100X100 – episode 17

A blessing or a curse?

So far I haven’t really made up my mind about the role and usefulness of ‘creative filters’ in post-processing. Sure, they are my go-to tools for B&W conversions and HDR processing, and I will use them without hesitation as long as their effect on the final image is subtle and seemingly non-existent. Based on that same logic, I will rarely include Photoshop in my workflow, except for ‘mandatory surgery’: I prefer staying within the capabilities and confines of Lightroom and its basic toolset.

And yet, having installed a fair selection of plug-ins for some time now, I find myself revisiting my original position. Photomatix Pro has become my workhorse for photorealistic HDR images, and Nik Software’s excellent suite serves me well for more artistic versions and interpretations.

For creative experimentation, I would have a hard time doing without Nik’s ‘Efex Pro’ triplet. It has become so easy to see a fast preview of any effect, thanks to the many built-in presets, and there’s ample sliders to tweak the processes to your personal liking. And then the luxury of the almighty U Points!

There’s one drawback in taking this route. Potentially, a big one. It is so easy and alluring to take an otherwise bland, uninspired shot and transform it into something ‘worth looking at’. Indeed, a trendy effect may make the picture look more interesting – at least to its author - than content or composition deserve. I note the same pitfall in so many iPhone snaps that litter Twitter and Facebook: often empty shells but coming in a nice gift wrapper.

On the other hand, creatively fooling around makes you wonder why an skipped discarded at first suddenly looks more promising, even takes on a new personality. Perhaps that brings us to a better look into composition and the use of light and color. And thereby teaches us a thing or two to make our next pictures a tad better. What do you think?

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100 – Silver Efex pro, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro

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100X100 – episode 9

Calling the X100 an ideal camera for architectural photography would be more than exaggerated. That doesn’t mean though that it won’t capture the grand views – exterior and interior – of ‘big’ buildings (churches and others) while traveling.

Some samples from the recent Cologne city trip to illustrate the X100’s capabilities.

Cleaning the famous Kölner Dom

Looking up inside the Dom

Hotel Maritim: the glass covered hall

Great Saint Martin Church

Great Saint Martin Church

Note how well Lightroom 3 corrects for lens geometry flaws automatically (using a built-in lens profile). Add some manual perspective correction and – where needed – extracting the max out of the RAW data (no HDR this time), and there’s your picture postcards!

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

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100X100 – episode 8

More from the recent family trip to Cologne. The city’s historical buildings and the grim weather conditions begged for selecting black&white shots, including some rather pushed post-processing courtesy of Silver Efex Pro.

No surprise: the X100 does very well in these varying light conditions, and there’s absolutely no need to be reluctant to push ISO settings all the way to 1600.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

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100X100 – episode 7

The X100 came along on a short city trip to Cologne, Germany. No Photokina action this time, but a visit with the family to the many exquisite museums (and some of the shopping areas…) that city offers.

We had poorly timed our passage: weather conditions included gray, wet and windy. Also, the Altstadt was gearing up for the festivities surrounding Cologne Pride 2011, with the CSD Parade taking place on Sunday (after we left): many of the cozy squares and picturesque house fronts were hidden by beer tents, sausage stands and the likes (most still ‘under construction’).

Still, the X100 was keen to capture these fugitive scenes from Köln’s daily street life.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

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