Amateur photography at its best

[Ariadne]

It's the 70-200 F2.8 Canon. It's a great lens. I'm using the EOS 30D camera body. The image resolution is much better with the 60D ... but I'm going to wait for the price to come down. I guess the advantage of the 30D with this lens is that it has more metal than the newer camera bodies, which is maybe better for this lens. The combo is heavy, but well worth it given the results.

 

[Ariadne]

Mom sitting up, son upside down ...

 

[Cliffy]

Mom sitting up, son upside down ...

Jeez! At first sight I thought it was something a coyote dragged out of the bush.

 

[captain morgan]

Ariadne,

If you don't mind my asking, where do you live (approximately). I see the mountain vistas and am guessing that they are the Rocky mountains.

Am I correct?

 

[DurkaDurka]

It's the 70-200 F2.8 Canon. It's a great lens. I'm using the EOS 30D camera body. The image resolution is much better with the 60D ... but I'm going to wait for the price to come down. I guess the advantage of the 30D with this lens is that it has more metal than the newer camera bodies, which is maybe better for this lens. The combo is heavy, but well worth it given the results.

The 60D doesn't do much for me with its plastic body and slow burst shooting. If you are thinking of upgrading, maybe checkout the 7D and skip the 60. it's about $1600 for the body but it's an amazing camera.

Next up for me is a wide angle prime lens. Thinking of maybe a 28mm 1.8, good for street & low light photography.

Quest Street West photo I took a couple weeks back.

 

[captain morgan]

That is a remarkable photo... I can't believe the degree of clarity

 

[DurkaDurka]

That is a remarkable photo... I can't believe the degree of clarity

I shot it from a pedestrian bridge going over the street, using a tripod and a 50mm lens.

 

[captain morgan]

Wow... My first thought was that I (personally) don't see with that kind of physical clarity in real life - and no, my eyes aren't that bad.

Kudos.. I wish I had that kind of eye and talent.

 

[DurkaDurka]

This was shot inside an abandoned power generating plant. It's a high dynamic range photo (HDR). 3 exposures combined to bring out shadows & highlights.

 

[captain morgan]

Seriously?.. Were there any kind of filters or effects that you applied? In a way it looks, well, a little artificial

In a way, it reminds me of the kind of detailed illustrations I used to see in Heavy metal magazine a long time ago

 

[DurkaDurka]

Seriously?.. Were there any kind of filters or effects that you applied? In a way it looks, well, a little artificial

In a way, it reminds me of the kind of detailed illustrations I used to see in Heavy metal magazine a long time ago

No filters applied. With an HDR photo, you take 3 shots. Under exposed, properly exposed & over exposed. Then using HDR software, it pulls out the shadows & details that normally are not present in a standard exposure. HDR can look artificial as the level of detail, texture and tones are much more intense then a standard photo.

I'll see if I can find a more natural looking one for you.

This is an exposure fusion, same concept as HDR utilizing and under exposed, exposed & over exposed frame. Comes in handy when certain areas of a photo are underexposed, evens the lighting out.

 

[captain morgan]

My hat is off to you. I am jealous in that not only is the quality of the photos being exceptional, your last examples suggest that you have an "eye" for the shot. In my mind, that is a real talent.

BTW - When I mentioned that the power station pic appeared "unnatural" (that is not the right word), I did not intend to suggest that it was not appealing... Had it a more black/white tone to it, I would have sworn that it was art-deco(ish) and kinda film-noir.

Do you post your photos anywhere on the web?

 

[DurkaDurka]

My hat is off to you. I am jealous in that not only is the quality of the photos being exceptional, your last examples suggest that you have an "eye" for the shot. In my mind, that is a real talent.

BTW - When I mentioned that the power station pic appeared "unnatural" (that is not the right word), I did not intend to suggest that it was not appealing... Had it a more black/white tone to it, I would have sworn that it was art-deco(ish) and kinda film-noir.

Do you post your photos anywhere on the web?

Well, I use unnatural to describe them my self, you can get pretty surreal looking output with HDR photos.

Yeah, I have a whole bunch of stuff online. Flickr: Dan's Photostream

 

[captain morgan]

Thanks for the link.. I look forward to viewing them

 

[Ariadne]

... HDR utilizing and under exposed, exposed & over exposed frame. Comes in handy when certain areas of a photo are underexposed, evens the lighting out.

Photoshop high definition adds some nice vibrance, but otherwise has artificial colour.

... like RAW on overload ... and lighting adjustment.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Photoshop high definition adds some nice vibrance, but otherwise has artificial colour.

I generally use Photomatix for HDR, the photoshop implementation is rather limited.

 

[Ariadne]

Ariadne,

If you don't mind my asking, where do you live (approximately). I see the mountain vistas and am guessing that they are the Rocky mountains.

Am I correct?

Rocky Mountains

I generally use Photomatix for HDR, the photoshop implementation is rather limited.

Still, I find the end result is a photo with enhanced vibrances in the sense that the close and far away view are sharp and over-extended. Sharpness is another way to crisp things up.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Rocky Mountains



Still, I find the end result is a photo with enhanced vibrances in the sense that the close and far away view are sharp and over-extended. Sharpness is another way to crisp things up.

Yeah, it's not for everyone but on the other hand it can be done in a way that you would never knows its been manipulated.

 

[Ariadne]

Really nice photos on your site! Some of the shots made me think of Homer Simpson's work place.
I'm torn between the authentic image and the modified/altered one. I want the perfect photo without electronic touchups ... but that's a bit like an oxymoron.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Really nice photos on your site! Some of the shots made me think of Homer Simpson's work place.
I'm torn between the authentic image and the modified/altered one. I want the perfect photo without electronic touchups ... but that's a bit like an oxymoron.

I like unaltered photos as well, usually nature & street photos. You should create your self a flickr account to share your photos and see others, kinda like a facebook for photos.