Photo Of The Week 4/26/09

<p>Haig: now that I can breathe again after laughing.... GOOD JOB!!! Matt sez I can't pay you ;-)</p>

<p>Dang, and here I was about to ask who to send the bill to.. The "clone stamp tool" in photoshop is pretty darn handy for stuff like that. :-)</p>

<p>This thread has a nice balance of aesthetics. A long list here:<br /> <br /> Justin, 1883 has a wholeness that the B&W rendition emphasizes nicely. Nice perspective on Saratoga Battlefield; did you ramp up the saturation or use a Polarizer?<br /> <br /> Javier, that last B&W beach shot is a keeper. Such a great frame for that silhouette; a strong image indeed.<br /> <br /> Steve R., Nice shots of the grizzly bear and the cranes. I’d have a good time with that lens.<br /> <br /> Robert C., your work has been blowing me away this past month. The Next Day is awesome and I appreciate someone else using the DA 35mm for landscapes. Tree in fog has great mood and detail and I like the color.<br /> <br /> Bob M. I could get lost in that skunk cabbage shot and that’s far better than getting lost in skunk cabbage itself. Excellent texture and lighting and color.<br /> <br /> Guy G., #2 is Zen-like. That would make a nice large print.<br /> <br /> Dorus O. Captivating work once again. Sail on Nile is so dramatic. The texture of the third shot I can almost feel.<br /> <br /> Roger R. Wow, those shots almost look animated. You really captured the energy of an old-style circus quite well.<br /> <br /> Jemal, Lounging is one of the best shots of yours I’ve seen. Great lighting, and processing but the woman’s expression is so engaging. I like the tight frame too. Nice work.<br /> <br /> Adam W. That last shot looks like it was out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Or a Stephen King novel. Alien colors. Nice work.<br /> <br /> Steve D. Cassie is my favorite of the bunch. Nice skin treatment. Your subject looks a lot older than a high school senior.<br /> <br /> Ryan W. Very cool and inspirational photograph. This may be my favorite. The shot is beautiful.<br /> <br /> Hin Man, I could shave with those shots. Great color and lighting. That is a remarkable lens. The hummingbird capture is inspired as well. These are some of the best work of yours I’ve seen.<br /> <br /> Maria M, Yummy is yummy. I too have been totally enjoying my new Katz Eye. It took me about three weeks to realize that I’ve had zero center blackouts (unlike the cheapy split-prism screen I had been using for the past two years).<br /> <br /> Kathy B., so you got it! Congrats. That’s a classic shot, excellent detail, complimentary bokeh, and just balanced composition. My DA 35mm and the DA 70mm comprise 80% of my lens usage these days.<br /> <br /> <br /> ME<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></p>

<p>ME, Thanks for the compliment! I am loving this lens. I may consider adding a wider angle prime.................... LOL<br>

Kathy B </p>

<p>Justin, sorry to be so late answering your question: the stadium holds 87,451, officially. I know for a fact they over-sell student tickets, so i wouldn't be surprised if we've put more than 87,600 in there on big games. And yes, both sides of the stadium have upper decks.</p>

<p>Adam,</p>

<p>I realized after the fact that I was looking at the end of the stadium (with the screen) and not the sides...yeah, thats a big stadium. I noticed the upper decks in the other shots.</p>

<p>Mike E,</p>

<p>I used a polarizer. Singh Ray warming polarizer. I don't bump saturation often, but when I do I use a faux Velvia action to get the Velvia look that was/is so popular with the masses. I believe I also used the Velvia action.</p>

<p>Justin,<br>

I was unfamiliar with a warming type of polarizer. As you may have noted, I'm shopping around for a polarizer and after a little research this one is quite attractive, though pricey. I tend to make my WB on the warmer side. Do you use the round Cokin type or the 77mm? I want something large enough that can be placed in front of most of my lenses.</p>

<p>I like the Velvia look too. I have a Lightroom Velvia preset that was designed for the *DS and I should tweak it for the K20D.</p>

<p>Thanks for the kind words about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Morgan_Bridge_(Tacoma,_WA)">Murray Morgan Bridge</a> shot. This is a historic structure built in 1913. It was too rickety for vehicles so last year they limited it to foot traffic only. There is something magical about crossing an old bridge in the middle of the road and in complete silence above the city and waterway.</p>

<p>ME</p>

 

<p>Once again everyone's photos leave me inspired to do better and greater things with my pentax. Thanks for the inspiration. Here are but a few comments on some of the photos that reached out and grabbed me this week.<br>

Paul C. - Beautiful bokeh<br /> Robert c. - Awesome lighting! <br /> Dorus O. - Wow. I know that's not very descriptive, but that's what your photos leave me saying. They are so expansive and breathtaking.<br /> Steve D. - Even though Cassie has a tree growing out of her head that is an incredible portrait. "Country Club Plaza"<br /> Heather D. - I love the duck shot. I'd hang it on my wall. Can you crop out or clone out the stray wing on the right side?</p>

<p> Jemal THANKS!! There's nothing to brighten a day like someone saying they'd hang your picture on a wall =)<br>

Jemal here is the goose with the wing cloned out - well sort of. I am a big newbie to photshop, so the cloning is not that great, but I'll have to practice.<br>

<br /><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/9071871-lg.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="453" /></p>

<p>Don't tell Lindy but the Singh Ray is a loaner. Shhh!</p>

<p>Anyway, I borrowed it to test it out as I am interested in buying one more for film than digital. It's a Cokin P style and that is what I would buy.</p>

<p>My observations are this, if you shoot film it's definitely worthwhile but if you shoot only digital it's a tossup. Of course this is using it for a total of 4 outings over 2 months.</p>

<p><br /> Some places I think it might be useful even on digital is waterfalls in canyons which are generally cool, and don't need ND filters.</p>

<p>You obviously don't need a warming filter on digital since you can adjust the WB. But it does offer some advantages including the fact that it only has a 1 1/3 loss of light vs. the 2+ for a standard polarizer.</p>

<p>The second advantage to me is less glass in front of the lens of film. Since you could use 2 Cokin P style filters polarizer + warming.</p>

<p>So my take the Singh Ray warming is a sometimes polarizer, with a lot of value on film, and mixed utility on digital. <br /></p>

<p>Heather D. - Excellent job of optimizing the photo. It really is a spectacular capture. Well done!</p>