Photo of the day: December 2012

[Phrasikleia]

I spent the last few days putting the finishing touches on a complete revamp of my website. Now that it's done and out of the way, I can get back to the important business of sharing photos here on MR! (By the way, I'll be publishing short articles on photography on the website in the future, so be sure to bookmark my Articles page if you want to read them.)

Mine for today is one I shot during my trip to South Tyrol last month...

[fcortese]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

I spent the last few days putting the finishing touches on a complete revamp of my website. Now that it's done and out of the way, I can get back to the important business of sharing photos here on MR! (By the way, I'll be publishing short articles on photography on the website in the future, so be sure to bookmark my Articles page if you want to read them.)

Mine for today is one I shot during my trip to South Tyrol last month...

Love the new look to the site. Good luck with it. Bookmarked just moments ago.

[TheReef]

Quebec City




(Sorry for the slightly wider image than usual... having issues with Aperture again, a soft export just doesn't do this picture justice so went for an even 25% downscale.)

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

I spent the last few days putting the finishing touches on a complete revamp of my website.

Looks great P!

[BarryJ]

In the backyard yesterday. We're having some weird warm December weather here.

[Hankster]

A late fall sunset with a birds moving just before evening hour.

[Doylem]

Originally Posted by TheReef

Nice: one of those pix the eye just wanders around, enjoying the details...

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

I really like the hint of extra color you get from the cooler temperature of the outdoor light hitting the edges of the windows. Those blue hues really set off the warm ones. It would be nice to see even more of it instead of the small slice in the corner by itself, but perhaps that's not possible.)

Photographing Blackwell is a good winter project for me. The lighting is done very well, to pick out some of the design details; factor in all the light coming in through the windows at different times of the day, and there are so many different pix to take. I'll enjoy the process, and learning more about balancing the light sources. I could use HDR, I suppose, but even the slightest 'HDR look' puts me off.

Oh, and your website looks very good...

Originally Posted by Puckman1

I love all of those Blackwell shots, doylem. The soft/warm lighting manages to convey exactly the right mood for that kind of location, in my mind.

Thank you. This is the dining room...

[someoldguy]

M9 , CV25/4 , f8@1/180 , iso 200

[Cheese&Apple]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

I spent the last few days putting the finishing touches on a complete revamp of my website. Now that it's done and out of the way, I can get back to the important business of sharing photos here on MR! (By the way, I'll be publishing short articles on photography on the website in the future, so be sure to bookmark my Articles page if you want to read them.)

Congratulations on your new web design Phrasikleia...very well done! I'm looking forward to reading your photography articles.

Btw, I love the Bio and Artist statement page. It's so nice to know the background of an artist when you admire and respect their work. The photo of you is a an added bonus...after all, we tend to be a visual group.

Mine for today...a Pine Grosbeak (chowing-down)



Pine Grosbeak by Cheese&Apple, on Flickr

[Rowbear]

Originally Posted by TheReef

Quebec City

Great shot, for the same reasons as Doylem.

Let me guess...you were in Lévis, either on the dock or on the ferry boat to / from Québec city I love Québec city.

[ijohn.8.80]

Originally Posted by Phrasikleia

I spent the last few days putting the finishing touches on a complete revamp of my website.

The revamped site looks very good, well laid out, a modern contemporary feel, nice and simple but professional. A good foil to your pictures.

After reading your FAQ's I now have to go forth and investigate single shots using luminosity masks thoroughly, thank you!

I love the line of the cloud across the latest picture you posted here, is that mothership following you?!

Can I ask a huge favour and a question of you? With the library shot I took the other week, if I was to attempt this as a single shot and use luminosity masks to reveal some more content; would you favour the shadows or the highlights in regard of exposure and why? Or should I just follow my light meters suggestions and then swing slightly to the highlights or the underexposure depending on which I want to prioritise for? (Not the camera, an actual light meter). I would of course bracket my shots for safeties sake so as to choose the best exposure at home.

----------

Originally Posted by Cheese&Apple

Mine for today...a Pine Grosbeak (chowing-down)



Pine Grosbeak by Cheese&Apple, on Flickr

Well captured Cheese&Apple, it sort of looks like me on Christmas day when I hit the Pavlova and Trifle!

[acearchie]

Stuck under a mountain of work and looking forward to getting out and shooting but in the meantime here is one from ages ago!

As always, comments are appreciated!


Table & View by acearchie, on Flickr

[ijohn.8.80]

Originally Posted by Doylem

Thank you. This is the dining room...

I can see how the multiple lighting sources would be challenging in this job Doylem. It's a pity there was such a hard shadow line across the fireplace in the main hall.

With this shot what is the diagonal line going across the lamp shad over the table towards the desk on the end wall? Otherwise, nice and warm and homely. This style of architecture always reminds me of the American Shaker style, I love them both.

[NeGRit0]

I dont think I have shared this one yet. This was taken during a layover in Charlotte, NC.




Also, ijohn here is a good tutorial to start with the masks that another user shared here. I forget who though.

[TheReef]

Originally Posted by Doylem

Nice: one of those pix the eye just wanders around, enjoying the details...

Originally Posted by Rowbear

Great shot, for the same reasons as Doylem.

Let me guess...you were in Lévis, either on the dock or on the ferry boat to / from Québec city I love Québec city.

Thanks guys, Rob yes I'd just crossed the river on the ferry and took a long flight of steps up to where I set up - I'm really loving my new carbon fibre Manfrotto legs, nice and light and they fold up small enough to fit into carry-on luggage.

I'm with you there Rob, Québec city was magnifique, very picturesque

[ijohn.8.80]

Originally Posted by NeGRit0

I dont think I have shared this one yet. This was taken during a layover in Charlotte, NC.




Also, ijohn here is a good tutorial to start with the masks that another user shared here. I forget who though.

Really interesting colours in the sky of your picture!

Thanks heaps for the link, I'll devour it when I return. Just going off to shoot the interior of another cathedral.

[LumbermanSVO]

Doylem, I'm loving your current series!

P, the new site looks great!

----------

On Thanksgiving I saw a chair that I liked and immediately setup a shot with my dad in the chair. I setup some lights and had my dad build a fire and got the shot I was looking for. Then someone pointed out that if he just had a hat on, it would be great for x-mas cards. So a week later I returned and redid the shot. This particular image was from setting up the shot while my dad was building the fire. It was lit with a single LP160 in an 8" beauty dish on an overhead speaker.



I just wish I would have gotten a shot of him in the chair with this super simple light setup and the fire going...

[ijohn.8.80]

Originally Posted by LumbermanSVO

I just wish I would have gotten a shot of him in the chair with this super simple light setup and the fire going...

I really like this shot. It's simple, honest and unpretentious. There's that little bit of intrigue there too, I want to know what's going to happen after the fire is going! Is he going to sit there sipping a drink next to the fire, is he going to don the cap and dance a merry jig? Thank you for engrossing me like that LumbermanSVO. I hope all is going well for you with your simplifying of your life.

My simple effort for today, taken about five hours ago. This is the result after my first attack at this shot in photoshop using very basic tonal adjustments and playing with selective colour to reduce a green haze from several floodlights in there! I'm going to work on this as a practice piece to learn about the luminosity masks, etc... rather than do the HDR thing to it. I'll repost it when I feel I've got it right.

[Doylem]

Originally Posted by ijohn.8.80

I can see how the multiple lighting sources would be challenging in this job Doylem. It's a pity there was such a hard shadow line across the fireplace in the main hall.

With this shot what is the diagonal line going across the lamp shad over the table towards the desk on the end wall? Otherwise, nice and warm and homely. This style of architecture always reminds me of the American Shaker style, I love them both.

I posted the wrong shot. This is the only one with that line. I presume it must be flare, though it looks more like something a spider might make...

Photographing indoors is something (fairly) new to me, so this is a good opportunity to experiment with the mix of interior and exterior lighting. And it's a nice warm place to be... unlike my shack...

[Phrasikleia]

Originally Posted by fcortese

Love the new look to the site. Good luck with it. Bookmarked just moments ago.

Thanks, fcortese! I hope to see some familiar people in the comments once I begin posting articles.

Originally Posted by TheReef

Beautiful balance of light, and such a lovely waterfront. Terrific photo, Reef!

Originally Posted by TheReef

Looks great P!

Glad you think so.

Originally Posted by Hankster

A late fall sunset with a birds moving just before evening hour.

This photo makes me want to be there. Lovely atmosphere and great timing with the flock of birds.

Originally Posted by Doylem

Photographing Blackwell is a good winter project for me. The lighting is done very well, to pick out some of the design details; factor in all the light coming in through the windows at different times of the day, and there are so many different pix to take. I'll enjoy the process, and learning more about balancing the light sources. I could use HDR, I suppose, but even the slightest 'HDR look' puts me off.

Oh, and your website looks very good...

This place must be enormous...one luscious space after another. If money were no object, the house I would build would be in the Arts-and-Crafts style. In fact, I think I would just commission a duplicate of this Blackwell house of yours.

Oh, and thanks for the compliment about my website.

Originally Posted by Cheese&Apple

Congratulations on your new web design Phrasikleia...very well done! I'm looking forward to reading your photography articles.

Btw, I love the Bio and Artist statement page. It's so nice to know the background of an artist when you admire and respect their work. The photo of you is a an added bonus...after all, we tend to be a visual group.

Thanks a lot for saying that, Cheese&Apple.

Originally Posted by Cheese&Apple

What a great catch! I've seen a lot of great bird photos, but I don't recall ever seeing one where the bird looks like he just came from a pie-eating contest! Adorable and very well done.

Originally Posted by acearchie

...in the meantime here is one from ages ago!

I remember commenting on this one when you posted it years ago. I still like it!

Originally Posted by ijohn.8.80

The revamped site looks very good, well laid out, a modern contemporary feel, nice and simple but professional. A good foil to your pictures.

After reading your FAQ's I now have to go forth and investigate single shots using luminosity masks thoroughly, thank you!

I love the line of the cloud across the latest picture you posted here, is that mothership following you?!

Can I ask a huge favour and a question of you? With the library shot I took the other week, if I was to attempt this as a single shot and use luminosity masks to reveal some more content; would you favour the shadows or the highlights in regard of exposure and why? Or should I just follow my light meters suggestions and then swing slightly to the highlights or the underexposure depending on which I want to prioritise for? (Not the camera, an actual light meter). I would of course bracket my shots for safeties sake so as to choose the best exposure at home.

Thanks for your comments about the site, ijohn. To answer your question, I almost always privilege the highlights in a photo, since the eye is most attracted to the brighter areas of an image. Also, lifting shadows tends to increase noise, so I try to "expose to the right" in tricky exposure situations where bracketing isn't possible. I seem to recall that your photo of the library included a lot of hanging lamps, which, as direct light sources, are likely to have no highlight detail; if so, I would just let them clip and worry about the highlights that do have detail. I hope I've understood your question!

Originally Posted by LumbermanSVO

P, the new site looks great!

Thanks, Lumberman.

Originally Posted by Doylem

I posted the wrong shot. This is the only one with that line. I presume it must be flare, though it looks more like something a spider might make...

Probably the latter, since there is also a line at the top that goes down diagonally from the rafters. During a 15-sec exposure, the spiderwebs were probably swaying in a draft and picking up light at multiple points, making them look thicker than they are. At least that's my best guess!

Originally Posted by NeGRit0

Also, ijohn here is a good tutorial to start with the masks that another user shared here. I forget who though.

I just skimmed the tutorial at that link. His approach is a bit different from what I would recommend. It looks as though he's using the luminosity mask on a curves adjustment layer, but you'll get better results if you use it on a Smart Object that is a raw file processed for the highlights, with a second raw file beneath it that is processed for the shadows. That way you'll be pulling more out of your raw data. Just my $0.02.

[atmenterprises]

Not sure of the focal length but used an f/30 aperture on an Orion ED80 through a Philips SPC900NC web cam. That's Io in the upper left of the frame. Taken December 3rd.

[sflarc51]

Captured on Sunday during a pet event in my neighborhood.



D700, 50mm AF 1.4 @ f2, 1/800sec., ISO 200

[mustang_dvs]

overtaken by dvsmith, on Flickr

[monokakata]

Yesterday, Colden NY, 7:25 AM. D800, 14-24 @ 15mm, tripod-mounted, pointed straight up. Some LR tweaking.

[genshi]

I don't have a telephoto lens, so I shot this from about 12 inches away... this Squirrel had no fear!

[Keleko]

Here's another of the posed portraits for the high school play. I let the kids come up with the poses they wanted in their characters.

The play is called "12 Dancing Princesses".