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Photo of the day: September 2012

BarryJ

BarryJ

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2007
787
0
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Fall's coming

LumbermanSVO said:
MG8191-XL.jpg


Bowman Lake, Glacier National Park
Click to expand...

Funny how photos evoke different reactions from viewers. I agree with Doylem in that the "lump" is too prominent in the foreground. Perhaps if you had turned it to lead the eye to the distant valley, it might have been more pleasing. But having spent many an hour in a canoe, the promise of an easy landing on a flat beach, and perhaps a good campsite under that tree evokes a different response. That calm water can be a paddler's best friend... of course, so can a nice tail wind. ( glad you found your keys )

Mine for today.... one from the "archives". A photo taken on a local trail. This bridge has been torn down. It's replacement lies flat on the water supported by styrofoam floats, no hand rail and no aesthetics.

I hope your labour day weekend is going well.

dsc0007jpg.jpg
 
kallisti

kallisti

macrumors 68000
Apr 22, 2003
1,751
6,670
Newport bridge

7915202554_e8867f757f_c.jpg

On a lighthouse cruise around the Rhode Island waterfront with some out-of-town relatives.
 
kallisti

kallisti

macrumors 68000
Apr 22, 2003
1,751
6,670
charpi said:
[url=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8445/7906887770_1fb7ddc0cd_c.jpg]Image[/url]
Hidden bridge by charpi123, on Flickr

Feedback appreciated. Newbie hobbyist here =)
Click to expand...

My own personal take on this:

Everything tends to blend together in this image as posted. The bridge gets lost in the same tones as the foliage. This might have worked better in color as the greens of the background foliage would have set off the color of the bridge (and the water). In B&W, tweaks need to be made to change the tonal values of the bridge from the other elements in the image. Possible this could be done in Aperture or Lightroom. Possible it would require a more sophisticated plugin/program designed to tweak images for B&W (like Silver Efex Pro). Possible this just isn't a good image for B&W :) I think this image *might* have potential as a B&W image (would depend on what it looked like in color), but currently the subject is lost in a blur of similar tonal values across all elements of the image.

For me, B&W is about tonal contrasts. The absence of color can bring out some of the more basic elements of composition such as lines, shapes, and textures. For some images, color is a distraction that takes away from the real impact of the elements present in an image. To work though, there *must* be sufficient contrast between the different elements of the image. Otherwise you may need to use color to isolate the elements of the image.

Just my $0.02.

Don't take this personally in any way. Just my own (perhaps flawed) opinion :) Also possible you liked the fact that the bridge was "hidden" in the image, but in that case I'm losing the potential impact of the image. Just a blur of similar tonal values with nothing jumping out. Might be what you intended though, which is fine too.
 
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C

charpi

macrumors regular
Sep 30, 2006
205
12
kallisti said:
My own personal take on this:

Everything tends to blend together in this image as posted. The bridge gets lost in the same tones as the foliage. This might have worked better in color as the greens of the background foliage would have set off the color of the bridge (and the water). In B&W, tweaks need to be made to change the tonal values of the bridge from the other elements in the image. Possible this could be done in Aperture or Lightroom. Possible it would require a more sophisticated plugin/program designed to tweak images for B&W (like Silver Efex Pro). Possible this just isn't a good image for B&W :) I think this image *might* have potential as a B&W image (would depend on what it looked like in color), but currently the subject is lost in a blur of similar tonal values across all elements of the image.

For me, B&W is about tonal contrasts. The absence of color can bring out some of the more basic elements of composition such as lines, shapes, and textures. For some images, color is a distraction that takes away from the real impact of the elements present in an image. To work though, there *must* be sufficient contrast between the different elements of the image. Otherwise you may need to use color to isolate the elements of the image.

Just my $0.02.

Don't take this personally in any way. Just my own (perhaps flawed) opinion :) Also possible you liked the fact that the bridge was "hidden" in the image, but in that case I'm losing the potential impact of the image. Just a blur of similar tonal values with nothing jumping out. Might be what you intended though, which is fine too.
Click to expand...

Haha thanks for your advice :)

I agree sometimes photog isn't about what is right and what is wrong. I would go and play around with the image in pixelmator and see how it turns out!
 
kallisti

kallisti

macrumors 68000
Apr 22, 2003
1,751
6,670
charpi said:
Haha thanks for your advice :)

I agree sometimes photog isn't about what is right and what is wrong. I would go and play around with the image in pixelmator and see how it turns out!
Click to expand...

I fear my comments may have come across as harsher than I intended. Forgive me. Wasn't my intent at all.

Play around with both color and B&W. They are *very* different beasts. I've learned over time that my own eye tends to translate best into B&W. Not saying I'm great at B&W, but reviewing my images over the years I've learned that what makes me want to trip the shutter is more-often-than-not something that is best viewed in B&W.

But again they are *very* different beasts. What works in one medium often doesn't work well in the other. A simple conversion from color to B&W often isn't effective. Aperture and Lightroom can sometimes be adequate. Sometimes you need the full power of Photoshop. Or a plugin like Silver Efex Pro. Or you just have to realize that a given image isn't going to look good in B&W no matter what you do to it in post. If you want to get really crazy, you can buy a B&W digital camera (currently the Leica M Monochrom is the only offering at a price tag of $8k). With that you can do B&W the old-fashioned way and need to shoot with colored filters. Still possible (and more sane) to shoot film as a *much* cheaper alternative.

But shooting with the intention of processing/printing in B&W really is different from shooting in color, even if you are shooting with a color digital camera. You have to think differently when choosing subjects. You have to "see" in tones and not in colors. To be effective, it can't be an afterthought. You have to think in B&W when you trip the shutter.
 
ijohn.8.80

ijohn.8.80

macrumors 65816
Jul 7, 2012
1,246
2
Adelaide, Oztwaylya.
A Bee in a Nectarine flower from our front yard.

This was a hand held shot taken with a Canon 1100D/T3 using the kit supplied EF-S 18-55mm lens, which has no image stabilisation. I've been practicing my hand grips with this lens and was pleased with this one for clarity. :)

1/80 sec, f8, 45mm, iso 100.



Nectarine Flower by iJohn.8.80 at flickr
 
E

emtrey

macrumors member
Dec 9, 2006
41
0
Very excited to be breaking in my very first L lens, the 35mm f/1.4! I had to test out the bokeh, so I focused in on a little dead knot in the tree and let 'er rip.


Blackhorn by emtreypics, on Flickr

(There aren't enough words for how much I love this lens so far!)
 
fcortese

fcortese

macrumors demi-god
Apr 3, 2010
2,219
5,172
Big Sky country
In the small Montana town of Reed Point sits two old grain elevators. They had a parade there yesterday that was filled with old cars. Here's one parked in front of one of the structures. PP with Silver Efex Pro 2.

sheepdrive201209024190.jpg
 
K

Keleko

macrumors 68000
Mar 26, 2008
1,927
2,767
I'm not sure any amount of skin smoothing post processing could clean this one up...

DragonCon-Parade-2012-09-01-49-XL.jpg
 
jbg232

jbg232

macrumors 65816
Oct 15, 2007
1,148
10
Haven't posted in awhile, here is one from my recent trip to Paris. It was a rainy, cloudy day with no contrast in the sky unfortunately but I like the movement of it (I was standing on top of the arch).
img2395version2.jpg
 
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