Jan 26 2007
When Not to Delete a Photo (Pic of the Week)
(Note: Readers of “Apartment Life Returns” may now read the fourth installment)
This image is the result of toying with a photo that I knew had potential when I shot it, but presented many challenges before I arrived at the above. Instead of deleting it when I saw that it wasn’t exactly what I intended, I kept it. Later in this post, I show the various versions and explain how I came to this.
My first real and passionate hobby is photography. Since the day my parents handed me a 110 camera and those flash cubes to snap on top of it, I jumped into it with both feet. When my father decided I was ready and gave me a lesson on his Nikon F3 35mm SLR, I was drowning in it.
And loving every minute.
In rural Arkansas, near the Ozarks, landscape photography was the most easily accessible and, as it turned out, my favorite. I branched out from that, however, when I served as a paid photography intern at the The Hutchinson News in Kansas following my freshman year in college. I thrilled to seeing my photos distributed to the 45,000 subscribers. Sometimes they were only car ad photos, but occasionally I squeaked feature photos in there, and once I even got cover color. Back then, that was a big deal, because everything still was shot using film, and that newspaper used color nowhere besides the front page. I’ve yet to reproduce the rush of flying up my grandfather’s basement stairs each morning to find out which (if any) of my photos the editors had chosen.
Later, as a break from the computer jobs I used to juggle like hot potatoes, I took a job as a photographer and reporter in Northwest Arkansas. Two newspapers into that effort, I realized the pay just wasn’t there for a lone breadwinner, and being the jerk in everybody’s face when their kid was being hauled off on a stretcher just wasn’t in me.
Photography again became merely my hobby, and I was pretty sure I liked that just fine.
One thing the newspaper job gave me, however, was an excuse to leave behind my trusty Pentax K1000 (still a great camera for manual everything) and buy a nicer camera. So, I had my own Nikon autofocus outfit, much of which I still use on my digital Nikon today (and largely in manual focus mode). Now, my local friend and occasional blog commenter Alvis just got his own Nikon DSLR (arrived Thursday), so some of those original pieces may see action on yet another camera body.
Now that I live so far from Nature, my photographic focus has shifted. Maybe having a local buddy starting his own photography hobby will motivate me to take more pictures.
Which brings us back to the photo. I wanted to show how a picture can evolve once it reaches the digital darkroom. I rarely do much to my photos, but occasionally there’s one that either gives me too much trouble or begs to be altered. Following are the versions, in order, of the photo that started this post.
Here’s the original. Exposure for the world outside was fine. Inside, not so much. I tried various fill-flash variations, but leaving the room for my external flash would have interrupted Ben’s play. Still, I like this version because it shows the world outside awaiting this young boy playing in the relative darkness.
In this version I’ve used what’s sometimes called an artificial fill-flash. It’s done in the software, by brightening up only the shadows. So, the street remains exposed well while the detail in the room shows itself. The room’s colors are way off, though. There’s no burgundy or maroon in Ben’s room. Those valances should be fire truck red, and his table benches are primary colors. The outside world looks fine. If you never understood white balance before, then this should give you a clue.
Finally I gave up tweaking the color, because there’s only so much one can do with .jpg (versus RAW). I went with black and white, and punched up the contrast and brightness.
In this version, perhaps longing for my days of shooting 400 ISO film and push processing it to 1600, I added some grain. I like it best, so I used it as the opener.
So, with all the other media I’ve picked up along the way — digital camcorder, digital voice recorder, geeky mics, I’ve come back to my original passion. With nearly innumerable digital niceties at my disposal, I prefer the image that looks like I shot it with technology created before my grandfather was born.
With a digital camera, however, it’s an option I can choose later, not one I have to decide before I can even press the shutter.
I’ve too have been into photography for a long time. I inherited my grandmother’s old Nikon S3 rangefinder when I was twelve and used it for years taking landscapes and concert photos.
I mostly used slide film for storage reasons and later for ease of developing myself. I switched to a Canon AE-1 when I had the opportunity to buy a ton of gear while I was in the navy and overseas at a huge discount. I finally broke down and bought digital this year but I’m way behind the learning curve on all I can do with it.
I grainy black and white photo of Ben is definitely my favorite. The texture reminds me of some old interior barn shots I took back in the early 70’s.
Photography is a passion of mine as well. I’ve had to 35-mm SLRs and said that once digital became as good as film I’d get into it. That day came about this time last year with a new Canon DSLR and I’ve never looked back. Soooo much you can do with the digital darkroom. It’s an expensive hobby, though. I hope to upgrade my lens this year and next year get another lens and another Canon DSLR.
Your picture is great! You should enter it in the photo contest at betterphoto.com. It’s better than most I’ve seen there.
Blitz - The Canon AE-1 is what I shot from about 1992 to 1999 (which is when I got my Nikon N8008s for my newspaper job — what can I say, my dad and the pros I knew used Nikon). I had two AE-1 bodies. Great camera, except for that dang battery door on the front. Dang that dang door. I had duct tape on the front of my camera because of that dang thing. Dang it. Oh, and it didn’t like it when I dropped it in an icy Ozark stream with temperatures barely in the double digits.
I love interior shots of old barns, where the light from outside is totally blown out. Maybe that’s why I like what I ended up with here.
Curt - Thanks for commenting. You’re right about photography as a hobby. Film or digital, it’s never cheap. But, at least with digital we can shoot pic upon pic without increased cash outlay. I’ll definitely think about the site you recommended.
I suddenly feel insignificant with my paltry little Sony digital point’n’shoot. Well, not really, but a renewed craving for a DSLR may have just been birthed in my bosom.
That is a fabulous shot, Mark, and way better than the original.
It is a great pictures and I think the last version is the best. However..I kinda like the second one as well. There IS a color differfence between the inside and the outside, but that’s what makes it work for me. The inside colors feel a bit cartoonish and childlike…the outside is harsher. It’s fitting.
I’ve always loved the idea of photography, but like so many things in my life, have never taken the time or effort to persue it on any meaningful level.
I will, however be looking for a new camera in a few months as our current one is loosing it’s ability to produce crisp images. I may pick your brain on that, Mark.
With everyone talking about their history of cameras, I have to mention mine. About 25 years ago, I got my first SLR - a Konika T4. It was different as it was a shutter speed priority camera which wasn’t common then. It was great for sports… until my wife dropped it and it wouldn’t meter anymore. After that every shot I took was fully manual. Actually, that was probably the best thing that happened. I learned more about photography shooting for years manually than I ever would have. I took a lot of good photos, and a good number of bad ones, too. Because of that, I wouldn’t risk shooting manually when I had a chance to go to South Africa. So I bought a Canon Rebel G. I finally got a Canon 20D DSLR last year which is a great camera, but a month after I got it, Canon upgraded it to the 30D… figgers. Hopefully, I’ll get a 5D in a couple of years. The Canon Marks are too far out of my price range… unless I win the lottery…
Oops… should have been Konica…
Simon - Probably the only thing on that Sony that wouldn’t allow you to take this picture is the lens focal length. It might not get quite that wide, I would guess. That was always my main beef with most P&S digital cameras (along with shutter lag). Now, though, there are some that start out fairly wide and with red-eye reduction turned off, fairly responsive shutters.
Moksha - Good points, all. I will be glad to help however I can. Here’s a site that’s a great resource for reviews and user forums. Just huge and in-depth. http://www.dpreview.com/
Curt - I loved my Pentax K1000, which is completely manual (except for a built-in, center-weighted meter). I still have a completely manual camera that I carry on risky adventures, like canoe trips. It’s a Nikon FG. Great little SLR, and accepts the same lenses I use on my D100.
Manual cameras are the best way to learn f-stop, depth-of-field, etc. I hope photography classes still require students to do that.
Actually, the FG isn’t completely manual. Only two shutter speeds - bulb and 1/90 second, are mechanical — the others are electronic. My Nikon FM10 (very cheaply made by a third party) is completely manual.
Well, I feel a little bit better. And frankly, as smudged up as our little lens is on the point-n-shoot, I shudder at the thought of the condition a DSLR would be in in our house.
This isn’t an area that I have much to comment on. I just point and shoot for the most part. My Pentax is collecting dust probably in it’s borrowed state at my son’s girlfriend’s house. I took Photography as an elective course in art school and once in awhile will use some of that knowledge…
But I just wanted you to know I was here and enjoying.
Linda - Glad you’re still here, of course.
The wife said she stopped reading “all the camera stuff,” but liked the picture.
Very cool pics…..
I sent you what I would do with the pic!
Have a great weekend bud.
Cool picture. Markus, I miss your photographs. I’ve always enjoyed your pictures. I’m sure you’ll get some great photo ops on our upcoming trip to New Mexico this summer.
Do you have any way of getting some of your pictures from the newspaper onto the computer so that people could see a few samples? Your “bubble girl” picture was awesome, and there were some other really good ones. That was before the digital days, but maybe you could take a picture of that picture. Hmm…that sounds funny.
Charles - Yeah, I miss taking photos, and I’m about to pop just imagining the New Mexico trip.
I have various scanners that can digitize pretty much any photo - slide, negative, print, whatever. I’ve thought about posting some pics from my newspaper days. I’m just not sure about the copyright on that kind of thing. I’ll probably need to run it by the respective managing editors. Might take a while, though, because between my internship that one summer in college and my later stints professionally, I worked at four different papers.
The bubble girl pic just aches to be put out here, and I do have the original transparency of it. Somewhere. She was my one color front page shot. I sometimes wonder what that girl is doing now, and if she still has the picture somewhere. It had to be a thrill for a seven-year-old (I think that’s right) to be on top of the fold on page one.