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Archive 2014 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)

  
 
Tekhed
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Hey folks,

This is an older pic I took when I had my D7100. I now own a D800E but I'm down to only my one lens (Nikon 14-24mm 2.8 G) and a crappy tripod and limited time, so I decided to practice some new post processing techniques.

I'll probably hate myself for asking for honest opinions, but I really want to move my photography to another level.

Thanks in advance.

Jon



© Jonathan Lincoln 2014


Not Too Far...




Feb 16, 2014 at 06:52 PM
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Since you asked

First thing I noticed about this image is that it looks like a scan from a film negative. Image is lacking sharpness, and f/16 doesn't help with this - as diffraction sets in.

What are your post processing steps?



Feb 16, 2014 at 07:10 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Hi,

The steps basically include a number of unsharp phases (2 or 3). I started by blending two photos together to get a better sky with a better foreground (bracketed shots). After the sharpening I desaturated the photo as well. Sorry, I know that's a little vague, but that's about what I recall right now.

I just realized there's an photo art section; I was going for more of a painterly look, so perhaps I should have posted it in that forum.

Thanks



Feb 16, 2014 at 07:14 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


probably should have went with around f11?


Feb 16, 2014 at 08:24 PM
maneatingshark
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


I want to say that in a frame with light like this you can probably handle post-processing pretty simply with a single exposure. When I first looked at it I felt that the overall photo was a little unnatural/flat looking, it doesn't quite pop, maybe because of the blend.

Cheers with working on it, practice makes perfect



Feb 16, 2014 at 08:41 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Hi Jonathan,
have a seat
its a tough shot with the mid day sun...processing aside...the composition doesn't work for me. The way i'm looking at it, i would've gotten closer to the kayak, hover the camera just above the kayak edge and point it down slightly so you get this elongated kayak over the water feel. you would've lost the trees on the right and have a different comp.

right now it feels like a typical water..oh wait..theres a boat....shot.

Processing wise, it feels ok, not sure how you could've done better. just keep in mind the more unsharp phases you do, the more noise/grain and artifacts you'll get. I do 1 unsharp mask phase at the end...to selective sharpen the pic..and save.



Feb 16, 2014 at 09:02 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


@Sunny Sra

Thank you!

As this pic was taken last summer, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my composition. I was sort of left feeling the same way about this shot. I noticed some of the greats like Ian Plant often get very close to their subject or at least the foreground and it makes it feel like you're there.

-unsharp: Ahhh, okay. I get it, I'll try not to go overboard with it and see how this works.

Hey, I appreciate it. My friends and family always like everything, but I realize I'm cutting myself short if I listen to them.

@maneatingshark

Yeah, I see can see your point. ...I hate that I have to love the punishment, but I need the eye opener, cuz traveling and spending money on trips turns out to be a waste if I come home with NADA.



Feb 16, 2014 at 09:21 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


This was one of like maybe 3 I took where I think I was getting a slightly better composition, but now I realize I probably had the wrong DoF.

[image removed]

Edited on Feb 16, 2014 at 09:34 PM · View previous versions



Feb 16, 2014 at 09:28 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Get low...go wide


Feb 16, 2014 at 09:29 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Start a new thread tomorrow with the new pic...otherwise it's going to get lost in the thread. Most people read the original thread and comment


Feb 16, 2014 at 09:31 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Thanks Sunny. This is the first site I've been to where I've seen a lot of good work and great advice all around as if people actually care.

Very cool.

Edited on Feb 16, 2014 at 09:42 PM · View previous versions



Feb 16, 2014 at 09:35 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


So essentially, I really need to pay attention to scouting during mid-day hours and shooting early morning and evening. Def need to get closer (& wider).

- Is there really time when a portrait frame works? I've struggled with when to use and when not to use it. Off the top of my head I'm thinking if I'm in close-quarters.



Feb 16, 2014 at 09:39 PM
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


You will get a feel for what works. When you are shooting, shoot in both landscape and portrait. Then you can decide what works. Most important thing is to just keep shooting - practice.


Feb 16, 2014 at 09:59 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Right on, thanks Dustin. I guess experimentation is the name of the game. I'm finally at a point where I can look at my stuff and realize quickly I should have adjusted my camera settings, but the composition, the artistic part of this is far tougher than I could anticipate.

Also, I'll be sure to post future critique requests in the proper forum and post here when I have 10% of the skill the rest of you have (smile).

In the mean time, I'm taking notes.




Feb 16, 2014 at 10:09 PM
snapsy
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Apologies in advance

* Entire scene looks tilted to the right
* The trees at the far right distract from the subject without adding any context, scale or interest. I would've walked around so that the trees were not part of the image.
* Generally, half-circles of lakes (typical of costal scenes like this) yield unbalanced compositions
* The deep saturation of the central band in the sky looks unnatural and is offputting
* The aspect ratio for this image doesn't resonate with the scene (too square)
* The bright sky draws the eye away from the foreground subject. I would lighten the foreground, including the kayak.



Feb 16, 2014 at 10:20 PM
Tekhed
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


snapsy wrote:
Apologies in advance

* Entire scene looks tilted to the right
* The trees at the far right distract from the subject without adding any context, scale or interest. I would've walked around so that the trees were not part of the image.
* Generally, half-circles of lakes (typical of costal scenes like this) yield unbalanced compositions
* The deep saturation of the central band in the sky looks unnatural and is offputting
* The aspect ratio for this image doesn't resonate with the scene (too square)
* The bright sky draws the eye away from the foreground subject. I would lighten the foreground, including
...Show more


No apologies necessary; I wouldn't know any better if I didn't ask.

- I'm not sure what I could have done about the central band in the sky, but it does look off. In parts of CO and AZ the sky sometimes is fake blue, but I think the way I processed it added to the saturation. I actually never added vibrance or saturation to it...I actually took away (scary thought in this instance).

- I see how the composition is shifted to the right. EVERYTHING is there - to the right.

- I think one of the dilemmas for me, is that sometimes I'll see the subject situated in a particular way that I like, but then maybe I don't consider other angles. In this situation I thought the angle of the boat was beneficial, but didn't consider the trees distracting at the time. I didn't want to move the boat since it wasn't mine. I was a visitor.

Thanks snapsy. Some of your comments coincided with a few others above, but additional thanks for aspects not covered.



Feb 17, 2014 at 12:56 AM
JimFox
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Dustin Gent wrote:
Since you asked

First thing I noticed about this image is that it looks like a scan from a film negative. Image is lacking sharpness, and f/16 doesn't help with this - as diffraction sets in.

What are your post processing steps?


Hey Dustin,

On my 14-24mm there is no diffraction at f16. I still typically shoot at f13, but when I tested it, I found I could go up to f16 without any issues for when I want to.

Jim



Feb 17, 2014 at 02:25 AM
JimFox
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Hey Jon,

A nice image, that is a cool looking kayak that adds to the scene and creates visual interest. You have had lots of suggestions, min would be twofold.

1) There seems to be a bit of cyan cast to the shot, look at the clouds, they aren't white.

2) I would crop off the top 1/3rd of the sky. Those clouds at the top with just that one bit of clouds in the middle connecting them to the lower clouds gives the sky a really odd feel.

Do those 2 things or other suggestions from the others, and post the edited version back in this thread. Edit your original thread to ADD the edit. Don't delete the original photo as viewers will be left in the dark as to what has been discussed so far.

Jim



Feb 17, 2014 at 02:39 AM
Tekhed
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


Hey Jim, thank you. I'll mess around with that cast and crop and post it back up. I'm curious to see the change and what affect it will have.


Feb 17, 2014 at 10:58 AM
ckcarr
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Not Too Far...(please be honest/rough)


JimFox wrote:
Hey Dustin,

On my 14-24mm there is no diffraction at f16. I still typically shoot at f13, but when I tested it, I found I could go up to f16 without any issues for when I want to.

Jim


Agree, unless the cost benefit can be very obviously seen, the use of the "diffraction" term can be stifling for photographers. And often is thrown around here simply because someone sees a high f/stop in the exif.
You have typically unlimited card space these days, so don't lock yourself in. Every lens/camera combination is different. Try lots of different apertures, see what works.

The color reminds me of what was different about the Sigma 10-20mm lens versus a Nikon 10-24mm or 12-24mm. Was this a Sigma lens? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it's just a little different from the coatings.



Feb 17, 2014 at 11:15 AM
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