A good image should grab you.

Inspiration, Teaching point

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A good image should grab you.

If you have to read a book, or attend a class, or visit an art gallery in order to appreciate an image, then it has failed as an image.

Simple as that.

You may need to do all of the above in order to understand some images (symbolism, context, references, etc.) but that’s a different issue because, though you may not understand an image, you may still appreciate it as a form of expression.

Photography is a visual art after all.

The first — and most important — order of appreciation for any image (photo, painting, etc.) is therefore at the visual level.  If it doesn’t pass that test, it’s literally not worth looking at.

—Peter.

Follow-up: Getty Images.

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

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[Now that my iMac is down, I’m taking the opportunity to catch up on some of my writing.]

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Back in April, I mentioned that Getty Images, the well-known distributor of image content, was interested in about 40 of my images.

At the time, I was wondering whether I should go ahead and license my images to them.  Since most of them involve people, the paperwork involved for submission was going to be a bit of a hassle.

After pondering it, and also taking into consideration some of your comments, I decided to submit just three.

After that, I kind of forgot about the whole thing.

Well, while I was away in August, I received an e-mail from Getty informing me that the rights to one of those images, Christmas at the Toronto Beach (the image above) had been purchased, and that I would be receiving a royalty payment for it some time in October.

Sure enough, the payment arrived a couple of days ago.

The amount:  US$154.50.

After accessing the Getty Contributor website yesterday, I learned that this amount represents 30% of the total Getty was paid, and that my image was licensed for world-wide usage, for a duration of two years.

The intended use?  Greeting cards (my guess is that you’ll see it on a Christmas card near you).

This was a bit of a learning experience for me, so I’m glad I did it.  Having said that, I don’t know if I’ll be submitting any more images to Getty.

I hope that this post was of interest to those of you considering licensing your own images.

—Peter.

My Apple computer is down (but not out).

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

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I’m currently having trouble with my almost 3 yr old iMac.

It’s faithfully helped me post-process all of the images you’ve seen on this site, both film and digital, but over the last few months it has slowed down to a crawl.

Often it just freezes, necessitating a re-start.

So, I had it checked out over the weekend and it turns out that the hard drive needs replacing.  It since has been sitting in my local Apple store, and is currently in “repair” status, so I haven’t been able to process any new images.  Instead, I’ve been posting my previously prepared images using another computer.

(The “spice” has to keep flowing, after all…)

As it turns out, I’m not the only one with the same problem…  a few days ago, I received a message from Apple, stating:

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Dear iMac owner,

Apple has determined that certain 1TB Seagate hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011.

Our records show that you have an iMac with an affected 1TB Seagate hard drive. Apple will replace your hard drive with a new one, free of charge, under the iMac 1TB Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program.

Please choose one of the following options to get a replacement hard drive.

• Apple Retail Store – Set up an appointment with a Genius.
• Apple Authorized Service Provider – Find one here.
• Apple Technical Support – Contact us for local service options.

Apple recommends replacing your affected hard drive as soon as possible. Before you go in for service, please back up your data. Learn more about backup options.

Additional Information

You will need to have the original Mac OS installation discs that were shipped with your iMac in order to reinstall your operating system, other applications, and any backed up data after your hard drive is replaced.

This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iMac.

Apple will replace affected 1TB Seagate hard drives, free of charge, for three years from your iMac’s original date of purchase or until April 12, 2013, whichever provides longer coverage for you. Apple will continue to evaluate service data and provide extensions to this program as needed.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Apple Inc.

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So, if you’re having trouble with your iMac, check to see if yours is affected.

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As an aside, along with the hard drive fix, my computer screen is also being replaced free of charge (thank you AppleCare), because it started developing some horizontal dark banding in the upper left corner.

I guess I could complain about my computer falling apart, but instead I’m pleased that Apple is standing behind its product, and its extended warranty.  Thank you Apple.

And, since I intend on holding on to my Leica M9, I don’t have a pressing need to upgrade this iMac.  Hopefully, when I get it back, it will give me a few more years of service.

—Peter.

Q&A: My images, my approach, and Leica.

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

“Hello Peter.

I was reading Steve’s [SteveHuffPhoto.com] and [this] led me to your wonderful pictures. Then [this] led me [to] thinking how do you shoot?

Do you “wear” your camera? Do you have those “one-a-day” projects?

And I LOVE your 21+1 from ’12 and 11 from ’11.

Then it led me to think again. Are the pictures “out-of-the-camera”?

Do you use photo shop to achieve those colours? Or it that really Leica magic?

Keefe.”

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Hi Keefe,

I often “wear” my camera, but I don’t really have a “one-a-day” project (having said that, I often post a photo every day on my site).

None of my photos are presented as they emerge out of the camera.  I shoot in DNG (RAW) format which produces rather nondescript files, so it’s up to me to work with the images and shape them as I see fit.

I use Aperture with Nik plug-ins for my post-processing.

And I try to learn as I go along… continuously.

As for Leica magic?  For me… yes.  It’s a combination of having a camera that suits my shooting style and that is accompanied by great optics.

Thanks for writing,

—Peter.

My 21 favourites from ’12.

Favourite, Inspiration, Life's Little Moments

This week, I looked back at all of my images from 2012.

As I do every year, I tried to pick out my favourites (the last time I did this, I posted my 11 from 2011).

This time, I ended up with 21 images (well, really 21 + 1 ;)).

They are not necessarily my technical best, and they are not necessarily my most popular, but they are all near and dear to my heart — mostly because they involve my family.

And they are all examples of what I like to call, Life’s Little Moments.

I hope you enjoy them.

—Peter.

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Prosophos-1

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Prosophos-2

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Prosophos-3

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Prosophos-4

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Prosophos-5

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Prosophos-6

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Prosophos-7

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Prosophos-8

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Prosophos-9

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Prosophos-10

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Prosophos-11

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Prosophos-12

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Prosophos-13

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Prosophos-14

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Prosophos-15

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Prosophos-16

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Prosophos-17

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Prosophos-18

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Prosophos-19

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Prosophos-20

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Prosophos-21

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Prosophos-22

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Please donate to this site.

Please show your appreciation!

If you’ve been inspired by these images, or any of my articles, please consider making a contribution to help me run this site.  Whether it’s $5, $10, or $15… it all helps.

Donate to this site (button)

This site is a labour of love, but any help I receive will help me devote more time to running it.

Thanks,

—Peter.

Q&A: 1-on-1 Teaching Sessions for post-processing?

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

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“Hi Peter,

I love your work.

Read your article about shooting your family with the best gear on Steve Huff. I am located in [USA] and wonder if you have any private sessions on editing digital photos rather than walking sessions. Just wondering what that might cost… Thanks a ton.

Pete.”

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I’m often asked about my post-processing (see a previous Q&A here) and sometimes get a request — like the one from Pete above — to use my  1-on-1 teaching sessions as a tutorial for post-processing.

I therefore thought it might be useful to post my response to Pete:

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Hi Pete,

Thank you for writing.

To answer your question, I’ve always thought of the 1-on-1 teaching as an opportunity to teach anything… and I often do.

The only problem with teaching my post-processing is that I don’t follow a “cookbook” approach.  It’s a creative thing, so it doesn’t lend itself well to a “Step1, Step 2…” approach.

Having said that, I do have some techniques that I’ve developed over the years.

I’d be open to teaching them, but I would need you to supply a laptop loaded with Apperture (or Lightroom) and some of the Nik plug-ins (not absolutely necessary).  My fee would have to be the same for 2 hours, as I charge for time and not content.  And then you’d have to figure in your own travel costs.

So, as you can see, it would be pricey for you.  I will leave it up to you as to whether you think it’s worth it.

Either way, thanks again for writing, and for your kind words.

Cheers,

Peter.

Answer to: Film or Digital?

Inspiration, Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH FLE f/1.4, Teaching point

Yesterday, I posted an image and posed the question: Film or Digital?

To those of you who submitted a guess, thank you.  I know it’s difficult to go out on a limb like that, especially when you have the option of safely viewing the proceedings from a distance.

For what it’s worth, the final tally of guesses was:

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Digital: 10

Film: 8

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An almost even split!  Moreover, some who chose digital stated that the image looks like film, and vice versa.  This confirms what I suspected: this was a difficult image to identify.

So, without further delay, the answer is:

Digital

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↑Leica M9, ISO 400, and Leica 35mm Summilux FLE @ f/1.4.

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The above screen shot is of the original M9 file, opened in Aperture.

To stack the odds towards conveying a film look, I chose a scene in which the subject matter had a retro vibe about it.  Then I post-processed the image to B&W.  The “grain” seen in the finished image (to the right, in the shadows) is actually digital noise that has emerged from selective lightening, and that has been post-processed to look like film grain.  More or less.

Some of you were impressed by it.  Some of you commented that it did not “feel” like film grain, and so guessed digital.  I believe it’s in fact the quality of film grain, among a few other things, that usually identifies the medium… but I have occasionally been fooled.

Once again, I thought the simulation in this example was pretty good.

As an aside, a few of you remarked that you were viewing yesterday’s post on a phone screen, which means that the process of evaluating for any nuances in image quality would have been difficult, if not impossible.

I guess many of our photos are being viewed on smartphones or tablets these days, so it’s something I should keep in mind when posting such comparative-type evaluations.

—Peter.