Some of it is what we are viewing photographs on. They do not appear the same on an LCD screen as they do on an old fashioned CRT monitor.
You can modify a photo to look good on an LCD and it often shows too much contrast and too much saturation on a CRT. Laptop and desktop LCD users can be mousetrapped by the limitations of their screen.
Paul Glaves - "Big Bend", Texas U.S.A
"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russell
http://www.bigbend.net/users/glaves
Well put, Paul. And that critical commentary is precisely what this thread is about. We're all here to help each other, whether by asking questions or offering advice. I didn't know what knary was talking about. I hadn't occured to me that by uploading photos to a site that you might lose image quality. I learned something, something very important.Originally Posted by PAULBACH
I also like to know that Josh has just started to play with post-processing. I relatively new to it myself and have much to learn. When we used to shoot film and dropped it off at the lab, THEY did this for us, adding blue, subratcting green and boosting contrast--for every, single image. If they didn't, or if the computer was out of whack, then the pictures didn't look good.
I, for one, really appreciate everyone's involvement here. It's helpful, interesting, and fun, unlike work, which I'm putting off by typing this letter. . . .
Tom Moran
On the Road with SNC 1923
Or the CRT owner who doesn't recalibrate his monitor as it ages (the color shifts and contrast drops). LCD's have come a long way from the old days and are becoming more and more the choice amongst people for whom color is work.
scott conary - BMW... err...umm... bikes are dangerous
portland, oregon
www.scottconary.com | new paintings
This is one of my absolutely favorite images on this site; I remember it well. This shot was selected the third-ever picture of the week. We've had 122 by the way. It looks like a studio shot--really sharp and great lighting. I really just wanted to show it again--it's that good.
Tom Moran
On the Road with SNC 1923
I've sat through many a 'crit' in my life, both as a student and as a professional. My apologies if I stepped on any toes. Please take any criticism or suggestions with a grain of salt. I'm just one voice and your goal, our goal, should be to find or improve your own. My own ideas about how an image is built, while, I hope, born of experience and training and all that that means, are just my own.
scott conary - BMW... err...umm... bikes are dangerous
portland, oregon
www.scottconary.com | new paintings
Glad you jumped in, Scott. Keep posting, please. You obviously have a trained and critical eye, something all of us can use. The more voices, the better, I say.
Tom Moran
On the Road with SNC 1923
Glad you jumped in, Scott. Keep posting, please. You obviously have a trained and critical eye, something all of us can use. The more voices, the better, I say.
I concur whole heartedly! That's how we all learn, I too was unaware of the effect of different photo sharing sites, perhaps because I have my own web space, but it was still interesting.
On the subject of photo shopping (that's photoshopping not shopping for photos!); as pointed out it is no differant than what photo processing houses do with film. When i first starting shooting film I did a lot of B&W work so I could do my own processing. Things like chemical temps during processing the film, then adjusting the lighting/cropping when making the print along with differant filters, "dogding" tools to reduce the amount of light shinning on certain areas of the paper as it was exposed, etc were all designed to "alter" the image in some manner. Now we just do it with differant tools, so no one should feel like its "cheating" or be afaird to experiment, (just remember to save a copy prior to starting!).
So with that in mind, I do like the idea that for these we don't photoshop, since you need a good image to begin with and that's only done by concentrating on the subject, composision, lighting etc, that all important process that happens in the field.
RM
Last edited by rocketman; 10-23-2007 at 12:08 AM.
"A man isn't totally drunk if he can lie on the floor without hanging on!" Joe Louis; comedian
"I'll make a deal with you, I won't bore with my Science if you don't bore me with your Politics!" Lionel Barrymore from the 1929 film "The Mysterious Island"
Scott's point about image appearances are very interesting. I am amazing just how different an image looks when I shoot JPG or when I shoot RAW and then convert to JPG in Lightroom. These are the little things that are nuances that are hard for me to put my finger on. If the audio media I can find and notice and quantify the issues. For example I can hear the dynamic range difference in a track, and describe it as noise and where it is placed in the track.
Now for photographs that is harder for me, especially when one considers that adding an unsharp mask can make the photo look better. SmugMug has actually offered it now as part of the hosting. So how does one quantify and explain that? It is a tightrope and talented people can explain it well, but it is harder to even learn to see it. It is even harder to see when you are the one who took the picture. You get a blind spot to the imperfections, kind of like how you don't see the spot on your windshield after a certain period of time.
I am not immune to it. I can hear if a guitar is out of tune, but I can not tune my own guitar as well.
That is why I like that Tom is doing this and offering us up a chance for critique that is helpful.
-=Brad
It isn't what you ride, it is if you ride
Wow! This shot is GORGEOUS!!Cypress Mountain Drive...
Even the AGATT/beemer Gals glowed like madonna space angels -redclfco
No Sh*t? I had totally forgotten that, damn its been a while since I've posted much, huh?
As I said I often use it as example to diswade people that HAVE to have tons of megpixel or that that alone mean better shots and that a really great shot often just jumps out and graps you, BUT only if you really LOOK!
(damn I'm good!
Forgot where I saw it but someone pointed out a link to someone who just uses really simple box camera's and does some really amazing things.
RM
"A man isn't totally drunk if he can lie on the floor without hanging on!" Joe Louis; comedian
"I'll make a deal with you, I won't bore with my Science if you don't bore me with your Politics!" Lionel Barrymore from the 1929 film "The Mysterious Island"
No Sh*t? I had totally forgotten that, damn its been a while since I've posted much, huh?
As I said I often use it as example to diswade people that HAVE to have tons of megpixel or that that alone mean better shots and that a really great shot often just jumps out and graps you, BUT only if you really LOOK!
(damn I'm good!
Forgot where I saw it but someone pointed out a link to someone who just uses really simple box camera's and does some really amazing things.
RM
It's often not the camera, but the vision behind it.
I have handed a camera [which I had been struggling with] off to a “true photographer” and have seen some truly wonderful images result.
It’s like handing a child’s instrument to a virtuoso.
Last edited by grossjohann; 10-23-2007 at 01:04 AM.
Here is a photo I took from the seat of the motorbike. The water looks over saturated, but, the rest of the photo is not over saturated. The water picked up the color because it was in the shade of a large tree. The water formed a mirror and mimicked the color of the sky.
I do not post process any of my photos. If you go to my Smugmug site and run your mouse over the photo you will see when the photo was shot and when the photo was modified, and date and time will match. Photo Assignment rules also state no photo alteration.
I shot multiple shots at different ASA, speed and many times step down or over 2/3 F stop to get the photo I like.
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt"
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt" a BMW will fit through that highway culvert.
Last edited by BeerTeam; 12-15-2007 at 01:30 AM.
This reminds me of the shots we used to take in High School. Very Fun!
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt"
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt" a BMW will fit through that highway culvert.
That shot was part of an 150 mile dual sport motorcycle run that started in West Bend and dual sported to 15 farms in four counties. The run ran through water, mud, hills, harvested fields, highway culverts, and right through a 100 year old Wisconsin barn.
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt"
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt" the GS cylinders are not wider than a barn door.
Note: not much time to set up a shot when you are riding with 123 motocross
racers. This is a two part photo shot inside the barn.
Last edited by BeerTeam; 12-15-2007 at 01:45 AM.
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