Reading mode: Light Dark

**** This Week Through Your m43 (3/3/12) ****

  • Thread starter Thread starter SLOtographer
  • Start date Start date
Go to last post
Let's start with the snack. Had a ripe fig today on my little fig tree. So naturally, I took its picture...





I had the board sitting on an upturned rubbish bin in the back yard, I was holding a white reflector to lighten the shadows in one hand and against my left knee, and taking the picture one handed.

The composition did not impress me at all, but I couldn’t get it any better. So after half a dozen shots and finding the phtographic muse uninqpired, I ate the fig and half the cheese (Mainland Epicure from New Zealand -- very tasty!). I did say it was a snack!

Now the sunset. I’d been grubbing out elm suckers (I hate that bl--dy elm tree -- in Australia, it's just a feral pest but unfortunately the local council doesn’t think so). I had a cup of tea then looked at the sky. The clouds were clearing and promising a useful sunset. Grabbed the camera with the Oly 45 on it and zoomed off to nearby Ricketts Point.





Turned out not only did the photographic muse fail to function, but so did the simple photographic technician. I tried to rescue this pic a bit in PhotoLine by copying the sky area, pasting it in as a new layer, then darkening down and tweaking the new layer generally, followed by reducing the two layers to one layer.

Sorry folks -- but that's the best of my worst efforts for this week! (That's a plea for kindness!) :)

The best part of the sunset pix was chatting with a Nikon APS-C users after, who’s just got his hands on an older Nikkor f1.4 50mm (80mm equiv) and had been having fun with that. Hos photographic muse wasn't working much better than mine, I fear, but at least he got the technical aspects right. :(

I was happy for him. :)

Cheers, geoff
--
Geoffrey Heard
http://pngtimetraveller.blogspot.com/2011/10/return-to-karai-komana_31.html
--
Geoffrey Heard
http://pngtimetraveller.blogspot.com/2011/10/return-to-karai-komana_31.html
 
Yup. Sometimes you can play with a picture for ages in an attempt to salvage something, then look at it the next day and think 'I shouldn't have bothered'. Others you'll think are basket cases and 30 secs later in PP it's a masterpiece.
You're right about the figs...it looks too 'posed'...hmmm, can a fig pose?.

I actually like the sky shot, the two birds work well but it is difficult to get an idea of what the foreground is.

--
Wormsmeat

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16702896@N04/sets/
 
I'm jealous. You have access to fresh figs.

I'm jealous you have access to the sea.

I'm jealous you have an Oly 85mm.

Sometimes nature doesn't think of the photographer.
 
Interesting mix, Ray! I'd say the Pneu guy would be happy with your results.

The first one is well framed. I normally shoot with level horizons, and often end up with boring shots. I enjoy you use shapes well and tilt when necessary. Nice reminder of this idea!

I also like the indoor picture of the woman. Her expression makes the shot.

S
--
SLOtographer

"If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only too make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better." -- Galen Rowell
 
Hey Wormy! I enjoy the first two, and way to experiment with HDR. Mostly experimental and highly successful!

Quick question: How do you find the security issues regarding photography in London with m43 gear. Are you able to be discrete enough to avoid long conversations with the authorities?

--
SLOtographer

"If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only too make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better." -- Galen Rowell
 
A couple of scenes I pass each day on my drive to work:







 
JH -- superb results this week! I like your compositions very much. The reflections on the lake are especially attractive. The IR filter plus your processing are pleasing -- I think it is the mix of the high contrast, shapes (especially the dock) and the near-far elements in the frame. Nice!

Looks like you picked up a GH2 or did you have one all along? For your style of shooting, the GH2 sensor is a significant benefit. Good match.

--
SLOtographer

"If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only too make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better." -- Galen Rowell
 
Wormsmeat said:
jh404 wrote:

Absolutely beautiful - it's images like these that make me think that, sexy as the EM5 is, the GH2's sensor and price makes it the sensible purchase, shame it's such an ugly thing.
Click to expand...
I too like how the EM5 looks overall, though I just can't get myself to like the hump looking from the rear. From the front, it's okay; From the back, the gap between the viewfinder & hotshoe just doesn't work for me (especially with that plastic accessory port cap). As for the GH2, the two major improvements over my previous GH1 was faster burst rate when exposure bracketing (the GH1 takes 2-3 seconds to do 5-7 exposures at 2/3 ev, while the GH2 about a second for 5-7 exposures at 1 ev), & the banding while pushing shadows at base ISO & banding in long exposures at base ISO. Which may or may not be significant for others, but are quite an improvement for my style of shooting. Two more improvements will make the GH2 perfect for my landscape/tripod shooting needs: Base ISO of 80 or 100, & the color of the skies (far too often, the purple slider in LR needs to be pushed to -100, all the way to blue, to properly reproduce a blue sky). Not a big deal for me, & I suppose that's what a ND filter & the color sliders in LR are for ..
Wormsmeat said:
Your work is visibly improving each week. Great stuff.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Great to know I'm making progress :)
Wormsmeat said:
Maybe, just maybe, a touch too sharp here and there? Probably not.
Click to expand...
Ahh .. I suppose I pushed the Clarity slider a bit too much.
Wormsmeat said:
Wormsmeat said:
--
http://jonathanho.smugmug.com
Click to expand...
--
Wormsmeat

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16702896@N04/sets/
Click to expand...
--
http://jonathanho.smugmug.com
 
SLOtographer said:
JH -- superb results this week! I like your compositions very much. The reflections on the lake are especially attractive. The IR filter plus your processing are pleasing -- I think it is the mix of the high contrast, shapes (especially the dock) and the near-far elements in the frame. Nice!
Click to expand...
Thanks, Stan. IR photography is fun, but the extreme long exposures in broad daylight less so. I'm drooling over the idea of IR conversion ;)
Member said:
Looks like you picked up a GH2 or did you have one all along? For your style of shooting, the GH2 sensor is a significant benefit. Good match.
Click to expand...
Just added the GH2 a couple of weeks ago, I think since my water drops experiment. Still trying to get competent with it, but so far I'm quite impressed. For some of these shots, I think I could even do without the bracketing, since the files are so clean.
Member said:
--
SLOtographer

"If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only too make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better." -- Galen Rowell
Click to expand...
--
http://jonathanho.smugmug.com
 
Hey, I too am from Vancouver. Where were these taken?

I'm not totally with Wormy on this one. Receding lines in the foreground, a snow mountain in the background, & a little bit of haze could probably convey it's own mood (perhaps in b&w). While the increased contrast version is nice to look at, conveys a totally different mood ..
MAubrey said:
Click to expand...
Nice. This one can use some processing though. Probably bring the snow up a bit so it doesn't look so grey.
MAubrey said:
Click to expand...
--
http://jonathanho.smugmug.com
 
This one reminds me of wedding photographs, which is much more suitable than the next. Very nice. Love the tones & use of lighting.
Member said:
Click to expand...
This one doesn't work as well in my eyes (with wedding photography in mind) with the flower competing with the rings. That said, envisioning it as a piece hung on a wall in an artwork form, I think this would work better.
Member said:


--
SLOtographer

"If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only too make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better." -- Galen Rowell
Click to expand...
--
http://jonathanho.smugmug.com
 
It was a nice, sunny, productive, tiring day.

I'm still sorting through hundreds of photos (there were 400 costumes ..) there so here's a little teaser:



 
I really like the B&W one Stan. The tones and textures of the rings really take a strong center stage as there's nothing else in the shot competing with them and the surrounding elements are totally OOF. Very effective. The color shot just sort of confuses my eye - am I looking at the rings or the flower? Is there some sort of connection between the rings and the flower? Just sort of confuses me, while the B&W shot just takes my eye and puts it EXACTLY where it needs to be.

-Ray
-------------------------
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20889767@N05/collections/72157626204295198/
 
Alf - I saw this whole set over on the other forum and like it a lot. I'm not sure this is the strongest of the shots, but its a pretty good representative! There was a lot of good stuff in that set. Man, I'm so jealous that you can just hop a train and spend the day in Florence! I can do that to Philadelphia, which has its own charms, but its not Florence!

-Ray
-------------------------
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20889767@N05/collections/72157626204295198/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
p
Previous
n
Next
w
Next unread
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top