Bisti : Small Scale

Pharaoh’s Saddle
©Joe Bridwell
Most geologists learn to look both at the land where they're walking as well as at their surroundings. This lifelong habit provides so much incredible delight in the multi-faceted Bisti.
Delicate strata of interleaved white and gold; sandstone caps; dark broken rock fragments from nearby; all seem to complement the Sun's stark shadow. Just components in water's consummate artistry as it's carved such Bisti microcosms...

Surreal, Ever-Changing Character
The Bisti is an amalgam of characters - almost like a stage play. Walk here and see this character; walk there and see a completely different character. So, just simply finding your true Bisti can be a challenge.
When you add ever changing light, you begin to have time's very slow kaleidoscope effect. All right, you ask, "What does kaleidoscope effect mean?"
Practically speaking, it's not a difficult task to see each of the Bisti's spatial characters. Just get out there, walk around, and remember where you went.
Luckily speaking, it is a rather difficult task to find the Bisti's enhanced character as light changes. Of course, this truism represents any other natural wonder.

Exploration vs. Artistry
To figure out where interesting hoodoos are, you need to trek the Bisti during daylight. Be careful; it can be incredibly hot in the summer. Beyond that, you need to imagine what each of these spectacular sights might look like under specific, yet differing lighting conditions.
To become a Bisti artist, you need to know how to get where you want to be either before sunrise or near sunset. Magic Hour, that hour around dawn and dusk, may require you to shoot after the Sun's gone down. In either case, the artistry lies in the often spectacular combination of right light and surreal hoodoo.

But... this process offers an artist's strongest hope. Such persistent choices increase your lucky odds. Such choices put you in the artistic position of images.

Bisti Treks
Click to see other Bisti Images
Oh My…!
Surreal
Sphinx
Solitude

Enjoy…

Try Planeteering…

Reflections

©Joe Bridwell

Near sundown, the Pecos River becomes magical country… majestic clouds, rushing river, fish ponds, even daisies on small islands at Cowles.

All The World’s A Stage

And all men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts…

As You Like It, Shakespeare

This morning I played an enchanting part ~ a digital Muse sat on my shoulder while scanning beautiful photographs from around our planet. Springtime is a time of renewed vigor, dedication to fresh new green leaves, delightful breezes which softly stir our hair, and photos which inspire re-entrance into our planet’s delight. These beautiful photos spoke to me of such fresh insights.

Planeteers

Planeteering, a process of looking at newly revealed photos, arose because I could quickly surf our beautiful planet, see images from the view of other excellent photographers, then find photographs which catch my breath – even occasionally stir my creative fancy. This morning was just such an example...

Pathways of Light contains an ever changing roll of imaginative photographers who post daily delights. Whenever I’ve time, I try to take a look at other’s photos, go to exotic places I may not be able to pronounce, and see the many challenges good photography still has for digital growth.

This morning there were two photos – one of a wave splashed shore under a golden sunset, the other a sand spit silhouetted at sunset in a still, small natural lake. The photographer called this image “Something from Nothing”! The title seemed to say ‘When feeling lazy, you never know what you might get out there _so JUST DO IT.’ Just being there alone - witnessing hundreds of wild geese stopping to rest at sunset - was his inspiration.

Digital Motivation

With such incentives and Planeteering, I’ve been reviewing sky images taken over several years. I asked, “What can I do with this series of soft, near sunset hand-held images from the Pecos?”

Shortly (well not really), I had used several new LR2 and CS4 features – Gradient Filters, Auto-Align and Auto-Blend Layers, Content Aware Scaling, Color Range Masking, and HSL Adjustments to composite, then subtly refine Reflections…

May I recommend you set up your own Planeteering system; when seemingly at a standstill, reach out, examine other work, see what such endeavors do for your chemistry, your shooting, and your zest. You might even look through your captues, apply new tools, and play ‘your own parts’ – then, JUST DO IT…

Enjoy…

Waves - Ancestral Oil Painting

Waves
©Anno Bridwell

Art is in my genes...
this compelling image is from an oil painting my mother created in the 1950s.  It sat in our den on an easel when I was a boy.  The backing is poster board. 
Now some 60 years old, it could be cleaned, framed, and become an heirloom for future generations.
Nevertheless, Waves was a complex, passionate introduction to art for a young boy ... and naturally, there are other companions to Waves on my walls which now act as deeply memorable Windows to the Past!

Oil Painting
A brush, oils, a canvas, and easel, and an idea... coupled with talent, all could allow creativity, memories, and heirlooms.

Fine Art Photography
A camera, software (Lightroom and Photoshop), and a vision... coupled with inspiration, all can foster creativity, memories, even future heirlooms.

Combining Art and Photography
As I reflect on this and other windows into the past, I'm acutely conscious I couldn't understand the complexity of artistic talent my mother exhibited.  When I first began taking pictures with a digital camera years later, I really wasn't conscious of the magical effect light plays in great photographs.  When I finally began using Photoshop (CS2), I wasn't conscious of how masks can enhance the magical effect light plays.  As I recently began taking high dynamic range (HDR) images, I realized there is a larger range of light at dawn and dusk than in a camera can capture as one photo.  After a while, it became clearly apparent - subtle tone mapping of such an incredible color range from several images can create a most pleasing piece of art.
In Photoshop, Adobe has masterfully provided a remarkable variety of digital darkroom tools for enhancement of multiple HDR images to fine art photography.  Merged HDR, local adaptation, tone curves, masking tools, adjustment brushes, print - if your objective is fine art photography - these terms are synonymous with brush, oil, palette, and painting.  Matter of fact, if you're creative, the photograph is just the beginning.  It's skilled application of any of these tools which helps you reach your vision of what that photograph can be as a fine art piece.

Anasazi Moon
©Joe Bridwell

Sunset view of a Bisti Badlands hoodoo under eerie light of moonrise.

My first effort at digital compositing used Blending Options sliders in CS3.  I was very pleased to place the moon behind Magic Hour's natural pastel sunset at the Bisti.  It was found worthy of a Member's Choice award at ELCC.

Windows to the Future
Although there are quite a few terms and techniques to be learned as you progress to creation of fine art, I am just beginning to be able to see cogent examples of multilayered masking, channel, and path activities which take the initial capture or the composite HDR, and carefully - like the stroke of an oil painters brush - mask this, sharpen that, change a Hue on another to create fine art.

In this time of great financial discord, one way to search for happiness is to pursue an upward Adobe path to fine art creation.  Although presently I just perceive the tip of this exotic iceberg, there are several inspiring sources from which I learn, draw strength, and gain hope.

Complete Picture-Episode 10 - Julianne Kost    Excellent Video

HDR in CS4 – John Doogan    Excellent Video

Ultimate Workshop - Evening and Schewe    Good Book

Artistic Heritage
Hour upon hour, Anno would stand before the easel mixing colors, carefully stroking with the brush, working the textures, creating art… All those years ago, I had no idea that one day, I too, after a career in science and computers, would become mesmerized by using brushes to mix colors, sharpen textures, and create fine art from digital photography.
But, evocative subtleties of some pieces of digital fine art I've seen simply take my breath away.
Learning Photoshop at this advanced level does take some patience.  But, then, so did raising a couple of boys while creating fine oil paintings...
In really difficult times like these, it's a great pleasure to continue a family tradition and learn new things!
Enjoy...

CS4’s Adjustment Panel – a Cross Road

Cross Roads

©Joe Bridwell
Symbolically, two planes cross.   On another plane, CS4 has also reached a cross road.  Its new Adjustment Panel allows up to some 90% less mouse motion to get the job done right…

It's the end of a long day.  I've been working through CS3 for hours, perfecting an image.  Make an adjustment layer, create image enhancements, choose a blend mode, modify the opacity, click OK... and I'm one tired old dawg.

For about a week now, John Nack, Adobe, has been following the theme Adjustments and the Future of the Photoshop UI.  This morning, Bryan Hughes dug a little deeper:
"Adjustment Layers are non-destructive and re-editable (think history that lives with your file); they offer unparalleled creative control with 25 blending modes and 100 levels of opacity; and they can be easily shared, duplicated and repurposed. The problem: in order to enjoy benefits of adjustment layers, you need to know where they are, how they work _and_ a series of secret handshakes to leverage their power.
"Moving from one’s image to an Adjustment panel beside it is far faster than combing through various menus and dialogues - the Adjustment panel experience uses up to 89% less mouse travel than the old, menu-driven, modal method.
"For CS4 we took a page out of Lightroom’s book and brought on-image editing to Curves, Hue and Saturation in the new Adjustment Panel. Talk about fast and easy ~ you just click on the desired area and pull (up and down for Curves, left and right for Saturation, add the Command modifier for Hue)."

Gadzooks...!
Now I've got more time to be out shooting...
Enjoy...

Ancient Outdoor Museums…

A Pueblo III Anasazi Ruin

©Joe Bridwell

The Anasazi knew an end was near; this lonely, hard-to-access ruin is one of the most protected of final days. Almost hidden in a lonely, canyon-cut mesa, the setting Sun will quickly remove warmth as night's cold arrows waft up from the canyon below.

Seeking such surreal loneliness of red rock beauty suggests the Anasazi were truly world-class climbers. Somehow, they explored some of the most distant southwestern places in a never ending quest for food and safety. When a haven was found, they built isolated rooms which provided warmth and protection - always as if their concern for a right angle wall was at odds with nearby cliffs. Such ruins are now their only enduring legacy.

Some of the most scenic ruins and arches occur in southern Utah backcountry. One, the second largest arch on the planet, requires a 5 mile round-trip, sunset's direct light to be South 20° West, standing in the middle of a creek for the optimum shot, and trekking 2 miles back before 300 feet of climb (part of it sandy) to arrive at the car after dark.

Most of these often rather quaint sites aren't on any main thoroughfare. Rather, they're down some long dirt road where you park your car, put on your pack, and trek even farther into nature's wilderness. Gear, wading shoes, layers of clothing, batteries, water, protein... all contribute to a distinct sense of excitement and energy expenditure.

Yesterday's Landscape Photography

In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, landscape photography flourished albeit with huge heavy cameras and Velvia film. With less restriction on where you could set up the camera, several professional reputations were made as incredible images later adorned impeccable coffee table books of the Southwest.

Today's Digital Photography

In the last few years, digital cameras and high dynamic range imaging are transforming landscape photography to a more highly defined color range.

To capture the full range of enchanting dawn or dusk light which can illuminate ruins, arches, and other provocative landscape features, digital photography needs additional technical capability. High dynamic range imaging (HDR), automatic exposure bracketing (some cameras can provide nine bracketed shots), a panoramic head, and a sturdy tripod creates such a venue.

If we marry a digital camera and a GPS device, which can tell you where you are to within 10 feet anywhere on the planet's surface 24x7, you can essentially trek to any distant site to capture dusk, then return after dark.

One Way to Capture and Evaluate Provocative Landscape Images

But still, it takes several more definitive steps to begin to approach impeccable books... An expedition, to create successful images, needs several attributes:

1. A low noise, high ISO digital camera with sturdy tripod.

2. Software such as Garmin's Mapsource to pre-construct routes into the difficult-to-attain sites.

3. An intelligent GPS unit to carefully help secure an after-dark return.

4. Software such as Lightroom 2 to process multiple HDR images in the same orientation (and sets of images if a panorama).

5. Software such as Photoshop CS4 to:

    a. Build HDR images

    b. Merge results to panorama

And Then, Naturally, There's the Light...

Lest we forget... the most enchanting light is usually near sunset. So, you trek to the scene mid-afternoon, scope the best place for creating an exotic shot, then wait for just the right light. For a busy few minutes, you shoot landscape and portrait images in HDR, rotating your camera on the panoramic head if required.

In the end, you return to the studio. All those carefully captured images are processed, breathtaking results are finalized... Sometimes you still can't even believe the inspiring beauty both captured then carefully revealed - although you really were just there yourself!

Such incredulous 'open museums', ancient venues, silence, and beauty... bring them back to share with those who can't make such treks!

Enjoy...

The Future of HDR - II

Whether its DVDs, videos, or books – High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is flourishing with Lightroom 2 (LR) and Photoshop CS4(PS).

The authors shown above

John Doogan FNZIPP (and Adobe Ambassador),

Ben Willmore (HDR & Beyond), and

Matt Kloskowski NAPP (DVD)

take different approaches.

Last Thursday’s Future of HDR was prelude to a central question, “Where and how will our future growth proceed in digital photography as we use better cameras to provide HDR images which represent what our eye actually saw?”

What Does Each Approach Offer?

While I have not seen Kloskowski’s HDR DVD, I have seen his Lightroom DVD. His approach is simple; a nuts and bolts use of Lightroom rather than enhanced tool application. I presume he uses Photomatix for HDR the same way. I can’t speak to his tone mapping approach.

Ben Willmore briefly touched on his HDR approach in two short CS3 videos with Bert Monroy. The first shows how to use CS3 to Merge to HDR to align and create an initial image. The second uses CS3 brightness and other advanced masking tools (curves) to more carefully tone map images. He has a book out next month entitled HDR and Beyond with CS4.

John Doogan’s videos spend 2 hours skillfully showing how to use several HDR approaches. In New and Improved Adobe Photomerge and Merge to HDR in Photoshop CS4, he uses Lightroom to Merge to HDR, then either applies CS4 layer adjustments or Lightroom nondestructive graduated filters or local adjustment brushes to enhance and add subtle changes to his HDR images. As a nature photographer, I enjoyed his Landscape Photographers Guide to Lightroom and CS4. Both can be viewed on video by clicking on each title below.

My HDR Experience

I began using HDR in October, 2007. For perspective, that was 6 months after the Photoshop CS3 release. At that time, few reviews suggested use of CS3 and its HDR capabilities. Rather, Photomatix Pro was hero from that day.

As I’ve worked with CS3 and Photomatix, one interesting reaction has been, “That image seems to be ‘science-fiction’ – meaning, it’s over done.” Hindsight, centered around shooting Magic Hour shots, that period between dawn and dusk, suggests HDR should be approached carefully with Photomatix. Use of Detail Enhancer (DE) provides a histogram which rarely seems to fit the general histogram shape from the initial capture image. On the other hand, Tone Compressor (TC) seems to be more consistent; it maintains similar histogram configurations. While DE has numerous knobs and dials for tone mapping, TC only has half that amount.

When you think of dodging and burning in CS3 as well as exciting new graduated filter and adjustment brushes in Lightroom 2 (and CS4) ~ that impressive tone mapping list shows Photomatix appearing to strongly lag behind. Moreover, those local nondestructive Adobe Camera Raw 5.x brushes allow us to swiftly add subtle clipping, recovery, fill light, shadows, brightness, clarity, vibrance, sharpness, auto align, auto blend, etc.

When compared to combinations of various tools used in tone mapping from Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4 – the few global Photomatix knobs and dials, which only treat a global image, seem to become minor.

Brief Historical Perspective

So, what can we learn by perusing noted experts and their present approaches to HDR?

HDR began to appear through tutorials from different photographers. Early on it was Photomatix, but in 2008, Bridge and CS3 became prevalent. With release of LR2 in September, 2008 and CS4, October, 2008, Adobe Camera Raw, the underpinning of both, had become an active local brush adjustment environment. Workflow steps taking hours are reduced to 10s of minutes.

Now, HDR found a new home with more subtle nuances to its plethora of image corrections. I think advent of Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4 as a combo puts us in a better tone mapping situation to softly, yet persistently enhance HDR. Several people are using Merge to HDR from Lightroom. Then they go on to use the sophistication of LR/PS. Of course, you will want to find your ‘guru’ or gurus’ and follow them… Adobe eSeminars provides you both HDR and additional topics.

As you become facile in use of various combo brushes, you will produce subtle, yet evocative HDR images – eschewing that old paradigm – HDR ‘science fiction’. And, should you be interested, we think you may become leaders in helping judges, sometimes rutted in tradition, widen their horizons…

Where Few Men Have Gone Before…

For me, CS4 is definitely on the near horizon; specifically because of some of the intricate steps Doogan’s 2 videos showed me - which work only with LR and CS4. With local nondestructive tools applied to different segments of an HDR image, we suggest a pen tablet for precision in advanced tone map modifications.

Doogan
HDR
Landscapes
Willmore
HDR I
HDR II
HDR and Beyond
Klowkowski
HDR DVD
Kelby
Lightroom 2 Book (p. 262-267)
Revell
HDR Tutorials
Adobe eSeminars OnDemand
Various HDR and CS4 Topics