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I rock my 200mm to compensate for the [PHOTO]

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Posts

  • Mr ObersmithMr Obersmith Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thanks. I'm just (re)learning so any feedback is greatly appreciated.

    BTW I'm a big fan of A myself. That is the most ominous looking plant I have ever seen.

    Mr Obersmith on
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  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thanks. I'm just (re)learning so any feedback is greatly appreciated.

    BTW I'm a big fan of A myself. That is the most ominous looking plant I have ever seen.

    In case I haven't posted this before here are a few useful posts from pope, Uncle, and I:

    Pope:
    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=9750028&postcount=1171
    Uncle Long nature photo writeup:
    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=11716641&postcount=755
    Mine on finding or making interesting subjects:
    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=9169888&postcount=164

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • Mr ObersmithMr Obersmith Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    All very interesting. Thanks.

    Mr Obersmith on
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  • erisian popeerisian pope Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    @ CC - thanks. I agree. I also wish I could crop out the two flowers that intersect the frame on the right, but NY Times said no cloning / masking of content. It's tough to restrict oneself to a single moment. I took two shots about a second apart and called it done. I sure wish I had spent a little more time preparing the shot, but that didn't feel spontaneous enough and not in-line with the goal of the project.

    erisian pope on
  • locomotivemanlocomotiveman Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    4561586572_e14897f8c1_m.jpg

    What post production improvements would people suggest on this photo?


    4576218232_d6ccdfca8d.jpg

    How do these changes look so far?

    locomotiveman on
    aquabat wrote:
    I actually worked at work on Saturday. Also I went out on a date with a real life girl.


    Can you like, permanently break the forums?
  • muninnmuninn Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    4561586572_e14897f8c1_m.jpg

    What post production improvements would people suggest on this photo?


    4576218232_d6ccdfca8d.jpg

    How do these changes look so far?

    I really like the photo with all the changes. :^:

    Here is some work in progress. I think I am going to bump contrast and brightness on the building itself, as the sky competes with it a bit too much. and i am not 100% happy with the crop.
    I realize that this isnt everyones cup of tea, but you have to have some fun with photography once in a while, and I think that heavy grain, heavy dodging and burning and low-fi aesthetic can be appropriate for certain subject matters. 8-)

    4575592417_c386723608.jpg

    muninn on
  • locomotivemanlocomotiveman Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Does the edge of the outcropping look sharper now that the pine tree that was on its lower slope is nolonger visible?

    locomotiveman on
    aquabat wrote:
    I actually worked at work on Saturday. Also I went out on a date with a real life girl.


    Can you like, permanently break the forums?
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Does the edge of the outcropping look sharper now that the pine tree that was on its lower slope is nolonger visible?

    Yes. I think you could also pull some more contrast out of the background but you might not want to do that so the attention / focus stays on the foreground cliff thing.

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • KAJedKAJed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Ok...so I know some people hate frames... but here you go anyways.

    Not the clearest shot (into a mirror...haven't quite perfected my focus for that)... but this shot stuck out from the rest in my recent salon shoot.

    4577364414_7dd7606057.jpg

    KAJed on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I don't mind frames but this one is a little odd with the white line where it is. I would either remove the line and make the entire frame one color(black or white) or I would pull the line out a little bit. As for the photo there is nothing spectacular about it. I know its really hard to shoot in a salon and come out with anything really good looking. The only way I've been able to make something look decent in that situation is by using a single light that falls pretty exclusively on the subject(s) and doesn't have much if any spill on the background. Then you can get some interesting shadows from the hair and face.
    As for the subject of the photo is it the person getting their hair done or the hair dresser? If it is the person getting their hair done, then they don't look very good with their hair half way done and a cheesy smile. If the subject is the hair dresser (for her portfolio or the salon's) then it would be best if you didn't crop her head.

    Did you happen to get any other shots after the hair was done?

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • KAJedKAJed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    CC: I have a bunch more that are way better... honestly I just love the insane hair while it was being done. I'm still going through the ones I have but I'm sure I have a couple more that you'll like a lot more :)

    KAJed on
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Dark Moon wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Hi all, quick question.

    I may need to rent a telephoto lens in the near future. Has anyone tried an online site before for this, or should I stick to local shops? If anyone's done the former, would you recommend it?

    What country are you in? This will affect our suggestions for online renters (of which there are a few good ones).

    Sorry for the late response. I'm in the US.

    ASimPerson on
  • erisian popeerisian pope Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thanks. I'm just (re)learning so any feedback is greatly appreciated.

    BTW I'm a big fan of A myself. That is the most ominous looking plant I have ever seen.

    I just came across this recently. Even if the ideas aren't new it's a good refresher on some semi-basics. http://www.abetterphotograph.com/

    erisian pope on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Pope I thought you might be interested in this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/4574784282
    Macro photography with multiple photos with different focal points blended together to get one sharp image.

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Yeah this guy has a big ol' PDF on how to best utilize focus stacking. His PDF even includes some fun things like how you can mess it up, which is always useful.

    http://nikongear.com/smf/index.php?topic=24721.0

    EggyToast on
    || Flickr — || PSN: EggyToast
  • Jake!Jake! Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    4579545280_0f21908292_o.jpg

    cow: I love that final tree shot (the one everyone else liked).
    KAJed: I think you've cropped too high, putting the subject too low in the frame.
    muninn: not my cuppa, but well executed.
    needOptic: I'm liking the portraits better than the full body stuff.

    Jake! on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Jake: I'm not on a calibrated monitor right now so take this with a grain of salt if it doesn't look this way to you. I like the sea of yellow and the warmth and happiness this picture portrays but the flower that is in focus is lost in the background since some of the edges are blurred. If you could do it again I would try and do a shot with wider DOF and to get all the edges of the flower to be crisp without having the background too in focus. If that wouldn't work you could do two shots one with narrow DOF and one with wide DOF and merge the two together to keep that level of bokeh in the background while having a sharp foreground subject. You could also position the camera such that you get the foreground flower against the sky instead of the sea of yellow.

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • Mr ObersmithMr Obersmith Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    So I grabbed a few shots just before a storm was about to hit.

    4579659730_40839c2df5.jpg

    4579030185_f3924222ee.jpg

    and one more a little further back

    4579029821_eb18f5bd6d.jpg

    Mr Obersmith on
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  • erisian popeerisian pope Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I've done one image-stacked macro (two images total) and it worked out pretty well. But yes, I probably will check out both the flickr and the pdf. Thanks!

    EDIT: In addition to excellent stacking, that dude has some crazy colors in his shots!!

    erisian pope on
  • anableanable North TexasRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Jake, I really like that shot, but pretty much agree with Cow's statements, though my personal preference is to change up the dof and not place the flower above the horizon.

    anable on
  • RockwaterRockwater Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    This is from a few years back, when I'd finally learned my lessons about shooting RAW and making sure to at least pay attention to aperture settings. Early in the morning after an overnight snowy freeze in the late fall.

    1145502508_dbca666cbc.jpg

    You can't really plan for something like this... it just happens to be there when you have a camera in your hands.

    Rockwater on
  • muninnmuninn Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Rockwater wrote: »
    This is from a few years back, when I'd finally learned my lessons about shooting RAW and making sure to at least pay attention to aperture settings. Early in the morning after an overnight snowy freeze in the late fall.

    1145502508_dbca666cbc.jpg

    You can't really plan for something like this... it just happens to be there when you have a camera in your hands.

    Ok, thats a damn interesting shot. But then again my tastes are quite peculiar...
    I might warm the picture up a little bit. I think it would pop a lot more then.

    muninn on
  • ParadiseParadise Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Wow, Rockwater, the twig and leaf look so flat together. That's not a bad thing here, just to be clear.

    Was I more sentimental, I'd be shedding a tear.
    Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all year.
    Sorry. This really is a cool shot.

    Paradise on
  • muninnmuninn Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    4579934809_c661e9d504.jpg

    muninn on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Rockwater wrote: »
    This is from a few years back, when I'd finally learned my lessons about shooting RAW and making sure to at least pay attention to aperture settings. Early in the morning after an overnight snowy freeze in the late fall.

    1145502508_dbca666cbc.jpg

    You can't really plan for something like this... it just happens to be there when you have a camera in your hands.

    Thats really awesome. You could punch it up a little bit with some levels or curves like this:
    leaf.jpg

    I hope you don't mind I edited that. If you do let me know and I will take it down.

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • VirumVirum Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    So this kind of counts as photography; the first teaser is the trailer for my senior film (shot on Super 35mm film) Unfortunately I don't have an HD version of it right now and can't get my hands on it for some time. I was the director of photography.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysqvj1XKSOY

    Virum on
  • anableanable North TexasRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thats really awesome. You could punch it up a little bit with some levels or curves like this:
    leaf.jpg

    I hope you don't mind I edited that. If you do let me know and I will take it down.

    I enjoy that punched version quite a bit.
    Virum wrote: »
    So this kind of counts as photography; the first teaser is the trailer for my senior film (shot on Super 35mm film) Unfortunately I don't have an HD version of it right now and can't get my hands on it for some time. I was the director of photography.

    What is a director of photography responsible for exactly? Wikipedia is giving me a fairly ambiguous answer.

    anable on
  • Jake!Jake! Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    cheers guys. There are individual flowers in focus in the 100% crop. My idea was to make an impressionist photo, which is why I intentionally shot with the dof right down to get the flowers to melt into the yellow (and also why I chose a stem with one in the background that I could use to imply the shape of the other).

    (I'm not saying I got it right necessarily, just what my thought process was)

    a couple more from the same day;

    4578733035_a1cab8f9cf_o.jpg

    4579360820_f6322b9005_o.jpg

    4579360554_07eb4113a9_o.jpg

    Jake! on
  • RockwaterRockwater Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I hope you don't mind I edited that. If you do let me know and I will take it down.

    By all means, give it some love. My toolset is still kind of low-rent, so if you have some ideas go ahead and hack it up.

    Here's the large version of the leaf photo if you'd like to play with it.

    Here's another photo that turned out far better than I ever expected. Unfortunately this was just after I got my DSLR and I was still shooting in Auto mode to a JPEG format... and I only took one damn picture! (Stupid, stupid, stupid....)

    1144750633_c5195d1e1e_d.jpg

    This is a local guy fishing on a hot summer day under the Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni, Japan. Here's the large version. You can see that they laid down the river rock by hand under the bridge since there's a distinct square of it a different color in the upper right. If I ever make it back there I'll take about a dozen pictures each time I spy something worthwhile...

    Thanks for the comments. I only wish even 1% of the pictures I mean to take were as good as the accidental great ones.

    Rockwater on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Virum wrote: »
    So this kind of counts as photography; the first teaser is the trailer for my senior film (shot on Super 35mm film) Unfortunately I don't have an HD version of it right now and can't get my hands on it for some time. I was the director of photography.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysqvj1XKSOY[url][/url]

    That looks like it has some pretty damn good cinematography in it. So, uh, good job if director of photography has anything to do with the cinematography.

    Jake!: I guess I understand what you were going for with the intent of 'impressionist' now that you have explained it but I would have never gotten that from the original photo. I think it works better having paintings that look like photos rather than the other way around.

    I like the last photo in your most recent post but I'm a little torn about the horizon. I'm not sure if it would be better flattening it out in PS or leaving it curved from the wide angle / barrel distortion. Another thing I would try is cropping the bottom 1/3rd of the photo so you just have the sea of yellow and the sky without the mass of green stems.

    Edit: The castle(?) wall is pretty flat it needs more contrast. The picture of shooting the flowers is kind of amusing in that "we look ridiculous taking photos" sort of way but beyond that it doesn't really strike me. I think the tree/power line is distracting me and it might look a lot better if you cropped everything to the left of his leg.

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • VirumVirum Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thanks. :) Cinematographer and Director of Photography are the same thing. Responsibilities include lighting, lens choice, composition, etc. I also came up with the general idea for the poker room look although we had a great production designer bring it to reality.

    Now you have to serve the director though, so a lot of the things you end up doing aren't what you think is best. I would have liked to get a lot more closeups and keep the frame more personal in a lot of the shots, but over all I think we didn't butt heads too much.

    Virum on
  • saltinesssaltiness Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Rockwater wrote: »
    I hope you don't mind I edited that. If you do let me know and I will take it down.

    By all means, give it some love. My toolset is still kind of low-rent, so if you have some ideas go ahead and hack it up.

    Here's the large version of the leaf photo if you'd like to play with it.

    Here's another photo that turned out far better than I ever expected. Unfortunately this was just after I got my DSLR and I was still shooting in Auto mode to a JPEG format... and I only took one damn picture! (Stupid, stupid, stupid....)

    1144750633_c5195d1e1e_d.jpg

    This is a local guy fishing on a hot summer day under the Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni, Japan. Here's the large version. You can see that they laid down the river rock by hand under the bridge since there's a distinct square of it a different color in the upper right. If I ever make it back there I'll take about a dozen pictures each time I spy something worthwhile...

    Thanks for the comments. I only wish even 1% of the pictures I mean to take were as good as the accidental great ones.
    That picture has a lot of potential. I think a little post processing to make the fisherman stand out a bit could really help it.

    saltiness on
    XBL: heavenkils
  • erisian popeerisian pope Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I totally agree with Salti. Personally I love the texture in the water - tres excellente.

    @ Jake - I like the original flower photo better. I agree that a tine bit of distinction where the flower blends with the background would be better, but I don't want to lose the amount of blur in the background. Maybe a small amount of artificial light somewhere to get some highlight or shadow on the edges of the foreground flower? Having the flower above the horizon really changes the image for me and I don't like it as much. But that's just one dude's opinion.

    erisian pope on
  • anableanable North TexasRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Jake!: I guess I understand what you were going for with the intent of 'impressionist' now that you have explained it but I would have never gotten that from the original photo. I think it works better having paintings that look like photos rather than the other way around.

    I dunno, I like that you're experimenting with where photography can go Jake. Now that you mention you're going for an impressionist style, I actually think your photo was more successful than I originally thought, though that does speak to Cow's point that there's a bit of a disconnect in getting that idea across to the viewer. Maybe having it in a series would make your intentions more obvious? I've had an art professor comment that one of my photos looks like a watercolor which got me to thinking about the printing process and about maybe playing with paper types to enhance that look. I say keep experimenting and show us what you come up with.

    anable on
  • Pinch-a-LoafPinch-a-Loaf Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Hey Cow, are you taking that class online or in person? If it's online, do you mind sharing a link and/or details about it?

    Pinch-a-Loaf on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Hey Cow, are you taking that class online or in person? If it's online, do you mind sharing a link and/or details about it?

    Online-sauces.

    http://www.digital-enhancement.com/

    I'm taking the advanced class which is $250 for the month of July with classes Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-9pm EST and a review class (shared with the beginner class) on Saturday 12-2pm EST.

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • Dr. GeroDr. Gero Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I went out to the local beach a few days ago, and found a lone swan. Shot around half an hour after sunset which explains the grain. Is there any way I can reduce the noise without messing up the image too much?

    4573298605_aaf423d671.jpg

    Dr. Gero on
  • KAJedKAJed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    So I finally finished the salon/fashion show set I've been working on. This set seemed to take forever and I'm quite sick of looking at them. However, I thought I should post a couple.

    Click for larger versions

    1
    4585178867_c0984313bf.jpg

    2
    4585797550_2473c594ff.jpg

    3
    4585804230_468cd3f29d.jpg

    4
    4585802772_b825dfbf95.jpg

    5
    4585801334_a562e011d1.jpg

    6
    4585173455_f05482ba05.jpg

    7
    4585172189_3be699c13a.jpg

    8 - The one I still like... even though comparitively it sucks...I love the look on her face.
    4585801796_ea7efff89f.jpg

    KAJed on
  • CommunistCowCommunistCow Abstract Metal ThingyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    So Adobe can eat a bowl of goddamn dicks. Apparently I can't upgrade my photoshop cs2 which came with the cs2 creative suite to photoshop cs5. I would have to upgrade the entire creative suite; I can't upgrade an individual component. This was not obvious at all when purchasing cs5. One would think that since I had to log in to my adobe account to purchase it they could check that the upgrade wouldn't work since they have a list of my current products.

    I was so fucking pissed last night and I'm still a little bit pissed. :x

    CommunistCow on
    No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
  • KAJedKAJed Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Heh I was just reading a post about that on FM. Moral of the story is Adobe is a bunch of jerks. They lock you in to the suites once you've bought them. Unless you only ever buy individual licenses you're screwed.

    KAJed on
This discussion has been closed.