Visualization
Visualization is a key theme of my Landscape Photography Workshops and last weekend was no exception. Having been to Fort Hill many times I have not been fortunate to get the sky I was looking for (visualization). On Sunday it all came together. It is worth getting to a location well before sunrise, it is worth pre-visualizing the image, it is worth setting the camera on the tripod, making the image and getting a sense of satisfaction that is so total.As an added bonus, when the participants feel like they got some value from my workshops, it makes it so worthwhile. Thank you to all of you who come to these and other one day sessions - I truly appreciate your support and participation.A few more comments:This is not a 'let's go someplace pretty, take some pictures and have a nice lunch' weekend. It's a fun but intensive workshop for anyone serious about improving their photography. We worked hard from sunup to sundown, literally, but everyone came away with new skills, better aesthetic appreciation, and images they should be proud of. As always, I go for Shiv's teaching. His lessons are appropriate to my skill level, neither beginner nor pro. You'll learn more per hour from Shiv than from anyone else, and it's all good stuff.
EXPOIMAGING – The Rogue Product Line
For years I have been struggling with accessories that can be used with my hot shoe flash on- or off- camera. A good diffusion accessory was a plastic cap that fits over the flash head, then a cumbersome triangular unit with Velcro strips, adhesive and tape – reflectors and so many pieces that would drive anyone crazy. Not to mention the fact that this was dubbed “the fall apart”.My challenge was to get a system that was light, easy to carry, easy to setup and most important, effective.THE FLASHBENDERS:
About a year ago I acquired a product from ExpoImaging called the Rogue FlashBender “large positionable reflector” – this accessory has not left my arsenal of gizmos and gadgets that I don’t leave home without. I use this to bend and shape the light, use it as a reflector, a snoot, and as a flag or gobo any time I have to eliminate flare.Rogue FlashBenders are shapeable light modifiers for shoe mount flash heads. The design allows you bend the reflector into any position and you can be sure it will stay in that position until you decide to alter it .After an introduction by Hunt’s Photo and Video a few weeks ago, ExpoImaging sent me a their product line to try out. Thank you Hunt’s and ExpoImaging. On opening the package, I immediately fell in love with the diffusion panel that works in conjunction with the large FlashBender. Now I have twice the effective use from the same product. This basically converts the FlashBender into a micro softbox.
A smaller version of the same system is equally versatile and I was able to complete a jewelry product shoot with just two off-camera hot shoe flash units mounted with FlashBenders and diffusion panels. It was great not to have to use my large strobes and soft-boxes and achieve awesome results with the Rogues.In addition to the FlashBenders (large and small) they make a third product in this lineup called the bendable bounce card/flag. This is equally effective. If you are the type of photographer who uses elastic bands and white cards (business cards) you will love this. Each of these FlashBenders stay put. Installation is a breeze, collars and Velcro wrap around straps are superb. The system is designed to hold fast and stay that way no matter what size of a flash head you have. Event photographers you will feel you are in heaven. Moreover, attach the diffusion panel and you have beautiful soft light on the go.For one of my product shots I needed an additional reflector so I used the bounce card without mounting it to my speedlight. Needing additional light, I folded some aluminum kitchen foil over it and now I had a high reflection surface bendable in any direction. I have also created a sleeve made with gold reflective material that fits over the large flash bender when I need warmer light.GRIDS3-in-1 Honey Comb Grid and Rogue Gells
If you have ever had the need to control your flash light output with a grid – look no further. The Rogue product line includes one of the mot ingenious honey-comb stacking system. A stacking system that includes a bezel, attachment straps, a 25 degree and a 45 degree honeycomb grid (combined they give you a 16 degree grid) all in a nylon carrying pouch. There is more, you can get a set of Rogue Gels that are specifically designed for the grid system. The set comprises 20 circular filters and a padded pouch. Each filter is identified by its color and f/stop loss (wow!!!!). There is no way you won’t fall in love with this system. That is if you want control and color. FILTERSRogue Gels - Universal Lighting Filter Kit
There is no end to the number of options you have to gel your flash head. From pre-cut, to sample gels to cut it and fit it, Velcro, elastic bands, stick-on double sided tape and many other crazy options. I had actually given up looking for a good solution.The Rogue system is so well designed; you get a large gel band (not a rubber band) that you put around your flash head (this stays put). Now you insert one end of your gel that is tabbed under the band on one side and then the other side. You are free to stack gels as you please. Each gel is printed with its color and f/stop loss. All so well organized in a padded pouch. The gels fit – they cover the flash head and provide even gelled light.It is important to note that Rogue gels are manufactured by Lee Filters, renowned for their gels, glass and polycarbonate filters.Conclusion: I have found the Rogue product line to be simple yet versatile, giving you total control for your lighting requirements when used with your portable flash heads. They are durable and light, easily packed into the smallest of camera bags and ready for use. Best of all they are self contained and do not require you to stick or glue things onto your flash heads. I highly recommend the system to all photographers who need to control or modify the light from their flash heads.In addition to regular use of the FlashBender, I have now included the entire product line in my “Lighting Demystified” workshop.
Another image from last week's workshop
The Grist Mill in Brewster lends itself to exposure stacks even when the dynamic range does not exceed 5 stops.
Cloudy Days
Another cloudy and damp day. At least it is not raining. This took me back to last week on the Cape and an image that appealed to me. Truly hoping for great light in two weeks for the next workshop.
Cape Cod on Sunday
On the last day we were fortunate to get some sun. There was no opportunity for sunrise images as the fog had not lifted. After a brief classroom session we went to the Audubon Sanctuary in Wellfleet. This tree caught my eye. A few layer modifications and NiK Color Efex 4 to give it a border.
A few comments that have come in from the Cape Cod Workshop
We had a wonderful group of great photographers on this 4 day workshop. The cold, damp, cloudy and rainy weather did not prevent us from having a good time, a learning experience and some interesting photography, albeit the "Light of Cape Cod" was missing.I would like to thank each and every one who attended and to let you know how much your participation meant to me.
The image above was captured at Highland Headlight AKA Cape Cod Light on the night of Super Moon - that is thick fog in the background.A few images from Dave Uliss as a slide show:
Here are some of the comments:Shiv's workshop was one of the best I've ever experienced. It was full throttle, non stop. The exercises(handouts); really helped me to stay focused and think about how to compose my images. I must say that I really began to see landscapes and subjects, with a new perspective. Most importantly, I captured images that I'm pleased with. I definitely will attend Shiv's workshops, in the future. Your time and money will be well spent. Paul Ware5/7/2012 4:11 PMYes, as I had started to share with you, on Sunday's coffee break; I began to feel as though in a meditative state of mind. Point of Rocks, although not a favorite spot was rewarding just the same. Eventually, an image came together for me.5/7/2012 4:11 PMYes, it covered far more than expected. Benefiting my growth as a photographer.5/7/2012 4:11 PMI would certainly recommend any of your workshops, to anyone. I was extremely pleased. Carole P. Kenny5/7/2012 3:41 PMIt was most helpful, and more than expected, thank you.5/7/2012 3:41 PMConsidering the weather I certainly admired your ability to have a meaningful lecture ready at all times. You had a seamless program, whatever the situation5/7/2012 3:41 PMeven with the gray skies and rain, the workshop was worth every penny.5/7/2012 11:18 AMIn spite of ridiculous weather conditions, Shiv was able to flexibly reorganize and regroup to make the most of a challenging situation. He is a great instructor and very approachable, responsive and encouraging.5/7/2012 9:28 AMShiv has a way of presenting material in a very clear manner. He is inspiring to all levels of photographers and is very accessible and helpful in the field as well as in the classroom. Susan Fahlund5/7/2012 9:24 AM
Lighting Demystified - Date Change April 29 to April 28
The April 29 workshop will now be held on April 28thThere are two spots open for April 22nd - Yesterdays workshop was sold out and was awesome.Click Here for Details "Lighting Demystified Workshop"Here are some comments from the post workshop survey:
As an advanced amateur with limited lighting experience, this course gave me a good overview of lighting fundamentals and their application in a variety of challenging situations. In addition, this course will provide me with a good basis for future lighting exploration as I further my photography skill set. Thanks Shiv!
4/16/2012 9:14 AM
I learned a tremendous amount about lighting. Concepts were explained, misconceptions eliminated and techniques to succeed were taught. The best of all was how to do this without spending a ton of money on equipment!
4/15/2012 9:45 PM
The workshop was excellent, I am glad I was made aware of it from a fellow camera club member. I really liked Shiv's teaching style, he got into the technical details of light and made sure everyone understood each concept before he moved on.
4/15/2012 9:06 PM
I just spent a day at Shiv Verma's workshop on understanding Artificial Lighting. I came away from the workshop with a clearer understanding on the importance and the use of artificial lighting as well as the different types of lighting currently available. I highly recommend this program to the serious photographer interested in improving their skill set as well as gaining a better understanding on mastering light. Zig Cape Cod
4/15/2012 8:48 PM
Lighting Demystified
Announcing three One Day Lighting Workshops April 15, 22, and 29, 2012. Each workshop is limited to 8 participants and is from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Workshops include a Pizza Lunch. Click Here for Details.Information on these and other workshops is available in the Workshops section of this web site.
Comments from attendees of my last Macro and Close-up workshop on the 25th
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the participants for attending and helping make the workshop so enjoyable. I too learn from you during my sessions - photography is all about sharing and learning from each other. Thank you all for your wonderful feedback - I truly value and appreciate it.Here is what the participants had to say.I found the tips on how to do macro less expensively (Home Depot solutions) very valuable.I thought the presentation followed by the hands-on session was perfect. It allowed for questions to be answered and bugs to be worked out before you were alone trying it for the first time.I picked up lots of good tips in the morning session. All in all, an excellent day.Would like more hands-on - possibly a second day of all hands-on and outdoors.After hearing you speak last summer, I was looking forward to the workshop. Exceeded my expectations. Thanks, Shiv. Dan LoganShiv presented the overall basics of macro photography, but also gave specific training in Helicon Focus software. I appreciated advancing my macro skills with a technique I had not known. It was a very enjoyable day.I knew a lot of theory of Macro photography prior to the workshop, however I lacked the experience of actually taking images. Shiv's workshop gave me a lot of that experience. I had tried Helicon Focus about five years ago when it first came out. This workshop brought me up to date about Helicon Remote which automates much of the process of actually taking the multiple photos. This minimizes much of the manual frustrating work. Kent MessamoreShiv is truly a fantastic workshop leader. He shares all of his information with you freely rather than holding back "tricks of the trade". He is knowledgable and has come up with some ingenious ways of making your photography dollars stretch by making your own equipment rather than buying expensive gadgets. I look forward to taking another workshop with him in the very near future.Shiv is very technically knowledgable and has the organization to teach what he knows.Shiv delivers smoothly-paced training with lots of useful tips and plenty of visual examples, and he makes his expertise available during the hands-on session. A day well-spent.Shiv is truly a professional. His expertise is clearly evident. I would not hesitate to take another class with himIf you want to know more about macro and learn focus stacking this is a great workshop. The first part of the day is a comprehensive overview of different macro subject matter, as well as your "shopping list" and tips on saving money on the things you will need. The afternoon hands on part of the workshop has plenty of set-ups and items you can move around so you can shoot what interests you. Shiv is very patient and helpful, and will instruct on anything you ask to make sure you have a great experience.
Announcing Two Yosemite & Mono Lake - Photo Tours and Workshops in September 2012
Yosemite National Park is one of America’s most iconic landscapes offering some of the world’s most spectacular landscape photo opportunities. The valley is surrounded by high granite mountain walls carved by glaciers creating beautiful shapes. The waterfalls are spectacular as are the lakes and streams in the park.Mono Lake is unlike any other landscape in the world. Its beautiful tufas, alkaline water, desert-like vistas make it a remarkable place for photography. Sometimes it seems that you are on another planet or may be on a lunar surface. The late summer weather generally provides some interesting cloud formations.
SW Florida Workshop Day 4
Tiger Tail Beach, Marco Island was the location for today. The weather was perfect for the beach and the birds.
A plethora of peeps including the least sandpiper. All the images in the gallery were photographed with a Canon 7D and a 500mm F4. A Reddish Egret flew in and entertained us for quite a while:
An Osprey nest provided some great photo ops with parents flying in with fish - feeding the the single chick.
We decited to take a break and head for lunch. Dark clouds rolled in and while at lunch we had torrential rain. Fortunately we got a few breaks in the afternoon and were able to photograph a few burrowing owls on the island. We then headed back and further to Cape Coral for more Owls. The following are images from both locations.
SW Florida Workshop Day 3
Venice, Florida was the venue on today's agenda. First stop the Venice Rookery. Despite the decimation of the Brazilian Pepper bushes there is still plenty to photograph on the island.
All the images above were captured with a Canon 7D and a 500 mm F4 lens mounted using a Sidekick.As the light got harsh we left for the Venice Dump - yes the dump. The dump has an abundance of vultures and eagles but we were found Sandhill Crane pairs - eight of them.
The two Sandhill images above were photographed with a Canon 7D and a 500mm F4 lens.Lunch and then on to the fishing pier:
Both the Tern, Ruddy Turnstone and the two Gull images were shot with a 7D and a 70 - 200 mm F2.8 lens.We waited for sunset - dinner and back to Fort Myers Beach. 
This last image was shot using a Canon 7D, 16 - 35 mm F2.8 lens and a Singh Ray VariND filter.All images in my florida posts with the exception of the Venice Pier were processed using Lightroom 4 only and no plugins. The Venice pier was processed in Photoshop CS5 with Nik Viveza and Nik Color Efex Pro plugins.
Planning on another Macro & Close-up Workshop March 25
Based on the responses to the last two workshops I will be conducting another Macro & Close-up workshop on March 25. Please email me at s.verma@me.com if you are interested - the spots fill up very fast.Details will be posted later today.In the mean time here are a few comments from the March 11 workshop participants:I’ve never gotten so much quality information from a single workshop. This class is perfectly geared to advanced amateur photographers. The material presented is neither too light nor overwhelming, and is well balanced between macro concepts, an introduction to the tools and software needed, and hands-on guided practice. You’ll leave with practical experience and knowledge of how to get started in this challenging and rewarding area of photography. - Abby 3/14/2012Shiv! I had already learned a lot from him over the years by paying attention to his commentaries on NECCC circuits, attending his Amherst presentations, and I enjoy his photography. I don't think I would have driven 100 miles for anyone else's workshop. 3/14/2012I came to the workshop wanting to learn more about focus stacking. Shiv did a great job and I felt that I learned a lot that I can apply to my photography. 3/12/2012Shiv covered all the essentials for macro techniques. I learned so much about the right equipment, best practices and software. I can't wait to try out everything I learned at home. 3/11/2012This was a very good workshop, and well worth the price I paid. The pacing was perfect, and in keeping the group small, it felt more like a bunch of friends talking, and not a regular class. All participants were encouraged to ask questions, and insert observations. 3/11/2012
SW Florida Workshop - Day 2
Day two of the workshop was an early trip to Ding Darling WR. We were at the entrance soon after it opened. One of the members in the group was a car length ahead of ours and was fortunate to see a Bobcat scurry by in front of his vehicle.The first stretch of the drive had a yellow crowned night heron hunting along fairly dark mangroves - we took a few shots for the record.The next stop was the first turnout where we were greeted by a large flock of American White Pelicans, Brow Pelicans, a Reddish Egret and Tricolor FIshing.
As the morning progressed the Red Breasted Mergansers and Pied Billed Grebes were showing up every where.
After a productive morning at Ding Darling - we went to Sanibel fishing pier for some diving pelicans.
Lots of fun. Now on to a bit of exploring we headed back to Fort Myers Beach and went further to check out Harnes Marsh.It is a lot of walking as no motorized vehicles are allowed. Saw a few Snail Kites and a pair of Sandhill Cranes with young.
That was day two. Day three to come
SW Florida Workshop Day 1
An early morning trip out to the pools in the Fort Myers Beach area was productive. The bird were magnificent with their feathers blowing in the gentle breeze. The light was perfect as was the action.Here are some of the images from the beach:
The egrets were very active and there was plenty of fish to be eaten.
Next stop was Sanibel Island and the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. Ding Darling was quiet compared to the many trips I have done in the past but still a fun place to be. Lots of Brown and White Pelicans, Cormorants, Red Breasted Mergansers and Pied Billed Grebes.
We left Ding Darling and drove to Captiva for lunch at a favorite spot "Key Lime Bistro". One of the members had developed a problem with her Nikon D700 that refused to focus properly so the day before we rented a body that had to pick up from the hotel. Once assembled we left for our next photo location. Beautiful evening light made one forget the biting by the no-see-ums that some repellant took care of. Here are some images in the awesome light:
Then the sunset turned the skies a deep reddish pink - the water and the birds all seemed to get this glow.
SW Florida Workshop - Day 0
An early morning uneventful but bumpy flight to Fort Myers got us in on time. We collected our bags, rented the car and off to Fort Myers Beach. The workshop included a trip to Cape Coral for burrowing owls so day zero required a scouting trip to the area. The typical locations were devoid of owls but the vacant lots yielded some active burrows.Here are some images from this scouting trip:
India Trip Report 4 and Final
This is the last of the India trip reports but I will continue to update the blog with additional images as I process them. Just got back from an awesome workshop in SW Florida - look out for the next batch of reports and images.
So we arrived in Kanha for a three-night stay. The plan was for five safaris but with the unpredictability of the airline we were booked on, we changed our tickets to depart from Nagpur instead of Jubalpur. This meant a 5 to 6 hour travel time from the lodge instead of 2 to 3 hours.Kanha is about 3 times the size of Bandhavgarh resulting in a sparse distribution of both safari jeeps and animals. It is however a prettier jungle and has a few species that are not found in Bandhavgarh – the Indian Bison or Gaur, the Indian wild dog, and swamp deer. We saw and photographed all but the wild dog.The Earth Lodge in Kanha is one of the nicest places to stay. Very modern facilities, beautiful stone construction, an infinity swimming pool and awesome food.Here are a few images of the lodge photographed by Hal Oliver:
Here are some images from Kanha:
It is now February 26th and the eve of our departure. We fly from Nagpur to Delhi on Indigo Airlines – an upcoming and ranked number one in India. It was a pleasure to leave a bit ahead of schedule and land on time – a very pleasant experience.We decided to do a bit of sightseeing on the last day. A trip to Delhi Haat that is more like a permanent craft fair. Handicrafts and native foods from the various states of India are the main attraction.The next Photo Tour will include a visit to photograph Asiatic Lions. Custom trips to India can be requested both for Cultural and Wildlife opportunities.
India Trip Report - 3
Landing in Jabalpur we were greeted by a very courteous group of Kingfisher staff and were soon on our way driving to Bandhavgarh. We checked in at the Nature Heritage Lodge, a quick lunch an off to our first safari. Bandhavgarh is divided into three zones with only two being active. The zone closest to the resort is TALA and the one farthest is MAGDI. Our first safari was in Magdi the second zone.
Our first creature was a wild boar, actually a whole family of about 8 boars. A number of Hanuman Langurs, Chital (Spotted deer), peacocks and peahens were in abundance as were owls, raptors and a numerous species of awesome birds. The next three days were spent in the TALA zone – each day presented us with a variety of wildlife but unfortunately no tigers. One had been located by an elephant scouting team and accessible only by traveling on elephant back. We decided not to do the viewing and hope for better luck by jeep.The fourth day’s AM safari was in the Magdi zone and did not yield any tigers but a potential as one of the jeeps had heard two tigers growling and crunching on a kill. The next safari yielded an extended viewing of one of the two tigers. The following day the safari was even better when each one did a 40 to 45 minute show. With the success of viewing tigers we decided to extend another day in Bandhavgarh and reduce the Kanha excursion by a day.Rather than showing individual images here is a slide show gallery representing the two zones in Bandhavgarh, scenes from the safari, a village in the area and its people:
India Trip Report - Part 2
Next stop was a couple of days in Delhi just relaxing and doing some sightseeing a bit of architectural photography of some of the land mark monuments. Our first stop was the Qutab Minar.
Following lunch the plan was to visit Humayan’s tomb but lunch took longer than anticipated so that was avoided but deferred to the next day.A morning visit to Lodi Gardens and an afternoon visit to Humayan’s tomb yielded a few memorable shots.
The following day Feb 17 We were booked on a Kingfisher Airlines flight from Delhi to Jabalpur. This is the day after the airline announced their quarterly results of huge losses and the possibility of a shutdown. After considerable delays and the possibility of missing our firs safari in Bandhavgarh we finally boarded the flight at 9:00 AM which was a 2.5 hour delay.More in the next segment of the report.