This evening, I’ve been mostly experimenting with a photographic technique I’d read about called The Brenizer Method, named after the awesome portrait photographer, Ryan Brenizer.
Unlike the LOMO analogue alchemy I’ve been dabbling with of late, these images require heavy duty digital processing. For the above image, I took a bunch of high res digital photos (about 20+) and overlapped each one as I was taking it. I then used a tool called Microsoft ICE (Image Composite Editor) which works out how to stitch them together as one big image. The end result – a super high resolution single image, often with an unnatural bokeh* (I didn’t quite achieve this on these) accentuating the ultra sharp main subject. Microsoft ICE is more commonly used to produce Photosynth images (stunning, super high resolution panoramas).
I’m quite happy with the results for a first go, but I’ve still got some way to go to achieve the WOW factor of some of the images in flickr’s Brenizer Method group.
The snowman has been kicking around for years – I’ve wanted to take photos of him in a summer field and up by the caution ICE sign near Little Almscliffe for ages.. tonight I achieved this – much to the amusement of passing motorists.
Click here to visit My Experiments in The Brenizer Method set, on Flickr
*Bokeh – from a Japanese word that concerns the aesthetic qualities of ‘the blur’. My all time fave word in photography.
You need a fast prime lens to really do it justice, Matt…I got a spare 50mm f1.8 you can borrow if you want to give it a try.
Yea – the DOF wasn’t doing it for me, a 1.8 would be soopa doop! thanks – I might take you up on that (Nikon body?)
Yes, it’s the older Nikkor 50mm f1.8 or I’ve also got a manual focus 50mm f1.8 that I prefer, if you can be bothered to manual focus…I’ve also got a tasty Sigma 50mm f1.4 that you could borrow for a shorter period if you’ve got bokeh-fever really bad. Top tip: use Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom lens profiles to remove vignetting in the corners, it’s worst at wider stops and can lead to blotchy skies as in a couple of your shots.