The Alternative Landscape

Doo Wop sans tourists

2012-01-28T07:21:00.001-05:00

Wildwood, NJ

Tourist hot spots in the off seasons.

The tourists are gone and winter has come to the shore, but the Doo Wop Motel District in Wildwood, NJ is no less fascinating to photograph. Colors, wonderfully odd architecture and untold stories converge on this narrow passageway along a beachfront boardwalk in eastern New Jersey. Each visit seems different, though, as old motels are bulldozed in order to make way for cookie cutter condo complexes and commercial development. The time is now to see - and photograph - this truly unique slice of Americana.

New Canon tutorial series: Bruce Dorn with Speedlites

2012-01-27T13:49:00.002-05:00

Screenshot from Canon; Ratios using Speedlites

Shout out to Bruce Dorn and the newly released tutorial series on Canon Speedlites. Of particular fun interest is the homemade gobo creation at the end of the 'Ratio Control/Senior Portrait' video.

Canon's promotional verbiage: This series was designed to appeal to a range of users, from photo enthusiasts to full-time professionals. Featuring a wide range of equipment, techniques, accessories, subject, and locations, there is useful insights and tips for every skill level.

Oben TT-100 tripod (best value)

2012-01-26T19:09:00.000-05:00

Oben TT-100 Table Top Tripod (B&H photo)

Photogs traveling to NYC must make pilgrimage to B&H and last Monday was no exception for me. Unexpected travels woes through Philly, however, took the better part of my flash cash and limited the new toy budget. My challenge? Find the best piece of kit under $25 (no easy task at B&H).

Background: I'm a big fan of traveling light and pushing the limits of point and shoot rigs. The more discrete I can be these days the less harassment I get from skeptical eyes - particularly here in the DC-area. After all, that whole 'see something, say something' mantra from the feds is getting old for us law abiding snap happy types.

Enter the Oben TT-100 tripod. At a mere $24.95 this lightweight travel pod packs a heavyweight capability. Longer legs than similar Manfrotto pods, the Oben is extremely stable and rugged enough to hold up a full-sized DSLR. For P(and)S cameras this is a must for the camera bag. Add the cable release for the Canon G10(ish) cameras and long exposure images are simply stunning.

One caveat: don't let size full you. I pulled out this little gem at the New York Public Library and was immediately admonished by a nearby guard. Apparently, the Oben TT-100 was enough kit to be considered professional. And I thought composition was important.

Crowd funding photojournalism projects

2011-01-23T23:01:00.009-05:00

So long as photogs resist the urge to cover their bar tabs, the idea of 'crowd funding' photojournalism projects is fairly interesting. Lead by photo editor Tina Ahrens and photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa, Emphas.is is expected to launch sometime this year and will be a portal through which photographers can solicit financial backers for their project proposals. The more you pledge to the photographer's project the more that he or she may give you in return (e.g. autographed prints, books, etc), akin to donating to PBS. The website claims that "crowd funding has already proven successful in other areas, and we believe photojournalism has a large and enthusiastic following that would be willing to contribute financially when given the right incentive." It's a bold statement, but few options remain as traditional wells of support dry up. If you can make it through the annoying (!!) splash screen you'll see that a number of heavy hitters in the industry are throwing early support behind the project.

Case Study: Clipped butterfly

2010-08-09T07:28:00.004-04:00

Butterflies everywhere in the park, including this slightly wounded guy found near Big Meadows at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, August 8, 2010.

Phase One Acquires Microsoft Expression Media

2010-05-26T07:28:00.006-04:00

Photographers interested in maintaining the best in digital asset management software can breathe easier: Expression Media 2 has a new life. Announced March 25th, Phase One has acquired this powerhouse DAM application, one of the best in the industry. Sadly, it has become a bit of a digital football these days. Since 2006 the app has changed ownership three times; iView Media Pro 3 > Expression Media 2 > "Phase One something-something." Microsoft had previously celebrated the acquisition of iView Media as a step forward in support of shutterbugs everywhere. Added as part of the Office suite - although never really integrated - one wonders what the software giant will do now. Will Microsoft counter with a new DAM product of their own, or simply let the photo industry do its thing? Ultimately, getting this app back in the hands of a company solely vested in photography is a win-win for the industry (and for my personal archive). Galbraith has the full release here: Phase One press release.

Case Study: Sunrise on Cape May, NJ

2010-05-03T07:24:00.011-04:00

Located in southern New Jersey, the beaches along Cape May make creating the quintessential sunrise photo hard to resist. First light occurred around 5:38 AM and the image above photographed at 6:04 AM. The image was made hand held and exposed for 1/200 at f/4 using ISO 200. Why hand held? Not visible is the break wall where I tucked in along the rocks as waves moved back and forth; one foot in the water. A 'crisp' finish to the wave formations seemed an appropriate composition element given the jagged cloud formations overhead.

Case Study: New Year's morning at Great Falls

2010-01-04T07:40:00.003-05:00

Photographed during an annual New Year's Day hike at Great Falls National Park in Virginia. Image created from three exposures using Canon 5D MkII and processed in Photomatix HDR. Steam from the water created some interesting anomalies along the horizon.

Case Study: Gordes, France, HDR image from ridge

2009-12-12T07:47:00.005-05:00

The village of Gordes, France, on the edge of the Vaucluse plateau in the Luberon mountain region.

Canon G11: Professional DSLR on a diet

2009-08-26T08:34:00.010-04:00

Combine the better features of the existing G10* with the newly announced Canon PowerShot G11 and you have one Hell of a camera. Continue adding the still(!) missing feature of HD video and someday you will call it the Canon PowerShot G12. Yet the PowerShot G-series marches on as one of the best on-the-go options for professional shooters looking for pocket sized alternatives when the big guns prove too much.

Canon marketers frustrate me as they continue to push this camera as “advanced amateur” rather than the celebrating its “professional-light” capability. Think of the G-series as digital SLRs on a diet. If I was an advanced amateur looking for the next hot gadget the last thing that would inspire me to open my wallet would be anything labeled amateur.
*bigger screen, larger file

Canon’s schtick:
You asked, and Canon not only listened, but delivered big-time. Advanced amateurs who have overwhelmingly embraced the G Series will be delighted with the PowerShot G11, which features RAW mode for unlimited editing options, a 28mm wide-angle lens, and a 2.8-inch Vari-Angle PureColor System LCD. Add to that Canon's new High Sensitivity System and high-speed ISO for incredible image quality, and Canon's top-range compact digital camera is a truly groundbreaking successor.

(Image courtesy Canon USA)

Case Study: Cloud over Potomac River

2009-08-22T08:47:00.008-04:00

Cloud photographed August, 2009 over the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia using Canon G10.

Expression Studio 3 will not include Expression Media

2009-07-21T15:05:00.004-04:00

Microsoft revealed last month that its venerable Expression Media 2 (formerly known as iView MediaPro 3) will not be included in the Expression Studio 3 upgrade. For a market already thin on professional DAM options, this is a troubling announcement (below). Singling out photographers as "the largest customer base for this product" may indicate that Microsoft failed to reach the larger consumer market they originally targeted upon acquisition.

"Expression Media, Microsoft's digital asset management software for cataloging photos, video and music, will continue to be available as a standalone product but will no longer ship with Expression Studio, effective with the upcoming Expression Studio 3 release. Microsoft will continue to market Expression Media to digital photographers, who make up the largest customer base for this product, and will continue to invest in digital photography. Expression Studio and Expression Media will be sold separately."

Case Study: Cloud formation in HDR

2009-07-16T09:42:00.006-04:00

Clouds over Alexandria, VA. 2009

SNP: Jeremy's Run Trail

2009-06-27T05:45:00.005-04:00

Jeremy's Run Trail/ Shenandoah National Park

Great Falls a'raging

2009-05-10T08:13:00.009-04:00

Lots of water! Heavy rains have made Great Falls less falls-like and more of a raging river. At the time of this shoot (May 9th) the park service had closed the river to all recreational activities...not a bad move. In line with this blog, this test video was shot on a Canon 5D Mark II and processed (quickly) through Final Cut Pro.

Case Study: Stream at Dora Kelley

2009-04-03T04:38:00.009-04:00

A pan exposure for 1/5 second, under low light and rainy conditions, created these recent images from Dora Kelley Nature Park in Alexandria, VA. The technique resulted in an unexpected portfolio of images that explored the more ethereal qualities of moving water. I am fully aware that this is not a new idea; Every art student comes up with some form of this concept. However, it is fun to realize that this image was create on a point-and-shoot camera, the Canon G10, and required no additional support in terms of tripod or strobe. In one afternoon, following a short hike along a neighborhood trail, I was able to make three images, perfect file quality, and interesting enough to print, frame and hang in the living room.

She said: “Yes” – in HDR

2009-03-25T06:48:00.008-04:00

Many years ago began a hike in the wilderness that culminated in the adventure of a lifetime. On Saturday, March 21st, I proposed to a woman on the same spot where we began this adventure almost five years ago. Surrounded by nature with the background of this wild waterfall flowing, she said: “Yes”. Moments before making the commitment of my lifetime, I captured this scene in HDR .

Case Study: Macro on the cheap

2009-03-15T11:07:00.007-04:00

For an on-the-fly method of macro images, the Canon G10 is capable of getting as close as o.39 in according to Canon's published specs. In fact, in test image above, I had to pull back from the quarter to allow light to enter the frame. For macro work along remote trails (e.g. close-ups of insects) this should prove a useful feature. However, nothing happens quickly in camera's manual focus mode which is required to get this granular.

Case Study: Out the door, but not before...

2009-03-10T08:26:00.011-04:00

Coffee in one hand, magazine in the other, coat on, Canon G10 around my neck and I notice that flowers opened up overnight: What to do? The answer was clear - create a simple set-up and make an image. Total time "on set" for this image was two minutes and the results were satisfying enough to justify the delay. Essentially, I moved the vase under a nearby cabinet light, pushed the camera to 800 and punched in both manual controls (320/4.5) and manual focus.

There are two important lessons here: 1) ALWAYS have a camera ready to document whatever inspiration comes your way 2) It's not rocket science - simple set-ups can work (see Cellulose). Look, I don't specialize in still life, but simple beauty as a human being is hard to ignore. Much too often as a photographer, however, that is exactly what I do; simply walk on by, too lazy to pull out the "real" gear out and create an interesting still life. As my recent posts indicate, I have made great effort to experiment with the Canon G10 on all levels. But, whether it is this camera or any other quality point-and-shoot camera, it is the portability and flexibility of controls that leaves me most impressed. And, for this morning, I walk out the door with the satisfaction of already making a solid image and the coffee is still hot.

A visual pencil; note taking along Skyline

2009-03-09T06:37:00.005-04:00

The power of the sublime has remained a fundamental draw for my inspiration. Here, Burke’s theories are visually defined as this attempt of color to escape from a negative space, but clearly defining what exactly draws me to this scene seems far more complex. Does it work? Maybe not, but touring around with little more than a Canon G10 frees me up to investigate photographic note taking in ways not previously possible when saddled with larger equipment. This is, in short, a snap shot; a record of a place and a thought I will investigate again at a later date.

Canon G10: Exploring the potential for HDR

2009-03-07T20:04:00.005-05:00

A quick road trip to Shenandoah National Park proved that the ends can justifies the means when considering the functionality of smaller cameras. Using a Canon G10, the image of the rolling mountains was made using a three-image bracketed sequence and processed through Photomatix Pro. All images were captured in Canon RAW format and converted to Adobe's digital negative (.dng) before HDR processing. Although moonscape in appearance, it was roughly noon at the time of capture.

Adobe letting down Canon G10

2009-02-28T22:04:00.013-05:00

With the introduction of the Canon G10 camera the goal of a digital point-and-shoot combining Leica-like quality with portability seems obtainable.

While the weight of the camera will frustrate some consumers looking for purse-size convenience, in the hands of a professional it feels like a featherweight contender. The camera's edge is the reintroduction of the RAW format, and a file now at 14.7 megapixels. Smarter folks than I have fully explained this camera's technical abilities in fine detail; I won't repeat, but someday I'll add links. As brilliant as this camera has proved to be I might have waited on the purchase had it been made clearer about the lack of compatibility with Photoshop Cs3 (explained below).

The real story with this camera is an industry story: A hardware manufacturer (Canon) potentially held hijack by a software manufacturer (Adobe) at a time where every sale counts. If you are a user of Photoshop CS3, and you purchase a Canon G10 camera, you will not be able to process raw files under Camera Raw 4.6 without first converting to the .dng format. In order to process the native Canon G10 raw files, you will have to fork over the cash and upgrade to Photoshop CS4 to obtain the Camera Raw 5.2 update. (Canon will point out that you could use their applications that are supplied with the camera - more on that later)

These ongoing draconian efforts of monopolistic software manufacturers to force upgrades, rather than simply offer products worth buying, should not continue without aggressive critique. Adobe’s stock in the photographic industry, as well as on Wall Street, is dependent on not only securing new clients, but reassuring longtime users that their products will be fully supported as technology marches forward. The company has been unapologetic about the too-soon release of CS4, so at the very least they should be open to the possibility of furthering life-cycle support of the CS3 application. Let's not ignore the fact that the Open Source community continues to grow and free products, once laughed at by this industry, are suddenly common among photographic editors (including myself) looking for low cost solutions.

Bangalore, India: Cityscape with Canon G10

2009-02-17T06:20:00.010-05:00

Using Photomatix Pro and a Canon RAW file, this moody image of the Bangalore cityscape was made using a Canon G10. I will have more to say about this incredible point-&-shoot camera, but for now I am leaving the professional DSLR equipment at home and prowling the streets with this little gem.

HDR Comms: HDRI News

2009-01-17T06:09:00.003-05:00

If this were a grown-up blog, or I lived 48-hour days, THIS is the website I would create within the HDRI community. A great resource for all things HDR including news and techniques.

HDR Tool: HDR Max

2009-01-17T05:37:00.005-05:00

Finally, something new to talk about other than open source frustration. Coming in at a hefty $149.99, Ariea recently released HDR Max. According to their website, "HDR MAX is the first all-in-one high dynamic range imaging application." Obviously, the groundbreaking news here is "all-in-one" ability to merge images and tone map within the same process. Although more processor intensive (it bogs down on one of the latest Macs), HDR Max is certainly a more streamlined workflow than the venerable Photomatix.

HDR Tool: Photomatix

2009-01-15T03:56:00.008-05:00

Their website may not be fancy, but Photomatix remains one of the better tools available for generating HDR images. Since October 30, 2006, the company has only posted six announcements and it took seven months for a point-1 "update" to be released. In an age where software updates seem the weekly norm, it is refreshing that a company offers a consistent and well-toned package from the start. Recent competitor releases, however, would signal the need for an update. Features available in Photomatix far surpass that of Photoshop's baseline capabilities. A free download trial is available from the company.

Providence Canyon: Comparison in HDR

2008-12-12T07:16:00.005-05:00

Photographed in May, 2008, Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia is a space full of contrasts. Along the main trail that leads to amazing views of its namesake canyon, there is also the view of massive clearing. It was an odd emotional experience and both were photographed with equal energy. That said, the clearing scene (above) needed some help and I employed the techniques of HDR to pull out the full dynamic range of this vista. Final HDR image (left) and one of the original exposures (right).

Alexandria (VA) Stream

2008-12-06T06:21:00.006-05:00

Although this image may appear to have been taken in the backwoods of the Shenandoahs, it was actually made while standing in a drainage stream near my residence in Alexandria, VA. Using HDR techniques and isolating a pile of rocks, the resulting image has more of a leathery feel as opposed to the "smooth as silk" descriptions typically associated with flowing waters. The real trick here is in the crop...10 feet away was a county sewage drain.

Storm Over Great Falls, 2008: Behind the Scenes

2008-12-04T06:13:00.006-05:00

Using Photomatix Pro, Storm Over Great Falls was created by combining nine independently exposed images. The process, commonly referred to at High Dynamic Range photography (HDR) or High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI), extends the exposure range beyond that of a single capture. If the approach to exposure in digital photography can be compared to traditional slide film, then HDR is more akin to Ansel Adam's zone system techniques. The process, techniques and software are still evolving. For now this strikes me as one of the most interesting developments within the genre of landscape photography.

Storm Over Great Falls, 2008

2008-12-02T03:59:00.006-05:00

On May 31, 2008, a storm ripped through the Northern Virginia area. In order to create Storm Over Great Falls I had to first play amateur meteorologist and predict the possibility of a break in the storm front. Using Weather Channel radars, it looked likely that a break of about 20 minutes would occur sometime within the hour. I gathered my gear and headed out in the storm en route to the Virginia side of Great Falls National Park. The entire drive heavy rains pounded the car and strong winds made navigation nearly impossible. By the time I reached the park all become eerily quiet as the predicted break in the storm centered over the area. Running to the first overlook of the falls with tripod in tow, I had just enough time to set up for a series of exposures before getting pounded by the next storm wave.

Cellulose: Behind the Scenes

2008-11-25T05:06:00.000-05:00

Using food coloring and simple photographic techniques, "Cellulose" is created in the kitchen. Odd fruits and vegetables are cut in various sizes and layered directly on top of a ordinary strobe. Before photographing, the slices are allowed to dry which results in shrinking. Next, using a combination of water and various types of food coloring, the slices are "painted" which reopens the cellular structure of the slice. Finally, using a 60mm Nikon Macro 1:1 lens, slices are photographed with a setting around f/22 @ ISO 100.

Cellulose: Artist Statement

2008-11-25T04:53:00.000-05:00

What is Cellulose? Organic products, such as common fruits and vegetables, serve as subject matter for these alternative landscape images. Photographed with macro lenses using traditional studio techniques, an exploration begins to discover landscapes that, at times, mimic space, land or sea. Other than slight exposure and/or color correction work, images are shown as photographed in the camera... no digital manipulation was required. A portfolio of work in progress can be viewed at www.mahaskey.com.

Exhibition Print: "Stack"

2008-11-22T23:32:00.000-05:00

"Stack" Selected image for the "Our Environment" exhibition at the Center for Fine Art Photography in Colorado.

Image details: Original image captured on medium format film, TMax 100, near Kansas City, MO. Negative was scanned and image enhanced through Photoshop.