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The New and Improved Fun with Nikon Images!

rayyan

Well-known member
Not so far, north of Rayyan's Alsace.

A view of one the (in)famous WWI battlefields. Several major battles happened there, in particular a large part of the dreadful 1917's Nivelle Offensive. Huge artillery on both sides, no trenches (more "caves"). Almost half a million lives gone in 10 days.

Today's landscape is serene, with little scars of those days sheer destruction.
But there's still something special on the air, like a suspended, idle mix of sadness and beauty.

I waited for the light...






D3X // 20-35 @ 25mm f8
(sorry for the large width - it's already heavily downsized)
Corlan, as others have already mentioned..a somber, haunting and thoughtful
capture. beautifully done. The BW treatment is in synch with the history of the place. Excellent.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 

rayyan

Well-known member
Back to my hike. However much I might have wanted to hurry along ( Matt indeed I am not young in the body!! ), my knees and aching body were beginning to falter.

Light..Suddenly I saw glimpses of clear sunlight! There was a bridge. I was not lost after all. I tried to quickly reach the bridge..


I felt warmer, physically and mentally. As good a place as any to sit down for a while, have a cookie and let the mind and soul wander aimlessly. Sat by the crystal clear waters of a fast flowing stream by the bridge..

 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
Here's the color versions of the three earlier posted B&W's. Cheers, Matt.

http://mdriscoll.zenfolio.com
Matt, i'm with Rayyan here with a slight preference for the monochromes. Notwithstanding, the color versions testifies to how fulsome the skies and light were. It must have been wuite a sight.



Back to my hike. However much I might have wanted to hurry along ( Matt indeed I am not young in the body!! ), my knees and aching body were beginning to falter.

Light..Suddenly I saw glimpses of clear sunlight! There was a bridge. I was not lost after all. I tried to quickly reach the bridge..

I felt warmer, physically and mentally. As good a place as any to sit down for a while, have a cookie and let the mind and soul wander aimlessly. Sat by the crystal clear waters of a fast flowing stream by the bridge..
OK, i want a cookie now.
Same scenery, please. :thumbup:


(agreed, Rayyan... "spirit" is of the "essence"... :D)


.
 

shtarka1

Active member
Matt, The Color Pops But You Know Where My Heart Rests! Still Wonderful To Look At & Dream About!:)

Rayyan...Make That A "Triple " On The Cookie & The 3 Of Us Can Reminisce About Days Gone By When Our Muscles & Joints Didn't Pain Us So Much!:D
Enjoyable Series!:)
 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
Sobering. Beautiful image. I really like the treatment.
Well Said & Agree!

Corlan, as others have already mentioned..a somber, haunting and thoughtful
capture. beautifully done. The BW treatment is in synch with the history of the place. Excellent.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Thanks Lloyd, Steve, Rayyan. Sobering indeed.
I guess that's the word which defines best what you feel there in regard to the petty materialism in our modern (western) lives.

Haunting place, for sure.



Corlan: +1, +1. Very well done! PP sympathetic to the landscape and the history. I think at places like that you can feel "something special on the air, like a suspended, idle mix of sadness and beauty". Very evocative. :thumbs:

Cheers, Matt

http://mdriscoll.zenfolio.com
Thanks Matt.
And sorry for the slightly pedantic presentation. Though this time it's not exactly "funny".



Corlan, I could cry, just by looking at the photo after reading your caption. This is photography at its best. Thank you, my friend.
Osman, your words are humbling.
After all with our cameras we're mere vehicles of larger places, stories and people.



Beautiful landscape photo. I do think I would have preferred the sky a bit darker and with a bit more definition though. Not a major thing, but still.

Jorgen, thanks. Also for taking the time to raise this quite interesting and valid point.

It's indeed the very decision i had to make when processing this image -without being sure. I eventually opted for a tad blurred, understated sky just because i wanted place as much emphasis and focus on the grounds, where the memory of these historic events lays.

But you have such an exercised eye that you guessed right and saw right through the manipulation: the sky was indeed much more dramatic -to the extent of being possibly overwhelming with regard to the previous comment.

That said, i'll let you judge... further opinions are much appreciated.

Here's in order (clickable thumnails)

1/ the original crop, color version -not much of work and no color correction.
(note: for some reason i originally processed this batch in C1 and as mentionned before its basic profiles colors are a bit funky on the D3X files - i slightly corrected them in PS, but a re work from the RAW file in NX2 would be beneficial)

2/ original crop with the same BW treatment, before tuning the sky down (blur+ligthen+a marginal touch of blue cast)

3/ same as #2, but with the final crop presentation as posted above.



Thanks all for your thoughts, if any :)
 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
Is that the 20-35 AF? Does it still perform well with all your megapixels? I've been considering that lens more times than I can count, but since I still don't own an FX camera, it's on hold until.... until I give in :D
Yes, the 20-35 AF.
Not the "ultra sharpest" of the bunch, but very good. It handles quite well all around, and AF is super fast.

I needed a reasonnably fast wide prime to complete the kit... i shot before with ZF 21 35, considered to get the 28... Nikkors such as the 20 and 24 were also a possibility (a good copy of the 20 is hard-to-find, and often expansive).

Since i'm not much of a WA shooter (10% of my shots maybe?) and not much more at 35mm (don't ask me why, but it's a FL which my brain does'nt seem to compute when taking a photo), i finally made an exception to the "primes only" philosophy when i found this one with an affordable price tag. Briefly tried the 16-35 -did that with the 17-35 in the past, but felt right at home with the ol' 20-35mm. Barrel distortion is acceptable (not really worse than the ZF 21 @ 20mmm on this criteria). Colors and contrast are OK.

It's flexible and covers my needs in this focal range. Being a hardcore 50/105 (+200mm when i have one) shooter, i'm a happy camper.

Overall, for me and for now, it's a no brainer.

Using it on a DX body should be even better, for all the reasons you're well aware of. Vignetting, corners softness and color casting... not that they're an issue on the D3X**, but they'll be even less on a cropped sensor.


**note: uncropped images above give a fair idea in that regard. BTW after checking the version i kept was 26mm @f4. f8 would have been sharper.
 

shtarka1

Active member
Corlan, Im going with your original for reasons stated by you above. Still taken aback by this respectful,hauntingly beautiful image!
 

Lloyd

Active member
Corlan, Im going with your original for reasons stated by you above. Still taken aback by this respectful,hauntingly beautiful image!
I agree with Steve here. Given the history of the place (which, of course, we wouldn't have realized without your explanation), you choice is the correct one. I am a fan of dramatic skies, but the sky would have become the subject had you left it as in the original.
 

Lloyd

Active member
Matt: By themselves these color versions are very dramatic. But once having seen them in your super BW treatment, I have to go for the BW. The impart
drama and foretell of impending storms!!
I'm also with Rayyan here. I do like the mottled light on the yellow field grass, but overall I think I prefer the B/W versions.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Thanks Lloyd, Steve, Rayyan. Sobering indeed.
I guess that's the word which defines best what you feel there in regard to the petty materialism in our modern (western) lives.

Haunting place, for sure.





Thanks Matt.
And sorry for the slightly pedantic presentation. Though this time it's not exactly "funny".





Osman, your words are humbling.
After all with our cameras we're mere vehicles of larger places, stories and people.






Jorgen, thanks. Also for taking the time to raise this quite interesting and valid point.

It's indeed the very decision i had to make when processing this image -without being sure. I eventually opted for a tad blurred, understated sky just because i wanted place as much emphasis and focus on the grounds, where the memory of these historic events lays.

But you have such an exercised eye that you guessed right and saw right through the manipulation: the sky was indeed much more dramatic -to the extent of being possibly overwhelming with regard to the previous comment.

That said, i'll let you judge... further opinions are much appreciated.

Here's in order (clickable thumnails)

1/ the original crop, color version -not much of work and no color correction.
(note: for some reason i originally processed this batch in C1 and as mentionned before its basic profiles colors are a bit funky on the D3X files - i slightly corrected them in PS, but a re work from the RAW file in NX2 would be beneficial)

2/ original crop with the same BW treatment, before tuning the sky down (blur+ligthen+a marginal touch of blue cast)

3/ same as #2, but with the final crop presentation as posted above.



Thanks all for your thoughts, if any :)
Interesting alternatives. The uncropped versions are indeed totally different images. But I really like the alternative cropped one. A matter of personal taste obviously. It must be said also that it's monsoon season here, and I'm going upcountry to chase dramatic skies in the mountains in a few days. So maybe I'm looking for something in your photo that is more at home in my local environment.
 

rayyan

Well-known member
OK, i want a cookie now.
Same scenery, please. :thumbup:

(agreed, Rayyan... "spirit" is of the "essence"... :D)


.
Rayyan...Make That A "Triple " On The Cookie & The 3 Of Us Can Reminisce About Days Gone By When Our Muscles & Joints Didn't Pain Us So Much!:D
Enjoyable Series!:)
Corlan, Steve: I bring the cookies. Corlan provides the scenary. Steve brings the cam.
 

rayyan

Well-known member
A small incident...

I had written to a friend that after my fall while hiking, the persistent pain did not put me in the mood to get it together with my photography. I generally like one on one photos.

Anyway while walking along in Strasbourg, I ended up at the Cathedral; which is almost in the center. I had taken many photos around here the past days and was just walking past when something caught my eye..


So where was the action. Went over to the van to ask. No English spoken.
Moved over to the front of the Cathedral, and sure enough, a large crowd.



A Music Festival to be telecast live. But rain was predicted. I looked around. Something was missing!! Where was the camera crew? Found one...walked over...Yes sir; the Cathedral bells rang loud. Instinct took over. Approached the
camera person. Hi..No English. I want to take your photo. Sign language. The on-lookers stared at me. I stared at her. Away from the camera please, I said as I motioned her so that I could get a full shot.

She obliged..


Took a few more from different angles. The crowd looked. She looked. I looked. We all looked at eachother. I took a few shots of the crowd too!

Thanked her and limped towards the tram station. The instincts were still there. They would serve me well later on during the trip.
 

m_driscoll

New member
Matt: By themselves these color versions are very dramatic. But once having seen them in your super BW treatment, I have to go for the BW. The impart
drama and foretell of impending storms!!
Matt, The Color Pops But You Know Where My Heart Rests! Still Wonderful To Look At & Dream About!:)...
I'm also with Rayyan here. I do like the mottled light on the yellow field grass, but overall I think I prefer the B/W versions.
Matt, i'm with Rayyan here with a slight preference for the monochromes. Notwithstanding, the color versions testifies to how fulsome the skies and light were. It must have been quite a sight.
(agreed, Rayyan... "spirit" is of the "essence"... :D) .
Rayyan/Steve/Lloyd/Corlan: Pretty overwhelming! I agree, but, the strength of the B&W images result from the over-saturation of the color images as converted in Silver Efex Pro.

T
Thanks Matt.
And sorry for the slightly pedantic presentation. Though this time it's not exactly "funny"....

It's indeed the very decision i had to make when processing this image -without being sure. I eventually opted for a tad blurred, understated sky just because i wanted place as much emphasis and focus on the grounds, where the memory of these historic events lays.

But you have such an exercised eye that you guessed right and saw right through the manipulation: the sky was indeed much more dramatic -to the extent of being possibly overwhelming with regard to the previous comment.

That said, i'll let you judge... further opinions are much appreciated.

Here's in order (clickable thumnails)

1/ the original crop, color version -not much of work and no color correction.
(note: for some reason i originally processed this batch in C1 and as mentionned before its basic profiles colors are a bit funky on the D3X files - i slightly corrected them in PS, but a re work from the RAW file in NX2 would be beneficial)

2/ original crop with the same BW treatment, before tuning the sky down (blur+ligthen+a marginal touch of blue cast)

3/ same as #2, but with the final crop presentation as posted above.

Thanks all for your thoughts, if any :)
Corlan: Without the eloquent, and moving, narrative (not pedantic) giving the history of the place, I'd go with #3. With it, I'm going with your original.

Back to my hike. However much I might have wanted to hurry along ( Matt indeed I am not young in the body!! ), my knees and aching body were beginning to falter.

Light..Suddenly I saw glimpses of clear sunlight! There was a bridge. I was not lost after all. I tried to quickly reach the bridge..

I felt warmer, physically and mentally. As good a place as any to sit down for a while, have a cookie and let the mind and soul wander aimlessly. Sat by the crystal clear waters of a fast flowing stream by the bridge..

Rayyan: May not be young in the body, but you're certainly young at heart. Inspiring. Beautiful photo of the stream. :thumbup:

Cheers, Matt

http://mdriscoll.zenfolio.com
 

m_driscoll

New member
Beautiful colors. Well seen and captured, my friend.
Rayyan: +1, :thumbup: (wouldn't be my choice of colors, though!)

A small incident...

I had written to a friend that after my fall while hiking, the persistent pain did not put me in the mood to get it together with my photography. I generally like one on one photos.

Anyway while walking along in Strasbourg, I ended up at the Cathedral; which is almost in the center. I had taken many photos around here the past days and was just walking past when something caught my eye..

So where was the action. Went over to the van to ask. No English spoken.
Moved over to the front of the Cathedral, and sure enough, a large crowd.

A Music Festival to be telecast live. But rain was predicted. I looked around. Something was missing!! Where was the camera crew? Found one...walked over...Yes sir; the Cathedral bells rang loud. Instinct took over. Approached the
camera person. Hi..No English. I want to take your photo. Sign language. The on-lookers stared at me. I stared at her. Away from the camera please, I said as I motioned her so that I could get a full shot.

She obliged..


Took a few more from different angles. The crowd looked. She looked. I looked. We all looked at each other. I took a few shots of the crowd too!

Thanked her and limped towards the tram station. The instincts were still there. They would serve me well later on during the trip.
Rayyan: Great image! Great look! Great story! :thumbs:

Cheers, Matt

http://mdriscoll.zenfolio.com
 

Lloyd

Active member
A small incident...

I had written to a friend that after my fall while hiking, the persistent pain did not put me in the mood to get it together with my photography. I generally like one on one photos.

Anyway while walking along in Strasbourg, I ended up at the Cathedral; which is almost in the center. I had taken many photos around here the past days and was just walking past when something caught my eye..

So where was the action. Went over to the van to ask. No English spoken.
Moved over to the front of the Cathedral, and sure enough, a large crowd.

A Music Festival to be telecast live. But rain was predicted. I looked around. Something was missing!! Where was the camera crew? Found one...walked over...Yes sir; the Cathedral bells rang loud. Instinct took over. Approached the
camera person. Hi..No English. I want to take your photo. Sign language. The on-lookers stared at me. I stared at her. Away from the camera please, I said as I motioned her so that I could get a full shot.

She obliged..

Took a few more from different angles. The crowd looked. She looked. I looked. We all looked at eachother. I took a few shots of the crowd too!

Thanked her and limped towards the tram station. The instincts were still there. They would serve me well later on during the trip.
Great story (looking forward to the "later on during the trip"), and the images are nice. I really like the camera person, but the contrast and clarity of the top image, especially the facade of the cathedral is really amazing.
 
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