Tag Archives: Silver Efex Pro 2

POTD: Approaching Storm

Approaching storm at the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Bill Baggs State Park, FL
Approaching storm at the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Bill Baggs State Park, FL (Click to enlarge)

Last week we took the workshop group to Key Biscayne, Florida to photograph the Cape Florida lighthouse. We had about 20 minutes to work with before a nasty thunderstorm rolled in.

Tech Specs

Nikon D810 with 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 AFS G VR zoom Nikkor lens
1/100s f/11 ISO 64

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop using Silver Efex Pro 2 and Color Efex Pro 4.

Complete Guides to Nik Collection Plug-ins Available Here

Online Class: Master Monochrome with Silver Efex Pro 2

Master black and white photography Sept 5, 2015 online with Jason Odell
Master black and white photography Sept 5, 2015 online with Jason Odell

Join me Saturday, Sept. 5th online for a comprehensive look at black and white image processing using Silver Efex Pro 2 with Lightroom & Photoshop.

When: 12-2pm US Mountain Daylight Time (UTC -6), Sept. 5th, 2015
Where: Online (GoToMeeting Webinar)

Topics will include

  • How to adjust the color image for optimal monochrome conversion in Lightroom/ACR
  • Adjusting images in Silver Efex Pro 2
  • How to use the Zone Map Tool
  • Understanding the use of Color Filters
  • Soft Contrast & Structure Controls
  • Using Control Points for local enhancements
  • Adding film grain effects
  • Creating toned images (sepia, selenium, cyan)
  • Best practices for printing monochrome images

Register here

Registration closes 10am MDT (12 noon Eastern) Sept. 5th 

 

Is Film Making a Comeback?

Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak, captured with Fujichrome Velvia 50 film.
Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak, captured with Fujichrome Velvia 50 film.

In the late 1990s, as the digital camera age dawned, I was shooting with a Nikon N70 film camera and whatever lenses I could afford on a graduate student’s (miniscule) salary. For me, the idea of switching to digital was something that I didn’t even fathom at the time, simply because a $5500  camera was so far out of my price range that I was never going to realistically own one.

Of course, when something costs a lot of money and you know you can’t afford it, you start to rationalize with yourself as to why you don’t really need one. And by “don’t really need” I mean we find ways to explain why our current gear is as good or better than some new technology. As the new century dawned, the “film vs. digital” debate bloomed across the Internet in chat rooms and discussion boards. Recently, that debate has returned, as some photographers are switching back to using film for certain clients. Continue reading Is Film Making a Comeback?

Photo of the Day: Standing Guard

Antique Fire Truck, Teller County, CO Digital Infrared Capture with Nikon 1 V1 (590nm).
Antique Fire Truck, Teller County, CO
Digital Infrared Capture with Nikon 1 V1 (590nm).

I took a drive through the high country yesterday, and I stopped briefly to photograph this great antique fire truck with my IR-converted Nikon 1 V1 camera. This shot was hand-held using the 16-35mm f/4 AFS G VRII zoom-Nikkor lens via FT-1 adapter (it’s a great combo on the IR V1). I processed this image in Lightroom 5.2 (just updated) and then converted it to monochrome with Silver Efex Pro 2 (guidebook). The tint/glow effect was courtesy of the “Sunlight” filter in Color Efex Pro 4 (guidebook), which I applied selectively via Control Points.

Thanks for looking.

Photo of the Day: Phalaenopsis

Orchid captured in infrared with a converted Nikon 1 V1 and 32mm f/1.2 1-Nikkor lens.
Orchid captured in infrared with a converted Nikon 1 V1 and 32mm f/1.2 1-Nikkor lens.

Here’s a digital infrared image of a Phalaenopsis orchid captured with my converted Nikon 1 V1 and new 32mm f/1.2 1-Nikkor lens. This new lens delivers good bokeh even on the small CX-format sensor Nikon 1 cameras. I converted the image to monochrome using Silver Efex Pro 2.