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Author Topic: twists  (Read 6770 times)

Jeremy Roussak

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twists
« on: July 04, 2011, 06:11:46 pm »

Comments?

Jeremy
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: twists
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2011, 12:13:47 am »

I mentinoned this before, but HDR applied across the board and indiscriminately defies the very essence of photography, which is elimination of the superfluous (i.e., painter adds, photographer subtracts). In this particular image, by bringing out every shadow and every detail, everything becomes a point of interest, thus nothing is the point of interest.

William Walker

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Re: twists
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2011, 02:30:52 am »

I mentinoned this before, but HDR applied across the board and indiscriminately defies the very essence of photography, which is elimination of the superfluous (i.e., painter adds, photographer subtracts). In this particular image, by bringing out every shadow and every detail, everything becomes a point of interest, thus nothing is the point of interest.

Slobodan,

Every now and then someone says something important in a simple manner that is easy for me to understand - this is one such comment. This particular photograph vividly illustrates your point, and I for one, will keep this simple idea in mind from here on.
Thank you!
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"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence." Christopher Hitchens

popnfresh

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Re: twists
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2011, 03:09:22 am »

Slobodan,

Every now and then someone says something important in a simple manner that is easy for me to understand - this is one such comment. This particular photograph vividly illustrates your point, and I for one, will keep this simple idea in mind from here on.
Thank you!

+1
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: twists
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2011, 03:25:26 am »

Pleased as I am that the photo might serve as an educational aid, I would like to point out that I very seldom use HDR. This shot is a straight three-shot panorama, stitched in AutoPano Pro and then converted to B&W in Lightroom.

Jeremy
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stamper

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Re: twists
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2011, 03:33:59 am »

Could you show us a colour version please? Normally this type of image has strong deep shadows and contrast. Yours is a different rendering and I am not sure if it is better than the "normal". I think a good reason is needed to try and show something that is different. If however you can pull it off then you are onto a "winner" 8)

Jeremy Roussak

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Re: twists
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2011, 03:36:34 am »

Could you show us a colour version please? Normally this type of image has strong deep shadows and contrast. Yours is a different rendering and I am not sure if it is better than the "normal". I think a good reason is needed to try and show something that is different. If however you can pull it off then you are onto a "winner" 8)
I'll post it when I get home this evening. It was an overcast, rather dull day so the colour version wasn't, to my eye, terribly interesting.

Jeremy
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francois

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Re: twists
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2011, 05:25:13 am »

I'll post it when I get home this evening. It was an overcast, rather dull day so the colour version wasn't, to my eye, terribly interesting.

Jeremy
Jeremy,
I like your photo very much. I also know that it's not really easy to produce something spectacular in this place. I've been there many times and your rendition is the best I've seen so far. I doubt that the color version could improve over the B/W.
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Francois

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Re: twists
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2011, 05:42:05 am »

I just think you should have got much closer to the edge, for a better perspective  ;)

stamper

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Re: twists
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2011, 07:37:02 am »

With or without a parachute? ;)

Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: twists
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2011, 08:30:49 am »

Comments?

Jeremy

Been there or at least somewhere similar, done that, applied to much manipulation, didn't win anything in the club competition, etc, but I think you all probably know the rest by now.

My version is of a place called Horseshoe Bend, located at the bottom end of the Grand Canyon. I do intend to go back though and have another go at it, as for my version of this type of image, I was stood right on the very edge when I took this image (wife holding onto my belt screaming loudly as I leaned forward to try and get it all in – the vista of course) and what a rush that was, because if memory serves me correctly, I think it is something like a sheer 2,000 foot drop at that point and my toes were right up to the edge – you can get a sense of size if you look really carefully to the left of the river bend about 8 O'clock, you can see what is quite a large boat that due to the scale, looks like a tiny little spec.

Also I would recommend if you do go to Horseshoe bend to have a go at taking this type of image and after your knees have stopped trembling, you then make a detour and take in the slot canyons just down the road, expensive, but well worth it.

Photobloke
« Last Edit: July 05, 2011, 09:55:46 am by photobloke »
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: twists
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2011, 10:25:46 am »

Jeremy,

My first reaction was surprise to see this in BW rather than in color. I assumed it was the same Horseshoe Bend that Photobloke did, but taken from farther to the right.

I like the fact of seeing it in black and white, since I have seen many versions in color, so BW is a refreshing change. But it does look a bit flat, and I would be tempted to increase the local contrast some to give it a bit more punch.

What I very much like in your shot is the shape of the curve of the canyon, which is much more interesting than the straight-on one in Photobloke's. The little dark pointy hills (or whatever they are) on the horizon somewhat left of center provide a nice secondary point of interest and help to balance the image.

I'd like to see the color version as well as a reworking of this one.

Eric
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degrub

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Re: twists
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2011, 12:01:05 pm »

Jeremy,

Was that a single exposure ?

thanks
Frank
« Last Edit: July 05, 2011, 02:34:18 pm by degrub »
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francois

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Re: twists
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2011, 12:43:20 pm »

…My first reaction was surprise to see this in BW rather than in color. I assumed it was the same Horseshoe Bend that Photobloke did, but taken from farther to the right.…
This isn't Horseshoe Bend.. It's Goosenecks SP, between Monument Valley and Mexican Hat-
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Francois

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: twists
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2011, 01:57:03 pm »

... I would like to point out that I very seldom use HDR. This shot is a straight three-shot panorama, stitched in AutoPano Pro and then converted to B&W in Lightroom...

Like in any good crime drama, the first suspect is rarely the last. So, my apologies to you as the wrongly accused ;)

But the "crime" is still the same, except the culprit turned out to be... Mother Nature with its dull lighting (which "brought out every shadow and every detail"). In your own words, reality (i.e., color version) was rather dull and uninteresting. I have yet to see a stunningly different result when a dull color version is converted to b&w (without further manipulation, that is). Typically, a dull color results in a dull b&w. That is why we resort to optical help (i.e., filters), or, these days, software. Overcast sky is great for shooting smaller scenes and details, but grand vistas almost inevitably require some kind of manipulation for b&w... filters, channel mixing, and yes, good old dodging and burning.

I must admit here that my personal preference is strong manipulation in post processing, so that may not be everyone's cup of tea. To give you an idea what I prefer for the same/similar scene, check out this Peter Eastway's photo. This might be too much for some, but at least it gives you an idea of what emphasizing the main point of interest is all about.

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: twists
« Reply #15 on: July 05, 2011, 02:47:33 pm »

Gosh, Slobodan, I had to put on my sunglasses to look at that one. Yes, it makes your point very well. So I guess the recipe is: First get yourself a good canyon with a nice curve, then fill it with molten gold to just the right height, thern set up your lights, and...    ;)

Eric
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: twists
« Reply #16 on: July 05, 2011, 02:52:37 pm »

Francois is correct: it's Goosenecks State Park, in southern Utah, about an hour's drive north of Monument Valley. I've been there a couple of times and find it a rather lovely place, very quiet, with far fewer people than Horseshoe Bend, which I also visited. I recall the first time I went, about 15 years ago, marvelling at a chap spending what seemed like hours setting up a view camera, bellows, cloth cape and all (I was even more ignorant about photography then than I am now and I'd never before seen one actually being used).

Here's a colour version of the same shot. All I've done is reverse the b&w conversion in LR, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if it could be considerably improved.

Slobodan, I take your point. If you travel with only a day or two in each place, you have to make do with what you can find and sadly the weather was bad when I was there (I took the shot of Monument Valley I posted recently the same evening). I just enjoy trying to produce something interesting.

I do like the Eastway photo. Nobody could confuse it with reality! Sadly, I'd left the furnace I usually use for melting gold back at the hotel.

Jeremy

[Edit: I've added another, wider shot of the scene. I've done nothing to this except default raw processing in LR and stitch in APP]
« Last Edit: July 05, 2011, 03:18:56 pm by kikashi »
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Rob C

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Re: twists
« Reply #17 on: July 05, 2011, 04:26:58 pm »

Been there or at least somewhere similar, done that, applied to much manipulation, didn't win anything in the club competition, etc, but I think you all probably know the rest by now.

My version is of a place called Horseshoe Bend, located at the bottom end of the Grand Canyon. I do intend to go back though and have another go at it, as for my version of this type of image, I was stood right on the very edge when I took this image (wife holding onto my belt screaming loudly as I leaned forward to try and get it all in – the vista of course) and what a rush that was, because if memory serves me correctly, I think it is something like a sheer 2,000 foot drop at that point and my toes were right up to the edge – you can get a sense of size if you look really carefully to the left of the river bend about 8 O'clock, you can see what is quite a large boat that due to the scale, looks like a tiny little spec.

Also I would recommend if you do go to Horseshoe bend to have a go at taking this type of image and after your knees have stopped trembling, you then make a detour and take in the slot canyons just down the road, expensive, but well worth it.

Photobloke




Would have been interesting to know what she was screaming; let me go, damn you?

You can't leave us dangling on the edge of our seats, Phot!

;-)

Rob C

Rob C

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Re: twists
« Reply #18 on: July 05, 2011, 04:35:06 pm »


To give you an idea what I prefer for the same/similar scene, check out this Peter Eastway's shot. (shot -my edit; RC) This might be too much for some, but at least it gives you an idea of what emphasizing the main point of interest is all about.



Excuse the edit, but on my monitor, if comes out as a huge jumble of code - so I tried to cut that out, just in case you get the same.

Beautiful picture; just the kind of stuff that could make even this old cynic think again about landscape. And stock agents swoon.

Rob C

Andres Bonilla

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Re: twists
« Reply #19 on: July 05, 2011, 05:52:07 pm »

Well, I must say I love the Peter Eastway's shot but of course it is a matter of taste. The third photo Jeremy posted is exactly the type of photo I get all the time. I am at this gorgeous location, the lighting is ok but not great, the trip has been wonderful but when I open the photo in Photoshop it looks...average. One time a photographer told me, that post production is half the fun. I agree that you should get the best possible shot in the camera but sometimes I feel post editing is somehow a dirty word in the minds of some shooters. I kind of like the first photo in color though.
I guess I like the Eastway's photo because of the WOW factor, I have posted similar photos to Jeremy's in other forums and have gotten 1/4 of the comments his original photo got.
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