Merry Christmas to all my blog friends and readers. Preparations for the Christmas and holiday celebrations seem to overtake our lives, yet today is the day to reflect what it’s all about. 
Took this photo when driving to a friends for dinner. The farmstead was elaborately decorated, yet this nativity scene spelled it all out. I added the text in Photoshop.
RAW doesn’t mean I don’t wear clothes, RAW is a type of image format a digital camera uses to capture and store photographs. Every camera “takes” a RAW image, but most point and shoot cameras then process that image into the popular JPG format.
Up until last Christmas I didn’t have the ability to shoot RAW, and all my images were shot in jpeg format. I love getting a shot perfect SOOC, (straight out of camera) it saves time on the post processing side. But even professionals in the film days spent hours in the darkroom burning and dodging negatives to get the print quality they desired. Ansel Adams and other photography masters spent a lot of time retouching negatives to get the amazing images that have become iconic.
Even the best photo with the perfect exposure can benefit from a clean “pop” of contrast and sharpening.
Today the RAW image format gives professional and serious amateurs the same options in a virtual “digital darkroom”
1. Photographers excitement: Sometimes the excitement of an event will cause the photographer in you to forget all about settings and metering. I can easily over or underexpose a shot. This happens to me more often than not. THANK goodness for RAW
Fixing underexposure in Lightroom
2. Wider option of enlarging an image: I take a lot of scenery photos and my camera is only a 10 megapixel, so I need every pixel. The JPEG compression algorithm is lossy . That is, when an image is JPEG-compressed, data is discarded, and the image is permanently degraded. Apply enough JPEG compression and the degradation will become visible. If you want to enlarge your image a lot, JPEG artifacts could be a problem. Because raw files are not compressed, you never have to worry about this.
3. Control my white balance: Ever get that yellowish hue when you take photos inside at night? When shooting in RAW that yellow hue can be removed. The same with the blueish cast that sometime tints the skin on cloudy days.
4. Non destructive editing: Did you know that every time you open a JPG tiny parts of information are lost. When editing RAW files the program only records the edits and creates a new file. Your original is not lost.
Fixing overexposure and flash burn in Lightroom (click for larger image)
5. Higher level of photo quality: In the JPG compression artifacts occur which can throw tiny dots of obtrusive color into unwanted areas. (more on this later) Your camera probably captures 12 to 14 bits of data per pixel, but a JPEG file can only hold eight bits of data per pixel. This means that, when you shoot in JPEG mode, one of the first things your camera does is throw out a bunch of data that it captured. This can also lead to “banding” as evidenced in my previous example.
The digital photography school gives the best definition and explanation of RAW files
• not an image file per se (it will require special software to view, though this software is easy to get).
• typically a proprietary format (with the exception of Adobe’s DNG format that isn’t widely used yet).
• at least 8 bits per color – red, green, and blue (12-bits per X,Y location), though most DSLRs record 12-bit color (36-bits per location).
• uncompressed (an 8 megapixel camera will produce a 8 MB Raw file).
• the complete (lossless) data from the camera’s sensor.
• higher in dynamic range (ability to display highlights and shadows).
• lower in contrast (flatter, washed out looking).
• not as sharp.
• not suitable for printing directly from the camera or without post processing.
• read only (all changes are saved in an XMP “sidecar” file or to a JPEG or other image format).
• sometimes admissible in a court as evidence (as opposed to a changeable image format).
• waiting to be processed by your computer.
Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg#ixzz2AYsqePeU
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3 Quarters Images, is now an offshoot of my photography and editing passion. I’m taking the leap and going to launch a side business as a secondary stream of income. This is in addition to being surrounded by photographs where I work at Hamilton Color Lab in Omaha.
Although I love taking photos, I enjoy the post production side even more. I will be concentrating on helping people make the most of the images they take themselves through digital darkroom techniques. This could be using Lightroom 4, Photoshop, Portrait Professional, or other various editing and enhancing tools.
Some of my services will include scanning, restoration, design services for senior announcements, collages, anniversary gifts and wall groupings. Prints, canvases and prints will, of course, be provided from Hamilton Color Lab.
Senior Photo Collage
The official launch of 3 Quarters Images will be at the Elmwood Nebraska craft show, Saturday November 24th at the Josoff Social Hall. I will have examples restoration work, greeting cards for sale, and will be taking submissions for projects.
My dream? To create and generate a stream of income I can continue while I am retired and traveling the United States. Oh to sit on a deck, overlooking a beach and work at something I love. Yup, that’s my dream.
Stay tuned for more and if you have an idea, or want to learn more please feel free to ask.
Who loves babies? Me! Especially now that my youngest baby is 17 and my oldest 23. I also love pregnant mama’s. Probably because I know I’m not anywhere close to middle of the night feedings and dirty diapers.
I’m closer to being a grandmother (not that close kids) than a mother again and the prospect of cuddling a sweet-smelling baby, without the full-time responsibilities, is very attractive. There are two people in my life now who are pregnant and it’s a whole different perspective.
Maternity portrait
Professional maternity photography is very popular now. However, back when I was pregnant, there is no way I would of even thought of doing a maternity portrait session, I didn’t want anyone to see me being as big as a whale. This was my first baby shower in many many years. The daughters of my friends are now getting married and having babies. Being the serious amateur photographer that I am, my camera is always with me.
This is one day it paid off. Both grandmothers forgot their cameras and were more than happy for me to document the shower. The result was an a group of professionally looking photographs I printed at work that everyone just raved about. The great thing about NOT being a professional, there is no pressure and no expectations. If they turn out good, GREAT! If not I just took snapshots to share on Facebook.
I have often said, “I don’t photograph people, I stick with things that stay still like landscape, scenery and food.” This young Mother looked so gorgeous in a simple tank top I had to try. Luckily there was a blank empty wall in the basement of the church that just screamed “BACKDROP” so here are a few I took that day.
IT’s a BOY!!
I was able to give the Mother and her family about 80 edited prints (all processed in Lightroom 4) and it only took me about two hours post production. Have I said how much I love Lightroom? Obviously the collage I created in Photoshop.
Photo Restoration 1960s
I’ve finally removed hundreds of old photos from nearly a dozen “magnetic” glue photo albums. Not quite acid free. My Mother thought she was doing a good thing in the 1980′s by organizing and putting them into alums, when in actuality they would have been better off in the desk drawer in the original envelopes.
They were so stuck I had to use the pointy end of a fondue fork to pry them off and carefully unstick the back. The paper came off on some, but at least now the family memories are back in a shoebox.
At first glance the photos look to be in pretty good shape, but it only takes one scan and a white correction on levels to see how far these photos have faded.
I’m going to scan the snapshots, but the really old photos from the late 1800′s and early 1990′s I’m going to have professionally scanned at Hamilton Color Lab, where I work. My home scanner will only capture so much detail and they are too important to trust to a Best Buy over the counter scanner.
Photo Story: Here I met my brother for the first time. We were both adopted through Children’s Services of Connecticut. As you can see although my brother Lance was a baby he wasn’t a newborn when he went to our parents. My birthday is Sept. 21, 1965, yet I didn’t go to my parent until January 20, 1966. Along with photos I now have my adoption records, certificates, and letters from the agency. Still don’t know if I will search or not. Even after witnessing my husband and his son’s adoption reunion.
I’ve read about using fill flash, but I had never tried using this photography technique until last week. Now I think my flash is the most valuable tool ever invented on the camera (just kidding) . Many people totally believe in natural lighting, while I can respect that I also believe in using tools to improve results.
Last week my daughter and I took a trip to Missouri and Arkansas to tour a few colleges (more on that later). Two out of the three days we camped out in tents (also more on that later). The scenery is so unlike the plains of Nebraska I was itching to capture and play with different settings on my camera. My daughter was a willing subject on this trip and I was bound and determined to make the most of the opportunity.
With so many trees around she was constantly in the shade. The first photo above was disappointing as I had too much shadow on her face. Then the brainstorm. “Let’s try the flash? Stay right there and smile. “ I popped open my flash, heck why not? I set the flash intensity as high as it would go as I was using the 75-300 lens from about 20 feet away.
What a difference! The flash opened up the shadows, warmed the tone of the photo, and overall enhanced the image.
Photo was taken with a Canon Rebel XS
Barn against a Cloudy Sky
This barn (okay, it’s really a corn crib) is one of my favorite photography subjects, yet this shot is my favorite. With the help of Lightroom, yes I finally took the time and learned Lightroom 4 and I’m in love! This is the first time that I can actually say that this is truly what the barn looked like that day.
From what I understand in reading various photography blogs and sites a camera has difficulty collecting all the dynamic ranges of lights and darks. In simple terms you expose for the sky or your subject. That leaves the other parts of you picture over or under exposed.
The newest version of Lightroom 4 has an amazing capability of pulling out shadows, highlights, whites and blacks without leaving artifacts in the image. This was shot in RAW and I’m very impressed, puts my Photoshop CS2 to shame. The later versions of Photoshop do have more advanced algorithms that achieve the same thing, but I can only compare the programs I use.
I will still keep using Photoshop, Lightroom is only another tool to use and does not have text or graphic design capability. I still love adding drop shadows, borders and creating custom layouts.
Stay tuned for more Lightroom 4 examples, and possibly redo’s of previous photos as a comparision.
The first part of March my hubby and I attended the Great Nebraska Horse Fair in Lincoln Nebrasaka at the Lancaster Event Center. Meet some wonderful people including Jess and her yearling Belgian horse above. Photo was taken inside a horse trailer and lighting was just a little poor. Didn’t want to use my flash so just opened up the aperture.
I first rendered this in GIMP and adjusted the white balance. Although it rendered the image accurate the photo just didn’t give me the warm fuzzies. So after cropping in Photoshop I used a the Color layer adjustment with orange at about a 10% opacity to give the overall image a warmer tone.
What do you think?
From the archives come a Photoshop before and after from last summers trip to Block Island, Rhode Island.
First I straightened the image about 2 degrees clockwise. I was a little off kilter taking the picture. Then adjusted the levels and curves. The swimmers in the water were bothering me, so I cloned them out.
I’ve learned some things since then, one I would decrease the saturation after resizing. Another change, instead of sharpening I use the unsharpen mask, seems to work cleaner. But overall, I like the bottom version better, what do you think?
I have to admit, I really like Photoshop. I’m amazed at how I can improve a photo that has distractions or just didn’t turn out like I hoped. Most photos I don’t manipulate but some call for just a little more work than others.
My dog Brody, a Jack Russel, is a perfect example. This is a before and after of a previous post from my 365 Project
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