Continuous Improvement
“Achieving photographic perfection has become less important than enjoying the creative process.” - Steve
I am a life-long learner. I find it stimulating to learn new things that challenge my existing baseline assumptions. It is all about expanding my knowledge base. This is true of my photography practice, too. Every day, I learn new things about my profession. New skills and techniques are still important, but my focus today is exploring and understanding the nuisances of the creative process and mindset. Photography has become an experience-driven pursuit for me. It is more about capturing a mood, an atmosphere, or a frame of mind than an iconic location or special technique.
I am often asked if I have a composition formula and a specific editing workflow. The short answer is not anymore. I am working hard to transition from ‘technician’ to ‘creative artist’.’ The transition has been liberating. I have become less burdened by traditional photographic rules and audience expectations. I have instead pivoted toward a more personal, expressive approach. I believe the photographs in this blog are representative of the transition effort.
For those of you who are photo enthusiasts, each photograph presented here includes my thoughts about my composition objective, technical exposure, and a few editing points. I hope you enjoy the piece.
Cheers
Steve
Creative Choices & Decision-Making
I have been jumping back and forth between black-and-white and color image-making. I often make this decision while in the field at the moment of capture. When I make the decision afterward, it is deliberate and made soon after offloading and reviewing the files on the computer.
All this might sound a bit esoteric, especially since most cameras (and people) see in color. Suffice it to say learning to ‘see’ in black and white requires a conscious and deliberate effort. To interpolate black, white, and gray shades as substitutes for color takes some discipline and practice. Some cameras allow the user to view the scene in black and white, but it still takes some imagination to visualize the final edit and print.
The photograph below, November Morning, 2023, was taken following a cold, foggy, humid night. The little bit of overnight wind produced a delightful hoarfrost morning. Tiny snow-like tentacles clung to nearly all surfaces. It was a perfect black-and-white photo opportunity.
After a bit of exploring, I came upon this scene. The fog was low, concealing the tops of the rock formations. It was mystical and ethereal. I wanted to convey this feeling in the photo. My idea was to include the fog but only as a creative element rather than as the photo subject itself. The subject would be the tree and its frost.
I arranged the frame so that much of the white frost on the tree was set against a darker background. I used the subtle background fog as a naturally occurring graduate neutral density filter. This reveal-conceal veil of fog would serve to fade the rock wall detail from bottom to top. I centered the tree vertically and horizontally in the middle of the frame to give it priority. The grasses in the lower one-third of the frame would serve as visual entry detail.
I chose an aperture of f/12 to achieve full depth of field and sharpness, knowing the fog would naturally soften the background, separating the tree from it. I was using a medium format Hasselblad camera and selected an aspect ratio of 5:4 (almost square but not quite). Image quality was a priority, so I chose an ISO of 64. This meant that my shutter speed would be 6.3 seconds. With only a little wind, I accepted the slightly blurred movement of the grass at the bottom of the frame. I felt this would add to the mood.
In the editing process, I darkened the mid-tones (middle greys) and brightened the highlights (frost), careful not to lose highlight detail. The contrast this created accentuated the white frost on the darker background. I also worked hard to retain some shadow detail in the tree trunk.
[Click on the image to access a larger view on the website.]
November Morning 23183NWHX2DBW_5x4 - Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne, OR, USA. Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 45P f/4, 6.3 secs, f/12, ISO 64. Edited with Adobe Photoshop and NIK Silver Efex Pro.
I was immediately drawn to the scene in the photograph below, Medusa Frost, 2023. The stark black branches with their frosted tips set against a fog-shrouded background were visually appealing to me. It conjured the head of Medusa (hence the title) with snakes reaching out from the main trunk. I framed the photograph with layers in mind: light foreground, dark subject mid-ground, and light background. I deliberately off-centered the tree. It was subjectively more interesting to my eye. However, the fence and visible rock outcropping on the right and the bush on the left do give the image overall balance.
The post-process challenge was to separate the white frost on the tips of the branches from the white fog. The fog is actually not white; it is a mid-tone grey. I used a luminosity tool to select and brighten the frost and separately select the fog tonal range to decrease its whiteness. Moreover, I increased the foreground grass luminosity. Detail in the tree branches was not a priority. I felt the stark black added tonal depth, contrast, and mystery!
I focused on the tree branches. I used an aperture of f/19. In retrospect, I could have used a wider aperture like f/11. At f/11, an IOS of 64 (the native ISO for the Hasselblad X2D) would have been possible. This would have yielded the sharpest file possible. The shutter speed and aperture became inconsequential because the wind was minimal and the background fog was dense.
It was important the background remain soft so as not to compete with the tree branches. I reviewed the final exposure to be sure the foreground grass and tree were tack-sharp. I do like the hint of disernable rock wall and outcropping in the background.
Medusa Frost 23184NWHX2DC_5x4, 2023, Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne, Oregon, USA. Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 45P f/4, 1/25s, f/19, ISO 200. Edited with Adobe Photoshop and NIK Silver Efex Pro.
The color, Crater of the Moon Sunrise, 2023, landscape photo was taken just outside the boundary of Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, USA at sunrise.
Two things stood out to me as I looked out over the landscape. First, the primary colors were blue/cyans and yellow/green. Second, the terrain gradually rose from a low point in the foreground to the tall mountains in the background. At the same time, the height of the tripod and wide-angle lens reversed the height perspective. The foreground elements were larger than the tall mountains in the background. I enjoyed this perspective.
I framed the image using the foreground flowers as a low-entry element for the viewer. The hope was once in the frame; the eye would wander through the rest.
A maximum depth of field (DoF) was a priority. So, I used an aperture of f/20 and calculated a hyperfocal spot to be certain I would achieve an infinity DoF.
It was cloudy, and the light was changing constantly. There was also a light wind. I chose an ISO of 400 to avoid having to settle for a long shutter speed. The corresponding shutter speed was still slow at 1/19th of a second. but I timed the capture when the wind paused.
As I stood there getting ready to make an exposure, a hole in the clouds opened, letting just enough sun through to highlight the distant mountainside. I took the photo. During post-processing, I focused on color contrast. I up the yellow and blue saturation a bit. I selected the sky and increased the texture a small amount. I also used a luminosity mask to select and increase the mid-ground highlights.
Crater of the Moon Sunrise 23067LHX2DC_5x4 - Near Craters of the Moon National Monument, Iadho, USA. Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 38V f/2.5, 1/19 sec, f/20, ISO 400. Edited with Adobe Photoshop.
This fourth image falls in between black and white and color. Backlit Morning, 2023, was taken along the Dog Mountain trail on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. While this young tree was dwarfed by the tall pines around it, it seemed to command my attention.
I purposefully framed the young tree so that it appeared to be reaching out to all corners of the photo frame. Yellow buds emerged from the ends of every branch. Just enough sunlight was streaming in to accent the buds on the young tree and the downhill sides of the pines. I did my best to position the yellow buds against the dark pine tree trunks. I used a wide aperture to narrow the depth of field. Shutter speed and ISO were not priorities.
I processed it using a narrow color palette, mostly yellow, green, and brown. The result is an image that takes on an old-time, analog look. I selected the yellow bud luminosity range and increased the brightness. I did the opposite with the dark tree trunks, although I wanted to retain some trunk detail and opted not to silhouette them.
Backlit Morning 23167NWHX2DC_5x4 - Dog Mountain Trail, Columbia River Gorge, Washington, USA. Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 45P f/4, 1/45 seconds, f/5.6, ISO 400. It was edited with Hasselblad Phocus, Adobe Photoshop, and NIK Color Efex Pro.
This final image is a favorite of mine, Colorado River Peak-A-Boo, 2017. This photo was taken at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park. I was camping and woke early to hike from Phantom Ranch to this high east-looking overlook point. From the moment I looked out to the horizon, I knew I would process the image in black and white. The dark versus light, the texture and contrast, and the subtle sunrise would perfectly translate to black and white.
I took this photo in the 2:3 aspect ratio, a tall and narrow format. When processing it, I changed the ratio to 4:5, which is less narrow and more square. This repositioned the river ‘S’ curve to a point just off-center and above the midpoint. My eye liked this better.
My composition goal was to convey a remote and vast landscape as far as the eye could see. I want the viewer to feel the same solitude and calmness I felt waiting for sunrise.
I know that the eye usually seeks the brightest spot in photographs first. And I know that contrast appeals to most viewers. So, by positioning the river in the middle of blackness, I expect the viewer will probably start their journey there. I believe the subtle details in the dark regions of the lower portion of the image add intrigue and drama.
When processing the image, maximizing the blacks and mid-tones was my first priority. I wanted the foreground to retain just enough detail that the viewer would lean in for a closer look. Therefore, it was critical to avoid any silhouettes. I wanted the river to be brighter than its surroundings but not excessively. I increase its brightness by just a small amount. Since the river was at the bottom of the canyon, increasing the brightness too much would make it unbelievable. Clouds hugged the horizon, but little was happening above this level. I added some dehaze to give some structure and texture. I left the rest of the sky a bit dusky grey to match the river.
Colorado River Peak-A-Boo 21171918LND800BW_4x5 - Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Nikon D800, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 @50mm, 3 seconds, f/11, ISO 400. Edited with Adobe Photoshop and NIK Silver Efex Pro. Light Sepia tone.
I suppose achieving success is often in the eye of the maker. Your view may be that all of this is hogwash and that a photograph can’t invoke a mood, attitude, or emotion. If so, that’s all right. But I am guessing you have had a strong, visceral response to a photograph or two in your lifetime. I would like to think the photographer who made the image influenced your reaction!
Cheers
Steve
Final Frame
River Stones 23126NWHX2DC_5x4, 2023, Fall along the Deschutes River near Dillon Falls, Bend, Oregon, USA. Hasselblad X2D 100C, XCD 45P f/4, 1.3s, f/22, ISO 64. Edit Adobe Photoshop, NIK Color Efex Pro.
