Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Walking with the dead  (Read 2490 times)

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Walking with the dead
« on: September 22, 2014, 10:56:40 pm »

Don't think I have shared any recent IR cemetery photos with the good folk here at LuLa.
Possibly not everyone's cup of tea, I know ;D

 To try something different, I abandoned the colour of this first one somewhere between the original false colour (blue/grey) and B&W. Not 100% convinced it works.
Shadows.


Shelter


Fallen


Mercy
Logged
Matt

Jeremy Roussak

  • Administrator
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8961
    • site
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2014, 03:56:11 am »

The toning spoils the first, which would otherwise be my favourite. The last has a great air of desperation.

Jeremy
Logged

mal mcilwraith

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 166
    • malmac photography
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2014, 04:21:23 am »

I really like this subject matter so I am finding it hard to be objective - however have never taken IR photos so bit in the dark re the process.

The last one is certainly very emotive - the first one I think I like the composition better than the IR treatment - I don't want those trees in the background to be almost white, they jump forward and over power the grave stones.

The second image is also a good composition from where I sit - somehow it seems so traditional, over arching tree framing the subject that I almost over looked it.

It would be interesting to do an IR shot and then a straight shot and then blend the two shots in photoshop, sort of keeping the IR parts that work and then letting the standard image shine through where the IR image is needing a bit of help to work. If that makes sense.


Mal
Logged

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2014, 09:15:06 am »

The toning spoils the first, which would otherwise be my favourite. The last has a great air of desperation.

Jeremy

Thanks Jeremy.

Here's a re-edit,
Logged
Matt

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2014, 09:24:59 am »

I really like this subject matter so I am finding it hard to be objective - however have never taken IR photos so bit in the dark re the process.

The last one is certainly very emotive - the first one I think I like the composition better than the IR treatment - I don't want those trees in the background to be almost white, they jump forward and over power the grave stones.

The second image is also a good composition from where I sit - somehow it seems so traditional, over arching tree framing the subject that I almost over looked it.

It would be interesting to do an IR shot and then a straight shot and then blend the two shots in photoshop, sort of keeping the IR parts that work and then letting the standard image shine through where the IR image is needing a bit of help to work. If that makes sense.


Mal

Thanks Mal. This is an IR modified camera, so it will not take straight shots without a hot filter (I think that is what is called) . The standard results are crisp and clear. The first however has a bit of film IR effect added, which softens it up with an almost hazy feel.
Sometimes this suits the subject, other times, like #2, the crisp & clear is better.

Logged
Matt

RSL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 16046
    • http://www.russ-lewis.com
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2014, 12:11:30 pm »

Very nice, Matt. An ideal subject for IR photography.
Logged
Russ Lewis  www.russ-lewis.com.

mal mcilwraith

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 166
    • malmac photography
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2014, 03:14:27 pm »

Matt


Like I said upfront - I know basically nothing about IR photography -

Guess one has to work with what one has and celebrate the strengths - it sure has those.
What brand of camera is it?



Mal
Logged

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Re: Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2014, 05:19:21 pm »

Matt


Like I said upfront - I know basically nothing about IR photography -

Guess one has to work with what one has and celebrate the strengths - it sure has those.
What brand of camera is it?



Mal
Mal, I am intrigued by your suggestion of combining an IR and straight image.
I could probably do it. The camera is an Oly Epm1 I bought already modified.
 Lens us the 9-18  zuiko. I also have an straight epl1 (although it is currently in camera hospital with a smashed lcd due to an unfortunate altercation with an old nikon 80-200/2.8. Funnily enough, the 9-18 lens is in there too from a different incident. ) So setting up the tripod, take one, swap the lens to the next body and back on the tripod. Not sure of the results, but it would be fun trying.
Logged
Matt

luxborealis

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2798
    • luxBorealis.com - photography by Terry McDonald
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2014, 06:02:07 pm »

A great series of beautiful photographs, well-suited to IR. Well-seen and well-composed. I admit to preferring the neutral treatment ad opposed to the cool, and would even prefer a bit warmer.

Thanks for sharing - especially because this is different from much of what we've seen here lately. It's great to see specialized work like this.
Logged
Terry McDonald - luxBorealis.com

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2014, 07:05:42 pm »

Very nice, Matt. An ideal subject for IR photography.

Thanks Russ. I enjoy spending time in cemeteries (sounds weird I know  ;D )
Logged
Matt

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2014, 07:14:17 pm »

A great series of beautiful photographs, well-suited to IR. Well-seen and well-composed. I admit to preferring the neutral treatment ad opposed to the cool, and would even prefer a bit warmer.

Thanks for sharing - especially because this is different from much of what we've seen here lately. It's great to see specialized work like this.

Thanks Terry. I am sometimes undecided which way to push them.
Logged
Matt

RSL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 16046
    • http://www.russ-lewis.com
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2014, 09:54:35 pm »

Thanks Russ. I enjoy spending time in cemeteries (sounds weird I know  ;D )

Not that weird, Matt. Here's a kid who lived four days in 1921. The problem was to bring out the weathered scratches enough to make them readable. I ended up using a speedlight off camera, to the left, zoomed to 120mm. In its natural state the stone is just barely readable.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2014, 09:57:42 pm by RSL »
Logged
Russ Lewis  www.russ-lewis.com.

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2014, 10:30:02 am »

Not that weird, Matt. Here's a kid who lived four days in 1921. The problem was to bring out the weathered scratches enough to make them readable. I ended up using a speedlight off camera, to the left, zoomed to 120mm. In its natural state the stone is just barely readable.

I find the stories are so fascinating, and often sad of course.
After a trip to one old goldfields cemetery, I started a bit of research to see if I could find out more about some of the graves I shot - We are lucky enough to have a website here (called "Trove") that has digitized many newspapers (local and national) going back into the 1800's. Haven't had the time of late, but keen to get back into it.
That headstone certainly posed some challenges, but a nice result. Must admit that I never thought of an off-camera flash to bring out the inscriptions. 

Logged
Matt

shawnino

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 116
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2014, 10:38:40 am »

IR works really well for some stuff, less so for others.
I think it really works here--there's a drama to the image the IR helps bring out.
Nice eye... particularly on the last one.
Logged

RSL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 16046
    • http://www.russ-lewis.com
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2014, 11:19:06 am »

I find the stories are so fascinating, and often sad of course.
After a trip to one old goldfields cemetery, I started a bit of research to see if I could find out more about some of the graves I shot - We are lucky enough to have a website here (called "Trove") that has digitized many newspapers (local and national) going back into the 1800's. Haven't had the time of late, but keen to get back into it.
That headstone certainly posed some challenges, but a nice result. Must admit that I never thought of an off-camera flash to bring out the inscriptions. 

The one I always get a chuckle out of when I remember it was in the Colorado Springs cemetery. A Mr. Cone had a headstone that said "Cone" and then underneath, "Gone but not forgotten." Some vandal had chipped the stone so that Mr. Cone's name had been changed to "Gone."
Logged
Russ Lewis  www.russ-lewis.com.

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2014, 09:29:58 pm »

IR works really well for some stuff, less so for others.
I think it really works here--there's a drama to the image the IR helps bring out.
Nice eye... particularly on the last one.

Thanks Shawnino.
That last one is perhaps my favourite headstone. I shoot her everytime I go to that cemetery to see how many different perspectives I can make work.

 
A different view



This older one is not IR. Bit of haloing from over-zealous processing I have to fix sometime
Logged
Matt

MattNQ

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 288
    • My Website
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2014, 09:30:38 pm »

The one I always get a chuckle out of when I remember it was in the Colorado Springs cemetery. A Mr. Cone had a headstone that said "Cone" and then underneath, "Gone but not forgotten." Some vandal had chipped the stone so that Mr. Cone's name had been changed to "Gone."
;D
Logged
Matt

RSL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 16046
    • http://www.russ-lewis.com
Re: Walking with the dead
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2014, 09:34:38 pm »

I've always hoped Mr. Cone had a sense of humor.  :)
Logged
Russ Lewis  www.russ-lewis.com.
Pages: [1]   Go Up