E300 visits Industrial Revolution

We took a trip to Lowell, MA, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Some photos are below. Other can be found at

http://www.architectmass.com/ph03.html

I'd really appreciate any comments and/ criticism of these images. Thanks!

.. they come across as being a touch 'flat'.

I'm sorry I can't sugar this pill but they didn't float my boat.. sorry. But then I'm no great expert so feel free to ignore me.

No 2 has some sort of vignetting! Only minor but it's there.. did you use a filter of some sort?

I liked no 4 the best... I'd have maybe tried some flash on it so the bottom left corner was lit more... as it is it's just a lot of shadow. Tho that's not neccessarily a bad thing.. you just can't see detail in there.

Thetop's of the cotton reels are also 'blown out'.. not an easy shot for a digital camera. On these high dynamic range shots, you need the presence of mind to reduce the DR.. flash or a reflector... or bracketting and merging two images.

My best
--
http://photobucket.com/albums/y6/001-spanky/

Just a few that have 'some interest' to them that were on the comp when I made the gallery.. my 'best' are 'prints'! I print rather than show (via web).

I liked the pictures.

I am having an issue similar to photo two with vignetting in the upper corners. Mine happened on a sunny day (without a lens shade or filters) shooting 14-45 kit lens at full zooom. It happened in three shoots and in another 3 at approx. 40mm, 35mm, 31mm it was not present. These were all in P mode.

I've sent an email to Oly support with links to the raw files and am waiting to hear back. Did you have many more photos with this issue?

I've since downloaded CS2 trial and it has a fix to remove vignetting that seems to work pretty well but would like to figure out what is causing it.

I liked the pictures too.

I know that one of our purposes here is to enhance our "craft" by learning to take better photos with our beloved Olympus gear (and I'm trying to learn too.) But we might just agree that in an attempt to grab moods, illustrate points, or simply make memories or images which for some reason make us "happy," we often make "mistakes" or commit "errors." Occasionally, errors are often passed off as "art." Just look at what some plugins will do for (to) your images in PS. Sometimes if you take too much time setting up the perfect shot, you just lose the moment.

Despite a bit of vignetting (big deal... crop it out) somewhat flat tonality (I know you've experienced early spring in New England.. it's flat anyway) and a "blown" highlight (actually that and the deep shadows DO set a particular mood) I think your photos tell an interesting story about our history, architecture (I liked the iron, rivets and bolts... built just like the Titanic ) And I think that was what you set out to do.

Take the pictures, tell the story, don't worry too much about the mistakes, and enjoy. Cave paintings are "art." too....

It is documentary, not studio photography!
I love industrial archeology, too, and practice whenever I can:
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Warm regards.
--
Rapick
Old Glory Ninetynine-five, New Companion E-Threehundred
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Have you upgraded your camera's firmware?

The latest adds "Shading comp" to the menu which was probably in response to this specific issue.

Another useful addition was "Anti-shock" (mirror lockup).

Nick Pohnl said:

I liked the pictures.

I am having an issue similar to photo two with vignetting in the
upper corners. Mine happened on a sunny day (without a lens shade
or filters) shooting 14-45 kit lens at full zooom. It happened in
three shoots and in another 3 at approx. 40mm, 35mm, 31mm it was
not present. These were all in P mode.

I've sent an email to Oly support with links to the raw files and
am waiting to hear back. Did you have many more photos with this
issue?

I've since downloaded CS2 trial and it has a fix to remove
vignetting that seems to work pretty well but would like to figure
out what is causing it.

Click to expand...

Crow99 said:

I liked the pictures too.

I know that one of our purposes here is to enhance our "craft" by
learning to take better photos with our beloved Olympus gear (and
I'm trying to learn too.) But we might just agree that in an
attempt to grab moods, illustrate points, or simply make memories
or images which for some reason make us "happy," we often make
"mistakes" or commit "errors." Occasionally, errors are often
passed off as "art." Just look at what some plugins will do for
(to) your images in PS. Sometimes if you take too much time
setting up the perfect shot, you just lose the moment.

Click to expand...

True enough, but I still see value in having technical deficiencies pointed out. Sometimes people don't notice/realize that there was a little something else they could have paid attention to and have gotten even a better result. I think that over time and with practice, those little things become 2nd nature such that it doesn't take "too much time" to set up properly.

I shoot for fun, just as I might go bowling, but that doesn't mean I don't want to try for a 300 game every time out.

I agree completely. But in this and other cases I thought it was too much criticism and not enough praise. We can allow ourselves to get lost in technical details sometimes and forget the greater good that our photography often does even though it's sometimes flawed. Visit this lady's web site and look at the rest of her photos, resume, etc. She's apparently an excellent architect. I think her architect's eye may have seen these photos in a different light than the strictly photographer's eye may have. Ahhh... to combine the two... there's the trick.

I still like the photos.. I guess it's because I see and appreciate the story they tell.

Thanks! That's more praise than I could have expected. To be truthful, I'm using the same website for my freelance work as I am for my photography simply because I have it at my disposal. I wasn't thinking that my background as an architect would necessarily interest other forum readers. But yes, I do "see" a little differently sometimes.

The skill I'm trying to pick up is how to take what I'm "seeing" and get my camera to reproduce that moment. In the past I relied heavily upon using the provided progam settings to take pictures and I'm slowly trying to change that. So in that respect, I really do appreciate the technical commentary.

As for trying to sugarcoat criticism for my work, the one thing architects learn well and learn early is that everyone has their own thoughts and opinions and that everyone likes to share them. The trick is to learn who to listen to

Thanks again!

Sounds like everybody is on the right track, then. I'm a "learner," by no means a pro, but I do know what I like. And I recognize that there is often a difference between "art" and "documentary" photography, although the best documentary photography does include elements of the "art."

So is an "architect" an artist who is also an engineer or an engineer who happens also to be an artist?

I purchased my E-1 and several "et ceteras" based on discussion and advice found in this forum and haven't regretted it. This forum has also been one of my most valuable learning tools during the never-ending process. Learning the ins and outs of some of the camera and post- processes has been great, along with equipment evaluations and general problem solving. You should also check out "MyFourThirds.com" for some more great examples taken with Olympus equipment.

And stick around, enjoy, learn, and post more of your interesting examples of history, architecture, etc.

I actually did it right after I read replied to this thread because I thought that might make a difference. I haven't had a sunny day yet to get out and take some test shots but I'll see if it makes a difference.

Crow99 said:

So is an "architect" an artist who is also an engineer or an
engineer who happens also to be an artist?

Click to expand...

Show me the building and I'll let you know.

Then again, based on some designs that I've seen put up, they might just be an engineer who happens to take drugs. ;-)

Hey now... architect and engineer bashing is reserved for other forums!

While I'm the first one to admit there are some real honkers out there, I am also the first one to support good work when I see it. I'll just have to document it for all of you to see.