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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Challenge 62: Low light or low key (hosts: Victor Engel & Olaf.dk) >> Exhibition > * Little Strummer Boy
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03-JUL-2005 Lonnit Rysher

* Little Strummer Boy

Canon EOS 10D ,Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Fisheye
1/125s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso100 with Flash full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Guest 03-Mar-2006 04:38
Thanks, Michael. Like I've really got time to learn new software right now! LOL! ~ Lonnit
Guest 03-Mar-2006 03:08
Lonnit, I'd recommend the Pro version because it has the additional feature of printing to a file...ergo, you can use the excellent Qimage uprez algorithms to uprez an image and output it as a tiff file. That alone is worth the extra few dollars, IMHO. Be sure to get the PDF manual and use the "Learn by Example" section...it will save you hours. -Michael
Guest 03-Mar-2006 02:45
I just downloaded the pro trial. Thanks. ~ Lonnit
Guest 03-Mar-2006 02:38
Is the "lite" version sufficient or do you recommend the "pro" version? It sounds like it's ok to just set it to run at the highest quality level, which is what I'd do. So, would I really need the more coplicated pro version? Thanks. Lonnit
Guest 02-Mar-2006 21:58
Lonnit, yes, what Victor said, which results in superior quality of the prints. There is a very real visual difference in the prints I produce using Qimage vs PS and the Qimage prints are just plain better. Also, the workflow is simpler because you don't have to downscale or uprez. Qimage does it for you and does it extremely well. As with all recommendations, your mileage may vary. If you choose to give it a try, download the pdf manual and use the "by example" section since the interface is odd (although getting better all the time). -Michael
Canon DSLR Challenge02-Mar-2006 06:05
Qimage has a proprietary scaling and antialiasing algorithm. You know how in Photoshop you can avoid aliasing by uprezzing 10% at a time? With Qimage, you don't even have to uprez. And the results are superior. -- Victor
Guest 02-Mar-2006 05:25
Victor,
I've got a LaCie 19BlueIV monitor - it's a beauty - and an Epson 2400 printer, and I've Spyder 2 Pro'ed the system. At this point I only use 16 bits when editing, then when done I save it as 8 bit. I'm not sure if I was 16 bitting when I processed this. I may have only switched to 16 when I got CS2. The soft proof banding is so hideous and obvious I didn't bother to waste ink and paper to print. The thing is that I'd originally posterized the image in color. I thought I liked the results, but by 24 hours later I hated it and toned it. I should have started from scratch again. Yes, I could always reprocess the image but I never feel like redoing an image later. Perhaps I will get around to it on this one b/c I do really like the image and it would be nice to send a print to his parents.

Michael,
Yes, I only saw them in soft proofing. How is Qimage superior?
~ Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge02-Mar-2006 00:16
Softproofing quality depends upon the quality of both your printer profile and your monitor profile. Also, if you made adjustments in 8 bit, they may be more apparent than if you'd used 16 bit. It's possible the banding you refer to doesn't show up in the print. Have you tried actually printing it out? Where does the banding show up? Is it color banding around the edges of the shadows? If so, could that be caused by the duotone you seem to have applied? Just some thoughts. I'd be curious to know how this turns out if you do get it printed. -- Victor
Guest 01-Mar-2006 21:53
Lonnit, how deeply disappointing. You don't see the problems in the original when viewing at 100%, only in softproof? I only use PS for editing and never for printing so I don't know what to advise. I print exclusively with Qimage which truly gives superior results. You can get a trial version athttp://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/ if you want to try it quickly. A lifetime license for all future versions is only about $50 if you decide you like it. -Michael
Guest 01-Mar-2006 21:02
Thanks, Michael. Huge problem though. I was going to print it last night b/c I needed a BW entry for my competition tomorrow night. I pulled up the image in PS and when I soft proofed it, it was terribly blotchy - hideos banding all over it making it completely unusable as a print. :( ~ Lonnit
Guest 01-Mar-2006 07:20
Lonnit, I'm so glad to see this piece again. I remember we had a lively discussion when you created the image, but I think that challenge ended before I had a chance to comment with my final conclusion. Ergo, I'll open my big mouth now and say that you put enormous energy into this piece and it really shows. Both the overall impression and the details are impeccable, IMHO. Kudos. -Michael
Guest 28-Feb-2006 15:41
Well, Victor, that was simple enough. It wasn't that I didn't understand it, it was that I had no mindset to even bother looking at it at this point. I've got to destress my personal life, then I'll come back here to take a look and see what it's all about and experiment on my own. Thanks! :) ~ Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge27-Feb-2006 22:23
Lonnit, EV 9.9 just means that the light present when you took this picture is 5.9 stops too bright to qualify for the low light portion of this challenge. It's 5.9 stops too bright because my limit was EV 4, and 9.9-4 is 5.9. If you understand f/stops, there's really no reason you can't understand exposure value. -- Victor
alexeig27-Feb-2006 18:43
Sad boy. Great capture.
Guest 26-Feb-2006 05:58
Thanks Cindy. As for the arm, never noticed that until you just ruined it for me! LMAO!! ;)

Victor, I've no idea what that means - the whole reason I couldn't even get involved with it from the get-go. ;) LOL! ~ Lonnit
Victor Engel26-Feb-2006 04:52
EV is 9.9
Canon DSLR Challenge25-Feb-2006 22:15
Haha Lonnit at your response - then I just saw Olaf's comment on your toilet - you can't escape the TECHIES!!!!!!

Funny - I understand the Low Light better than the Low Key . . . I guess for instance, it isn't necessary to actually shoot the image as exposed for the low key desired exposure, just make sure it is there when the post processing is completed? Verses the low light we must shoot in the low light to begin with.

This is one fantastic portrait by the way. I find the perspective distortion a little disturbing - how the arm goes small like it is deformed or something - but otherwise I love the composition, the lighting, the eyes, the expression. Well done! Cindy
Canon DSLR Challenge25-Feb-2006 20:02
Thanks for commenting Olaf. He is my nephew. He and his parents came to visit us from out of state. We hadn't seen him since he was an infant. He was shy about being with us, hence the intrepidation about touching the guitar. Also why I thought the low key treatment would fit the image.

Victor, You're partially right. LOL! I read the rules and basically said forget this challenge. I can't be bothered with carrying around a chart or fiddling around with exposure to see if it's legal for the challenge. Way too anal for me! LOL! I'll stick to the simple, low key side of things for this one. Dealing with the tech side of low light will just take all the fun out of shooting. So, if any of my entries happen to fall within regulations of low light, it's all a fluke, b/c I'll only be intentionally aiming for low key. :)

You're right about the lip too.

I LOVE the lens. You can't tell here, of course, but that lens has the most vivid color of any of my lenses, including the 24-70L. The lens is simply phenomonal! You can't go wrong with it. I just sold my 28-135. I'll be shooting with my new 5D for this challenge. I used it last night for a portrait session - I'm already in love with it! Oh, one downer though... I LOVED the slick sound of the 10D's shutter. I'd press it just to enjoy the sound. LOL! The 5D sounds hollow, no slick metal sound. I'll learn to cope with it somehow! LOL! ~ Lonnit
Guest 25-Feb-2006 10:26
He looks to be a little afraid that he's going to be told that he must not touch that thing (but he wants to). The wide angle view helps make this an engaging composition.
Victor Engel25-Feb-2006 05:30
Lonnit, For some reason I had the idea you weren't going to care much for this challenge, so I'm somewhat surprised you have something already. This is very nice. I'd suggest doing something about the specular reflection on the model's lower lip. How do you like the lens? I'm on the lookout for a wide angle lens for my 10D. My widest is still the 28-135 IS that I don't seem to use much anymore. -- Victor