This shot of the Fox Theater is the last picture I made with the legendary Nikon D700, snapped during the Grand Center Art Walk. The camera is on its way to an eBay buyer, replaced by a Nikon D800. Introduced in 2008, using the same FX sensor as the Nikon D3, the D700 rapidly became a game changer as the first affordable full frame DSLR.
This blue/sepia split tone version was created in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
Exposure: ISO 800 @ f/4.0 @ 1/60s Auto WB, hand held while walking.
After some time away, I've returned to collecting candidate images for my Dark City series. This picture started with three hand held 1-stop brackets processed in Nik HDR Efex.
This monochrome come from a virtual copy of the top picture with a blue/sepia split tone applied in Lightroom 3.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
Nikkor AF 24-85mm f/2.8-4 D IF
Exposure:
ISO 100, 52mm @f/8.0 @ 1/400s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:
Daylight
Support:
Handheld
Location:
Clayton, Missouri
Dates:
Capture - September 11, 2011, Processed - September 11, 2011
About a year ago I posted two pictures of this staircase at the St. Louis University Museum of Art that were single image HDR mappings. Today I returned to to make bracketed shots from a different angle with a wider lens. Processing steps include passes through Nik HDR Efex, Photoshop CS5, Nik Color Efex Pro and Nik Dfine. Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 was the final step, applying a strong blue filter, blue/sepia split tone and the Agfapan 100 film preset.
In Nik Color Efex Pro's Glamour Glow preset, I've worked out setting I call Vintage Glamour, which applies a gentle glow and desaturates the color.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
Nikkor AF 24-85mm f/2.8-4 D IF
Exposure:
ISO 1600, f/5.6 @ 1/20s base, 3 1-stop brackets, Auto WB, RAW
After several weeks of schedule conflicts, Susan and I finally made it to the studio to collaborate on a series of flower pictures. Our first subject is this calla lily, actually a sickly plant we picked up at Trader Joe's, but we liked the bloom. I noticed that Susan has been looking at a lot of Gustav Klimpt's paintings lately, so I thought I'd make a picture using technique that pays its respects to his work.
For the monochrome variant, I went with the Platinum process, which was new in Klimpt's day, with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 using my own Platinum preset and a K2 equivalent filter.
Going even older old school, a runner up for me is this antique print process, one of the new presets in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. The defaults are too flat for my taste, but served as a starting point.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:
ISO 200, f/22 @ 1/60s, 5 1-stop flash brackets, Daylight WB, RAW
Lighting:
Ringlight strobe, small Flashpoint 85 watt fluorescent bank
Support:
Gitzo Basalt Tripod and Acratech GP-2 ball head and leveling base
Location:
Grand Center Artist Studio
Dates:
Capture - July 24, 2011, Processed - July 24, 2011
Processing:
Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Color Efex Pro
One last lotus blossom for the season, adjacent to the previous post. Even though the angle in relation to the sun was only about 15 degrees different, the full back lit glow is missing. Still, I liked the composition and clicked off the bracket series.
The monochrome generated by Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 is a platinum print preset I developed.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED "Leni Lens"
Exposure:
ISO 200, 3 brackets around f/8.0 @ 1/200s, Auto WB, RAW
A handful of lotus flowers were still in bloom in the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical gardens last Saturday morning. A hazy sun back light really brought out detail and texture, captured by the magical Nikon 180mm "Leni Lens". I wound up making four versions and would love to hear from you if you have a preference. The last step for #1 was to apply a partial "CSI Miami" glow effect in Nik Color Efex Pro.
#2 - "Platinum Print" process
Inspired by the exquisite work by Irving Penn, I came up with a Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 process preset that is very close to the look of a Platinum-Palladium process, especially when printed on a good matte paper.
#3 - "Lens Baby" filter
As an experiment, I decided to use the Nik Color Efex Pro 3 "Vignette Blur" tool to simulate the Lens Baby look.
#4 - Grainy Nude process
This monochrome processing preset in Lightroom 3 started out as an approach for nudes, but it has come in handy for botanical subjects, too.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED "Leni Lens"
Exposure:
ISO 200, 3 brackets around f/8.0 @ 1/200s, Auto WB, RAW
I was about a month late to catch the lotus blooms at Missouri Botanical Gardens, but I found some details I thought were interesting. For instance, this lotus seed pod drying in the sun looks a little bit like damaged cherry pie. Processing involved combining three 1-stop brackets in Nik HDR Efex, levels adjustment, lens correction and minor retouching in Photoshop CS5, local color adjustments for each corner in Nik Vivenza and finally focus vignetting in Nik Color Efex Pro 3.
This monochrome is courtesy Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, starting with the Fine Art preset and finished with a blue filter, lens 1 vignette and blue/sepia split tone.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:
ISO 200, f/22 @ 1/30s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:
Daylight
Support:
Gitzo Basalt Tripod and Acratech GP-2 ball head and leveling base
Location:
Missouri Botanical Gardens
Dates:
Capture - July 16, 2011, Processed - June 16, 2011
Processing:
Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Color Efex Pro
We've been seeing quite a few half cicadas lately. Presumably a predator chomps off the abdomen and the head, wings and four legs keep going for a while. Susan found this guy afixed to a cushion. Final processing step was the Polaroid Transfer tool in Nik Color Efex Pro
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:
ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/60s, Flash WB, RAW
Lighting:
Ring Flash
Support:
Handheld
Location:
My Back Yard
Dates:
Capture - June 13, 2011, Processed - June 15, 2011
Processing:
Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Color Efex Pro
Recently, a common event in our back yard is a cicada plowing into our swimming pool, buzzing for a bit, then drowning. Tonight I had a macro lens and ring flash on hand to record this guy's last chirp. In this shot, the his wings are beating hard and fast are causing quite a bit of turbulence. This picture is a little soft, but, in my defense, I was leaning over the edge of the pool in the dark with $3,000 of camera gear, manually focusing a 105mm Micro-Nikkor racked all the way out.
And finally, the cicada makes one more effort to take off before being claimed by the pool skimmer. Both shots were processed to simulate the recently departed Kodachrome 64 Professional.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:
ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/60s, Flash WB, RAW
Lighting:
Ring Flash
Support:
Handheld
Location:
Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:
Capture - June 13, 2011, Processed - June 13, 2011
Processing:
Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Color Efex Pro
After looking at some pictures made with the Lens Baby system, I wondered if the effect could be could be duplicated with tools in Nik Color Efex Pro. The steps to make the picture include:
Combine three 1-stop brackets in Nik HDR Efex using the "Vibrant Landscape" preset.
In Photoshop CS5, apply lens correction and adjust levels
Crop to 1:1 in Lightroom 3, adjust saturation and vibrance
In Nik Color Efex Pro, apply the "Selective Focus" tool for the Lens Baby look
In Nik Color Efex Pro, apply a "Fresson" preset based on the "Film Effects" tool
Convert to monochrome in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, using an X1 filter and coffee toner
Starting with the output from step #5 above, the "Colorize" tool in Nik Color Efex Pro created this muted color version.
The output from step #3 is a very natural looking HDR image.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED "Leni Lens"
Exposure:
ISO 200, 2 brackets around f/2.8 @ 1s, Daylight WB, RAW
A Lunar corona is seen when the clouds are thin enough that each single corona light ray reaching the eye (or camera) is scattered or diffracted by only one droplet or ice crystal. When I composed the moon off center, the corona vanished. This first variation was processed in Nik HDR Efex for tone contour mapping, Photoshop for levels adjustment, Nik Color Efex Pro to create a Fresson print and finally Nik Dfine to reduce noise.
I wanted to see how well the image would hold up as a monochrome, so this is the result of processing in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 with a strong blue filter and Cyanotype toner.
I'm really on the fence with regard to purchasing OnOne PhotoFrame. I love a number of the effects, but do I really need this one? It is kind of creepy, so maybe I do...
Finally, a acid wash variation from OneOne PhotoFrame Free. Nice grunge feel, I think.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED "Leni Lens"
Exposure:
ISO 400, 5x brackets around f/2.8 @ 1s, Daylight WB, RAW
While I love the new features in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, I do wish that the custom presets I created for the first version could be imported to the new. The "Grainy Nude" preset I used for earlier pictures of model Dominique was one of my favorites. To recreate the preset, I started with an unprocessed image of Dominique and went through the processing steps a few times until it matched the other pictures.
A new preset I worked out is one for vintage Platinum prints.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:
ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1.2s, Auto WB
Lighting:
Two Calumet Quattro beauty dishes
Support:
Gitzo Basalt tripod w/Acratech GP head
Location:
Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:
Capture - August 15, 2010, Processed - April 23, 2011
Processing:
Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
I confirmed using data from DxOMark that this test is valid for the Nikon D3, too. Both cameras are perfectly noiseless from ISO 100 (LO 3) to ISO 640. For each ISO in the camera's range, a frame was made with the lens cap on, manual exposure, f5.6 @ 1/250s. Then in Photoshop CS5, each frame was cropped to 3x actual pixels and adjusted with auto levels to uncover any trace of noise. I highly recommend running this test, especially if you shoot Canon gear.
This new version is updated for HD, with changes made to allow viewing in Germany. Music by Chris Guiney as Second Signal.
Today a Phoenix Smart Flash RF46N Macro Ring Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras was waiting for me when I came home, so, of course, I wanted to click off a few test shots. The Phoenix unit gets mixed reviews on Amazon, mostly about cheap construction. It is also the unfortunate star of this Gary Fong video, which looks like he shot in a hotel room with a pro, and I don't mean model:
You go, Gary! Well, I ordered one anyway and I'm happy I did. I captured these two samples with the Phoenix mounted on an AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D and D700, ISO 200, manual f/16 @ 1/60s. The strobe is iTTL only.
Silk Flower at 1:1
The Phoenix build quality and finish is Spartan, but better than I expected. The only control is an on/off switch, so iTTL is the only mode option. The strobe works in full automatic, manual , exposure priority and aperture priority modes. All the curtain modes work as expected, as did all the flash bracketing modes. Color balance is right at 5500K. The default adapter ring is 52mm, perfect for my 105mm Micro-Nikkor.
Dried Chrysthanemum
I purchased my Phoenix RF46N from Amazon.com for $95.
More to come with fashion subjects.
Model Trisha Bradshaw had the idea to make some pictures as a modern Marilyn Monroe, borrowing makeup styles from the early 60s. I decided to go fairly flat with the lighting to match the style of the day. The processing here is aims to look like a 1950s Technicolor still. The processing steps were Lightroom 3 to adjust color and apply typical portrait retouching, Photoshop CS5 to do minor pixel retouching and adjust levels, Nik Vivenza to boost brightness and contrast, lower structure and saturation, Nik Sharpener Pro RAW to boost eyes and mouth crispness, Nik Define to reduce noise, Nik Color Efex Pro to add the CSI Miami glow. This picture served as the basis for the
One of the new Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 presets, Film Noir 1, was the starting point.
The 60s Ektacolor Pro look I was able to dial into the Nik Color Efex Pro Film Effects tool.
Back to Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, I'm still trying to get the hang of the selective color feature, which is very powerful.
Finally, Susan showed me a portrait of Taylor Swift that was on the cover of Parade Magazine that was sepia toned with color lips and asked me whether I could to the same. The selective color tool in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 makes the processing relatively easy. The processing emulates Polaroid P/N film.
Technical
Camera:
Nikon D700
Lens:
AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:
ISO 100, f/7.1 @ 1/60s, Flash WB, RAW
Lighting:
Broncolor, main light small Chimera Super Pro, hair light snoot
Support:
Gitzo Basalt tripod w/Acratech GP head and RRS L-bracket
Location:
Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:
Capture - March 19, 2011, Processed - March 27, 2011
Processing:
Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro
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
