Sean Duggan Blog

The Last Light

The Last Light  [Canon 5D]
White Sands National Monument  May 3, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

Here's another image from my trip to White Sands last May. This one started out quite differently: In color, of course, but also much lighter. We often hear that we should do our utmost to preserve shadow details to portray the fullest range of tones possible. But for some photographs, there is more visual power in darkness and contrast, and the rich blackness of the shadows brings more to the image than the details that might be found there.

This image was processed using Lightroom, but for those of you who do not have that program the exact same steps could also have been made in Adobe Camera Raw since they share the same raw processing engine under the hood. My first step was to make the image look good in color, which is what I usually do, even if I know right from the start that I will be using a black & white interpretation, as was the case here. Why? Because I like to have a good, well-adjusted color version of the file in case I ever need one. I also believe that a properly adjusted color image with good contrast is the best starting point for a black & white conversion.

To preserve this version I make a Snapshot of the file with the initial color adjustments (the Snapshot pane is found in the left-hand panel in Lightroom's Develop Module, or the last tab on the right in Camera Raw). You could also create a Virtual Copy in Lightroom, but sometimes a Snapshot is just as good. After applying the Develop settings to make a good color version of the image, I converted to grayscale. Then I just kept pushing it darker and darker using the Exposure and Blacks sliders, as well as the Tone Curve. The darker it got, the more I liked it. A final tweak was made in Photoshop to lighten the sky area just a bit, but overall, turning to the Dark Side worked very well for this photograph.

Here's two views showing what the photo looked upon import and after the initial color adjustments (click in the image to see it larger):

Next Workshop

My next workshop on Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop is coming up in a little more than a month and takes place in southern New Mexico about an hour's drive from the amazing landscape of White Sands. It's a perfect opportunity to combine a creative Photoshop workshop with a visit to one of the natural wonders of the Southwest!

Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop
November 5 - 8, 2009, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops
Mesilla, New Mexico
Click here for more info

The deadline for signing up for this workshop is fast approaching. If you are interested in learning some of the most essential Photoshop techniques for creating multiple-image collages, sign up soon!

White Sands

White Sands, New Mexico  [Canon 5D]
May 4, 2009  (click in the image for a larger, sharper version)

This image was taken last Spring when I was teaching a workshop in New Mexico. It was my first visit to White Sands National Monument, but it won''t be my last. I was drawn to working with this photo over the weekend as I was writing an article on creative effects in Lightroom and I used this shot to demonstrate dramatic black and white and split toning.

Next Workshop

My next workshop on Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop is coming up in a little more than a month and takes place in southern New Mexico at the Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops at the Preston Contemporary Art Center. Mesilla is right next to Las Cruces and about an hour's drive from the amazing landscape of White Sands. The deadline for signing up for this workshop is fast approaching soon. If you are interested in learning some of the most essential Photoshop techniques for creating multiple-image collages, sign up soon!

Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop
November 5 - 8, 2009, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops
Mesilla, New Mexico
Click here for more info

And speaking of collage, Rod Harlan tipped me off to this web page that showcases 30 Sensational Print Ads From Around the World that feature many very interesting and clever Photoshop composites.

 

The Iris

The Iris  [ZeroImage Pinhole Camera]
April 6, 2009  Oahu, Hawaii
(please click in the image for a larger version...the small version is a bit soft)

The practice of pre-visualizing how an image should look is a strong current in my Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin series and most of the time it is a beneficial one that helps to shape the final photograph, presents intriguing challenges to overcome and pushes me to fully explore the visual and metaphorical possibilities created by the arrangements of the artifacts in the landscape. But sometimes a preconceived idea of what the photograph should be can become a limiting factor that constrains the creative possibilities for the image. Knowing when to let go of the pre-visualized image is just as important as envisioning it in the first place.

I have written a short essay musing on this topic as it relates to the image above. Read More...

Next Workshop

The deadline for signing up for my next workshop is approaching soon. If you are interested in learning some of the most essential Photoshop techniques for creating multiple-image collages, join me in southern New Mexico in early November for...

Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop
November 5 - 8, 2009, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops
Mesilla, New Mexico
Click here for more info

 

The Parking Meter

The Parking Meter  [ZeroImage Pinole Camera]
May 4, 2009   White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
(please click in the image for a larger version...this small one is a bit soft)

Here's another new one in the Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin series. Well, the term "new "is relative, since the photograph was taken last May but it was only in the past week that I found the time to make a large scan and work on the master image. For those who are new to this series, these images are not collages and what you see is what the wooden camera photographed.

I originally found this old parking meter (which took only nickels and pennies!) at the celebrated Elmer's Barn in Cooper's Union, Maine a little more than a year ago. I shipped it home to California and waited to find a fitting landscape "stage" for a photograph of it. When I was planning for a trip to teach a workshop in New Mexico last Spring, I decided that the majestic, grandeur of White Sands National Monument would be an excellent location.

Next Workshop...

I have another workshop scheduled in two months in southern New Mexico, very close to White Sands. If you've ever wanted to spend some time learning how to use Adobe Photoshop to make creative multi-image collages, I invite you to join me at the Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops at the Preston Contemporary Art Center. We'll spend four days immersed in all aspects of creating collages from more than one image. As an added benefit, White Sands National Monument, one of the most amazing places I have ever visited, is only an hour away!
See below for all the details.

Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop
November 5 - 8, 2009, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops
Mesilla, New Mexico
Click here for more info

 

The Globe

The Globe  [ZeroImage Pinhole Photograph]
June 15, 2009
(click in the image for a better view...this small one is a bit soft))

This photograph is another entry in my Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin series (this shot as well as a few other new ones have not yet been added to this web gallery). The series has been ongoing for the past three years and all of the images are photographed with a wooden pinhole camera. I have a few images that were exposed last Spring and in the early summer that I am just now getting around to scanning and working with. The Globe was photographed when I was teaching in Maine in early June.

Tripod Gymnastics

This shot was a bit tricky to set up because the the deep crevices between the jumbled rocks in the old quarry where I photographed the scene did not provide any easy places to set up the tripod and still allow for the low angle I wanted with the globe at the edge of the water. As before with several shots in this series, my Joby Gorillapod saved the day (though the final camera position still required some wading on my part).

If you're looking for camera platform alternatives to a standard tripod, I cannot recommend these products highly enough. The one pictured below is a small one that works well for the lightweight wooden pinhole camera, but I also have a heavy-duty one that will support my Canon 5D with a 28-105mm zoom lens. (Click in the image to see a larger version)

Next Workshop...

Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop
November 5 - 8, 2009, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops
Mesilla, New Mexico
Click here for more info

 

The Very Old House

The Very Old House [Canon 5D]
July 25, 2009  Halle, Germany
(click in the image for a larger version)

I found this amazingly decrepit old house in the middle of Halle, not far from the main marketplace where the previous two pinhole images of the streetcars were taken. It was in an ambiguous state that seemed to faintly suggest that some form of renovation might be in progress, but at the same time, there were no obvious signs of workers or equipment, and it could just as easily have been an old, neglected building.

First Day of School

Today is the beginning of the Fall semester at San Francisco's Academy of Art University. I have been authoring and teaching the online Photoshop for Photographers class there for the past several years. I spent the Spring and Summer months updating and re-writing the class and I'm looking forward to teaching this totally renovated course to a new group of photography students.

Next Workshop in Southern New Mexico:

Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop
November 5 - 8, 2009, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops
Mesilla, New Mexico
Click here for more info