Batdorff Photography Blog

My new book — Nikon D7100: From Snapshots to Great Shots

John — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:56:49 +0000

I’ve been absent from the blog as I’ve wrapping up a few projects, but I’m happy to announce things are settling down for the summer. I promise to start posting regularly, but in the meantime here’s what you may have missed:

New book announcement:

I just finished writing my book, “Nikon D7100: From Snapshots to Great Shots,” and was recently informed by my publisher (Peachpit) that the book will be shipping by July 4th. The D7100 is an impressive camera with many great features for it’s price range. The book is targeted at beginning to intermediate photographers who are looking to brush up on their photographic skills while learning what camera features will help them reach their creative goals.

New projects:

I’m currently in Brussels (with my dad) gathering images for my new project that I know my readers are going to love, but I can’t share it with you yet! As soon as everything gets locked down then you’ll be the first to know. Why did I even bring it up? Because I’m super stoked about this new writing project and I can’t wait to spill the beans!

Black-and-white presets:

I’ve had a lot of people buy my black-and-white presets and I want to thank you. As a reminder, I’ll be updating the presets for Lightroom 5.0, once Adobe has officially released the update.

Heading west:

I’m heading to Montana in a few weeks and will remain there for most of the summer, so be prepared to see a shift in images from streetscapes to mountain ranges.

That’s the quick update, but I’ll be posting more in the coming days.

Take care,
John

Signature Series Black and White Lightroom Presets

John — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:44:28 +0000

I’m excited to announce my Lightroom presets specifically designed for the black and white photography lover. My Signature Series is a set of 26 effects that have been designed from scratch, tested, and carefully curated by yours truly. I’ve always been a huge fan of presets as a starting point, and on rare occasions, they’ve even been a “one click solution.” This series includes all my favorite effects that I use on a regular basis.

Below a sample of the “Soft Portrait” preset in action. Place your cursor over the image and slide the divider back and forth for a before and after preview. You can try out more presets and purchase the package on the new presets page.

Here are the Signature Series highlights and disclaimers:

There are a total of 26 presets and each is labeled with it’s own name. Some perform similar functions, but will have added information in the label distinguishing them from one another. For instance, there are two soft portrait presets; one preset uses an auto exposure and the other does not. I recommend trying both and then comparing your results.
The presets were designed for Lightroom 4.3, but when Lightroom 5.0 is released they will be updated and sent to you for FREE!
These are not one-click solutions and were not designed to solve every image problem. These presets were designed with a particular style or look in mind. More importantly, many of these presets are making a lot of adjustments in the background via the tone curve, graduated filters, exposure, sharpening, etc… So please take your time to get know them and feel free to tweak them to fit your creative goal.
I like to think of the Signature Series as part of my family. Each preset has it’s own personality, and when coupled with the right image, it can be stunning. However, much like family members, sometimes personalities don’t mix and the image and the preset simply don’t mesh well together. Take time exploring your images and the presets to see which pairing works best for you and your creative goals. My hope is you’ll come to love these presets as much as I do and they too will become an essential part of your processing family.
Most importantly: If you use one of my presets please tag me on Facebook, Google Plus, or even Twitter. I’ll select someone’s photo in the coming months and post it here on my blog with your permission.

I love this series of presets and built them specifically for my needs, but I’m happy to share them with you. It’s my hope you come to enjoy them as much as I have over the years. I have put together a quick tutorial on installing presets, but please feel free to drop me a note with any other questions.

“Plug In with Nik” Photo Contest Winners

John — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:12:50 +0000

We had over 300 images entered in our “Plug In with Nik” Photo Contest with only one rule: You had to use Nik Software for part of the editing process. I was stunned by the quality of the entries as well as the talent of the many photographers. The contest was broken into two parts: For the first part the public voted for their favorites, and the top two vote-getters are to take second and third places.

The second part of the contest involved me selecting my favorite image from all the entries (including the public vote winners). There were so many images to pick from and so many talented entries, but at the end of the day I found myself continually gravitating back to Mosque in Putra Jaya, Malaysia, taken by Marcus Leng.

Grand Prize Winner is awarded to Marcus Leng

Prayer Time by Marcus Leng (Grand Prize Winner)

Second Place public vote winner is awarded to Benjamin Dupont

1970 Oldsmobile 442 by Benjamin Dupont (1st Place Popular Vote Winner)

Third Place public vote winner is awarded to Lee Robinson

Broadway Tower by Lee Robinson (2nd Place Popular Vote Winner)

I want to thank everyone for entering and remember, everyone was a winner because thousands of people viewed your work!

Special thanks to Google (Nik Software) and Peachpit for supporting the contest with cool prizes.

Contest winners please drop me an email at john@batdorffphotography.com to claim your prizes and your signed copy of my book “Plug In with Nik.”

Thanks again to everyone who entered!

Google and Nik Software Deliver!

John — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:06:35 +0000

Google and Nik Software is proving a lot of skeptics wrong, showing the new merger can provide some robust offerings. Let’s start with it’s recent announcement that it will be offering it’s newly updated Nik Collection suite for a whopping 70% discount off it’s original price. If that wasn’t sweet enough, they’ve made the deal even better by providing current owners a free upgrade to the entire suite regardless if you own the suite or just one of the plugins. Yeah, I know, it’s sounds too good to be true. However, this is just plain smart because now you have no reason not to explore Nik’s entire suite of plugins. Did I mention Nik has adopted an “evergreen” policy? This means that once you own the product you’re entitled to any and all future upgrades free of charge.

Now I’ve always been a fan of Nik Software, and like everyone else I was a bit concerned about it’s acquisition by Google. But in my humble opinion this is a game changer. Google and Nik have delivered a solid one-two punch by providing photographers with the best photo editing software at an amazingly affordable price. Apparently, Google is very serious about it’s commitment to photographers and I’m sure their hope is this will help them gain market share as they continue to lure photographers to Google Plus. In a nutshell, I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be a photography enthusiast.

To learn more about Nik’s recent announcement click HERE and if you’re looking for a reference book then might I suggest “Plug In with Nik”. I hear the author is a good guy and has an easy going writing style. Plus, there’s a few free presets included..

Clearing the crowds with long exposure

John — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:24:21 +0000

Chicago’s Cloud Gate (ISO 100, 24mm, f/22 @ 254 secs)

One of the drawbacks of photographing popular cityscape locations such as Chicago’s very own Cloud Gate (AKA …The Bean) is the shear number of people that wander in and out of your frame. When asked the other week on Facebook how I capture images without people, I jokingly replied that all good photographers should carry a roll of police tape and a CSI hat. I guess having a flare for the dramatic might be useful, as well. Or, for the less dramatic, you can bring a tripod, cable release, and an ND filter for your camera instead.

“The Bean and I…”

Here’s a some insight into my approach to capturing the “Bean and I…”:

1. Winter nights are a great time to capture long exposures of popular locations because people are wimps! (Not you, David from Toronto, who drove 15 hours straight for my nighttime workshop and stayed out with me in the cold until the wee hours of the night….you’re a stud!) But, generally speaking people don’t like the cold, so that means fewer people on site. The fact that it gets darker earlier is icing on the cake because long exposures are a breeze when it’s dark!

Some of my favorite black and whites have been long exposures taken at night during the winter.

This image of the Louvre was shot on a cold night in January….

The Louvre Museum (ISO 125, 16mm, f/16 @ 46secs)

2. You need to create an exposure that’s long enough to eliminate (to the best of your ability) the presence of people. This of course varies depending upon how crowded the scene is, how much the people move, available light, and exposure settings. Not to mention a few inevitable and unintended interruptions: “Hey, you look like you know what you’re doing…Can you take our photo?” But once on task, there is a lot of trial and error involved. Typically my exposure will run anywhere from a couple of seconds to several minutes. Once again, this varies depending on how much movement or ghosting is visible from people (those who aren’t moving quickly enough to be totally “erased” from the image) and if I’m using a ND filter.

Tips: Keep your ISO Low, around 100, to help reduce noise.

Use the Bulb setting with a cable release or a programed shutter release device like IoShutter.

Use a higher f/stop such f/8- f/11 or higher to help establish a long exposure. Your exposure needs to be long enough to erase people while maintaining a decent exposure. If you stink at math (which I do) then I suggest downloading an app such as Photobuddy (or Photo Tools Pro for Android) to help with long exposure calculations. Photobuddy will help you establish the correct bulb exposure based upon f-Stop, Shutter, ISO, and Filter (if used).

3. If you find that you’re not getting a long enough exposure then feel free to use a ND filter to help lengthen the exposure, such as a 2 (.6ND) or 3 (.9ND) stop filter. For the middle of the afternoon when things are quite bright, I’ll often use a Big Stopper (10 Stop LEE Neutral Density Filter).

4. Finally, stick it out. You’ve done all the work and the tripod is set up. Work the scene until you get the shot.

Remember to have fun and experiment a bit. I processed this image in HDR Efex Pro 2 using a single 8 second exposure. You can convert an image to black and white in HDR Efex Pro 2 by either using a preset, or as I did, by simply zeroing out the saturation slider.

I hope that helps. If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment on the blog or drop me a line.

“Plug In With Nik” Photo Contest

John — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:45:41 +0000

UPDATE: The contest is now open internationally (except to countries with trade embargoes) and participants are now allowed to enter a maximum of three (3) images.

In celebration of my new book, Plug In With Nik, I’ve decided to kick off a photo contest for all Nik Software enthusiasts. This is a great opportunity to have your work seen by other people, and the best part is the photo contest is absolutely FREE to enter. I wish everyone the best of luck and remember it’s good karma to tell your friends about the contest.

Oh, one last thing, it’s a selfish plug, but I’ll be hosting a live webinar with Nik Software this Tuesday, March 12, 2013 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT so feel free to sign up by clicking this link HERE

Thanks again, have fun and good luck! Very best, John

Contest Details:

Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog if you have any questions.

The rules are simple:

1. Submit up to 3 of your favorite images that was processed using a Nik Software plug-in —Dfine, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, or Sharpener Pro*
(Photos may be edited in Lightroom, Aperture, or Photoshop. However, no third party plugins except those from Nik Software may be used in editing.)

2. Tell us which plugin you used for the processing.

3. Invite your friends to vote.

If you don’t have a Nik Software plugin then don’t worry because you can download a free trial version of any of the software HERE and still enter the contest.

Technical notes: The contest software only plays well with .jpg files, and I recommend that the longest edge of your image doesn’t exceed 1500px.

Awesome Prizes:

Grand prize winner will receive:

Nik Software plug-in suite
$100 Amazon.com gift card
Black & White: From Snapshots to Great Shots DVD
Signed copy of Plug In with Nik
Copy of Exposure: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Copy of Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Second place winner, chosen by popular vote, will receive:

Two Nik Software plug-ins of your choice
Black & White: From Snapshots to Great Shots DVD
Signed copy of Plug In with Nik
Copy of Exposure: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Copy of Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Third place winner, chosen by popular vote, will receive:

One Nik Software plug-in of your choice
Black & White: From Snapshots to Great Shots DVD
Signed copy of Plug In with Nik
Copy of Exposure: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Copy of Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

The Dates:

Phase One: Entries accepted March 8 through March 22
Phase Two: Public voting runs March 23 through March 31 (These votes will determine the second- and third-place winners.)
Phase Three: Grand prize winner selection will take place between March 23 through April 6
Phase Four: Winners will be announced on April 10, 2013.

Breaking Into Street Photography

John — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:32:21 +0000

Four Seconds in Times Square

Grabbing your camera and taking photos of complete strangers can be downright awkward for most people. It’s pretty common to hear from budding street photographers about their concerns of being too shy or worrying about upsetting unwilling subjects. One of the best ways to build your confidence as a street photographer is to focus on approaching subjects who are already desensitized to us camera-wielding intruders. Great subjects include street performers, artists, street vendors,or people in a parade.

Central Park Street Artist

Another element of street photography is being in the present (aware of your surroundings) and being fast on the draw. When I first started out shooting, I think I missed more shots than I took simply because I wasn’t prepared. The key to being ready for the action is having your camera readily accessible and your exposure settings dialed in. When it comes time to press the shutter button, the only thing you should be worrying about is composition and focus. If you have the luxury of time, then and only then, do you fiddle with exposure.

Presidents’ Day at the Rockefeller Center in New York City

As you become more experienced and comfortable you’ll want to practice combining exposure compensation, framing and focusing in one fluid motion, but for now, just focus on getting the shot!

“Observations Abroad” show at the Rankin Art Gallery

John — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:00:59 +0000

Promotional postcard design by Laura Pierson, 2009 Ferris State graduate

Join me at Ferris State University’s Rankin Art Gallery for, “Observations Abroad”, a collection of some of my favorite black and white images captured abroad. The gallery show will be on display for the entire month of February, with a special reception on February 13th from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited and I especially welcome you to join me at the reception where I’ll be giving a brief lecture on how I approach my work.

For all you Facebook junkies, I’ve made it easy to accept your invitation and share the event with your friends. There’s an event!

I threw together a fun little clip to show how I spent last week preparing for the show:

All prints were made using my Epson 9900, coupled with my favorite archival paper Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308. Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to seeing you there! People over 500 miles from Big Rapids, Michigan are excused.

Plug In with Nik is now shipping!

John — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:20:47 +0000

It’s official: all the major book suppliers have begun shipping “Plug In with Nik.” It feels good when a big project is finally completed. It feels even better when you wake up and find out your book is the number two best seller in the photography category!

I saw this and about spilled my coffee.

Crazier yet, is to find out it’s ranked number one in digital photography and digital media management categories.

It was even more humbling to see these stats.

These rankings change hour to hour, but at 10:30 last night in the midst of a winter thunderstorm I couldn’t help myself from yelling in true Highlander fashion,“There can only be one!” (Favorite childhood movie reference.) Of course this led to Anna looking at me in bewilderment and pointedly asking? “It’s not a hardcover? You mean your number one in the flimsy book category?” Pop….goes my ego.

Anyway, I’m truly pleased with the book and happy customers are finally receiving copies. If you’re interested in buying the book, you can check it out at these locations:

I have a handful of books that I would like to offer for review. If you’re interested in reviewing the book, please sign up using the form below:

Juxtaposition in Street Photography

John — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:55:26 +0000

‘L’ Stop void of life

Street photography can be a very intimate process and when it comes to conveying a mood, feeling the absence of life can be every bit as powerful as it’s presence. Public transportation hubs are great venues to convey this juxtaposition in feelings. We’re so accustomed to seeing people at a bus terminal, airport, or train station that the mere absence of people creates an eerie sensation of aloneness.

Yet, when a train station is flooded with bustling bodies returning to home we feel comforted by the familiar and expected.

‘L’ stop bustling with commuters

Experiment with your street photography by seeking out similar settings that allow you to convey these polarized messages.