When things just work together… Part one of my new post processing routine.

by sesame on May 15, 2012

Probably because it does not often happen in real life raising 3 kids, I just love it when things work well together on a regular basis.

For the longest time I was shooting RAW + JPEG and just working on the JPEGs. I was storing the RAW files in case I needed better resolution images in the future, but editing the JPEGs as they were pretty darn close to what I wanted SOOC. I spend a lot of time customizing the JPEG settings in my camera for that very reason. With my pre-shot adjustments, the RAW files were being turned into the images I saw (and loved) on my LCD when I opened the JPEGs in Photoshop. Not so much with any of the RAW processing software though. In ACR and Lightroom, the files looked completely different from each other and more importantly from the LCD. The most frustrating aspect was the unpredictability so each time I edited something I found the images were being translated in slightly different ways. Some with high contrast and yet others looked washed out. I did not have the time to work it all out, so I had to make a choice. Was I going to sit at the computer fighting with software to get JPEGs from my RAW files to look like the LCD or was I just going to skip that step and keep editing the JPEGs that came out of my camera? Going back up to the first line of this post, I have three kids so that meant I did not have the luxury of time to play nor the desire to do so.

I was happy with my JPEGs as I was really striving to get the exposure and white balance right in camera leaving only small edits in Photoshop.

But then I heard about Nikon’s Capture NX2 software and was intrigued. I mean I had heard about it before, but this mention came at a time when I was completely open to it. I think that was the key. So my fellow Nikon shooters, I am speaking to you. If you are looking for something that works perfectly with your camera and image files, this is your sign to open up to one. more. product. (If you are happy with your processing routine, I am not trying to change you…I have just been asked to share what changed for me this past years, so here come the posts!)

On Mother’s Day I took one photo of my kids with my D3 before I put it in the trunk of our car and captured the day on my camera phone because I thought for sure those rain clouds would actually produce rain. The shot is so them. Our loud clown, our serious one and our devilish imp. One shot was all I needed. I looked at the back of my camera and liked what I saw so I knew I had my gift in one frame. I was confident that when I came home I could load that image into Nikon’s Capture NX 2 and see just what I saw on the LCD. No surprises and no big editing to do. The changes may be subtle and maybe you like the ACR version better…the point of this post is that that I have the camera set to what I want the image to look like and this software translates that accurately every time and if you shoot Nikon, you can too.

SOOC with only the adjustments the RAW processing software placed on the file.

I planned on having this post up yesterday, but if any of you follow my Instagram you will see that life got in the way of plans once again. I am going to do some screen capture videos for you as this image was edited fully in Capture NX 2. I never had to touch Photoshop. Stay tuned…

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It is time for my 10 on 10 and this month it will be the Phone-tography edition.

by sesame on May 10, 2012

It is no secret that I have been loving the ability to do Instagram from my phone now that it is on the Android platform.  What does that have to do with the 10 on 10 series, you may be wondering… Well, this month is another that has slipped by me. I have been working on the Beyond Snapshots Twitter party that we are doing tomorrow and I have also been putting together the agendas for the Workshops in the states and Blogopolis in Sydney. All of that while operating with one fewer days of childcare for the twins (too bad they are too young to be put to work.) That means that this 10 is all as instant as possible. I still adore this monthly project and I appreciate giving myself the task of picking a theme as that made it easy to go Instagram / Camera Phone for May. As always, follow the blog links at the end of each post to discover how the other photographers in this series spent a recent ten hours in their part of the world!
I started the night before thinking I would get three shots in before my bedtime, but alas…

8PM :: Shower Time & 9PM :: Getting Grapes

7AM :: View From My Bed & 8AM :: Supergirl Ready For Kinder

9AM :: Just As The Bell Rang & 10:45AM :: Mandarin Off The Tree

11:15 AM :: CatKiss & 12:50PM :: Outside Play

1:45PM :: The Playroom & 2:05PM :: The Stairs

Now off you go to see what the gorgeous Mary Collier | Central Washington Family Photographer, has been up to this month!

All images taken with my HTC Desire (an Android phone) and edited only with the various filters on Instagram. I was able to pull all my images from my Instagram account and download them for backup (and this post) with Instarchive.

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Let’s talk photography…online and in person!

by sesame on May 2, 2012

Yay! I am super excited! I love to talk… especially about photography.

Something we are working on right now is a Twitter party on photography. The Beyond Snapshots team will be on hand (online) in conjunction with the amazing folks at Clickin Moms for a whole hour on May 10th 8pm EST in the USA (which translates to 10 AM on the 11th of May here in Melbourne) to answer your questions! There are a lot of amazing sponsors that have come on board to provide party prizes. Companies like: Design Aglow, My Funky Camera, Smug Mug and Clickin Moms. Make sure you register your Twitter handle (by clicking here) before the party to be eligible to win one of the prizes on offer! That link has all the details you will need as well.

Start thinking about what you want to know and to help us prepare to best use that hour help you, submit question ahead of time on our Beyond Snapshots Facebook page!

Meredith, Peta and I are putting together the workshops for NYC and Los Angeles as well. These are going to be so full of information and your chance to work one on one with both Peta and I in studio. A workshop like this does not happen often, so don’t miss your chance to join us. There will not be a lot of sitting around during these 2 day events with the live shoots, one-on-one portfolio reviews, workflow demonstrations, blogging, design and more! We only have you for 2 days and there is A LOT to go over. Luckily there will be a private “after party” online included with your registration fees where we can gather and catch up when we are all back home and settled.

Peta shoots Canon and works on Mac. I shoot Nikon and work on PC. We both might even bring a roll of film or two…we have got you (and what you want to shoot) covered.

So what are you waiting for? We can’t wait to work with you!

 

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Welcome to my camera bag, Nikon SB-700!

by sesame on May 1, 2012

For almost two years I have been using flash ONLY when ABSOLUTELY necessary. Not because I don’t like flash or think it is something to be feared, but because my SB-600 had met an untimely end on a concrete floor during a shoot. I had an old film flash, but I had to use it only in manual as it was not compatible with the digital camera bodies. It was so powerful that I found it really hard to control the light and give me the reliable fill that I had grown to love with the SB-600. Also, I had my studio lights for the big jobs, so I could make do. This past weekend though saw two shoots where I knew I was going to need my old friend, Easy Phill, (don’t look at me like you don’t name your photography gear as well) and so I set out to find a replacement.

I was ready.

It had been long enough.

After researching rentals and buying overseas, I happened on a great deal for a (hardly) used SB-700 through Camera Exchange here in Melbourne. I am instantly in love again… with Phyll.
When I posted about it on Instagram, I was surprised to see so many people want to see the shots and know how I use the flash out in the mid-day sun. I love the flash for this type of shooting as it is easy to reduce those harsh shadows and get a nice balanced exposure. Is it something I would use every time I do a session? No, but it is glorious to have the option.  As I have said many times before…I love using any light that is available to me. I am that kind of available light photographer.

Above are two shots without any Photoshop work done to them. They are just outtakes from a shoot I did on Sunday for an upcoming blog post. I processed them from RAW to JPEG and that is it. They did not even need much of anything in the Capture NX2 program besides a bit of white balance fine tuning. I think the flash just gives it the extra bit of light I needed without too much of that “flash” look. My trick in this midday full sun situation is to get the exposure of the background first (hand held Sekonic meter for that), setting my camera manually for that reading and then letting the flash sort out the math of the output with TTL setting. I knew that I could shoot at the faster shutter speeds (the D3 will sync flash up to 1/250sec) and still record the ambient light as there was (obviously) and abundance of it so I set my exposure with shutter speed as the main deciding factor. Really, for me, using flash is about convenience without changing my style. I don’t always do the direct flash outside, but that is what I did for these. I am happy to answer any specific questions. Look for the rest of the images on here next week!

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Thanks to forgetting, I am still on holiday in my mind with so many photos.

by sesame on April 28, 2012

I forgot to download the little Minox camera shots from our holiday over Easter, so this morning I get to sit at my computer and revisit our trip once again. It is kind of like finding a roll of undeveloped film in a drawer.

All images taken on the Minox and run through Snapseed for desktop. I love the grain, the funky colors and the ease… Shooting with the Minox is such a departure from my work photography and even just my daily life photo-blogging where the search for perfection (what is that really and who decides the parameters anyway?) sometimes gets in the way of everything else that I love about taking pictures. I see so much talk now on the internets about all the things that people perceive as “ruining” real photography like the apps and the actions and the this and the that, but it isn’t ruined…just expanding. This is my “real” photography, just another aspect of it and just like my film photographs of years ago it is imperfect. They tell the story so well though and that is what I strive to do with my photographs. This is the easy, messy, light filled journey that I want to remember.

There is a lot of stuff that I am working on and that has made it hard to get here and post as much as I want to be posting. You can keep up with daily photos over on Instagram :: sesameellis too.
AND get your questions ready because Beyond Snapshots is having a Twitter party co-hosted by Clickin Moms! Peta and I will be talking about all things photography, so click here to get the most up to date info and register (to be eligible for the awesome giveaways) your Twitter handle.

There are a bunch of other really cool things coming up that I will be telling you about here (like speaking on photography at Blogopolis in Sydney and our Beyond Snapshots NYC and LA workshops – 2 photographers talking commercial, portrait and blogging photography!!!!), but until then, I better get the laundry in and shower before my shoot tonight!

 

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Nutritious and fun for the soul. A great combo.

by sesame on April 24, 2012

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang and Yoplait

I think there must be a part of every ex-pat soul that feels the need to keep moving. The problem is that when we move and get settled, daily life takes over and the responsibilities of school and work and feeding the cat keep us in that one place. We have really been feeling that travel pull lately so this Easter holiday we decided to hit the road on a mission to explore as a family.

We felt it was important to get away from home so we could really switch our frame of mind. We had a week together and reserved a cabin up the NSW coast for a simple holiday experience. The vacation goal was to spend as much time outside playing and swimming and only coming in when the sun set. Now, seven (plus!) hours in the car with only recently potty trained twins and a seven year old who has sulking down to an art was ambitious, but Australia is a big gorgeous country and we are determined to experience it. It was not long out of Melbourne that we already had one side of the road emergency toilet break. It was not much farther down the road when the calls of “HUNGRY!” started from the backseat. We were on a mission to get there with as few stops as possible so I just broke out the giant bag of snacks packed from home. That kept them all pretty happy until we stopped for lunch and an adventure walk at Lake’s Entrance. Finding a huge nest and an abandoned egg on the beach was the highlight. While I was pretty sure it was a swan’s nest, Kieran would like to believe it belonged to an Iguanadon.

Back in the car we plied the kids with a few more snacks and multiple (MULTIPLE) repeats of their favorite song. My kids are not above a cliché, so they began to ask “Are we there yet?” about an hour or so out of our final destination. We filled at least another half hour of the drive with“I Spy” which is hilarious, by the way, when played with two three year olds who really only know the beginning letters of maybe 8 words total. So despite driving through winding thick forest, if Kieran said he spied something starting with an “H” it was always a “house” and if Clover saw something starting with a “K” it was “Kieran.” That left us with one hour to fill with whining and a rogue bee sting. Seriously, who besides me gets stung by a bee on the leg in the car at 8PM??????? But we got to Merimbula safe and sound (although at least me, a bit swollen).

The small cottage in a holiday park that we rented for the week is perfect for us with bunks for the kids and a full kitchen so we can make our own meals. There was even a grill on the front porch so we cooked dinner while the kids rode their bikes and scooters with the temporary neighborhood kids.

Clover has dubbed it “Our Tiny House” and I felt like we traveled seven hours not up the coast, but rather back in time to the 1970′s. Every day we woke up slowly and enjoyed breakfast in the beautiful light of sunrise out on the front deck watching the sea from our clifftop location. Stocking up our tiny kitchen at the local grocery store meant not only saving money on eating out, but less crazy rushing to get into the car and out to a restaurant with the kids.

We did treat ourselves a few times during the week, but mostly with lunch as we were already out and about during the day. We want the kids to enjoy nutritious treats like their favorite yogurt without having to pack up everything each time they get hungry, so we packed a small cooler before we left the cabin.

All the playing and just being outdoors all day really does bring out their appetites and being prepared with snacks meant more relaxing time for the grownups! Mornings and evening we were happily back at our tiny house. There is nothing that we had to do except be together. This trip has inspired us to commit to more family days out when we are back home in Melbourne. We don’t need to go far as long as we are focusing on feeding the things that bring joy to our family. First up we participated in the Nuffnang Yoplait Family Day Out in Melbourne last Saturday where we will enjoyed a French style picnic and lots of other fun under the Autumn skies with Melbourne blogging families.  The Sydney Nuffnang Yoplait Family Day Out is happening this weekend, but we are not able to make it up to that one. The events are free, but are open to Nuffnang bloggers and their families only.

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Work Life Balance?

by sesame on April 17, 2012

How do I balance it all? That is a question that I get asked a lot. My only answer is that I never balance, I blend. I merge. I shuffle life and work together like a deck of cards. It is how I never get tired of taking photos or really run out of ideas because photography is not just my work, but a daily part of my life.
That means that it never ends though. I am always behind and never caught up because every moment is the middle. I don’t get a break from life, but the moment I stopped trying to balance it all and just live it, I relaxed. It hit me today while I was trying to get it all done. That part about it never being done and that it is more than ok, it is lucky. I love what I do and I get time to do it. Raise my kids, photograph life and just be. So I take my camera and I just do what I do and try to keep up. Having my camera with me all the time means being able to store moments as they happen to draw on later when I really need them…like this view of the sea.

And today, I needed this view of the sea.
My D3 is at The Camera Clinic getting cleaned up as I have a ton of shooting to do starting on the weekend. I still took photos though. I could not stop myself, I just used my phone. And now that Instagram is available for Android, I can enjoy my phone-tography fully too.

I do wish that I could go to an office and then shut the door at the end of the work day. I crave that separation sometimes, but it is not my life and instead of wishing to change it, I get things done when I can. I am working on my ability to go with the flow, so until further notice I fold laundry while I plan Beyond Snapshots workshops, edit photo shoots, blog and smile.

The first event is actually this weekend in Melbourne so if you are around, please come in and say hello!

 

 

 

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Down to the wire… 10 on 10 the (almost late) all Australian edition

by sesame on April 10, 2012

These images were all shot on a day when were were happily holidaying away up in Merimbula, New South Wales. We got an early start and took an adventurous day trip to the local dairy farm (ice cream and cheese, Kieran was in heaven), stumbled on some Australian wildlife, followed that by a hike up to some (very cold mountain water filled) rock pools by a gorgeous waterfall and finished up with a dip in the (delightfully heated) holiday park swimming pool. I am pretty sure we will be back to this spot and next time, I will buy myself a wet suit. Ever since my 3 month struggle with pneumonia last year, I get an asthmatic tight chest in cold water.
Despite shooting these way in advance this month, I am barely getting them edited and up on the blog in time! I even broke the rules here a bit by posting more than 10 lines of images. We were very busy relaxing and there was a lot (the ridiculous amount of times one needs to take potty training children to the loo for example) I wanted to remember. I am just discovering this country and my heart still skips a beat in disbelief when I see a kangaroo. I just could not cut anymore shots this month.
Here is the day…well, 10 hours of it.

Follow the 10 on 10 blog journey by clicking the link to another photographer in each post. My link sends you off to: Kellie Hatcher | Maui Family Photographer. Complete the circle of beautiful blog entries and you will end up right back here.

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I live for the sea.

April 9, 2012

My children feel the same. Kieran happily became our gull chaser keeping our lunch safe from those sneaky winged bandits.   I already miss the beach as I upload the cards of holiday photos onto the computer. Warming up my soul by editing a quick few shots on this decidedly autumn Monday…the last official day of this [...]

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Home. And Back.

April 8, 2012

We had a wonderful vacation in a tiny house up the coast of New South Wales. There will be stories and photos galore, but for now I am uploading one shot of my silly three doing their best “Sally Mann’s kids” on our last night at the beach. Wishing you and your family a wonderful [...]

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