by Gavin Seim: I just hosted the first “Incredible HDR” (high dynamic range) photo workshop in Central Washington. It was an intimate three day class of six, with attendees from as far as London, so we had plenty of one on one time. The images they made were amazing. I’m really proud of the students and the creative results they produced during the workshop. We covered everything from how to capture HDR portraits, to final edits, controlling light and presentation.
I believe one of the most important parts of good HDR is knowing how to edit it. There’s a lot of really ugly HDR because photographers don’t understand what their dealing with and how to make something magical from it. Going further however I want to remind those playing with HDR that the rules of photography do not go away because a photo is HDR. Interesting subject matter, composition and attention to detail are all very important factors in a great image. The students at this workshop were from varied experience levels but I think every one of them got it and took home something valuable.
I’ll post a few images from students below as well as a few of my own I took during excursions. It seems every time I teach something, I learn something new myself. If you’re interested in learning more about my HDR workshops you can find info here on Seim Effects.
by Gavin Seim: It’s amazing how much information is in files coming from today’s cameras. I do a lot of HDR photography, but I’ve also been working to bring out dynamic range on single files. I can actually pull out more tones using LR than I can in Photoshop.
Today I recorded a quick video to look at brushes masking and Luminance tools to control tones. There’s an HQ download version on Seim Effects. I’ll also be speaking on LR at the PPW Fall Conference so if you’re in the region stop by. Why am I still typing? The video explains it all.
This week we talk about some great new gear and goodies, as well as hear cool tips from some great guests including the one and only David Ziser. Here’s all the glorious links and there’s a lot of them.
Gavin Seim: I write a lot about HDR photography here on Pro Photo Show. It’s an often misunderstood animal, that when used correctly is incredibly powerful.
This has been in the works for some time, but it’s finally official. My 3 day HDR workshop will be held in Fall of 2009 in Central WA, we’re going to cover everything from basic HDR landscapes to using HDR for amazing people pictures.
This is a small workshop limited to about 15 participants. Seats are first come first serve. You can learn more over on KungFu Photo.
by Gavin Seim. Updated 07/10/09: Even with cameras getting amazing at high ISO, low noise images, there’s plenty of room in our kits for good noise reduction software. It allows you to push the limits and keep your images clean and vivid. Nearly every serious photographer should have a good noise reduction tool in his arsenal.
The showdown has come. I see lots of talk about what’s the best noise reduction software, but mostly it’s all talk. Rather than just talk, I’ve made comparisons. Lots of comparisons. I’ll give you examples with various products, images, cameras and ISO settings, including some HDR. At the end I’ll give my final opinions of each product and let you decide for yourself. Let’s get started.
All tests were made using the Photoshop plugin versions of the products but some are available as standalone apps. Settings varied, but I used mostly default settings and automatic profiles, with occasional tweaks to get the best results. This means these images represent the results you would get with a single pass and minimal hassle.
Often I found that one product maybe great on one image, while another product may work better on the next. Tweaking the settings would perhaps improve results a little depending on the image, however I wanted a real feel of the results we’ll get everyday and on the go. You can click any image for a large view, but some results are similar so you may want to download the large image bundle below. Forum discussion is here.
