Photography Thread !!!

[agf]

People use to play all sorts of games while developing film, the original photoshop, including multiple exposures. Don't discount post-processing. It's not as new as you think.

The scope of PS now gives photographers the tools that were out of our financial league 15-10 years ago. Thee are many differences but it is all evolutionary. I used FP4 then 5 I used Plus-X,
Tri-X T-MAX TECH PAN and all manner of chemistry from HC-110 to A specialty called POTA and lots of combos to do what I needed at the time. Now my studio photographers set the capture parameters before committing the image to file and storage to minimize post processing but we still have the tools up our sleeve. We work in a cultural institution with heritage collections so creating an image that resembles the original is paramount PS means we can achieve this in a far faster timeline
There will always be an argument for and against, traditionalists and progressives. The best skilled photographer I ever met worked in film until I hired a young woman schooled in bits and bytes but with a passion for the old traditional methodology and she had the most exquisite eye That's when I came to realize a foot in both camps is ok swapping technique and ideas from one to the other.when I employ a photographer I still like the encumber to have film therefore time and light experience just seems to give better ability

Just today I was looking at trannies I shot 11 years ago the subject was the replacement of the roof at the library where I work, the depth and tone of colour was amazing I had forgotten how impressive film can be even in the mundane images I was dealing with
If you can find and afford to shoot some film try experimenting with it before the opportunity disappears forever

 

[04fizzer]

The scope of PS now gives photographers the tools that were out of our financial league 15-10 years ago. Thee are many differences but it is all evolutionary. I used FP4 then 5 I used Plus-X,
Tri-X T-MAX TECH PAN and all manner of chemistry from HC-110 to A specialty called POTA and lots of combos to do what I needed at the time. Now my studio photographers set the capture parameters before committing the image to file and storage to minimize post processing but we still have the tools up our sleeve. We work in a cultural institution with heritage collections so creating an image that resembles the original is paramount PS means we can achieve this in a far faster timeline
There will always be an argument for and against, traditionalists and progressives. The best skilled photographer I ever met worked in film until I hired a young woman schooled in bits and bytes but with a passion for the old traditional methodology and she had the most exquisite eye That's when I came to realize a foot in both camps is ok swapping technique and ideas from one to the other.when I employ a photographer I still like the encumber to have film therefore time and light experience just seems to give better ability

Just today I was looking at trannies I shot 11 years ago the subject was the replacement of the roof at the library where I work, the depth and tone of colour was amazing I had forgotten how impressive film can be even in the mundane images I was dealing with
If you can find and afford to shoot some film try experimenting with it before the opportunity disappears forever

PS is definitely a tool. Hell, you don't use just one lens to take pictures, as different scenarios call for different tools. It's just a matter of creating your own form of art. Some may like it, some may not, but it's what you make of it, and it's your way of expressing yourself through a particular medium.

 

[AthensGA37]

Not that this debate really matters or has any validity, but if you want to close the argument....In order to shoot real true-to-life imagery, you basically have to shoot slides. Then you have no way of editing unless you scan and photoshop. Thats what the oldschool photogs to prove that the image they captured was what they saw in field.

I personally, love shooting film (tri-x and hp5) for fun and black and white. I feel theres a quality you get with film black and white that you can't capture digitally no matter how good at PS you are. Having developed my own film and spent hours printing in the dark room doing "dodging" and "burning" (yes those were out before photoshop, or a computer for that matter, was even thought of) there was always some form of post processing. To see an extreme form of AMAZING work, check out Jerry Uelsmann: Jerry Uelsmann

He does almost everything using film and dark room and multiple negatives.
I actually based one of my exhibits on his work. He's not creating "photographs", persay, but art.

I think this is where the editing comes into play. For the stay at home soccer moms with there rebels and cheap version of photoshop, over-saturating and blowing out white and contrast, making the grain look like a painting of sand, then posting on craigslist claiming to be a photographer, atleast take a class and learn how to shoot manual (or just stick to taking pics of your kids). For those of us who atleast semi-know how to work a camera, I think photoshop or any other editing software is just a tool to help push the vision of the image we want to portray. Sure theres a time and place for HDR, and also plain unedited RAW shots. But I dont see anything wrong with "touching" up pictures to help the over all photograph, or doing extreme editting and creating art.

Sorry for the rant, I'm not sure where all this came form. Guess I had a lot of built up frustration with the local soccer mom photogs and had to take it out somewhere!

 

[04fizzer]

Not that this debate really matters or has any validity, but if you want to close the argument....In order to shoot real true-to-life imagery, you basically have to shoot slides. Then you have no way of editing unless you scan and photoshop. Thats what the oldschool photogs to prove that the image they captured was what they saw in field.

I personally, love shooting film (tri-x and hp5) for fun and black and white. I feel theres a quality you get with film black and white that you can't capture digitally no matter how good at PS you are. Having developed my own film and spent hours printing in the dark room doing "dodging" and "burning" (yes those were out before photoshop, or a computer for that matter, was even thought of) there was always some form of post processing. To see an extreme form of AMAZING work, check out Jerry Uelsmann: Jerry Uelsmann

He does almost everything using film and dark room and multiple negatives.
I actually based one of my exhibits on his work. He's not creating "photographs", persay, but art.

I think this is where the editing comes into play. For the stay at home soccer moms with there rebels and cheap version of photoshop, over-saturating and blowing out white and contrast, making the grain look like a painting of sand, then posting on craigslist claiming to be a photographer, atleast take a class and learn how to shoot manual (or just stick to taking pics of your kids). For those of us who atleast semi-know how to work a camera, I think photoshop or any other editing software is just a tool to help push the vision of the image we want to portray. Sure theres a time and place for HDR, and also plain unedited RAW shots. But I dont see anything wrong with "touching" up pictures to help the over all photograph, or doing extreme editting and creating art.

Sorry for the rant, I'm not sure where all this came form. Guess I had a lot of built up frustration with the local soccer mom photogs and had to take it out somewhere!

I like to read Improve Photography, and they have a blog post in there about "Momtographers" In DEFENSE of Momtographers Everywhere…, it's an interesting read, even though it's in defense of them, it also takes shots at them from a couple different angles.

 

[AthensGA37]

I like to read Improve Photography, and they have a blog post in there about "Momtographers" In DEFENSE of Momtographers Everywhere…, it's an interesting read, even though it's in defense of them, it also takes shots at them from a couple different angles.

Thanks for showing me that. The home page had plenty of really good threads I saw right off that I could personally do a little reading on. Also checked out the Momtographers/Fauxtographers Blog. I agree with his points. I think the only issue is that, in my area, the momtographers dont advertise there lack of experience. They put up 1-3 of their very best photos and act like they're Sally Mann. I like what he said about their work speaks for itself, and do you really want clients who don't appreciate quality. touche.

 

[04fizzer]

Thanks for showing me that. The home page had plenty of really good threads I saw right off that I could personally do a little reading on. Also checked out the Momtographers/Fauxtographers Blog. I agree with his points. I think the only issue is that, in my area, the momtographers dont advertise there lack of experience. They put up 1-3 of their very best photos and act like they're Sally Mann. I like what he said about their work speaks for itself, and do you really want clients who don't appreciate quality. touche.

I'm doing everything I can to NOT fall into the Fauxtographer label. I guess I'm ok since I don't actually advertise anything, nor do I offer to take pictures for people. lol. I did do family pictures for my sister, but that was only because she asked after seeing some pictures that I took, with the understanding that I make no guarantee the pictures will be any good.

 

[zmeiaspas]

I did a workshop with Jay Maisel last winter. I learned a lot of things in that 1 week but one of the many lessons that really stuck with me was his shooting philosophy.

Before the workshop I took a bunch of photography classes that taught me how the different tools and systems of my camera work. I know what meter mode to use together with what exposure compensation settings to get the exposure just the way I want it. Having said that, capturing the light just right is still a challenge and could easily take you multiple attempts. That's not really an issue for doings sports or landscape photography or in any other situation where the light does not really change by a whole lot.

The problem comes when what you shoot happens in a second and is gone the next one. You don't really have time to switch to the correct mode, think about the histogram, the color tones and the way they would affect your metering mode which in turn needs to be taken in consideration when adjusting your exposure compensation. By the time you figure all this stuff out and you spin half of your control knobs, the moment that caught your attention in the first place is long gone.

So to avoid falling into this endless quest for perfect exposure, Jay would just bracket the bejesus out of each photograph so that he instantly has 3 different exposures of the same photo. But how's that related to the RAW vs JPEG argument?

Well, the power or RAW is the ability to capture more data than regular JPEG. If a part of a photograph is over or underexposed to the point that it's black or white, that is completely irreversible. When you have a RAW file tho, you have a safety net of 3(? not sure about the exact number) exposures so you can turn back those white or dark spots back to life. The noise-removal algorithm of RAW files in Photoshop is also AMAZING. It can really decrease the noise of any one photo tremendously which in turn allows you to shoot at higher ISO (and thus not blur your images in low light) without worrying that they'll look like crap.

So yeah, once you bracket the image and you take 3 raw files of each photo, you're guaranteed to have the perfect exposure you were looking for. Since I shoot primarily street photography, this allows me to focus on the composition and capturing the moment instead of a bunch of irrelevant technicalities.

Again - it all depends what type of photography you do but the safety net of a RAW file has saved some photos that I certainly enjoy so I never shoot in JPEG only any more.

 

[Nelly]

This thread had really grown into a kaleidoscope of pictures and technical know how.
I lack the skill to frame a picture and am completely baffled by the talk of lighting and exposure etc.
I take great enjoyment from all of the work posted. Not because of the technical mastery involved. But because for a brief moment I am transported into the image and allowed to day dream with such splendid wonder.
Neil

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[Ant1]

 

[agf]

very cool lightning

 

[Humperdinkel]

Nice capture , I'm hoping we will get a storm this evening so I can get my very first lightning shot

 

[Ant1]

Thanks Guys, been trying for a lightning shot for ages, that was my best capture.

Here is the original un-cropped version.

and a couple others...

 

[Humperdinkel]

Thanks Guys, been trying for a lightning shot for ages, that was my best capture.

Here is the original un-cropped version.

Where was the 1st one shot from ??? & dont say Sydney coz I know that much :BLAA:


That 2nd shot is brilliant too :thumbup:

Please , please , please be a storm as predicted this afternoon

 

[Ant1]

yes taken in Sydney about a year ago, from Dover Heights area.
2nd one taken a couple of months ago in Byron.

Hopefully will have a couple of good storms in the coming months, November seems to be the best month in Sydney for storms.

To keep the thread going, here a couple more pics from my travels..

 

[Dave.TX]

I love desert shots, lightning is cool too. Desert rewards you with wonderful shots of life as it's a much more difficult place to survive. The palm trees on the beach however make me daydream.

 

[Humperdinkel]

St Mary's Church

1870's Horse Lashings

 

[Kazza]

yes taken in Sydney about a year ago, from Dover Heights area.
2nd one taken a couple of months ago in Byron.

Hopefully will have a couple of good storms in the coming months, November seems to be the best month in Sydney for storms.

To keep the thread going, here a couple more pics from my travels..

Dover Heights? My hubby was born there

 

[Randomchaos]

A shot I got of my now 3 week old baby girl

 

[Nelly]

JUST WOW, WOW!


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[Nelly]

I'm looking for a web read on the basics of photography. Any links greatly appreciated.
Sun rise this morning, taken with phone on my bike

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