Fun with MF images - ARCHIVED - FOR VIEWING ONLY

[stevenfr]

thanks Dave. I was more upset to lose out on the shot I scouted, and it was my last day in the area. I think the shot I got is better and the stings don't really bother me to much. If it was my wife we might of had to find a hospital.

Steven,

Very nice image of the tree! I am somewhat amazed you were able to continue in after two bee stings!!:bugeyes:

 

[Greg Haag]

1969 Camaro with a beast of an engine (511 cubic inch big block)

Leica S007

 

[MGrayson]

I like the surreal, perhaps crop a little of the bottom to a 16:9?

Thanks Ed,

It does look better without the building line in the middle.

Uh, but would you keep more water, or more sky?

Matt

 

[etrump]

Cheap tripod off Amazon that I coukd get delivered overnight! :ROTFL:

Zomei something with a head and arca clamp. Worked great since there was no wind and I used the profoto trigger. I only had to tilt it back a bit to balance the weight of the camera.

Cool!:thumbup:

What tripod is that in the photo?

 

[etrump]

Of course it is to your taste but since you asked I would probably crop out the dark shadow in the water and as little if the silky clouds as possible (maybe 5%-10% off the top). Might multiply the blue channel 20% or try b&w since the blue of the sky and green of the water could go dark. Don’t judge me!!!

Thanks Ed,

It does look better without the building line in the middle.

Uh, but would you keep more water, or more sky?

Matt

 

[MGrayson]

Of course it is to your taste but since you asked I would probably crop out the dark shadow in the water and as little if the silky clouds as possible (maybe 5%-10% off the top). Might multiply the blue channel 20% or try b&w since the blue of the sky and green of the water could go dark. Don’t judge me!!!

Ed,

I’m quite grateful for your opinion. I wish we got more ideas and constructive critique on this site!

Matt

 

[pesto]

Ed,

I’m quite grateful for your opinion. I wish we got more ideas and constructive critique on this site!

Matt

AMEN to that !!!

 

[Shashin]

Ed,

I’m quite grateful for your opinion. I wish we got more ideas and constructive critique on this site!

Matt

Unsolicited comments are always tricky. It is always hard to give advice where it is simply more than if I took that picture... To some degree, the advice needs to match your vision and the way you see in order to give something meaningful for the photographer.

But since you asked... I find the reflections in the water more interesting than the sky. If you go to B&W, you can probably make them more a feature of the composition. I would also use this as a working idea and plan going back. When experimenting with new techniques, it is easier to focus on developing the technical skills and observing the results. Then return with those skill and think more of the aesthetics of the scene and space. When I started using dense ND filters it took me a while to understand their significance. (PS I also think you are getting some IR contamination in that image with the magenta cast in the sky.)

 

[MGrayson]

Unsolicited comments are always tricky. It is always hard to give advice where it is simply more than if I took that picture... To some degree, the advice needs to match your vision and the way you see in order to give something meaningful for the photographer.

But since you asked... I find the reflections in the water more interesting than the sky. If you go to B&W, you can probably make them more a feature of the composition. I would also use this as a working idea and plan going back. When experimenting with new techniques, it is easier to focus on developing the technical skills and observing the results. Then return with those skill and think more of the aesthetics of the scene and space. When I started using dense ND filters it took me a while to understand their significance. (PS I also think you are getting some IR contamination in that image with the magenta cast in the sky.)

This is very far from my usual style so, again, I'm grateful for the advice. Usually, I'd do something like this:


But the color was what drew me to the scene. Color balance is very hard when so much of the scene is a weird color. I agree that the sky doesn't look quite right. Of course, these filters are guaranteed by their manufacturer to be absolutely color neutral, right? RIGHT?

 

[dchew]

Of course, these filters are guaranteed by their manufacturer to be absolutely color neutral, right? RIGHT?

It's funny to me that every ND filter company (and there are a bunch of them) says that, but when you look at reviews, each one has a different color cast.
:facesmack:

If you haven't seen Tim Parkin's filter system review at OnLandscape, it alone is worth the price of admission. Not that his conclusions would be the same as everyone else, but there is a ton of great info in the 5-part review.

https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2019/05/graduated-filter-test-part-five/

Dave

 

[Shashin]

Of course, these filters are guaranteed by their manufacturer to be absolutely color neutral, right? RIGHT?

Yeah, right...

I solved my IR contamination problem by going to a 6-stop filter (Hoya). The 95% of the long-exposure work I have posted in the MF forum was using that. I found it gave me long enough exposures in most conditions plus the advantage of being able to frame and focus through the optical viewfinder. Still pretty darn dark. But this is photography: it is light dependent, not plagued by it...

 

[stngoldberg]

At the risk of appearing stupid, would the use of an LLC reduce or eliminate the color cast issue from an ND filter?
Stanley

 

[Shashin]

At the risk of appearing stupid, would the use of an LLC reduce or eliminate the color cast issue from an ND filter?
Stanley

Interesting idea, Stanley. Unlike lens cast, IR contamination is even across the frame. Using the WB tool in the RAW processor can usually take care of it. But an LLC might also offer a good solution.

 

[Grayhand]

Good to see you back Ray!
(and with a bang as well!)

Thanks Alan!
When I check back in this tread, I can se that you have been rather noisy your self :thumbup:

Ray

 

[Grayhand]

GFX(r), 23

Ray

 

[vieri]

Big Tree - Phase One XF IQ4 150 9 image Stitch


this one has an interesting story. I had pre-scouted a spot in the lavender fields in Provence the day before. We got up at 4:00 AM to get to the spot. I walked out through the lavender and began to set up my tripod. As I setup a bee stung me at the very corner of my eye. This seemed to set off the bees, and they were all coming after me, trying to sting me in my face. I got stung again at the corner of my eye, almost at the same spot as the first sting. There are millions of bees in the fields – when in the lavender fields two things are very apparent the smell of the lavender, and the loud noise/hum from the bees. The fields are almost vibrating from so many bees.

We decided to abandon the spot in the lavender field, and drove off down a dirt road. Coming around a corner the big tree caught my eye just at sunrise.

I am very sorry about the bee sting, lavender is pretty tricky for that Great big tree shot though, I just loved it!

This is very far from my usual style so, again, I'm grateful for the advice. Usually, I'd do something like this:


But the color was what drew me to the scene. Color balance is very hard when so much of the scene is a weird color. I agree that the sky doesn't look quite right. Of course, these filters are guaranteed by their manufacturer to be absolutely color neutral, right? RIGHT?

Color neutrality in filters improved dramatically nowadays, and while nobody is probably 100% neutral we are very lucky as far as choice of very good filters: Formatt-Hitech Firecrest Ultra (disclaimer: am an Ambassador), NiSi, Breakthrough are all pretty good, even if I prefer the Firecrest because their coating is bonded in-between two thin panes of glass rather than applied to the exterior of the filter. A while ago, I did a little controlled test and compared a few brands, you might find this of interest:

https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2016/07/best-filters-landscape-photography-review.html

What I found amazing of that little test is how the Lee Stoppers, which when I "grow up" photographically were the end-all filters, don't just have a little cast, but are in truth painting everything extremely blue Which, in turn will require to push the green / red channels to balance, and we know how the green is much stronger in Bayer than the red, thus potentially (and almost inevitably) creating noise in the red channel.

Hope this helps

Best regards,

Vieri

 

[vieri]

Storm over Playa Ballota, Asturias

Stormy weather at Playa Ballota, in Asturias (Spain), one of my favourite locations along this incredible coast. An older image, 60 seconds of long exposure taken with Leica S (007), Leica Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 and my Formatt-Hitech Firecrest filters.

Thank you for viewing, best regards

Vieri

 

[MGrayson]

Color neutrality in filters improved dramatically nowadays, and while nobody is probably 100% neutral we are very lucky as far as choice of very good filters: Formatt-Hitech Firecrest Ultra (disclaimer: am an Ambassador), NiSi, Breakthrough are all pretty good, even if I prefer the Firecrest because their coating is bonded in-between two thin panes of glass rather than applied to the exterior of the filter. A while ago, I did a little controlled test and compared a few brands, you might find this of interest:

https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2016/07/best-filters-landscape-photography-review.html

What I found amazing of that little test is how the Lee Stoppers, which when I "grow up" photographically where the end-all filters, don't just have a little cast, but are in truth painting everything extremely blue Which, in turn will require to push the green / red channels to balance, and we know how the green is much stronger in Bayer than the red, thus potentially (and almost inevitably) creating noise in the red channel.

Hope this helps

Best regards,

Vieri

Vieri,

I am, as usual, not being entirely serious. I, too, started with the Lee Big Stopper and was shocked by its color cast. Today's filters are a huge improvement, requiring very little correction, and if I did more color photography, I would have managed it better. (Again, laziness contributes. Good light for B&W photography is much easier to find than for color.) Since I had the polarizer set to suppress reflections, I imagine it had an effect on the sky as well.

Best,

Matt

 

[MGrayson]

Interesting idea, Stanley. Unlike lens cast, IR contamination is even across the frame. Using the WB tool in the RAW processor can usually take care of it. But an LLC might also offer a good solution.

Is IR contamination still a problem? Most modern filters have an IR blocking version, but I suppose perfect opacity is impossible? I thought I just had poor color balance, having no neutral tones on which to base it.

Matt

 

[MGrayson]

It's funny to me that every ND filter company (and there are a bunch of them) says that, but when you look at reviews, each one has a different color cast.
:facesmack:

If you haven't seen Tim Parkin's filter system review at OnLandscape, it alone is worth the price of admission. Not that his conclusions would be the same as everyone else, but there is a ton of great info in the 5-part review.

https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2019/05/graduated-filter-test-part-five/

Dave

Thanks for the link. Very interesting site.

The problem with even the most thorough reviews (and his are), is that products change rapidly.He gave the Firecrest filters the lowest water shedding score. I just tested the newer Firecrest Ultra and the water ran off leaving NO drops or residue. This isn't a particular defense of Firecrest, just a warning that reviews measure a moment in time only.

Best,

Matt