Photo of the day: November 2012

[Phrasikleia]

[Cheese&Apple]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

Then a suggestion you shall have... Keep in mind when you're shooting night shots that the same principles apply as those taken in daylight. Most pictures benefit from a good sense of hierarchy, a certain 'logic' to the image that tells us where the primary point of interest lies. This point is often referred to as the "subject," but I find that term causes a lot of confusion because people often assume that the "subject" is what the photo is "about," which is not necessarily the case. Anyway, in addition to this primary point, there could also be secondary and tertiary ones (or more), but those should not compete with the main point of interest.

In your photo, the primary point is established pretty well: the closest window is the largest lit area and attracts the eye first. It's lacking a strong visual pay-off, however--the kind of interest or 'aha moment' that tells us why we should be looking there (as opposed to any of the other windows which appear to be identical). Then the repeating lights march the eye into the distance, where it finds the lit sign on the bridge. The lit sign is also quite large in the frame, has lots of texture, and even some red color. The sign is therefore competing for interest, even though it's up against the margin and extending out of the frame (which tells us that it's not supposed to be very important). So the sign also does not provide us with that sense of closure/discovery.

So: when you're out shooting night scenes, as you would with daylight scenes, ask yourself which point in the picture will be the anchor, the primary point of interest. If that point is getting the right kind of light and you can find a 'supportive' composition for it, then you're probably going to end up with a nicely resolved photograph.

I hope that makes sense!

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and valued feedback Phrasikleia. Your comments do make a lot of sense...even more so when I digest this and look at your shot.

The gentle clouds seem to be embracing the jagged peak in a dance of sunlight. The cloud floating in the foreground actually appears to have a body with outstretched arms. Remarkable and definitely an 'aha moment' for me.

Thank you again.

[fcortese]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

This screams to be on some calendar somewhere in the world! Again, good things come to those who wait. I'm sure you camped out for this shot like you do for so many of your masterpieces.

[acearchie]

Macrumors forum just like buses? Post a few photos with no comments and then three come on one! Great stuff.

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

The composition here seems a bit arbitrary to me, though. She's centered in the frame, and her head just touches that big, blank white area above her. I feel as though she should either overlap that white area by a lot or else it shouldn't be in the frame. Also, there is a fringe of foliage at the right that looks to be neither here nor there; I would just crop it out. Perhaps some portrait shooters here can offer their comments as well.

Thanks for the helpful feedback. Not trying to make excuses but I am using my Dads old film camera and therefore half the time I am happy if I just manage to get the subject in focus! The centre framing is due to my viewfinder being brightest in the middle but in the future I am definitely trying to get a bit more experimental in the future. Thanks for pointing out about the headline on the top of the trees. Something felt off but I never thought it might be that.

Originally Posted by TheReef

I'm with P in the nice light and models, I'm no portrait shooter but her expression and body language remind me of whenever I take a photo of a friend and they're giving me the "please no pictures now" look
It has a nice quality about it, and she really pops with the shallow DOF, MF film I'm assuming?

Got it in one. Hasselblad 500c with a 350mm lens! It's my Dads old bosses, old camera left to him in his will and it seemed right to keep it in use!

I am not a fan of the pose in this shot either but it's one of the only ones I have managed to get in focus with the 350mm.

Originally Posted by Keleko

I do like the hair rim light, but I think her face and body is too dark. A reflector or fill flash to brighten her up would help her stand out even more. What I've been learning is that you should try to get the portrait subject to be about a stop or maybe 2 stops brighter than the background in an outdoor shooting situation. That is not a hard and fast rule, of course (nothing in photography is), but it's what I see done again and again.

Thanks for mentioning The Grid, I've never heard of it but will be sure to give it a watch. I have been watching "film" on the framed network.

Interesting point on the 2 stops over the background. I was working on my own so couldn't really hold in a reflector as well and I have yet to purchase a lightmeter which will meter the flash.

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

Just amazing! Would love to take a shot like this and get a giant print for my wall! Do you display your own photos in your house?

Originally Posted by Psychopulse

Untitled by chris panas, on Flickr

Great shot. My friend took a shot of a similar style dog and this really reminded me of it.

Here is mine for today. As always comments appreciated!


Emma by acearchie, on Flickr

[Puckman1]

Originally Posted by TheDrift-

I can see where doylem was coming from here...have you saved and re-saved this as a jpeg?

Jpeg is a 'lossy' format, every time you save it compresses and looses information, and you will begin to see artifcating (blocking of pixels)

If poss try to work in Raw,tiffs, dng's etc and keep files in those formats and only convert to Jpeg as a very last step, so you are saving as a jpeg only once...

Thanks for the feedback.

No, I did not work with a jpg. In fact, this is exported directly from the raw file. Just bad photography on my part, LOL.

Having said that, and coming from a technical background (software), I have to question the truth that jpeg re-compresses an already compressed image (when saving the same image over and over) causing further loss in quality. I've heard this mentioned in photography forums (which I am new to, admittedly), and I have not looked into it enough to know if it's true, but my gut tells me that this may be a myth. It would make more sense to me if the compression algorithm is applied the first time around (when going from raw to jpg, or from any format through the jpg algorithm).
But re-applying the jpg compression algorithm to an already compressed data block (file or otherwise) should not result in any more compression (or degradation). At least in theory.
Easy (yet not super-scientific) test: export a 20M raw into a jpg. File size should now be in the 1-2Mb range. Note file size. Open and save jpg 10 times in a row. Does the file size decrease each time? My guess is it stays unchanged from this point on (assuming no edits or modifications are made to the data, of course).


PS: Sorry for going off on this tangent.

[rustyb99]

Let me know what you think.


Sculpture at Socrate Park by MichaeljPhotog, on Flickr

[bbeers]

That wouldn't happen to have been taken in Orange CT. Looks like where i grew up.

Originally Posted by someoldguy

Was at a reception in NE Connecticut last weekend . The small town where the event was held reminded me of the kind of place where Norman Rockwell would have painted .

Image

M9 , 35/2 , f11@1/1000 , iso 400

[acearchie]

Originally Posted by rustyb99

Let me know what you think.


Sculpture at Socrate Park by MichaeljPhotog, on Flickr

From here is looks very saturated and a bit underexposed. There is also ghosting around the tree branches suggesting excessive use of clarity or definition filter?

[VirtualRain]

The view from the bell tower in Split, Croatia...

[Designer Dale]

The much photographed Twin Barns at the Nisqually Delta National Wildlife Refuge.


EXIF Summary: Canon 7D 1/320s f/11.0 ISO400 Tamron 28-75 f/2.8@50mm

Dale

[Phrasikleia]

^^^Oooh, I love Split, and I've never seen this view from the tower. Very nice! It looks like you got some great weather on your trip. Is that your boat visible through the columns?

Originally Posted by Cheese&Apple

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and valued feedback Phrasikleia. Your comments do make a lot of sense...even more so when I digest this and look at your shot.

The gentle clouds seem to be embracing the jagged peak in a dance of sunlight. The cloud floating in the foreground actually appears to have a body with outstretched arms. Remarkable and definitely an 'aha moment' for me.

Thank you again.

You're welcome, and thank you for the lovely description.

Originally Posted by fcortese

This screams to be on some calendar somewhere in the world! Again, good things come to those who wait. I'm sure you camped out for this shot like you do for so many of your masterpieces.

Awww, you're very kind. Yes, I went about getting that photo as I normally do, only this time I had to do a lot scampering around at first because I had never visited that location before. I really wanted a little leading line of some sort in the foreground, and it took me a long time to find that. But yeah, once I figured out where to stand, I just parked myself there until the clouds opened up.

Originally Posted by acearchie

Just amazing! Would love to take a shot like this and get a giant print for my wall! Do you display your own photos in your house?

No, and I'm not quite sure why. I sell the photos and give them away to family and friends, but I never do anything with them for myself. I keep talking about hanging some, but I never do it. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it a fear of commitment?

[Bse]

Taken in the U.K. today.
Only the second time I've ever seen these.

Waxwings. by Lesley a.k.a BSE, on Flickr

[snyder7]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

Image

Phrasikleia, this photograph is breathtaking!!! The sense that one can almost touch the peaks on the left side of the frame is fantastic! All I want to do is sit down and admire the view.

Well done, my friend!

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This was shot almost by accident... I was focusing on the tufas on the water when my wife called my attention to look behind and to my left to see the setting sun. I quickly set up my tripod and fired one single frame. Even with some technical issues on this photograph, it is one of my favorites from all of the Mono Lake images I made that day...

[Kebabselector]

Originally Posted by Bse

Taken in the U.K. today.
Only the second time I've ever seen these.

There's a fair few about, locally (to me) they've been spotted in Stoke, Burton, Cannock Chase - not seen any myself in Birmingham yet.

[someoldguy]

Originally Posted by bbeers

That wouldn't happen to have been taken in Orange CT. Looks like where i grew up.

Actually , this was in Woodstock Ct., up in the NE corner of the State ,just below the Mass. border.

[Cheese&Apple]

Holy smokes!!! The shots here just keep getting better and better. This is the best I have at this moment (trying to keep up)...


Clock Tower at Fire Hall 17 by Cheese&Apple on Flickr

[Puckman1]

Originally Posted by Cheese&Apple

Holy smokes!!! The shots just around here just keep getting better and better. This is the best I have at this moment (trying to keep up)...

Image
Clock Tower at Fire Hall 17 by Cheese&Apple on Flickr

That is a beautiful shot! The color and lighting just pop against that black background.

[Doylem]

Originally Posted by Puckman1

I think that was at ISO100 actually. As I said, still learning the ins and outs of lighting, etc. The exposure was less than perfect and has already been doctored up a bit using Lightroom (WB mostly).
I still haven't figured out how to get those photos that "pop and sparkle" as you said.

Thanks for the input.

Also, LOVE your landscapes. I assume this is somewhere in the UK? Would love to visit that kind of countryside landscapes sometime...

There's a learning curve to photography, and you're on it. You'll see gradual improvements. Maybe not day-to-day, but you may look back at pix you took six months ago and see the difference.

My landscapes are mostly of the North of England, and particularly the Lake District of Cumbria. A lot of people reckon it's the most beautiful region in the country...

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

That's a really nice comment, Doylem, thank you. You've described the mood I was in that day perfectly. I hadn't been out shooting for months, aside from a few doomed outings when the weather did not reveal the beauty of the places I visited. By the time I got to this gorge, I was feeling deflated, off my game, and exhausted from a long period of overwork. Then I got thrown this softball by nature: perfect, misty, autumn conditions for shooting the gorge--and not just for a moment but for five glorious hours. The only sounds were the rushing water and falling leaves, and perhaps a little humming sound of me coming out of my funk. I left the gorge that day feeling utterly refreshed. I wish it could be like that more often.

It’s interesting how our mood effects our photography, and, conversely, how photography effects our mood. The landscape always works for me, even if I don't take the camera out of the bag that day. It's restorative in ways I tend to forget, until I'm out 'on the tops', with the wind in what's left of my hair and some new thoughts in my head...

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

This is as good as anything you've posted here. The detail makes it, of course, especially the sunlight on the peak. And the bottom half is like the layout of a model railway... with model trees and model cabins...

Originally Posted by Bse

Waxwings. by Lesley a.k.a BSE, on Flickr

This is a 'waxwing winter', apparently, though I haven't seen one yet. Great birds: noisy, gregarious and they can strip a tree of berries in minutes flat. Great pic too...

Did some pix in a local museum yesterday, and this little arrangement caught my eye...

[spitfirejd]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

No, and I'm not quite sure why. I sell the photos and give them away to family and friends, but I never do anything with them for myself. I keep talking about hanging some, but I never do it. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it a fear of commitment?

For me, it's more like indecision. Too many pictures, not enough wall space... ergo nothing gets hung!

[Keleko]

Forgot to post this earlier. This is my son from the family portrait session I did a couple of weeks ago.

[Razeus]

201211120737 by dharrisphotog, on Flickr

[shashin]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

Image

This looks to be one of those "decisive moment" kind of shots (to quote Henri Cartier Bresson;-) but it was probably more like a "decisive minute or two" when all the elements came together in the right way. The light and the way that you handled it is incredible!
I need to do some shooting but I really need to get a new camera.
Greg

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Got it in one. Hasselblad 500c with a 350mm lens! It's my Dads old bosses, old camera left to him in his will and it seemed right to keep it in use!

I am not a fan of the pose in this shot either but it's one of the only ones I have managed to get in focus with the 350mm.

Most of us film guys would have died to have that multi-thousand dollar Carl Ziess lens in it's day. The 500c could be a pain to focus so I fully understand your difficulty. The later models had a brighter screen in them but, I believe, the 500c's screen could also be exchanged. I might be wrong.
Good job!
P.S. I see she's carrying the case for it. Do you always make your models schlep your gear?;-)

[ijohn.8.80]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

Wow! Absolutely stunning! It's like a scene from the Lord of the rings series of movies.

[LumbermanSVO]

I haven't dropped by in awhile due to rearranging my life in a major way, but I have been able to keep up with a few of you through my newsfeed reader.

P, Dale and Robert,(and some more that the wine has erased from my mind) I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have seen over the last couple of weeks.

Doylem and TheReef, do you have a link I can plug into my newsfeed reader?

On Sunday I saw a scene near Three Forks, MT I've seen twice a week for almost three years and suddenly the picture popped in my head. The only thing I was missing was a strong enough ND filter to make it work. There is absolutely no way I can be there for sunrise or sunset, so mid-day with an ND stacked on a CPL will have to do. Well, I ordered a Hoya 9-stop filter right away and the day I picked it up from the post office, I didn't have much time to go shoot. Later that day I did get a picture of the filter, here is it.



It is amazing how fast dust shows up on it!

[Razeus]

201210260087 by dharrisphotog, on Flickr