Tim Grey’s Blog

I’ve been publishing my Digital Darkroom Questions (DDQ) email newsletter for over seven years now, and from time to time I’ve explored ways to bring new value without fixing what isn’t broken. I have resisted the urge to include images in the email for a variety of reasons. I’ve contemplated utilizing an attached PDF to enable more flexible formatting with images, but that introduces a challenge for the many readers who check their email primarily on a portable device (yes, these are mostly iPhone users, and I hear from them whenever a formatting issue makes the DDQ emails less than readable on the iPhone).

So often I’ve thought about how much easier it would be to show someone what I’m talking about in an answer rather than have them read about it in the email. As attendees of my workshops can surely appreciate, seeing something done while it is being explained takes the learning experience to a whole new level.

Suddenly it made perfect sense to provide answers via video, especially since I’ve been utilizing video for teaching in a variety of ways for a number of years. And YouTube makes this all so simple.

Today’s edition of the DDQ email newsletter was the first to include an accompanying video. The question related to the best method for converting a color image into black & white, and I provided an answer both in text and in the form of a screen capture video posted to my channel on YouTube.

My hope is that this will make the DDQ email newsletter even more valuable to readers. Early responses indicate that readers already enthusiastically feel that goal has been achieved.

You can view the video inline below, or by visiting my channel on YouTube. And be sure to subscribe to my channel so you’ll receive automatic updates as new instructional videos are added.

This week I’m teaching a five-day workshop at the Art Wolfe Digital Photography Center, and it happened to coincide with Inauguration Day. In fact, class was scheduled to start right about the time Barack Obama was to be sworn in. And would you believe every single student was there on time?

Of course, Photoshop suddenly didn’t seem so important. So we used the projector as a super-big-screen TV and all watched the Inauguration live. We waited until the new president was done speaking to start class. It was worth waiting for in order to witness history.

There’s a weird time warp that happens when you write magazine articles. You get an assignment, and of course wait until the last minute to fulfil it, so there’s a bit of a lag there. Then you submit the article, and it is generally at least a couple months before it goes to press. And, typically, it takes at least another few weeks before you receive a copy of that issue and actually realize that your article is in the magazine.

Such was the case as I finally reviewed the November/December 2008 issue of Layers magazine. It features an article I wrote called “Taking Aim”, which talks about framing the shot properly in camera instead of relying on Photoshop to fix things after the fact (though I also talk briefly about cropping in Photoshop for situations where that becomes necessary).

Seeing the article in print (and enjoying the great job Layers magazine did with the layout) brought back part of the inspiration for writing the article in the first place. I’ve noticed a growing trend lately, where photographers are starting to focus more on the fundamentals of photography than the details of digital.

Now, as someone who makes a living primarily helping photographers make the most of what happens after the image is captured, it might seem odd that I’d be concerned about what happens during the capture. But the truth is my passion revolves around producing the very best images possible, and that requires starting with the best capture and then performing the best techniques in post-processing.

So I’m gratified to see more and more photographers focusing on creating better images in the first place, and I hope my article in Layers magazine helps some photographers improve upon that goal.

I love applying targeted adjustments to my images via layer masks and adjustment layers, and quite often those targeted adjustments start with a selection. That’s why I often spend about a full day out of a typical five-day workshop teaching a variety of ways to create selections.

Of course, quite often photographers find selections to be challenging. It isn’t a lack of tools at their disposal, or even a lack of skill on their part. Rather, it is the presence of something in the object they’re trying to select: fuzzy stuff. Specifically, hair, feathers, or fur. These things can create quite a challenge.

I’ve often taught the use of the Extract filter to create a selection in these difficult situations. So I was more than a little dismayed the first time I went to create a selection using Extract in Photoshop CS4. Extract had been extracted!

Fortunately, extract still exists. It simply isn’t installed with Photoshop CS4 by default. It seems Adobe feels you can get better results more quickly by using other tools, such as the Quick Selection tool.

If you frequently need to create selections that would otherwise call for the Extract filter, you’re probably better off using a more advanced tool such as Mask Pro from onOne Software, which does a much better job than Extract.

But if you don’t need a tool like this too often, or you’d rather not spend extra money for a more powerful tool, you can still put Extract to use in Photoshop CS4. If you purchased the DVD, you’ll find the Extract filter in the Goodies folder on that disc. If you purchased the download version, you can get Extract from the Adobe website. Copy the filter file to Photoshop’s Plug-ins/Filters folder and restart Photoshop. You’ll then find Extract on the Filter menu, safe and sound.

OK, I grew up in California, so I totally don’t get the whole "snow day" thing, but it always sounded so cool when I was a kid. But that’s not the snow day I’m talking about. Actually, it is, but in a different context.

I recently attended the PhotoVision Awards and Gala Dinner that serves as a key funderaiser for Photographic Center Northwest (PCNW). One of the most popular images in the auction was titled "Snow Day", by photographer Julie Blackmon. You can see this it, along with many other great images, in the Domestic Vacations gallery on her website.

A big part of the discussion among those spending time in front of this image in the PCNW Gallery involved speculation about whether it was a "straight" photograph, or if it was a composite of multiple images. What I found so cool about the photo is that it is completely possible that it could be a single image. There was nothing about it that couldn’t have really been as it appeared for a single instant. And yet I figured it had to be a composite. I actually felt guilty for making this assumption, so I was relieved when I contacted the photographer and confirmed it was indeed a composite.

I asked Julie about her perspective on creating such an image photographically, in the context of some people feeling that creating such a composite was "cheating" (a notion I don’t agree with, by the way). Here’s how Julie described her work:

"When I describe my work I sometimes talk about my husband who writes fiction, and how he works.  He’s always borrowing from real life, and then changing certain details or the context of them for the sake of the story.  But in a way, his work tells the truth about life in way that writing it exactly as it happened wouldn’t be able to.  So, I guess that’s they way I’m trying to work visually."

I think this is such an apt description for her work and her approach to photography. I’d be the first to admit that there are situations (such as photojournalism) where creating an invented scene isn’t appropriate. But in most cases I really feel that photography is art, and thus deserves to have he same freedoms of creativity found in any other art form. In other words, creating such a composition is an incredible expression, and one that should be applauded.

I was doing a little holiday shopping in Seattle over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and will admit to being a little shocked at what I saw…

Lots of cameras. OK, that’s not exactly a surprise. And in fact at first I wasn’t shocked at all. I hardly noticed. Then I saw this cute, tiny little camera that seemed like it was intended to be a spy camera.

“I wonder how many mega…”

I was cut off in mid thought. That’s when I saw it. Not a boastful splash about how many megapixels were packed into this tiny little camera. Not wishful-thinking claims of incredible zoom at tack-sharp quality. No, it was something different.

A roll of 110 film. Yes, film.

And it wasn’t just this one little camera. There were bunches of them, of all shapes and sizes. Some were instant (remember Polaroid?). Some were 35mm. Some were 110. It seemed that the whole spectrum of film options from a simpler time were represented.

I wondered, “Is film making a comeback?”

But that thought quickly faded as I realized what was really going on: Film was becoming a gimmick.

Now I do realize there are many photographers producing many great images with film, even today. And I know many of those photographers will continue using film for quite some time. But seeing all these “toy” cameras using film in an upscale store in downtown Seattle made me realize just how far down the path of digital photography we had come.

By and large, it seems, film has become a novelty.

Today I spent some time playing with photography. You see, I obtained a Canon MP-E 65mm 1X-5X macro lens for a week from BorrowLenses.com, and thought it would be fun to play with this lens since I haven’t shot with it for several years. I really don’t do very much macro photography, and to be honest I don’t take it all that seriously owing to the fact that I’ve never considered myself to be all that good at it. I’ve always been intrigued by being able to take a really close look at a subject, but I’ve never been all that impressed with my photographic results in doing so.

You know how in many cases when you’re earning a living doing something you love, no matter how much fun it might be, it still feels like “work”? Well, in this case the photography wasn’t even pretending to be work. Often when I’m at a great location with my camera, I’m thinking about how I can use the resulting images in one of my books, or how it might be worthy of the cover of Digital Darkroom Quarterly.

This time was different. I only got the lens so I could have fun with it. And what fun it was! Granted, it was a wet, dreary, drizzly day around my home in the Seattle area (no surprise there!), but it was still so much fun to wander around the yard photographing plants, trees, rocks, and just about anything else I could find that seemed worthy of a closer look.

When I came back inside I explored the kitchen to see what I might find. I never new peppercorns could be so fascinating!

Then I got the bright idea of heading out to the garage to see if I could find something interesting on my bike to photograph, since I love cycling so much. Bad idea. It was then that I remembered my last ride had been over a week ago. In the rain. And that I got a flat tire. And that I was so rushed afterward that I didn’t get a chance to properly clean my bike. And that riding for a couple hours in the wet weather really takes a toll. And that if you then let your bike sit in the garage for a week because you’re too busy to attend to it, things get ugly.

The macro lens helped me realize just how bad things had gotten (gee, thanks). My neglected chain was gritty and had some rust starting to show up. But it was fun photography! And I enjoyed working with the images in Photoshop (despite the guilt!).

So, while I’ll spend some time over the holiday weekend making amends with my bike, I’ll also remember what fun I had playing around with a lens that I don’t plan to buy but still wanted the opportunity to play with for a little while, just for fun.

I’m pleased to announce that Joe Becker of Seldom Seen Photography is the winner of the “wide angle” photography contest I announced about a week ago in the DDQ email. Joe’s winning shot, shown here, is of an old car at the James Cant Ranch, a historic sheep ranch, in the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in eastern Oregon. As Joe says, “Many photographers head to the Painted Hills Unit of the monument, but there is a lot more to photograph there besides the Painted Hills.” The image was shot with a 10-22mm lens on a Canon 20D, with the lens set at 10mm, and an exposure 1/125 sec at f/9.0.

As the winner of this contest, Joe wins a free one-week lens rental from BorrowLenses.com. Enjoy that lens rental, Joe!

I also decided to award a couple “honorable mentions” for this contest.

The first honorable mention is in the “portraiture” category. Getting a strong wide angle photograph can always be a challenge, but doing so with a portrait can often be a particular challenge. Jim Grossman did an excellent job with this image. As an honorable mention Jim will receive a free signed copy of my latest book, Photoshop CS4 Workflow. Congratulations, Jim!

As I was reviewing the images submitted for this photo contest, I also decided there needed to be an “A for Effort” category for the person who put the most effort into producing a great image.

In my mind, that category was won by John Ashley (johnashleyfineart.com) for his image of the moon going from moonrise to moonset over Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, Montana. John will also receive a free signed copy of Photoshop CS4 Workflow.

I’m thrilled to announce the availability of my latest book, Photoshop CS4 Workflow. This book has long been the “crown jewel” in my library, documenting my recommended approach to optimizing your photographic images using all the power Photoshop has to offer.

This book covers the full workflow from downloading and sorting your images, performing basic and advanced adjustments, creating selections, creating and modifying layer masks, producing output, and much more. It is a great addition to any photographer’s book collection, and I hope you’ll add it to yours.

More details can be found on Amazon.com, and of course Photoshop CS4 Workflow can be found wherever great books are sold.

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about starting my seventh year answering questions in my Digital Darkroom Questions email newsletter (if you’re still not receiving these emails, go to www.timgrey.com/ddq/ to sign up for free). And now here I am, with the seventh year behind me and the eighth year spread out before me. I hope this year goes slower than the last one!

People still laugh at me (I mean with me!) when I tell them there was a time I thought I would eventually run out of questions that needed answers on the subject of digital imaging. After answering thousands of questions it has become clear that there won’t be any end to the questions. I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing, but at least it means I’ll be able to continue providing answers.

Last year I wrote that I was entering year “lucky number seven” for the DDQ emails. I suppose it was a lucky year, as my book Take Your Best Shot, which was based on the DDQ emails and features a question-and-answer format, has been published and is receiving great reviews. If you don’t have this book yet, you should. You can order your very own copy today at Amazon.com or anywhere else fine books are sold.