This page documents some of my photographic activities. It is intended as a place to keep notes to myself. I try to make it informative enough that other people can see what I'm doing. I try to keep it up to date.
Photographic TechniquesPhotographic Manipulation SoftwareThis is my current toolbox. The comments capture the role of each program in my workflow.
Large Panorama PhotographyThe
GigaPan images provide a unique way to capture, store and view
photographs, particularly landscapes and macro-photography. Each panorama consists of dozen to thousands of images that have been merged into a seamless whole. There are several ways that the panoramic images are used. Most are stored in an on-line system that allows for viewing at many scales. This lets you see an entire panorama on the computer screen and then zoom into any area of interest. Alternatively, large (e.g., 12 ft wide) prints can be made and hung on the wall.
HDR PhotographyHigh-dynamic range (HDR) photography uses either one image that has captured a wide range of luminance (such as RAW) or several photos that have been exposed differently so that they together cover a wide range of luminance. Image processing helps to reveal detail in both the highlights and shadows.
Confocal PhotographyThis photographic technique overcomes the problem of a small depth of focus, particularly in macro-photography. The basic technique is to capture a set of photographs of successive layers. Only a small portion of each image will be in focus. Software is then used to extract the "in focus" areas and to combine them so that the resulting synthetic image is completely in focus. The software has to deal with more than problems of focus, such as image scaling and alignment.Note that there appears to be some progress in controlling the focus of DSLR cameras through software links to PCs. This could be very interesting as a way to control the creation of focus stacks.
Tilt-Shift PhotographyIn a nutshell, Tilt-Shift is the use of a specialized lens or lens mount that emulates the functions of a view-camera. This lets you move the lens without moving the image sensor (i.e., the camera body). This is used most in architectural and interior photography but also helps in landscape and close-up photography. Tilt and shift are two separate functions and they are not always linked together in a single camera lens. Shifting vertically is probably the more widely used function as it lets you keep vertical lines parallel. An example is the sides of a building. Without a shift, the building appears to get narrower at the top. Horizontal shifting lets you take panoramic shots (with a limit of about 3 separate images) that are free of distortion and, therefore, easily stitched together. I am working on the tilt function. This lets you move the plane of focus. An example is an ability to get focus from very close to infinity in a landscape shot while using a large aperture setting. Close-up photography also benefits from the same capability, although at a much smaller scale. Tilt and shift lenses are a lot of work. You need to do manual focusing and getting the correct exposure is a challenge. On my Canon 5D2, I need to use Live View. Zork Adapter
Canon TS-E 17mm f4/0 L lens
Geotagging Photos
Miscellaneous Orton Effect (2 images, one focused and the other not; painterly result)
Airphotos and 3D Reconstruction Canon 5D2 Video The Canon 5D2 is quite a respectable video camera, in addition to being a superb still camera. Making the transition to video is not easy. There are some things that need to be done. I'm working on this, so the points below are a work in progress.
| Photographic Equipment Notes on what I am currently using -- or would like to use -- are on the following link. Experimental Stuff Contour Camera Lytro Camera Letus Hawk
Magic Lantern
TriggerTrap
CamCrate
Fun Stuff Photography Platforms
Supermechanical Twine
Books I favor ebooks as they are convenient to read on a tablet or monitor, they usually have great color and they are often less expensive. The Art of Photography eBooks from Craft & Vision Each of these duChemin books is a wonderful read. I return to them to get ideas and to be reminded that I have to think about what I'm doing when I have a camera in hand. Most of the materials in the books are based on David's blog, Pixelated Image, another good source of inspiration. David duChemin Vision is Better (Free the Mind, Free the Camera) David duChemin The Vision-Driven Photographer (Notes on Discovering & Refining Your Vision) David duChemin Ten (Ten Ways To Improve Your Craft. None of Them Involves Buying Gear) David duChemin Ten More (Ten More Ways To Improve Your Craft) David duChemin Drawing the Eye (Creating Stronger Images Through Visual Mass) David duChemin Chasing the Look (10 Ways to Improve The Aesthetics of Your Photographs) The Techniques of Photography eBook from Flatbooks James Brandon Tack Sharp: A Step by Step Guide to Nailing Focus |