Ulff: Wow, the first one with the 17TS-e refers to my first one in the last shot, only that it's way better. Great perspective, great lens (I bought one this week). Only the distortion of the chimney is a bit too much.
The second: Light rays are impressioning.
Carsten: I very much like your pics of the Summilux.
Yes, nice stuff here since I last checked!
Nice processing Ulf in both images - just look out for the brush pattern on the center column of the lightrays.
Carsten I really agree with your latest HDR processing - it's not so 'in your face' like before. It looks very natural and pleasing now.
H.Lux; add me to those appreciating the second image in 55#1. It's funny and well done.
Ulff; I like both the images in 55#3, a lot, especially the first one. "Some PP involved" The second one is well done but I could live with more contrast and darker roof. Maybe it was very bright? A FF camera with a wide T/S lens is obviously offering some options.
jotdeh wrote:
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Carsten I really agree with your latest HDR processing - it's not so 'in your face' like before. It looks very natural and pleasing now.
Hmm. Yes and no. 54#7 is very well composed and thought out. A pleasing image making me curious. But, with increased contrast and some "gamma" adjustment it would make me stop and have a longer look. It's the same with 54#13, again a great image but too dark and greyish. I'm impressed by these images and it's hard to say which one I like most.
54#12 is again a good image, the black and white points are better thought out but the image could still be improved by some LCE and minor adjustments making the important foreground barrel stand out better.
This is again about personal taste and also about the intended use of the images. It the main goal is to make something very much resembling about what you saw at that very day and time I have no arguments. If the intended use instead is a large print for the wall or an exhibition I believe in my way of lessen the soft and gentle HDR processing and instead make something more eye catching.
It may be me only. I may be way over the line. I don't know. In any case, I've had a good time looking at all these images, also at those not mentioned.
Thanks all you skilled people for sharing, a most pleasant journey also for us that was not there. Amazing place, both in and out. Feel like I've been there.
Carsten, there's a "semi-manual" motion correction in Photomatix in case you havent tried it.
Ulff/Markus, compliments not only for your your stunning images here but also for your unusually tasteful site. And I do recognize the underworld part, thanks for reminding me about locations in my own backyard
I managed to find one more image I wanted to post. I did a gentle 5-shot HDR for this one, just to clarify some of the intense contrast, but not to bring back the full window colour. I do think I prefer Boris' version, but this one fits better with my "open spaces" theme:
Yes youre right, somewhere there's a checkbox allowing you intervene and choose what exposure a certain area (which you mark) should come from. Have not used it on vegetation but in some other occasions it works really well.
@ Stefan: congratulations to your TS-E - you will have fun with it! It's a perfect lens for what it is designed for, very little distortion and almost on par with the ZE 21, but be prepared for learning curve to master it.
@ Jonas: for some reason I forgot I liked the brighter roof better, originally it was darker indeed.
@ Wilhelm: the tunnelbana stations impressed me the most when I visited Stockholm, it was only a little disappointing that I had to do all these images on the fly, because my wife always wanted to catch the next tunnelbana, so I had to set priorities...
@ Carsten: I like to see how your HDR technique is getting better and better, even up to a point where I consider to try it out myself (although I'm often to lazy for it). I haven't been a fan of HDRs before, maybe because most examples I saw where a bit overdone. May I ask you to share some of your HDR workflow?
I think I posted it before, but I don't really have an intelligent workflow for HDR, as least in Photomatix Pro. On the capture side, I have slowly gravitated towards setting the camera in M mode, and experimentally finding the darkest frame I need, then shooting downwards towards brighter frames until I feel it is enough, making 1 1/2 stop gaps. That isn't very informative, I am afraid, but that is currently how I work. Tripod, of course, and I enable the 2-second delay setting on my D3.
In Lightroom, I choose and export the usually 5 or 7 shots I feel best bracket the scene dynamic range, and then export them in 16-bit TIFF full resolution, and import them into Photomatix Pro. Once there, I experiment. I try every single preset I have, both built-ins and my own, and use as starting point the one which comes closest to what I want, which is a slightly punchy realism which comes close to what I remember, allowing for maybe a few percent of exaggeration for effect.
Then repeatedly twiddle all the sliders, being careful not to let their naming fool me into thinking that something logical will happen For example, both the Sharpness and the White and Black Clipping Point sliders have global effects on the brightness of the photo
That's it, then the usual tweaks in LR and PS.
Samuli did post his workflow, which is more systematic, as his shooting conditions are more stable than mine:
Thank you, Carsten - much appreciated! I like your method to start with the darkest frame and than go stepwise to the brightest frame you need. Sounds simple, but seems effective - in my few hdr-attempts I always started in the middle, went on in one direction, and after finishing it, I forgot where I started. Your method needs much less concentration.
It does require throwing away a couple of shots before starting over, once the frame is found Anyway, as with any other technique, you get better as you do it.
Just like with lenses, I find I get my best results when I focus on a single technique on any given day. If I shoot tele and wide, normal and HDR, I get mixed results (ha-ha). When I choose one lens, one technique, my results improve, and I simply accept that I might have to pay and come two times to try other things.
@ Stefan: congratulations to your TS-E - you will have fun with it! It's a perfect lens for what it is designed for, very little distortion and almost on par with the ZE 21, but be prepared for learning curve to master it.
I'm having it. After one week waiting for the sun, I have taken some ruin shots with it.
Motivation for this shooting came clearly from our excursion. I(t's an abandoned hotel south of Bonn. Not to hijack this thread even more, if you want to see more images, click here
The last five pictures of the gallery, the others you already know.
Markus, Lurker X and I decided last minute to sign up for the Wünsdorf, Haus der Offiziere club, which I also completed recently. Lurker X and I took a different tack this time and relaxed more, and chatted throughout the tour, which was a nice change from the usual solo work. Markus continued with the solo work, but we went out all three for a nice Mexican dinner and coffee afterwards, where we continued the social aspect all three.
Here is an early result from me, ZF28 this time, f/2.8, 5 shot HDR:
The second one is well done but I could live with more contrast and darker roof. Maybe it was very bright? A FF camera with a wide T/S lens is obviously offering some options.
