Category : Tutorials

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Here is my short tutorial on generating 32bit HDR files in Photomatix and then importing them back into Lightroom 4.1 for super-intuitive editing.     *****UPDATE***** HDRSoft/Photomatix have released a plugin that now supports processing of 32bit HDR files without all the hassle.  You can download it here:   http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/merge_lrplugin.html

A while back I purchased a Murami 720nm IR filter for my Sony a77v camera.  Unfortunately I did not realize that the Sony was not a good candidate for infrared photography because of it’s semi-transparent mirror configuration.  So the filter ended up on the shelf along with this “broken” DSLR body I had.  Then I [...]

No, I cannot help you in avoiding a flat tire, other than suggesting that you try not to run over sharp objects. What I will attempt to help you with is avoiding blow-outs in your photographs.   What’s a blow-out you ask? In simple terms, it is an area of a photograph that has turned [...]

A lot of folks who get into photography started out with doing something else. They had some other activity that they loved to do such as hiking or sports and then got a camera and started taking it with, combining their love with photography.  Then, over time the evil addictive photography monster starts to take [...]

We sometimes forget how lucky we are to live where we do. Sure, I would love to travel to other planets and see all the wonders that they posses.  But the fact is, there is a whole lot to see from your own back yard.   In this tutorial I am going to teach you [...]

Sounds dangerous, and…it can be.  So let me start this one out by saying I take no responsibility for you running out into a field and getting zapped, attempt at your own risk.  Okay, now on to the good stuff. Recently in upstate New York we have had some crazy weather.  So, I decided I [...]

And it goes by the name of  ”tilt-shift”.   In this tutorial, I will attempt to explain “tilt-shift” and show you how you can achieve this really cool phenomenon with your photos.   The technical according to wiki:  ”Tilt-shift photography” refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium-format cameras, and sometimes specifically [...]

Using depth of field to make your flora photos fantastic! It’s spring folks! Time to get outside and start snapping some nature.  If you are anything like me, when you get a new piece of equipment like a new lens or even your first camera, you use it around the house to get familiar with [...]

No, it’s not some new form of HDR.  It is the question I get asked most often though. Why use HDRI and what the heck is it? Here is the technical explanation for what High Dynamic Range Imaging is:

HDRI or HDR definition: In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging HDRI (or HDR as it is more commonly known), is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This [...]

The Tools: Cameras Obviously a digital camera is a good place to start.  I could easily do a 50 page thesis on cameras for HDR, but in this case, I think google knows best.  I will keep it as short as possible here. Pretty much any digital camera that you can change the EV (exposure) value [...]

The Shot Well probably goes without saying but I will say it anyway.  It all start here.  Meaning, no matter how much you photoshop it, or HDR it, or whatever it, a good shot is a good shot and a bad one is well, just bad. Once you are more familiar with the process, you [...]

Processing Time to make this puppy sing.  You first need to fire up your HDR software.  In this example we will use Photomatix Pro 3.2.  Open the program and you should see th following dialog: Once you have Photomatix Pro 3.2 open you will want to click on the Generate HDR Image button and then [...]

Photoshop Now that your HDR has been tone mapped to at nice viewable .TIF file its time to put the finishing touches on it.  Granted you may be happy with the photo the way it is, but these simple techniques will not only make your HDR pop but will also help most any shot do [...]

Currently working on restoring some old photos for friends.  First up was just a simple restore.  Noise removal and color repair work.  Much more could be done but this is just a simple example of a quick repair. In this example I used a combination color balance, saturation, un-sharp mask, the spot healing brush, standard [...]