LS Tip Of The Month: How to get the most quality out of your images
There are a lot of factors that go into creating an image that can make a beautiful print. Most people can recognize a good photo on screen or in a small print – The light is nice or the subject matter is special. But are your images as sharp as they can be for making large prints.
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When I talk about sharpness, I’m not referring to ‘Sharpening’ in Photoshop or Lightroom (leave digital sharpening up to the printmaker). I am talking about how much detail is rendered when you are shooting the image.
Utilize the following techniques to get the most out of your images:
-Use image stabilization
-Use a Tripod
-Use mirror lock up
-Use self timer mode of at least 3 seconds or a wireless shutter release.
-Use a low ISO value for less noise
-Shoot Raw as opposed to Jpeg
-Use a quality lens
You do not need to use all of these techniques when capturing an image, but for each one you use, your image will appear more and more sharp, and will be able to be printed larger with more detail.
The Photo Tip of the Month was written by LightSource Lead Technician, JP Jespersen
LS Events – Aug 25th Photo lecture by National Geographic photographer Raul Touzon on: Sudan, The Price of War – The Price of Peace
LightSource is proud to host a kickoff meeting for a 4 Day Advanced Flash Workshop with National Geographic Photographer, Raul Touzon. This event is open to the public as well to the attendees of the workshop.
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LightSource is proud to host a kickoff meeting for a 4 Day Advanced Flash Workshop with National Geographic Photographer, Raul Touzon. This event is open to the public as well to the attendees of the workshop.
To sign up for the free Aug 25th kickoff meeting at LightSource click here.
We’ll be serving pizza and soft drinks ($5 donation at the door for pizza) before Raul takes the stage to talk about and show his most recent photo work in Sudan, documenting the heart wrenching conditions brought about by an unrelenting civil war.
To sign up for the 4 Day Advanced Flash Workshop click here.
“Raul Touzon has 9 years of teaching experience and 7 years of documentary experience working for National Geographic”
One of the most effective ways to take your photography and creativity to the next level is with the external flash unit, what Raul often refers to as “the portable sun.” In this intense but enjoyment-focused workshop we learn how to use flash to photograph nature, people, and everyday life. No prior experience or complicated gear is necessary. We practice fill flash, remote flash operation (single and multiple units), and ways to apply different light sources to produce stunning images.
We begin each day by editing and reviewing the previous day’s photographs, followed by highly visual lectures and demonstrations on advanced flash usage and editing exercises. Then you will apply the lessons learned out in the field. In addition to mastering your flash, you learn how to present your work through editing, sequencing, and developing a story.
For detailed class schedule, more about Raul, and past student photos please click here.
What Past Students Are Saying
“Mind-blowing… The best workshop I have attended. Raul is a true inspiration…” – Nerus T.
“Thank you, Raul, I am a new photographer again.” – Niall David Cytryn
“The best workshop I ever been to.” – Sunny Saw
“I now have a clearer understanding of what is possible and how to go about making great pictures. I’ll be out there honing the craft armed with these new tools you gave me.” – Dan McBride
“Raul is a down to earth photographer. I wish the workshop was longer, 2 days of shooting just wasn’t enough! Look forward to the next one.” – Anais
“…best experience ever this past weekend.” – Amelia Kenned
Featured Artist – Aug 2011: Carol Stevenson
Elephant photographer Carol Stevenson works tirelessly to help endangered elephants in Thailand by selling her gorgeous large prints.
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Photo District News featured Carol as one of the winners of the Faces contest in their September issue. Additionally, Carol was featured in the “Pro Showcase” on the Lowepro website for her stunning photography and 5 year humanitarian photo project for endangered and abused elephants in Thailand.
Here is an except from the LowePro interview with Carol:
Q: What event in your career brought you the moniker of elephant photographer?
A: A casual invitation from the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) to “come photograph our elephants” in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand got me started on this mission to raise awareness about the dwindling numbers of a species. The experience launched my five-year portraiture and video project.
Q: Tell us a bit more about the current state of Asian elephants and their mahouts.
A: In Thailand, transportation and logging were once the primary occupations for mahouts (keepers) and their elephants. When bans were issued on logging in 1989, many were forced to forage in the city streets. GTAEF created a refuge for the mahouts, their families and the elephants. The foundation’s efforts to rescue and care for elephants that have been abandoned, abused or are unable to fend for themselves provides a solution for an entire culture.
Q: How do you go about raising awareness with your imagery?
A: Proceeds from the sales of my fine art prints help support the mission of GTAEF: to set up a safe haven for abused elephants and provide employment for their good keepers. There’s an increase in the conservation activities and every new elephant birth is a celebration, but their numbers are diminishing significantly. I want to do everything I can to help them thrive. In the first year of my project, I created a visual record of the elephants as well as a series of portraits of the mahouts with their elephants. It’s difficult not to become sentimental. I need to remain objective and let my photography document the story if I’m ultimately to help the species.
Inside LightSource: Susan Middletown
Susan Middleton is a photographer and author specializing in the portraiture of rare and endangered animals and plants. LightSource-SF just printed over 40 large photographs up to 40″x50″ of rare and endangered species from all over the world. These photos were displayed at Susan’s recent solo show at the De Saissett Museum in Santa Clara. Her vision and passion for protecting the environment has been unrelenting over the past 30 years.
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Her most recent book, in collaboration with Mary Ellen Hannibal, is Evidence of Evolution (Abrams 2009). Previous books in collaboration with David Liittschwager include Archipelago and Remains of a Rainbow (National Geographic); Witness and Here Today (Chronicle Books). She has produced films and exhibitions in conjunction with her book projects. Her most recent project is ‘Hermit Crabs!’, a short film produced for the web.
In 2006, she and David Littshwagger collaborated on a groundbreaking book call Archipelago, which resulted in the outer Hawaiian Islands being declared a National Monument by then president George W Bush.
She was Chair of the Department of Photography at the California Academy of Sciences from 1982 to 1995, where she currently serves as Research Associate. Middleton was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2009, and is the recipient of an Endangered Species Coalition Champion Award for Education and Outreach and a Bay & Paul Foundation Biodiversity Leadership Award.
In the fall of 2008 Middleton was invited as a guest artist at Crown Point Press, San Francisco, to create a series of limited edition color photogravures. Middleton’s photographs have been exhibited and published throughout the world, both in fine art and natural history contexts. She lives in San Francisco.
