Nik Viveza Software

I have been slow to adopt third party software.  My thinking has always been (stubbornly in many cases) that I should be able to do it on my own in Photoshop.  And I still don’t doubt that is true.  I should be able to.  However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will be able to.  And perhaps more importantly, it doesn’t mean that I will be able to do so with the ease that some of these new programs afford us.  I have had a copy of one version or other of Photoshop on my computer since I started shooting digital images (before that, I experimented with the various “Photoshop Lite” products that often shipped with printers and cameras, or with a couple of the “competing” programs out there. I soon enough learned, though, that there really were no “competing” programs with Adobe Photoshop. In all probability, that is still true, although, Photoshop Elements gets increasingly more robust, and programs like Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture have become pretty good photo editing software in their own right. But each time I begin to use one of them, I eventually find myself looking for one of the functions I rely on in Photoshop.

There is still no competing software with Photoshop

In keeping with that (perhaps elitist) attitude, I have pretty steadfastly avoided any of the third party plugin software that has become ubiquitous in the digital photo world. My feeling has been that they really didn’t offer anything more than a GUI (graphical user interface) for functionality that was/is already resident in Photoshop. For the most part, I think that remains true. Plugins are truly that—plugins to be used with a “host” software.

But that has, in my view, all changed now, with the Nik software tools. Nik’s U-point technology has radically changed the way we can work with Photoshop. Before I get to that I want to acknowledge that I may have been wrong. There. That wasn’t so hard .  Seriously, here is where I have been missing the proverbial boat. Yes, most of the things done by the plugin software can be done in PS already. But it takes a significant amount of time, skill and patience; and the makers of much of the third party plugins have figured out how to do it much more quickly, easily, efficiently and accurately!

For a long time, I have been a follower and admirer of the late Bruce Fraser and his “heir apparent” (they were actually long-time, friends, colleagues and collaborators) Jeff Schewe. I read (really read) several versions of their books, Real World Image Sharpening and Real World Camera Raw, and used their recipes for PS Actions for sharpening. So it was only stubbornness that has kept me for all these years from obtaining a copy of Pixel Genius Photokit Sharpener (Fraser and Schewe were part of the original Pixel Genius company). Now I have learned that I can fit most of my sharpening needs by running the plugin, which takes a few seconds, and in most cases, doesn’t even require any tweaking.

Likewise, I remained “from Missouri,” when friends and mentors told me about the Nik software plugins. I finally downloaded Nik Viveza and purchased “Nik Software Captured,” (the only current book, to my knowledge, available on the Nik Suite of software) after “playing” with the free download for a couple hours.

Nik’s U-Point Technology has radically changed the way we can work with Photoshop

Nik’s suite of photo software is different from other plugins, in that it offers a unique new technology that while it could probably be duplicated in Photoshop by someone who is far, far more proficient in both Photoshop and software engineering than me, it is not a “resident” feature of Photoshop. This special technology, U-point, is at its most basic, a very sophisticated, yet easy to use, selection and masking tool. I have spent hours, often frustrating, making complex selections, masks and layer masks of skies, trees, waterfalls, and objects in Photoshop; often with less than optimal results. One U-point “control point” and a couple of slider moves more often than not replaces those hours of painstaking selection these days for me.

The suite includes a set of plugin filters for color work (Color Efex), one for black and white (Silver Efex), a noise reduction program (Dfine), a sharpening program, and Viveza. They can be bought separately, or as a suite. If you are going to buy 2 or more of them, the suite probably is a no-brainer. In my case, I have not yet been persuaded that the other offerings from Nik are worth my time and $ (did I say I am stubborn?), so I only have Viveza so far.

A pet peeve of mine is how software (and, for that matter, cameras, stereos, etc.), often ship today with skeletal documentation, often in pdf form. I understand the pdf part. Publishing is expensive and I am all for saving another tree. I also understand that creating decent documentation is a time-consuming and potentially expensive process. But its still a peeve. For $100 plus in software, it seems like it would be nice to have a “how to” book ship with the software, instead of having to spend another $25-100 (depending on the program and the book) on a third-party “text.” There is pdf information about the basics on the Nik website. They also have a nice “learning center” with a number of videos that do a good job demonstrating it on specific images. But I would like to see a basic explanation of the theory and use of the software. I went to Amazon and searched for books on Nik Viveza. There is apparently only one book currently available: “Nik Software Captured,” by Tony Corbell and Joshua Haftel (Josh is a Nik employee). But if you are planning on using (or are already using) Nik Software, I recommend buying it. There is another book in the works, “Plug In with Nik: A Photographer’s Guide to Creating Dynamic Images with Nik Software” by John Batdorff, scheduled to ship in November or December. I have it pre-ordered at Amazon and will try to do a review on receipt and reading.

The image at the beginning of the blog is a shot of a pretty little waterfall on the North end of the beach at the Miner’s Castle area of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. Here is the “before” image:

Eliot Falls, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Copyright 2009 Andy Richards

I think the “after” image looks clearly better. In the “before” image  the water (and for that matter, the image as a whole) has a color cast.  While often difficult to see on a computer monitor (especially a non-calibrated monitor or a laptop monitor), blues definitely come out in a print—sometimes to the point of ruining what looked on-screen like it might make a pretty nice print. This often requires us to go back into Photoshop and (in my case at least) engage in trial and error. For my purposes, putting the image up on screen or on my website did not justify the painstaking work that would be involved to sharpen this image and get it color-ready for printing, until there was a reason to print it. So often, my workflow involved a “quick and dirty” provisioning of the photo to make it “web” ready. Getting those blues out of the water involves a multi-step process in Photoshop. In Viveza, it only involved setting a few “control points” in the right places and working with the sliders (thank you to my mentor, James Moore, for some help on how to quickly, accurately and effectively remove the blue cast and for the most part, the magenta cast—Jim is a pro, a teacher, and an expert in digital development and fine art printing and offers one-on-one web-based instruction—I highly recommend Jim).

Oxbow Bend; Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Copyright 2012 Andy Richards

In my image of Oxbow Bend, taken in May of 2012, the original capture shown here demonstrates a high contrast look (reminiscent of Fuji Velvia, for those of us old enough to remember what that is), in which there are deep shadows. My friend, mentor and very talented fine-art photographer and printer, Kerry Liebowitz, recently showed me a blending technique, from the raw image using Photoshop and Photomatix HDR software and his “version” is noticeably better.  But what struck me was that at the same time he was demonstrating this approach, I downloaded the Viveza  software and was able to get the kind of results shown below, with a very short learning curve and to make the adjustments very quickly.

Oxbow Bend; Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Copyright 2012 Andy Richards

The Viveza version of this image is what persuaded me to actually purchase the software (NIK lets you download fully functional trial versions of all of its software).  Blending technique are a time-consuming and possibly trial and error process. There are others, too, like Tony Kuyper’s Luminosity Blending actions. But this is so quick and effective, that it is hard not to see the value in it.

Being pretty excited about its possibilities, I next started going through some of my older images, to see what a difference I might see using the Viveza software.  This image of Tahquamenon Falls, made in the Michigan “U.P.”in 2004, is a prime example of a major improvement with only a few minutes’ work.

“BEFORE”" Tahquamenon Falls, Michigan U.P.
Copyright 2004 Andy Richards

As you can see from the comparison, the “before” image has retained the a color cast partly from the brown minerals in the water and partly from the complex reflections from the foliage and sky.  It is not really natural and the the crisp, inviting image I would like to see.

Some quick work with control points in Viveza, and some changes in saturation and contrast gives the “after” result.  I not only like it better, but think it is more like what my “mind’s-eye” remembers seeing from behind the lens.  Overall, I think is is a more pleasing image.

“AFTER”; Tahquamenon Falls, Michigan U.P.
Copyright 2004 Andy Richards

Viveza is so quick and effective, that it is hard not to see the value in it

Obviously, I have decided it is a “worthy” addition to my digital development workflow, and so I have now gone from saying “bah humbug” to heartily recommending that folks give Viveza a try. I know it will be a permanent part of my repertoire for the foreseeable future.

When Plans Go Awry

Point AuBarques Light
Copyright 2008 Andy Richards

As I recently noted, when it comes to my photography, I am a planner. I research places before I go, and plan when and where to be to get the shot or shots I am looking for. I am very dependent on tools from the internet and wonder how in the pre-internet days, one would even plan a trip to somewhere they weren’t familiar with. I use maps extensively, and a Google Maps-based program called “The Photographer’s Ephemeris” (TPE) which is a really cool tool that in addition to giving twilight, sunrise and sunset data for any time of the year, shows a sunset/sunrise/moonrise angle overlay over the top of Google Maps. Usually, when I pull out of the driveway or the hotel parking lot, I have a destination and time in mind, and often have even pre-scouted.

As important as I think that is, I am realistic enough to know that you always have to have a “plan B.” What is “plan B,” you ask? Well, sometimes, I don’t even know. On an extended trip, I will usually have several alternative locations scoped, with data about the type of conditions that they photograph best in. For example, if you are looking for that clear, crisp, sunrise and/or blue skies with puffy white clouds and instead are greeted with cloudy or even rainy conditions, you head for the woods to look for wildflower closeups, or go to a waterfall. In any trip plan, it is important to have alternative locations. If things are really bad, I will use the time to scout new locations, or planned locations that I haven’t been to yet.

Point AuBarques Light House
Copyright 2008 Andy Richards

But sometimes, “plan B” develops as you go. Perhaps the best unplanned “plan B” result I have had in recent years was the image of the Point AuBarques Light on Lake Huron in the Great Lakes. One late May Saturday morning, I left the house at about 4:15 a.m., my destination Port Sanilac, which is about 2 hours South East of my home, on the Lake Huron Shore. The objective was the Port Sanilac Lighthouse. The weather forecast was for a clear, sunny day. I drove toward the water with excitement building as it always does when I am headed toward a new and interesting photographic destination. I arrived just before sunrise in the sleepy little town and immediately found the lighthouse. I hadn’t been there in years (since I was a young kid), but my research showed that the light was inland a way, but there was a shot from the seawall toward the light. This was fine, as the sun would be rising behind me, hopefully bathing the light and attached keeper’s house in the golden early morning sun. I set up and waited. As it got light, it became apparent that is was going to be mostly a dud. Cloudy overcast, windy and no direct sun – no sunrise. While I did hang around and get some shots, they were not what I had anticipated, primarily due to the less than ideal lighting conditions.

So; “plan B”: I knew there was another lighthouse to the North about 35/40 miles. To the best of my recollection, I had never been there. But I had an idea where it was. Thinking the day was otherwise a bust, I decided to go find it and scout it for the future. As I drove North, the sun started to burn off the cloud cover and I suddenly was filled with nervous anticipation, then concern, then plain old fear that I was going to arrive to a great scene, but too late in the morning to photograph the light. This day, however, was one of the days that cooperates, and developed very slowly. I am guessing I was at the light between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m., usually right on the edge of being too late for the golden morning sun. While this image was not a sunrise image, the light was still nice enough to yield pleasing color and detail texture to the image.

Another unplanned “plan B” experience I had was at the beginning of (so far) the worst photographic trip/outing of my many years. I generally have pretty good luck with weather on my trips. May, 2010 in Alaska yielded 5 days of sunny to partly sunny days. October, 2011 in San Francisco, gave the same great results. October, 2005, 2006 and 2010 in Vermont, while bracketed with horrible weather in 2010, yielded only one fully rainy day in all three years. It was a torrential down poor the Saturday afternoon we arrived in Acadia NP in 2009. We didn’t see rain the rest of the week. Same result in Babcock SP in October 2011. Not sure if I have incredible luck, or God just likes me. If he doesn’t, this blog might be provocation for payback.

My friend and photographic companion, Rich and I left a day early for a weekend-long workshop with pro, David Cardinal at Tahquamenon Falls in the Michigan UP. We arrived Friday afternoon to the pretty little Lake Superior resort town, Grand Marais (not the one in Minnesota). It was the only time we saw sun for the entire weekend! The next morning, we stood in the middle of the Sable River trying to shoot Sable Falls without raindrops on our lenses – to no avail. After following the creek down to the rocky Lake Superior shoreline, we found nothing but grey skies, dark grey water, waves and rain. We were ready to go find someplace warm and dry to have coffee and some breakfast. Not giving up easily, I vowed to bring back at least one image of the morning. I put my 60mm micro Nikkor lens on and pointed my camera down at the rocky shore in a puddle of water and began taking a series of closeup shots of the rocks. This image is the result and has hung on several walls around Michigan. I have always liked the strong graphics, the vivid colors in the rocks and the fine details in the sand.

Lake Superior Shore; Grand Marais, MI
Copyright 2005 Andy Richards

Another “plan B” yielded an image that gets a lot of comment from folks who see the print. I headed to my local National Wildlife Refuge one late October morning to try to find some fall color. The leaves were mainly off the trees that morning and nothing in the nature of a “landscape” image came about. So I turned my camera to the water in a small slough and started looking for more intimate compositions. I think the image of leaves floating on the water is pleasing, even with some blown out highlights on some of the leaves.

Leaves On Water; Shiawassee NWR, Saginaw, MI
Copyright 2004 Andy Richards

In 1997, I went to Munising, Michigan to photograph Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. One of the iconic photographic subjects is a very unique sandstone formation known as Miner’s Castle. In 1997, with its 2 distinct “turrets” of stone, it very much resembled a castle. Sadly, in recent years, the left “turret” fell and today’s version, which still definitely photogenic—and still definitely worth a trip, has only the large “turret” to the left. I found the site on a gorgeous late September Friday evening with nearly flat clear water around the base of the formation. You could see all the way to the bottom. The sunset yielded beautiful reds, pinks and purples. But the contrast was substantial and I wasn’t familiar enough with exposure back then to know I needed split neutral density filters to make that image (using film back then). In 2007, I had another opportunity to be in Munising on a Saturday evening and with hopes of re-creating the shot the “right way” (by now, I was shooting with a DSLR and knew I could make multiple exposures and combine them in PS), I headed for the site. Alas, Mother Nature had a different idea. Wind whipped at very high speeds, creating rough conditions and waves.

Miner’s Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, MI
Copyright 2007 Andy Richards

“Plan B”: The closeup shot of the “portal” at the bottom of the “castle” with white water rushing out.

In October 2010, I stayed 2 days in Montpelier, Vermont to photograph the vicinity.  I planned to arrive for sunrise in Peacham (about an hour away) for a shot that I had scouted (completely missed on prior trips in 2005 and 2006) after seeing a photograph of the village from this location.  I awoke to a constant drizzle which occasionally became a downpour.  Knowing there would be no sunrise, I headed about 45 minutes in the opposite direction, down Route 100, to a place I found in 2006 on the Mad River.  “Plan B”:  Donning rain gear and rubber barn boots, I spent the morning in the river shooting the several cascades made by the “river” as it descends into Waitsfield.  The rain added a wetness to the rocks that gives it a rich color saturation

Mad River, Waitsfield, VT
Copyright 2010 Andy Richards

I will be on the road off and on over the next several weekends, on family business in Missouri, up to the Michigan U.P. for a scouting trip for October, and then, to Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP for a week in May. I will probably take a hiatus here off and on during that period, as I “recharge” my photographic arsenal; and my creative “batteries.” I am looking forward to having a chance to give the new lens lineup a solid workout, and to see yet again, a new (to me) part of our beautiful United States.

As always, thanks so much for reading………….

Essential Internet Tools for Photography

This is an image I might never have found without the able guidance of Carol Smith, who I met on the Scenes of Vermont Forums.
Copyright 2010 Andy Richards

This isn’t about gear. The internet is a vast resource for finding gear and finding reviews and information about gear to do your due diligence before buying. But this blog is about resources for the photographer to enhance the photographic endeavor.

I like to plan my photography excursions, whether they are day trips or more extended trips. Especially with the latter, it is challenging to take time off and spend the money for an “exotic” trip for photography without having an action plan. When I first started serious photography, I was fortunate to live in Vermont, where I could walk out the door and shoot interesting scenes, or jump in the car and reach anywhere in the state in 2- 4 hours. In those days, I didn’t do too much planning; just watched the weather and went somewhere and shot.

As Photographers, we have been really blessed by the internet

When I got back into photography in a significant way, it was the ’90s and the digital era. As photographers and travelers, we have been really blessed by the internet. Previously, we relied primarily on “how to” books published by outdoor and travel photographers and paper maps. While those resources are still invaluable in my view, they are not as versatile (nor as “instant”) as many of the internet resources available. I have had mixed results with the “photographing [location]” type books. Some are excellent. Others are, in my view, full of fluff and are a way for the photographer to publish some of their images. Indeed, sometimes one book by the same author will be great and another just awful.

This is another image I might not have found without some really good "intel" from a couple of photographers I met through the NPN and SOV forums. The Otter Cliff image is a classic, but many photographers don't find their way down onto the cobblestone beach which makes a wonderful foreground for this image.
Copyright 2009 Andy Richards

My first dedicated, week-long photography trip was in 2005 when buddy, Rich and I went to Vermont in search of Fall foliage images. The need to make efficient use of my very short time became compelling. That was my first venture into the world of the internet for travel and photography research. At that time, there still weren’t a lot of resources out there, but they were growing. There were other resources, like Robert Hitchman’s very helpful and relatively comprehensive Photograph America series, which became much more available and known through internet promotion.

My own pdf/series, “Photographing Scenic Vermont,” (soon to be offered as an eBook) and “Photographing Michigan’s ‘U.P.‘” are among the many offerings available (though for the reasons stated in this blog, I believe my pdf resources are unique). In 2011, the eBook “went viral” the popular uTube vernacular. A quick Google search turns up 100′s of new eBooks out on the market. By the end of 2012, I suspect you can get a reasonably priced eBook on almost any location or subject for your laptop or tablet computer.

But there are many other wonderful resources with information that posters and site owners have generously made available to the world, mostly free of charge! What follows is a short and certainly not exhaustive or exclusive list of resources I find absolutely invaluable for planning. I hope readers will add to this list in the comments section. Indeed, this may be a future “Page” here on this blog.

Photography Forums

The popular and common photographers’ forums are an invaluable tool for planning a trip to a new destination. I have been a long-time member of Nature Photographer’s Network (NPN), which, in addition to technical and philosophical discussions, gear review and classifieds, and image posting and critique, also offers “regional” forums where the members post information about places in the region, including current information about season, roads, opening and closings, etc. I have found the members universally friendly and helpful when responding to inquiries about trips to the area and about specific locations and destinations within a region. There are also often specimen photographs posted by these members. This gives an invaluable glimpse of what is in store for the traveler and helpful information for planning a trip. Things like bloom and foliage times, lodging, and directions can be instrumental to a well-planned trip. Another essentially similar forum is Naturescapes.net.

For photographers in the mid-West, another regional forum that has grown out of a former local camera club or group is Midwest Photography Enthusiasts Group(MPEG). At $30/year membership, it is perhaps the best “deal” on the net. The forum is more of a “gathering” place for members, but again, they tend to be members with a wealth of knowledge about the regions they live or photograph in. I have made a number of very good acquaintances who have provided me with up to date information about a location. The members are friendly and quick to offer help and even personal assistance when appropriate.

This waterfall involves a hike back into the woods and without the Michigan Waterfalls Database, I would probably never have found it, barring some local knowlege
Copyright 2007 Andy Richards

Information and Enthusiast Forums

In my quest to find good, current information about Vermont in late summer and early fall in 2005, I discovered Scenes of Vermont forum (SOV) on the Foliage Vermont website hosted by Tim Palmer-Benson of Morgan Vermont. A forum basically dedicated to all things Vermont, but with a strong leaning toward the Colorful New England Fall Foliage that Vermont is world-renowned for, this site is arguable the best of its kind in existence on the internet today. In addition to the foliage forum (which is pretty sleepy during the winter, spring and summer months, but heats up to a frenzy of posting and activity during September and October), there are other useful forums (including a photography forum which I moderate). The “regulars” there are an unending font of information about how to get there, when to get there, where to stay, etc. A couple of the moderators spend much of their spare time beginning in early Fall driving around and reporting back to the forum about current, local conditions. This is an invaluable asset for anyone planning a trip to Vermont or even Maine or New Hampshire. Yankee Magazine hosts another site, Yankee Foliage, which is more regional in nature, and different kind of information. In my view SOV offers a more focused, personal and individual view if you are looking for specifically Vermont information (though I may be biased  ). I have met a number of wonderful friends and photographers there, several of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and shooting with in Vermont. One of the local shooters has even shared some of her “local information” with me that would otherwise never have been found in any book. I have made many nice images of Vermont, but my personal favorite is the Burton Road Farm scenic that she showed me near her home in Barton, Vermont.

Photographer Websites

I have developed a good list of links to other talented photographer’s websites over the years. This is a good resource to find specimen images of places you read about, to see if you want to make the effort to photograph the place, and to study viewpoints, angles, time of year, etc. I find that most of the time, these photographers will respond to inquiries and give you helpful information and encouragement. Many of my favorites are linked on the sidebar here (though I confess I really need to update it and add a few good links). And, of course, every pro photographer now has at least a website, if not a blog.

Flickr, Facebook and Google +

Flickr, 500pix, Google’s Picasa, and other similar sites are also very useful resources. I should note, here, that I am not necessarily endorsing any of these sites. Indeed, early on, I downloaded Picasa (I am a big Google user and for the most part a fan, using their Chrome Browser, Gmail, and [gasp] Blogger, for some other blogging I do) and was personally not happy with the way it took over my computer images. But they are for the most part, free photo uploading, album and sharing sites with the power to “share” your images with 1000′s of photographers worldwide. In addition to my own LightCentric Photography Website, I maintain a Flickr pro site, which gives me the ability to upload an unlimited number of images. However, both Flickr and Picasa offer free site to upload images which give lots of ability to maintain a nice site at no cost. I have found the Flickr site has given as much or more internet exposure than any other single site. I expect that with the “moving-target” nature of the internet and some of the new offerings (like Google+), this will change. But as a resource, even if you do not have your own site, you can search these sites and see photographs and often glean other information about places you want to visit.

Facebook, of course and now Google+ have opened up a “brave new world” for photographers. Through feeds, I have been streaming this blog and my Andy’s Photo weekly image blog onto Facebook for a couple years, now. Facebook allows me to connect with other photographers around the word. Google+ is even better, as a format that really lends itself to connecting with other photographers, even those you do not know. As you do so, you begin to have relationships with others who can be a very useful source of information about regions of the country and the world.

Informational and Technical Resources

These resources were the first place I stared searching for information some 15-20 years ago, when the internet was a relatively new phenomenon. Using internet search engines, I searched for terms which were related to where I planned to go or what I wanted to know about. Informational sites – particularly back 15 years, would most often bring up informational sites such as the National Park Service’s site, which will give you a good starting point for any national park you plan to visit. Likewise, most states have a pretty good State Park website and database.

Over time, some very generous and helpful persons began to compile topic-oriented databases. Some wonderful examples are the waterfall websites. Waterfalls of the Great Lakes covers hundreds of waterfalls around the Great Lakes and well beyond, extending to Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and even a few in California. In most cases there are representative photographs, detailed directions, and information about the ease of access. New England Waterfalls covers Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont waterfalls, with a similar approach of photographs where available, directions and information. Waterfalls of the Northeastern United States is yet another comprehensive on-line reference database to waterfalls. Waterfalls West features the photography of John Turnbull and has images and information about many waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest and California. I have not searched for other region-specific waterfall sites, but I am virtually (pun intended) certain a Google search will yield fruitful results.

As good, and comprehensive as the waterfalls databases are, I might not have found this little gem on Miner's Beach in the Michigan U.P. without the "local knowledge" provided by Scott Mitchell, who I "met" on the NPN and MPEG forums.
Copyright 2009 Andy Richards

Another great photography subject is lighthouses. While researching for this Blog, I came across the really comprehensive Lighthouse Fans database, which appears to be worldwide, and is searchable, with information and specimen images. A good starting point to perhaps more focused sites, like New England Lighthouses (gives illustrative images, directions to, and information about lighthouses on the New England Coast (principally Maine), or for Great Lakes light houses; Michigan Lighthouses is a great site.

Mapping Software

When I started my quest for information in 2005, when I made my first, dedicated, week-long photography trip to Vermont, I purchased a computer software program by DeLorme which gave me “street” maps and topographic maps. It is a software program that I use almost every day and it is always resident on whatever computer I own. With it, I am able to search the maps, tag them, obtain information about roads, rivers, lakes, etc., and obtain gps information. And, I can print custom maps. While I have never used it that way, it is possible to upload information to and from a hand-held gps device.

By now most of us are familiar with online mapping software, like Google Maps and Google Earth. These are also great tools, though from time to time, I have experienced incorrect information.

TPE is a nothing-short-of-incredible little reference tool!

And now, the best for last! TPE (“The Photographer’s Ephemeris) was recommended by another photographer on one of the forum sites and I played around with it one weekend morning and immediately downloaded and started using it. The computer-resident version interfaces with Google Maps, requires a (free) download of Adobe Air software, but most importantly is offered free of charge! There is also a very modestly priced mobile version for ios (iphone and ipad) and now for android. This is a nothing short of incredible little reference tool. Searchable, and with savable locations, this program renders civil and nautical twilight times, sunrise/sunset times and moonrise/moonset times for any month of the year for a given location. But that’s not the real magic of the program (there are numerous websites that will render up this information). This program also interfaces on Google Maps (with a choice of map/Google Earth-type interface/hybrid views) and produces a directional-arrow overlay showing sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset angles. How very cool! Imaging having a Google Earth style image zoomed in on a location showing you where the sun will rise (or set) at any given time of the year!

I used TPE while sitting in my living room in Michigan to find this Stowe, Vermont image on Google Maps and determine the best time and shooting angle to get the late afternoon sun to light this image.
Copyright 2009 Andy Richards

The foregoing summary may have scratched or even dented the surface. You should be able to go out and dig even more deeply and find any piece of information you want or need about photography, literally at your fingertips.

Do Your Photographs Evoke Emotion?

The colorful rocks, colorful reflections and the water and the graphic elements in this image created a visceral or emotional reaction to me - enough to compose it and click the shutter! Copyright 2011 Andy Richards

“It’s just emotion that’s taking me over.” This short lyrical riff from the 70′s era Samantha Sang song, Emotion,” (written and performed by the Gibbs brothers – the Bee Gees) might just be a good photographic theme (just to assure those of you might be worried, no, I was not/am not a Disco fan – but you have to admit, some of the music had rhythm and melody that was just – well, catchy ).

A recent photo contest statement illustrates the sentiment. The art director for the sponsor noted that what he was looking for was images that would evoke an emotional response. That got me thinking about whether my images evoke any emotional response, and if so, could I articulate it? Looking through some of my images, I asked myself, do they evoke an emotion? And if I thought the answer was yes, how could I articulate the emotion? Did they make me sad, happy, angry, excited, euphoric or depressed? Almost universally, I could not label any of my images with those traditional emotional responses. So what, exactly does it mean to have an “emotional response” to an image?

That got me thinking about whether my images evoke any emotional response, and if so, could I articulate it?

My conclusions are equivocal. On a purely empirical level, I suppose it can be said that every photograph evokes some emotion. We often see and hear comments like, “nice,” “beautiful,” “awesome,” “great composition,” “well – seen,” and the like. Less often, it may be “ho-hum,” or “yuck, that’s awful,”(though I suspect these latter comments are more often thought than heard or seen ).

Photography is all about light. I have always been drawn to moving water and those slow-exposures that create a silky effect to it. But here, the "angel hair" texture to the water with the sunlight and shadow dappling it created an emotional reaction as I looked through the viewfinder: "I like it."
Copyright 2010 Andy Richards

Recently, I read a statement by a photographer who said we as photographers often put too much emphasis on our work being liked or accepted by other photographers. It was a statement that resonated with me. While I welcome constructive critique, it is not the “camera club” photo contests and observance of “rules of photography” that is a motivating factor for my images. I want my images have impact generally to viewers who aren’t looking at it as photographers and artists, but just looking at it as an observer.

An image with impact should create an emotional, even perhaps visceral reaction

As I stood on a roadside above, with the October wind buffeting me, all I could think of was the vastness of this rugged, wild countryside. While "vast" is not an emotion, my reaction to it was certainly visceral.
Copyright 2008 Andy Richards

“Emotion” is perhaps not the precisely correct word for this phenomenon. An image with impact should create an emotional, even perhaps visceral reaction in the viewer. It needs to strike a chord that makes them keep coming back to it and keep looking at it (and in the economic sense, it has to create a feeling with that viewer that they want to have it hanging on their wall, day after day).

And if not, is the image worth making?

This kaleidoscope of color, sky, reflection and fog/steam in the very cold October dawn in Vermont created a number of emotional and visceral feelings in me (not the least of which was cold!)
Copyright 2010 Andy Richards

As I thought about this, I wondered how reach that emotional “chord” in people? And as I thought more, a plausible answer came to me. Does the image cause a visceral or emotional response in me? If so, there is a pretty good chance it will create that response in the viewer. And if not, is the image worth making?

Thanks for reading