While standing in a field with the wind and rain chilling me to the bone, one of the photo participants reiterated a suggestion of Joel’s from class- to turn around, sometimes the best photo opportunity is behind you.
I have found this to be true more often than not.
I was totally uninspired by the wet field of poppies in front of me… so I turned around and found this beautiful dog sitting quietly, in the rain, watching me.
The trick is to be aware and present in the moment so that you don’t miss what is in front of you, or more often, what is behind you.
Ciao
Michelle ( The Other Photographer’s Wife)
Italians understand the meaning of life… espresso and ricciarella (a melt in your mouth almond cookie) in the afternoon.
Ignasio told me that he still gets lost in the beautiful scenery driving to and from work. Ignasio makes the best gelato in town. He takes a great deal of pride in his work, is very imaginative in his flavor combinations and uses only the best, freshest ingredients. This is my impression of Italians as a whole.
Live every moment… take pride in everything that you do… get lost in the scenery…eat simply and use the freshest ingredients.
Every moment should be a celebration, la dolce vita! This is the lesson for life, from Italia.
Ciao,
Michelle (The Other Photographer’s Wife)
In my last post I mentioned a few of the exquisite gastronomic pleasures of Tuscany. Italy is also known for its incredible wine culture. The hills, valleys and even roof tops are perfect for growing grapes and it is hard to miss with the vino della regione (wine of the region).
Today we went beneath the streets of the village to explore an ancient Etruscan wine grotto. Coincidentally, I found the perfect gelato flavor for a day of wine exploration – Brunello di Montepulciano. This gelato is so exquisite that the gelateria insisted that it be served in a cup, assolo (solo).
Back up top on the streets of this classic hill town, scouting of narrow streets, amazing architecture and endless vistas continued.
Time for a break with pizza and birra artigianale (micro brew) from the region, a breathtaking view of the valley and then off on one of many winding roads to yet another exotic hill town.
On the way back to our villa we made several photo stops in the Val d’Orcia. Here I was inspired by a glowing field of wheat grass. At every turn, at every scale, Tuscany delights and inspires.
Ciao,
Michelle (The Other Photographer’s Wife)
Buon giorno, I am Michelle, The Other Photographer’s Wife. As Barb mentioned in her last post, I am temporarily filling in.
We arrived on Sunday and are still feeling the effects of the jet lag. Thank goodness Italy is such a sensory overload, we don’t have time to think about how tired we are.
I have always considered myself to be a foodie, but the food in Italy is amazing. Fresh hand made pasta, wine from vineyards in our backyard, pizza, espresso and of course gelato. I am attempting to try a different flavor of gelato daily, not a difficult task with all the varieties available.
The last two days have been spent driving all over Tuscany searching for the ideal photo locations in preparation for next week’s workshop. It is a tough job… but someone has to do it. Driving in Italy definitely keeps you on your toes.
Time to rest up for Montalcino tomorrow.
Buona Notte!
The blog has been silent for a while and we apologize for that… There has been news, but not much time to talk about it! The biggest news is that I am 7 months pregnant and won’t be able to join Joel in Tuscany this year. He has two amazing people helping him in my place: Michelle and Brad Daniels, both of whom are experienced artists and share our passion for travel, culture and learning. Michelle will be posting photos and stories to the blog while in Tuscany- she is also a photographer’s wife, so fits the bill in many ways.
We are continuing to plan workshops for the future, most notably, Sicily for Fall 2013! So stay tuned for some great new Tuscan stories and more…
Ciao for now!
We’re doing something a little different this year… We’re offering chances ($10/chance) to win several different prizes and donating ALL the proceeds to two deserving organizations with whom we’re working: Northern Arizona Foodbank and the Northland Family Help Center. Please join us in supporting our community and maybe win something too! Chances must be completed by December 31,2011 and prizes will be awarded after January 1, 2012.
- Canon lens coffee mug ($30)
- 11×14″ Joel Wolfson matted print ($50 value)
- Canon A3300 IS 16 Megapixel compact digital camera ($160 value)
- 2 hour private workshop with Joel Wolfson ($300 value) – learn software, go on a field shoot, get a portfolio review…
**Please contact Joel (928-526-3726) to pay by credit card or email us for paypal instructions. If you prefer, you may mail a check to: Joel Wolfson Photography, PO Box 2842, Flagstaff, AZ 86003**
Joel writing the blog today- Yes we do get snow in Arizona! This is our first of the season. Because I’m still recovering from my hand injury and can’t handle my DSLR very well I shot these on my Canon G10 point and shoot camera. Of course I’ve shot a lot of serious work on my G10. We often think of traveling to far away or exotic places to get good photos but if you look around your house or just outside your door you might find some nice opportunities. I’m not a big fan of snow and cold but from a photography perspective I love the snow.
Free Webinar: I’m doing a webinar for Topaz on Nov. 10th 4PM (CST) and in addition to learning how I use plug-ins in my creative workflow there will be a substantial discount for webinar attendees. You can view the archived webinar here.
Photo Tech Notes:
I used a Canon G10 for these, a smallish point and shoot camera that has both full auto and a lot of control. I shot both of these handheld. I used Lightroom 3 to import, organize and process my photos. Then I used Topaz Adjust on the color photo since Lightroom’s fill light didn’t cut it for equalizing the foreground and I used Topaz B&W Effects to process the black and white image.
Topaz Labs just put a couple photography articles I wrote on their website- one is “Black and White Rediscovered”, the other is my top ten tips and techniques for black and white photography. For those who don’t know Topaz Labs, they make an awesome set of Photoshop plug-ins and they also support photography education.
For those of you who don’t know, I was a backcountry ranger in Yosemite several years ago and have been trying to get back ever since! So I used scouting as an excuse; I continue to try to convince Joel that a Sierra workshop would be amazing! If you’d be interested, let us know… The Sierra Nevada are as beautiful as I remember- it’s no wonder Ansel Adams spent so much time there. I spent most of my time in the high country so all of these locations are 10,000 ft (3050 m) or higher. I hiked about 35 miles in 3 days and my maximum elevation was a mountain pass at just over 12,000 ft (3700 m).
24mm, f4.0, 1/250, ISO 80
24mm, f4.5, 60 seconds, ISO 100
24mm, f4.5, 1/100, ISO 100
24mm, f8.0, 1/250, ISO 100
Photo Tech Notes:
I used a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 for all of these, a small light weight camera with a lot of control. I used a polarizing filter on all but the night shot. I carried the Pedco Ultrapod Mini (tripod) with me in my backpack- small and light weight is a necessity! I used Lightroom 3 to process my color photos and Joel helped me use Photoshop, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Topaz Adjust and Topaz B&W Effects to process the black and whites. NOTE: For a 15 percent discount on Nik or Topaz products, use the links here and when you check out use the code JWOLFSON.
Barb is out backpacking in Yosemite scouting for great photo ops so I’m doing this post. I’ll take the opportunity to do a preview of a new plug-in from Topaz Software being released today! It’s called Black & White Effects* and contains a set of tools to take you beyond default black and white conversions in Lightroom or Photoshop. Although you can accomplish the same result in Photoshop and to a lesser extent, Lightroom, this plug-in (as with others from both Topaz and Nik) helps you accomplish the task more efficiently.
They sent me a beta version which by definition isn’t quite finished but I still tested it out on a live job. The photo I tried it on is a timeless scene I shot in Tuscany while scouting for the workshop I conduct there every year. I tend to think in black and white sepia toning when it comes to a classic scene like this. But I shoot RAW files which are in color and must be converted to black and white. Here’s the photo before I opened it in B&W Effects.
Below is how a default conversion would look using Lightroom or Photoshop (in this case I used Lightroom)- not at all the idea I had in my mind’s eye for a timeless black and white. So, how do I get that timeless feel in a rich sepia toned and dramatic black and white landscape? Well, here’s a typical workflow for me in creating black and white landscapes from RAW files: 1. Make initial adjustments for contrast and color in Lightroom. 2. Use Topaz Adjust to bring up shadow detail while enhancing contrast in the sky. Most of this I do with the Adaptive Exposure sliders 3. Convert to black and white and do all my “tweaks” to optimize tonal values and any film/grain simulations, borders, traditional BW filters such as Yellow or Red, and perhaps toning, all in Nik Silver Efex Pro 4. If required I’ll work on the texture and fine details using Topaz Detail.
Enter Topaz B&W Effects. The coolest part of this for me is that I can save a bunch of time by skipping the Topaz Adjust step because most of what I need is built right into B&W Effects, including Adaptive Exposure! For this image I set the slider to .2 with 10 regions. Don’t worry if these settings don’t mean much to you. Once you get your hands on this plug-in they will. B&W Effects also has Detail controls, potentially saving me more time if I don’t have to go into Topaz Detail. I generally try the Detail slider first (both for Topaz Adjust and B&W Effects) to see if it will do the job. If not the Detail plug-in has more comprehensive controls. Next I used a red filter at full strength to darken the blue in the sky- a technique taken from traditional black and white film for more drama in the sky. I should mention here that when I try the equivalent effect in Lightroom, halos appear around the trees in the background. I finalized my image by simulating one of my favorite films, Fuji Neopan Acros, with the Film Grain option. Another final touch was sepia toning the image by adjusting the Tone Strength slider in the Silver and Paper Tone panel. Here’s the final result I had in my mind’s eye:
Conclusion: Topaz B&W Effects is a welcome addition and great complement to my collection of plug-ins for Photoshop and Lightroom. For a first release it is quite robust. I do a fair amount of black and white work so B&W Effects is now part of my arsenal. The key to using the myriad of plug-ins out there is to use them when and where they will save you time or to do a job other tools can’t. That said I won’t give up Nik Silver Efex Pro because no-one else has the equivalent of the control points found in Silver Efex and Viveza.
*Topaz is offering a half price introductory deal. Just click here and when you check out enter the code “bwandbeyond” to get it for 29.99!
Photo Tech notes: I used a Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 17-40mm L to shoot the hay bale photo. Software used is noted in the post, processed on a Mac Pro using an Eizo ColorEdge CG243W display.
