The 420 Fotographer Collective: Advanced Cannabis Photography

[ilikemsticky]

good morning I'm still trying some new things but until i get to where the pics look good i will continue to keep these pics taken with the auto macro setting just finished trimming up some black jack i took a few pics of the frosty nugs!

 

[Tony Urban]

good morning I'm still trying some new things but until i get to where the pics look good i will continue to keep these pics taken with the auto macro setting just finished trimming up some black jack i took a few pics of the frosty nugs!

Damn that's some frosty goodness. Nicely done.

 

[Hyena Merica]

[FONT=&amp]Re: The 420 Fotographer Collective - Advanced Cannabis Photography [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]The 420 Fotographer Collective - Member Bio[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

Username: Hyena Merica

Grow method and strains:

Method: Secret indoor attic grow lab, automated full-hydro system.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Strains: I grow many familiar strains but also some of my own feminized crosses.

Experience level and photography background:

I've been a professional photographer in some form for over 30 years. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Ten years as a skydiving photographer/videographer[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Fifteen years as a wedding and portrait photographer[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]A lot of freelance work from nature portraiture to sports/news.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
I like taking pictures.

Camera, Lenses and Gear:

I use a Samsung Galaxy 5 phone for 100% of my cannabis photography, hand-held. On-camera flash only. Whaaat? Yep.

What is your style? (portrait, journal, macro, outdoor, instructional, various)

Yes.

Favourite lens or type of shot:[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]I like a variety of approaches to creating an image but wide-angle lenses and compositions are probably my favorites. They often allow the photographer to tell more of a story with one image.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]If you could give 1 tip for new photographers:[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

This will be a thorough tip. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]A good photograph tells a story. It emphasizes the subject in the most ideal way possible...using angle of view...depth of field...lighting...focus. Many decisions all carefully considered come together in the perfect storm of a truly great image. Like a great golf shot or a home run swing, the end result looks so easy, so natural, when it's perfect. But it is anything but random. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]It may come as a surprise that even those at the top of a complex craft often approach things using a surprisingly simple set of guidelines. Photography can be made very complex but it doesn't have to be. Through many decades and types of photography work I have always utilized a few simple basics to make every photo opportunity as good as it can be.

Surprisingly simple. Let me share some of them.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]1) Every photograph should have a subject, and what the photographer wants to say about that subject guides the way the picture is made. That might seem obvious but a lot of photographs either lack a true subject, or fail to properly emphasize the subject.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]2) Once you determine your subject, your aim is simply to help your camera see it in the best possible way. With an SLR camera, interchangeable lenses with various focal lengths give you a lot of options, and make it possible to precisely control things like depth of field, to really separate your subject from the background, which is especially important in portraiture. Using a phone camera limits the artistic range considerably since most use one lens for all pictures. However, even a phone will take what it sees, so if that viewpoint is amazing the picture will be amazing. The most important thing is to find that perfect view...and then almost any camera can capture it. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Technically a cannabis bud picture is a portrait so the basic rules of composition and lighting for a person in a portrait studio apply to a bud in a grow room. Knowing and following some guiding principles is the difference between getting lucky now and then, and being able to create consistently good portraits.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Some of those basic rules are:
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]-FOCUS: Your subject must be sharp. Razor sharp. Anything less is a miss. The main key to a sharper image is absolute stillness of the camera. Unless you're an eye surgeon, use something to brace your camera when you shoot. A cannabis portrait is close-up photography so it's easier to get things sharp. But the depth-of-field is often too shallow. If only a portion of your subject is sharp it's usually not a good picture. TIP: A wider lens, and/or a smaller aperture setting, will help get more of the subject in sharp focus. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]-DEPTH: A portrait strives to create the illusion of depth in a two-dimensional image. This is done by arranging a foreground, your subject, and a background, and "stacking" those elements so the viewer perceives depth. In cannabis portraits, it's fairly easy to create depth because there are usually foreground and background elements that can be included (usually other plants). A solo shot of a beautiful bud is even better with some elements in front of and behind the subject to give the composition depth. TIP: Make sure foreground and background elements are not directly in line with the subject, you want to make sure those elements don't obscure or distract too much from the subject. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]-LIGHTING: The subject in a portrait should typically be about twice as bright as the background. I almost always use some flash. There is lots of light bouncing around most grow rooms, and it's easier to get even light throughout the shot because of the many reflective surfaces, just move around until you find the light angle you want, and if you want to add light a little bit of on-camera flash is great for adding fine detail, but too much will cause you to lose the background and with it the illusion of depth. Find that balance of 2:1. TIP: Often the easiest way to balance flash is to first add a bit of background light to raise the light level of everything behind the subject up to where you can use flash on your subject and it still doesn't look "flashy". Play with it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]So, three rules, how can it be that simple?[/FONT][FONT=&amp] Well, it's not rocket surgery...I might have mentioned even though I own some of the best cameras in the world all my cannabis portraits are created using a hand-held Samsung phone. It's not so much the kind of camera that makes a great photograph happen... the eye and diligence of the person holding it is the real magic. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Finally, no matter how good you are, even professionals need to take lots of images to find the one that really works. Plus, they have one more thing that helps them get the best out of their work, which is some clear idea of what they want to do before they do it! Everyone, newbie to pro, can raise their photography to a higher level by doing these two things: [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]1) Take lots of pictures. Then, when you think you have taken enough...take lots more. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]2) Invest a little time studying some images you really like of the subject you wish to photograph, before you shoot it yourself. See why they work, and feel what they say about the subject and how the photographer chose to see them and told the story with one click. Look at the depth of field and the lighting and the focus. It's okay to try to duplicate other people's techniques...that's the whole idea! The point is simply, when you go into your shoot with a real sense of what you're looking for you are much more likely to find it. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]The truth is, every photographer's style is an evolved fusion of lots of individual bits from the styles and methods of others. It takes time, and especially LOTS of practice, to develop proficiency. But with the wonderful world of affordable digital cameras eliminating all cost of film, nothing is holding you back.

If you think a photograph is beautiful, it is! Never let the opinions of others dampen your desire to create. Follow your own sense of art and your photography will fulfill you. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]One more thing.[/FONT][FONT=&amp] I believe a photograph is a sacred combining of the spirit of man with the wonder of technology, to capture a unique moment so we can hold it...forever. Make no mistake, photography is art. And art is what you make it![/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
So, what you perceive beauty to be...seek. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]What beauty you find...capture. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]For it is the sharing of beauty that makes you beautiful.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]
Peace, Hyena

Choose a few of your favourite photos and share them.

Gladly. This is just a general selection of shots to show a lot of different looks, even though they were all taken in the same grow room under the same general array of lights. Point of view is everything. A photographer is a hunter. Keep hunting until you find that one best way of seeing your subject. Then shoot!

[/FONT]

 

[kelticBlue]

good morning I'm still trying some new things but until i get to where the pics look good i will continue to keep these pics taken with the auto macro setting just finished trimming up some black jack i took a few pics of the frosty nugs!

Not sure how that bud could look anything but wonderful, Black Jack was on my list when I started growing again, now I can see why.!.!.


edit: Hyena great write up. you guys give a lot to think about.

 

[ilikemsticky]

Not sure how that bud could look anything but wonderful, Black Jack was on my list when I started growing again, now I can see why.!.!.


edit: Hyena great write up. you guys give a lot to think about.

thanks kb its good smoke a lot like the description and its nice because there not that picky about being on the side of your grow where there is a little less light they just keep growing good luck when you do it i would like to see some pics!

 

[Tony Urban]

Excellent introduction Hyena. A lot of valuable information in that post. Thanks for stopping in and sharing that. It's always nice to have another professional join the pool of knowledge (not referencing me but the other pros).

Some sweet photos of your lovely colas too.

 

[Agemon]

Yes so much this shoot!

If ya get time, Please do the HDR. That would be cool
i think i mentioned I did it with my point and shoots pre set, just for fun. It has basic HDR and an HDR art setting. It can be 'good' or all the way too 'overprocessed' look depending on the intensity of its use.

I am having trouble find, I did hdr on the 'triple purple rhino' i ran this summer. The shot i posted on the previous page was a gentle HDR setting intensity, i like it better ....
This one is more processed looking to me.
Again lazy foto capture guy, just a setting on the camera this one I put to a higher intensity.
still cool cause I am a space cadet and like to space out ; - )

I've got the last version of photoshop before they started making it pay as you go. I hate that! Any way my version is no longer supported and the HDR Merge Pro doesn't work, not sure why. It does the compilation but then the image closes without saving. Annoying. I really like using that feature too. There's a fliter in PS that allows you to tweak an image but it's nothing more than predetermined filters and or custom settings. A condensed version of the tools you need, but it's not the same thing as merging 3 or more images. I will play some more and see what I can see...

 

[Agemon]

Im at the eye doctor, just got my pupils dilated. Last post, i can hardly make out my on phone keyboard. Sober and watching my vision fade... Another pic of Mav. This shot is for dual focal points, iPhone pic, Snapseed processing.

 

[ilikemsticky]

i wanted to share this pic looking back at monument valley i just had to have this pic love it!

this was taken on the auto scenery setting 2 years ago!

 

[ilikemsticky]

Im at the eye doctor, just got my pupils dilated. Last post, i can hardly make out my on phone keyboard. Sober and watching my vision fade... Another pic of Mav. This shot is for dual focal points, iPhone pic, Snapseed processing.

i love that pic age thats your buddy ha he's always ready to do what ever you want i suppose nice pic!

 

[Agemon]

i wanted to share this pic looking back at monument valley i just had to have this pic love it!

this was taken on the auto scenery setting 2 years ago!

Is that Right Mitten with the 3 sisters in the background?

 

[Agemon]

good morning I'm still trying some new things but until i get to where the pics look good i will continue to keep these pics taken with the auto macro setting just finished trimming up some black jack i took a few pics of the frosty nugs!

Did you do something differently from your other pictures?

 

[ilikemsticky]

i think your rite but I'm not positive,I'm not sure what you mean about the pics those are black jack buds from the stub i left in the dark for two days i trimmed that uplast night and took some pics its some frosty shit man lol!

 

[Agemon]

i think your rite but I'm not positive,I'm not sure what you mean about the pics those are black jack buds from the stub i left in the dark for two days i trimmed that uplast night and took some pics its some frosty shit man lol!

I was noticing how bright and vibrant the other bud shots were and these look much different. Must be the buds, just not sure if it's your buds or mine that are making things look different!

 

[dynamo1]

good morning I'm still trying some new things but until i get to where the pics look good i will continue to keep these pics taken with the auto macro setting just finished trimming up some black jack i took a few pics of the frosty nugs!

Nice buds & nice Pictures

 

[ilikemsticky]

I was noticing how bright and vibrant the other bud shots were and these look much different. Must be the buds, just not sure if it's your buds or mine that are making things look different!

i think its the buds there fuzzy makes it look different i took those on auto macro with flash thats the way i do it of course i took something like 50 pics to get these three lol!

 

[Agemon]

i think its the buds there fuzzy makes it look different i took those on auto macro with flash thats the way i do it of course i took something like 50 pics to get these three lol!

Nope, I figured it out. Upon closer inspection I see your buds have a fuck ton, not shit ton, of amber trichs!

 

[ilikemsticky]

i took this last summer outdoors in the evening low light auto macro seedsman ww she was a frosty one!

 

[ilikemsticky]

I was noticing how bright and vibrant the other bud shots were and these look much different. Must be the buds, just not sure if it's your buds or mine that are making things look different!

i was thinking a little more about that and i did use some cfls for extra lighting with some of the pics I've posted here maybe thats what you thinking of!

 

[ilikemsticky]

Nope, I figured it out. Upon closer inspection I see your buds have a fuck ton, not shit ton, of amber trichs!

i no i let that go to far it really turned those two days of dark at first chop it was 95 % cloudy but then i let it go another week I'm glad i chopped the colas off at the rite time!