Adventures in Wet Plate Photography

These images show the progress that I have been making with my wet plate photography. Starting with some pretty bad images to some pretty remarkable images. I feel that I am progressing along nicely despite not having any hands on teaching or attending any workshops. I would love to attend some, I just don't have the time nor the money to do so right now.

   

 

Photographing Fireworks

Here is a very brief tutorial on how to get the best images of fireworks.

1. Use wide angle lens (or zoom out as far as you can)
2. Most firework shows happen in a very confined space, so its best to shoot vertically to capture the entire path the firework takes from ground to sky.
3. Set camera to RAW for best processing option
4. Place camera on sturdy tripod
5. Switch to Manual mode
6. Focus to manual
1. set focus to infinity or focus on the farthest object
7. Set aperture to f/8-16
8. Set shutterspeed to:
1. 5-10 seconds for timelapse (make sure to not overexposure the foreground)
2. BULB for total control (note this one requires cable release to limit camera shake)
9. Find the best spot to get the images you want. The closer you are the more you will have to tilt your camera up. The farther away you are, you will have to zoom in which can compress the image. 

One advanced tip is to shoot one image of the entire scene exposed properly (maybe even make multiple exposures to process in HDR) before the show starts. Leave the camera in the same spot for the remainder of the show and combine this shot with the others to create a very dramatic image.

"Super" Moon images

Last week the photography world was set atwitter by an astronomical event called the "Supemoon." This is when the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth and appears to be roughly 14% larger. This makes it, well, 14% easier to get a close up shot of the moon. Photographers from around the world ran out side (late at night or early in the morning) to photograph this moon. What some found, apparently, was that their camera did not capture the "supermoon" in all its humongous glory. Instead, the moon appeared small in the final image like the one below.

So, how to fix this problem. Well, its simple really. Take another picture using a telephoto lens. This, however, leads us to another problem. It looks like just any other moon photo. There are no foreground elements to compare the size to as seen in the following image.

Well, now what? Oh, screw it, we can just combine the two images together in photoshop and no one will be the wiser, like the image is now.

I have been seeing photos like this pop up all over the internet and people are amazed and in awe of not just the moon but the photographer and their ability to capture such an amazing image. If you are going to post photos like this, let everyone know that it is photoshopped. Otherwise, just post your true image of the supermoon. This is mine. Its not very impressive, but I still like it and I can say that it is not photoshopped.

Steampunk on Collodion Kickstarter Project

I am reaching out to all my readers for support of my kickstarter project. Please, check out the site and give your support to help this dream come true.

Steampunk on Collodion

Myers/Arooji Wedding in Charlotte, NC

My closest friend for some 15 years flew me out to Charlotte, NC to capture her special day. I could not be more happy for these two amazing people. Congratulations Brian and Tammy!!

Bellingham Harbour in Vandyke Brown Print

I know I have not been on here in quite a while. Lately I have been working with Vandyke Brown. This method has been around since the late 19th century. These prints (which were taken during a trip Bellingham, WA) were created using the VDB method. I did not alter or enhance the final prints in PS or LR.

MagicLantern and High Speed Photography

As stated earlier I was able to purchase a Canon 5D mk II (thankfully before they were discontinued). I also had learned of a firmware "hack" for this camera called, Magic Lantern. This add-on gives the 5D a bunch of extra abilities. The two that I have found the most useful for my style of photography is the increased AE brackets (up to 9 instead of 3) and the Audio trigger. 

The audio trigger does what it sounds like it does, the camera's built in mic hears a set db and triggers the camera to fire. The delay is pretty minimal and so I am able to experiment with high speed photography. Now mind you, the delay cannot be adjusted, only the db level. 

The image above is of a lit light bulb exploded using a pellet gun. The camera was set several feet away and zoomed in with a 70-300mm lens. A speedlight was set up to camera right, about 3 feet from the bulb. I stood several feet from the bulb and fired directly at it. The camera was fired upon hearing the trigger pull of the pellet gun. It was processed in Lightroom 4 only.