Maine Coon Cat iphone portrait

Maine Coon Cat, "M on Forehead" Grey, Fur coming out of very pointy ears, domestic house pet, posing for portrait.

This was taken as Freddie jumped up in a very playful mood looking a little mischievous and ready to play. There was no time to grab a camera and having an iphone nearby an exposure was made. I really liked the pose however it was flawed in many ways.

There was a yellow tungsten lighting effect caused by the iphone being set for a daylight type exposure. Without getting too technical we should try briefly to explain "color temperature:" The higher the color temperature, the bluer the light. The lower the color temperature, the more yellow to red the light.  Tungsten incandescent, light bulb temperature, 1800-2600°K

The image was converted to Black and white (below) now It looks a little better after the yellow cast was removed but still left room for improvement. Converting it to B/W gave it a daylight effect, for practical purposes to have a color temperature of 5000 degrees Kelvin (5000°K) or your default setting on your digital camera, balanced for ±5000°K.

 

Using software PS3, I was able to add contrast to the scene and texture to the surrounding area putting a little more detail in the foreground and drawing more interest to the subject. A ragged border added adds more interest.

 

Turning the image to black and white again put interest back on Freddie. Which technique do you think works best?

©2011 David Zanzinger, all rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines for violation. Call 310-980-5156 for assignments, licensing and more information. Thank you very much. david@zanzinger.com

Gay & Lesbian L.A.; Pride Festival 2011 Portraits

Gay & Lesbian; Gay Pride; Parade; L.A.; Pride Festival 2011; West Hollywood; 41st Annual WeHo Portraits

 

Diva dressed in Red and Black
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LA Pride 2011 Participant 

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Lady Gaga waxed it up at Los Angeles Pride 2011
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LA Pride 2011 Participant,

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LA Pride 2011 Participant,

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LA Pride 2011 Participant,

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Gloria Allred greeting spectators

©2011 David Zanzinger, all rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines for violation. Call 310-980-5156 for assignments, licensing and more information. Thank you. david@zanzinger.com

LA City Walkabout Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA

Abbot Kinney Boutiques; Shops;  Art Galleries; ; Furniture, Stores, Antiques, Venice; California

 

Colcha, home, lifestyle boutique, Venice, Ca, chic, rustic, furniture

 

 

Gebert, Contemporary Art Gallery, Abbot Kinney Blvd,. in the heart of Venice, CA.

 

  

Green House, Smoke Shop, Abbot Kinney, Venice, CA, cool pipes, cigars, smoking accessories 

 

Ms. Vintage, clothing store, Abbot Kinney Blvd., collectors, vintage design, art, furniture, clothing, quilts, recycling, stylish vintage items

 

Ten Women Gallery, paintings, prints, Mosaic mirrors, decorative objects 

Dim Sum, Truck, gourmet food truck, Abbot Kinney, Venice, Ca,

Principessa,  Womens Clothing,  Boutique

©2011 David Zanzinger, all rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines for violation. Call 310-980-5156 for assignments, licensing and more information. Thank you. david@zanzinger.com

The Art of HDR photography

High dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The two main sources of HDR imagery are computer renderings and merging of multiple photographs, the latter of which in turn are individually referred to as low-dynamic-range LDR or standard-dynamic-range SDR photographs.
Tone-mapping techniques, which reduce overall contrast to facilitate display of HDR images on devices with lower dynamic range, can be applied to produce images with preserved or exaggerated local contrast for artistic effect. (Wikipedia)

"This technique is used to capture and represent the full (as possible) Dynamic Range found in a scene with high perceptual accuracy and precision. Many imaging experts regard HDR photography as the future of digital photography.

Haunting, surreal, and possibly the first major way in which digital photography does something which film photography can’t emulate – or even come near.  High Dynamic Range  photography is nothing new, but as new tools and techniques make the art form more available, HDR photography is taking off in a big way". (Haje Jan Kamps)

Before above

 

 

Tommy Bahama, Clothing Store and Restaurant, The Gardens, El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA

All Available light, no additional lights added, Post production enhanced 

PS3, LR3, HDR, Photomatix, three exposures, + 2, N,  -2

Before above

 

Pacifica Restaurant, The Gardens, El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA 

All Available light, no additional lights added, Post production enhanced HDR, Photomatix, one exposure

Before above

 

Anthropoligie, The Gardens, El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA 

All Available light, no additional lights added, Post production enhanced HDR, Photomatix, one exposure

Before above

 

Williams - Sonoma, Kitchen, Bath & Decor, El Paseo Drive, Palm Desert, CA, 

All Available light, no additional lights added, post production 

PS3, LR3, HDR, Photomatix, three exposures, + 2, N,  -2

a Flickr search for ‘HDR’ filtered by ‘most interesting’ is a great way to get some awesome inspiration.

©2011 David Zanzinger, all rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines for violation. Call 310-980-5156 for assignments, licensing and more information. Thank you very much. david@zanzinger.com

Simple solution...it's not always what you think...

I get asked this many many times....a client wants to move a low priced property quickly and is stuck with a "not so good image"...... what should they do? Re-shooting is not an option, not only does it cost more but they have limited access....can you help?  My answer is yes and it's not as bad as you would think. Here is a good example.....

As you can see the Palm trees are cut off and it's very very dark on the patio and it was shot in the shade with no detail in the condo. The water seems like the selling point as it draws more attention and the sky is totally blown out...... my solution....see below...

 

This is the same image...... after decreasing the foreground (water) for the client and adding a little to the sky I  gave it room by adding the palm tree on top....saturation also played a role as it was shot in the shade and the only sun was on top of the mountains. So don't get discouraged there is always a solution if you take time and look for it. If you have a similar problem feel free to drop me a line and perhaps we can fix it inexpensively instead of having to re-photograph it.

©2011 David Zanzinger, all rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines for violation. Call 310-980-5156 for assignments, licensing and more information. Thank you very much. david@zanzinger.com