I love using strong sidelight to define form and create a sense of depth to an image.  The problem with doing so is that the contrast pushes the ability of the sensors in digital cameras to capture all the information from highlights to shadows.  That's were shooting in RAW format makes all the difference.

 All DSLR's and a growing number of point and shoot cameras allow you to shoot in RAW format as well as jpg.  Jpg is great because it takes less room on a storage medium, but compromises the amount of information the sensor captures.  RAW holds on to a lot more information, and using a software like Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop you can retrieve that valuable detail in the highlights and shadows.

 Knowing that I can recover information in post processing, I expose so that I hold most of the detail in the shadows, allowing the highlight to push a bit beyond what the histogram on the back of the camera says is safe.

 Here is what the file looked like in Adobe Lightroom with the highlight warning turned on.  Where you see red, detail has been lost and would show as pure white in the image.

 But by using the Recovery slider, I can pull back in the detail that seemingly was lost (and would have been if I shot in jpg format). Notice how the red is gone on the face now, meaning detail has been retrieved.  I've also salvaged detail in the bevelled window glass on the right, something I think is visually interesting.

So when you have a camera capable of shooting in RAW, make it the normal protocol to shoot in that format.  The argument for shooting jpg because of the cost and size of storage media is long over, so why not give yourself the benefit having more rather than less information to work with to fulfill your creative vision?

See the full story on Adobe's change of upgrade options for Photoshop.

Every year, I go through the ritual of searching for the perfect glove for shooting in winter.  In the old days of film cameras, especially large format models like my 4x5 Graflex or Linhof Technikardan, a little bit of bulk was not a huge issue.  But now, with digital cameras and the tiny buttons we need access to, thinner is better.  My fantasy is surgical gloves with a heating element to keep the figures toasty on those cold days in the mountains.

In the past few years, my best solution was thin polyester glove liners with latex dots on the fingers as my first layer, and convertible fleece mittens that could be opened up to reveal the fingers.  Here are a few resources.

This year, I've purchased Seirus All Weather Gloves, but am looking to bring in samples of other models from other companies to do an extensive test.  Stay tuned.

Photographing Christmas Light displays can be lots of fun.  There are lots of creative variations on a theme in play here, so go out and explore your neighborhood.  Or, plan ahead for your next year’s Holiday card by shooting your own display. Here’s what you need to know. 

Generally, people wait to shoot until it is dark out, but that is too late.  The lights may reproduce well in the photograph, but all the other detail in the image will be lost.  The goal is to match the correct exposure for the lights with the ambient light at dusk so there is detail in the lights, and detail in the buildings and sky as well. That means that you want to get to your location right around sunset, do your scout, and find the spot you want to shoot from.  I’d suggest bringing a tripod, since the exposures can be from 1second to 5 seconds long, depending on the situation, with an ISO of 100.  If you don’t have a tripod with you, you could hand hold, but be sure to use a high ISO so you keep your shutter speeds up above 1/60 second.  Maybe look for a surface to brace your camera against, like a wall or tree.

Frame the picture so you include some environment.  A snow covered lawn creates a wonderful foreground that can reflect color, and the sky can give you a wonderful rich blue to compliment the reds and yellows of the bulbs.

You have a couple of choices for setting white balance.  You could go with daylight balance, and let the image take on a warm glow.

 Or you could set the camera to tungsten balance, which would make the sky go much bluer.  This is a time tested approach to shooting at dusk, most notably practiced by the legendary photographer, Pete Turner.

Either way, start to shoot maybe ten minutes after sunset to see what the ambient light balance is.  Look at your histogram to see how you are doing. 

As it gets darker, increase the pace of shooting, as the window for when the correct exposure for the lights, and the correct exposure for the ambient light will only be about ten minutes at most. 

You’ll know you are done when the sky is black, and the separation between it and the buildings are lost.

I came across this excellent tutorial by Francesco Marzoli about Adobe Camera Raw at the x-rite website.  Adobe Camera Raw is the engine that converts Raw files from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and other camera manufacturers.  Knowing the subleties of making the conversion can make all the difference in your final image.

Whether you are a newbie to shooting in Raw or an accomplished photographer, there's lots for everyone to learn on this x-rite tutorial.

The holiday sales are in full swing, and the one that caught my eye today was for Adobe Lightroom 3.  Newegg is selling what I think is the best cataloging/editing software for just $100.  I am in no way connected with Newegg, just passing along a good deal.  This price is good today only.

In addition, Adobe announced a 20% discount on current software in advance of the launch of Adobe CS6, as individual license holders will only be able to upgrade from CS5.  So if you don't want to pay the full price of CS6, upgrade your older versions of CS now.

For more information, go to the Adobe announcement of Creative Cloud.

Available light portrait photo using direct sun

 Being able to see light, and understand how it can work in service to a concept is important. Do you want to spotlight a subject so it stands out from the background?  Do you want to create a soft romantic quality to an image?  Here are examples of using light to do just that.

 Recently, I did a shoot with a wonderfully talented actor, ZZ Moor, and I wanted to create two different looks.  The first idea was to show her three-quarter figure, but still bring focus to her face.  The solution was to work in a stairwell where the sun was cut off by an overhang.  By positioning ZZ carefully, we were able to have the same effect as a theatrical spotlight.

In the second image, I was looking for a very soft, clean, and introspective feel.  The solution here was to shoot in the shade of a tree outdoors.  By carefully selecting where she was positioned, I could still get some direction to the light created by the sun bouncing off some white granite colums to the right side of the picture. 

Available light portrait photo using open shade

I'm a great believer in starting with an idea, and then looking for the location that can fulfill that intention.  Observing light is a key to making that happen.

How to photography fall foliage is part art and part science.  Looking for the right balance of color, texture, composition and lighting is key.  With foliage coming to its peak color in many parts of the country, this seems like a good time to point back to a series of articles on photographing fall color I did last year on ABetterPhotograph.com.