's "B&W Printing: Create the Digital Master Print".  DeWolfe studied with Ansel Adams and his book does a great job of translating the Zone System objectives for silver printing into a digital workflow.  While DeWolfe has a religious bias that all prints should look like they were made by a member of Group F/64, the old school advice is a solid foundation and provides a point of departure for the adventurous.  DeWolfe's book has many excellent before and after examples by guest photographers, with workflows for Photoshop and Lightroom.

This picture is the result of a follow along with the Lightroom workflow.  Of course, a proper member of Group F/64 would not shoot a dying flower in the first place or use a split toner.

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/32 @ 1/8s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.7 and Nik Tools.

Decaying Tulip #1, Color Solarization

While I'm not a big fan of color solarization, I like to try it one in a while to see what happens.  Starting with the base file of Decaying Tulip #1, I pumped up the contrast in Lightroom, then used Nik Color Efex Pro to make the solarization.

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, ISO 1600, f/32 @ 1/40s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2 and Nik Color Efex Pro. GPS

Decaying Tulip #1

A bouquet of tulips on our mantel suddenly wilted in a most spectacular way.  Susan plans to make a painting of the over all scene and I decided to capture some details over the next few days.  Lighting here is with a Calumet Quattro without its shower cap.

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, ISO 1600, f/32 @ 1/40s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2 and Nik Suite workflow.

Infrared Tree Abstract #1

On LifePixel.com, the company sells kits to convert cameras to be dedicated infrared devices, there is an excellent tutorial about how to process digital infrared captures in Photoshop that caught my attention.  I decided to play along at home with an old infrared shot from Tower Grove Park.  The key step in the tutorials is to pick a custom white balance to get good tonal separation from the dull red capture.  I had to rough it up a bit beyond the tutorial, but I like the final product as an abstraction.

Technical: Nikon D100, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, Cokin P007 infrared filter, ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/2s.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2, translating the Life Pixel recommended Photoshop processing steps, then adding a few of my own, including a sepia/aqua split tone effect.
 

Japanese Bridge, MOBOT

Mid-morning at the Missouri Botanical Gardens this past Saturday, the light is higher and flatter than I generally like, but the colors are still saturated.

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, ISO 200, f/8.0 @ 1/800s, hand held.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6.

Leaf Mass #3, Climatron

If there is a shade of green missing here, I'd be amazed.  This is my third attempt to find a composition in this mass of leaves on the Climatron floor and I'm really not that happy with it.  However, the colors really snap, so I thought I'd share it here as a Polaroid transfer.  

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, 85mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/60s, hand held.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 and Nik Color Efex Pro.  

Waterfall, Tree and Contrail at MOBOT

I seem to get more contrails in my landscapes than most other photographers, maybe because I like them.  This is from the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Technical: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 200, 75mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/800s, hand held.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 and Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Lightroom Web Galleries

This new version of Red Grid #1 leads a random selection of pictures I used to try out two Web Gallery generators for Lightroom.  My objective is to assemble a proper digital portfolio in a few weeks and have an easy means to sustain the effort.

First is the very capable SlideShowPro for Lightroom that Michael Rather demonstrates in a recent Podcast, "Lightroom for Digital Photographers".  It took me about ten minutes to generate this gallery: http://sns.dnsdojo.com/test/.  I just scratched the surface here.  One of the best features is the way it manages multiple galleries. I can't wait to have time to take a serious stab at configuring the tool.  For more information, see http://slideshowpro.net/.


The second is an iPhone friendly gallery generator called TTG iPhone Portfolio for Lightroom 1.1.  Unfortunately, it took me about an hour to eliminate the bugs, but I emerged with a better understanding of how these Web Gallery plug-ins work.  I'm going to make a few more changes to the template.  Shoot me a note if you're interested in the debugged ASP.NET version.  The test output is here:  http://sns.dnsdojo.com/iphone/.  For more information, see http://lr.theturninggate.net/special-purpose-templates/ttg-iphone-portfolio/


These two galleries are being served by an HP MediaSmart LX195, which is literally sitting under my desk.  I got it to use primarily as a NAS for backups, but makes a great little web server for projects like this.      

Dried Flower #4, Solarized

This is yet another mummified flower from Susan's potpourri bowl, interpreted here using a strong reversal monochrome solarization technique in Nik Color Efex Pro.

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, ISO 200, f/16 @ 1/6s, manual focus, tripod, cable release, tethered to a laptop.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 to crop and adjust color, then edited in Nik Dfine, Nik RAW Sharpener, Nik Vivenza, Nik Color Efex Pro and Nik Output Sharpener.  A "Raw Umber Sepia" preset in Lightroom added the toner effect.  

Dried Flower #3

The potpourri bowl offered up this little mummified flower.  The leathery petals still have vivid magenta, red, orange and yellow in spots.  Photographed on a Calumet portable light table, lit with a single Calumet Quattro 5500K fluorescent beauty dish.    

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, ISO 200, f/16 @ 1/6s, manual focus, tripod, cable release, tethered to a laptop.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, Nik Dfine, Nik RAW Sharpener, Nik Vivenza and Nik Output Sharpener.  The fluorescent lighting isn't exactly 5500K, so I use the X-Rite Color Passport system to make a custom camera profile for Lightroom.

Child Mummy #2, St. Louis Science Center

Revisiting a portrait I took of the child mummy at the St. Louis Science Center with Nik tools, I thought I'd try a warmer approach.  Considering that the mummy sits in a plexi case and is lit with a combo of sunlight and mercury vapor, I'm amazed by how clean the Auto WB is on Nikon cameras, even early models like the D100.

Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4, ISO 400, 85mm @ f/4.0 @ 1/15s, auto WB, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6, Nik Dfine, Nik RAW pre-sharpener, Nik Vivenza, Nik Color Efex Pro.

Dead Leaves Redux #1

Looking at the first Dead Leaves post from 2008, the picture feels a little flat.  I decided to throw the entire Nik suite at the picture to see it could be improved.  The workflow was Lightroom minor adjustments, Dfine, RAW Pre-Sharpener, Silver Efex Pro Landscape Sepia style w/Orange filter, Output Sharpener for Display, Lightroom JPEG export.  The result is definitely crisper, with a longer tonal range.

Technical: Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-f4.0, 84mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/60s, macro mode, on camera fill flash, handheld.  RAW file processed in Lightroom 2.6 and Nik Suite as above.

Port Glass #3

This is my first real test of shooting tethered with Nikon Camera Control Pro 2, a Nikon D700 and a 17-inch laptop running Windows 7.  There are a number of permutations for configuring how files are handled.  For this setup, I created a new Lightroom catalog for for the occasion, set it to watch a folder on the C:\ drive and move the files to an external hard drive.  Then I set CCP2 to save files to the watch folder.  Shooting with Lightroom running in full screen mode, the images show on screen in Lightroom about 10 seconds after the shot with camera adjustments applied.  The shooting experience is very nice.

A few months ago, I was running the trial and have an important observation has to do with the USB cable that comes with the camera.  First, it is a bit short at 5 ft.  Second, I experienced several lockups that I blamed on the software, chilling my enthusiasm for tethered shooting.  When I started to think about going tethered again, I bought a better cable at the same time I ordered CCP2.  Amazon.com has a line of very good cables branded AmazonBasics.  The heavy duty 6ft. gold plated A-Male to Mini-B USB cable is $3.61 and the 9.8ft heavy duty gold plated USB extension is $5.92.  This time around, the transfers were fast and stable.  I shot burst tests with and without the extension and the extension didn't seem to slow the transfers.

Technical: Nikon D700, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8, ISO 200, f/22 @ 1/2s.  RAW file processed with Lightroom 2.6 and Nik Silver Efex Pro.