Post your photographs here

[snowhiker]

I did a quick search and couldn't find a recent dedicated photo posting thread. So I'd like to start one here. These are photographs you have taken and not pictures you copied off the web. All images are owned & copyrighted by the respective poster and can not be used without their express written permission.



I was taking some macro shots when this little guy flew into view. He was about 3 feet away from me. I slowly turned 90 degrees and took two quick shots before he flew away.

Exposure: 1/250 @ f/5.6. ISO 400. Below is a 1:1 crop of the 24mp JPG image. You may have resize your browser <ctrl> + "mouse wheel" to see whole image.

 

[mubs]

Lovely!

 

[snowhiker]

Any recommendations, comments, or suggestions on image hosting? I'm using Postimage.org

Some 1:1 crops of macro shots. These were taken before I knew anything about my camera and its auto-focus system. I still know next to nothing. Exposure was 1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 100-250.

Man's best friend. My doggie's nose.
His worst. A fly.
Honey bee. Orange ball on legs is all the stuff hes collected.

 

[sedrosken]

Those shots are beautiful. The technical specs whizzed right over my head though. Now I know how people feel when I talk about computers.

 

[ddrueding]

If we're doing bees I'll drop this one:

 

[Mercutio]

I went to a comic convention over the weekend. I decided not to take any photos. It doesn't make any sense for me to bother when there are people running around with pro-grade gear and my own shots aren't in any way remarkable. Almost every photo I've taken in the last year was either a picture of a cat or of a computer and the last five photos on my phone are just Windows product keys from the undersides of laptops.

 

[timwhit]

I take photos of my daughter and receipts for expense reports.

 

[Bartender]

Hmmm...we may need to get some film for the bar's Minolta XG 1 with the Vivitar 28mm F2.0 lens.

 

[Handruin]

Here are some images from a trip to Utah I took a few years back.

 

[snowhiker]

Those shots are beautiful. The technical specs whizzed right over my head though. Now I know how people feel when I talk about computers.

Thanks sed. How long was the sensor exposed to light in fractions of a second, how large was the hole in the lens the light passed through and how sensitive was the sensor. A lot less complicated than computer jargon.

If we're doing bees I'll drop this one:

View attachment 897

/golf-clap.
That is a nice macro shot. Did you bump up the colors a bit in post? All of my posted photos are just crops of the JPGs right out of the camera. No post processing yet. I have to learn how to do that but I have the raw NEF files to work with not just the JPGs.

I went to a comic convention over the weekend. I decided not to take any photos. It doesn't make any sense for me to bother when there are people running around with pro-grade gear and my own shots aren't in any way remarkable. Almost every photo I've taken in the last year was either a picture of a cat or of a computer and the last five photos on my phone are just Windows product keys from the undersides of laptops.

To me a comic convention seems like an awesome place to take photos. You aren't trying to win some award or impress anybody but capture the awesomeness around you. And "pro-grade gear" isn't needed for great shots. And I've also take shots of Windows product keys because I couldn't make it out unless I shot it and enlarged in on my computer screen.

I take photos of my daughter and receipts for expense reports.

I wish I had more pictures of myself over the years growing up. 47+ years old and only a few days cataloged in photos. Not everyday was great but I would love to have some of the good ones remembered in photos. Take a bunch pics, often, doesn't have to be any special occasion, but take them nonetheless. A great gift to pass down to your daughter.

Hmmm...we may need to get some film for the bar's Minolta XG 1 with the Vivitar 28mm F2.0 lens.

I had an XG-1 15 years before Sed was born and it was a blast until I tripped and banged it against the ground killing it.

 

[snowhiker]

Here are some images from a trip to Utah I took a few years back.

Nice shots. Seems you visited some of the parks I wanted to visit but ran out of time.

 

[LunarMist]

Hmmm...we may need to get some film for the bar's Minolta XG 1 with the Vivitar 28mm F2.0 lens.

Oh my. That lens was not my favorite. I had the 28/2 Nikkor back in the day.

 

[LunarMist]

Those shots are beautiful. The technical specs whizzed right over my head though. Now I know how people feel when I talk about computers.

Today people expect EXIF data all the time. It annoys me to the point where I refuse to post images on my favorite photo forums.
It should not really matter what camera, ISO, lens, aperture, shutter speed, etc. were used unless the purpose of the image is to test equipment or diagnose problems.

 

[snowhiker]

A few shots from my trip. More to come.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


1. Taken on an overlook on AZ highway 89a heading toward the north rim entrance road.
35mm focal length. Exposure: 1/160, @ f5.6, ISO 125.

2. Taken on the entrance to the narrows trail in Zion NP.
16mm focal length. Exposure: 1/100, @ f5.6, ISO 320.

3. Taken looking into the entrance of the narrows.
16mm focal length. Exposure: 1/100, @ f5.6, ISO 100, 1.3 stops underexposed.

2 & 3 show the difficult lighting conditions we encountered. Super bright direct sunlight and dark shadows.

4. A furry friend. You can't NOT take a picture of squirrels in Zion. So many people feed the lil buggers they aren't afraid of anything. I was on my knees about 2 feet from the critter just firing away at 6 fps. Eventually he turned toward me and I got a few in focus.
35mm focal length. Exposure: 1/160, @ f8, ISO 280, .7 stops underexposed.

5. Shot at "Big Bend" of the Virgin River.
16mm focal length. Exposure: 1/250, @ f5.6, ISO 100, 1 stop underexposed.

6. Shot in Bryce. I'm calling it "Venus at sunset"
16mm focal length. Exposure: 1/30, @ f4, ISO 5000.


More to come. Stay tuned. And thanks for taking a look.

 

[ddrueding]

That is a nice macro shot. Did you bump up the colors a bit in post? All of my posted photos are just crops of the JPGs right out of the camera. No post processing yet. I have to learn how to do that but I have the raw NEF files to work with not just the JPGs.

No idea. Probably? I'm with Lunar on this one, the goal is to have a bunch of pixels arranged in a way you like. How you got there is less relevant, unless you are trying to learn or replicate a result.

 

[snowhiker]

No idea. Probably? I'm with Lunar on this one, the goal is to have a bunch of pixels arranged in a way you like. How you got there is less relevant, unless you are trying to learn or replicate a result.

I actually agree with both you and Lunar. The end result is what's important.

I simply asked you specifically about digital post processing because it's something I have ZERO knowledge of and need to learn at least some basics. I remember dodging and burning to effect exposure and the use of filters in an enlarger to effect contrast. That is the extent of my "post-processing" knowledge and it's not too relevant in today's digital photography world.

I wasn't trying to be some photo douche/showoff by posting EXIF data. I was posting the data more for myself as a learning tool as it's been 20 years since I've taken a photo where I've needed to pay attention to such things. AND as a way of keeping myself engaged in the hobby as it's summer now (over 100F yesterday) and I can't get outside as much as I want till mid-Oct.

Again great macro photo. The colors really popped.

A couple more macro shots. Another shot of a bee and a flower.

 

[LunarMist]

I'm not sure why those last two images are so bad, but it's either not enough shutter speed, too wide an aperture or incorrect focus. Have you adjusted the AF MFT?

 

[ddrueding]

I simply asked you specifically about digital post processing because it's something I have ZERO knowledge of and need to learn at least some basics. I remember dodging and burning to effect exposure and the use of filters in an enlarger to effect contrast. That is the extent of my "post-processing" knowledge and it's not too relevant in today's digital photography world.

I wasn't trying to be some photo douche/showoff by posting EXIF data. I was posting the data more for myself as a learning tool as it's been 20 years since I've taken a photo where I've needed to pay attention to such things. AND as a way of keeping myself engaged in the hobby as it's summer now (over 100F yesterday) and I can't get outside as much as I want till mid-Oct.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound rough at all. I meant it to just say that I don't keep track. All my pictures pass though Adobe Bridge/RAW/Photoshop with some level of lens distortion correction and sharpening. Most end up with a brightness/contrast adjust, and if I didn't calibrate the white level in the field (I love my ExpoDisc) then something is done. Before you do any of this stuff, calibrate your monitor (I still like my old x-rite i1). It really makes a huge difference.

 

[snowhiker]

I'm not sure why those last two images are so bad, but it's either not enough shutter speed, too wide an aperture or incorrect focus. Have you adjusted the AF MFT?

I have not adjusted and/or tested the AF system yet. I probably should, especially for closeup macro work.

The bee shot was literally the first time I use the camera and didn't know how to adjust the AF system to a single AF point. As I was shooting the camera would "randomly" pick an AF point and focus, so the focus point is probably off. The bees were shot at 1/250 or faster @ f/5.6, so probably my focus was off. Perhaps DOF came into play at those close focus distances.

Here is the original 24 MP image of the flower.

I forgot the posted flower pic was a crop and not really a macro shot. I tried to crop from the best part of the image, which wasn't that great to begin with.

I'm still in the early learning stages of what the macro lens can do. I still have a long way to go.

Keep the honest feedback coming. MUCH THANKS.

 

[snowhiker]

Sorry, didn't mean to sound rough at all. I meant it to just say that I don't keep track. All my pictures pass though Adobe Bridge/RAW/Photoshop with some level of lens distortion correction and sharpening. Most end up with a brightness/contrast adjust, and if I didn't calibrate the white level in the field (I love my ExpoDisc) then something is done. Before you do any of this stuff, calibrate your monitor (I still like my old x-rite i1). It really makes a huge difference.

I didn't take it as sounding rough at all. I never would. I know you aren't that type of person. My reply was more of an explanation for me posting EXIF data as Sed showed confusion, Lunar was annoyed and you agreed with Lunar. Sorry my OCD causing me to explain/justify my actions.

I figured you didn't keep track of exact adjustments you made to that photo, I was just interested in IF you made adjustments and any basic workflow you used to process images. The post processing work will be the most challenging part of my learning the complete digital photography process.

And thanks again for your input.

 

[ddrueding]

My workflow is probably very different from others, and I'll need to explain a bit before the rest makes sense. I have a closer relationship to my "clients". 80% of my time holding a camera is explicitly for my wife, with the rest being shoots for friends and family. Frequently I've been brought into weddings, fundraisers or the like as a backup. The event has a professional photog (or even a crew), and they have me there operating independently to get candids and backups of critical moments. No flash, no sets, very informal posing (if any), just my type of work.

As such, after the shoot, I sit the client down on a computer with Adobe Bridge installed and have them review all the RAW images, marking the ones they like. While they review the shots, I'm on a machine next to them working on the files they mark. They will typically mark 10% of the shots, and I'll reduce that by another 20% on shot quality (they like the one with the kid smiling, but if the image quality doesn't cut it I won't bother.

My first step is opening the first shot in a particular environment and creating a base set of adjustments (exposure, color balance, contrast, sharpening, lens correction) that I apply to all pictures in that environment. From there most pictures don't require anything specific and go directly to the Photoshop Image Processor where I save a full-res version as TIFF and a low-res copy as JPG. If there are one or two exceptional shots from an event (or one of the primary female) I'll start pixel-peeping with brushes and spot adjustments.

 

[snowhiker]

My first step is opening the first shot in a particular environment and creating a base set of adjustments (exposure, color balance, contrast, sharpening, lens correction) that I apply to all pictures in that environment. From there most pictures don't require anything specific and go directly to the Photoshop Image Processor where I save a full-res version as TIFF and a low-res copy as JPG. If there are one or two exceptional shots from an event (or one of the primary female) I'll start pixel-peeping with brushes and spot adjustments.

Thanks for that description. I want to keep things as simple as possible. If I create a really nice photo that I'd want printed/mounted I can send the RAW out to a friend for post processing and printing. But for now I'm going to just try to shoot as much as possible and worry about post processing later.

 

[snowhiker]

More vacation shots

A few more crops from my AZ/UTAH vacation.

1. Bryce Canyon.
2. Little Colorado (just east of Grand Canyon).
3. Closeup of #2.

The Little Colorado is a remarkable place, really flat prairie then an immediate drop off of up to 800 feet to the river below. One of the best views is while driving south on AZ highway 89 from Page, AZ. Unfortunately you can't stop on the highway, but there is a turnout a bit further down the highway as you descend in elevation. The view from the turnout is not as amazing as the "holy shit" view you get while driving, but it is nice nonetheless.

Also a couple shots about 5 miles west of my house as I tried to catch some dramatic clouds.

4. Dessert + Clouds.
5. Road + Clouds.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.

 

[ddrueding]

I like #3, though I would probably try to up the contrast a bit in post.

I'm back to shooting my usual subject:

 

[LunarMist]

A few more crops from my AZ/UTAH vacation.

1. Bryce Canyon.
2. Little Colorado (just east of Grand Canyon).
3. Closeup of #2.

Did you do the short hike from Inspiration to Sunset at Bryce?

I may do that again with the Sony this time.

 

[Tea]

Hey! Great thread!

As you know, Australia has a new, business-oriented, go-ahead government which is revolutionising our entire public transit system.

Here it is in action:

 

[snowhiker]

I like #3, though I would probably try to up the contrast a bit in post.

I'm back to shooting my usual subject:

View attachment 904

Yeah it was shot mid-day so it's a bit flat. I haven't done any post processing yet. And as far as your picture goes, she's a cutie and I think you are going to need to buy a shotgun in the future.

 

[snowhiker]

Did you do the short hike from Inspiration to Sunset at Bryce?

I may do that again with the Sony this time.

If that's the trail that's just off the Sunset Point parking lot and goes UP then we didn't get to it. We went on a multi-hour hike DOWN the Navajo loop trail then headed back up to "Wall Street" to the closed section. Then from the 4-way intersection we headed further down toward the Peekaboo trail. Turned around and went back up to the 4-way then over to the Queen Victoria trail then back UP to the rim on the Queens Garden Trail. Then followed the rim from Sunrise point to where we parked at Sunset point.

 

[LunarMist]

Yeah it was shot mid-day so it's a bit flat. I haven't done any post processing yet.

I suggest using the middle of the day for driving, siesta, lunch, scouting other locations, etc.
You must have done some processing, since the image is posted.

 

[snowhiker]

I suggest using the middle of the day for driving, siesta, lunch, scouting other locations, etc.
You must have done some processing, since the image is posted.

Well I did crop the JPG image but that was about it.

Yeah, we went to Emerald Pools in Zion early in the day, but realized that late afternoon would have been better. With canyons and high mountains lighting is tricky. Really early A.M. might mean backlighting/silhouetting but late day shooting would be perfect and vice-versa. I think we hit all the right places at exactly the wrong time. And when time is limited to one or two days, you have to shoot mid-day or you will miss too much and not get anything done.

Two more images. The first being really close-up of the rocks that makes up Bryce. It's actually hard rock, but it looks like something you'd see in a cave. Second is just a shot of the switch backs going down into the canyon.

 

[Tea]

Wow! What a place!

 

[LunarMist]

Yeah. I wish I could post some images of it, but I got locked out of my website a few years ago.

 

[ddrueding]

Still trying to figure out exactly how "Highlight Priority" behaves...

View attachment 913

 

[LunarMist]

Still trying to figure out exactly how "Highlight Priority" behaves...

View attachment 913

Is that some kind of nonsense mode for jpegs, like pseudo pull or push processing? Shoot RAW, use the histograms and ignore the funky modes I say.

 

[LunarMist]

Still trying to figure out exactly how "Highlight Priority" behaves...

View attachment 913

The attachment claims to be an invalid.

 

[ddrueding]

Interesting. Loads for me. You can't just left-click it?

 

[LunarMist]

http://www.storageforum.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=913

That does nothing for me. Does anyone else see anything?

 

[ddrueding]

Does it work better this way?



I've been Googling as to how to put in thumbnails, but honestly I can't figure it out.

 

[LunarMist]

Yes. I think something has happened to the forum. It used to show the thumb automatically IIRC.

Meanwhile, the image looks overexposed and color does not look right. Do you have the RAW file?

 

[CougTek]

She really seems to like her koala.