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10/20/2007 10:55:27 AM · #301 |
Shot earlier this month at my brotherĂ¢€™s place in the Adirondacks, so this morning I tried to learn about layers from the workflow steps Peter  Bassbone offered:
The Original 
My Attempt 
I'll have some more in a few hours as I learn about adding adjustment layers. I don't understand curves at all yet. I always went to image/adjust/levels...bla bla bla.
This is new to me ---WOOOO and kinda fun! I messed with levels, curves, saturation. I'll figure out about the SMU thing too. |
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10/20/2007 11:21:02 AM · #302 |
A few seconds after sunset, in Badwater, Death Valley. Totally cloudless sky : wide, wide open. Reflected light from the white salt flats. Some warm light reflecting from the mountains still catching the sunset to the camera right (you can see some of that in the edges of the salt crust)
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10/20/2007 01:11:36 PM · #303 |
This morning on my Walkabout challenge.
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10/20/2007 08:22:56 PM · #304 |
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10/20/2007 09:12:16 PM · #305 |
Took my daughter to her friend's birthday party where this Fire Performer showed up and demonstrated this awesome display with these ball-like wick things soaked in lighter fluid, and then twirled. I did my best to try and capture what it looked like. I kinda like it.
[thumb]602450[/thumb]
F/5.6, no flash, 1 second shutter, sodium light securty lamp on the corner of the building across the street. It was raining, hence the reflection off the street.
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10/20/2007 09:15:46 PM · #306 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
A few seconds after sunset, in Badwater, Death Valley. Totally cloudless sky : wide, wide open. Reflected light from the white salt flats. Some warm light reflecting from the mountains still catching the sunset to the camera right (you can see some of that in the edges of the salt crust)
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So.....how do you manage to take a direct light picture of a white girl, in a white outfit, on the white salt, with a cloudless sky and not have it look like a polar bear in a snowstorm?
I'd just drop to the floor in the fetal position and whimper even thinking about trying this shot.
I have so much trouble blowing out highlights. I virtually always underexpose and lose detail because of it.
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10/20/2007 09:44:19 PM · #307 |
 gordon, I've looked with care at your lovely model at the Stovepipe Wells image of the dune, Las Vegas, and now at the Salt Flats. I have visited all of these places and you have captured the essence of each of these places beautifully. Admittedly, I was at the dunes and at the salt flats at around 6:00am, (or earlier and in January for the most part) rather than at sunset in October, but I have a good idea what difficulties you faced. Your expertise in facing and overcoming them is, well, awesome.
Bravo. |
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10/20/2007 09:51:32 PM · #308 |
Okay, now I'll do what I came to this thread to do, post some images:
Oct 20
This was taken at an angle to the sun which was streaming in from the west. I am trying to show the dappled sunshine reflected against the trunks. Interesting that it is a 'cool' picture.
and
Oct 21 ('cause I won't probably have time to do that tomorrow)
Now, these trees are the same stand, but taken from around the corner with the camera looking east capturing the full force of the sun striking the trunks. All this was probably within 2 or 3 minutes. And this is a "warm" picture. |
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10/20/2007 10:32:19 PM · #309 |
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
So.....how do you manage to take a direct light picture of a white girl, in a white outfit, on the white salt, with a cloudless sky and not have it look like a polar bear in a snowstorm? |
You wait until the sun sets :) Out there, the sun drops over the Panamint range and it is like someone threw a light switch. Bright, harsh sunlight shuts off, soft even illumination glows all over the plain. Just before the sun drops behind the mountains it looks something like:
After the sun sets, the light is like it is in the portrait. Exposure is simple really, open up about a stop on an average meter reading and you are basically there. I actually shot this about 2/3rds over the meter reading then opened it up a touch more in Lightroom (added about another half stop) Watching the highlights in the histogram helps - but it's all about shooting when the light is right, really (which I think is the point of this thread, at least for and my approach to using natural or available light) In the case of the Vegas portrait, it also demonstrates the old idea that available light means any and all light sources that are available...
Message edited by author 2007-10-20 22:44:49.
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10/21/2007 08:27:09 AM · #310 |
Day 21 - [m]old I'm a bit behind - sorry!
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10/21/2007 11:42:04 AM · #311 |
Day 20 - Taken yesterday. Sorry, not the most lighting centric shot but it is all I have for the day.
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10/21/2007 11:51:02 AM · #312 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
So.....how do you manage to take a direct light picture of a white girl, in a white outfit, on the white salt, with a cloudless sky and not have it look like a polar bear in a snowstorm? |
You wait until the sun sets :) Out there, the sun drops over the Panamint range and it is like someone threw a light switch. Bright, harsh sunlight shuts off, soft even illumination glows all over the plain. Just before the sun drops behind the mountains it looks something like:
After the sun sets, the light is like it is in the portrait. Exposure is simple really, open up about a stop on an average meter reading and you are basically there. I actually shot this about 2/3rds over the meter reading then opened it up a touch more in Lightroom (added about another half stop) Watching the highlights in the histogram helps - but it's all about shooting when the light is right, really (which I think is the point of this thread, at least for and my approach to using natural or available light) In the case of the Vegas portrait, it also demonstrates the old idea that available light means any and all light sources that are available... |
I really like how the sun is illuminating the salt in this image. Well done.
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10/21/2007 06:59:27 PM · #313 |
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10/21/2007 08:18:12 PM · #314 |
Originally posted by ephln:
I really like how the sun is illuminating the salt in this image. Well done. |
Thanks - that's my more talented wife taking the picture in that case.
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10/21/2007 09:46:16 PM · #315 |
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10/22/2007 04:27:22 PM · #316 |
Oct. 22
I was out early this morning in a nearby park and found this beauty covered with dew. |
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10/22/2007 09:41:07 PM · #317 |
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10/22/2007 10:18:25 PM · #318 |
Finally got a chance to catch up. All are natural light.
The first two are from a misty morning at a marsh in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The second one was taken about ten minutes after the first, but I had to crop out the sun on the second because it was too bright.
#17 and 18
 
The same park has a large number of nesting blue herons.
#19
This is not my dog, but one I ran into while taking wildlife photos. The light hit his/her face such that this would have been a good entry for the recent half challenge.
#20
[thumb]603589[/thumb]
The next two are from the canal that is one of the key features of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
#21 and 22
 
The last one is from a totally different park. The light shone nicely to accentuate the colors of the tree.
#23
[thumb]603592[/thumb]
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10/22/2007 11:09:34 PM · #319 |
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10/22/2007 11:49:37 PM · #320 |
Day 21 - Taken yesterday at a family event. This is my youngest niece. Natural light coming in from the window. Very little post on this one.
105mm, 1/45s, ISo 1250, f2.8
A little blurry, but it is a side challenge.
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10/22/2007 11:52:04 PM · #321 |
Day 22 - Taken this morning at 6:40am outside my house.
I think that is Venus, but there are three of them. Must invest in tripod one day.
35mm, ISO 1600, f2, 1/2.5s
Played with the colors a bit in Capture NX, but the lighting is about the same as the initial photo.
Message edited by author 2007-10-23 11:45:32. |
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10/22/2007 11:53:14 PM · #322 |
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10/23/2007 03:01:52 PM · #323 |
[thumb]603271[/thumb]
End of day as we chased the light over a mountain pass. This group of aspens was lit for about 10 minutes and I thought they gave great contrast to the cool blue of the river and sky.
Not as sharp as I'd like...shutter was at 1/60th with my 70-200. We ran down to this spot from the road and I didn't grab my tripod because the light was fading. Used a polarizer and maybe a GND(can't remember) |
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10/23/2007 03:14:50 PM · #324 |
This is probably more of a quality of colour image, but the quality of the colour is directly due to the quality of the light. I met this lady at the Tunnel View overlook to Yosemite Valley. I just loved the colour of her outfit, her smile and the whole over the top exuberance of how she presented herself to the world - so I really wanted to take her picture. I wrote about about how I did that on my blog. The light there was really flat - very low clouds in the valley (that mostly obscured the view) but gave an even, directionless light that really helped saturate the colour of her outfit. With a bit more time, I might have moved her around to get some more light in her eyes, but then I'd be dealing with reflections too and I only had time for one shot.
Message edited by author 2007-10-23 15:21:18.
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10/23/2007 03:26:21 PM · #325 |
Originally posted by mpeters:
[thumb]603271[/thumb]
End of day as we chased the light over a mountain pass. This group of aspens was lit for about 10 minutes and I thought they gave great contrast to the cool blue of the river and sky.
Not as sharp as I'd like...shutter was at 1/60th with my 70-200. We ran down to this spot from the road and I didn't grab my tripod because the light was fading. Used a polarizer and maybe a GND(can't remember) |
Great colour and light. I'd be almost tempted to crop off the top half of it, forget the mountain and bland sky and make it all about the trees and reflection of the trees and sky in the river. Simpler and just yellow and blue.
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