Harold Davis's Blog, page 114
March 5, 2017
Upcoming Flowers Workshop Opening & Early-Bird Discounts Expiring
We have two spaces open in my upcoming Photographing Flowers for Transparency workshop here In Berkeley California the coming weekend of March 12-13, 2017. I have a version of this workshop I’ll be leading the first week in August at Maine Media Workshops but otherwise I will not be scheduling it again for quite a while, probably not until well into 2018.
Flower Tondo 1 Variation © Harold Davis
Also two workshops have early-bird discounts that are ending in one week (on March 10, 2017). If you are interested in these workshops, why not take advantage of the $50 advance registration discount? They are:
Black and White in San Francisco: A Weekend Workshop with Harold Davis (September 16-17, 2017)
Advanced LAB Color Seminar with Harold Davis on Saturday, September 23, 2017
Golden Gate Splash © Harold Davis
March 4, 2017
Harold Davis Presents Photographing Flowers for Transparency at School of Visual Arts Masters in Digital Photography
I’m pleased to share with you my presentation on Photographing Flowers for Transparency at New York’s School of Visual Arts in the Masters in Digital Photography program. Enjoy!
If for some reason the video of my presentation doesn’t load here, you can also watch it on YouTube!
March 3, 2017
Harold Davis on Black & White Vision at B&H Photo in New York: the Video
I was in New York as part of a trip to promote my new book The Photographer’s Black & White Handbook. My presentation at B&H Photo was well attended and fun for me. The good folks at B&H were very kind to a somewhat jet-lagged peripatetic photographer. The video of my presentation is now available.
If for some reason the video of my presentation doesn’t load here, you can also watch it on YouTube!
March 2, 2017
Finding Interesting Photos at Home
In recent years I’ve seen much of the world. All this traveling has led to photography of some very beautiful and interesting places. So when I show my work, not infrequently I get the reaction, “Harold, this is all very well and good, but I can’t afford to pack up and go to the places you go.”
Metamorphosis © Harold Davis
Yes, travel is fun, and can put one’s camera in front of some very photogenic things. But, more importantly, I think one of the primary benefits of travel is to teach one about the wonderful world we live in and its peoples. Also, interestingly, travel can teach one about oneself.
So I recommend photographic travel highly, but by no means is it necessary for the creation of exciting imagery. A case in point: the onion growing green shown about came right out of our fridge. It’s growing and twisting and changing into something else, a process that is familiar to all living things. Hence I have called the photo Metamorphosis, which refers to a change from one state of being (the onion) to another (the green shoots).
March 1, 2017
Vietnamese Dongs (VNDs)
I’m very excited about an upcoming photo trip to Vietnam. In preparation for my trip, I stopped by my bank and got some walking around money. The local currency is the Vietnamese Dong, or VND. The photo below shows 1,600,000 VNDs. This is a little less than $70 at current exchange rates.
Vietnamese Dongs (VNDs) © Harold Davis
Below, the revered Ho Chi Minh as shown on a 200,000 VND banknote. Ho once stated something we would do well to heed in these times, “Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability.”
Ho Chi Minh © Harold Davis
February 28, 2017
Tunnel to Bethesda Fountain
The area around Bethesda Fountain is one of my favorite haunts in New York’s fabulous Central Park. During the day it is always crowded with happy folks, musicians, jugglers, and so on. At night, the area looks like a stage set. This is a fisheye view through the underpass under the park drive towards Bethesda Fountain, shown both in black & white and color.
Tunnel to Bethesda Fountain (b&w) © Harold Davis
Tunnel to Bethesda Fountain (color) © Harold Davis
February 26, 2017
Free Webinar, The Artistic Image: From Start to Finish
I’m giving a new, free webinar on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 2PM PT, sponsored by Topaz Labs. The webinar title is The Artistic Image: From Start to Finish.
This is going to be a little different than my previous sessions for Topaz. I’ve heard in the past that folks like my ideas, and they like my images. But they want to understand the details and all the steps of my workflow. So I am going to get down and dirty!
I’ll take a handful of images (as many as we have time for, and still have some time for Q&A), and process these images in real time from RAW file(s) to finished art. Beware: You may not like what see! Sometimes it’s better to not know the details (politics and sausage-making come to mind). Your workflow may never be the same!
This is a free webinar sponsored by Topaz Labs. However, preregistration is required. My webinar is scheduled for February 28, 2017 at 2PM Pacific Time. Click here to register for this free webinar.
Tuscan Road © Harold Davis
Here’s the official webinar description: In this advanced webinar, renowned photographer and author Harold Davis will start with his RAW files, and show step-by-step how he creates his artistic images. This is a unique, behind the scenes look at how Harold accomplishes his acclaimed results, with Photoshop workflow and the application of plugins such as Topaz explained in detail. You are welcome to ask questions as Harold demonstrates each step, and also there will time for Q&A at the end of the webinar.
Harold Davis is the author of nineteen bestselling photography books, most recently Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer: A Photographer’s Creative Companion and Workbook, published by Focal Press. His new book, The Photographer’s Black & White Handbook: Making and Processing Stunning Digital Black and White Photos, is slated for early 2017 publication by Monacelli Press.
Be sure to stick around after the presentation for a Q/A session, webinar specific discount codes for our store and to see if you’re the winner of the copy of the Topaz Complete Collection we’ll be giving away.
February 25, 2017
Building Reflections
On my recent trip, I stayed in New York in the belly of the beast, in a nice Eurostyle hotel at the corner of Tenth Ave and 42nd Street. Literally scores of fifty and sixty story high-rises are going up all over that neighborhood, and the New York I grew up in is close to unrecognizable. Can there really be enough New Yorkers with enough money to populate these opulent rental buildings that are coming on line, many with mirrored windows (as in this iPhone shot) or other interesting architectural features? I wonders, I does.
Building Reflections © Harold Davis
About the image: Captured using the Camera app on my iPhone 6s, and fairly minimally processed using the Snapseed, Mextures, and DistressedFX apps.
February 23, 2017
Oculus
The dictionary says that oculus is a fancy term for a round, eyelike opening. The term has been borrowed for a system of virtual reality headsets, and I have photographed a rock formation called the Oculus in Antelope Canyon. In New York City, the Oculus is the architectural sculpture above a transportation hub near the World Trade Center, designed by Santiago Calatrava, and shown here in all its eyelike glory!
Oculus © Harold Davis
February 22, 2017
On the Brooklyn Bridge
Today I guest-hosted an informal Meetup of New York photographers. We gathered at the bridge tower on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. There was a great deal of talk about photography, many nice people, and I answered all the questions I could. The sunset looked to be unpromising, but as you can see it had its moments.
On the Brooklyn Bridge © Harold Davis
Exposure data: Nikon D810, 16mm fisheye, three blended exposures, each at shutter speeds of 8 seconds and ISO 64; f/8, f/11, and f/14; tripod mounted. Processed in ACR and Photoshop.
