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matias_orchard

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Posts posted by matias_orchard

    What would you do with this picture?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Peter,

     

    Many thanks for your input and better picture. Further questions, though:

     

    1. I'm OK with more saturation; I actually like it, but was a little afraid on how much to add... one or two steps more, or is it two or three?

    2. I hadn't done any cropping... prefer to do it so just before "printing". But did like the way you placed the horizon. Thanks!

    3. How much more sharpness? Same question as in number one. And now, questions get little more complicated:

    4. "adjusted the colors a bit": what exactly? Do you use one thing/color as a reference. It is very funny that the colors con my picture look more real (very ugly lake it was!), but I like your version the (much) better.

    5. Anything about white balancing here that I can try? Should I move K to the upper side, or the lower side of the 5200 threshold?

     

    Sheldon, I just put the picture that shows the whole scenario (water, terrain, sky, etc...) you can look at the full gallery and check whether there is one that you like ;-)

     

    Not so easy to get him on focus from the boat, at 35 mph... need more practice.

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    What would you do with this picture?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Hello there,

     

    Happy New Year, first of all!

     

    I've taken several RAW shots, and here is an example in JPEG:

     

    <a

    href="http://picasaweb.google.es/matias.orchard/LuisEsquiador/photo#5151242630387965714"><img

    src="http://lh5.google.es/matias.orchard/R3zj4UAfnxI/AAAAAAAABN4/6WOTVKZ25uM/s144/luis_ski29.JPG"

    /></a>

     

    Always using DPP, I took the exposure 0.17 steps down, the contrast one step up,

    the color saturation one up, and the sharpness two steps up.

     

    What do you think? What would you do in terms of white balancing it?

     

    I would appreciate your feedback.

     

     

    Thanks!

     

    MO

    Home good photo printer

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Hello there,

     

    First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone around here!

     

    What would be your recommendation when it comes to a dedicated photo printer for

    home? I would like to be able to print few pictures from time to time... 4x6",

    and maybe some 5x7"...

     

    Is the cost per picture reasonable enough? Or the local photo shop is still in a

    large advantage?

     

    Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    DPP - first workflow

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Hello there,

     

    I'm trying to create my own workflow as started to shoot RAWs a couple of

    hundreds shots ago... I kept the small low quality JPEG for convenience though.

     

    I would like to get your input in what I'm doing now - am using DPP, its latest

    version.

     

    I open the files, first correct the exposure if needed, and then correcting WB

    (I'm liking the picking tool much!), and applying a bit of contrast and color

    saturation... some times I even apply little bit of sharpness. Everything in the

    RAW menu. Just that.

     

    I crop the images to what I want, and then save the changes.

     

    Now, I'm selecting the images I wan to print, and I'm (very) doubtful about what

    convert format to use. I would appreciate your input here as well.

     

    It is not much more than this, for me at least. I'm open to what you may have to

    say.

     

     

    Thanks and regards,

     

    MO

    How am I doing?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Not much to say on this end, I guess....... Many thanks, Luke, for taking the time to write. I will follow your advice. I guess I will also take out my 70-200 (F4, though)... I'm using the flash already, and learning that as well...

     

    But more importantly, I'm picking the right track on how to improve, I hope.... I WILL take DOF as a task for the next several hundred photos... and we'll see! The other thing is I need to take my models to somewhere else besides our backyard ;-)

     

    Thanks much again!

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    How am I doing?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Thanks, Luke. I guess you're right... but you left me kind of happy... because I was concern about exposure, and white balancing more than on the composition, which I know is as important, but this time their costumes were the important thing.

     

    All those photos are crops of larger pictures, and you can actually look at some of the setting on the same webpage, on the right. f5.0 was the lower aperture setting used.

     

    I use a 30D and a Tamron 17-50 lens.

     

    What do you think about the "picture" quality (before saying photograph... ;-) )?

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    Portrait basic technique

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Guys,

     

    Many thanks for your comments. I've read some good sites giving tips for flash photography, although my main interest is in fill-in flash info ;-) , and still have lots to read, learn and practice... but the starting points is there... and I needed that.

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    70-200 on its way...

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    The 70-200 (non-IS) arrived in perfect condition, and has already been put to work - did not disappoint me at all B-)

     

    I had four large NiMh AA batteries, and charged them, so the 430EX is also working. I've read a lot about the flash, and discovered that they guess whether you're using it to light things up, or as a fill-in flsh. Amazing.

     

    My brother in law got a very nice 2.8 large zoom for his Nikon, and almost laughed at me because I had gotten the f:4 version... size, weight, and ultimately price were very strong reason not to get on of the other models... plus, I always can get the 2.8 version later :-p

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    Portrait basic technique

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Hello there,

     

    I've just gotten my 430EX, and would like to know what should be the first

    non-full-auto technique to use it in portrait photography.

     

    I'm interested in outside portraits, and it should be used to fill-in lighting,

    but even then, I would like to know what I should do with my 30D to start

    getting the most out of my 430EX.

     

    Thanks in advance.

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    70-200 on its way...

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Thanks for your comments... I did not want to buy the IS version for weight and price as well... I would have done the extra effort to get the 2.8, and that was a completely different story (even bulkier than what I should be getting...).

     

    I was going to get the 85mm f1.8, and a friend convinced me that the L lens were _some_thing_ else... so, this is why I decided to get this lens... :-p

     

    Plus, I had already decided to get a flash... budget only allowed the 430EX.

     

    I'm very excited about this ;-)

     

     

    Thanks!

     

    MO

    70-200 on its way...

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    Hello there,

     

    OK, I couldn't resist, and finally got the 70-200 f:4. My sister was at B&H

    yesterday, and bought it for me. If everything goes well at customs tomorrow

    morning, when she arrives to Santiago, I would have gotten it for much less than

    half of what it costs here in Chile ;-)

     

    I also got a larger compactflash memory (you guys made your thing convincing me

    of using RAW mainly B-9 ), a 430EX unit, and a difuser.

     

    Not much to ask about the lens... just preparing myself to enjoy it!

     

    One question about the 430EX though - as tomorrow is my second daughter's

    birthday. What batteries do I need? Do I need to do something special to start

    using it, in terms of learning something particular? I know the other section

    may better serve this question, but I feel more comfortable and familiar here ;-)

     

    Just sharing with you my (though anxious) happiness :-p

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    MO

    RAW very different from standard JPEG

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Thanks, Jeff... although it is not my plan to start experimenting with different pieces of software... I just want to correctly use what I have now ;-)

     

    The problem I've found converting RAWs into JPEGs using DPP is that the file generated by DPP is so much larger than that one generated by the camera. I'm using highest quality, and 350 DPI. Is this why? What are the quality settings on the camera, then?

     

    Phil, you're right... I should be playing with the camera, and find something that suits... but I'm finding RAW so tempting.....! ;-)

     

    Adam, I completely understand what you're saying... after having played with DPP for only a couple of hours... it is the time consuming part of the picture what I'm not liking...

     

    Does all this mean that you never use bracketing? Because... if you can set white balance, exposure, and then picture style...

     

    Frank,the only "problem" I see in your recommendation is that I see very difficult to leave RAW after using it for a longer period of time... :-D

     

    Thanks, guys. Very useful information.

     

    Here are my models. RAW files, exposure to the right upto 2/3 steps, 'flash' while balance, 'nostalgia' picture style (except that one b&w), and some tweaking on the contrast and sharpness...

     

    http://picasaweb.google.com/matias.orchard/matri_rosini

     

    What do you guys think?

     

     

    Many regards,

     

    MO

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