EOS Documentation Project

I recently lost the instruction manual for my Canon TC-80N3 Tiner/Remote Controller and could not recall how to use some of the functions. I might have been looking in the wrong place on the Canon USA website, but I could not find a copy of the instruction manual there either. After some Googling, however, I found the EOS Documentation Project, a website that makes available instruction manuals for all things related to Canon EOS. Well, maybe not all things, as the site seems not to have been updated in a while. For instance, there is no information on the 5D MKII, thought the 5D is there. The 1Ds MKIII and 1D MKIII is listed, but not the 1D MKIV.

However, the manuals for newer Canon items can be downloaded from the Canon website. The EOS Documentation Project, on the other hand, seems to be a good resource for older Canon items. It helped me and perhaps it might come in handy for you too. Check it out here.

As to why this post is written in bold text.....blogger seems to have an issue and I can't get it to come out any other way.

Chris Friel

Having recently acquired a Canon tilt-shift lens, I have been avidly trying to learn how to best use it. This includes using the shift mechanism to avoid converging lines for architectural photography as well as using the tilt mechanism for altering the plane of focus to allow front to back sharpness while making landscape images.

But I was also interested in other creative ways in which to use the lens. And that is when I ran across Chris Friel's work.Chris uses the tilt-shift mechanism to create images with selective planes of focus. Rather than utilize tilt to try to bring everything into sharp focus, he often uses it to make most of the image, save a small area, out of focus. In addition to the use of tilt-shift lenses, much of his work is abstract and involves hand holding long exposures (sometimes in conjunction with tilt-shift lenses). His photographs are very powerful, pulling the viewer in and really making them think about the image.

Copyright Chris Friel
Taken With 24mm Tilt-Shift Lens

Copyright Chris Friel
Long Exposure With Camera Movement

Chris's Flickr stream can be found here. His formal website can be found here. Spend some time...these are remarkable images.

photoMICS At Manchester Craftsmen's Guild

I am very pleased to announce that "Two Trees", on of the images from my "Scene In Stone" portfolio, has been juried into an exhibit co-sponsored by the Associated Artist's of Pittsburgh and the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild.

The exhibit entitled "photoMICS" will be displayed in the Guild's Connie Kerr Gallery from July 16-September 3. The theme of the show was to incorporate photographic and/or ceramic elements which convey the bridge between the world's of art and science.

Two Trees
Copyright Howard Grill

This image is an abstract photograph of the cut surface of a slice of stone and was taken using cross-polarized light, which removes all glare and allows one to see the color and texture of the underlying rock surface. And therein lies the science connection.

Deleted Images

Where do deleted images go? Well, if they are truly deleted they are pretty much gone. But there is an alternative.....a deleted image purgatory, if you will. A place where they are gone from your possession but can still 'live on'. See them here. Some deleted images are actually quite compelling, to others if not to the original photographer. Images like this.

However, some deleted images really do deserve to be deleted :>)

Mischief

These gargoyle images are slowly becoming a collection. I am starting to think that each one can be named as an emotion, similar to the seven dwarfs in Snow White! The expression on this one said "mischievous" to me....like a young child getting caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing.

"Mischievous"
Copyright Howard Grill

Quick Quotes: Andy Warhol

"An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have..."

Andy Warhol

This one makes me smile...has that Andy Warhol 'edge' to it!

The War Of Art

I am frequently on the lookout for books about art and creativity and especially for books about art AND creativity. I have previously written a fairly extensive post about the book entitled Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by Bayles and Orland here, here, and here . In my mind, this is the standard to which all books regarding art, creativity and the harnessing of creative energy should be compared. Art and Fear is a five star book if ever there was one and if you are interested in the arts, or in producing art, you should definitely get a copy.

Recently, I began reading another book dealing with the same type of issues of creativity and the production of artwork entitled The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. Mr. Pressfield’s thesis is that there are an innumerable number of hindrances that one can find to inhibit the production of their artwork. He lumps them together as so called Resistances. The ability to identify these Resistances is an important first step in overcoming them, and overcoming them we must if we are to live a creative life and produce work that lives up to our inner potential. In fact, we can, by understanding these Resistances, learn to work through the things that would normally keep us from moving forward.

Overall, I feel there are some excellent and thought provoking ideas discussed in the book. At times I feel that Pressfield goes just a bit overboard but, nonetheless, after reading the book I do feel that I have a better understanding of how to get myself to move forward artistically and for that reason alone would recommend the book to anyone interested in these types of issues. Just understand that you might not agree with all Pressman’s ideas and conclusions (ie I found myself disagreeing with the premise that only when doing something professionally can you be fully committed to it). However, I guarantee that you will find many useful insights in this relatively short and quick read.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Pressfield's little gem of a book:

In regards to self-doubt about one's ability...

"Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are.

The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death."

In regards to fear...

"Are you paralyzed with fear? That's a good sign.

Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do."

In regards to rejection....

"The professional keeps his eye on the doughnut and not on the hole. He reminds himself it's better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot"

Definitely a worthwhile book....I give it 4/5 stars.

Angel

I've been enjoying the Gargoyle show over at Phipps. The last image I showed from the show was rather grotesque. Here is one that is just a bit more peaceful.

I am continuing to experiment with black and white conversion and sepia toning in this series. The initial gargoyle image was toned in Lightroom. This one is toned in Photoshop using the gradient map technique:

"Angel"
Copyright Howard Grill

Quick Quotes: David DuChemin

"The worst response to an image is not dislike but indifference"

David DuChemin

Think about that for a while! For those not familiar with DuChemin he has a wonderful blog here. For some inspiration have a look at some of his $5.00 e-books.

Post Processing

People frequently ask about post-processing. When shooting in RAW format, there are really two ways in which post processing is used. The first is to convert the RAW image into what was there, or at least the way we remember it to be. This has to be done in order to convert the sensor data into an image. If you shoot in JPEG, the same thing must happen, only the camera does it for you. The second is to then potentially convert the image into something a bit beyond reality. To give it your own interpretation. This is art, not news documentary.

Often, I use post-processing to make an image appear the way I imagine it to be or to portray it with a certain feeling behind it. As an example, I thought I would use the Gargoyle image I posted a few days ago now that I have done some more work on it.

I wanted to make the viewer focus more fully on the gargoyle, so I darkened the background. In addition, I wanted the gargoyle to look 'scarier' so I brought out more of the detail in the statue and added a bit of toning as well. Subtle changes that I think make the image more effective, though not everyone may agree.

Gargoyle I - Initial Post Processing
Copyright Howard Grill

Gargoyle I - "Interpretive" Post Processing
Copyright Howard Grill

Getting Work Out There

As I was leisurely taking some photos the other day, I began thinking about the fact that the images were about to go into my personal collection. I was just having fun, so the pictures weren't serious photographs, but it made me start to think about the images I have that are good (or at least I like them). Those are also in my personal collection. But how do they get to see the light of day? How does one get these photographs to be seen by others who might appreciate them and their message? It doesn't do anyone any good to have them sitting on a hard drive 'living in the dark'.

It seems to me there is only one answer, and that is to get your work 'out there'. The problem is, of course, that getting it 'out there' is hard work! I had always thought that the 'work' (if you can call it that) was in the taking, processing, and printing of photographs. Turns out that is just the preparation involved with getting the artwork ready to 'go out into the world'.

So one of my goals is to try a bit harder to get my images 'out there'. In an effort to do this, I am going to be submitting more of my work to juried shows and magazine submissions. I think many folks don't realize how time consuming and difficult that aspect of 'being an artist' really is!

Gargoyles

I frequently photograph at Phipps Conservatory, a small but interesting Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh. One every nice thing about it is that they have several different shows throughout the year. The current showing involves not so much flowers as it does statues. The show, called "Gargoyles" features over a hundred gargoyle statues and statuettes among the flowers. It really was different and enjoyable to photograph them.

"Gargoyle"
Copyright Howard Grill

Folios!

Today's post is just a quick announcement that I have recently completed work putting together my first folio. The project made into folio format is my "Scene In Stone" project. What is a folio? What is the "Scene In Stone" project? Please do check it all out here.

Quick Quotes: Richard Avedon

All photographs are accurate. None of them is truth.

Richard Avedon

I have written several times about the issue of whether or not photographs represent the truth. I really love running across quotes that relate to this subject!

Forgotten

I was taking some pictures in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery a few days ago. It was the first time I had gone there to photograph, as the idea of shooting in a cemetery has always made me feel, well, a little intrusive.

I was saddened by the recognition that even in a cemetery you can still be forgotten.

Forgotten
Copyright Howard Grill

Infrared

OK....here is what a scene, any scene, would more or less look like to us as observers in 'infrared' if we eliminated the visible light wavelengths.

Infrared Scene

The point I am trying to make is that when most people talk about infrared photography they are often under the mistaken impression that it represents what we would see if we (humans) could see the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. But, of course, we can't. So if we were relying on the infrared portion of the spectrum to see....well, we wouldn't see very much.

So what are we seeing when we look at infrared photographs? Well, we are looking at how the infrared film or the digital sensor reacts to the infrared portion of the spectrum. It is how the film or sensor 'sees' infrared because infrared can be detected by them. That is to say, both are sensitive to the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Our eyes are not.

So when we look at an infrared photograph we are seeing the portion of the visible spectrum that the film or sensor has converted the infrared into. What we see is, by necessity, an interpretation. So what does infrared 'look like' to the several insects, snakes, and ferrets that can see this portion of the spectrum? Perhaps it gets philosophical, but I don't know and I'm not sure anyone truly can. These insects and animals were born with eyes that are sensitive to infrared so they probably don't think it is anything special! Perhaps it is like trying to explain to someone that has been blind from birth what 'yellow' is.

That said, here is an infrared digital image of Cucumber Falls at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania. At least this is how the digital sensor (with visible light filtered out) converts the scene to something that we can see.

Cucumber Falls In IR
Copyright Howard Grill

Reflections

It's always enjoyable to make photos of reflections. For one thing, many people who don't photograph never really see these types of details, and when people do take note of them it tends to be fleeting. It's only when such details are 'frozen' in time that they can be really appreciated. Most folks end up being amazed that a patch of water could really look as intensely colored as this.

There were several aspects of this particular image that made it enjoyable to capture:

First of all, to get these types of images one often has to bend and contort themselves in order to find the angle that best portrays the reflections. However, in this particular case, it was easy. The conditions were just perfect to get reflections in the water and I could just stand on the wooden deck overlooking Ohiopyle Falls with my 400mm f5.6 lens (long, but quite light) and pick out small patches of water that showed intense reflections from the trees. No bending over or twisting into painful positions at the water's edge.....nice!

Reflections I
Copyright Howard Grill

Second, usually one finds images like this made in the fall, when the autumn colors are reflected in the water. This was taken in the Spring. In fact, I took it just a few days ago. The bright green color is from the surrounding trees with their fresh 'flourescent' green leaves and the blue is simply color reflected from the bright blue sky. These are not 'Photoshop' colors.....they are real, though only present in small patches of the water. In fact, though I added a bit of contrast to bring out the detail in the water currents (to give it the same appearance as it had at the site), the color saturation was actually decreased because the real reflected colors were so intense that they looked 'unreal'.

Thirdly, I got to go photograph with my friend Linda, and, for me, it is always more fun to take pictures with someone who has the same passion for photographing than it is to go alone.

Stairwells

Odd as it may sound, I have always thought that stairwells would make interesting photos. Depending on where they are and how they are lit they can appear a bit creepy or menacing. Anything that conveys a feeling is always a good candidate for a photo.

Despite the above, there were several factors that kept me from taking photos in a stairwell before. For one thing, depending on the lighting, the contrast range can be quite high. Thus, I thought the image would best be made using several exposures with an HDR technique, which I was not using until recently. In addition, someone with a tripod and camera blocking a stairwell is sure to attract attention....I could just hear the security guards running, particularly after my prior run-ins with guards.

Recently, however, I decided it was time to give it a try. And the perfect place seemed to be at work. That way, if the guards came a-running at least I had an ID and they would know that I worked there and who I was. So I picked a time, very early on a weekend morning when I had to be at work anyway, and set up the tripod in the stairwell and took some shot sequences for HDR processing. Here is what I came up with:

Stairwell I
Copyright Howard Grill

I actually think that a series of different stairwells in various buildings with and without people might be interesting. But then we are back to that whole security guard thing........

Quick Quotes: Ted Grant

When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls!

Ted Grant

I thought this quote by Ted Grant was very appropriate as a follow up to my last post on using black and white to 'set the mood'.

I was unfamiliar with Ted Grant. He is considered one of Canada's premier living photographers, with a career in photojournalism that spans over 60 years. His website can be found here.

Black And White Can Set The Mood

I have been 'playing around' a bit more with black and white conversions and experimenting with the types of moods that black and white images can convey.

A few years ago I went on an amazing workshop with Nancy Rotenberg, which took place on the Oregon Coast. One of the most surreal places I have ever seen was Bandon Beach, Oregon. In fact, it was so other-worldly that I took one of my images and made the colors somewhat surreal in order to try to convey the 'feeling' of being in that location, rather than just using the image to show what the location looked like. While I liked the image, I always had my doubts as to whether the viewer would understand what I was trying to say and feared they would just see the image as 'hypersaturated'. Of course, if the image doesn't convey what it is that you, as the artist, want it to, it has failed, at least on some level.

Siren's Song
Copyright Howard Grill

However, when I converted the same image to black and white it seemed to immediately convey to me the surreal feel that I was looking for. I believe it may be a more successful rendering of the photograph. What do you think?

Siren's Song
Copyright Howard Grill

Perhaps, if you agree that it is more successful, the reason might be that converting it to monochrome immediately removes it from the realm of a 'normal' representation of place, as we don't normally see things in black and white. I'm not sure if this explains it, but I thought it was an interesting possibility to consider.