Monthly Landscape 2009 Side Challenge

04/18/2009 01:32:37 PM · #201

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by bassbone:

I am finally getting around to posting March's entry. I have been off DPC for a while and am just getting around to delivering on past commitments. Cheers and enjoy.

That's real sweet. Maybe a more square crop with a little less foreground? The fence is SO in the middle there...

R.

Thanks Bear - I'll look at another crop of it - but to me it does not seem centered, but maybe it is....

04/18/2009 01:59:03 PM · #202

Originally posted by bassbone:

Thanks Bear - I'll look at another crop of it - but to me it does not seem centered, but maybe it is....

Well, it IS pretty much centered, right? I mean that's indisputable. And if you crop to where the diagonal foreground twigs end, then the fence more or less occupies a rule-of-thirds position, top to bottom, for whatever that's worth. I mean, I'm not a slave the "rule", I'm just using it as a descriptive term here...

For me, here's what happens when I do that: the stones become much more focal, and the play between fence and stones becomes stronger. For me, the diagonal twigs are a distraction, so my reaction to them is directly contrary to how Jutilda responds to them, and maybe I'm just plain *wrong* there, I donno. But for me, the large amount of foreground is not carrying its weight in this image: I find the twigs distracting, and the rest of it, the leaf-mat, just fairly blah overall. Now, hypothetically speaking, if the stones were moved down into the foreground so they filled much of the lower right area, in the current crop, then the foreground would be a major player in the composition and the crop would be fine.

I've tried cutting it off as described above, and while I think it's somewhat of an improvement, it doesn't seem to be the most natural crop either. I'm picking nits here anyway... You know, what bothers me more than anything else is the two crossed, dark sticks thrusting up in the center of the foreground. Let me mess with it and see what I can find out about why it's not quite optimized to my aesthetic... BRB.

R.

ETA: Maybe something like this?

Message edited by author 2009-04-18 14:08:13.

04/18/2009 02:34:43 PM · #203

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by bassbone:
Thanks Bear - I'll look at another crop of it - but to me it does not seem centered, but maybe it is....

Well, it IS pretty much centered, right? I mean that's indisputable. And if you crop to where the diagonal foreground twigs end, then the fence more or less occupies a rule-of-thirds position, top to bottom, for whatever that's worth. I mean, I'm not a slave the "rule", I'm just using it as a descriptive term here...

For me, here's what happens when I do that: the stones become much more focal, and the play between fence and stones becomes stronger. For me, the diagonal twigs are a distraction, so my reaction to them is directly contrary to how Jutilda responds to them, and maybe I'm just plain *wrong* there, I donno. But for me, the large amount of foreground is not carrying its weight in this image: I find the twigs distracting, and the rest of it, the leaf-mat, just fairly blah overall. Now, hypothetically speaking, if the stones were moved down into the foreground so they filled much of the lower right area, in the current crop, then the foreground would be a major player in the composition and the crop would be fine.

I've tried cutting it off as described above, and while I think it's somewhat of an improvement, it doesn't seem to be the most natural crop either. I'm picking nits here anyway... You know, what bothers me more than anything else is the two crossed, dark sticks thrusting up in the center of the foreground. Let me mess with it and see what I can find out about why it's not quite optimized to my aesthetic... BRB.

R.

ETA: Maybe something like this?

I like the new crop - but it seems that there is some strange artifacts in the upper trees. I will try the crop that you proposed. Thanks again Bear.

04/18/2009 03:23:08 PM · #204

Originally posted by bassbone:

I like the new crop - but it seems that there is some strange artifacts in the upper trees. I will try the crop that you proposed. Thanks again Bear.

Yah, I was goofing around and it doesn't work very well from the small original. Note also that the vertical, dark twigs in center foreground have been cloned out...

R.

04/18/2009 03:56:04 PM · #205

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by bassbone:
I like the new crop - but it seems that there is some strange artifacts in the upper trees. I will try the crop that you proposed. Thanks again Bear.

Yah, I was goofing around and it doesn't work very well from the small original. Note also that the vertical, dark twigs in center foreground have been cloned out...

R.

Here is my re-edit thanks to Bear. I think it is more refined now. Minor stuff can make all the difference here and I think the recommendations made work nicely.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

04/18/2009 04:05:40 PM · #206

Personally, I think that's a significant improvement... Good job.

R.

rlewis

Canon EOS-40D

04/19/2009 05:47:12 PM · #207

OK, I have reworked the image I posted earlier. Is this one better?

Original

Revised

Message edited by author 2009-04-19 17:53:12.

twmax

Nikon D300

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon

04/19/2009 06:12:41 PM · #208

I have to apologize for being so scarce lately...things have been crazy! Anyway, this photo was taken a few months ago, not in March. I'm trying to catch up, so will try to get an April landscape actually taken in April.

Tom

04/20/2009 10:30:20 PM · #209

Mid-April scenic, first image created on my new laptop. Robert, feel free to tinker if you care to.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D

04/20/2009 11:15:24 PM · #210

Originally posted by digifotojo:

Mid-April scenic, first image created on my new laptop. Robert, feel free to tinker if you care to.

Hard to do from a small original, but here's a direction to travel.

R.

kaiser_chief

Nikon D90

04/21/2009 12:35:34 AM · #211

I ahve finally got around, as promised, to the photos and will start getting my ones saved fromt he last few months up over the next few weeks as I get time to process them.

First up is the Melbourne Skyline that I got talked out of submitting for a Challenge back in Feb. have edited it now and are interested in what people think of it, and what they think could be done differently.

Will get to commenting more of the recent photos uploaded in the next few days as well.

Starbanana

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 II

04/21/2009 06:26:15 AM · #212

I want to apologise for lack of participation! I have been taking shots but have had no vavavoom to actually look or edit anything recently. Please dont hate me.

I will be looking over my last few months shots this week and will post my missing months landscape & also get round to commenting on you lovely lot!

04/22/2009 07:09:00 PM · #213

Hard to do from a small original, but here's a direction to travel.

R.

No prob.. I decided to enter something else in the FS but I appreciate your attempts at this. It wasn't the best exposure so it was a little hard to work from.

Jo

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

04/22/2009 07:13:06 PM · #214

Here's a scenic shot that was actually taken indoors..

Message edited by author 2009-04-30 14:21:08.

Ja-9

Nikon D750

04/24/2009 02:09:30 PM · #215

Originally posted by darnok:

[quote=Ja-9] Me, again...should we not be including our PP steps in the shot and a few details?

Originally posted by darnok:

I think it would be best to limit the challenge to "advanced" editing (I feel it should be a photography side challenge and not a Photoshop one). It would be good if everyone could post editing details and other information relevant to their image - equipment used, location (maybe even GPS coordinates so people can look the location up on Google Earth), time of day, etc... Side challenges are about learning.

I just went back in the postings and I am going to step out on a limb (please do not cut it off!!) to remind ya'll that we are..... supposed to be posting our PP notes and camera settings...I am noting that many are not doing this...I for one use your notes to see what you did in your PP of your photo and I look at your camera settings to help me learn how to capture that particular picture. I am a newbie in this stuff and I want to learn "how to do that!!!" And the only way to learn it is to read your notes...sorry to nag...

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

04/26/2009 12:36:05 PM · #216

Message edited by author 2009-04-28 14:30:11.

Ja-9

Nikon D750

04/26/2009 01:09:42 PM · #217

Ok, here is mine for April...

04/28/2009 12:16:02 PM · #218

April Entry

I will be going through the thread this weekend and will comment.

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 II

04/30/2009 01:34:22 AM · #219

Originally posted by Ja-9:

Originally posted by darnok:

[quote=Ja-9] Me, again...should we not be including our PP steps in the shot and a few details?

Originally posted by darnok:

I think it would be best to limit the challenge to "advanced" editing (I feel it should be a photography side challenge and not a Photoshop one). It would be good if everyone could post editing details and other information relevant to their image - equipment used, location (maybe even GPS coordinates so people can look the location up on Google Earth), time of day, etc... Side challenges are about learning.

I just went back in the postings and I am going to step out on a limb (please do not cut it off!!) to remind ya'll that we are..... supposed to be posting our PP notes and camera settings...I am noting that many are not doing this...I for one use your notes to see what you did in your PP of your photo and I look at your camera settings to help me learn how to capture that particular picture. I am a newbie in this stuff and I want to learn "how to do that!!!" And the only way to learn it is to read your notes...sorry to nag...

Ok, yore suggestion has been taken and I've revealed my deepest darkest secrets! See latest image for details ;-)

Starbanana

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

04/30/2009 03:22:20 AM · #220

Well here are Jan & Feb a tad late. I seems to have misplaced the one from March! April is prepared but not uploaded yet..

dtremain

Canon EOS 80D

Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II

04/30/2009 10:16:22 PM · #221

March 2009 was a bad month to try to shoot outdoors - here's why...

-----
April's shot is:

I'm psyched - one of the first images from my new Canon T1i! What a difference from my Fuji prosumer!

Message edited by author 2009-05-01 22:19:08.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

05/04/2009 04:05:33 PM · #222

Anyone who's interested in taking part in a HDR (high dynamic range) Photo Side Challenge please go to:

//www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=898586

Thanks! Jo

dainmcgowan

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

05/04/2009 06:00:16 PM · #223

RulerZigzag

Nikon D750

05/05/2009 05:18:44 AM · #224