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12-MAY-2007 Rod

2nd: Pier by Rod

Welly Point Brissie Oz


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Rod 22-May-2007 07:18
Thanks Martin:-) No I'm not a purist at all it's just I like to see picys that look like picys & not Photoshop creations. I think we should take the time & really think about our composition exposures etc through the viewfinder & then just polish the shot in PP. The PP on this was as I do to most of my picys, I used the curves tool, I used to do this in the Brightness & Contrast tool but since I found out that the Brightness & contrast tool was a girly tool I switched to the more manly curves tool:-) I also do some dodging & burning plus an unsharp mask. I do secretly sometimes use the clone tool as I'm becoming a bit lazy with the camera. .............Don't tell anyone:-)
Martin Polanic 22-May-2007 06:26
This is a beautiful catch, Rod! The neat thing about it is it breaks a few "rules" but winds up looking quite right! Was there a lot of post-processing applied to this one (I thought you were a purist!)? ;)
Rod 20-May-2007 19:37
Thanks Phil:-) Yes Lee I was very brave:-)
ctfchallenge20-May-2007 18:21
nice, remind me a movie with sidney potier!!! :)
I only regret the subject is too central..,
goos shot anyway!
voted
philippe
ctfchallenge20-May-2007 11:57
Yes, in the dark also. I bet that was scary. 8-)
theFly
Rod 20-May-2007 03:09
Thanks mate:-) There seems to be much more shots outside of my backyard, it's just the getting there is the problem, I had to travel 5 miles to get this:-)
ctfchallenge20-May-2007 02:17
wow rod. you are getting not bad. 8-)
theFly
Rod 19-May-2007 20:48
Thanks RK:-)
ctfchallenge19-May-2007 00:43
Awesome...beginning to like these centered composition. Love the mood here. - RK
Rod 18-May-2007 19:05
Thanks Mary Anne:-) Yes the hand rails are stainless steel, I was a bit worried they would be too dominant in the shot but they seem fine.
ctfchallenge18-May-2007 18:38
Well, I'll read through all the comments here if I ever get enough time, but I have to say that I think this is a great shot. What really makes it for me is the use of reflection, not only on the walkway, but also on the metal (?) horizontal railings. I get the sense of light somehow breaking through those ominous clouds. Very dramatic.
--Mary Anne
Rod 17-May-2007 10:39
Thanks Rich:-) Me & Lonnit love a bit of argy bargy & we learn some things too. Have you seen Carole giving me a right pasting on the DP thread, she makes some very good points. ...............not as good as mine though, she's only a girl:-)
ctfchallenge17-May-2007 00:53
Very interesting dialogue people, thanks for taking the time. I didn't see the original Rod but this one is super. Rich
ctfchallenge16-May-2007 18:05
LOL! Yes, these discussions are what I always crave here, but they are way to few and far between. I learn as much, if not more, from critiquing as from being critiqued. Naughty, naughty coming to rely on PS. It's one thing to plan a certain look you might want to effect in PS, but to plan on correcting? That's a bad, bad habit. I'm all for getting it right in-camera, as much as possible. So, why not go back to shooting with meaning? It's good in the beginning to worry about nothing but what you feel you want to capture. That gets the heart going. Then, bit by bit, you learn the rules and apply them, all while keeping the heart in the image. Again, I'll take a technically flawed image with a powerful feel over a perfectly cold one, any day. Glad you liked my gut. :) Thank you. ~ Lonnit
Rod 16-May-2007 10:34
Hang on Carole & Lonnit, all the faults in this shot are for the purpose off adding tension........Only other artiiiiiiists will understand:-)
Rod 16-May-2007 08:20
Bleeding L Lonnit what's the the point in discussing this with you if you post points of views where I agree with every word:-) I learn a lot when we talk like this, there should be lots more of it. I'm a bit of a digital shooter (whatever that means) & most of my comments are from 35 years ago when I would take an hour or so maybe waiting for the right light etc to get one shot but now I just shoot knowing I can put the shot through PS. The shots I get now have a lot less meaning for me than the ones I put a lot of effort into getting resulting in a good shot.I mainly mouth off hoping some posters get into the joy of creating with the camera & their eyes..................& heart...........& lastly the brain:-)
I really like your comment about the gut feeling when looking through the viewfinder, it sums it up nicely.
ctfchallenge16-May-2007 00:49
Actually, Rod, I look at an image and react to it naturally, then analyze what I feel are faults. To go back to this image, as an example, my immediate reaction was one of joy at the beauty of the image. I then, of course, had to know who shot such a lovely picture. I saw your name and I was impressed that you've ratcheted up your game. Good for you - I see much improvement on your part. Kudos. :) I next admired the wonderful exposure - you really nailed that nicely. After drinking all that in, I was distracted by the slight off-centeredness of the image. Shaving off that excess on the right was the compulsion that tugged at me. I then sized up the situation as to what would be necessary to correct it. So, my analysis always comes after my initial reaction. I determine like/dislike, and then I go on autopilot determining flaws without conscious thought, followed by the intellectual eval. If something doesn't hit me as off, I don't go measuring, looking for thirds, etc. ;) So, that's my process, which all happens quite quickly. When I'm shooting, I put the camera to my eye based on gut, then make a quick compositional adjustment to what feels right. At that point I'll glance at the areas that look to be the thirds lines (I have no viewing grid), and I'll smile because I've instinctively gotten them smack on. I used to have to be very conscious of this, but now it comes effortlessly. When I check the images on a grid in processing, I'm very proud of myself for nailing it so well virtually every time now. So, yes, what you're saying is right about doing without thought, but that comes only after you truly own the rules. One must develop those skills to the point where they come naturally, then they can be more relaxed because things happen as they should without much conscious thought. ~ Lonnit
Rod 15-May-2007 20:05
I'm not so sure that once we have developed an eye that we should even be conscious of the rules when taking picys Lonnit. Yes if a shot doesn't look quite right then it's not working, but if it has an impact on you should you be worried about what rules were broken & by how much.
PS. I'm not talking about my picy above but good photography in general:-) The examples I posted in the main thread I don't think have smashed the rules but they all seem a bit off. I think once you forget about the rules it frees us up to create ahrt as rules will inhibit artistic freedom. Mind you my style of postcard photography should stick closer to the rules to work but I think we're too hung up on the rules.
ctfchallenge15-May-2007 16:28
No, Rod. If you're going to break a rule, you must do it for a good reason, and you must shatter it. Bending the rule only looks like careless error. Here, your error was lack of tripod. ;) One mustn't ever simply ignore the rule or else one's images will show ignorance. Break them, yes. Ignore them, no.

Yes, Tommy, the furthest one is dead center, however, it should be the walkway that is centered, not the pole. It is the walkway that is our main subject - there's nothing special about that pole. :) ~ Lonnit
Rod 15-May-2007 10:30
Thanks Carole:-) Yes the non centred thingy is a good point but after being influenced since being here to straighten, align, the rule of thirds etc I've come to the conclusion that it makes our shots too perfect looking & therefore boring. As I look back on lots of the great photographers they seem to not bother at all about these things & just rely on the inpact of the subject matter. So I'm gradually trying to get back to leaving the picys as shot & just polish them in PS. Converging verticals here I come:-) The old rule of thumb back in the early 1970s was to learn the rules whilst learning photography & then forget about them, that's when the good shots start coming.
ctfchallenge14-May-2007 20:18
Wonderful image Rod, one of my favorites here - great light, clouds, reflection and subject! The bottom of the image which is not centered doesn't look quite right to me so a little crop on the left would look better in my eyes. The light post and the end of the pier are so far away that their not being centered doesn't bother me. Good one Rod! CJ
Rod 14-May-2007 20:08
Thanks Lonnit & Tommy:-) All good points but the pole I used for a tripod was cemented into the ground. I know I know I'm a lazy sod & didn't take a tripod:-) How about a skinny crop on this one:-)
Tommy 14-May-2007 19:42
Sensitive observation, Lonnit. I had to take another look and some measurements to confirm my impression that the furthest lightpole is dead center as is the horizon line itself. I think they serve as an anchor against too much instability that Rod's sly eye wants to inject into the mix. -tv
ctfchallenge14-May-2007 18:12
Truly an outstanding and beautiful exposure. I'm having problems with the composition, though. It's not quite centered, so it looks off, but I wouldn't necessarily want it centered, preferring the verticals on the left line of thirds. If you were going to break the rule, you should have gone all the way to center. Going mostly there only looks like careless error. You could shave that extra off the right to fix the centering (I'd center the end of the pier, not the lamp posts). It does have a magnificent feel though. Phenom job on the exposure, sincerely. ~ Lonnit
ctfchallenge14-May-2007 16:57
I'm asleep again. The drab title slipped by me. How about "Stormy Infinity and Beyond" to give it justice. I was rash to say "Arrow" is the best of the three.. I dunno. It's a photo finish. I won't bore you with the details. -tv
Rod 14-May-2007 07:28
Thanks Brent:-) No I took this at the same time, I took 4 in landscape & two in portrait I used a square pole that was there to sit the camera on & held the camera to the side of the pole for the portrait shots. The landscape shots had the best sky but the portrait ones I think the pier looked a bit better. But those bright bits of sky did spoil them. Thanks mate:-)
Brent 13-May-2007 23:45
So you went back and did a reshoot Rod? Will this one looks much better to me. The sky looks very dramatic and has no areas that are too bright now. It looks much straighter to me and I like the landscape view. Great work mate :-)
Rod 13-May-2007 01:16
Thanks mate:-)
alexeig12-May-2007 23:16
Nice reflections on the wood.
Rod 12-May-2007 23:13
Thanks Sharon:-) I tried toning that down a bit, I have some other shots of this where I didn't get that part of the sky in but they were done in landscape. I will have a look at one of them.
elips12-May-2007 16:14
Looks straight to me now, Rod. But I think I would crop out the bright sky at the top, maybe. :-) ~Sharon
Rod 12-May-2007 07:55
Gawd all that sounds really serious:-) As usual I didn't have my tripod with me so I just sat the camera on a post for the 1/3sec exposure. At the risk of becoming unpure I will give the tweaks a go Thanks Brent:-)
Brent 12-May-2007 06:09
If it were my fine image I would distort the geometry to make the right side about 14% fatter first because I think you weren't quite in the middle of the pier (must be the cold medicine) and then give it another swift kick rotating to the right about .4, followed by a slight crop on the right to square up the rail posts. Not a good guess; I tried it and it looked pretty good- I think :-)
Rod 12-May-2007 03:49
I've given it a .45 rotate to the right, isit enough? Ta
Rod 12-May-2007 03:48
Thanks Doug:-)
ctfchallenge12-May-2007 03:12
The light trail on the pier makes this shot. -COAmature
Rod 12-May-2007 02:46
Gawd wonky isit, I will give it a tilt to the right & see wot happens, thanks mate:-)
Brent 12-May-2007 00:41
Rod you need to lay off the cold syrup- this as all wonky to the left, or is that meant to add tension? The dramatic weather looks nice, as does the color of the light reflecting off the wood. I like the composition a lot- well done once it is straightened mate :-)