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Transitions

Creativity - Storytelling  Comment
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“Every picture tells a story.  Every body of work tells a bigger story. In grouping and sequencing a collection of images larger ideas come to light. The missing pieces also become apparent. Often, transitional material is needed to develop an idea more fully or to move from one idea to another convincingly. Identifying and finding material that can bridge the gaps can makes bodies of work stronger. It can even lead to new ideas to be developed at a later date. The seeds of future work are often contained in present work.”
Find the rest of this article in the current issue of AfterCapture.
Find more free insights on editing in my downloads.

Metamerism / Metameric Failure

Color - Management, Printing  Comment
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It’s often called metamerism, but the correct term is metameric failure.
Metameric failure is the tendency of an object to change appearance under different light sources. Different light sources, even of the same color temperature, are often comprised of differing amounts of spectral frequencies (i.e. red or blue frequencies). Some objects change appearance more quickly than others; they are more highly metameric. This is true when comparing dye-based inks with pigmented inks. As pigments are made of irregular particles, they tend to refract (reflect and bend) light more strongly than uniform dye globules. The most current ink technology coats pigment particles in resin to reduce this effect. Additionally, some color pigments, typically the most saturated ones, are more prone to metamerism. By separating the file differently and using more of the less metameric ink to reproduce an image, the print’s appearance stability is increased. This is particularly important when reproducing neutrals, as small shifts in hue are quickly detected in these colors.
How can you evaluate metameric failure? Make two prints of the same image (preferably containing significant neutrals) and compare them side by side in different light sources.
What can you do to reduce metameric failure? Use the latest inksets (such as Epson’s Ultrachrome K3) and drivers (with the latest separation routines). And, when practical, standardize the light your prints are viewed under. Can metamerism be completely eliminated? No. Everything is metameric. But metameric failure in prints can be reduced to the point where it is no longer significant.
Read the rest of this article in the current issue of Photoshop User.
Learn more in my workshops.

San Diego – Lecture Tonight & Workshop Next Two Days

Event - Lecture, Workshop  Comment
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Lecture – Museum of Photographic Arts
Tonight from 7-9 in San Diego at the Museum of Photographic Arts and Cuyamaca College, I lecture on my work and creative process.
Here’s an excerpt from my statement A Call To Connection. “This work is a call to incite conscientious creative interaction with our total environment. This work is a call to connection with us. If we feel that we are a part of nature, conscientious practices will no longer need to be legislated, they will simply happen. If we feel that we are not insignificant, we will act to make our own positive contributions in our own unique and creative ways.”
Read my Artist’s statements here.
See my work here.
Workshop – Julia Dean in San Diego
Friday and Saturday I’ll be teaching a workshop – The Power of Color. Space is still available.
Find out more here.
Find more Canon sponsored events here.

Digital Exposure

Photography, Technique - Exposure  Comment
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The histogram on the back of your camera is generated by a processed JPEG version of your Raw files. Your Raw files are unprocessed / uncooked, high resolution, uncompressed, wide-gamut, 12-14 bit, and so have more information in them, particularly in the highlights. This means the histogram can be misleading. What looks good is usually underexposed. Weight your histograms high. How high? At what point do highlights clip? It’s uncertain. Practically, it depends on the scene; higher if the scene doesn’t contain delicate highlight detail; less high if it does. To be safe, bracket, one slightly high and one very high. You can even program your DSLR to do this automatically for you. Here are four histograms.
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1   Underexposed
2   A good exposure
3   A better exposure
4   Overexposed
Learn this and other techniques in my workshops.

How The Camera Sees

Photography, Technique - Exposure  Comment
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Like the human eye, film has a nonlinear response to light. For film, we adjust the EV to fit the amount and contrast ratio of the available light into the most useful area of its curve response. Using film, you expose generally, and when compromises need to be made, you favor shadows or highlights. Details lost at the point of capture are irrecoverable.


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Ben Wilmore – Up To Speed CS4 Book

Books  Comment
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“If you want to learn what’s new in CS4 and you want the most in-depth coverage of these features that you’ll find anywhere, then this book is a must. It covers every change made to Photoshop CS4 and nothing else … Also, if you’re on the fence about upgrading and really need to know if it would be worth it in your specific situation, then this book will allow you to assess exactly what you’d get by upgrading to CS4.”

Find out what’s in it and what others are saying about Ben’s book here. Ben’s offering a special discount that beats Amazon through the end of today here.
Read my review of Ben’s Up To Speed CS3 here.
Check out other books I recommend here.

Epson Print Academy – Live – What It's Like

Event - Seminar, Printing  Comment
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Today, the Epson Print Academy is in Washington DC at the Hilton Crystal Palace.
What’s the Epson Print Academy like? Jack Reznicki hosts Track One. Jeff Schewe is ring leader for Andrew Rodney, Greg Gorman, Mac Holbert, and me in Track Two. Both tracks feature live sessions and informative videos. In track two senior product manager Mark Radogna (below) talks about the new HDR ink technologies. Henry Wilhelm talks about key issues in print permanence – see the full length here. There’s an Expo area. Jeff Greene of Microsoft makes a short presentation on Capture One 4 and Expression Media 2. Mike Wong of On One makes a short presentation on their plug-ins like Mask Pro and Focal Point. And there’s a Gallery; all the prints are printed with Epson’s new HDR ink.
Check back later this evening for afternoon additions.
Find out more about the new Epson printers here.
Find out about the next Epson Print Academy near you here.

Print Proofs To See Undisplayable Colors

Printing  Comment
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You softproof (constrain a monitor with an ICC profile) to see what colors are out of gamut of an ink and paper combination before you print. You proof (print) to see colors out of gamut of the monitor.
What? Yes! Today’s inksets exceed the gamut of of even the widest gamut monitors, in certain colors.
This graph shows ColorMatch (equivalent to most CRTs and LCDs), Adobe RGB 1998 (higher end LCDs), and Epson Ultrachrome HDR Ink on Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper. The new printers with the latest substrates can print more saturated yellows and oranges than even the best monitors can display. And, they can also print more saturated blues and greens than average LCDs can display. Evolution in printers is forcing an evolution in monitors.
Which monitor do I recommend? Check out my previous post here.
Check out my DVD 6 Simple Steps to Good Color Management.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing.
See me demonstrate this and more during the Epson Print Academy.
Learn these techniques in my workshops.

Epson's Dan Steinhardt Talks About HDR Ink on IDP Radio

Audio, Printing  Comment
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Dan (Dano) Steinhardt, Marketing Manager, Epson Professional Imaging talks with Scott Sheppard of Inside Digital Photo Radio about Epson’s latest announcements including the new Epson Ultrachrome HDR ink set, the Epson Stylus Pro 7990-9900 and the new Epson Print Academy. Dano explains many features their benefits, including the greatly expanded color gamut and AccuPhoto™ HDR screening technology.
Find out more about the new Epson printers here.
Find out about the next Epson Print Academy near you here.