Snowy Bison, Rocky Mountain Arsenal by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
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Photo of the Day December 2019
- Thread starter Hughmac
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Snowy Bison, Rocky Mountain Arsenal by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
Tropical Winds by Lance Randall, on Flickr
Maybe I am missing something I should know about, but what do you mean when you refer to "overlays"? Isn't everything usually done in-camera anyway? Background, actual subject, etc.? Pretty much what you shoot is what you get, while possibly adjusting some things (exposure values, contrast, saturation, etc.) in the editing process? Or are you talking about further manipulation of an image which often then really takes it beyond a simple photograph?
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A day out at the seaside. More to follow. Comments always appreciated.
Breakwater mono by another scotsman, on Flickr
Breakwater mono by another scotsman, on Flickr
Pacifica-1-190825.jpg by Charles Martorelli, on Flickr
No, not everything is done in camera. Some people do sky replacements (this is now a really great benefit to Luminar 4, although personally I don't sky swap very often; I think I've only done it a handful of times, and they were images of my family that I didn't take--if I had taken them I would have set up differently to get the sky in camera). For the image I posted yesterday, an option would be to add the bokeh lights as a separate layer in post, but I had fairy lights on so captured them in camera. Some cameras are unable to to multiple exposures in camera, so the only way to do it in is in post. People add textures, they add color fill layers, they add light shaping overlays.
Many people envision the final image as something other than a "simple photograph." Those do have their place, and certainly many people (probably most on this specific forum) enjoy shooting more than editing, but I enjoy both equally and often do a lot of work in post to make the final image what I see in my head when I'm shooting. For me personally, if I wanted a simple photo I'd just use my phone and not spend thousands of dollars on gear. But photography and editing is my personal art form and therapy and mind calming outlet, so I do whatever I need to end up with the final image I see had visualized.
Definitely prefer shooting to editing. I like to get away from the computer desk. Mind you I haven’t done much of either this year!
Don't get me wrong - I LOVE to shoot. ? I like the focus and quiet it brings while I'm engaged in it. Growing up, I always wanted to be able to draw, but my hand does not do what my brain would like it to do. I get very clear images in my head, but could never get it out on paper. Photography gives me the opportunity to get a base image done in camera and then I can edit it in post to match what I felt when I was shooting it. Even if I edit only in LR, which I sometimes do, my final image usually only bares a slight resemblance to the SOOC. And I do take good SOOCs.
I'm still getting my feet wet with my new (to me) decade old medium format camera and digital back. I've saved up for the last few years to get it so it has been my present for this year. It's Slow Photography 
. In my case, I currently only have the "kit" lens, an 80mm (~50mm equivalent in 35mm FF). The camera has one focus sensor that doesn't move (no 3D AF like my beloved d850 and certainly none of this new fangled eye-AF craziness). The CCD sensor really only likes very low ISO values - you don't want to go above 200 at most (and that only in emergencies), so no low light without external flash/strobes. It's both the size and weight of a tank when all of the components are put together. It's so opposite of what I'm used to, it's a real mind shift to use it. I love it. You have to consciously think of every step, for the most part. Yes, there's autofocus and manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, etc, but there's no high ISO to count on. And that one central focus point requires a little bit more thought. There's a concept of "live view" on the digital back but nothing like we're used to in modern cameras. It's not really even worth firing up. Oh, and battery life is atrocious.
The mirror is a monster. You generally want to shoot mirror up if you can and it's not the camera you want at a golf course or in sensitive wild-life situations as it's very, very loud.
All that said, the camera body itself (Phase One XF - it's only about 5 years old, released in 2015) is pretty sophisticated. It has a seismometer which you can set so that it only trips the shutter when the vibrations from the mirror have ceased or if you happen to be on a bridge or other "bouncy" medium have quietened down sufficiently. It has a pretty sophisticated focus stacking capability and the ability to set and recall the hyper-focal point for a lens/aperture. With certain lenses, there is a function to assist with "focus/re-compose".
It has great tethering capabilities with Capture One and the 16-bit digital back files are stunningly gorgeous. It's hard to showcase them with the winter Colorado landscape of white and brown, plus the fact that these early images are not themselves particularly outstanding, but I hope to keep practicing and become more comfortable capturing and working with this kit through this winter. More brown and white coming up!
DenverPrairieSkyline#1 by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
. In my case, I currently only have the "kit" lens, an 80mm (~50mm equivalent in 35mm FF). The camera has one focus sensor that doesn't move (no 3D AF like my beloved d850 and certainly none of this new fangled eye-AF craziness). The CCD sensor really only likes very low ISO values - you don't want to go above 200 at most (and that only in emergencies), so no low light without external flash/strobes. It's both the size and weight of a tank when all of the components are put together. It's so opposite of what I'm used to, it's a real mind shift to use it. I love it. You have to consciously think of every step, for the most part. Yes, there's autofocus and manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, etc, but there's no high ISO to count on. And that one central focus point requires a little bit more thought. There's a concept of "live view" on the digital back but nothing like we're used to in modern cameras. It's not really even worth firing up. Oh, and battery life is atrocious. The mirror is a monster. You generally want to shoot mirror up if you can and it's not the camera you want at a golf course or in sensitive wild-life situations as it's very, very loud.
All that said, the camera body itself (Phase One XF - it's only about 5 years old, released in 2015) is pretty sophisticated. It has a seismometer which you can set so that it only trips the shutter when the vibrations from the mirror have ceased or if you happen to be on a bridge or other "bouncy" medium have quietened down sufficiently. It has a pretty sophisticated focus stacking capability and the ability to set and recall the hyper-focal point for a lens/aperture. With certain lenses, there is a function to assist with "focus/re-compose".
It has great tethering capabilities with Capture One and the 16-bit digital back files are stunningly gorgeous. It's hard to showcase them with the winter Colorado landscape of white and brown, plus the fact that these early images are not themselves particularly outstanding, but I hope to keep practicing and become more comfortable capturing and working with this kit through this winter. More brown and white coming up!
DenverPrairieSkyline#1 by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
Thank you, Molly! Ah, OK, things like sky replacements and textures, that kind of thing..... Got it now! While I enjoy photography I really do not enjoy the post-processing aspect of it, although I do appreciate the greater extent of control one has over an image compared to the days when we handed our rolls of film over to the lab and they came back with a contact sheet and such, which we marked up with instructions for the lab guy to then produce the final print. I have never really gotten too heavily into image post-processing beyond the basics and so some of this digital imaging editing/retouching process has eluded me. Never could figure out how to do layers back in the days when I was using Photoshop, although I tried a few times. I don't really shoot landscapes or worry much about what the sky looks like when I'm shooting, so even though I've seen Skylum's touting of their new sky replacement feature in Luminar 4, I'm not that interested as it is something I wouldn't use anyway. I haven't gone ahead with purchasing or using Luminar 4, am still fine with Luminar 3 but more often now I've been learning my way around DXO PhotoLab 3, which I like very much. There are still some things I prefer to do in Luminar 3, though -- their "erase tool" is just great!
There's a local guy from Maryland, Tony Sweet, who does wonderful things with textures and he often uses those from a company with the interesting name of "Flypaper," and he gets some amazing results with that. Way, way beyond my skill set, that's for sure! I tried a couple of times in Luminar 3, some sort of texture thing but was less than successful. People who have mastered this type of work are definitely much more artistic than I am. Some years ago he did a couple of macro workshops at Meadlowlark Gardens when they were still hosting the annual Nature Photography exhibit and workshops. Now that it's moved out to Manassas and is called "Nature Visions," I haven't been out there.
Definitely in the post-processing phase, retouching, layering and adding or subtracting various elements from an image and going beyond the actual acts of composing and taking photographs is another art and skill in itself, one which indeed can have beautiful and intriguing results.....
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Playing with my new 9mm lens and also Darktable 3.0.
One of the last pictures that I took in 2019 and it's of my LEGO city the I call Pepsterville. I'm an Adult Fan of LEGO (AOFL) and like the fact that all the minifigures are yellow to show that everyone is equal. Anyways, Have a Great 2020 EVERYONE!
You’re a few months behind. ? gotta find the April thread.TVA Nickajack Dam & Lake, TN