the "i'm proud of this picture i took" thread #2 - Page 45

PCthug · 09-24-2010, 09:13 | posts: 2,160 | Location: Durham, UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorcankickyou

and this one i had to put in a new sky, through layer mask. what do you guys think?

I think you have done a good job.
There are a couple of tell tale signs, like the guy's helmet on the right being dark on top despite the sky being nice and bright, but you would have got away with it if you hadn't told us.

Iggyblack · 09-24-2010, 09:34 | posts: 4,126 | Location: Dublin, Ireland

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCthug

I think you have done a good job.
There are a couple of tell tale signs, like the guy's helmet on the right being dark on top despite the sky being nice and bright, but you would have got away with it if you hadn't told us.

yeah maybe a bit more of editing, and i'll get it right. i usually hate doing such drastic processing in a photo. but considering the original, i just had to.

and yes, that really is how the sky looked that day.

sirrith · 09-24-2010, 12:42 | posts: 1,574

Thanks repo

Weather finally cleared up and was able to go out and take photos (and also learn that I suck at manual focus on a DSLR)!

Repo Man · 09-24-2010, 12:51 | posts: 1,742 | Location: Oxford UK

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirrith

I like this one a lot, it could probably benefit from some fine adjustments like slightly increased saturation and contrast and maybe a light vignette but for me it works, its soft but it has a sort of arty dreamy look to it.

ElementalDragon · 09-24-2010, 15:47 | posts: 8,249 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA

sirrith: Yeah... i was actually thinking "wtf?" when i looked at the first pic... but then i read your comment just above it. Manual focus can be a little tricky on a SLR.... especially in not-so-great lighting conditions.

sirrith · 09-24-2010, 16:06 | posts: 1,574

Oh no, that first pic is intentional

the focus was on the leaves in the foreground

and repo, I don't usually bother with editing other than black & white or colour, and white balance

ElementalDragon · 09-24-2010, 16:20 | posts: 8,249 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Yeah.... that's what i kinda figured, but even the leaves seem somewhat out of focus.

sirrith · 09-25-2010, 02:05 | posts: 1,574

Yeah, actually, they are slightly...

you weren't meant to notice lol.

Edit:
Here's a couple from near the border with China (didn't find anything nice to take pictures of in China itself)

that last one is quite.. interesting, grendel!

Grendel_66 · 09-25-2010, 08:21 | posts: 839 | Location: OR, US

Pics from todays tinkering around.

damien666 · *Last edited by damien666; 09-25-2010 at 09:01.*

hi people i went out at 4am into the COLD to take some sunrise photos, their my first ever and id like ur comments please, i plotted my photos and then fount the best route to travel the few mile distance over all on my pushbike so that i could get all my photos before the sun rose to high, so awaiting ur views

bballfreak6 · 09-25-2010, 09:36 | posts: 1,220 | Location: Brisbane, Australia

damn grendel what's that black bug in the last one...lol

damien666 · *Last edited by damien666; 09-25-2010 at 10:09.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by bballfreak6

damn grendel what's that black bug in the last one...lol

ive captured one of these also their weird little things ill up a photo if i still for one brb

EDIT no i dont have one any more,. its seems to be a none flying beetle of sorts or maybe a hard shelled caterpillar im not sure but its has alot of spikes on its body, and also are pure black with bright orange spikes

PCthug · *Last edited by PCthug; 09-26-2010 at 05:40.*

Damien, you have to be careful of big areas of black expanse.
They dont add any interest in photos.
I like the silhouette ones, but those with loads of black in them dont do a great deal for me.
Try this... go out at night (just the garden will do) and take a torch. With your camera on a tripod, keep your shutter open and paint areas in the foreground and background with the light from your torch. The more you go over it the brighter a subject will be, so its trial and error. You can stand where ever you want, just keep your body moving around (dont stand still) and it wont be seen in the frame.
Give that a go with your sunrise shots and you will be on to a winner.
Dont over-do it or it wont look natural.

This isnt my photo, but it gives you an idea...

I would have done similar, but placed a torch inside the car to light it up.
That is probably street lighting in the background, but he could have done the same with a torch quite easily.

Grendel_66 · 09-25-2010, 12:30 | posts: 839 | Location: OR, US

Quote:

Originally Posted by bballfreak6

damn grendel what's that black bug in the last one...lol

It's a lady bug larva

sirrith · 09-25-2010, 15:13 | posts: 1,574

Damien, the colours are perfect IMHO, but I think they could have been even better if you'd followed the rule of thirds for some of those horizon shots

My favourite has got to be the one with the tree and the pond (number 6). I wish I could be dedicated enough to get up that early to take photos! Maybe I'll be able to do that in winter when the sun rises later... lol (I'll be back in the UK for uni soon!)

damien666 · 09-25-2010, 15:41 | posts: 11,834 | Location: nottingham, uk

@PCthug thank you for the tips i like the idea of a flash light behind an object + using a flash also i might give this ago im currently looking for a powefull flash gun so ill perhaps give this ago very soon

@sirrith thankyou mate im glad u liked my fist etemps, tomorrow is going to be about the same so im going to get up at 4am to get some more picture i will try this 1/3 rule and try to take some better shots maybe with less black if i can some how get my built in flash + exposure right and take multiple exposure shots and conbine them into a finial image lol

PCthug · 09-25-2010, 18:20 | posts: 2,160 | Location: Durham, UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by damien666

@PCthug thank you for the tips i like the idea of a flash light behind an object + using a flash also i might give this ago im currently looking for a powefull flash gun so ill perhaps give this ago very soon

@sirrith thankyou mate im glad u liked my fist etemps, tomorrow is going to be about the same so im going to get up at 4am to get some more picture i will try this 1/3 rule and try to take some better shots maybe with less black if i can some how get my built in flash + exposure right and take multiple exposure shots and conbine them into a finial image lol

Damien you don't need a flash to be artistic.
Just use a good torch and shine it on the areas you want to be seen.

Don't forget the basics when doing scenics (even in the dark), like the rule of thirds, and 3 levels of interest (foreground, mid and background). Some of your dark ones don't have any foreground interest (just darkness).

damien666 · *Last edited by damien666; 09-26-2010 at 10:52.*

ok i have been up sense 4am today i have put 5hours into this next image, i got up mega early and fount a place i think would make a nice photo and waited and WAITED and yep WAITED 3hours for the right light, cus their was to much cloud it turned into a high contrast cloud photo and not a sun rise photo but i adapted to the weather

, i then spent 2hours tweaking the colour and light/shadows of the image to get a good exposure and bring out the detail within the image, i removed black mid ground objects and replace them with a better exposed image i took once the light changed, so this image consist of 4 exposures and 2hours of tweaks, and a crop lol, i really hope i did well, i tryed to incorporate the third rule + the foreground, mid, background interest so lets see if my works payed off please advice

heres the original if you can do better please show me

eclap · *Last edited by eclap; 09-26-2010 at 11:00.*

right... I won't say much about this... but you completely murdered the photo in PS mate. This doesn't look like good light... good morning light looks like this... http://www.fotoaparat.cz/index.php?r...0030&gal=photo

it's actually hard to work out what the light was like after you clipped the shadows out brutally and tempered with the sky... I don't actually think the light was all that good to be fair...

EDIT: yeah, just as I thought, there was no good light sorry mate... and you brought those trees back too much... it's all mushy and dull.

2 more things... you have some dust on your sensor... and also, you put the horizon too central.

damien666 · 09-26-2010, 11:08 | posts: 11,834 | Location: nottingham, uk

CRAP EPIC FAIL..

emmm ok, the light was very very bad and it was very cloudy, ok for the trees maybe i can try to sharpen them ur unmask them ill give it ago, and thanks for the dust comment ill clean it tonight, ow and i forgot the thirds rule means both vertical and horizontal crap

i better get back to the photoshoping, thank you mate

sirrith · 09-26-2010, 11:52 | posts: 1,574

Quote:

Originally Posted by eclap

2 more things... you have some dust on your sensor... and also, you put the horizon too central.

Just wondering... How can you tell he has dust on his sensor? I can't see anything

And I agree about the horizon.

damien666 · 09-26-2010, 11:56 | posts: 11,834 | Location: nottingham, uk

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirrith

Just wondering... How can you tell he has dust on his sensor? I can't see anything

And I agree about the horizon.

its about 1.5inch down / 2.3inch right of the top right cornor

i see it,

eclap · 09-26-2010, 12:07 | posts: 18,402 | Location: Hampshire UK

eclap · 09-26-2010, 12:09 | posts: 18,402 | Location: Hampshire UK

aaanyway

sirrith · 09-26-2010, 13:23 | posts: 1,574

Lol, good eyes. Didn't notice until you pointed them out.
Btw, what flash setup do you use for your macro shots eclap?

Here's my first try with a proper macro lens: Canon FD 100mm f4 with adapter + extension tube (yes the focus is not on his face, that's actually intentional because they painted his lips very poorly (I've uploaded another shot to show that right after this one)

And here's a night shot with my 50mm: