Inspiration!

As part of my daily reading I came accross this on Abduzeebo http://abduzeedo.com/awesome-multiplicity-photography

I think I'm going to play around with this concept! :D Its got some potential for some mighty zany portraits! (and simply some of the individual characters gave me some ideas too, stay tuned folks!

HDR Software Review: Hydra

So I recently got the oportunity to play with & review  an interesting piece of software (review also featured at http://www.sevenbyfive.net/), Hydra from the company Creaceed. Its an interesting piece of HDR Processing software, with lots of potential but unfortuantely brought down by a few minor faults. 

Enjoy the review below :) :

Firstly, What is HDR?

The term has recently entered the jargon dictionary of most photographers out there is HDR. You hear it mentioned regularly by the guys at Photoshop user, and intensively featured again and again in various magazines at different levels of photography. Almost to the point where it needs no introduction. However everyday the art that is photography sees more and more users pick up an SLR or semi-SLR camera, often overwhelmed by what is available in the market. Brands, Lenses, Techniques, Photoshop etc. For those who have only recently began to dip their feet in high end digital photography, or decided to expand their horizons and try out this "HDR" thats been so raved about one must first delve into what HDR stands for. High Dynamic Range. If you're still as confused about what this all means as you were a moment ago, not to worry. Dynamic range is the range that a light sensory device can attain when capturing and interpreting detail within the light. What this means is that whatever the dynamic range of a device is, defines the amount of detail that can be captured within a specific range of light from zero darkness, to so bright its all white. This is why often in cameras when shooting directly into the sunlight either our family is well lit, and the background is completely white, or our backgrounds are relatively well lit with detail, and our subjects are often obscured in darkness. This is because modern camera's simply cannot process the entire light spectrum from absolute darkness to fully white in the same image, unlike our eyes which perform much better because humans have a much wider dynamic range. In the past to combat this often a sacrifice was needed between light and dark, or in more recent times, using flash to light your subject out of the darker bottom of your camera's dynamic range allowed one to successfully balance backgrounds and foreground. However lighting a subject may not always be the desired solution to a lighting situation. Often in landscape situations there isn’t a subject to light that isn’t the building or landscape. So what do you do, if you're shooting in a cathedral, with light oozing in thru the rafters creating this beautiful scene? Only to realize your camera will only let you expose so that those beam of lights are surrounded by darkness loosing the gorgeous detail that is the cathedral except for what’s lit? Or do you keep the cathedral and blow out those shafts of light. Curse my camera's dynamic range you think! (Or not). You're on location and certainly not equipped to expose for the shafts of light and flash the bajeebers out of that cathedral. So what do you do? Well you do expose for both! Thankfully modern Image processing has come up with a technique (HDR) which allows us to artificially expand our camera's Dynamic range by shooting the same scene at various ranges, and essentially piling the various exposures on top of each other to recreate the scene our eyes gloriously basked in which was being, "under-appreciated" so to speak by our camera. And the best part is, all you need is your camera, and one of many available HDR software available out there. Making it a quick, easy and professional solution to capturing those scenes just as our eyes saw them. Ladies & Gentlemen the magic of HDR

The Software

The HDR Scene has been predominantly dominated by Photomatix with their Lightroom Plug-in, or standalone version. Made easier as such by Lightroom's ability to quickly "merge to HDR" in Photoshop, creating a merged Image in Photoshop which could quickly have the photomatix plug-in filter applied to it, to bring out more customized sections of the dynamic range. Enter "Hydra" another contendant in producing those lovely HDR Images we all love. Available only for Macs in Aperture and Stand-alone flavors (coupled with a lightroom plug-in). Presenting itself in a lovely and what appears to be, simple UI, the software appears to be very promising indeed. Unfortunately this is not the case as its simple interface is essentially its downfall. Like most users who consider themselves computer literate, I quickly delved into the software not interested in going thru guides, or documentation. However I quickly discovered that this would unfortunately be inevitable. With various unexplained modes, buttons, tabs and jargon, I was at a loss of where to begin or what did what.

Being a heavyweight lightroom user my first priority was to install the advertised lightroom plug-in. This was unfortunately not explained and took me about 30 minutes of scouring their website and Google before figuring out there was an install option located inside hydra’s file menu. Having accomplished such, I went into Lightroom, and selected six of the images from my recent trip (a landscape) to convert to HDR. As opposed to using the “merge to HDR in Photoshop” function, Hydra requires you to use the export panel to make use of its plug-in. So I dutifully exported the Images, using the originals to maintain maximum dynamic range and under Hydra options I set it to Tiff8 Simply because my computer is old and rickety.

Once Inside Hydra I was greeted by an artful UI, Displaying the Images I had chosen on the left with a “result” large central Image.

Not knowing what was obviously available I clicked Render, assuming it would bring up some dialog boxes of some kind. I quickly discovered it was the render button, producing a grayed out jpeg, similar to the initial image you get when “exporting to HDR” in Photoshop. However considering the framework of the software I don't think that's what was supposed to come out.

Upon my second trial and doing some reading on the website I discovered that the little dialog box to the right (the transparent one) is the software’s control panel and where all the fun happens. If you see there are four options along the top, Import, Align Merge (or fusion) and Pro.

For the purposes of the review I tried out the Align option and found it to be a nice addition in being able to fine-tune the software’s align feature, however I eventually left it on automatic as I found it did a pretty good job of aligning the Images.

The Merge button is essentially the most important one in the software, transforming the tool dialog into the sliders that give your image that HDR look. And of course leading to the confusion.

Initially this is what you will get

This left me quite stumped, as it appeared a little too simple. And Upon investigating the three methods in the dropdown box to and finding them to be independent of each other, I was confused as to how to get the results I wanted. That's what the final pro button is for.

Opening up options more closely tuned to those available in photomatix.

The rest is simply a matter of playing with the modes (HDR & 8Bit) and shifting the sliders to get a desired result. Something, which is also not clearly outlined (I.e. what do I play with for a specific outcome)

Image Critique

Below are the 7 Images I used to produce the final HDR Image (3 Stops Below, Above plus the “correctly” metered Image)

And this is the final Image I outputted from Hydra

As you can see the colors are considerably more punchy, and I have managed to retain most if not all of the detail from the previous Images.

The software manages to produce Images in a variety of output options form TIFFS to PSD’s to simple Jpeg’s making it easy to incorporate into any workflow. The quality of the Images are of a high enough caliber to compete with Photomatix, although it may not be as visible thru these Images due to the compression for web, but Noise Levels are low, and detail and sharpness is well maintained, as well as colors.

Conclusion

Overall Hydra is a sturdy and well-rounded piece of software with lots of potential in producing incredible HDR Images. Its biggest flaw would be its UI and its inability to properly explain itself. Some work in explaining what each slider does In Software (even a first time “what does this do” dialog box which opens the first time (and every progressive time unless the checkbox do not open anymore) with some explanations would go a long way in making this more user friendly than it already is. Everything is laid out in front of the user, in an easy to view format, it just needs some clarifications and tooltips. Overall a descent piece of software

Recap

As usual, consistent blogging comes to me about as easily as a good Idea does to George Bush. However this time I do have a justification if not a reason for not excusing myself in advance. Febuary ended for me with a rather pleasant surprise resulting in me taking an extended 3 week trip. Unfortunately at present I am not able to divulge the details of said trip, however let me tell you the revelations I will make upon the declassification of said trip, will leave a few of you with eyebrows raised! Fortunately this gives me time to process the Images to a T.

However just because any images I might have taken in said trip might be delayed in making themselves online, doesnt mean I dont have material for the present.

Presenting the last of my 2009 Images (finally!) some pictures from a family dinner we had, during X-mas. Now I hadnt originally planned to upload these, however being the strobist nut that I am, I felt they had some value to my fellow strobist's out there, particularly as one set involved the mixing of ambient lighting and flash photography. Something I have been eagerly working on as of late.





Unfortunately the Images arent as great as they could have been. I was still at the time getting accuainted with my new nikon gear. The goal was to shoot the candle holders with the light of the candle oozing thru the gaps, whislt lighting them externally with the flash. Something I did manage to do, however at present I fail to understand the blurry nature of the Images. I can only assume I miscalculated my shutter speed making it too slow in an attempt to fill in some ambient lighting where the flash did not whilst still attempting to achieve some detail in the candles, whilst lighting the candles with an off camera SB900 with a warming gel to give it some ambience. Whilst the Images came out nicely, I find the fact that I used a high ISO and the blurry touch to detract from what I was aiming for. Just goes to show how much I've learned since then, as I'm quite sure I could presently retake the images with considerably better results. Hopefully I'll soon get the oportunity to play with a similar scenario and see if thats true.

My Images dont often get to tell a story. This is one of the reasons I've taken a liking for flash photography, as one is able to create results such as these.



I love how the light adds a touch of drama to the scene. What began as an experiment with my new toy ended with a lovely little scene depicting a heartfelt family discussion. The light capturing my great aunts expression. I love it and I couldnt help but share it.



As for these second batch of Images, my little cousin was clumsy enough to drop a glass of water on this heavily textured foot matt outside. Before letting them clean it up, I couldnt help notice how they captured the sunlight, glistening away. I couldnt help but rush off and grab my macro lens and get some shots before they dried up.

An old book Finally Published!!!

Hey guys!

Sorry for having missed last couple of weeks' posts its been a little crazy for me hehe. But that means I only have more to write about now. Some of you might remember I mentioned about a year ago that my 2008 book was complete and that I would have it available for sale, but never did. Well it turns out I Put the book together using Iphoto, assuming I could export a PDF and upload it to Mpix or wherever I wished it to be printed. Turns out it wasnt so easy, so after having recreated it using my publishers photobook software I'm pleased to say its now available for sale here!  Although I've been asked why am I still inclined on promoting the 2008 book when its 2010! People will want the 2009 book. As any photography enthusiast will tell you that its not nescesarilly a relevant point. I publish these books as a sort of memoir into my photography, not only so that other photographers and artists might want to see the progress and mental intricacies of a learning photographer such as myself, but also as an awesome photobook or coffee table book, which I strongly believe is very well presented in the book. Despite being over a year old, some of the Images still amaze and remind me of what kind of quality Images I can create. Thus making it a book I can continue to reccomend.

I hope you guys will purchase a few copies and aid me in my photographic Journey, and if you are of those who still prefer the 2009 book, worry not, It will be out, hopefully by the end of the weekend. Also on its way a 2010 Calendar! Its still not too late to get one of these too! Enjoy!

Hong Kong Stop Over

Hong Kong! One of the cities of Wonder, and Financial Centers (South East Asia's to be exact!) of the world! A place I think I could quite thoroughly enjoy would I have the oportunity to visit it more often (A luxury my little brother seems to attain regularly, along with regular visits to New York....Prick lol (No offense little bro ;)  ). Anyhow this time around on my way to India I was fortunate enough to stop over with enough time to spend some time in the City! And although it was nowhere near as long as I would have liked it was still an enjoyable experience none the less. I was able to meet a dear old friend whom I hadnt seen in the longest time (with the exception of the Bangkok trip where we did catch up a little), so it was quite enjoyable to hang out with him and get the extremely extremely extremely abreviated tour of the city...which involved me rushing to a tech mall to get a new camera bag (with my recent shoulder injury a right shoulder sling backback continues to cause me pain and dispair! However I was able to pickup a bag that could transform both into a dual shouldered backpack, aswell as a left or right shoulder sling! Perfect!) and a quick trip up to the mountains on the tram for some low angle photo ops!.

Unfortunately it was quite foggy, reducing visibility, and I would have liked to have had my tripod and some filters(which I was this close to purchasing, stopping myself only because i hope to upgrade my present gear in the very near future to higher quality lenses) to add some ambiance to the Images but I suppose these will have to do for now.  Hopefully on my next trip I can get a model up there and get some amazing backdrops!

India 2009

Following up my Beas post I thought I might as well finish up the India pics with my short trip to Delhi. Although these pictures were taken before I went to Beas they required a little more processing. My stay in Delhi this year was a little more short lived than usual, spending no more than possibly 24 hours on the way in and 72 on the way out. Now one would think that I would have shot more on the way out, however due to safety reasons I had my camera packed away in my suitcase providing me little access to it :(. However on the way out I was more than happy to string it along on my neck. Most of the shots were in fact from the car as we drove from my uncles estate to the airport. Whilst I'm not a big fan of shooting from a moving vehicle some of these pictures were irresistible and had to be attempted. The remaining few were taken the night before leaving, with my cousins playing ping pong, so I thought to have some fun with my SB 900, blinding them in the process, and the morning before leaving when I encountered some rose bushes. Enjoy


the scariest cow I have ever seen


Kingfisher Airlines...did you know apparently its illegal to shoot pictures in airplanes in india...Whoopsie!o:)



A family friend of mine shot this image, and although its blurry I love it! I dont usually photograph well and it dismays me in its lack of sharpness :(. However as a tiny display pic it isn't very noticeable :D


quick self portrait of me and my new nikon


this temple is absolutely gorgeous! whilst I could only shoot it from the car this time, it will deff be a stop on my next trip to Delhi


I don't get to do very much flower photography and having a zoom macro lens with me I couldn't resist the opportunity


blinding my cousins at ping pong

Beas 2009

As usual, the family X-Mas trip constituted a trip to India, composed of us visiting Delhi and Beas. I was quite excited to go this year as I missed out last years trip (which was apparently amazing) due to the frantic antics of Directing and D.O.P-ing two short films with a lot of problems (one more so than the other), preventing me from making the trip. I was particularly excited at the prospect of shooting, something I didn't do as much as I would have liked, mostly due to the lack of cars and my cousins getting me hooked on Command and Conquer Generals which ate away the hours. That and simply catching up and seeing a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while. All in all quite a fun trip. Although an incredibly annoying cold didn't help much in me getting out either.

The day I did get out, since photography is not allowed within the walls of the Dera, I made my way to Beas station and started my little photographic walk from there. Although I have done this before I am quite happy to say that my eye has certainly improved. I saw Image opportunities jumping out at me more than ever, and I was happy clicking away picture, after picture after picture. I had only brought one memory card remembering previous years escapades thinking that no way would I fill it up. I was wrong. I reached a point where I was deleting on the go, a habit I am not particularly fond of as it keeps the lens away from my eye creating a sense of panic that I might be missing a shot somewhere!












One of the highlights of the day was finding this little lake, where I had the opportunity to juice out some bird photography! Especially moving birds! Despite being a third party lens and not a top of the range tier Lens, it continues to impress me with its sharpness and focusing ability. Albeit its a little slower than I'd like but pinpoint nonetheless!





I did also want to get some nice portraits of the local folk, and whilst I did shoot some naturals I did want to get my little flash involved. After having watched the OneLight DVD I felt that in my head my lighting fundamentals were in a much better place. Before I wouldn't think about things so much but rather just put my head on autopilot and flew by ear not really understanding what I was doing but getting results nonetheless. After having watched the DVD I tried to go for specific effects, such as messing about with my sync speed and aperture to get a good blend of ambient light and lit subjects. Although I did manage to get half way there when you're working quickly things have a tendency to fumble or not work out as they please. Such as I kept forgetting the inverse square law, one that I need to quickly familiarize myself with, as I have reached a point where I can pretty much gauge what aperture and shutter speed I will need for a certain look. The next problem is telling the flash how to react in those circumstances. Very often I'm amazed when i see the results one can get with a bare flash, but am unable to reproduce it under pressure because of my lack of familiarity with the device. I've had it hammered into me in the past that bare bulb = bad harsh light, but in my explorations of images and photography I've discovered that, that is not necessarily the case and am more open to experimenting what this little light can do. However I am still a whiles away from the level of mastery I would desire to have.