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beanpkk
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Ready to show?


Ben,

FWIW I have heard several lectures by a particular well-known professional nature photographer who says emphatically that if it takes more then 3 minutes of post processing to make an image look decent, throw it out. He obviously advocates getting it right in the camera. (Don't shoot me -- I'm just the messenger). As for your image the SOOC seems under-exposed, possibly (?) because the bright sky fooled the meter. If you have a Graduated ND filter this would have been a good use for it I think. The other problem with the image in my view is compositional -- a) there is no obvious center, which can work (I do it all the time, not that that validates the technique at all), and b) I'm left wondering what's outside the frame on both ends: the right side has too little air space and the left side seems like it cut something off (there's no visual reason for the frame to end there). Either of these could have been fixed at the time the image was taken.

In this series the B&W that sbeme did really rocks! (no pun intended??) I'd like to know how he did that.

I'm with you all the way on avoiding over processing and your philosophy in general. Keep it up -- you post some good stuff.

My two cents...
Keith



May 26, 2014 at 09:39 AM
ben egbert
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Ready to show?


beanpkk wrote:
Ben,

FWIW I have heard several lectures by a particular well-known professional nature photographer who says emphatically that if it takes more then 3 minutes of post processing to make an image look decent, throw it out. He obviously advocates getting it right in the camera. (Don't shoot me -- I'm just the messenger). As for your image the SOOC seems under-exposed, possibly (?) because the bright sky fooled the meter. If you have a Graduated ND filter this would have been a good use for it I think. The other problem with the image in my view is compositional --
...Show more

Thanks for the feedback. I took this image while on a hike to another place called Corona Arch. I was having trouble keeping up so I did not dwell here long or roam around. I only had one lens and no tripod. But I loved the shape of the rock and the clouds and the less than full sunny day light on the rock. So I took the picture. I don't do many landscapes this way, most are planned and very deliberate.

I can usually process an image the first go around in 3-5 minutes including a 3 image blend. This one does not need a blend so it was faster. But the last 1% of improvement may require hours or days. You are correct, some images don't look right in 3-5 minutes and ought to be abandoned.

For this one, I underexposed on purpose to hold back the mid day light. I understand expose right in theory, but you can pull an image up at least a full stop but you can never recover blown.

This scene is probably worth a return visit at sunrise and with a tripod and a wider lens. But it was a killer hike for me and I probably won't.




May 26, 2014 at 09:55 AM
eeneryma
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Ready to show?


Wonderful, sage advice from Mr. Bean:

a. Take a drawing class. All of the fundamentals that you learn in drawing translate in photography. It may sound like a stretch, but I've taken several drawing classes, and I can't think of any lesson from those that didn't apply to photography in some way. It will change the way you look at the world.

b. Spend time looking at art that you really love. I don't mean just looking casually, look at how they're composed, how your eye moves around them, try to figure out what the artist was trying to express, and how they were doing it, etc. It's probably best to do this with someone else so that you can get their interpretation as well. I wouldn't limit this to photography, again, most of the same principals apply in photography, drawing and painting. Visit museums.

Taking this advice will enrich your photography and enjoyment of the medium.



May 28, 2014 at 08:17 AM
ben egbert
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Ready to show?


I spent my adult life making drawings, but of the wrong kind. They were orthogonal or in some cases isometric. It is going to be hard to unprogram this if I even wanted to.

With this post, which was about taking mid day shots, I have learned that composition still trumps all when showing to people who are schooled in composition.

Too much of a hermit for a classroom. But I did make an attempt for help on composition with my most recent posting. By including images from 16 to 100 mm of the same scene, I give people the chance to crop it any way they choose. Most liked the framing as is.

I probably understand more about composition than you suspect, what I am not conveying is my rejection of the dogma.

Now I have concluded that I need to stop showing non conforming comps here. Or if I find a scene worth the trouble make lots of comps and have them judged here.

As to looking at art, I think I have plenty of that. I once spent an entire day at the Chicago Art Institute including a display by Maplethorpe. I have also been to at least 2 dozen galleries of famous landscape photographers.












May 28, 2014 at 09:51 AM
eeneryma
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Ready to show?


Sorry if I didn't make it clear, but Mr. Bean's suggestions resonated with me as a suggestion for all readers, not your work in particular which is always excellent. I am often awed by the pearls of wisdom that are passed along on this website to improve everyone's photography.


May 28, 2014 at 10:12 AM
ben egbert
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Ready to show?


eeneryma wrote:
Sorry if I didn't make it clear, but Mr. Bean's suggestions resonated with me as a suggestion for all readers, not your work in particular which is always excellent. I am often awed by the pearls of wisdom that are passed along on this website to improve everyone's photography.


Sorry if I get too defensive, its a hard habit to break. Yes, it is probably good advice.



May 28, 2014 at 10:34 AM
hewittalfred
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Ready to show?


I like Rustybug's version. Processed/sharpened without being overly saturated, nice yet still has some naturalness to it.

Thanks for sharing



Jun 02, 2014 at 03:48 PM
armysoldier21
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Ready to show?


From the composition standpoint I would have framed the image just a bit to the right. I believe with the long low end on the one side and the quick drop on the right it seems like an unfinished panorama. Other than that you seem to have some awesome subjects to take images of. You are excellent!


Jun 03, 2014 at 05:37 AM
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