Image Info

For this HDR “making of”, 5 exposures were taken with a Nikon D700 + Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR with the following settings:

exposure time: 0.6s (0EV), 1/6s (-2EV), 0.3s (-1EV), 1.3s (+1EV), 2.5s (+2EV)
focal length: 16.0 mm
aperture: F10.0
ISO: 200

Before taking the shot (see location), I waited for a bus to come into the frame for the longest exposure. Fortunately, the Lexus was parked and wasn’t moving in any of the frames, making the contrast between the car/bus trails and the motionless car more striking.

RAW exposures

HDR Exposure (realistic version) processed in Oloneo PhotoEngine

HDR Exposure (extreme version) processed in Oloneo PhotoEngine

The Final Result (full HD wallpaper)

Workshop Announcement

There are still a few places available for Paris HDR workshop on May 21-22nd. If you wish to learn what you’ll see on this video, make sure to make your reservation now!

A workshop will take place on May 28-29 in Nice, France. Official announcement of the workshop in Montreal will be done in June 2011.

The Making Of

The Video

The steps

For this making of, the following steps were undertaken.

1. Image alignment: it so happens from time to time that the tripod is moved slightly in between exposures. To fix this, I used the “load files into stack” script in Photoshop and repasted the corrected TIF into its original file.
2. dual HDR processing in Oloneo PhotoEngine (if you haven’t checked the review, it’s here): The first tonemapping was fairly realistic and would be used as a basis for the image, then a second tonemapping was applied and would be used for certain parts of the image.
3. manual blending of the two HDR generated
4. semi-automatic blending of the sky of one of the exposures using selections composites.
5. manual blending of the bus/car trails and hot spots
6. local contrast adjustments using blending modes such as soft light and normal blending modes
7. sharpening and edge sharpening using low and high radius high pass sharpening
8. special effects

The mini PSD

Want to see how it’s done in Photoshop, email me and I will send you a mini PSD containing all the layers.

Full length video

This full length video of 35+ minutes will be available with text commentary and explanations on the DVD of the HDR workshop. It may be available for individuals, message me for more information and prices.

Agrandir le plan

As usual, pictures were taken with a Nikon D700 + Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR and HDR were processed in Oloneo PhotoEngine and minor adjustments in Photoshop.

• beautiful sculpture and mural at the entrance of the Rockefeller Center, NYC

• Center alley and stores of Rockefeller building at dusk, NYC

• Teuscher Chocolatier, rockefeller center store, NYC

• the flags of Rockefeller center, NYC

• another view of the rock, rockefeller Center, NYC

• yellow cab in front of Rockefeller Center, NYC

Thanks for viewing!

This review will be updated when the final version is out and corrected (yes there are hidden spell-check errors, email me when you find them) if necessary.

A little history of HDR

HDR is nothing new to me as I’ve been using mostly Photomatix since 2006. My first HDR, a view of Montreal at dusk was published on Flickr in March 2006. Some of my HDRs have been published in magazines and other publications.

What I love about HDR is both its ability

1. to recover the dynamic range observed even in tough conditions and also
2. to make the scene more real and contrasted than what the camera captured through tonemapping. That ability to create stunning details through micro-contrast management can be replicated in Photoshop, however it takes far more time.

Since then I’ve tonemapped more than a thousand HDR using various techniques like:

1. semi-automatic blending of different layers using masks in Photoshop: one of my favorite techniques for blue hour HDRs.
2. Photomatix: Even though it was an good starting point, Photomatix never gave me results close to what I really wanted and I’ve always had to go through a series of adjustments in Photoshop to get the result that I wanted. Color accuracy and clipping was always an issue in Photomatix especially if you increased saturation to a value of more than 40.
3. Photoshop Merge to HDR: more realistic however it’s still not intuitive enough and certainly very slow.
4. 32-Float and HDR Expose: colors are accurate and results can be interesting and quite realistic however both applications are a bit challenging to understand and processing is a bit slow.
5. HDR Express: better than the previous ones from Unified Color but still a bit slow for a professionnal workflow.
6. HDR Efex Pro: good enough for enthusiasts, not really geared towards professionals. Color efex and Sharpener are much better applications from the Nik firm.

When you work as full time photographer, having an efficient workflow is key to delivering your clients quickly (especially for those working in real estate photography) with predictable quality in the results.

Unfortunately,  none of these applications are really efficient enough for professionals and all of them lack the following qualities:

1. a halo-free image with accurate colors that is very close to the final result to be delivered to a client (e.g. realistic)
2. good ergonomy, quick and easy to navigate through
3. real time visualization (when modifying settings)
4. predictable results (for batch operations)
5. quick processing

Oloneo PhotoEngine and how I fell in love with an HDR application

One of my obsessions as a professional photographer is having the most efficient workflow and clients expect more and more to be delivered quickly in the digital age (especially in real estate photography). Having worked in test automation for 5 years, I had already started to create actions in Photoshop to improve my workflow. Then I started to model my workflow to make it more efficient.

I was also looking for an application that would give me the result I wanted straight out of HDR processing. This was never really the case with any of the applications that I’ve used. Photomatix is amazing for artistic stuff, not so much for professional use. Then, after browsing flickr forums, I ended up on the mention of Oloneo PhotoEngine.

I then installed the application and within 5 minutes, I was already playing with it. This was a revelation to say the least. The application, while still in beta, was impressive and the results were nothing less than spectacular and it took me barely 15 minutes to figure out MY base settings. Processing an HDR from start to finish took me less than 5 minutes (that was before it was possible to save presets).

Here is one of the first picture to come out of the application:

With the latest beta, it’s possible to create an HDR from start to finish in less than two minutes, as you will see later.

About Oloneo SAS and Oloneo PhotoEngine

Oloneo is a french firm established in Paris a few hundred meters from the Eiffel tower and founded in 2006. The team, led by Antoine Clappier, has been working on Oloneo PhotoEngine since its beginnings and after communicating with them, they’re clearly out there to help bring HDR to the next step using their previous experience in the Silicone Valley to the table and by listening to the needs of both enthusiasts and professionals.

A gimmick for a long time and the target of lots of hate from old school photographers, HDR is now getting increasingly used by professional photographers and with its efficiency and its consistent results, the application will certainly appeal to a lot of pros and enthusiasts who are looking for crisp, sharp and realistic HDR images.

High Dynamic re-exposure in real-time

Deeply re-expose pictures in a fully real time, 32-bit per channel (96-bit per pixel), ultra-wide gamut and full resolution high dynamic re-exposure module without compromising details and color appearance.

Main features (HDR Tonemap)

• Full real time controls.
• Four high-end tone mapping engines:
• Auto Tone Mapper
• Local Tone Mapper
• Advanced Local Tone Mapper
• Global Tone Mapper
• Natural HDR™ processing mode.
• Auto-exposure correction with fine-tuning.

• Auto-contrast.
• Detail size and threshold controls.
• Halo control.
• Ghost removal.

• Over 40 factory presets + user presets.
• Batch processing.
• EXIF preservation.
• Full color management with display calibration support.
• Edge sharpening.
• Auto-align and auto orientation, and more.

The test setup

As described below, the testing computer is a PC:

• Intel Core2Duo E6750@2.33GHz
• 8Gb RAM
• 750Gb system hard drive
• Windows 7 64 bits
• video card GeForce GTX275.

the interface

the browser

There is definitely some room for improvement here. The button to open the browser is a bit difficult to locate at first.

Once you get used to it, it’s easy to select your files and add them for processing with HDR ToneMap.

Right now the only application that manages alignment correctly is the load files into stack from Photoshop CS3-5. PhotoEngine gives weak results

Editing (HDR ToneMap)

This review focuses on the core of the application which is HDR ToneMap. HDR ReLight and HDR DeNoise will be discussed later. Also, no manual or documentation was used for this review. It reflects how I understood the settings based on my own experience of HDR software.

The HDR ToneMap is very intuitive and is reminiscent of Photoshop. The placement of the different panels is (pretty much) based on the sequence you’ll be using them.

The histogram is always visible and is the best indicator for feedback  to show you if you’ve clipped highlights or colors and if your exposure is correct.

The terminology in the interface is rather easy to understand and here is my understanding of some of the main terms used for the local and advanced local tonemapping.

It’s also possible to enter a numeric value manually, which is very useful if you want to use presets.

High Dynamic Tone Mapping box

TM Strength: strength of HDR. it’s pretty much the main slider for the tone mapping.

Detail Strength: increase edge contrast (value between 0 and 20 recommended for realistic images).

Exposure: pretty self explanatory, the fine exposure comes in handy for minor adjustments between -1 and 1 ev.

Contrast: pretty self explanatory

ADVANCED OPTIONS

Detail Size: adjusting this setting changes the way micro-contrast is handled

Detail Threshold: adjusting this setting changes the way micro-contrast is handled. When close to zero, it removes halos altogether, when pushed to maximum, it participates to create the grunge effect. it works a bit like high radius high pass sharpening in Photoshop.

Edge Sharpen: adjust edge contrast (very subtle adjustments)

natural HDR mode

enable: this checkbox is VERY useful to retain original hue and saturation values of colors.

Low Dynamic range: those are adjustments to be used if you’re not using the High Dynamic Tone Mapping box

Exposure: pretty self explanatory

Brightness: pretty self explanatory

Contrast: pretty self explanatory

White balanced adjustments (temperature and tint): very useful and easy to use for ajusting color balance in the image.

Photographic print toning: useful and interesting for toning and split toning (highlights and shadows)

Advanced: those are adjustments are useful for finetuning the final image, especially brightness and saturation curves adjustments.

Brightness/Brightness: Curves adjustments to increase or decrease luminosity without increasing saturation. This adjustment works a bit like the curves adjustments in luminosity mode in Photoshop.

Saturation/Saturation: Curves adjustments to increase or decrease saturation based on original saturation value.

Hue/Saturation: Adjusts saturation based on hue

Hue/Luminance: Adjusts Luminance based on hue.

Hue/Hue: Adjusts Hue based on hue.

Time Machine: works like a history and it’s possible to save versions and compare different tone mapping settings instantly. VERY useful!

Presets: this is a lifesaver. Makes it easy to create and visualize different tonemappings instantly.

ghost removal

I’ve tested the settings a few times with images containing car light trails and moving people and both Photomatix and PhotoEngine failed to create a passable image.

real time tonemapping

The first thing that you will notice when you start working with PhotoEngine is that the image (and histogram) is updated in real time while you adjust your settings. Most software display the results once you’ve released your mouse button (it takes 3-4 seconds for photomatix to update a 1/4th size preview) and all HDR applications and it makes more difficult to compare two tonemapping results. It’s also possible to view at 100% the final result for one simple reason, the tonemapping is REAL TIME. Click save and you’re done.

That alone is great, however Oloneo PhotoEngine doesn’t stop there; the “time machine”  also allows you to create several versions of tonemapping and make it easy on you to compare them real time (without any lag).

One major difference, compared to Photomatix is that the preview IS the final result. It was a bit of a surprise to see that there was a difference between the Photomatix Preview and the final result like shown below:

Let’s be clear, for tonemapping, the local tone mapper is what you want to use

For experienced HDR users, the local tone mapper and advanced local tone mapper are the tone mapping options you’ll use the most. The advanced tone mapper allows for complete halo control for scenes with very high dynamic range.

For a good workflow, I would suggest using the settings in that order:

1. TM Strength: makes the HDR more or less pronounced. A value of 40-60 gives a natural feel to the image. The HDR becomes “inverted” between 80-100.
2. Detail strength: controls general micro contrast. A value between 0-20 works well for creating subtle edge contrast.
3. fine exposure: corrects exposure with small increments. When you push the TM strength, it’s advised to lower this value.
4. Detail threshold: manages tonal contrast and lowering the value will remove halos altogether.  A value between 80-120 usually works well
5. enable natural HDR mode: keeps colors looking natural and avoid strong color shifts. Disable it for artistic HDRs.
6. white balance: with HDR processing, color casts become more apparent, use the temperature slider to make the image more blue or orange and tint to make it more green or purple.
7. Brightness/Brightness: if you wish to add a bit more contrast, create a S curve.
8. create preset: once all is done, save a preset and use it for future images.

Comparing Photomatix and PhotoEngine HDR ToneMap

Workflow

Here are two videos comparing my workflow to obtain a similar result.

To keep the test fair, Photomatix settings were at default and a preset was loaded. For Oloneo PhotoEngine, the browser was opened and the previews preloaded before the test was started.

Photomatix speed test from David Giral on Vimeo.

Oloneo PhotoEngine speed test from David Giral on Vimeo.

Speed test results

For this test, I used 7 RAW files from a Nikon D700, 7 TIF 16 bits and 7 jpegs high quality as input.

Auto align and ghost removal settings were disabled in Oloneo PhotoEngine.

Reduced ghosting artefacts, reduce noise, align images and reduce chromatic aberrations settings were disabled in Photomatix 4 64Bits.

a few comments:

1. Tonemapping in PhotoEngine is real time. I rounded the time for loading the preset at 1s for PhotoEngine, however it’s much closer to 0s than 1s.
2. Photomatix takes 2-4s to display the tonemapping result once the processing is over. This time is included in the 15s.
3. Tonemapping time in Photomatix is the time that Photomatix takes to display the final image in the application before saving step.

As we can see in the results, the only part where PhotoEngine struggles is with RAW conversion of the compressed Nikon files.

In a professional workflow, it’s highly suggested to correct distortion and vignetting and chromatic aberrations using a dedicated RAW developer and use jpegs and TIFF without curves being applied in camera.

In those situations, using JPEGs and TIFs, PhotoEngine is miles away from Photomatix.

PhotoEngine is a clear winner here.

Image quality

For this example, because the two applications work differently, I did my best to get a the best image I would use and histogram using the two applications, however Photomatix doesn’t allow general contrast management without having to clip the highlights adjusting the white point so results are a bit different.

Images are straight of Photomatix and Oloneo PhotoEngine WITH the same input files and WITHOUT any adjustments in Photoshop.

Please check both slideshows to see which one you like better.

Paris Sunset HDR

Click icon to the lower right to view in full screen.

Night NYC HDR

Click icon to the lower right to view in full screen.

Overall quality: as you can see in the examples, Photomatix seems to apply a blur on the image and lacks local contrast compared to the PhotoEngine image. Honestly, I like the Photomatix version for artistic work, the gaussian blur gives a bit of a dreamy look to the image. PhotoEngine image is much more detailed and sharp. It stands out in term of precision of the adjustments and normal processing is pretty much halo-free. The resulting image is looks much more appealing to professionals and barely needs more adjustments in Photoshop.

Conclusion: Oloneo PhotoEngine vs Photomatix

I like Photomatix for artistic HDR when I’m looking for a dreamy and artistic look. I will always tend to heavily post-process this image in Photoshop.

I like PhotoEngine for my realistic HDR and when I have to deliver my clients quickly. The resulting image seldom needs more adjustments in Photoshop, except if you wish to do heavy post-processing anyway.

If you have the budget for both, you’ll get the best of both world by buying both. If you own a PC and look to invest in THE most efficient solution for a good price, I would strongly suggest PhotoEngine.

Workshop announcement

Although the workshop in Paris is in french (check the HDR workshop FAQ), if some of you who speak only English are interested to attend, then the workshop will be done in both English and French.  A free copy of PhotoEngine (value of 150$) will be handed at the workshop for the first 8 attendees. Book now as only a few places are available today.

Please check 2011 schedule regularly as firm dates will be announced soon for Montreal and Sidney (Australia) workshops. If you wish to host a workshop, contact me to see how it works.

Verdict

Whether you’re a professional photographer looking to cut down on his editing time and improve his workflow dramatically or an enthusiast photographer looking to create natural looking HDR images effortlessly then stop looking. PhotoEngine is clearly miles ahead of the competition and manages to create stunningly sharp and incredibly detailed images efficiently in just a couple of minutes.

+ : incredibly efficient

+ : easy to use

+ : real time tone mapping

+ : natural looking and halo-free images with accurate colors

+: stable (tested on Win 7 64 Bits)

- : not available on MAC yet

- : subpar image alignment in current beta

 

Now what do YOU think? How’s your personal experience with both Photomatix and PhotoEngine? Feel free to comment and put links to your pictures below!!!!!

sample images

All pictures are allrights reserved David Giral 2011, contact me for licensing or any use.

I just had time for a quick series of pictures.

All pictures were taken with a Nikon D700 + Nikkor 16-35MM VR F/4.0 and edited in Oloneo PhotoEngine Beta version (standalone HDR application available on PC) with the following settings:

Lors de mon dernier séjour dans la ville de Québec pour un workshop Photoshop, nous avions planifié une session à l’heure bleue avec le club photo dimension et la soirée était parfaite.

J’en ai profité pour faire une petite séries de photos  entre la rue Saint-Louis et la Rue des Jardins.

Tous les photos ont été prises avec un Nikon D700 + Nikkor 16-35MM VR F/4.0 et éditées dans Oloneo PhotoEngine (application HDR disponible en version beta sur PC) avec les réglages suivants:

• Quebec City, Epicerie fine Richard et Edifice price, rue des Jardins

• Quebec City, Epicerie fine Richard et Edifice price, rue des Jardins

Quebec City, Restaurant Café de la Paix et Epicerie fine Richard et Edifice price, rue des Jardins

• Quebec City, Restaurant “aux Anciens Canadiens”, Rue Saint-Louis

• Quebec City, Restaurant “aux Anciens Canadiens”, Rue Saint-Louis

Curious about creating great pîctures at the blue hour? I would strongly suggest to check this post too!

conseils

• pour une image pleine résolution utiliser un rayon dans les 40-60 pixels pour le filtre passe-haut
• pour une image taille web, utiliser un rayon aux alentours de 10 pixels.
• pour un effet plus prononcé, changer le mode de lumière tamisée (soft-light) à incrustation (overlay).

vous aimez le HDR et aimeriez intégrer cette technique dans votre workflow ou vous aimeriez tout simplement retoucher vos photos de manière plus efficaces, réservez votre place dès aujourd’hui dans un de nos prochains workshops.

Les 8 premiers participants inscrits recevront un version complète gratuite de Oloneo PhotoEngine (valeur 125 euros) dès la sortie finale du logiciel (juin 2011), courtesy of Oloneo SAS.

The first 8 participants will receive a a free version of the final version of Oloneo PhotoEngine software (125 euros/150$ value) will be included in the DVD, courtesy of Oloneo SAS.

Avant de passer au vif du sujet, voici quelques photos HDR réalisées lors de mes précédents passages à Paris.

Après des semaines de travail d’arrache pied pour finaliser les détails et le contenu, j’ai le plaisir d’annoncer que le premier workshop “HDR Naturel pour Photographes” se déroulera à Paris.

Ce séminaire résume en une vingtaine d’heures plus de 10.000h heures d’expérience en Photoshop, plus de 1000 HDR réalisés en utilisant des logiciels tels que:

1. Photoshop (soit via des calques, soit via la fonction “Fusion HDR Pro”)
2. Photomatix Pro
3. HDR Express / 32-Float
4. Nik HDR Efex Pro et depuis récemment
5. Oloneo PhotoEngine.

Ce dernier (disponible seulement sur PC pour le moment) est un bijou de technologie, d’une rapidité telle que vous mêmes serez étonnés des résultats du test qui sera présenté la semaine prochaine. C’est LA référence en 2011 pour obtenir des HDR avec des couleurs fidèles en quelques clics. C’est aussi (entre autres) un logiciel qui processe les fichiers RAW de manière tès convaincante.

Tout ca pour dire qu’en tant que photographe professionnel, le HDR est pour moi une technique incontournable que ce soit en photographie de paysage, d’architecture ou d’art. Maitriser cette technique devient indispensable qu’on soit amateur ou professionnel et ce malgré l’apparition d’appareils photos intégrant la fonction de HDR.

Mon objectif lors de ce workshop HDR est de vous présenter un éventail de techniques qui vous permettrons de réaliser des HDRs en moins de 5 min avec des résultats aussi naturels que vous le désirez ou complêtement surréalistes. Vous apprendrez aussi des techniques de masques et de calques avancées lors de cet atelier.

Le DVD qui vous sera remis à la fin de l’atelier vous permettra aussi de réviser tranquillement dans le confort de votre maison.

Bien sûr, la journée de prise de vue vous permettra aussi d’apprendre à mieux tirer partie de votre appareil photo et mon souhait est que vous repartiez de cette expérience avec vos plus belles photos de cette ville magnifique qu’est Paris. C’est pour quoi les localisations que nous visiterons seront votées parmi les 10 heureux participants.

Enfin, avant de vous laisser lire le flyer et de vous inscrire rapidement (il ne reste que quelques places), ce workshop HDR présentera en première mondiale le tout nouveau logiciel HDR créé dans Paris même à quelques minutes de la tour Effeil : Oloneo PhotoEngine. Il y aura bien sûr quelques surprises lors de cet évènement! Profitez en!!!

Suivez aussi dans les prochaines semaines ce blog pour:

- le test de Oloneo PhotoEngine

- le tutorial de Oloneo PhotoEngine

- et bien d’autres sujets concernant le HDR, en anglais ou en Francais.

Before reading the next paragraph, STOP for a moment think if you’re willing to INVEST time doing this.

You WILL get results if you put the time and effort and focus on following those 5 rules.

Tip number 1: Read Dale Carnegie!

Dale Carnegie? Who’s that guy? He has written the number 1 self-help book of all times;  “How to win Friends and Influence People” (published in 1937). Oh I hear you… you don’t need friends… well you’re wrong… A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.  It’s much easier to take photos of friends, even if they were strangers 5min ago. Your ability to put someone comfortable is a THE skill you need to be an efficient portrait photographer.

So if you on how to interact with people and/or strangers and if you wish you knew what’s missing in your social skills to be a great portrait photographer, then go ahead and read this book and follow those simple rules:

• Become genuinely interested in other people : To create great portraits, you have to be in the moment, not think about yourself but about the person who is in front of you. Be curious, ask questions about them, tell some jokes and it’ll be a walk in the park to photograph them.

• Smile: This one is number one in my book! It helps get rid of negative thoughts and will attract you happy and receptive people to photograph.

• Be a good listener: It helps making someone comfortable, happy, confident and more relaxed. Being a good conversationalist is a great skill to have and it starts by … listening.

• Talk in the terms of the other person’s interest: One way to succeed in portraiture is asking what other person wants. For that reason I always ask clients what’s his/her intent for their pictures and what they wish to project.

• Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely: Your model has to feel important and comfortable, it is the center of attention and it should retain all your focus. When you shoot a portrait the world outside just disappears, it’s like a communion between you and your subject.

This is GOLD, it’s so easy to implement you’ll be wondering why you never tried it before. Stick this on your wall, on your IPhone and let the magic work. Use your camera to give you confidence and look at people straight in the eyes and SMILE! Reading this book has been a transforming experience for me and it could be the same for you if you take the time to go through the each tip diligently.

Tip Number 2: Shoot strangers, lots of strangers

First, you’ll learn to deal with rejection. You will also learn all the possible responses to “Hi, would you mind if I took a picture of you?”. Second, remember that

strangers are friends you haven’t met YET!

People who accept to have their pictures taken by smiling photographers are usually great people and you’ll make friends with a lots of them. It’s also a great way to adapt to different types of personalities and face types.

When I started shooting portraits, I went 6 weeks shooting people EVERY single day (for an hour) in the streets with just a D200+85mm F/1.8 and a SB800 with a diffuser (as a fill). I would walk to someone, smile and ask “Hi, would you mind if I took a few pictures of you?”. If the response was yes, I would snap no more than 15-20 pictures (2-5 minutes), take the person’s email and send them the picture once it’s edited. In that 6 week span, I approached close to 300 people in old Montreal, photographed close to 150. What the most important is that I met a LOT of amazing people, I learned how to work through the approach anxiety, how to get good shots within 2-3 minutes, how to adapt to people’s energy. After a while, you know who’ll say yes and who to avoid. By being courteous, smiling and even a little bit quirky, everything goes well 99% of the time. I also got really more confident along the way. Now, I do it from time to time when I see someone who’s

Remember to check your camera settings before approaching someone. Feel free to give them advices on how to pose (like tilting the head down… nooo… not that much… just a tiny bit… see, that’s much better!)

Tip Number 3: Value feedback

Honestly, unless you’re good at evaluating your pictures without judgment and with accuracy, post your pictures online, ask for honest feedback and criticism for professionnals but also from non-professionnals (remember that clients are non professionals, technical perfection is meaningless if the client does not like the picture). Failure does not exist and even behind a negative critic there is a lesson to learn.

Remember that when they will review the pictures, they will see it from their perspective, take their comments as feedback. Some (very very few) people just might never LOVE their pictures. This is fine as long as you feel you gave all you had into those shots.

Tip Number 4: Shoot events and/or do portraits marathons

The upgraded version of shooting strangers is shooting a LOT of strangers at the SAME time!

Yes sure what events? I can’t shoot portraits… now how do you think I’ll get hired for that! Here are a few options: Photograph people in a parade, people are happy to be there and will be more inclined to say yes. . Another option is to go to clubs and shoot all evening and post pictures online, it’s a great way to make yourself known and to get a lot of practice and once you’re good you’ll be able to get paid for it.

However, my personal preference to develop a portrait portfolio is doing portraits marathons. Shoot a group of persons one after the other during a whole day or an afternoon. My most memorable experience in that aspect was shooting headshots of a whole class (27 students) of 2nd year acting students in barely 4h less than 3 months after having started shooting portraits. Shooting a different stranger ever 5-10 minutes was like being on a rollercoaster and going in a trance, there is no room for over-thinking things in that situation. That experience was amazing and a stepping stone to more amazing experiences later.

Repeat this section several times during 6 months and your skills will increase so dramatically people will think you’ve been doing that for a long time.

Tip Number 5: Attends photography workshops

Now you’ve gone through the first 4 tips, it’s time to confront yourself to the reality and get feedback from professional photographers. First you will learn valuable advices about learning how to light and uses strobes and flashs. Second, you will see them work with models and you’ll be able to check how different your process is compared to theirs. You will also notice what’s missing in your workflow. I attended a Learning to Light workshop 5 months after starting doing portraiture and I got: great pictures from my portfolios, great advices from an amazing photographer and teacher with 40 years of experience, new photographer friends and a bunch of easy techniques and tips on how to light your subjects.

There are other workshops around, you’re welcomed to share them in your comments and share what you’ve learned from them.

Tip number 6: the usual …

Sorry I lied about the 5 tips.

The usual advices are to check websites such as:

• Lighting Essentials: Great tips about lighting and pro photography business.
• strobist: Great tips on lighting. I hear good things about their workshops.
• Model Mayhem: Great place to find models, a good starting point too.

Thanks for viewing!

Note: all photos presented here were taken in the context of this post.

Before we start, if you’d like to get the chance to win a print of those photos of Paris, I would highly suggest to sign-up on the website before it’s too late. There is a monthly print giveaway!

Now back to Paris, let’s start the countdown to the top 10 postcard views of Paris and of the reasons to love them:

Number 10: The golden fountain of Place de la Concorde (check google map location of where the picture was taken)

This picture shows what happens when the sun is hidden behind the Place de La Concorde Fountain , it’s a golden moment.

Number 09: A Magical fall Afternoon over Paris (google maps location)

The clouds on this photos are truly spectacular and the light of the end of the afternoon makes for amazing contrasts.

Number 08: Rush Hour on Rue Royale (google maps location)

This picture was taken from Place de la Concorde and show an interesting perspective of Rue Royale towards Place de la Madeleine. A 13 seconds exposure was enough to capture the car trails.

Number 07: Dreamy Afternoon at the Square René Viviani (google maps location)

This one is one of the most romantic place and has seen a lot of lovers announcing their engagement their, just a few hundreds meters from Notre Dame De Paris.

Number 06: The Grand Boulevards of Paris City (google maps location)

This is an unusual view of Paris, taken with a wide angle lens from the last floor of the Printemps store. The beautiful cloudy sky makes for a really interesting shot!

Number 05: Stormy Sunset over Paris (google maps location)

Taken at the same moment as photo number 02, this is what happens when the sun sets after a storm in Paris. The mix of dark grey and the golden roofs of Paris make for a wonderful contrast!

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Number 04: A Painter’s Perfect Afternoon (google maps location)

This one is particular because of the human dimension to this photo. The lighting of this beautiful afternoon of October was both soft and dramatic, perfect for a postcard of Paris.

Number 03: Traffic on La Défense Skyline (google maps location)

This is one of my most recent pictures of Paris, it was taken a clear and crisp evening of March at rush hour. My favorite details about this photo are the rays of lights and the reflections between buildings.

Number 02:  The Last breath of a Fading Sun Over Paris (google maps location)

This photo features one of the most beautiful golden sunsets. It was taken an evening of December, during a stormy afternoon from the top of Arc de Triomphe!

Number 01: Sunset on The Seine River (google maps location)

Some may prefer the previous one however this photo is still my favourite photo and postcard view of Paris. It shows an amazing sunset light over La Seine and beautiful purple tones throughout the picture.

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While a lot of people are in their offices working or barely out in the metro or the subway, most people don’t see that special moment of the day where the sun goes down in December and that the sky becomes electric blue or purple if it snowing. The reflections of light on the snow gives it some pink to violet accents which are magical.

Properly covered and even wearing gloves, going out and capturing the life of a neighborhood is always fascinating and nice adventure close to home. Let’s start this week with Masson Street, located in Rosemont District in Montreal.

Masson Street is the heart of Old Rosemont and bears some of the most noticeables landmarks of this neighbourhood. It starts from Papineau Street and fisnishes up at Pie IX Boulevard and the Botanical Garden. It was the main commercial artery since 1905. Since a few years ago, the artery has become more vibrant and dynamic.

Here is some photos captured an evening of December. Enjoy the walk!

• nice neons of Tabagie Imperiale

• Facade of Bistro bar les Gemeaux

• some christmas decoration hanging on the street

• the colourful and cute facade of Fruiterie Premier Choix

• another angle of the colourful and cute facade of Fruiterie Premier Choix

• The Trinity United Church

• Man walking on the street

• People preparing for supper time at M sur Masson restaurant, one of the street most prized restaurant

• Woman reading at Brulerie Saint-Denis on a beautiful cold evening

• Entrance of Cafe Lezard, one of the most popular bars on Masson.

• Poivre et Sel grocery store

• People waiting to cross at the corner of Saint-Michel and Masson.

• Shell Station at dusk

• The local post office

• Cute Christmas decoration on a balcony of Masson Street

• Photos of a classic food joint of Masson Hotdogs

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Equipment used for the shoot

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

Default ISO settings : 800

Aperture: between F/1.4 and F/2.0

The 50mm is my favorite lens to capture streetscapes and scenes and its low light ability allows for great documentary styles images.

hardware used for the editing

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bits

Core 2 Duo E6750 + 4GB memory

Samsung 275T 27″ monitor + Samsung 244T 24″ monitor

Wacom Intuos 3 tablet

The Wacom tablet is always a must have tool for editing. It allows for pressure sensitive adjustments and it will speed up your workflow once you get used to using it.

Software used for the editing

Photoshop Cs5

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The Location

Located at the end of Colorado Street, Santa Monica Pier is the city’s most prized and one of the oldest landmarks of the City.

Agrandir le plan

In the city for a business trip in November 2010 and staying in Santa Monica, I had to capture the beauty of this place at the best time of day: the blue hour! I was surprised and lucky because it was a quiet night and contrary to my last trip in the summer, it was not overly crowded. After parking at the entrance, the first building to photograph was the Bubba Gimp Shrimp Co Restaurant.

Then going up on the Pier, I was fascinated by the scene of the Surf View Cafe  and for a more dynamic scene, I let a few people walk into the frame. The result is amazing!

The view towards the end of the pier shows beautiful colours against the blue sky.

Then you get to the amazing entrance of Pacific Park where you’ll see a big octopus dominating the scene.

A few dozen meters further, on the left part of the Pier, you get this wonderful view.

And walking a bit further you get these two amazing scenes. I especially  love how the HDR brings out the texture of the weathered wooden floor of the pier and how the 2 shops light up the scene against the blue skyline. The colours balance is nearly perfect.

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Equipment used for the shoot

Nikon D700

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR

Gitzo Leveling 6X tripod GT2540LVL

Default ISO settings : 200

Using the 16-35mm was the best way to capture the place “landscape” style and shoot for HDR. What’s really important when shooting for HDR at night it’s to capture all the details of the highlights and have a base exposure with sufficient shadow details. When choosing focal lengths, staying away from 16-20mm helps avoiding distortion and stretching. Contrary to the 14-24mm from Nikon, this lens allows for the use of filters (77mm diameter).

hardware used for the editing

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bits

Core 2 Duo E6750 + 4GB memory

Samsung 275T 27″ monitor + Samsung 244T 24″ monitor

Wacom Intuos 3 tablet

The Wacom tablet is always a must have tool for editing. It allows for pressure sensitive adjustments and it will speed up your workflow once you get used to using it.

Software used for the editing

Photoshop Cs5

32-Float Plugin from Unified Colours – HDR Experts

This was my first series of tests done using this new application from Unified Colours | The HDR Experts. Contrary to other tools like Photomatix, it’s much more easier to set the black point and once you find the right “recipe”, it’s pretty straighforward to use. Colour rendition is way superior to Photomatix and overall result is more realistic. Check for yourself and use coupon code “dgphotohdr” for a get 20% off any of the products.

Contact me for questions or if you’d like to see some topics discussed in more details here!

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