Photography Tips

Spicified Candid Brothers Portrait at Honeymoon Island State Park

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Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/320th Nikon SB-600 Speedlight on light stand above & to the left

Photographing a portrait session on a beach, even at sunset, can lead to quite a few similar looking shots.  How can you add a little spice to some of the shots?  Topaz Adjust 3 makes it quite easy actually, as it has a "spicify" filter right in it.  I used that filter among others to process the above candid portrait of two brothers who added their own kind of spice to every shot I took of them with their great energy and playfulness.  

Steps for making the above shot: 

  • import RAW file into Aperture 3
  • applying sharpening, exposure & shadow adjustments using the simple sliders
  • use the polarizing filter in Nik Color Efex Pro 3
  • send that image to Photoshop CS4 as a 16-bit TIFF
  • apply unsharp mask at 68%
  • apply the spicify filter in Topaz Adjust 3
  • dodge the boys to make them stand out a little (save file)
  • adjust hue and red channel in Aperture 3, export jpg 

Below is the non-spicified version:

only basic adjustments were made to the RAW file in Aperture 3 for this shot taken at Honeymoon Island State Park

So what do you think of the spicify filter in Topaz Adjust 3?  Did it help or hurt the portrait?  Or did it simply offer an alternative version of a shot?  Please let me know what you think and why in the comments below.  

Photography Tip -- vanishing point

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Vanishing Point example: f/11 ISO 200 1/640 -1 +/- handheld

This marks the first in what will be a continuing series of photography tips I will offer.  You can follow them if you find them useful by subscribing or checking back regularly.

The above photograph is an example of vanishing point composition.  The train tracks are of course parallel to each other, but they appear to converge at a distance.  Where they converge is the vanishing point.  This adds a sense of depth and dimension to a 2D photograph.  Besides train tracks, other subject matter that can be photographed using the vanishing point technique include:  tunnels, winding roads, guard rails, high walled paths.

These train tracks are across from the University of Tampa campus.  I know there are also train tracks in downtown Tampa and near the brewery at Busch Gardens.  If you live in an area that has a subway system, then you will have lots of vanishing point photography opportunities.

Vanishing point composition does not need to follow the rule of thirds for composition.  In fact, centering the vanishing point is often the most pleasing composition.  For train tracks, I like to put the camera as low to the ground as possible.  Using a tripod is a good idea too.  As always, set your focus about 1/3 of the way into the frame. 

Please post a link to your own vanishing point photograph in the comments below!

How I edited the photograph: 

  • RAW processed in Aperture (Nikon D300 default setting)
  • Exposure correction in Color Efex Pro 3
  • Tonal Contrast filter used in Color Efex Pro 3
  • Unsharp Mask in Photoshop CS4
  • Holga effect filter in Silver Efex Pro 3