One Skein Photo Challenge: 13/52

This officially marks the completion of one-quarter of my one skein photo challenge! Hard to believe, since that means we're also about a quarter of the way through 2018.

This week I wanted to do a different take on my photo from week 2. Struggling with new ideas? Who, me? Maybe a little. I also pushed the development a bit in darktable to get something more interesting. Nothing radical, mind you, just retrieving some of the colour and feel.

24mm, 1/5 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600

Happy Easter (a bit early)!

Raw Processing and Conversion Software

So perhaps you've decided to shoot in raw. You'll need to process your raw files, and to do that, you'll need some specialised software. But what software should you use? Here are some options (not a complete list; merely some of the more popular programs. For more options, click here). N.b.: None of these links are affiliate links. I make no money if you click on them, nor if you make any purchases.

One file. Four versions. No destruction. No change to the original. That's the power of raw.

Paid Software
N.b.: I have not personally used any paid raw processing software, so I cannot comment on the quality of any of these programs.

Adobe Lightroom - this is the software that you will most commonly hear about. I would guess that most professional photographers use Lightroom for their raw file processing. Adobe currently offers a photography subscription package for US$9.99 per month for a year, which will get you both Lightroom and Photoshop (another powerful editing program) plus 20GB of cloud storage, as well as a Lightroom plan for the same price, which will get you access to Lightroom plus 1TB of cloud storage. Lightroom also offers file management functions. If you want access to lots of books, tutorials, and presets, and you're willing to pay a bit of money, this is probably your best bet.

Capture One - this is another piece of software used by many photography professionals. Unlike Lightroom, it does not operate on a subscription model. A free 30-day trial is available.

DxO PhotoLab - again, this software is used by many photography professionals and does not operate on a subscription model. It offers two editions, Essential Edition and ELITE Edition, as well as a free trial.

Free Software

darktable - this is my current choice of software for raw development. darktable is a powerful program that allows for file management and image processing, as well as select other functions. darktable has a significant learning curve, but I personally find the interface to be reasonably intuitive, and there is a wide variety of available tools. darktable lacks somewhat in existing tutorials; nonetheless, I have found that Lightroom tutorials will often translate reasonably well into darktable. Note that darktable offers global as well as local editing (i.e., you can make changes to the entire image or to particular areas of it); I find this flexibility very important in my own workflow. darktable will probably be the raw software I most often discuss on this blog.

RawTherapee - another popular free file management and raw development program. RawTherapee is powerful and fairly intuitive, and it supports most raw formats, as well as common image formats (e.g., JPEG and TIFF). Unlike darktable, RawTherapee does not support local editing; edits are applied to the entire image (with a few exceptions).

LightZone - an interesting piece of software based on photography master Ansel Adams's Zone System. LightZone operates a bit differently than most other raw processors, and may therefore suit some users who are unhappy with other options. I used LightZone until I had difficulties with how it rendered some of my photographs; I was unable to find support for my particular issue (I suspect it was camera-related) and reluctantly abandoned it in favour of darktable. LightZone also supports JPEG editing and offers batch-processing options for efficient workflow.

Other

Many camera companies offer their own raw processing and conversion programs. These are certainly worth looking at. They may not be as powerful as some of the other options, but they are typically free (provided you own one of their cameras) and are often sufficient for the average user's needs. I personally used Canon's Digital Photo Professional until I decided I wanted something more powerful, and I was reasonably pleased by the results (which include many of the earlier images posted on this blog).

Other editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop (paid) and GIMP (free) offer limited raw support. If you prefer to do all of your image editing in one program, and/or you are already familiar with one of these programs, you may wish to determine whether its raw editing functions are adequate for your needs.

Go forth and raw!

One Skein Photo Challenge: 12/52

Almost a quarter of the way through my one skein photo challenge! This week, I wanted to play with backlighting to give myself more practice with exposing for backlit subjects. Behold, my filthy basement window (some horrific dirt has been edited out)!

36mm, 1/40 @ f/8.0, ISO 400

Happy knitting! Happy shooting!

What the Heck is Raw, and Should I Use It?

If you spend much time exposed to photography talk, you'll soon start to hear the term "raw" bandied about (and you'll probably hear some strong opinions about how shooting raw is the best thing since sliced bread--or perhaps since plied yarn--or, alternatively, how it's a big waste of time and hard drive space). But what is raw?

A raw file, unlike a JPEG, is not an image. Rather, a raw file contains the information necessary to create an image. The information it contains was obtained at the time the particular photograph was made. Raw is often referred to as a digital negative since it is not usable without processing. The great advantage of a raw file is that it contains all of the information collected by the sensor when the photograph was taken. A JPEG, on the other hand, has compressed and discarded a significant portion of this data. This makes the raw file much more flexible than its processed counterpart. Raw files are also edited non-destructively, which means that you can do pretty much whatever you want to them without causing a decrease in the file quality (and you can't accidentally do something awful to your image and then save over the original, forever ruining it!). Basically, when you edit a raw file, you're just telling it how to display (and eventually create) the image it holds information about, without actually altering the file data. JPEGs, on the other hand, tend to degrade whenever you edit them, and because they have less information to begin with, you are more limited in the edits you can make.

Developing a raw file using darktable for Windows

More data, more flexibility, and non-destructive editing--sounds great, right? Unfortunately, there are a few disadvantages to shooting raw. First, raw files are significantly larger than JPEG files, so they will take up more space on your memory card (in camera) and your computer (after transfer) than the corresponding JPEG. Second, raw files require processing with specialised software. Processing will require additional time in your workflow (although once you are familiar with your raw processor, it can be quite fast), and many raw processors have a significant learning curve. If you don't get to know your raw processor well, your images may not look as good after processing as they would have if you'd just let your camera do all the work in the first place. Third, if you want to shoot many images in quick succession, shooting raw will limit you, because the larger files take up more space in the camera buffer.

So should you, as a fibre artist, shoot in raw? Ultimately, it's your decision, but here are some questions to consider:

• Does your camera even let you shoot raw? Many--and perhaps even most--do, but check your manual if you're not sure. If not, you're stuck with JPEG.
• Are you willing to learn to use a new piece of software? If not, stick with JPEG.
• Do you have very limited storage space for your image files? If so, you probably want to stick with JPEG.
• Are you interested in photography beyond your fibre art needs? If so, consider raw.
• Do you typically edit your JPEG files? If so, consider raw.
• Do you often forget to set your white balance in camera? If so, consider raw--you can change it when you develop your raw file without degrading your image.
• Do you frequently mess up your exposure, or shoot in uneven lighting conditions or with a broad dynamic range? If so, consider raw--you'll be able to recover a lot of extra image data.
• Do you want the highest possible image quality? If so, shoot raw.
• Are you just curious what all the fuss is about? Try raw!

Still undecided, not so confident in your processing abilities, or generally happy with your out-of-camera images yet occasionally wish you had more flexibility? If you have enough storage space, consider shooting raw + JPEG. This gives you the best of both worlds--JPEG files that are ready to go, but raw files that can be edited to your heart's content if you so desire. When I first started shooting raw, this was the method I chose. Now that I'm more comfortable with raw processing, I typically shoot only in raw because I like to develop my own images, although I do sometimes make exceptions for various reasons.

Earlier in my foray into raw processing, I used Canon's proprietary raw development software, Digital Photo Professional [DPP]. One of its benefits is that (as far as I can tell), your starting point for editing your raw file is the same as the JPEG you would have gotten out of your camera. Personally, I now find DPP rather limiting, but it was a nice way for me to ease into developing raw files. If you don't shoot a Canon camera you won't be able to use DPP, but you may want to look into whether your camera brand has its own raw processing software (most do), and see if you like it.

If you're interested in shooting raw, you can check out my post about raw processing software here. I hope you found this a helpful introduction to raw files. Happy shooting!

One Skein Photo Challenge: 11/52

I can't believe I'm more than 1/5 through my one skein photo challenge (and that means we're more than 1/5 through the year, I think...). This one isn't perfect, but it's close to what I was trying for last week, so I'll count it as a success. Would have done a better edit, but it is late!

37mm, 3.2" @ f/18, ISO 100, manually-fired flash

Cheers!

Ten Signs Your Photography is Improving

I removed a pole from my husband's head while I was shooting him the other day.

Okay, so what I actually did was change my position while taking pictures of him when I realised that there was a telephone pole centred behind his head in the photo, and that not moving would make the final photo look as though he was growing said pole from his head. But it happened on a day when I was feeling particularly discouraged. My photographs were boring, and I was still fumbling with my buttons, and I'd just tried to handhold a shot with too slow a shutter speed for my focal length, because I'd been lazy about changing my settings to match the lens I'd just put on my camera.

Removing that telephone pole gave me hope, because seeing it in the first place means that I'm seeing better now than I was a few weeks ago. A few weeks ago, all of my photos would have had that pole growing out of his head, rather than only the first few.

Progress in photography is sometimes, but not always, visible in your photographs. So what are some ways to know that you're growing in your craft? Here are ten (but there are many more).

1. Your photos look better.

This one doesn't need much explanation. Your photos look better because you're better, and you rely less on luck.

154mm; 1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 1600
It's not perfect, but a few months ago, I would not have seen this shot.

2. Your photos look worse.

This isn't always a sign of growth, but it certainly can be. Maybe your photos look worse because you're starting to take more control over your camera settings. Maybe you're experimenting with angles instead of sticking to what's safe. Maybe you're using a new lens with a new focal length, and you're not used to its effects on your photos. Maybe you're shooting Raw and working on your Raw developing/post-processing skills. Whatever the reason, your photos might look a whole lot worse shortly before they start to look a whole lot better.

3. Your photos look like you expect them to look.

If you can envision your shot before you take it, and the shot you take looks like your vision, you are well on your way to mastering photography (but maybe it's time to experiment with a new focal length or a new technique some of the time).

4. You notice objects in the background and edges of your frame before you shoot.

We're really good at seeing only our subject, and ignoring detritus and distractions. Learning to see like a photographer includes looking at every corner of the frame and deciding which elements you want to include and exclude. Fewer shots with distractions in the corners or with trees growing out of people's heads demonstrates progress!

5. You crop less.

This is related to the previous two points. If you know what your photo will look like, and you have excluded unwanted elements from the frame, you'll find yourself having to crop your image much less frequently. You'll get the framing right in camera instead.

250mm; 1/320 @ f/5.6, ISO 2000
Framed exactly how I wanted it in camera.

6. You are able to offer more detailed critiques of photos.

Part of seeing is being able to see elements within the final shot--whether it's your photo or another person's. When you start to be able to see why a photo works or doesn't, including little things like a distracting blob of colour in the background or a nuanced use of supplementary light, you'll also be better at seeing these things through your lens and adjusting--or not--accordingly.

194mm; 1/500 @ f/5.6, ISO 2000
I am now able to see how much stronger this shot would have been if I'd shifted an inch or two to the right.

7. You think more before you shoot.

You don't just "spray and pray". You think about what you want to capture, what angle might best allow you to do so, and perhaps even whether it's worth pressing the shutter button. Basically, you weed out a lot of your shots before you even take them (but don't go overboard on this! Taking "sketch images", as David duChemin calls them, is usually an important part of the process).

171mm; 1/500 @ f/5.6, ISO 2000
Intentionally isolated against a simple background after carefully considering multiple angles.

8. You adjust your settings with intentionality.

You choose to shoot with a certain aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, rather than just letting them happen. You consider what metering mode might be the most helpful. You decide which autofocus mode best suits your needs, or you switch to manual focus if your camera is struggling. Your camera is there to serve your vision, rather than to confuse you.

9. You think about the light in your shot.

You consider where the light is coming from and how that will affect your subject. You judge whether the light is hard or soft, and you plan your shot accordingly. You consider whether the light suits your purpose, or if you need to change it in some way.

10. You modify the light in your shot.

You're in a situation with light that doesn't meet your needs--so you change it. You move your subject to shade. You add light with a reflector or a flash. You flag the light. Basically, you make the light do what you want it to do, instead of simply doing what it's already doing.

How have you known that your photography was improving? What improvement are you seeing right now?

One Skein Photo Challenge: 10/52

This week's one skein photo challenge was a bit of a failure, but I learned a lot about light in the process. I almost had it figured out when I was interrupted by a roaming toddler (not the one who poured juice on my laptop last night...). Maybe I'll get it right next time. I think it's as valuable to post my failures as it is to post my wins.

35mm; 5.0" @ f/7.1, ISO 400, manually pulsed flash

One Skein Photo Challenge: 8/52; 9/52

Still coughing up a storm, but back in the saddle for my one skein photo challenge. Not happy with any of the things I tried this week, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast. They generated some ideas, at least; I just didn't have time to execute the newer, possibly better, ideas. But maybe it's a valuable exercise anyway, to get from here to there.

Two photos to make up for last week's sick days. Playing with focus. Intentionally unfocused (manual) in the first shot. Intentional camera motion blur in the second shot--panning a still subject with a long exposure, although you can't see much of the motion.

50mm, 1/50, f/1.8, ISO 1600

50mm, 1", f/6.3, ISO 400