With this angle and exposure and the rising morning sun over my left shoulder, I was able to capture the fine detail and texture of the feathers; making a fine ‘portrait’ of this beautiful bird, often maligned as a pest by sport fishermen due to its voracious appetite. Testimony to the bird’s fishing prowess, Asian fishermen collar cormorants to prevent them from swallowing and retrieve them with a leash after they have captured a fish.

In addition to this portrait shot taken with a 200mm (300mm equivalent) lens, I have included two more images, with my zoom set to 55mm and 22mm to explore the impact of perspective on the visual story.

Portrait Shot (200mm f/5.6 1/3000s ISO200 d=6m)

Distance for the three shots started at 6m for the telephoto shot, 4.7m and 1.7m for the wider shots that followed as my kayak drifted slowly closer to the rocks. The time between first and second image was 8 seconds; second and third only 4 seconds; not much time to compose optimally, so there is a bit of post production cropping in all three (including some leveling of the horizon since a sea kayak is not the most stable shooting platform). I did use the VR and autofocus functions of the AF-S Zoom Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens to allow a hand held exposure (from 1/2000s to 1/3000s and ISO 200), so the eye and bill of the bird is tack sharp.

In the second shot (55mm, f/4.8 1/2500s), the near ‘normal’ perspective adds more information to the story by including a second rock and the sail boats and buildings on the horizon created by the Hyannis Port side of Hyannis harbor in the background. No longer a ‘portrait’ study that focuses on fine detail in the feathers, saturated emerald green of the eye and contrasting orange colored throat, this second visual story brings the viewer into the scene. Including more of the first rock provides a strong anchor point for the main subject. The added depth from inclusion of the second rock as well as the shore line on the horizon provides more perspective and allows the viewer to understand more about the location.

55mm 1/2500s f/4.8 ISO200 d=4.7m

Lastly, a third shot (taken just 4 seconds later at 22mm f/4) from a short distance of only 1.7m adds more perspective and also, due to the drifting kayak, an invasion of the cormorant’s space that triggered a flight pose, making the image more dynamic.

A noteworthy effect from the much wider angle lens is the “disappearance” of the second rock (it is much smaller and is now behind the first rock due to the drift direction of the kayak), while more sailboats and beach coast line are included in a background only slightly out of focus due to the large DOF of a 22mm wide angle lens, even at f/4.

The glassy surface of the water (there was very little wind on the bay this early in the morning) reflecting the blue sky contrasts nicely with the rough texture of the barnacle-covered rock (normally submerged at high tide). This conflict is heightened by the extended wing pose of the cormorant and adds interesting possibilities as the viewer reads this visual story.

22mm 1/2000s f/4 ISO200 d=1.7m

I like all three images, each with a different story and a good example of the impact of camera angle, focal length and subject distance on the visual story told.

Don’t be afraid to try different perspectives by selecting a wide range of focal lengths, distance and viewing angle on your next outing, even if you have only a few seconds to compose, just keep shooting. You will be pleased with the results.

Image 37820873

In an earlier post I cautioned that distracting elements should be kept out of the frame by careful location of the key objects that tell the visual story. Early yesterday morning, as I was about to launch my kayak in Lewis Bay I spotted three Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias). All were juveniles stalking their breakfast in different sections of the mud at low tide, just 30 meters away as I walked across the Mill Creek bridge.

Fortunately, I had my 500mm lens on my Nikon D200 and was able to capture a few dozen images. I will use some of them in this post to revisit the composition discussion of my previous post and share my thoughts about the choices I made at the time of exposure and in post processing with Lightroom 3.

It was 7:30AM with clear sky. Since I had only one shooting position (on the bridge which is about 2 meters above the mud flats) and these beautiful birds do not linger long when breakfast is finished, I needed to compose quickly. The Sigma 150-500mm lens has a decent optical stabilizer (OS) feature, so I did not use a tripod. Instead, I increased my ISO and set the aperture wide open (which is only f/6.3 at 500mm for this relatively inexpensive lens ~$900).

Given the shooting distance (30 to 40 meters), the background remained only slightly out of focus (one of the limitations of f/6.3 at 500mm) so my choice of camera angle was critical to get a clean outline of the heron while including only objects that supported the story. All images were exposed within a 3 minute period with the rising morning sun over my right shoulder and the heron graciously offering a profile pose.

Juvenile Great Blue Heron’s exhibit more brown coloration than the gray adults and do not have the long plumes off the back of the head. The long necklace of neck feathers are only beginning to grow on this young bird, but the morning light enhanced the brown edged feathers as well as the golden yellow bill and eye. The first image is not cropped; the distance of 30m and the 500mm lens (750mm equivalent on a D200 body) allowing the bird to fill the frame.

I visualized a majestic, solitary heron posing (actually looking for fish movement in the water) with her “best” side facing the camera. Note the sharp edged shadows along her back; cast by the sun at low angle. I was able to frame the head within a culvert opening into Mill Creek where light blue sky reflected off the water. The brown reflection is from the boat docks positioned in the deeper water of the creek beyond.

I was able to select an angle that did not overlap the heron’s neck with the foraging mallards in the background. With the horizontal frame, I positioned the main subject at approximately the lower left one-third intersection. Her graceful neck provides a leading line that brings the eye to a tack sharp golden eye. Sigma OS and a deliberate choice of 1/750s shutter speed by bumping my ISO did the trick, even hand-held as I braced myself against the bridge railing.

The off-center choice of composition and leading neckline added some tension but I was not sure the deep shadows on the right would work in the final expressive print. Perhaps the heron was contemplating her ‘dark side’.

In post processing I cropped out most of the shadow area as shown in the next image. Unfortunately, it results in the main subject looking out of the frame rather than into the mysterious shadows. One could debate the pros and cons of leaving this ‘negative’ space. Please send me your comments.

Image 37820873-cropped

Back to image capture; there was still time to re-compose to a vertical shot. The ducks also cooperated by moving out of the frame, leaving a solitary, golden brown-speckled bird within the frame (just as I had visualized). An added bonus is the view of the docks that provides more depth to the image. There is just enough of the deep shadow that adds dynamic range to the lighting while also completing the frame around the heron.

Image 37820875

I did a slight crop at the left, bottom and top of the frame to remove the tangential shadow in the sand, the blurred out sand on the bottom and some of the busy edge created by the boulders at the top. The result is a better location for the bird left of center, with action of walking into the frame (still headed for the ‘dark side’).

Image 3780875-cropped

Only a minute has passed up to this point and I wanted to get a shot of the other herons on the opposite side of the bridge. Too late, here is a shot of the back side of heron number two flying into the sun rise.

Image 3780903

Back to my more photogenic heron number 1; here is another horizontal shot but this time she posed with her left side facing the camera (it’s her better side don’t you think?). This shot was created less than two minutes from the right side profile. A real pro model, this bird!

Image 37820920

Post-processing crop to remove some of the dark side:

Image 37820920-crop1

And finally, one more crop to eliminate the dark side completely (Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan would be pleased). In this last image, eliminating the distraction of the dark right edge allows the eye to focus on the head and eye of the heron and to notice the curved leading lines formed by the culvert and its reflection. Three major elements. The story would be even better if the shell in the sand at water’s edge was a fish! Oh well, I still have some kayaking to do. Maybe next time. Hope you have learned something that you can apply when you compose your next visual story. I look forward to your comments.

Image 37820920-crop2

OK, I couldn’t resist adding this next image. If a beautiful bird dreams deeply and really focuses her bird brain on that dream, it may come true….fish for breakfast anyone? That is my visual story and I’m sticking to it.

Breakfast is served!

For large prints, as John points out in his article, it is important to pay attention to aperture selection since the enlarged image requires higher resolution; however, sensor design, image processing and printer capabilities/settings are equally important to obtain the sharpest details in the print. Beyond the aesthetic choice of aperture for a DOF that supports the visual story (see my previous post), what the viewer of a photograph deems “best” in terms of sharpness is a moving target, depending upon the photographer’s intent.

Generally, the Sevigny post is spot on with the optical science where he explains the effects of diffraction by the aperture size selected and recommends avoidance of apertures smaller than f/11 for 35mm DSLR format, but readers should not go overboard avoiding use of stops at the extremes. Diffraction effects come into play when the physical aperture diameter approaches the wavelength of light used. But in reality the sensor pixel spacing is also important to note, not to mention proprietary camera image processing unique to each manufacturer. I will focus (sorry for the pun) on the optics in this post.

The basic formula for lens resolution (applying the Lord Rayleigh criterion) is R=2000/f#. For f/64, the resolution would be ~30 lines per mm; for f/2 it would be 1000 lines per mm. What this means is the lens set to f/64 can resolve two lines spaced ~33 microns apart. For f/2, the lens can “resolve” 1 micron spaced lines. This assumes no image degradation from other lens aberrations and is a simplistic view but works for my purpose here.

Ultra-high pixel count sensors (25 megapixels) have pixel spacing ~4.5 (Canon 5D) to 5.94 microns (Nikon D3X) (1 micron = .001mm). As described in the previous paragraph, when you stop down a lens to approximately f/11 the lens resolution is reduced by diffraction to ~180 lines per mm or lines spaced ~6 microns. The spacing of two fine lines imaged by the lens must be larger than 6 microns to be resolved by the lens at that aperture; but this resolution/line spacing is equal to the pixel separation of a D3X. At this point and for higher f/#’s the sensor spacing is no longer the limiting factor. Further “diffraction” spreading is now resolvable by the sensor and becomes a visible effect on the recorded image.

In other words, you should see no change in image sharpness due to diffraction alone for f/11 or lower. The reality is that wide open apertures generally result in larger aberrations that overshadow diffraction effects since the diffraction limit at wide open is so high, e.g. 1000 lines per mm at f/2. Lens designers try to optimize lens resolution at a particular aperture (usually f/8). As you stop down or up from there, aberrations (like chromatic aberration, coma, astigmatism, etc.) reduce max resolution. The diffraction limited aperture (DLA) is always higher (like f/16 or f/22).

But what about prosumer cameras? Medium megapixel count sensors (e.g. Nikon D80 10.75 megapixel DX format 3872X2592, 23.6X15.8mm) have pixel spacing of ~6.1 microns, so the sensor pixel spacing becomes the limiting resolution factor (again assuming the optics is good glass) at about the same aperture as the full format sensor case. It is no accident that pixel spacing in 35mm DSLR format cameras are sub 10 microns. Otherwise normal prints viewed at normal distances would not be sufficiently sharp for consumer acceptance.

This is getting complicated!

Bottom line, take a series of pictures of a detailed object with a full range of f/stops. Compare and decide for your camera sensor-lens combination where diffraction and/or your lens aberrations limit the detail or sharpness of the scene.

But don’t be afraid to use widest or smallest aperture settings. Other factors (pixel spacing, camera or subject motion, sensor noise, lens aberrations of less expensive glass especially off-axis in the corners, etc.) all come into play. For most photographers, focus on the end results of the final expressive print and leave the technical stuff to the techno-geek types. In any case, I thought a brief glimpse of it would provide some perspective. In the end, you know what you like when you see it. Right?

Following the webinar, I looked at xritephoto’s web site and found a video by Greg Gorman that discusses the importance of color control throughout the digital workflow. Known for his iconic images of movie industry celebrities, e.g. Andy Warhol, Bette Davis, Sophia Loren, Leonardo DiCaprio, to name a few, Greg also offers photographers workshops at his Mendocino, CA studio. In the video, along with his pitch for Xrite color control tools, he describes his approach to creating an image, including use of technology to gain better control of the image quality, especially color management, as a crucial part of workflow.

Hearing Greg’s approach to creating an iconic portrait, a resonant chord sounded as he described his use of the Think Global, Act Local tag often used in the business world, but he is applying it to his thought process as he creates a portrait image: thinking generally about what the story should be on a global scale, while looking for that decisive moment or ‘local’ aspect of the subject as the shoot unfolds, that will enhance the image and the visual story.

He also advises that a strong image is one that leaves something out, something for the viewer’s imagination to create. I raised this very point in an earlier post that you might want to re-visit. Good ideas to remember when you are making your own visual stories. Enjoy the video.

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“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”
~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Counter-intuitive? Perhaps, but not so much if you recognize that what the viewer ‘sees’ is derived from all of the information in the image; sharply focused and blurred. But distractions result from too much of the image in focus. I will demonstrate the impact of various DOFs on the depth (pun intended) of the story told with a sequence of images of hydrangea leaves just emerging on the first day of spring as well as several other images from Cape Cod. If you left-click on the images, a larger high quality image will appear.

The first pair of images show the extremes; first f/5.6 and then f/32 at lens focal length 240mm. The curved Hydrangea shoot provides a foreground anchor point. Note it is the only in-focus part of the image at f/5.6 with my Sigma 70-300 zoom-with-macro set to 240mm focal length. In fact, the DOF is too shallow; insufficient to sharply focus more than the central portion of the foreground buds and shoot. This lens is quite sharp on axis, especially at mid-range apertures, but here at f/5.6 it adds to the off-axis blur due to some curvature of field wide open (the lens only costs ~$250). In any case, an incomplete story; perhaps even a mystery?

f/5.6, 240mm focal length

f/32, 240mm focal length

At f/32 the smooth bokeh background of the previous image comes into partial focus, revealing more of the story. Ah, this is a backyard garden with a lattice border behind some early springtime Hydrangea shoots. But now the background is competing with the main subjects. Perhaps we’ve revealed too much?

The next four images show what is revealed for intermediate apertures f/8, 11, 16 and 22. I will leave it up to you to decide which aperture provides the balance required to best tell the story. It is an artistic choice.

f/8

f/11

f/16

f/22

There are times when the scene is best captured with the background entirely defocused, such as this grab shot of a honey bee hovering over a butterfly bush blossom in the same garden but in late August. I was hand holding the same zoom lens set to 300mm in macro mode for a close focus distance of less than a meter. By using ISO400, the exposure was short enough to stop the movement of the bee, while still showing the blurred wings. The extreme defocus of background, especially the area behind the bee provided a bright shaft of diffuse light to highlight the bee; adding more interest to the story without excessive distraction.

f/5.6, 1/500s, ISO400, 300mm Sigma macro

Long lenses are great for separating foreground from background. In the next image, I used a Sigma 500mm super-tele lens at f/6.3 to capture a ‘portrait’ of this beautiful Great Blue heron standing in front of a creek that empties into Lewis Bay. The hint of green in the background from the marsh grass adds depth to the image while allowing the eye to focus on the sharply focused eye and plumage of this magnificent bird.

f/6.3, 1/400s, ISO200, 500mm super-tele

The bleeding hearts were photographed next to the same deck with the Hydrangea but 45 days later (end of April). They appear to glow softly from within; a result of nature’s sky-sized soft-box provided by overcast sky (mid-morning). Taken with a Nikon 24-85mm, f/2.8-4 lens (my favorite lens), this is my first shot from several feet away; an attempt to capture a large number of glowing hearts, but the scene is too busy. Too much information. Cannot appreciate the subtle highlight reflections off the tiny dew drops clinging to the bottom of many blossoms.

f/8, 1/60s, ISO100, f=85mm

Solution…move closer! At this closer distance I switched the lens to macro mode and opened up to max aperture of f/4. The presence of white deck and brown lattice is marginally distracting but does add context to the scene, telling more of a story than a shot of the blossoms alone. But is it telling too much?

f/4, 1/160s, ISO100, 85mm

I adjusted camera angle and moved in tighter to capture the next image. In post processing I also cropped the left side to really focus all attention on the beautiful cluster of blossoms with clinging drops of dew. The relatively wide aperture and macro mode caused the background to blur out moderately, producing soft edged leaves in contrasting green tones. The pink blossoms really pop with this composition. Taking advantage of the space in the area beneath the blossoms, I decided to make a note card version of this image (available on-line; just left click on the image).

f/4, 1/125s, 85mm in macro mode; closer working distance, higher angle, horizontal crop

Again, in post-processing, I adjusted the crop to accentuate the long train of blossoms without the negative space I used for the note card version. This version is available as a large format fine art print.

same as above but cropped vertically to emphasize length of blossom train

The next and final image shows a kayaker on Lewis Bay in late October with a mid afternoon (3PM) luminous-cloud-filled autumn sky and the ferry Eagle departing Hyannis for Nantucket Sound and the Islands. A long lens was hand held but still produced a sharp image (1/3200s exposure at ISO 400). But wait…there is something not right! It is actually a composite of two successive images; the first focused on the kayaker, the second on the ferry. An example of bi-selective focus to capture sufficient detail of the foreground main subject while also treating the viewers eye to a detailed image of the ferry and channel markers on the near horizon. A visual story with depth and, I hope you’ll agree, an unusual perspective that captures the ‘edge of the earth’ feeling for the ferry and the afternoon dreaming of the kayaker.

2 shots at two focus distances, both at f/8, 300mm; kayaker distance 100m

Deliberate use of DOF to focus attention on selective parts of the scene can be a powerful tool in your visual storytelling bag. Strong images are usually composed with only a few anchor points and sufficient negative space to allow the eye to move around within the frame, retaining viewer interest, without adding confusion or leading the viewer out of the visual story being told.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

For more on this subject and another photographer’s thoughts about DOF, visit LightStalking.com and download a free eBook DOF guide put together by the LightStalking Team. Go to this link.

Also, you must visit Gary Hart’s website for another example of selective focus used to tell a great visual story. Go to this link for his discussion of Aspen in Autumn at Lundy Canyon in the mountains of northern California.

But first, I’d like to hear your thoughts about this post. Is there interest in more posts of this length and detail? Too many photos? Too few? Please add your comments. Thanks.

“Space in nature is one thing; space confined and restricted by the picture edges is quite another thing. Space, scale, and form must be made eloquent, not in imitation of painting arrangements, but in terms of the living camera image.”

This got me thinking about how we choose our subjects and scenes when practicing the craft of fine art nature photography. Of course, the type of scene, the amount of detail, color, motion, lighting range, etc. will determine what we visualize and attempt to record in our image. As Ansel Adams points out, the space, scale and form must be made eloquent.

To me, visualization of an image that we see in our mind’s eye must include a conscious decision about what to leave out of the image to convey the sense of space, scale and form that we witnessed before releasing the shutter.

I recently read in Shaun McNiff’s book Trust The Process, An Artist’s Guide to Letting Go, that “an artist must omit aspects of the scene in order to focus on a particular message. Delete anything that interferes with the primary sense that the scene wishes to convey.”

To illustrate the importance of the proper use of space in a strong photograph, I pulled up some images of house sparrows gathered in a thorn bush on a foggy morning near Lewis bay on Cape Cod. The light was soft and quiet creating a mood of solitude and seclusion. To capture sufficient detail of these tiny birds, I used a very long lens on tripod (Sigma 150-500mm). The following images represent the thought process I went through as I visualized an image that would capture the serenity and seclusion of the scene.

Starting at mid-range focal length (270mm) the first image conveys some of the feelings, particularly the softness of the light created by the fog in the background.

Early morning fog on Cape Cod envelopes several sparrows in a thorn bush.

But the image is too busy. The leading line formed by the birds is a good start but there are too many thorn bush branches in the way. Also, the birds are looking in many directions, forcing the viewer’s eye to wander out of the print.

Next shot taken 8 seconds later attempts to address this by zooming in (500mm) and selecting only a few of the birds. Better, but it still does not capture the solitude and seclusion I felt at the scene.

Sparrows await lifting of fog rolling off Nantucket Sound - Cape Cod.

Reframing after one of the four birds moved away, I was able to capture the next image.

Reframing for fewer birds.

Back in the Adobe Lightroom, I decided to enhance the feeling of seclusion further by cropping the two birds (partially hidden behind branches anyway), to obtain the next image.

Alone in the fog.

Almost there…but not quite. Looking at a few other shots taken just one minute earlier, I found a composition that captured all of the feelings I had at the scene. This next image is un-cropped. The added space of pure diffuse light around the sparrow enhances the feeling of solitude I visualized and wanted to capture.

Solitude 2

Patience is always called for when photographing birds. Just 23 seconds later my feathered friend decided to look right at the camera; always an added treat to bring the viewer into the scene. See next image.

Solitude 3

The final image, which you may have noticed is the background image in this blog’s banner, is cropped vertically to fit, but still conveys the feelings I visualized when I created the image. The soft light from the fog acted as a natural soft-box reducing the contrast similar to a charcoal drawing. The monochromatic lighting also contributed to this effect. The story is about a quiet morning walk in the fog of Cape Cod and an encounter with a tiny bird that seems to have a story of her own to tell.

Final crop for banner use.

I hope you enjoyed this sequence and have gained more insight about the importance of space, scale and form when composing your images that convey what you feel as much as what you see and record with the camera.

I don’t want to repeat the thread here, but would like to point out that, IMHO, photography as art is always just a representation of what the image-maker/artist ‘visualized’ before creating the image, not an exact replica of the reality of the scene.

Ansel Adams’ description of the expressive print in his book, The Print, sums it up nicely:

“We should know what we desire in our print before we expose the negative. Then we expose and develop the negative to achieve the required sequence of opacities that is the foundation of the visualized print or enlargement. But we must remember that the print need not be a literal transcription of the negative any more than the negative is a literal transcription of the values in the subject photographed. And the print, of course, cannot be a literal transcription of the subject.” ~Ansel Adams

In today’s digital photography world Ansel’s advice is as important as ever. Exposing our ‘negative’ in RAW format captures the maximum information about the scene. Using filters as David duChemin did is simply an effort to pack as much information into his ‘visualization’ of the scene as recorded in the RAW file. He did some digital dodging and burning before releasing the image. This is a normal step in the process Ansel described and supports the visualization of the artist/creator.

I see no dishonesty here at all. I think the issue popped up through a false premise that photography was about recording reality. This may be true in photojournalist images recording a news item; but only to the extent that the camera, sensor/film, image processor algorithm, computer screen or digital printer can accurately transcribe the ‘reality’ of the various luminances in the scene. In creative photography, especially with the expressive print as the final product/artwork, there should be no constraints on the amount of image treatment applied.

Anyone have thoughts about this to share?

Photography literally means writing with light. A good photograph tells a story with images. Visual storytelling is what it is all about. How do we improve our storytelling?  This blog will contain my views on this subject and serve as a catalyst for discussion about creative photography and how it touches our lives today. I am an aspiring photographer, formerly in the high tech world of technology sales and marketing, formally trained as a physicist/engineer working in photography at Polaroid, including projects with Ansel Adams and professional photographers at the Rockport Maine Workshops. This should be interesting (for me) and I hope for you as well. Join me in a journey of storytelling, writing with light.

We learned in literature that conflict is an important ingredient to make a story more interesting; it is also true with photography.  Conflict, good or bad, adds tension.  The conflict can be contrasting colors, crossing diagonal lines or contrasts of dark and light objects in the frame. It can also be conflict represented in contrasting concepts, like natural objects or scenes with a modern or man-made item also in the frame.

An example of this can be seen in the first photograph below. A lone gull perched atop a lamp pole with power line running diagonally into the frame from the lower right. The completely clear blue sky dominates the simple image, but the gull is looking back at the camera over his shoulder, as if to say “I’m sitting on top of the world, don’t you wish you were up here too?” A power line and a lamp pole with a seagull and clear blue sky? They don’t seem to fit, but the conflict captures your attention and draws you into the story being told. To me it was more than a bird on a pole.