yesterday in the wood

mel · 05-16-2008, 06:27 AM

I went hiking (really slogging through the muddy washed out trails) near a place called Beverly Mill. It's an old ruined mill that was built around 1749 and is now undergoing restoration. I've been there twice and still haven't gotten a shot I like of the mill itself but here's some others from the day, including two really really bad deer shots.

While I was walking I saw the deer up the hill from where I was. I had on just a 28-80 so quietly as I could (deer don't much like the sound of zippers and velcro) got out the 70-300, attached, and attempted to shoot. The lighting was dappled so the exposures are really bad, the focus is really bad and the last one is sooooo bad it's almost funny. Please don't bother commenting on that one. It's here for humor only. Although the deer around here decimate my garden on a daily basis, it was kind of neat seeing them where they really live. They stayed where they were for several minutes while we watched each other, then took off down the hill toward me and crossed the trail I was on (last image).

I'm trying to decide if I like this first one or not. Obviously there's some post processing in this one. I wish I had the focus point on the closer railroad ties instead of a little further back. I had propped the camera on my foot and shot from there to keep from having to lay down on the tracks. There's no warning system there if a train is coming. I wasn't in the mood to be run over.

An old ramshackle house or something

The best of the blurry deer

and now here is the really really bad and blurry deer running across the trail shot. You can kind of see something that is vaguely deer-shaped.

I'd like opinions on the first one. I know the second is nothing special. The third and fouth ones are there for everyone else to feel good about themselves.

JCSullivan · 05-16-2008, 06:41 AM

Let me start with the last one, first. I like it. There's something about it. It really depicts speed. I don't know whether I like it enough to frame but I LIKE it.

As for the first, I agree with your comment on the focus-point but it really is a good shot, composition wise. Not sure about the conversion though.

That's my 2-cents worth of opinion.

*G M Fude* · 05-16-2008, 06:50 AM

Agreed the third shot is a "Bugger, these things are hard to capture as a photo", but I rather like the last one. Just the right amount of motion blur and panning blur; if only the head had been more visible it could've been a winner.

I think the zone of focus in the first one is okay, that's where my eye naturally went anyway. Very nice photograph. And I understand your trepidation about the potential of a train appearing rapidly. Probably wouldn't have happened; but scientific studies have shown that trains are not afraid of humans, so it's wise to be cautious.

mel · 05-16-2008, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by JCSullivan

Let me start with the last one, first. I like it. There's something about it. It really depicts speed. I don't know whether I like it enough to frame but I LIKE it.

As for the first, I agree with your comment on the focus-point but it really is a good shot, composition wise. Not sure about the conversion though.

That's my 2-cents worth of opinion.

Yeah I'm not sure on the conversion either which is why I'm asking. Color, however, did absolutely nothing for it. Plain BW was rather blase as well which is why I went with the duotone.

I think I like the idea of the shot mostly, up close on the tracks curving and receding into the distance. I'm just not sure how to execute it properly to get the feeling I'm looking for.

Thanks for the comment and any suggestions would be most welcome.

mel · 05-16-2008, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by G M Fude

Agreed the third shot is a "Bugger, these things are hard to capture as a photo", but I rather like the last one. Just the right amount of motion blur and panning blur; if only the head had been more visible it could've been a winner.

I think the zone of focus in the first one is okay, that's where my eye naturally went anyway. Very nice photograph. And I understand your trepidation about the potential of a train appearing rapidly. Probably wouldn't have happened; but scientific studies have shown that trains are not afraid of humans, so it's wise to be cautious.

Lol. A train did come along about 15 minutes later when I was further up the trail. I hope no one else was lying on the tracks trying to photograph them.

Thanks for the comments.

*daacon* · 05-16-2008, 07:40 AM

Mel I love the track shot - very nice indeed. I think a lot of us can relate to the deer shots - you actually got one! My last atempt was in the car - a beuatiful buck was crossing the dirt road. I had my camera in the front seat with the Bigma on what are the odds ! Time I rolled down the widow , stuck out the lens , at 100% crop you can make out a bit of something that resembles a tail

timbo13 · 05-16-2008, 08:30 AM

Mel, I like your second deer shot, it gives an impression of a wild animal streaking by.

I like the train track shot, I think the focus is fine, and I like the composition as well. Not sure I care for the PP treatment. I'm fascinated with scenes that have a track, or path, or road that leads off to the unknown and I try to photograph them, I would be pleased to get one like this!

Tim

mel · 05-16-2008, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by daacon

Mel I love the track shot - very nice indeed. I think a lot of us can relate to the deer shots - you actually got one! My last atempt was in the car - a beuatiful buck was crossing the dirt road. I had my camera in the front seat with the Bigma on what are the odds ! Time I rolled down the widow , stuck out the lens , at 100% crop you can make out a bit of something that resembles a tail

Thanks on both counts. Your story of your deer shot made my day.

Originally Posted by timbo13

Mel, I like your second deer shot, it gives an impression of a wild animal streaking by.

I like the train track shot, I think the focus is fine, and I like the composition as well. Not sure I care for the PP treatment. I'm fascinated with scenes that have a track, or path, or road that leads off to the unknown and I try to photograph them, I would be pleased to get one like this!

Tim

Thanks on the focus and composition. What would you suggest on pp? Like I stated, color did nothing for it, in fact I thought all the garish greens distracted from the main focal point of the image (the curving tracks). And the bit to the left was just a blah brown.

Do you think straight BW would be better? Maybe mute the original colors? I'd love to hear some suggestions. Maybe I should post the colored version and let everyone else play with it. Later though when I'm not at work.

JCSullivan · 05-16-2008, 11:38 AM

Ah1 I can suggest a crop of the tracks, maybe, just maybe, you will get the 'feeling' you're looking for.

*Stratman* · 05-16-2008, 12:31 PM

I love the old building. The way the sunlight and shadows are interlaced. That's damn hard to expose well, and you nailed it !!

timbo13 · 05-16-2008, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by mel

What would you suggest on pp? Like I stated, color did nothing for it, in fact I thought all the garish greens distracted from the main focal point of the image (the curving tracks). And the bit to the left was just a blah brown.

Do you think straight BW would be better? Maybe mute the original colors? I'd love to hear some suggestions. Maybe I should post the colored version and let everyone else play with it. Later though when I'm not at work.

I was thinking of a BW with maybe more contrast, of course without knowing what the original colors were

If you don't mind, I'd be glad to botch up your original image trying things out

Tim

*Damn Brit* · 05-16-2008, 12:47 PM

Hi Mel, I agree with JC on that last shot (it seems I usually do lately, weird.

Where I live the deer are so used to people you more or less have to kick them in the ass to get them to move (see below, this girl was just the other side of my back fence).
I really like the first shot and I think the focusing is fine, gives it a real 1800's feel, I would maybe try it in sepia to go with that).
Gary

*Venturi* · 05-16-2008, 02:58 PM

Hi Mel,

I like the first one, the tracks, and if I were to change anything with it I would take it lower to the tracks so that I got more of the trees/sky into the shot and flatten out the tracks going around the bend.

I gotta say though - mistake or not - the 4th one, running deer, is the one that absolutely grabbed my attention. The first thing that came into my head was "Cave Drawing"!

mel · 05-16-2008, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by Stratman

I love the old building. The way the sunlight and shadows are interlaced. That's damn hard to expose well, and you nailed it !!

Thanks! I hadn't really considered that. I was just happy it was so much better than the first time I tried to shoot this.

Originally Posted by timbo13

I was thinking of a BW with maybe more contrast, of course without knowing what the original colors were If you don't mind, I'd be glad to botch up your original image trying things out

Tim

Originally Posted by Damn Brit

Hi Mel, I agree with JC on that last shot (it seems I usually do lately, weird. Where I live the deer are so used to people you more or less have to kick them in the ass to get them to move (see below, this girl was just the other side of my back fence).
I really like the first shot and I think the focusing is fine, gives it a real 1800's feel, I would maybe try it in sepia to go with that).
Gary

Thanks both for the comments. I tried something else with it, spending all of about 10 minutes as there are several boys here in this house that think I ought to be providing a dinner-type meal instead of playing around with silly pictures so this is just quick and dirty. I desaturated then played with the brightness and contrast. However, if I went too high on the contrast I started to lose the tracks in the trees. I tried to leave in just enough of the color to give the suggestion of green but still keep an "old faded photograph" type of look to it.

So what do you think of this type of "idea" but maybe of course spending a little more time in it's execution

mel · 05-16-2008, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Venturi

Hi Mel,

I like the first one, the tracks, and if I were to change anything with it I would take it lower to the tracks so that I got more of the trees/sky into the shot and flatten out the tracks going around the bend.

I gotta say though - mistake or not - the 4th one, running deer, is the one that absolutely grabbed my attention. The first thing that came into my head was "Cave Drawing"!

Thanks on both counts. Not sure what you mean by flatten out the tracks. How would I go about doing that?

Funny about the cave drawing comment. A photographer friend of mine, who uses cameras of a brand not to be mentioned here, said the same thing.