A Soft End To the Day by ctfchallenge

ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 179 - Out of Focus >> C179 - Eligible > A Soft End To the Day


19-FEB-2009	Brent

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM
1/80s f/4.0 at 70.0mm iso100 hide exif

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ctfchallenge		22-Feb-2009 20:21
Spore sounds familiar Penny, but I don't get around to playing many games. Well, except for maybe with Rod's head ;-) ~Brent

ctfchallenge		22-Feb-2009 15:35
that was yesterday. Today, I'm going to play Spore (ever heard of it?) and wait for the new challenge topic. Penny Street

ctfchallenge		22-Feb-2009 05:45
thanks Brent. I found the firmware update and downloaded it. Now I just have to get it installed. I also finally downloaded CS4, updated my NVidia driver, and took a few pictures in RAW. I have a lot to learn. Penny Street

ctfchallenge		22-Feb-2009 00:38
Ah, well that would explain it Debi. Laptops aren't the best for viewing picys- some are better that others. No worries as the banding mystery lead me to make other improvements to the image with a re-work :-) ~Brent

Guest		21-Feb-2009 21:12
MY LAPTOP display isnot very good andat someangles the clouds do look like banding -Debi

ctfchallenge		21-Feb-2009 15:47
Thanks Penny :-) Remember we are looking West, so that's an ocean inlet we are looking at here. The latest firmware for your new camera is v1.0.7. It may already be installed. To check push your menu button and use the joystick to toggle to the icon 3 over from the right. See your version at the bottom of that screen. If you don't have it go to the Canon site for your camera and you will find the download and instructions there. Be sure your battery isn't low before starting the procedure- takes just a few miniutes. ~Brent

ctfchallenge		21-Feb-2009 13:21
The halo around the log was what was bothering me... now that it's gone, I really like it a lot. The beautifully soft, contrasting colors.with the lake as the mirror... oh it's pretty! Penny Street PS Am I supposed to be adding a firmware upgrade? How do I know which version I have?

ctfchallenge		21-Feb-2009 03:04
So, I did some forensic investigation and the odd orange fringe thingy over the mountains was definitely an effect created by the sudden light/color transition being out of focus (it wasn't there on my mountain focused images). The bottom line was despite not being a result of any post processing it wasn't pleasing to behold. So I reworked the whole image and put in some time with a smudge tool over the mountains (thanks for that tip Techo!) and think it looks better now. There was also a strange halo around the log that baffled me and didn't happen again with the re-work thankfully. Thanks for all the great feedback everyone- I learned some new stuff :-) ~Brent

Canon DSLR Challenge		21-Feb-2009 02:01
Looks like some uncharacteristic sharpening halos Brent. Unusual from you. I would say reprocess because it's a nicely balanced image. -tv

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 23:00
The softness works well for this photo. The bird is perfect! -dtallakson

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 21:23
You're just sailing through this topic like no other. I like all of the takes you've had on the challenge thus far, each offering a very cool and interesting viewpoint, where the OOF effect actually works for that shot even if it wasn't an OOF challenge. The only slighest suggestion I can give for this one... smooth out the line seperating the sky and the mountain tops. Is that what the others where calling banding? Just take a little blur brush to it. I think it's just the result of some levels or highlight/shadows and sat/hue adjustments. The sky though looks free of any banding of any kind. -Techo

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 18:46
Thanks for the continued comments and especially to Doug who may have explained where the "banding" concerns are derived. That darker orange fringe I guess you would call it that appears above the mountains may purely be a result of being OOF. It is there in all the RAW images I shot prior to any PP and is likely just an effect (pleasing or not) created by being out of focus much the same as bokeh is. That or possible a "mirage effect" as it is mostly around the bright sun. If others are seeing bands higher in the sky I think that is from the thin horizontal clouds that cover most of the image and heavily on the left. I'll admit the possibility of banding did raise my interest as that was a known issue with the camera used before an upgraded firmware was issued for it. I have seen this on three monitors now (four if an iPhone counts) and think I am "banding free" ;-) ~Brent

sue anne		20-Feb-2009 17:09
Banding? (Hmmm that could be another topic) I like the sunset colors and the softness of it.

Charlie Beck		20-Feb-2009 16:55
I particularly like the contrasting colors, and the way my eye is drawn to the setting sun. A very relaxing scene, one that allows a person to just sit and watch as it passes us by. The bird is a key element, but I also like the way the barge and tugboat help break up the sea/shore line in the distance, giving a sense that life goes on as we sit and watch. Kudos.

COAmature		20-Feb-2009 16:47
Like YB said, this picture is great for the topic with it's appropriate use of OOF. But like Debi I see something that might have been a result of PP. I wouldn't call it banding but I see a line of darker orange that looks like it was traced over the mountain tops especially by the sun. The extra whang and vibrance looks good. Overall a very nice one you have here Brent. -Doug

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 16:41
Very nice Brent! The OOF sunset is very vibrant and the bird really draws my eye into the scene. Good one! CJ

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 16:10
Thanks for the comments all :-) I suppose those clouds on the left might appear as banding. Tried several crops and this seemed the best with what I had Rod as I had no image to the left and feel the scene needs a wider frame. Composing this was a bugger with a tripod on a pile of rocks. I did work the pebbles some for highlight detail mate, conservatively maybe. I wish I could say I did some clever exposure to lower the contrast Penny. That effect was purely the natural setting though. The mountains are about 43 miles away seen through humidity over the water in the foreground and yet again more water past the island that appears to be foothills. ~Brent

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 13:53
I see you overexposed more than I have ever tried. Am I right that you use that to get less contrast in the picture? If so, then it worked here. I love the bird flying over the dying sun. Penny Street

Guest		20-Feb-2009 10:36
I think to many of the other entries contain OOF purely because its a Challenge requirement. But in this photo the OOF is an integral part of the image - it adds to the overall picture. YB

Rod		20-Feb-2009 08:46
I wonder if Debi is seeing the streaky clouds as banding, I bet you nearly fell off your chair Brent:-) Really nice picy mate, well done, just two little things that would make this picy even better for me is.....A slight crop on the right so I can't see around the stump (It distracts me from the image) & a burn in of the pebble beach to add some richness to match the view.

ctfchallenge		20-Feb-2009 04:51
Thanks much Debi :-) Where are you seeing the banding? It seems okay on both of my displays. ~Brent

Guest		20-Feb-2009 04:46
There is a lot of banding - ruins this fine image - Debi

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