Ian's 52: Week 21: Isolation (pg 12)

[Nick T]

I prefer the first actually, the colours seem right to me (although I'm not at home at the moment, and I'm viewing this on an uncalibrated monitor).

Nice, peaceful scene. Works for me

 

[ladysue]

Nice peaceful picture. I like the second version. I think the subtle colours make it more peaceful to look at.

 

[Sonial]

What a gorgeous scene Ian! As usual I am undecided which version I like best...I love the warmth of the first but the 2nd looks almost 3D and much more 'real' like you could almost walk into the photo....well done on the HDR I've never had any success with it!

 

[karmagarda]

Some very nice shots there! Out of the last few weeks I'd have to pick shoot and stare as my favourites. Love the 2 differing expressions and emotions in each!

Peace is a very nice tranquil shot. But it lacks something like a little rowing boat, or something. Can't quite put my finger on it. I think somewhere inbetween the 2 would have worked best as well. Still a good one all the same

 

[Harlequin565]

Definitely says Peace to me.
Personally I prefer the 1st image. Love the reflections in the water.
I really could imagine sitting by the river for an afternoon and relaxing.

Thanks. Glad I managed to convey what I was trying to!

Ian, I love this one - so peaceful. I prefer the second version. I thought the first was just a bit overcooked. The reflections are fantastic and I just love the colours.

I have never done HDR but I think the processing makes the picture leap out at you.

Definitely one to hang on the wall, especially if it is a place that means so much to you.

Jenny

Thanks Jenny.

Ian,

2nd one for me. Personally I think the saturation on the first is a bit OTT......:shrug:

Hmm actually scrolling down and looking at both now on same screen....maybe a slightly toned down version of the first? Is first out of camera or played with in photoshop (or similar)

However, just now asked "She who must be obeyed, (not the cat!)" and she says the original one as the 2nd version looks a bit "meh and washed out" - goes to prove, 2 people, 2 differnet opinions, but as Lord and Master of the household, I have banished her upstairs to make the bed!

Either way though, looks very tranquil and peaceful... a bit like the broads here in winter.. come now to Octiber will be full of bloody holidaymakers....

It's funny. I think "photographers" might prefer the less saturated version, yet "normal people" probably prefer the impact of the 1st shot. I agree that the 1st shot is OTT. Took a couple more at the weekend, and have tried to find a happy middle ground.

very peaceful, saturation wise....mmm think somewhere between the two might work ?

Yep. I agree too.

Nice image Ian, it is a lovely peaceful scene so it sits on the theme well. Personally i like the second de saturated look. I understand why you would go for a hdr and i think you have worked it well and not overcooked it. Composition is spot on and i love the reflections.

Thanks Chris. The reflections and composition were something I catually took time over, so it's nice you noticed them!

Looks a very peaceful and tranquil place, nicely caught.
Good sky, crisp and clear reflections. I too prefer the 2nd one.

Thankyou.

That's beautiful Ian.
Definitely says "Peace" to me and it's lovely to be able to freeze a place / point in time that has special meaning for you.

Different people / different monitors . . . I guess you're going to have a lot of mixed opinions on this one.
For me, somewhere in between the two.
The first one is definitely oversaturated for my tastes, but I think you've taken the edit a bit too far and it looks too drab and washed out.

on the HDR though . . . you've managed to keep it subtle.

Another vote for halfway between then - Thanks Sarah.

Not a crowbar shot, imo, Ian. It's very beautiful, tranquil and you've composed and framed it well.

Version 1: I've been struggling with washed out skies this week because I was also aiming for a river shot, so I sympathise. By the end of the week I was saying I really need an ND filter! I have no idea how to HDR an image, so full marks to you for doing a good job from just one image. If the original was underexposed, then I think you've done a particularly good job in controlling the shadows while still getting good highlights. As for being overcooked - I love the colour of the reeds, the sky and the reflections, but for me the greens are a tad too vibrant and jarr slightly with the tranquility of the scene.

Version 2: At first I thought you'd overdone the desat, but that was just in contrast with the first version. The sky, reflections and greens look great - but the reeds look a bit drab.

Sorry to ramble, but I am getting to a conclusion! (At last! ) The colours in the first version look like summer, but because the trees on the left bank are still bare it creates a visual contradiction. The second version is more 'true' to the season, but I think it needs just a slight boost to brighten it up.

But the main thing is, it's a special location for you and Alison, and as such it derserves pride of place on your wall.

Jean

This is probably the most helpful comment Jean - and it's useful to note that a blanket saturation/de-saturation isn't always the answer. Sometimes a touch here and there does the job. I will be going back to reprocess this in the future, and will be bearing this (and other comments) in mind.

Thanks for taking the time to write a really helpful C&C.

I much prefer the first version Ian.

It may be a touch overdone on the saturation but I don't think that detracts from the image. I really like it.

Second version looks a bit dull and washed out to me.

HDR is not overdone and was the only way to get the detail you needed without an ND filter.

Andy

Thanks Andy. Good to know so many people are thinking along similar lines.

I prefer the first actually, the colours seem right to me (although I'm not at home at the moment, and I'm viewing this on an uncalibrated monitor).

Nice, peaceful scene. Works for me

Thanks Nick. Would have loved a 5DII and a 14-40 but hey ho

Nice peaceful picture. I like the second version. I think the subtle colours make it more peaceful to look at.

What a gorgeous scene Ian! As usual I am undecided which version I like best...I love the warmth of the first but the 2nd looks almost 3D and much more 'real' like you could almost walk into the photo....well done on the HDR I've never had any success with it!

Some very nice shots there! Out of the last few weeks I'd have to pick shoot and stare as my favourites. Love the 2 differing expressions and emotions in each!

Peace is a very nice tranquil shot. But it lacks something like a little rowing boat, or something. Can't quite put my finger on it. I think somewhere inbetween the 2 would have worked best as well. Still a good one all the same

Cheers guys. It's quite nice to get so many comments that seem to agree one way or the other. Proves that sometimes, there's no accounting for taste!

Ian.

 

[jgs001]

Ian, I think it's worked very nicely, there's plenty of details, and it sure looks peaceful. I think a saturation level somewhere between the two is probably best.

 

[louise-knight]

your desaturated version of 'peace' is so lovely! I prefer it to the coloured one. Not at all like an HRD, and the reflection in the water is great!

 

[philthejuggler]

Hi Ian - I love both versions of peace - really good! Cannot decide a favourite,

Phil

 

[dade_f]

LOL - the stare shot of your cat is SO cool, made me laugh.

As for your peace, nice simple shot, but tone the saturation down and you have it - the other looks to drab for my taste (but i like colours, so personal taste)
certainly peaceful shot

 

[davidh6781]

Well I would say that says Peaceful to me. Lovely shot and i prefer the second over the HDR version. but for me the 2nd could do with a bit more colour, maybe meet in the middle with the HDR and 2nd edit.

 

[Harlequin565]

Ian, I think it's worked very nicely, there's plenty of details, and it sure looks peaceful. I think a saturation level somewhere between the two is probably best.

Thanks John. 100% agree with you on that.

your desaturated version of 'peace' is so lovely! I prefer it to the coloured one. Not at all like an HRD, and the reflection in the water is great!

Thanks Louise. I did spend more time on composition to catch reflections etc, so it's nice to see people noticed.

Hi Ian - I love both versions of peace - really good! Cannot decide a favourite,
Phil

Thanks for being diplomatic Phil!

LOL - the stare shot of your cat is SO cool, made me laugh.

As for your peace, nice simple shot, but tone the saturation down and you have it - the other looks to drab for my taste (but i like colours, so personal taste)
certainly peaceful shot

Cheers Dade. I'm beginning to wonder why I post shots I know are overdone, then go completely the other way. Must remember my old lecturer who told me to make the adjustments I wanted, then reign the opacity down by 50%.

Well I would say that says Peaceful to me. Lovely shot and i prefer the second over the HDR version. but for me the 2nd could do with a bit more colour, maybe meet in the middle with the HDR and 2nd edit.

Cheers Dave. Another "somewhere-in-the-middle" vote.

Ian.

 

[foggy4ever]

The de-saturated shot works a lot better than the radioactive first version , a very peaceful shot with nice reflections.

 

[Harlequin565]

The de-saturated shot works a lot better than the radioactive first version , a very peaceful shot with nice reflections.

Thanks Scott.

Ian.

 

[Harlequin565]

Week 18: Indulgence

So after 17 weeks of shooting something for a theme, I decided to indulge myself and shoot something for me.

These kind of shots are what I really like doing. HDR with an Infra red B&W conversion of old buildings (churches predominantly). The above, is Arley Hall which is just down the road from me, and we went there on Monday (my birthday) to have a mooch around the house and gardens.

I'm pretty pleased with what I cam away with, but after having a closer look at this, I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

It was quite restricting to get the angle I wanted, and I'm not sure the composition is spectacular. The sky needed a fair bit of work to get right and I'm still not overly happy with it, but this kind of PP is my cup of tea.

My indulgence.

As an aside, and I thought I'd throw this in because I was so happy with it (another indulgence on my part ), I shot my guitar a couple of weeks back, for my final college project. It all ended up in a Blurb book which arrived today, and I have to say, I am stunned with the quality of the book, the paper, and the prints.

The softness is deliberate: soft focussing attempt rather than OOF. Not sure if it works...

A good week this week.

Ian.

 

[jennyb]

Two fantastic photos this week, Ian.

The effects on the first one are really excellent. It looks really quite spooky. One small niggle - my eye keeps being drawn to the edge of the buillding which is not quite vertical. I realise that it is the angle that you have taken it at, but I keep wanting to straighten it.

Cannot fault the second, but what is FAC 25?

Both fit the theme very well and it seems you enjoyed yourself this week! Happy birthday for Monday.

I am pleased to hear you are happy with your Blurb book. That is what I am using for mine but I have never used them before.

Jenny

 

[Digitall]

I like the first image, very well executed and very spooky. Good use of the HDR technique.
Not to keen on the second one though.

Allan

 

[The23rdman]

Love the indulgence shots, mate. The building works well, but I feel it could use a little more light?

 

[Harlequin565]

Two fantastic photos this week, Ian.

The effects on the first one are really excellent. It looks really quite spooky. One small niggle - my eye keeps being drawn to the edge of the buillding which is not quite vertical. I realise that it is the angle that you have taken it at, but I keep wanting to straighten it.

Cannot fault the second, but what is FAC 25?

Both fit the theme very well and it seems you enjoyed yourself this week! Happy birthday for Monday.

I am pleased to hear you are happy with your Blurb book. That is what I am using for mine but I have never used them before.

Jenny

Thanks Jenny. FAC25 is the Joy Division album Closer. I'm doing a project on it for college. The general Manchester scene, Factory records, the Hacienda etc etc.

I like the first image, very well executed and very spooky. Good use of the HDR technique.
Not to keen on the second one though.

Allan

Thanks Allan.

Love the indulgence shots, mate. The building works well, but I feel it could use a little more light?

More light... Hmmm... I processed it at night in a dark room and it looked nice and bright, but in the daytime now on my laptop screen it looks very gloomy. Will be interested to see what others say on that one.

Cheers!

Ian.

 

[mich66]

skipped by indulgence as not done mine yet..

love the cat, that is definately one unhappy puss not bathed mine for ages, far too much trauma involved.. agree its so hard to photograph B+W cats, one of mine is impossible, always blown out or too dark.. yours is great!

and what a lovely scene for peace.. could sit there and let life pass me by easily.. somewhere between the two shots would be perfect for me

 

[philthejuggler]

Really like your indulgence shot - very interesting processing giving a surreal look!

Phil

 

[Tracer]

Peace - I really like the second (desat) version which is a lovely and serene picture. On my monitor it looks just right for my taste -- more vibrant colours are out of place here IMO.

I haven't done my week 18 so trying not to look yet...

 

[ladysue]

I liked your different take on indulgence- indulging yourself with photography. The first shot is excellent technically but ot my type of shot. I really like the guitar and think the softness helps.
Sue

 

[daddy day care]

I like the HDR on this one. Gives it a really dark gothic feel.

Andy

 

[justlooking]

That house is really spooky looking. It almost looks like a negative.

 

[Harlequin565]

skipped by indulgence as not done mine yet..

love the cat, that is definately one unhappy puss not bathed mine for ages, far too much trauma involved.. agree its so hard to photograph B+W cats, one of mine is impossible, always blown out or too dark.. yours is great!

and what a lovely scene for peace.. could sit there and let life pass me by easily.. somewhere between the two shots would be perfect for me

Thanks Michelle. I think for reshoot this week I might have another go at a similar landscape and try and get it right. It does seem to be subjective though.

Really like your indulgence shot - very interesting processing giving a surreal look!
Phil

Thanks Phil.

Peace - I really like the second (desat) version which is a lovely and serene picture. On my monitor it looks just right for my taste -- more vibrant colours are out of place here IMO.

I haven't done my week 18 so trying not to look yet...

Another vote for the de-sat version.... Oh dear...

I liked your different take on indulgence- indulging yourself with photography. The first shot is excellent technically but ot my type of shot. I really like the guitar and think the softness helps.
Sue

Thanks Sue.

I like the HDR on this one. Gives it a really dark gothic feel.
Andy

Exactly what I was aiming for there Andy. Cheers.

That house is really spooky looking. It almost looks like a negative.

The IR conversion - lowering the blues and upping the greens does give it an almost negative look. Thanks for the comment.

Ian.

 

[SarahLee]

I can honestly say that I love both of these, so I'll forgive your indulgence in a bit of crowbarring

The first shot is just my sort of thing - seeing this type of shot is what inspired me to buy an IR filter. (just a pity that we haven't had the weather for me to get much use from it)

I love the way that the PP has brought out the detail in the brickwork and the IR topiary by the front door has a real otherwordly feel.
The verticals are slightly distorted, but I think that almost adds to the feel of it.

The second one is a striking graphic image. A very different feel to the first shot, but has just as much impact in its own way.

 

[dan_yorkshire]

Really strong pair of images Ian.

The first is the best for me, shows lots of detail and just the right amount of HDR contrast. Composition works well too...well done

 

[clud17]

Both great images Ian, the second is very crisp and simple and this is pleasing to the eye. My favourite is the first, i love the technique here, i think for the dramatic feel it has. It lends itself well to this kind of architecture. Did you use an infra red filter or was it achieved with software, either way it works for me.

 

[Harlequin565]

I can honestly say that I love both of these, so I'll forgive your indulgence in a bit of crowbarring

The first shot is just my sort of thing - seeing this type of shot is what inspired me to buy an IR filter. (just a pity that we haven't had the weather for me to get much use from it)

I love the way that the PP has brought out the detail in the brickwork and the IR topiary by the front door has a real otherwordly feel.
The verticals are slightly distorted, but I think that almost adds to the feel of it.

The second one is a striking graphic image. A very different feel to the first shot, but has just as much impact in its own way.

Crowbar? What crowbar... This is not the crowbar you're looking for...

Thanks, as always, for the detailed feedback.

Really strong pair of images Ian.

The first is the best for me, shows lots of detail and just the right amount of HDR contrast. Composition works well too...well done

Thanks Dan. I love the flexibility of HDR to get a complete range of tones across an image. I use it quite a lot, and hopefully it's not noticed that much.

Both great images Ian, the second is very crisp and simple and this is pleasing to the eye. My favourite is the first, i love the technique here, i think for the dramatic feel it has. It lends itself well to this kind of architecture. Did you use an infra red filter or was it achieved with software, either way it works for me.

Thanks Chris. All achieved in PP. Convert to B&W in CS3. Then take the blues right down to darken the sky and push the yellows and greens to make them almost white. Then add a gaussian blur to the whole image, reduce the opacity and mask it where neccessary to give that "glow". This works best when you have those colours present in the image (usually bright blue sky & lush green grass).

I have considered picking up a 10D or a 20D on the cheap and sending it off for full IR modification, but my lens shopping list just gets longer and longer...

Ian.

 

[foggy4ever]

The technique you use for the building shot works really well, I love it the detail and the moody atmosphere of the shot.

 

[Tracer]

I love both these ones, particularly the first - I'm just waiting for the headless ghost to appear.... Your IR conversion is first rate and the slightly converging verticals just add to the surreal atmosphere.

The second is a very nice clean, almost minimalist design that works very well. A great week!

 

[jgs001]

Ian, that first one is stunning.. the processing has really made it pop.. it looks like a night time, haunted building of some sort

I do like the second too

 

[Harlequin565]

Thanks guys. The converging verticals thing is unavoidable, and wasn't intentional. It does give a nice after effect in my opinion, but I understand how others might not think that.

Ian.

(1,000 posts! yay!)

 

[Harlequin565]

Week 19: Welding Glass Frolics & a Reshoot...

Bit of a long story this. Skip to the last but one shot for the tl;dr version.

Last week, I ordered a bit of welding glass. I had a Cokin 6 stop ND filter, but it wasn't cutting out enough light. So I bought this hunk of glass off ebay and taped it to my Cokin filter holder. I used red tape, and the light bled through it awfully. My Flickr shows the original which I'm too embarrassed to post. On Tuesday I sat down with some plumbing tape and did a "right good job" on it.

Here's my filter. Blue Peter would be proud!

I wrote my exposure settings on it as I don't have "an app for that". Nothing quite like good old fashioned hand writing is there?

I made my way down to the river on my push bike, which was an adventure all to itself. I haven't ridden a bike in earnest since 1983 and it showed.

Finally, I made it to the same place as last time...

It's a complex thing, trying to put a shot like this together. My head was almost spinning with trying to remember everything... Set the camera, compose, set aperture to around f11, set ISO to 100, looked at the resulting shutter speed. Too slow. Pushed the ISO to 200, opened up a bit to f8, Shutter still too slow. Tried f5.6. shutter shows as 1/500. Checked my hasty scrawl on the front of the filter. That's a 2 minute exposure. So: Focus, turn off AF, turn off IS, set the WB to custom, then screw on the above filter. Plug in the remote release, set the shutter speed to "bulb", stick a hat over the lens to shield it then finally slide the remote to open the shutter and begin the exposure.

Then the sun came out. I swore like a trooper. Then lit a cigarette and decide to chop 8 seconds off my exposure.

After 112 seconds, I closed the shutter and crouched down to look at the display. It looked well exposed at least. The water looked nice and creamy, but the clouds had blown out and were a smear across the sky, and the trees were blurred to hell because of the wind. What to do?

All I had was the water, so reversing all the above steps, I then decided on a 7 exposure HDR to get the full detail of the foreground and the lovely sky. The first 7 shots are immediately deleted as I forgot to reset the White Balance (cue more swearing). The next seven work much better and after a bit of Photoshop work, all 8 shots are blended together to give you my final shot for the week.

"Reshoot"

All in all, an exhausting day, and as an added bonus, I checked in on Nellie when cycling back. (s)he was having a quick preen and letting her eggs get some air. This nest, and I kid you not, is about 6 feet from the footpath, down a bank. This is as close as I dared get without disturbing her (i.e., I took it from the path)

Nothing to do with "ingredients" or reshoot, but I thought I'd share.

Ian.

 

[RichM]

Hey Ian, thought i'd try and catch up with the thread.

LOVE the guitar shot for indulgence. The soft focus works really well and the lighting is spot on. Wouldn't change it.

Also the house is pretty creepy, the only thing i don't like is the space to the right of the image where nothing seems to be happening. The B+W is cool and the darkness adds to it.

The reshoot shot again is amazing, i'd just like a little foreground but i know it's not always possible.

Oh yeah, the Swan is cool too.

Rich

 

[philthejuggler]

Really confused - sorry - posted wrong thing in wrong thread!

Anyhow - I like the reshoot - I think it's really satisfying to take something and make it successful using home-made gadgets!

Phil

 

[jennyb]

Hi Ian, it was a bit of an eventful day for you. I have to admit that I don't have a clue about filters or HDR. The photo is lovely, but how much difference is there in the end result compared to just taking a picture without a filter or HDR? I was looking back through your thread but could not find the original that you took. Can you point me to it?

I love the stillness of the water and the fluffy clouds but would love to compare it to your original.

I hope that Nellie is having some success with her eggs. I guess she is aggressive enough to keep people away.

Hope your bike riding is going well. Great exercise!

Jenny

 

[justlooking]

Like your re-shoot - it looks really peaceful.

 

[Tracer]

I like the reshoot - there is a film-like quality to the colours, and the water softness is not too much. Very peaceful and pleasing to look at.

The swan is impressive - I don't think I'd want to get too close!

 

[Harlequin565]

Hey Ian, thought i'd try and catch up with the thread.

LOVE the guitar shot for indulgence. The soft focus works really well and the lighting is spot on. Wouldn't change it.

Also the house is pretty creepy, the only thing i don't like is the space to the right of the image where nothing seems to be happening. The B+W is cool and the darkness adds to it.

The reshoot shot again is amazing, i'd just like a little foreground but i know it's not always possible.

Oh yeah, the Swan is cool too.

Rich

Thanks Rich, appreciate the comments. A few things to keep my eye on that's for sure.

Really confused - sorry - posted wrong thing in wrong thread!

Anyhow - I like the reshoot - I think it's really satisfying to take something and make it successful using home-made gadgets!

Phil

Thanks Phil. It's probably the biggest effort I've gone to for this 52.

Like your re-shoot - it looks really peaceful.

It was. I love going down there to take shots. Very quiet.

I like the reshoot - there is a film-like quality to the colours, and the water softness is not too much. Very peaceful and pleasing to look at.

The swan is impressive - I don't think I'd want to get too close!

The swan was just for fun. But thanks for the comments.

Apologies if I've not got round to hardly anyone's thread this week. It's been a hum-dinger of a week.

Ian.