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[imastalker co.]

Welcome everyone to the 2007 - Q2 GAF Photography thread.
This thread is open to all GAF members who have an interest in the art of photography.
If you wish share your work, or give constructive criticism, feel free.
Please keep image sizes reasonable for a more pleasant browsing experience.

On behalf of everyone who contributes, please enjoy.

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[SnakeXs]

Awesome way to kick start it, phanto.

I have a lot to catch up with, but I won't go too overboard in a single post. But, here we go. And, as a new "hands on-er" (long time admirer) to all this, criticism of all kinds would be great. Be harsh, I can take it. Just got my D80 last week, as some of you know.

And let the games begin:

Again, I'd love to hear any criticism at all. Feel free to ask any specific setting questions, since I'm too lazy to get some Exif viewing software right now, but with motivation (or a recommendation) I will.

All were shot with my aforementioned D80, and the Nikkor 50m f/1.8 lens.

 

[Kuran]

Don't usually post these in 'vocal' places but my own personal site, not used to criticism from anyone but people I know. So its always welcome.

 

[imastalker co.]

 

[dasein]

Here are some photos from a few days ago, where I went backpacking.

This first batch is just a few [corny] landscapes, photo 1 being my first HDR attempt with CS2 , and I might as well note that the weirdness in the skies (as 1 and 5 show) is due to a $6 polarizer len I bought from best buy at the last minute, heh.

I'll post other photos later.

 

[SonnyBoy]

My submission to assignment #6.

*removed

 

[imastalker co.]

Sonnyboy, assignment submissions are to remain exclusive to those threads.

 

[SonnyBoy]

Sonnyboy, assignment submissions are to remain exclusive to those threads.

I"m sorry, I wasn't aware that you weren't to share them in this thread also.

 

[Futureman]

Kuran, what camera are you using? I like the quality of light in your shots.

 

[Lucky Forward]

I"m sorry, I wasn't aware that you weren't to share them in this thread also.

If you would like to post other shots you took for the assignment, the alternates you didn't submit, that would be fine though.

 

[el jacko]

Sonnyboy, assignment submissions are to remain exclusive to those threads.

what? I didn't know that, and I post my submissions here all the time. I've posted all of them here, actually.

 

[SonnyBoy]

If you would like to post other shots you took for the assignment, the alternates you didn't submit, that would be fine though.

No problem, I'll keep that in mind. Is this rule in place to avoid confusion?

 

[Lucky Forward]

No problem, I'll keep that in mind. Is this rule in place to avoid confusion?

I'm not sure if it's an actual rule, but that's what we've been doing by general consensus.

 

[imastalker co.]

it's like, in the rules or something.

it's totally a rule.

 

[Lucky Forward]

OK.

 

[thatbox]

Awesome first batches of photos, guys. SnakeXs, are you sure you've only had your Nikon a week? Way to go!

 

[imastalker co.]

this was a potential assignment #6 pic.

i wasn't able to do the idea that i had originally intended to do for the assignment cause i didn't feel like paying for a shooting permit.

so i ended up with the whole puppy thing.

 

[aidan]

Here's a little something that's about the complete opposite of what I've been shooting for the assignment thread.

I'd love to get a nice camera and a good macro lense for these kind of shots.

Ahh, how I love spring time!

 

[Great King Bowser]

 

[SnakeXs]

Awesome first batches of photos, guys. SnakeXs, are you sure you've only had your Nikon a week? Way to go!

Yep, got it last week, and haven't even shot much since I've been unexpectedly busy at work. All those pics were either from (literally) 5 minutes after opening the camera while in a Chipotle (killing time since it started raining a bit), or yesterday, which was such a nice day and I had to put it to some use, so I went on my first walk-around shooting adventure. :lol

Thanks a bunch.

 

[joshschw]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshschwartz/437810910/

This one was an accident but i liked it.

 

[Jado]

Chipotle.. recent Barnum poster ads... you're in NY, right SnakeXs?

I'll post some stuff soon. This semester has been busy as heck that I haven't even been in the assignment threads since like the first one!

 

[SnakeXs]

Chipotle.. recent Barnum poster ads... you're in NY, right SnakeXs?

I'll post some stuff soon. This semester has been busy as heck that I haven't even been in the assignment threads since like the first one!

Yep. That's in the Chipotle near B&H, and that Barnum poster's at Vernon-Jackson on the 7. There'll be more snaps from that spot to come.

 

[mrkgoo]

it's like, in the rules or something.

it's totally a rule.

Well, I set the rule to ONLY post submissions in the assignment rule, so that it's easier on the organiser to go through and collate the submissions, and to avoid confusion. But El Jacko said, I wasn't aware of any rule to NOT post the actual entry here - having said that, though, most regular visitors frequent both threads (at least I do), so I've seen them. I do like having them separate, though. This becomes like a 'behind the scenes' type thing.

And I'm going to repost a handful of shots I feel didn't get enough coverage from near the end of the last thread, at the bottom of the second-the-last page

efs60mm, f8.0, 1/6s, iso100

efs60mm, f8.0, 1/10s, iso100

efs60mm, f8.0, 1/10s, iso100

efs60mm, f11.0, 1/8s, iso100


I was hoping to find some time to try and replicate that light tent/box that someone posted about earlier. I've mentioned macro stuff a lot before, like kind of product shot-style pictures, and after my random set-up (a just a sheet and lamp)...teh background makes a huge difference to working. Shots come off pretty professional looking, so I want to try something a bit more formal and controlled.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

.

 

[Joates]

And the picture I wanted to change my assignment thread entry to...

 

[aparisi2274]

I took this in central Park about 3 weeks ago...

 

[AirBrian]

.

:-(

 

[Vexidus]

Today was my first day messing around with a polarizer and so far I'm pretty happy! Getting used to how to use it and for what situations etc!

 

[ToD_]

Went to the Chicago botanic garden last Sunday.
Hopefully all pics show up, linking to pics on pbase sometimes gives problems.

Any feedback is welcome, positive or negative!

I know, I know. This effect gets used a lot, but it just seemed right.

 

[dasein]

gj plps!

Kuran, I love love love your style! Like others, I'm interested in a kit check (though kit is always relative to eye with respect to style).

Hers are other shots:

edit: very, very nice ToD_! I feel the lovely force of the 1.618 at work in the yellow one. Beautiful colors!

 

[ToD_]

edit: very, very nice ToD_! I feel the lovely force of the 1.618 at work in the yellow one. Beautiful colors!

Thanks dasein. Your pictures are very good, as usual. Also props to kuran, very nice compositions and colors!

 

[AirBrian]

SnakeXs, how are you liking your new D80?

Kuran, great stuff! I love the muted colors.

GKB, Vexidus, dasein, great stuff as usual. GKB, I like the subtle border in the first one. Pretty sure that pic wouldn't "pop" without one. Nice job.

 

[SnakeXs]

SnakeXs, how are you liking your new D80?

Loving it. I don't have all too much to compare it to, outside of some very casual D70s and XT hands on time, but it's everything I had hoped for and more.

Here's a few more for today.

And an obligatory pet pic:

 

[Space Adventure]

Looks real. The former seemed a bit set, but the latter more than compensates. Way to go Johnny.

 

[Kuran]

Kuran, what camera are you using? I like the quality of light in your shots.

Thanks.. I use a ... <checks> Canon EOS 350D with the standard lens..

I usually just take pictures like these, and I wonder if I'd have any gains if I used a tripod?

 

[imastalker co.]

kuran, you got that shit down.

please tell me there's a chinatown near you.

 

[Kuran]

There is, but people look very unfriendly when you walk around there single white man with camera in tow.. I need my chinese girlfriend.

 

[imastalker co.]

that could very well work out in your best interest.

in anycase, i'd love to see what you could do in chinatown with your style. especially considering some of the winows displays you can find there.

as for the tripod, it's almost essential for night time photography. ESPECIALLY if you're only using the kit lens.

 

[Kuran]

But only night-time? Because I don't have any real interest in night-time photography..

I used to have an obsession with nightshops and took nothing but pictures of their corny-ass, colorful displays.. but that was the past.. this is GAF Photography 2007!

 

[imastalker co.]

well, i suppose a tripod can be useful during the day but um... i can't really think of a time that i needed one during the day.

but im sure someone here will have a great suggestion for tripod use during the day.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

disclaimers: a) only marginally good digital camera. I really need a new one. b) it's late and I have an assignment due tomo..er, today and so instead of working on it I'm in photoshop. woo!

(testing some stuff out, trying to make it bluer)

(more testing. has kind of a 70's feel to it)

I know they're not as good as some of your guys' stuff but I like to share.

 

[Dkong]

http://allegate.net/images/picture-nrgb.jpg
http://allegate.net/images/picture-river.jpg

I really love that shit, these pictures look like you did about everything right. I love the light on the trees at the far end of the bridge on the first shot and the difference of exposure to the left and right of the second shot.

 

[mrkgoo]

well, i suppose a tripod can be useful during the day but um... i can't really think of a time that i needed one during the day.

but im sure someone here will have a great suggestion for tripod use during the day.

A tripod is useful if you want to do some interesting shots during the day for a number of reasons that I can think of:

- motion blur shots, such as smooth flowing rivers.
- special effects shots, such as HDR
- Comparison shots.
- Shots you want to be in
- Extreme depth of field shots
- darker conditions (cloudy, dusk, dawn).


In terms of your own photos, kuran, shots with people walking past your images, leaving blur trails.

Basically any shots which will require a shutter speed of slower than about 1/(focal length*1.6). Like if you wanted a really narrow aperture.

 

[imastalker co.]

alright, enough is enough.

someone explain HDR to me already. i know it's lighting, but yeah, i know jack shit about lighting.

is it something you can do with the camera? or only in post processing?

 

[Kuran]

Don't know about HDR... I also don't want to hijack this thread, but I just took a lot of photographs these days! These are some from today:

 

[Squirrel Killer]

someone explain HDR to me already. i know it's lighting, but yeah, i know jack shit about lighting.

You know how when you over-expose a shot, most of the shot is blown out but you see more detail in the shadows? Or if you under-expose, most of the shot is black but you can more detail in the the highlights? HDR takes those "mis-exposed" shots to generate a more detailed image than your camera's sensor could otherwise create.

HDR takes several shots of the same scene, but with different exposures, and in post, selects the parts of the various exposures that give the best detail. So you use the over-exposed shot for the shadow area, the under-exposed shot for the highlights, and the "properly" exposed shot to fill in the rest. Three exposures is just an example, five or more exposures is common.

This isn't really the proper way to create HDR images, but you can manually do this in Photoshop (I use GIMP, same difference) to get a feel for what happening behind the scenes of an automated program. Once you've taken the shots with the varied exposures, you bring them in to Photoshop, each shot into it's own layer. Put the properly exposed shot layer on the bottom and the other exposure layers above. Then just erase the over/under exposed parts of the upper layers. That's the essence of the idea, the actual implementation is a bit harder. It's all actually pretty tedious, especially with a lot of exposures. Fortunately there are Photoshop tools and standalone apps that do it automagically. I don't have any experience with those, but they sound like a fairly painless way to experiment with HDR.

is it something you can do with the camera? or only in post processing?

I don't know of any cameras that do it, but it since it's just software working on files, it's certainly something that could probably be programmed into a digital camera's firmware. It'd probably be less flexible than a Photoshop method, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. That would still technically be post-processing, so if a contest or a self-imposed restriction required no post, an HDR image produced "in-camera" in this way would probably not meet the requirements.

 

[joshschw]

this is a free tool, phantomile: http://www.hdrsoft.com/

free trial anyways, I think it puts a watermark on some images good way to just try it though.

+

+

=

 

[imastalker co.]

sounds like bracketing.

can definitely make for some beautiful images im sure, but post processing really isn't my thing.

no biggie though, in early may, im gonna learn how to control light from the very best

 

[Squirrel Killer]

sounds like bracketing.

can definitely make for some beautiful images im sure, but post processing really isn't my thing.

Yeah, it's like bracketing, but whereas you'd just use the best exposed shot when bracketing, with HDR, you use all the shots you take while bracketing and merging them to create a shot with more detail throughout.