“Sharpening By Defining” – Selective Contrast Adjustments In Photoshop

This is a piece that I recently created for a buyer/designer.
(This is not the final product/piece. May be able to show that later.)

They wanted a certain type of floral image, something soft, certain areas that were defined, rich in color, etc.
This image looked good while using the Orton method, giving it the overall feel that they liked.
It still needed some noise reduction, so I ran it through “Noise Ninja” which worked wonders, but it got the fairly well defined petal edges a bit soft. Some “High Pass” sharpening took care of that, bringing them back with a defined edge that I initially had.
But, with the very small grains of pollen, that sharpening did not do much at all.
They were a bit to soft because of the noise reduction. High Pass sharpening did nothing with it, selective sharpening with USM really would not work, … so what did I do?
Easy!

If you want something to look a bit sharper and you really can’t apply any USM or High Pass sharpening, you can define those edges to make something look sharper by dodging or burning, … or adjusting the contrast within a area of the image.
With this piece, I enlarged the duplicate layer on the screen to 100%.
I selectively “dodged” some of the grains of pollen, constantly changing the diameter of the tool and the hardness, the range and exposure, so that it would fit the size and look of the pollen grain I was working on, brightening them.
This gives the very edge of the pollen grains more definition from its surroundings, making them stand out a bit more, and when viewing from a distance, makes them look so much sharper and to really pop out.
This may not work for everything that you would like to sharpen up a bit more, but dodging and burning certain areas of a subject can work very well with some images.
In fact, … it was the brightening and defining the edges of those pollen grains that eventually convinced the buyer that “this is what they wanted”.
A tablet works wonders when it comes to detailed works such as this. Much better than a mouse!

© 2007 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

So this season, if you have some of your macro images that needs a touch more details in certain areas but sharpening of any kind presents some problems, … try defining those edges by dodging and burning.
Works for me!

Paul Lester from North Carolina is coming down tomorrow and we are going to spend a day of shooting, goofing off, etc.
So, … I gotta get some things done here today before the “ol girl” here at home has a hissy tomorrow morning, so let me go.
Will get back with answering some questions tonight from posts earlier this week, and try to add more sites to the Google Reader I just added to make it easier to follow you guys and what you all are doing.

Take care everyone, and thanks for looking!

“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

“The Playful Assassin” Macro – “In Their World” series.

This image and text did not transfer during the move from Blogger to WordPress, … so thought I would post it again.

When out shooting, and I come across some interesting insects, I try to come up with a different approach to them instead of the “maximum detailed” images that one often will see.
Shooting with a limited depth of field and careful composition helps me to draw more attention to the subject.
A smoother background with less distractions often are the results, and even if there is a touch of falloff in details within the insect, many times even that is not a major concern.
This approach has often given me some insect images that seems to give the insect a bit of personality.
If the viewer can look at the image, and if the viewer starts to imagine a little bit, … then I have done something good!

With this image here of a assassin bug nymph, I get the feel as if he were a little kid, playfully swinging about on this small fruit found within a vine.

© 2005 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“The Playful Assassin”
“In Their World” Series

Canon 100mm macro
Tripod
2 white reflectors
Manual, 1-160 sec. @ f5.6
ISO 200

Thanks for looking everyone!

“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

Aster Flower Macro. Creative Cropping.

It’s simple.
Give the buyers and designers what they want!
If they have a certain area on a wall that they want to fill, and want to have it cropped, … then let them have it.
Creative cropping of images and “oddball” sizing seems to be the “in thing” to do with designers.
This image was roughly cropped about 25% off the left side, and about 10% off the bottom.
The image was ran through Noise Ninja to help reduce a bit of the noise, then the image was interpolated up to roughly 70mb in size.
Final print size was 72 inches by 38, ….. (if I remember correctly). : )

Now I admit, that the purist/artist sometimes will rear his head up in me, and I will tell them “no”, … there will be no cropping of this particular image. There are certain images that one can become emotionally attached to, and one simply can not change it for anyone!
Most of the time though, … I will give them what they want.
Keeping them happy helps that phone to ring again!

© 2006 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“Aster”

Thanks for looking everyone!

Michael Brown – Photographer

“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

Daffodils – A Reflection Of Me.

I was out shooting the other day when a young lady approached me from behind and said “hello, … what are you shooting?”
I turned to see someone who looked like they might still be in college, with a photography vest on, 3 camera bodies and lenses, and a tripod.
I told her that I was shooting some of the daffodils.
She then says, … “they have been done to death!”
She then asks, … “do you honestly think that you can get something different?”
Now, I will not say where that conversation went to, … but needless to say, … her mind was made up!

I can choose to see this world of ours just like everyone else.
I can also choose to see it differently.
It is up to the photographer behind the camera & lens to decide if a certain subject has been “done to death!”
When you are out shooting this season, and come upon something that you have often seen in print or on the web, … still go ahead and shoot it.
Take a shot as you had first seen it.
Then ask yourself, “what really attracted me to this subject in the first place?”
After deciding that, … enhance upon it with different angles/perspectives/compositions, lens settings, focal lengths, shutter speeds, ISO’s, lighting, etc. Work it hard!
Throw all of your creative energy into a certain subject this season, and many times, not only will you learn something new about your subject and your photography techniques, but you may also learn a lot more about yourself.
You may learn that there is something more interesting in that image that you just created.
Hopefully, … you will see that the image you created, … is “you”.

These two images below are some daffodils that are a bit different than what you may normally see.
The first one was a daffodil that was sitting down within a large head of ornamental cabbage.
The second one was created while out shooting with a lensbaby.
Did I set out to photograph something that was very different?
Not really.
What you see in these following two images, ….. is simply me!

© 2005 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“Daffodil & Ornamental Cabbage”

© 2007 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“Daffodil”

Thanks for looking everyone.
Now, ….. go out and have yourselves some fun!

Michael Brown – Photographer

“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

“Seasons End” – Macro

© 2003 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“Seasons End”

“Macro Art In Nature” – Website”

“Legless Lizard” – Using 75-300mm Lens & Canon 500D Diopter

This legless lizard, or glass lizard, “Ophiosaurus species”, was playing about some of the daylily blooms that were down on the ground.
As he moved throughout some of the flowers, dipping and weaving about in the throats of the flowers, I got down on the ground with the 75-300mm lens which already had the Canon 500D diopter attached, … and took a few.
I could tell that depth might be a problem, so I focused in on the eyes, making that the most important part of the subject.
The very strong gold coloring coming from the flower and the backlighting gave the image a bit of a overwhelming type of color that I did not like, … so I created this conversion that I was pleased with.
Something a bit different!

© 2005 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“Legless Lizard”
Ophiosaurus species

Thanks for looking everyone!

This is another image that has been posted before on the old blog journal, but did not transfer during the move over to WordPress.

“Layers Of Gold” Macro – Using Reversed Nikkor 50mm 1.4 Lens.

This miniature rose was photographed using the Canon 100mm macro and the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens attached in reverse.
The petals already gave a nice layered look about them that is very appealing when viewed normally.
Looking at them with the setup used, it helped to capture that layered look and keeping them at a depth that was pleasing.
This particular rose is actually more of a gold color, but with the lighting used, it turned out a bit more orange.
Still, … “Layers Of Gold” is how it looked to me when first viewed.

2007 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited.

“Layers Of Gold”

“Macro Art In Nature” – Website