If I Could

I am sure most of you have seen a meme where the phrase "If I won the lottery I won't tell anyone but there will be signs" was used with a picture of an excessive number of items a person would buy.

For a photographer, it would be a lot of cameras and lenses. This may ring true for many photographers, but not me. Sure, I'd buy a few more lenses and maybe one camera body. But, is that all?

If money was not an issue, as in winning the lottery or getting a large inheritance from a long lost relative, then yes, that would be all for cameras and lenses. But if I could, I would get all the fun stuff that could help a business out. How about a laptop for editing out in the field? Another tripod for those macro shots? By the way, now my camera bag won't hold all that new stuff, so I might as well as upgrade to something that will.

Now that I'm on a roll, I might as well as upgrade my desktop computer. A bigger table for my printer (which needs replacing now that I have the money) and for matting and packaging all the prints I will be making with all that new gear. Oh, don't forget all the things to go with that. Updated software for editing, hard drives to stores those thousands of new photographs, ink and photo paper for the new printer, and plenty of mats and shipping containers.

Of course, with more money means bigger art shows, which will cost more to enter. Add hotel costs to that as well. All this new artwork will require a van dedicated to carrying all this around too. But if I get the van, I might as well as get a bigger, more durable canopy. This will require a whole new display system as well.

A new wardrobe will be needed for those high end shows. I certainly want to look the part of a well paid fine art photographer that produces work or upscale homes and Fortune 500 companies.

So, yeah, there would be signs that I came into money. Luckily for me, I don't play the lottery or have rich relatives, lost or otherwise. I will buy new (used, but new to me) gear when I can afford it. The fun stuff will have to wait on my wish list. The big, expensive shows are just a dream. I will make do with what I have.

To all the other artists out there, stay humble but pursue your dreams. To those who have bought from me, I sincerely thank you.

5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started

If I could tell my younger self just five things about photography when first starting out, these would be it.

They are in no particular order in terms of importance, so you can use them in any order you want.

Number one is education. This could be classes, either in person or online. It could be reading or listening to podcasts. Watching videos and taking part in photo workshops are all part of education.

I put it off at first, thinking I knew everything I needed to know already. Big mistake. Photography is always about learning, be it new gear, editing processes, or just presenting your work.

So, educate yourself in whatever way works for you. Take classes, read, attend workshops.

Filters are the next thing on my list. I knew of them but nothing about them. I thought they were just something the pros used. When I finally decided to get some, I did no research as to what kind or type to buy. I had read that a filter will help your photography and keep your lens safe. So, I bought a cheap UV (ultraviolet) filter that saw little action because I was not versed in its use. I have since gone through several types and brands of filters. I now have a kit of ND (neutral density) filters. They help with creating better looking skies, and to get long exposures. My next filter will be a polarizer, to reduce glare off water and other shiny subjects. These should be in your kit as soon as you can afford them.

Shooting in Manual. I started shooting in Auto mode once I started using DSLRs. Most people do. It is easy, just like using a point and shoot camera. The photographs turn out okay for the most part, but the camera makes the choices you should be making. How will the camera know when to under- (or over-) expose a shot, or focus on a certain point in the scene, unless you tell it to. That is what Manual mode is for. It allows you to be the creative photographer you want to be. Put your camera in Manual and start experimenting. If you need help, consult your owner’s manual, or go online and look up how to operate the camera in Manual.

Shooting in RAW. I shot in JPEG for years because it worked for me. The photos were fairly good out of the camera. I didn’t have any fancy editing software, so JPEG it was. Once I learned I can make changes to my photos using software, I began shooting in RAW. I like to be able to change the mood, among other things, of a photo before I print it. In fact, there is so much you can do with a RAW file that the possibilities are almost endless.

Using a tripod. I started out with the same tripod I bought when I had a 35mm camera back in the dark ages. It worked then as the camera was much lighter, and I didn’t take it out anywhere. With the heavier DSLR, I needed something better, especially if it was to be used regularly. To be honest, I went years without using a tripod, because I thought that was the way things were done. Once I realized I’d be shooting with slower shutter speeds at times, I got a tripod. It lasted awhile, but I just upgraded to a slightly more robust one.

Tripods come in a variety of sizes, depending on your use. Most are either aluminum or carbon fiber. Both are good, so it depends on personal tastes and usage as to the material you choose. I opted for carbon fiber because I like the look and feel of it.

Now for an extra tip. Only buy lenses you know you will use. I have six lenses. I could get by with just four of them. Buy what you need, nothing more. Consider used lenses to save money. Also, rent a lens before buying it to make sure you really like how it performs. It could save you money in the long run.

If these things helped you out, consider passing them on to other photographers who may just be starting out in this wonderful world of photography.

Who Do I Follow on Social Media?

I follow a lot of people on social media. Not all of them are artists, and not all the artists are photographers. However, I do have some favorites of each.

I will break it down to the main three social media sites I use/view on a daily basis. I will then list each one in no particular order. I will offer why I follow that particular person, with the hope that you may find that person interesting as well.

YouTube

Nigel Danson. He is a landscape photographer based out of the UK. His videos range from his photo walks to editing tips and printing. Here is his link.

Ian Worth. He is another landscape photographer out of the UK. His videos are similar to Nigel’s, what with photo walks and photography tips. This is his link.

Mark Denny. Mark is a  landscape photographer based in North Carolina providing photography education and outdoor commercial photography services. He does more editing videos than the others, which is fine by me. His link is here.

Adam Karnacz. His YouTube handle is First Man Photography, a play on his first name. Another UK nature photographer, he does photo walks and talks about printing work. You can find him here.

Instagram

I follow more people here than anywhere else. While I would love to include everyone I follow, that is not possible. I will not list the people I follow on YouTube here, although I do follow them here as well. You can find their IG info on their respective channels.

First is my friend Janice Redden @sunshinephotoshots. She is new at photography and has a keen eye. Although based in Michigan, we’ve shot together a few times. All her work is bright and cheerful. We have one of her photographs hanging up in our living room. Her new website should be rolling out soon.

James Nyland is a photographer I met online. Some of his work is similar to mine. We’ve talked on the phone once, and he seems to be a real nice guy. Look him up at jimnyland_photography.

Fraya Replinger is another friend of mine. I first met her at a small art show we were both in. We’ve since done several of the same shows. We would like to go out shooting together sometime, as our subject matter is similar. We’ve got some of her work hanging in our kitchen and living room. See some of her work at f.replinger.photography.

Rhianna Hodgin. She is my wife’s niece, and a great artist. She is just getting back into making art, and it is fantastic! You can view her paintings at rhiannahodginart.

Trent Foltz. Another Illinois photographer that I have been following for a while. He does shoot some of the same type of things I do. I hope to meet him in person some day. In the mean time, I follow him here, at trentfoltzphotography.

Facebook

I don’t follow a lot of photographers here, as their work is best seen on Instagram or their websites. Nevertheless, here are a few I do follow.

Trent Foltz at Trent Foltz Photography.

Justin Tedford at Justin Tedford Fine Art Photography. He is out of Iowa and does work somewhat like mine. He is a veteran and photo instructor.

Mark Denny at Mark Denny Photography.

Zach Adams. He goes by 1221 Photography. Excellent black and white photography, although he does color as well.

Todd Klassy. He is a great photographer and does excellent work about farm life. Check him out at Todd Klassy Photography.

These are just some of the artists I follow. There are so many others that I have not mentioned. Maybe I will do this again with some of them. Who are some artists you follow?

Behind the Shot #1

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts with this title. In it, I will go over a recent shot I took. I will recount as much as much as I can remember about it, including locations, camera settings, and as much of the editing I can. As this is the first one, I did not prepare by taking notes while editing, but I can still tell you what I did for the most part.

To start things off, here is the shot before editing. I use a Canon, so the RAW shots are in CR2 format. From now on, whenever I talk about a before shot, or one out of the camera, I will refer to it as a RAW file.

After importing into Lightroom, where I do almost all my editing, I started with the Basic panel. I almost always start with the Basic panel, and as you will see, I tend to stick with the same order of things as far as everything in the Developer panel. I have each panel in the order I tend to use them. Here it is with the latest names: Basic, Tone Curve, Color Mixer, Color Grading, Lens Corrections, Transform, Effects, Detail, Calibration, and Lens Blur. I’ve yet to use Lens Blur, although I have a basic understanding of how it is used.

I set my White Balance to Daylight, which automatically moved a few sliders. After that, I increased the Exposure and Contrast to my liking. Highlights, Shadows, Blacks, and Whites all got some major shifting of their sliders. I then added just a little Texture to bring out some wood grain and rust on the metal.

Moving to the Tone Curve, I used the Strong Contrast setting to give it some punch. Most of my work usually gets this, or the Medium Contrast. Rarely do I not give my work any contrast.

In the Color Mixer, I turned the Blue and Aqua all the way down to remove any blue from the photo. It helped remove some of the distracting color in the background.

In the Color Grading panel, I adjusted the Midtones only. Depending on what I am working on, I may adjust one or two, or all three settings, or none at all. This is one of the panels I play around with the most, I think.

As to Lens Correction, I usually use it, but not always. I know some photographers that never use it. If I plan on using the Transform settings at all, I will usually leave this setting alone.

The other settings in the Developer panel I leave alone most of the time. Again, depending on what I am trying to do with the shot. I sometimes add a little vignette on some work. Other times I may add the vignette with the Mask tool.

Now the photo is looking like this.

I am liking the way this looks, but it is still lacking the oomph I want. Now I go into Masking and playing around. In it, did several different masks. One was to sharpen and add texture to the bike frame. This was difficult as the Subject mask did not pick up on the whole thing. Another mask gave some texture to the wood. I’m sure I made a few other minor adjustments along the way.

Now it is time to convert to black and white. I do not really care for the black and white presets in Lightroom, even though I know I can Tweak them to my liking. I prefer to do it myself in Photoshop or use NIK Silver Efex. Usually I just go with Photoshop, but this time I wanted to see what each would do. So, I ran this through both, with some minor editing to each afterwards. After a quick comparison of the two, I chose the one from NIK It is what I envisioned when I first took the photo, knowing I would make it a black and white.

So, this is what I went through to get this shot. Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion.

The Rougher Side of Fine Art

My mediums for printing my photography may not meet the criteria for fine art according to some people. I recently read a blog that said if it is not on photographic paper, it is not fine art. I understood where he was coming from on some of his points, but overall, I disagree with him.

For those that have seen my work, know I print on both canvas, and metal. It does depend on the subject matter. For canvas, it is usually old barns or other farm related buildings or machines. These tend to be colorful. Many of them have been mistaken for paintings. Bearing this in mind, think back to before photography. The great artists painted on canvas. Would not Rembrandt or Renoir be considered fine art? So why can’t my photographs on canvas be considered fine art? Is it the subject matter? Old barns and tractors are not the same as portraits or groups of people. But they are portraits of a different kind. They portray the work buildings and machines of farmers past.

Waterman Barn

My metal prints are mostly black and white. The subjects are old cars or trucks, or parts thereof. These may be a far cry from the still life paintings of Dali or Monet, but in way, they are very similar. They are both studies of an item. The painters may have used flowers, plants, or food. I use grills, taillights, and old machines.

Taillight #1

I think art goes beyond the subject. It is the beauty of the subject in my opinion. I asked Google to define Fine Art. Here is the answer: creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content. Notice the word imaginative. Artists have been using this tool for centuries. Without imagination, would we have the Mona Lisa or The Starry Night? I think not.

I use my imagination when I see a subject I like. I imagine what it was like when it was new or in use. I think of its beauty of the past against the beauty of it now. The grill may be missing pieces, the chrome of the taillight pitted, or the machine rusted to the point of non-functionality. Yet, there is still beauty in them. It is the beauty of the work of man.

So, my work has a rough side to it. I am not the only artist. Think of other pieces of art that could be considered rough. The Scream comes to mind, as does Dorothea Lange’s Depression-era photographs. Yet, they are great pieces of art.

It is said that art is in the eye of the beholder. The same can be said of fine art. It can be a canvas, a metal print, or on photo paper. Long live art.

What is your opinion? I would love to know. Please comment below.

Music is the Soundtrack of Your Life - Dick Clark

I admit I don’t listen to music as much as I used to. I would have had it playing most of the time. Now it is usually reserved for when I am working on the computer, editing my photos, or preparing for a show.

I don’t have a set playlist. I just turn on my iTunes, set it to random, and dig the music.

If you were to look at the songs I have, you’d be surprised at some of my selections. I have some jazz, some blues, and a lot of rock music. While most of the groups are mainstream from the 1970s and 1980s, I do have some bands you may never had heard off. Some examples are High Tide (early progressive rock), Quicksilver Messenger Service (psychedelic rock featuring the great Nicky Hopkins on piano), and Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows (rhythm and blues band from Chicagoland).

Of course, the list would not be complete without some of my favorite bands and artists. Grand Funk Railroad, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, and ZZ Top are among these.

A smattering of 1960s rock can be found too. The Animals, The Kinks, some early Beatles and The Who are just some of the bands that provide some of the soundtrack of my life (at least my “work” life).

Some of the songs on my list bring back memories of my past or remind me of events. If that is not a soundtrack, I don’t know what is.

Surprisingly, I am not listening to music as I write this. I prefer silence when I write, as I think more clearly that way. Silence can be a soundtrack as well. But music does get my creative juices running when I do other things, like the editing I mentioned before.

What is on your playlist when you create?