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Yesterday I received Nik Software’s Complete Collection, and I have to say they have done a tremendous job putting this together. It my first time ever using their software and it was a breeze. What I like about their software is the control points (U-Points) which allows you to selectively change the effects in particular parts of the image.I played around with the collection for several hours and I feel like I am just starting to get a grasp on its full potential it can offer. Although I am struggling with is HDR Efex Pro. I am very accustom to the results that Photomatix puts out, that I am having a hard time matching it in HDR Efex Pro, which I will demonstrate in this post.

The follow images demonstrate some of the effects that you will find in Color Efex Pro. My favorites thus far are Glamour Glow, B/W Conversion and Vignette Blur. Color Stylizer also produces a nice effect, which you can see in the middle image directly below. These effects are just the tip of the iceberg and I am sure I will use more as time goes on.

HDR Efex Pro vs Photomatix: I have been using Photomatix for years and I very accustom to their controls and how the results will turn out. I was pleased with the results and my clients absolutely loved the results. Then I know several people who swear by HDR Efex Pro so I decided to give it a try. HDR Efex has so many algorithms to choose from, it can be almost daunting to get started. I did try some of their presets, but they were not giving me starting results to manipulate from. Basically it was a lot of trial and error. After a couple hours of trying all kinds of different results I think I finally found something that almost has the same look as Photomatix. After spending considerable amount of time in HDR Efex Pro, I don’t think that I will give it up. I know its potential and I wish to gain more knowledge in its controls to produce amazing HDR images. Without further ado, lets get on with the comparison.

Photomatix Pro 3:

HDR Efex Pro:

Photomatix Pro 3:

HDR Efex Pro:

Many people have asked what is the best choice for shooting macros without hitting their bank accounts for a new dedicated lens. There are several choices that a person can pick from. You can either rent a dedicated macro lens, purchase extension tubes, or purchase macro filters that screw onto an existing lens. If you are shooting commercially, being paid, then it is in your best interest as a photographer and to your company to rent a dedicated macro lens.

What spark the interest in writing this post is the current discussion going on in the photography group that I am part of. We are discussing the various alternatives to dedicated macro lenses. In this post, we will be looking at one of those alternatives, in particularly the Tiffen Close-up Filter set which can be found at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/56779-REG/Tiffen_52CUS_52mm_Close_up_Glass_Lens.html for $32.96 + Shipping.

For less than $40 these filters actually perform very well, and you can use them for less critical detailed shots. Also they are stackable to make a total of +7 magnification. At +7 it begins to loose sharpness and detail using wide apertures as you will see in the 100% crop shown below. At this point I would recommend stepping down 2-stop to increase depth of field. I have used this filters in the past to shoot close-ups of products in the studio with exceptional results. My post on the spider holster was shot using my nifty fifty and macro filters. You can find that post here: http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2010/10/27/spiderpro-system/. Getting detailed shots is possible and it essentially comes down to what Zack Arias says, “Know your camera, know your gear, know your limitations.” For me, I know that my nifty fifty can’t use +7 at f/2.8, therefore I wouldn’t use this combination to shoot detailed close-ups.

Equipment: Canon 50 f/1.8 (Nifty Fifty) + Tiffen 52mm Close-up Filter Set +1, +2, +4

Technical: ISO – 200, Shutter Speed – 400, Aperture – 2.8

Processing: None (SOOC)

How many of you attended Zack Arias – Found of a Working Photographer workshop on creative live? During the 3-Day workshop, Zack Arias nailed just about every question that I have been pondering about, especially in-regards to being a Canon shooter. Being a former Nikon shooter then switching over to Canon, there was plenty to be learned. The one area that I struggle with when I made  the switch was metering as I was accustomed to the way Nikon metered. Thus my images were inconsistent from shot to shot. Another contributing factor to this is my limited knowledge on natural lighting, since I was taught mostly with artificial lighting. After spending the 3-day tuning into the workshop, had all my questions answered, it was time to put what I had learned to work. So I grab my dog and used her as a model to try out the new things that I have learned.

Here was the test that I performed using the metering method that Zack uses. These are SOOC.

And it works. Now I can feel more confident in my exposure and having consistency throughout my shots.