Pic of the Week

-Barbados-
Feb. 26, 2016

© Walter Krogh Sites

 Fujifilm xt-10, 16-55mm
30sec. @ f/22
.6ND Filter

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.de/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

'Pic Of The Week'

Want to check out some other cool photographs from older shoots, then have a look inside the 'Pic Of The Week' archives. I haven't updated this page for some time but maybe some of you out there might enjoy these images. Once I have some extra time, I'll be sure to post some recent work.

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.de/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

Knapps Castle
Santa Barbara, California
2010

Nikon D90,  Nikon SB-800 Flash
ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 55min.
Sigma 8mm Fish-eye

Portfolio 'Mash-Up'

Below, you can view a set that was used some years back for promotions. Most of these images used to be featured on my web-page. Since I have been exclusively shooting for a German fashion and department store, my web-page has temporarily been discontinued. It's always fun to go through old portfolios and bodies of work long collecting digital dust. Enjoy ;-)

(below: set of stock images used by various firms, webpages and advertisements)

(below: set of commercial, conceptual and advertising work)

Once time allows, a new website will be built. I will post and keep

people updated with future information!

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.de/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

A 'Homage' to Large Format Photography.

During my time in California, I was introduced to the classic style of shooting well known from the beginning of the century--well, the beginning of photography. These cameras are brand new, but present the exact same technology used back in the day. You wont find sensitive chips, transistors and such in these camera, just good old fashion mechanics. Capturing images on a 4x5inch transparency is allot of fun, but a very slow process. You can only capture one image at a time, then you have to 'change the film' and so forth, to continue your projects. The result this size negative yields in comparative megapixels (for those that think in pixels) we'd be looking at a scan in ranges of hundreds of megapixels and up depending on the quality scan and film size.

The below, left image was shot a few years back when I took a road-trip with a friend to Yosemite National Park. Right outside the park, you'll find this lake with salt-rock formations created over thousands of years. This spot has been photographed by all the greats in photography and thus in 'homage' I figured I would shoot using my large format camera in the style of the classics-- only below,  in color. The differences between my digital captures at this location and my film shots are like night and day... I truly love film!

left: Mono Lake, CA -- 6:00am, 2008

Horseman LE large format camera, 210mm Schneider lens

Fujifilm Velvia 100 sheet film, f/32 @ 25sec. 

right: Santa Barbara, CA -- 2:30am, 2008

Horseman LE large format camera, 210mm Schneider lens

Fujifilm Velvia 100 sheet film, f/11 @ 2.5 hrs

Big Sur, California -- One Amazing Place To Be!

I've posted some older photographs taken at Big Sur in the past. Here is one that I found in my archives, and never released. Lately, lots of time has been spent scanning older work and re-visiting material with a fresh eye. Sometimes what one passes up as a mediocre shot can turn out to be a decent one when viewed a day, week or even years later. In this case, it may not be a gallery worthy snap but it is worth showing you. Enjoy :-)

left: Mamiya RZ67, 3200 ISO Ilford Delta, 120 film, f/11 @ 1sec.

right: Mamiya RZ67, 100 ISO Acros, 120 film, f/11 @ 30sec.

(Both negatives scanned with Epson V600, processed
in Lightroom 2 and cleaned in Photoshop CS5)

'Individuals' USA

I had already had the privilege of spending a few amazing years in Santa Barbara, California. I originally ventured out to this spot because I felt in need for a more inspiring environment to study photography. After a few years of practicing and learning under some of the great local teachers at Brooks Institute of Photography, I returned to Delaware to plan and pursue my future goals…

The summer of 2011 marked a convenient occasion that would allow myself to attempt a short but well-planned cross-country trip. My decision to make this venture laid in the simple yet inescapable fact that I wanted to travel and take pictures… After about thirty days on the road, 35 interviews and leaving 24,000 km behind me, I realized how much this country had to offer in terms of sights and sounds. Either way, I knew this would mark the perfect opportunity to develop a well structured set of projects.

As a photographer, I highly enjoy meeting new individuals. With this in mind, I wanted to do a project that went in the photo-story direction. A photograph or portrait accompanied with a short paragraph or article seemed like a solid human-interest piece that yielded value on many levels.

Naturally, the final project would be a more straightforward style of what one would expect from travel photography– a little photo-journalism, night time long exposures, fall colors, street signs, out-of-car shots and panoramic. There is allot to photograph out there, so I both hope you will show an interest in this little production and follow it as the project continues overseas. 

To finish, I would like to explain a few things about the style of the portraits captured. Some time back, when I was interning for a very talented photographer in Santa Barbara, I had the opportunity to witness the creation of a very interesting project. Eliot Crowley, my mentor at the time, would travel this road north and meet interesting people along the way. He would talk to them, get to know them a bit and ask if they wouldn’t mind being photographed for his project. I found inspiration in these ideas and the way they were captured. A few year later and with the upcoming travel opportunities, I decided to attempt a similar but not precisely the same style project. I opted to use a few similar shooting techniques with a couple personal adjustments. In my vision, the lighting would be about 45 degrees of camera axis and should be a harsh light source– allowing for a pool of light to bring the viewer’s attention to that individual. Also, I wanted to include some words on these people and the area we were currently in. With these modifications, I hoped to create something a little different yet more fitting to my capture styles.

If you would like to read up on this project and get to know the people involved, 

please visit the standalone blog here: https://acrosstheusa2011.wordpress.com

'Individuals' Europe (cont.)

I have had the opportunity to meet some really cool people along my travels. Here is a small sample from my ongoing campaign to take portraits of the people I meet along the way. We usually get to spend some time hanging out talking. This is so, once the images are published to my webpage, you can find out a little about them too. These make for some fun conversations as not everyone speaks the same language. Luckily, within most places my native German and English have been well enough understood.

This project, an extension of last years US cross-country drive (http://www.kroghstudios.com/index2.php#!/FEATURED) has been one amazing ongoing meet & greet with personalities and characters truly unique. Not all the images are perfectly executed, however each experience is something new and special and combined with the photograph becomes timeless in itself.

I hope you will enjoy the below preview and continue to check back while the project rolls on and I find more time to write the articles and post the images to my page (www.kroghstudios.com)

The Mobile Photo-App 'Revolution'

The thing about 'Instagram' that has kept me distant up until a few weeks ago is the simplicity of editing and altering existing photographs. I use an app called 'Hipstamatic,' this program is still designed to work like a regular camera-- you are required to choose a type of lens/flash and couple this with a type of film. That being said, you need to know what film used with a particular lens will give you the desired effect. In 'Instagram,' this all happens on the back-end (in post-processing) and thus requires less thought and planning to create an interesting feeling or effect. This, of course has opened the world to a base version of mobile 'photoshoping' and has created a world of altered images that has become standard across the web. Now, Im not saying this is a problem-- it's just another tool to create 'inspiring' imagery. However, it does take us one step farther away from 'tinkering' with film-stock. Different cameras and even using plastic lenses or houses with known light-leaks, expired film and cross-processing has been lost over time-- stolen from us by quick-filters and frames, the classic way of shooting has taken a back-seat.

An example of this change has become evident in family photography. A few decades ago, a photographer was required to have the talent and technical know-how to capture a crisp, correctly exposed image, process this and be able to print-- all within a range of quality expected from someone calling themselves 'professional.' Today, however, the 'professionals' shooting, slapping filters and cheep lens-flairs on their images are the ones receiving the work. The concept of real 'quality' in technical imagery is being overlooked and becoming overshadowed by bad exposures, poor lighting and cheesy filter-effects. I won't deny, there are many 'Instagram' and app-base images that I enjoy and consider to be inspiring. Somewhere along the line I hope we can find a balance between delivering entire wedding portfolios over filter apps and producing work that is inspired by concept, quality and the desire to truly create the perfect image 'in-camera' and not 'fix' or alter the hell out of it later.

Below, I have included three images that were photographed using a digital SLR and then altered using various apps like 'Mextures,' 'PS Express' and 'Instagram.' The idea here, was to make them look as if they had been photographed with a film camera like a 'Hasselblad' and processed in a standard chemical darkroom.

left: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (2005) 
middle: Oklahoma (2007)

right: Monument Valley, Utah (2011)

Personally, I have enjoyed using 'Instagram' and playing with some of the filters. To really make these images 'pop,' other photo apps can be used to layer effects, adjust colors, contrast etc. To get the most out of each image, one program isn't enough (not for me)-- each one offers a little something else and the base filters in 'Instagram' do a good enough job of 'altering' the image look but lacks other things I miss about classical film photography-- think light-leaks, dust, scratches, emulsion and so forth...

Clint & Becky

A gorgeous & happy couple always produces excellent photographs. Here I had the please to capture this wedding in Herrenberg, Germany. Below are two images from out portrait shoot-- one in a modern, fashion look and the other a bit more traditional. What I've always enjoyed about capturing weddings is the opportunity to experiment with all kinds of shooting techniques-- from photojournalism to fashion to portraiture.

Each couple has a view/perspective of how they would like their special day captured and part of the fun is working with them to create a fun, inspiring and memorable experience.

'An Industry in Modeling' Workshop

This previous Tuesday, I held a workshop in downtown Stuttgart sponsored by Flair Events. This four hour workshop for novice models and individuals who want to learn a little more about the various industries and concepts of modeling is a fantastic steppingstone to improving upon modeling capabilities. The workshop itself is designed to broaden your understanding of what is available to an aspiring model and how to achieve and guide oneself in a satisfying yet lucrative direction.

The class was divided into multiple parts, beginning with a discussion group at which point the various industries were introduced. Here we explored these options and directions and discussed their value within the commercial world and how an aspiring model can best place themselves within this competitive industry. We discussed the legal aspects and model releases. We reviewed campaigns, discussed photography and the value of presenting a broad portfolio.

As part of the workshop we introduced small projects and hands-on concepts such as correct hand placement and the value of portraying certain emotions to the camera. We also tested the models' ability to freely talk into a video camera and give introductions of themselves-- this ties directly into the need to portray a sympathetic and outgoing individual. Finally, we spent about an hour on-location practicing what we discussed and learned in the studio.

Above are just a couple sample images from the six models that part-took in the workshop. They all did a fantastic job and I can only hope they were able to soak up some valuable information for the future. 

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

   A truly unique spot, this little canyon is one of the most photographed places is the US. In the summer when the sun is at it's highest, a beam of light is cast on the canyon floor. Unfortunately I was about a month late in the year to witness this event. However, without the extreme contrast created by sunlight, it allowed the colors to play a greater role. It's amazing what emotions places like this evoke-- a symphony of colors, shapes and lines along with the tranquility, the isolation of the location-- it felt like a dream. Also, the pure natural force required to carve these canyons over many thousands of years, evokes a feeling of drama and respect for nature. This will definitely be a regular stop in future travels out west.

'Midnight in Paris' School Dance

Two months ago, on March 20, 2013 I was requested to capture a set of images at the International School Stuttgart, Sindelfingen Campus. Their school dance was themed 'Midnight in Paris.' This presented a unique challenge to create a shot or set-up that mimicked the feeling of a night in Paris. I was given a single prop to work with-- a cardboard cutout of the Eiffel Tower. Thus, the shoot needed to evolve from the inside out-- how do you make a cardboard cutout look good and still invoke a feeling of luxury, drama and location?

Step by step the set came together. I was able to borrow a fog machine from one of the students which in turn created that dramatic yet elegant feel of a nighttime haze in the park. The plants were stolen from around the school and the Christmas lights then wrapped around the trunk of a small tree. The map was borrowed from the dance props which had been placed around the lobby. At this point, the kids would have been standing or sitting on a crate covered by a black sheet-- something was definitely missing... After voicing my concern of an unfinished set, and the fact that an old table and chair would look great, a good friend mentioned he had a neighbor whom he could call. It turned out, that neighbor had the perfect missing props-- now we were ready to capture some awesome images.

The above four photographs are just a few samples from that shoot. You can see, that even with no prop-house or missing most of the standard studio amenities, one can create photographs family and friends will truly enjoy.

'Carnival of Venice' School Dance

Continuing the school dance tradition with a more involved theme of a Venetian Masquerade Ball. Here the amazingly talented people that make up the Parent-Teacher group went the extra mile to build a paper-mache boat for the photographic set. The trick was to use the limited space available to create a dramatic and dynamic style of images. Naturally, combining the excellent costumes the children wore with this amazing set-- add some special effects like low-lying fog to cover the ground and some cool lighting techniques and the finale result ends up being something pretty special to behold:

... School dance shoots like this, or as we know them in the US-- usually a Highschool prom-like photoshoot, aren't normally this dynamic. Adding the extra creativity, both from others involved and myself brings about a new and more interesting (also fun) way of capturing cool images!

Ireland in Infrared

Last week I had the privilege to visit Ireland with some friends. The brief three days were spent enjoying excellent Irish hospitality and a wonderful mix of clouds, rain and sun. This trip seemed like the perfect opportunity to capture some infrared photographs with my converted Nikon D70s.  The luscious greens and contrasting blue sky presented some amazing results. Below are two images from Leap Castle, rumored as the most haunted castle in Ireland and Birr Castle, a more traditional design also still occupied by a private owner.

A View From 2400 Meters

Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to join in on my second hot-air-balloon ride of the past year. We lifted off outside Bad Hindelang, Germany-- a small town at the foot of the Alps. The two hour balloon ride drifted us along the mountain side and towards the famous Schloss Neuschwanstein. Even though the air was chilled, the experience and views from up high kept the blood warm. The locals had just weathered through a small snow storm, so the white-blanketed vista and the accompanying balloons created an unparalleled view.

Below, you can see some of the ten other balloons that joined in on the trip and the amazing view from our balloon. We hit a max hight of 3100 meters during this ride. At that hight, we climbed above the clouds and were able to see far into the swiss Alps. With a rolling blanket of clouds framing them into the shot, a beautiful panoramic was captured (check back for image).

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.de/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

A Winter Wonderland

One of my favorite locations within a reasonable driving distance is Schloss Lichtenstein. One of our first snow-days of the season proved to be the perfect time to revisit this castle. When we arrived, the location boasted a virtual 'winter wonderland' and completely blew our minds. The fresh, white-covered ground contrasting to the clean blue sky produced a vibrant and 'dreamy' view to this historic location.

(ISO 100, f/13 @ 1/100)

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.de/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

Revisiting Amazing Locations

A recap from a special camping spot... Loved it here in Monument Valley, Utah. The night shot below basically shows the view I had from my tent as the moon rose over the valley. The early morning image was shot at 5:30 AM somewhat farther down in the desert. This was a truly special spot to hang and I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to return here again.

left:  ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 15 sec.

right: ISO 100, f/11 @ 8 sec.

Contrast yet Complimentary

Triberg Waterfalls-- tallest/largest falls in Germany. Here a favorite spot along the falls, boasting a beautiful perspective... now just to capture the same scene during winter, possibly frozen.
On the right, A jetty stretching out into the Atlantic Ocean in my former Home of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

I placed these images together as a contrast between two extremes. Both images using long-exposure to bring about a dynamic perspective to normal destinations often not captured in the right light. Also, both images use completely different color pallets-- however, as green and magenta are complimentary colors they fit well next to one another.

left: Triberg Waterfall,  Black Forest-- Germany

D90, ISO 100, f/20 @ 5 sec.
right: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware-- USA
D200, ISO 100, f/11 @ 30 sec.

'Individuals' Europe

After a month in Europe, I have had the opportunity to meet some really cool people. Here is a small sample from my ongoing campaign to take portraits of the people I meet along the way. We usually get to spend some time hanging out talking. This is so, once the images are published to my webpage, you can find out a little about them too. These make for some fun conversations as not everyone speaks the same language. Luckily, within most places my native German and English have been well enough understood.

This project, an extension of last years US cross-country drive (http://www.kroghstudios.com/index2.php#!/FEATURED) has been one amazing ongoing meet & greet with personalities and characters truly unique. Not all the images are perfectly executed, however each experience is something new and special and combined with the photograph becomes timeless in itself.

I hope you will enjoy the below preview and continue to check back while the project rolls on and I find more time to write the articles and post the images to my page (www.kroghstudios.com)

Niagara Falls

Looking into the United States at sunrise from my hotel room in Canada feels like a mouthful but turns out to be one of the most zen and relaxing sights ever. Niagara Falls was an amazing force of nature to behold. Nights, the are lit from the Canadian side with spot lights that color the falls. After a sunrise view this great the only thing left is to climb aboard the Maid of the Mist and get close and completely soaked.

Revisiting this location is a definite must and I recommend it to anyone and everyone... But beware, everything here has a 100% mark-up and falls into the 'tourist-trap' category. It's over commercialized and seems more like a little Reno or a beach resort, rather than a natural wounder.

Canada is a beautiful country with amazing contrasts to it's southern neighbor. Quebec feels more like France as Ottawa more like England. The people were all friendly and the food great-- I love Canada :)

'Pic Of The Week'

So, every week, I've been updating this page with pictures from previous projects or just files that I feel strongly about, yet are rarely ever seen. I began with just posting pictures every Sunday but felt a little explanation to where/why and what compelled me to shoot the image would be desirable. I have finally written some texts to accompany the photographs that should allow some insight to these works.

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.com/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

Location, Location, Location!

Here, one of my favorite spots in America. This is actually the view I had from my tent that night as the moon rose over the valley. Monument Valley, Utah has got to be one of the most amazing, breathtaking views ever-- other than maybe the Grand Canyon. If you'd like to see the actual view I had from inside my tent, please go to the 'Pic of the Week' archive. Can't wait to get back to this beautiful spot of American countryside!!!

Above, using an HDR teqnique and stitching 16 of said HDR images together, 

I was able to capture this beautiful moon-rising over the canyon.

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

When discussing HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging), it's probably best to start out with what the term 'Dynamic' means. 'Dynamic' - pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful; energetic. So, you may translate this into the realm of photography by comparing the 'dynamic range' to how much the shadows and highlight areas of a given image can yield visible and quality information-- so the more shadow, mid-tone and highlight detail a photograph has, the more 'range' of information it shows, thus the higher 'dynamic range' it yields.

The common misconception most people have to HDR is they think, the only way to achieve such a shot is to take three or more separately exposed images and layer them. Once layered, you and your software can begin to decide how much from each exposure you choose to show, thus eventually bringing about a visual of extreme shadows and blown-out highlights with perfect detail and a more balanced exposure. The problem here is this: we as humans already see the world in HDR and 3D, so when a photograph is transferred to HDR, it usually is going to look fake and most people who try HDR always overdue it anyways. My problem with the layering style of HDR is, well, it is fake... In many cases it just seems like a cheat to not lighting your subject correctly or waiting for the right time of day.

When we speak of dynamic range in the realm of digital cameras we are talking about how much shadow to highlight information a digital sensor will capture. A 1.4crop Nikon sensor isn't a bad sensor, as it captures just as many megapixels as all the others. Were in comparison it lacks quality is the 'stops' of light it captures, where a full frame sensor would do a little better. A big reason why top-of-the-line photographers shoot with medium format digital camera isn't just because of the megapixels-- the sensors are much larger and thus can capture far better range of info between shadows and highlights.

So, to put everything into context: HDR can be a well-balanced-flash lit image, correctly balanced daylight (e.g. right time of day) for even lighting, multiple images layered together... or an extremely expensive and awesome medium/large format digital sensor. All these styles of photography yield a higher dynamic range of information than most standard snap-shots and thus constitute a HDRI (high-dynamic-range-image.)

Yellowstone National Park

6:10am-- September 28, 2011

Nikon D90, 100 ISO, f/16

3 layered images each 2stops apart using shutter-speeds

Beauty, Happiness, Love

As I am sure, everyone's aware that the wedding season and spring are now fast approaching. If it's your special day in the making, I know you have much to do and think about. From booking a band to picking your flowers and ordering a cake, there is so much to consider... If booking a photographer for your wedding day is still on that list of things to find, check out some of my work and give me a call ;-)

Still Shooting Analogue ;-)

Times have changed and with that, so has the industry. Most photographers shoot purely digital these days. Unfortunately, the industry demands it-- a month-long deadline has shortened to a week and a week dead-line has turned into 'next-day delivery.' With this extreme speed up in production time, there is no longer room for analogue processing.

Digital may have advantages of it's own, like speed and image fidelity (or even megapixels for those that think it matters.) The problem that digital photography has presented is "instant gratification." Many will argue that the little screen on the back of the camera was 'god send' and made a huge jump in the right direction. For some years, the digital technology seemed to make everything easier, more fun and exciting to use. After some time, I realized it really wasn't all good-- the overhead cost of working in digital is actually far higher than analogue. Other than that, the instant gratification of being able to see your image immediately led to laziness...

Watching people shoot, I realized that less and less photographers were calculating exposures, flash output or even planning out their compositions correctly-- one could always check the screen or fix/crop it in Photoshop. If I had a dollar for each time I heard someone say one of these phrases...well, you get the picture.

To attempt and remove myself from these bad habits, which I've caught myself doing as well, I began making it a point to shoot film again. The return of this medium into my work allowed me to take things slower, think everything through a bit better and re-connect with the 'art' and technical aspect of light, time and composition.

Here are a few recent images taken with my Diana which shoots square format and half-square on 35mm film-- they were scanned using an Epson V600 scanner. These photos were taking on various different types of film ranging from crisp and clean 100ISO Fujifilm to red-balanced film by Lomography. You gotta keep experimenting as you go-- that's what its all about (oh, and having some fun!)

(click images to view larger)

(click images to view larger)

Heidelberg, Germany -- Castle Illumination

This festival, held three times during the summer season, was first celbrated as a rather modest firework display in the year 1815. On this date, representatives of high nobility, the Czar and Austrian Emperor were local for the "Holy Alliance" packt against Napoleon. Today, the fireworks and illumination of the Castle are held to commemorate the destruction of Heidelberg by French troops during the War of the Palatine Succession. The fireworks are launched from the Old Bridge while 50 fire-brigade volunteers finish lighting the castle in it's usual ominous red.  

(ISO 100, f/8 @ 10 sec.)

http://kroghstudios.blogspot.de/p/pic-of-week-archives.html

Fun, Summer Portraits!

Here, a sample of what one may enjoy for their family photographs. Even some of these urban spots make great locations. We even had the opportunity to borrow a golf-cart at a local country club. These style photographs are fun to capture for everyone involved. As you can tell, we all laughed much and it proved to be great time.