Diamond Head, Holona Blow Hole, Makapuʻu Beach

[bakubo]

Cool, Bodak!

Here's another one from Fira, Santorini in Greece:

[KevinBarrett]

Wonderful shot, Stephen! It's got a wonderful composition, wonderful glowing colors, and that little bit of action in the foreground is well captured, adding to the technical complexity of it all.

[Bodak]

Don, I always touch my images, sometimes heavily.
Look at the lighthouse, those beams of light aren't in the original.
You can see the original out of camera shot at http://www.photoclubalpha.com/forum/vie ... =17&t=2026" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I guess you already have seen it.

[David Kilpatrick]

There are valid opinions on both sides. I come from a background where even cropping an image was verboten - you had to print the negative including the borders to be taken seriously (British photojournalism for the 'heavies' - Observer, Guardian, Times, Sunday Times - 1970s). Therefore I hardly ever crop or pp images. But - we used to print on G4 and dodge and burn in a big way to achieve b/w impact. I'm now thinking that the neutrality of my images may have cost me many sales over the last few years. So I'm using steeper tone curves and more adjustment in 2009 than in 2007.

David

[Javelin]

I think when people recall scenes they recall them with more vivid details than were actually there. just regular people alway point out the brightest most vibrant picture out of a selection of them if they are recalling a vaction or something and claim it looked just like that. Maybe when people recall sadder times theres less colour in their minds ..

[bakubo]

I post-process photos, although generally it is pretty straightforward:

1. Convert from raw -- adjusting white balance, exposure, contrast, etc. in the raw converter
2. Sometimes use PTLens to get rid of distortion
3. Sometimes level the horizon
4. Sometimes crop
5. Possibly further adjustments of color balance, saturation, contrast, shadows/highlights, etc.
6. Sharpen

Of course, if there are any dust spots I will clone them out. Occasionally, but not often, I might clone out some small object if it really hurts the image. Occasionally, I'll make a mask, work with layers, etc., but mostly that is more work than I want to do on an image so do it only on rare images.

Something that some people (not DK and others who used film) don't seem to realize is that even with film there was usually post-processing. Many famous photographers of the past spent a lot of time (or had their master printmaker do it) choosing how to develop the film, how to make the print, etc. Even the run of the mill person using color negative film and dropping it off to get developed got a post-processed print back. Shooting slide film was more "pure" *if* you just projected it, but even that involved choosing which slide film to use based on what "look" you wanted. If you make a print from the slide film then, again, choices can be made.

[david antony]

Less Dramatic. Yours are superb Don. (Elements 6)

[Bodak]

It's all in the doing David and you have done a fine job.

[david antony]

Thanks Bodak, it started with a great photo. :^)

PS. I mean't to post this on your thread! sorry Bodak.

[Dusty]

My (non-photographer) wife is from the unaltered school as for several years she thought the image was best exactly how it was captured, no matter if you blew the shot or not. Over the years she has learned that the camera/lens and/or the photographer does not always capture the image perfectly, so *altering* the colors and lighting after the fact is not so taboo with her now. These days she does not mind a play on richness or contrast etc., but heavily altered renders are still tough to pass by her.
-Sonolta

This is were I come from, too. A bit of old school, but not as bad as David's 'no crop'. One of the advantages of MF and 4x5 film was the ability to crop w/o losing much detail. However, I've seen several occasions where PP turns out really cool results, like Don has done here. I also recall some sunsets from the bluffs at Elsa, where the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers all meet, that were perfect except for the ugly barges on the river. Now days it would be easy to clone them out.

In the film days I always thought that the guys who entered photo contests with heavily altered photos were cheating, as it was a photo, not art, contest. Now it's nearly impossible to tell the difference.

Makes me wonder how far we are from the scenario in "Running Man", where Richard Dawson has the guys create the video death of Schwarzenegger's character with CGI. Even several years ago, a buddy remodeling an office at a local TV studio watched them alter a Three Stooges clip for an ad campaign. He said, "They made Curly do things he never did!"

Where does reality start and end anymore?

Dusty

[stevecim]

Hi All

I'll try some water shots, not in the same class has everyone else , but this is one of my shots that I like enough to put up on one of my walls (the one on the walls looks better has this is a scan of it, orig photo taken on a Minolta 600si 10+ years ago

Dromana Pier , Port Philip Bay, Victoria, Australia

[bakubo]

This is at Waikiki:

[fastson]

This is nothing more than a tourist photo.. I didn't have time to set anything up as the ship was firing its greeting shots. I was about to miss the shot because the ship had sailed behind some buildings blocking my view (I had expected the ship to fire the shots earlier), as I was travelling by bicycle and I had a tripod and a big backpack I couldn't relocate fast enough.. but to my luck I saw the ship coming into view again (between the two docks) and when it was in perfect view it fired the greeting shots. I had the 70-210 F4 with me and the 16-105.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/276 ... 5407_o.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is also why I couldn't relocate fast enough..


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/276 ... 6ce5_o.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KevinBarrett]

Here's some calm water

I got into this thread a little late and must have missed this one. It's easily the most impressive photograph on this thread (to my eyes) for any of several reasons: color, composition, creativity, you name it... I love it!

[KevinBarrett]

If I withhold all but complimentary feedback on photos it is because I am exercising a bit of tact. Normally, I withhold any criticism until I have posted a photo (or intend to shortly) in a thread, opening myself to the same criticism.







I believe I shot these in August 2005 on my Maxxum 5, well before I had a digital camera or even knew what an f-stop was. These are the images as provided by the photo processor on a CD with my prints. The location is Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Also, these are the last pictures I remember shooting that have any relevance to this thread.

I invite criticism, but I do not extend any invitation to edit or repost these images.