Bannak Pot; May 21, 2010; 1:22 pm; Bannak; f 1.4, 1/800; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Another assignment that we had was to take a picture in which we reversed the focal point of the image. I found this pot amongst some other things. I had to move it into the light to be able to capture a photograph and make it look somewhat interesting. This image is SOOC.

Pot Reverse; May 21, 2010; 1:22 pm; Bannak; f 1.4, 1/1000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Here is the same shot but with a different point of the image that is in focused. I liked both of these images becuase of the different focal points that they offer. It is interesting  how the difference can really change a photograph and make things look different.

Red Scarf; May 21, 2010; 9:51 pm; Dubois; f 1.4, 1/1000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Also at the warehouse in Dubois I also took this picture of Amber. The window was casting some good light in and I think added a nice effect on her face. The image is not edited on my computer, or in other words it is SOOC.

Old Mason; May 21, 2010; 1:14 pm; Mason Temple; f 1.4, 1/500; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

One of the coolest thing that I think they had at the ghost town was an old Mason temple. They had a ton of old artifacts, which I think are very interesting. My grandfather was a mason and he would always tell things about them and hint to other things. Looking at this ancient temple and some of the things that were inside really was a cool experience for me. This gentleman really reminded me of my grandfather.

Blue Finger

This image is actually a combination of a texture photo and also a macro abstract photograph. In order to blend this image I used an overlay blending mode to blend the two images and create the image above. The next two images are the images that I have combined to get the above image.

Pointing Above; May 21, 2010; 5:29 pm; Bannak Cemitary; f 1.4, 1/4000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Near the end of the trip we went to the cemetery and took some pictures of the things that were there. When I was there I found a tombstone that had this hand on it that was pointing above. I really like this image especially with the shallow depth of field.

Blue Glass; May 21, 2010; 9:22 pm; Dubois; f 1.4, 1/160; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Before we had even gotten to Bannak we stopped off in this old warehouse that had some fun things there. While we were there I found this glass door that had some paint on it. Also right behind it happened to be a blue tarp that had some fun blue light going through it. I really liked the texture that it gave. With the combination of the both I think it made a fun picture.

Chair; May 21, 2010; 3:22 pm; Bannak; f 1.4, 1/400; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Another assignment that we had was to take a HDR photograph. I saw this chair and I want to get the outside with the inside. So I took 6 different exposures to get everything properly exposed correctly. I then used Dynamic Photo (a cool little program) to blend the images and make it one. This one actually required some movement around in the program which was kind hard. When using this program and also HDR you can either make something look really cool or crazy. I decided to try and keep this as normal as possible.

Chair Steps

This image you can actually see the different steps I took to get all the images put together. There is a line on each where you can see the exposures change. I hope this demonstrates how I took the different pictures.

Bottles; May 21, 2010; 4:22 pm; Bannak; f 1.4, 1/2000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Along with taking a ton of different exposure, sometimes you can get a pretty cool looking HDR out of just one exposure. RAW really is a cool thing and I personally believe that you should always shoot RAW. The above image I think really brought out the colors that I couldn’t capture the first time without HDR.

Bottle original

This is the original image that I used before it was processed through HDR program. It still is an interesting photo but it also isn’t quite as interesting as the one before. I haven’t really been a fan of HDR because most of them are crazy and don’t really look real, but I think it can be used for good as well.

Ghosts; May 21, 2010; 2:23 pm; Bannak Hotel; f 14, 6"; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Another assignment that we had was to capture movement but as blurred  motion. When done correctly the motion sometimes gives the effects of ghosts. So that is exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to capture an image that looks like a ghost and kinda gives a creepy look. I turned this image on its side slightly and made it black and white to give it a little more dramatic feel. I took this photo in black and white but the wonderful thing about RAW is that it keeps tons of information. This image is SOOC.

This last week we went to Bannak Ghost town out in Montana. It was a fun trip and had some fun going to take some pictures at a new place and have some fun artifacts to photograph. Bannak ghost town was once a large gold mining town but didn’t make the cut. While we were there we had certain assignments that we had to complete and take care of.

Jumping High; May 21, 2010; 10:49 pm; Dubois; f 5, 1/800; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

So one of the assignments we had was to take a picture of movement and freeze it in action. In order to do that  we had to keep the shutter speed high to capture them jumping in the air. This image is completely SOOC which basically means that I haven’t edited it on the computer.

Lately I have been receiving some emails asking questions about my methods and technical questions about photography, Photoshop and other related issues. So I set up another blog all about that kind of stuff. The web address is www.makeshiftblog.com and just to warn you I have just started it so there isn’t much on there. So that means bookmark it, add it to your blog roll call and tell all your photography friends and you won’t be disappointed.

For this assignment, I took my wife and kids to the Idaho Falls zoo. It was a lot of fun, especially because my little boy really loves animals and was just loving it. The other reason why I went was because I didn’t want to photograph dead things. Eastern Idaho this time of year is rejuvenating itself and everything is coming back alive. Plus the only animals that you can find are generally some ducks and dead road kill.

Sereval; May 7, 2010; 1:59 pm; Idaho Falls Zoo; f 3.2, 1/200; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

The above picture is a Sereval which is an African animal. It was in an area where it was passing back and forth. I think it really like us because it kept walking in front of the window which is how I got this great close up photo. The post work of the photo include a little adjustment layer that increase the contrast a little. I did that so it looked a little more sharp which I think is important with web photos.

Lemur; May 7, 2010; 1:32 pm; Idaho Falls Zoo; f 1.4, 1/800; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

One of the first stops at the zoo we made was at the monkey rink. They had this really crazy monkey there making all kinds of noise when we first got there, but by the time we made it around to him the trainers had taken him inside. This Lemur was staring at my son because I think they are about the same size. If you look closely the lemur has some nasty bugs following him.

Tiger; May 7, 2010; 2:25 pm; Idaho Falls Zoo; f 3.2, 1/4,000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

Remember how when you were a kid and every time you went to the zoo you were hoping to see the lions and tigers totally awake and moving around. Obviously that didn’t happen this time either. What was cool about this time was the fact that the tiger was really like 10 feet away. It was at the base of the wall right below the viewing area. I like this picture because it really looks like I was right over him, and they really are beautiful pictures even if they are really smelly. The picture is not edited in photoshop.

Riverbend; May 8, 2010; 4:14 pm; Somewhere here in Rexburg; f 2.2, 1/4,000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

You might recognize a similar photo from another post and doing some edits with adjustment layers and smart filters. Well I choose to use this one in this post because I feel like it really highlights the grass and the river bend. Lately I have been learning about the golden mean and the spirals that go with them. I tried to include that idea with this photo and the way the bend of the creek went. I think that it really made an interesting photo and draws your eyes to the bridge. For post production I increased the sharpness.

You looking at me; May 7, 2010; 1:37 pm; Idaho Falls Zoo; f 2, 1/3,200; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

With this photo I was really trying hard to do something a little different than the usual get the whole head in the photograph. I think that it really turned out cool and fun. I used a low f stop to get a small amount of focus in the photograph. I like how it played out with the lines of the zebra and how they slowly merge together. I was really glad that this I went to the zoo after this picture. I did increase the sharpness and contrast afterward to try and bring the strips out more.

Clean swan; May 7, 2010; 2:03 pm; Idaho Falls Zoo; f 2, 1/4,000; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

At the zoo they also have a little pond that has a few different birds in there. While I was there they had these two big swans that had decided to start cleaning themselves. As they were doing so, one of them kept drifting closer and closer to me. I was standing on a bridge that went through the pond and because of that I was able to lean out right above him. Right after I took the picture the swan basically started flapping and sprayed me with the nasty water. What we do for go pictures. I thought about editing this photograph but I couldn’t think of anything that would enhance the photograph instead of detracting from it.

Thinking Monkey; May 7, 2010; 2:46 pm; Idaho Falls Zoo; f 2, 1/80; Canon Rebel XS; 50 mm

As we were walking back to the car we decided to go through the monkey area. Mostly because it was the fastest way to get to the car. We also went back to try and see that crazy monkey that I mentioned at the begging. Well it turned back that he wasn’t there but I was able to snap a picture of this monkey contemplating life. I had a hard time making this photograph because of the glare off the window but I eventually put myself in the right position. I like the green which came out even brighter because of the bokeh. This image is SOOC (straight out of camera.)

I had a lot of fun taking this photographs and going to the zoo with my family and kids.

So something that is a great skill that any photographer or graphic designer could have or do is the ability to cut out an image using photoshop with a heavy emphasis on masking. I am a firm believer of masking and the benefits that you get when you use it properly. First of all if you are just cutting out the picture those pixels are going to be gone FOREVER… you know like in Sandlot. That basically means that if you screw up, which happens, you can only go so far back with the undo button. If masking isn’t your friend you should really learn how to like it. So here are some examples of masking to the extent of cutting out the subjects.

Jose can you see?; April 26, 2010; 5:08 pm; BYU-Idaho campus; f 1.8, 1/4,000; Canon Rebel XS; 85 mm

The first image is of an American flag waving in the wind. I just so happen to get it right at the perfect moment, or I think so, where it looks like a flag in the wind. Anyway, because it was on that blue sky it was somewhat easy to cut out using the mask tool in photoshop. What I actually did was made a copied layer of the image, and drew a selection around the flag itself. I then clicked on the mask button and it cut out the flag for me. I then went back through and touched up the edges with a very small paintbrush and black and white paint. Again I can’t say how important this skill is, and to do it correctly.

Sliding Boy; April 26, 2010; 5:45 pm; My complex; f 1.8, 1/2,000; Canon Rebel XS; 85 mm

The previous image were taken in my backyard and that happens to be my son. Isn’t he just a little stud? The funny thing is that my wife and I take so many photos and especially of him and his sister that whenever he sees a camera he screams NO and hides. Anyway he was out back playing on the structure and I caught him looking at me. This image is completely SOOC, not even a color or lighting change. Like the previous image I made a selection and created a mask with that selection and refined the edges by hand. There is a trick to do it with the computer but I think that they don’t look as nice.

So if I haven’t made myself clear on my position, I think masking is something so important to know how to do. If you haven’t figured it out, or if you think you aren’t very good it is time to practice. I think that is one universal skill to have because most everyone will want a photo to change either by taking something out of the picture or something like that for an advertisement. It can greatly help even sell photos and get a job. So I call you all to action and learn how to use the mask.