Show Off Your Pics (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

I was thinking there might as well be a general thread for people to share whatever photos they want to.


Sometimes we just have a photo or two we want to share and don't want to start a dedicated thread.


So, I'm hoping anyone who just wants to share a photo will post it here.

 

[JohnRice]

I'll start off. I haven't taken a real photo (aside from trying out a piece of equipment) since September last year. So I went to one of the nature areas down the street to mess with pushing the digital thing further than I've felt comfortable with. I'll explain. After shooting film my entire life, I get uncomfortable with the extremes digital is taken to. I just thought I'd experiment with it and see if I can find where that line is which I don't want to cross.


This shot is pushed a LOT further than I feel comfortable with, but it's been extremely popular with people I've shown it to. I'd genuinely like feedback. I'm trying to figure out where a photo stops being creative and becomes a gimmick.


There's nothing actually fake in this. It's 100% in-camera composition with zero cropping. It's just using digital techniques (mostly multi-exposure HDR) to the extreme.


One thing I need to mention. I'm having trouble getting through the conversion from AdobeRGB to sRGB without some undesirable effects. The original RGB shot has more nuance to the color and less saturation. It just looks more natural. I desaturated it before converting to sRGB, but it still doesn't look right.

 

[JohnRice]

Here's another shot from a little later that evening, on an adjacent lake. I don't remember if this happens everywhere, but with the mountains close to the West and when the conditions are right, there's about a 60 second (at most) time between sunset and twilight when the clouds light up bright red. It's an incredibly intense red. I actually toned it down a little because it looked fake.


Now, lets see some pics from others, please.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

John,


I have similar tastes regarding HDR, in that much of it can be overdone. I think your first shot does push towards that extreme. You mention that you desaturated it some in post processing, but the colors still seem to be a little too much. Maybe a little more desaturation will help? I like the 2nd shot better, as it seems a little more natural to me.


I have been trying to incorporate my wide angle lens more into my landscapes. Here are a couple from our recent trip to Yellowstone. I struggle with finding an interesting foreground element to anchor the ultra wide shots at times, so I have been trying to focus on seeing things "wide" more.

 

[JohnRice]

Scott, the truth is, I also get tired of ultra-wide landscapes. I wouldn't try too hard to push that direction, unless you see a situation where it really works. It's hard to find a location with something interesting where the foreground and background will be so visually separated. I actually rarely go wider than 18mm on my D7100.


Here's another try at that first shot. No matter how I try, the gamut of sRGB simply doesn't cover the shot. The sky should be more yellow/orange and the trees should look more natural, but this one is still a lot better than the first version I posted. The AdobeRGB version just has more gradation and nuance.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

John,


Have you tried playing with the luminescence of the individual colors in Lightroom or Photoshop? Adjusting the orange, yellow and green channels may help you achieve what you are after.


I hear you regarding wide angles, too. I tend to see landscapes more narrowly, and mostly shoot in the 30mm - 50mm range (full frame ) quite a bit. I'm just trying to expand my view (literally), but I tend to end back with a narrower view most of the time.


Occasionally, though, wide angle is the only thing that works, as in this shot:

 

[JohnRice]

Scott, I think the version of the shot I posted above probably looks as good as it can in sRGB. A lot of photos display in sRGB just fine, but with that one it doesn't seem to be possible. A lot of subtlety is lost, no matter what I do. sRGB has, I think, less than 70% the gamut of AdobeRGB, so there's probably just no way to maintain the shot without that range. Like I said, despite my misgivings about it, that photo has probably been the most popular one I have ever posted for friends to see.


Like I said before, I'm wondering when a technique like this is a crutch, even if it is the only way to create an image. It also bothers me that multi-exposure HDR is looked down on so much. There's a real snob attitude toward it. Yeah, 99% of the time it's used badly, and I mean REALLY badly. That doesn't change the fact that it's a great tool for those who understand what it really offers.


Here's one from last year. You might not ever guess it was created with HDR, unless I told you. It can do wonderful things with clouds, and it CAN be done with a delicate touch.

 

[JohnRice]

Scott, I should have realized this, but I was just looking at the comparison of sRGB and Adobe RGB and the problem with that one shot is obvious. Almost all the lost gamut in sRGB is in greens, which is why the trees look so much more natural in the Adobe RGB version. It probably explains something that's been bothering me, that foliage never seems to look quite right in photos I post online.

 

[bmasters9]

Was this thread meant to be about pictures that one had taken oneself? I got that sudden feeling that it was, based on the name of the forum (Photography).

 

[JohnRice]

Yes, it is.

 

[bmasters9]

Yes, it is.

Thanks for the clarification! I had misposted earlier and only read the title of the thread, not realizing the name of the forum.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

John,


I like that last shot you posted -- it looks very natural. I have no problem with HDR when it looks natural like that shot. It is just another tool to overcome the limitations of the sensor or film, similar to grad ND filters or other adjustments made in post processing. I just see too many photos where things are taken to the extreme and look very fake -- and it is not just with HDR, but also with over saturated colors, over sharpening, etc.

 

[Sam Posten]

My photography is very personal to me and my audience is entirely me, if others enjoy my shots that's gravy, but that also limits how much I, um, promote it too. Generally I'll post examples in a specific subject matter here at HTF rather than "I think this is my best work and I wanna share it" kinda thing. I'm pretty happy with how the ones I shared in the Alaska thread came out tho. =)

15-Alaska-3536 by Sam Posten III, on Flickr

 

[Alf S]

From my weekend trip to Colorado. Taken with my new Asus Zenfone 2. No editing was done to pics.

 

[JohnRice]

I did some more twilight scenics at one of the nature areas down the street. The clouds moved away from that sliver of moon just as it was getting too dark to do anything with it. Not sure if this could use a touch of saturation or vibrance.

 

[DavidJ]

I pretty much love that picture, John.

 

[Citizen87645]

Rock duo Little Hurricane

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Keeping with John's theme of incorporating the moon into the landscape, here are a few I've taken in the past. I love when the moon is visible in a nice landscape.


This one is of our condo complex in Myrtle Beach. I had it enlarged and it's hanging over the sofa in our rental unit.

Another from our condo

The Mackinac Bridge, taken from Mackinac Island

One more from Myrtle Beach

Finally, one from Yellowstone National Park a few weeks ago, shooting over Hayden Valley

 

[Citizen87645]

The moon theme is appropriate given the upcoming Harvest Moon (or Mid-Autumn) Festival.

 

[JohnRice]

Just a quick grab shot of a rabbit during my last twilight scenic outing. I only had time to get this one shot before some girl talking on her phone, oblivious to the world, blew past and scared off the bunny.