Tom and I want to celebrate the great images being created by photographers each month. For July we selected an image from one of our online classes – Creative Camera Craft We hope you enjoy Sue’s images as much as we do.
Congratulations to July’s photographer – Sue Wolfe
The Story …
The assignment was black and white conversion.
I have struggled with this in the past because what draws me to a scene is color. I cannot visualize in black and white. I usually edit in black and white only if there is a color issue with my image.
In addition, I am always concerned about over-cooking images. I occasionally see images on Instagram and think “Beautiful pic but pull back those sliders!”
This was always in the back of my mind when editing in black and white. I usually stopped short of true black and white and stuck with the “safe” gray mid-tones. Tom and Cree pushed me to go further with my color range especially with the Tiger’s Nest image from Bhutan.
When trying to choose the image for this assignment I ran through my pics and hit the black and white conversion button in Lightroom to get a preview. I thought the monk images would be the right choice but they did not excite me – too much mid-tones. When I selected the portrait of the old woman and hit convert, the picture immediately popped. At that point the light bulb went off. She had white hair and a very dark dress – the perfect combination and high tonal range for the image to really work. That was what they were talking about in class and I finally grasped the concept from editing this one image.
The Data: .
ISO 250 85mm 1/4000 f 1.4
The Gear: Nikon D4S, Nikon 85mm f1.4 lens
About Learning Photography Online:
I purchased a recorded online class several years ago. That worked well because I was still working then and could watch small bits of it after work. The problem for me was that you can’t ask questions.
Tom and Cree’s classes are online and interactive. That was what was missing. I love that part – the interaction with other people participating. I like to hear their questions and see their perspective on the assignments we turn in.
I like learning about a wide range of topics. Because Tom and Cree have traveled with me, they know how I shoot and what my style is. I am a documentary shooter. It feels like the classes are tailor made to my needs as a photographer. I know that what I’m learning I am going to use in the future.
Tip from the Photographer …
My tip is to watch the video after class and take detailed notes. I might listen to a clip 5 times to get it all down but this helped me commit the information to memory and the notes will be a good reference tool.
I took two Photoshop classes this summer. Before the workshops started, I could correct building skew and use content-aware. Now I can do all these other cool things. I have definitely learned a lot of helpful processes to make my images better both on a creative and technical level.
On Sue’s Horizon
In 2020: Colorado Elk & Bosque del Apache
In 2021: Easter Island, Northern Lights, Bears in Alaska, Botswana
Bucket List: St. Petersburg, Russia and South Georgia Island
Thanks Tom and Cree for all the years of workshops and travel. The experiences and memories created on these trips are priceless!
Congratulations Sue-love the image and great photos of you!
Thanks Mo!