Test firing the 580EX II in group A. Didn't care what I shot, but hey, it looked kind of cool.

For weeks I’ve been mentioning a project that I’ve been working toward. I know, I haven’t given you too many details or bread crumbs to work with (although, I have given a few). Sorry about that. So many distractions over the past few weeks…… sometimes you just can’t help them.

Finally, the time has come to talk about the big project.  It’s all based on inspiration.  And all the inspiration is of course, from outside sources.  What sources?

Well, Kelbytraining.com has played a big role.  Then there’s Joe McNally, another source of inspiration and instruction.  Whether or not he knows it, he’s found a new fan in me.  Then there’s Syl Arena and his new site, Speedliting.  Finally, the major inspiration to start all of this “new project” stuff lies with several of my friends.

A 430EX II fires in group B. Full CTO gel explains the color in the Airstream.

Who am I blaming for this?  Well, Josh Gosell, Rob Jamason, and Bert Gildart.  I’ll start with blaming those three.  See, each of them have taken photos with “strobes” that have inspired me and made me say, “Hmmmmm, I think I might like to do that.”  Bert, for instance, has taken many inspiring flower photos outdoors where the image actually looks so nice you’d think it was taken in a studio with a black back drop.  Josh has taken some pretty cool images over the course of our knowing each other, and has mentioned strobist web sites often.  Finally, some of the cool work Rob Jamason has done since I met him several months ago has also inspired.

So thanks for giving me a new project guys!  Forgive me, I’m still learning…….and will be learning for some time to come.

Alright, we’ve talked about the reasons behind what I’ve been working on, now lets talk about what the heck I’ve been working on…….

In a nutshell, I’m learning how to deal with portable Speedlights.

About time.

For a while now I’ve wanted to become more knowledgeable about using Speedlights.   But there’s never been enough time, or available models, or one of 6 dozen reasons.  Just like years ago I never found the time to toy with Photoshop…..  and that whole sour grapes thing that went along with that!

Well, if you recall this year’s resolutions, one main goal was continued photographic learning.  And I’ve stuck to that goal with some major determination.  I want to improve my skills each day.  What have I done to reach my new level of “flash” understanding?

Jantina volunteered for some fun shots at the Airstream

The starting point was KelbyTraining.com.  I’m glad to be a member, and I’ll tell you, the price is so cheap in comparison to what you learn (provided you make use of your membership).  Over the past few weeks I’ve done the following courses:

• Scott Kelby’s “Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It,” installments 1-3.  Yup, Scott has 3 new videos up that are great.  Lot’s of fun to go through, and after watching all three I want a studio to work in now……  Why is it everything Scott does, books / videos / classes, makes me want to spend money?
• Joe McNally’s, “Creative Lighting” & “Photographing with One Light.”  After watching Joe’s videos I decided to check out his book, “The Hot Shoe Diaries.”  Great stuff.  No reviewing it here, I’m so far behind on this bandwagon.  But the good news is, great instructor on line, great book to boot!
• Dave Ziser’s: “Wedding Photography Rapid Fire Tips and Tricks.”  I figured that on the fly lighting and portrait work with a well known wedding photographer couldn’t hurt.  Sure enough, I enjoyed the class and I’m now reading through Dave’s book, “Captured by the Light.”  I got it free after renewing my KelbyTraining subscription for one more year.

Jantina laughing as I work on getting two strobes out the window to fire on cue....it would help if the batteries were charged fully!

So, 3 Kelby Classes, 2 McNally Classes, 1 McNally book, 1 Ziser class, and one Ziser book.  That’s an awful lot of learning over the past few weeks.  Fortunately, it’s all been fun!

Why dive into flash so fully?  Simple, I want to expand on what I do.  See, I love landscapes.  I really dig ghost towns.  Route 66 and all things “throwback?”  Yeah, I’m there too.  And I’d love to improve each and every image I create in those genres.

So, what about an amazing landscape with someone in it to give perspective and additional drama?  How about a person fitting right into a ghost town scene?  And finally, what’ Route 66 without folks getting their kicks?

Clearly, getting into shooting people (with the camera, not the Glock) could lend to the types of images I want to make.  Even more, I could find a whole new way to entertain myself when taking pictures.

And all of this leads up to the project I’ve been working toward.

Months ago I was asked to help with a new album cover.  And I’ve been learning my butt off.  Could I have done the cover before this learning binge?

Yup, sure could have.  And I’m willing to bet the folks would have liked the results.

Will they like the final results better after this wholesale immersion in new techniques?  I think so.  See, here’s what I’m thinking.  I’ll still shoot the way I always have.  And I’ll adapt.  But now, that portable light coming along can really help me go even further.  And it just might help the images along the way too.

So, today’s pictures……they’re not the final culmination of the project, right?

Right.

They’re simply me toying around with a few ideas.  Jantina Russell popped by this morning to help out with one fun side project that’s been in my head.  We’re going to have to take a second run at the side project because the sky didn’t cooperate.  Why the clouds stayed west when they should have been east is beyond me…….

The 580EX II is camera left, pumped up pretty high for the daylight. Inside, a 430 EX with a full CTO gel giving the very warm lighting from inside.

What was the side project?

Well, I am an Airstreamer, right?  I live in an RV park, right?  So, what visions does that conjure up?  How about the pink robe, fuzzy slippers, big hair curlers in front of an Airstream?  Yeah, that’s the side project……….

I’m still working on it, and still learning of course.  Big thanks to Jantina for popping over this morning and letting me experiment with a few flash ideas.  She was a great sport, even when only one flash was firing while the other was recovering!

And just for fun….. the last photo in today’s post is a total mix of a ton of stuff.  What’s gone into this?  Well, here’s the short list:

580 & 430 Canon Speedlights.  580 outside and immediately off camera (left).  Zoomed to 105mm and punched up +2EV.  430 inside with a full CTO gel, clamped to my pull out table and firing at the ceiling to give a super warm interior look.  Shooting Aperture Priority with a -2EV selection to get the deep blue skies.  That’s just what went into shooting the scene.  Afterward I took a few new post processing steps I picked up in Kelby’s “Light it, Shoot it, Retouch it,” series.  Is this the final image I was after?  Not yet, but give me time! 

It’s been a while since we’ve spoken. Actually, about 30 years give or take…. yeah, a long time indeed.

Now, I hadn’t planned on seeing you or contacting you again, and I’m figuring that you hadn’t planned on visiting me again either.  But here we are.  I’m reaching out to say howdy, and let you know that I’ve recently given up a tooth.  So, now it’s your turn…….

Back in the day you’d pop by my childhood home and drop off a Susan B dollar or two.  Remember those days?  I sure do……..

Things have changed since you last visited.  I’m in Arizona now, so maybe that’s why you haven’t popped by yet with the cash.  Additionally, given my background in economics I’m sure you’re aware that I now understand inflation, the totally hopeless effort to hold a fiat currency system together, and other such nuggets of knowledge that I didn’t have when I was 8 years old.  Finally, I understand that the dentist held on to this particular tooth, but I think given our previous financial interactions you know I’m good for the tooth…….

So…..  here’s my proposal.

Factoring for inflation, the issues the tooth in question have caused, and several other financial factors I’m willing to discuss with you, I’d suggest one American Gold Eagle in exchange for the recently removed tooth (a one ounce eagle please).  Given the fact you could always get into my home back in New England I figure you can get access to the dentist’s office pretty easily to pick up the tooth.  And I’m sure dropping the gold eagle off here at the Airstream won’t be too difficult either.

I’ll keep checking under the pillow………

Well, pretty simple post here. Just thought I’d pop up two more images from last weekend that are fairly stylized. I like the final results and thought I’d share.

3 Exposure HDR, then Photoshop and Topaz.

3 Exposure HDR, then Photoshop and Topaz.

]]> http://blog.richcharpentier.com/2010/03/a-few-more-from-last-weekend/feed/ 5 http://blog.richcharpentier.com/2010/03/a-few-more-from-last-weekend/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheAirstreamChroniclesContinued/~3/NwidQyuSAVg/ http://blog.richcharpentier.com/2010/03/eeeeek-a-venting-post/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:30:04 +0000 rich@richcharpentier.com (Rich Charpentier) http://blog.richcharpentier.com/?p=3394

Oh no, he’s going to vent!  If you’d like, just skip this post.  See, sometimes I use this blog for “therapy.”

So, this morning I stopped by my physician’s office.  I’m having the “multi-rootcanaled” tooth removed on Thursday.  But while we wait I still feel awful.  Abdominal pains back, kidneys hurt (yes, I can feel them), and a host of other issues including some whopper dizzy spells and hot flashes.  It all reminds me of 2005 when this garbage started.

Yesterday I got some blood work done and followed up today with the doctor.  My blood counts are back to completely inhuman.  I haven’t had results like this since the Spring of 2005.  Only a few months ago I received my first “normal” blood score in 5 years and I was thrilled.  It was right after several rounds of Cipro and the re-root canal.  That was exciting.

Now here we are today.  Screwed up blood work once again!  And this time around the Cipro isn’t doing jack.  14 days of Cipro, and no real positive motion.  We’ve switched to a new antibiotic, and I’ll start on that tonight.  Don’t ask me the name, I haven’t got a clue. 

Thursday we’ll remove the offending tooth.  This should be it.  And if we can get the infection under control and wiped out I might just feel like a normal human being again.  Heck, my diet might go back to all the fun food I can’t eat now and sorely miss.  That would be great.

So, why do I call this a venting post?  Where’s the rage and anger?  Here it is in a nutshell……..

5 years ago I asked 5 different doctors if my issues could be stemming from the tooth and the initial root canal.  I asked 3 different oral surgeons the same question.  Across the board I was told it wasn’t possible.  My abdominal issues, the high white count and eosinophils, exhaustion, nausea, inflamed intestines, allergic reactions, and the rest of the annoying medical issues I’ve dealt with for the past 5 years were things I have learned to live with.  Not happily, more like begrudgingly…..

Only a few months ago I found out all these experts were wrong.  The cipro and redoing the root canal gave me a few months of relief.  You wouldn’t believe my energy level for that short period.  It was amazing, and I felt like I was back!  This little back slide has demonstrated beyond any doubt…..the tooth was the issue the whole time.

How different would my life be right now had one of the folks back in New England listened to me?  Instead of treating a patient like a customer at a McDonalds, really listened to me and investigated where I felt the issue started?  What would be different?  Marital breakdown averted in that world?  Would I still live in NH?  Maybe still in the wireless engineering game?  In a paid for home (we didn’t over leverage, we did all the right things).  The bitter part that pops to mind says, “Where’s my bailout?”

And I know, I know……  Look what I’ve gained.  And what I’ve learned.  And where I’ve landed.  I know all that stuff guys.  But still, 5 years of feeling crappy and questioning yourself takes a toll.  I’m just looking forward to the final resolution at this point.  And yup, when you’re feeling bad you sometimes look at the losses you’ve incurred because of it.

In the end, cross your fingers we can actually kill the infection.  It’s a bitch to be sure.  It survived months of amox and penicillian back in New England, nearly a month of Cipro last year, and 14 days of Cipro which just ended today.  Unwelcome guest (the infection) be gone already!

Alright, thanks for indulging my venting.  If nothing else, I feel better about getting that out of my head! 

3 exposure HDR. All work done in Photomatix.

It’s a fact. HDR doesn’t have to be surreal.

While shooting in Vulture last Saturday John asked me my opinion on HDRs for landscape.  We were walking along between buildings when the question was posed, so we stopped and set up a few landscape HDRs for processing later.

Personally, I think HDRs for landscapes ROCK!  It’s my belief, at least how I see the world, that I have more success representing the scene I witnessed with HDR.  It could be that my vision is a little funky of course…….

John’s concern was that there would be too many tell tale signs that the image was in fact an HDR.  You know, Halos, unrealistic shadows, too much of a crunchy painted quality, etc……..  I assured him all those issues didn’t need to crop up in an image and we’d try one out on Sunday.

We spent so much time on workflow, the ins and outs of Photomatix, Topax, etc, that we almost didn’t play with the landscape.  But as I browsed the library I saw the landscape images, stopped on them, and decided to take a crack at it.

0 EV from the original RAW file.

Glad I did it.

In the span of about 5 minutes we tuned the 3 exposure HDR to a point where it was agreed, that was very close to the scene we witnessed on Saturday.  What a nice way to demonstrate how quick it was to use Photomatix in a less stylized way.

If you’re digging HDR, try doing some super realistic images with it.  Sure, the stylized stuff is cool, and I enjoy creating those types of images.  But there’s a whole big world of what you can do with HDR.

While going through yesterday’s workshop we had a little fun with Lightroom, Photomatix, and Topaz. Thought I’d share a few versions of the same image, and what was used.

3 Exposure HDR and then applied a lightroom antiqued effect.

3 Exposure HDR and then applied a lightroom high contrast black and white.

Finally, my favorite. 3 exposure HDR, then run through Topaz Adjust 4.

If you can’t tell, we decided to do a few “aged photo” effects with an HDR to see what we liked.  Personally, version 3 works for me.  But I’ve got to work on those blown out highlights in the sky in the middle.  Yuck.  Fixing those I think #3 would be a pretty cool image.

Want to see the original color version of the HDR?  Click here.

Yesterday was the absolutely right day to be out taking pictures for this “workshop weekend.” And today was spot on for being inside and talking software and post processing. See, blowing snow with near with rapid accumulation just doesn’t seem like the right time to be taking pictures……in my humble opinion!

Today was day 2 of the weekend workshop for HDR workflow here in Prescott.  Yesterday was a great day down in Vulture, and today we picked up the session on the software side of things.  You know, you’ve gotten home from a fun shoot and now you’re looking to offload images, make your picks, and get into some post production work!  Ah, the excitement!

This morning we were going to do a little shooting around town to gather a few more images to work with for the post processing session.  Unfortunately Mother Nature showed up with some foul weather.  Cold winds, colder rain, and then some more of that snow stuff we’ve been seeing…….

I won’t complain too much.  Living in Arizona for 3 years now I’ve learned that you should always be happy to receive precipitation.  Never turn it away!

So, we started into the workflow segment of the class early today.  And honestly, that was fine.  We used the time well, covered a lot more detail regarding Lightroom setup, catalog management, and many of the finer points of what Lightroom has to offer.  And it certainly has a lot to offer.

While we were discussing Lightroom’s usage we came across the same theme several times.  Photoshop seems to be the tool for super heavy lifting when post processing, and Lightroom seems to have stepped up to be the tool of choice for most of the simpler work needed after you’ve offloaded your images.  So, how much do you really need Photoshop now?  The jury was left out on that one, but you can seriously do a ton of work with Lightroom today.  Wonder what the final incarnation of Lightroom 3 will look like with all the Beta Testers’ feedback…….

As we worked forward with the workshop today I couldn’t help but look out the window.  The room we were using has an entire wall of windows, and I was facing not only today’s participants, but also the outside world.  And as the day progressed the weather got downright nasty.  Wind and snow, accumulation on the roads, and the question popped into my mind, “Hey, is this going to stop or are we really having another legit snow storm?”

It worked out that the “squall” tapered off, and the melting commenced.  By the time we ended today’s session a light drizzle was going on, and most of the snow had melted off of my truck.

I think we had a pretty good time today.  And my overall gut feel says that future workshops will improve and get even better.  We covered a great deal, and talked about so many ways to approach the same image and really make it your own artistic endeavor.  That was a lot of fun.  Personally, I enjoy seeing what other people do with their work as much as I enjoy creating my own! 

After we finally broke up the session this evening I made my way home.  Very chilly, very wet, and extremely gray.  That was the scene at the Airstream.  Didn’t diminish what I found to be an extremely fun day.  When the weather outside is frightful, get together with a few folks and talk shop…..or Photoshop…..or even Photoshop Lightroom! 

Finally, I wanted to point out a fun little theme in the previous post and this current post.  I focused my attention yesterday on some window shots, and more specifically trying to make some fun HDR’d window shots.  These images are in homage of Jason’s recent post “ode to windows,” over at CanonBlogger.  Okay, that wasn’t really the title of his post, just me being a wise guy.  You can check out his actual post here.  I suppose the next step would be a haiku written by a photo blogger regarding windows.  We’ll just escalate the entire concept to a new level……

See what happens when I step away from the blog for a few days?  I get all pent up and turn into quite the wise apple.  Guess I’ll have to work on my regular blogging pattern…… 

Of course, if somebody out there does create a haiku dedicated to windows, please be sure to pass me the link……. 

Yesterday if you were looking for me in Prescott I was nowhere to be found. Where was I?

The Vulture Mine. Yup, returned to an old favorite for the first HDR Workflow Workshop. I’ll tell you this much….the weather cooperated with us in a big way!

Last night the rain and thunder rolled in.  But yesterday morning and afternoon…..oh the sky put on a show!  Often I’ve been asked, “Did you add that sky into your image?”   The answer is always “no.”  The sky added itself in.

Well, the sky really worked with us yesterday!

Today we’ll be shooting around town for the morning.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but it’s looking a little gray outside for the moment.  We’ll walk Prescott, set up for a few more HDRs, get some single exposures as well, then make our way over to the Firehouse Plaza.  Since the group is small enough I’m using one of the currently open units to run the class.  Works out well.

This afternoon we’ll be covering basic Lightroom setup, managing your catalogs properly (that question came up yesterday) and then using Lightroom 2 to manage the post processing workflow once you return from a shoot.

After covering Lightroom we’ll be talking about the integration with Photomatix (the great Lightoom plugin), and also integration with Photoshop.  With the scenes available to us yesterday, and some scenes from around town this morning, we should have a fun selection of images to work with.

So, there’s where the workshop is at, and I’ll give a wrap up this coming week on the first HDR Workflow Workshop.

Oh, and sorry for being away from the blog for a few days.  Busy, a little run down, and getting some extra rest early.  That’s what’s been going on for me.  Didn’t want to come across as a sleepy guy for participants, so I’ve been conserving energy!    Seems to have worked well!

Ian and his assistant putting the finishing touches on the new bar. The lighting is natural light through the windows camera left.

This weekend is just chock full of stuff……

For me, I’ll be at the Vulture Mine on Saturday, then Sunday here in town. The first HDR Workflow class takes place this weekend, and it should be fun! Of course, I’ll be missing some events in Prescott on Saturday……..

This weekend the Firehouse Plaza will be having a “BIG” event.  It promises to be the kind of event that’s standing room only.  So, if you’re in town you might want to stop on by to see what’s happening. 

See, the 125th Anniversary of the Prescott Fire Department is this weekend.  And they’ve decided to hold their celebration at the Old Firehouse Plaza.  Hey, my gallery is located there!

The Firehouse Kitchen’s new owners decided to get in on the festivities, so there will be big doings all afternoon.  I believe that our section of Goodwin Street will be blocked off on Saturday.  Don’t worry, there’s parking in the Granite Street garage, right behind the plaza.

Ian "posing" for his big appearance on the blog.....

Coupled with the event will be the reopening of the newly expanded Firehouse Kitchen’s upstairs bar area.  My business partner Ian Russell has been up there for the last 2 weeks working hard to have the new bar ready.  See, beyond being an accomplished water color artist, Ian is also a licensed stone mason.  So he’s been busily working on the whole remodel / expansion for the guys at the Firehouse.

I’m sorry to miss the events on Saturday, but I’ll be having my own fun.  Sharing the Vulture Mine Ghost Town.  We’ll be covering all the buildings at Vulture and working on ways to deal with the extremes in contrast that the place has to offer.  Broken and open roofs, dark corners of buildings, poorly lit interiors with spikes of light coming in from random angles……  Yup, the Vulture mine is a great location to learn about HDR and other techniques to deal with extremes in lighting conditions!

Fun!

So, if you’re in Prescott this weekend you’ll miss seeing me at the gallery.  But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop by the Plaza and the Gallery.  There’s going to be a good deal happening!

Well, this past weekend was definitely a quiet one! Decided to lay low, let the antibiotics do their work, etc, etc…….

Since it was a quiet weekend that means my little experiment that I’ve been talking about has been postponed.  March 14th I’ll get another chance at it, so be watching the blog a few days after to see the results.  Heck, I can’t wait to see the results.

That weekend will be interesting.  March 11th I’ll be loosing the tooth that has caused so many problems.  For a guy who has had very few cavities in his life, this one tooth sure has caused a lot of trouble.

I was hoping to have this squared away sooner, but things always seem to get in the way.  The paperwork regarding the extraction was not received according to the young lady I spoke with this morning.  It’s a shame too, as paperwork is oh so important……  See, last week after getting checked out again at Dr. Brimhall’s the front desk staff called to get me scheduled for the extraction.  Unfortunately, the woman at the other office would not take the information over the phone and insisted on the paperwork being sent over…….

Next day I called to see if it was received, and it wasn’t.  Calling Dr. Brimhall’s office I learned it was sent out……..  I called back again to the other office and was assured I’d receive a call the moment it came in.  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday….no call.  So I stopped in this morning.  A stack of mail was sorted in front of me, but nothing according to the young lady.  She called Brimhall’s office, and magically was able to schedule me without paperwork.  Very odd that she couldn’t do the same last week….. 

For the past few months my regular dentist has had a new receptionist.  She’s anything but helpful.  I’m leaving his name out of this post because I feel he is a good dentist, but has the wrong person now serving as the greeter and scheduler.  When the whole re-infection started she blew me off, finally offered some other referrals, etc.  It went downhill from there when she scheduled a procedure too far out for anyone’s comfort, so I had to go to another office again.  Finally, with this issue, putting me out another week and a half, I’ve decided that this will be the last service I get with my dentist.  What a shame.  For a fact, I know several other people who have now had issues with the front desk at this office.  I fear business will be lost if the situation isn’t addressed.

Frankly, I wish Dr. Brimhall could do the whole thing for me, but he can’t.  Bummer.

So, I’ll get the extraction done next week.  The Cipro is starting to work, and maybe waiting a little longer is a good thing (that’s what I’m telling myself).  And not having it done this week means that the upcoming Workshop will have me at close to peak performance! 

Beyond scheduling issues, things are okay.  Last week kept me busy at the gallery, and this week is shaping up to be busy as well.  More canvas to run.  More one on one classes.  All good stuff!

Well, there’s the wrap.  Apologies for a boring post.  Hey, can’t always be exciting new stuff, right?