Usually I just post my shots on Flickr but I thought I'd try putting a few up here for a change and see what happens.

Today was sunny and 82 degrees so I thought I'd run an errand by way of the local Civil War Battlefield (a tad out of the way but who's counting). Lots of memorials, open fields and cannons. It was nice to just go out and shoot just for the sake of shooting and not for a purpose.

So if you're a history buff and dig civil war stuff but have never been here, here's some shots of where the Battles of Manassas (or Bull Run depending on which side you were) were fought.

[Derridale]

Just as a suggestion, instead of using the Pentax RAW converter, what about downloading Picasa (free, from picasa.google.com) and using that? It actually will read and display your RAW images very nicely, and you can try those corrections I mentioned above. If you like the result, you can Export the file as a JPG and rename it as you go, so that it's saved as a copy and doesn't overwrite the original RAW file.

Works quite well, and is free. Also, it doesn't need a particularly powerful computer, and is fairly light on CPU resources. Just be aware when installing it that it may ask you if you want to install Google Desktop and Google Toolbar, with these ticked "Yes" by default. If you don't want these, just uncheck them.

I still think it is the best general cataloging software out there, apart maybe from Photo Mechanic - which is not free.... The Picasa Sharpening tool is also quite good - as long as you don't overdo it. One click is usually enough. This can be found on the third tab on the left side of the screen, called Effects" when you view a single image (double-click on an image in the catalog view to view that image as a single large image). Double-click back on the single image to get back to the catalog view. Easy peasy...

Might be worth a try.

[mel]

Just as a suggestion, instead of using the Pentax RAW converter, what about downloading Picasa (free, from picasa.google.com) and using that? It actually will read and display your RAW images very nicely, and you can try those corrections I mentioned above. If you like the result, you can Export the file as a JPG and rename it as you go, so that it's saved as a copy and doesn't overwrite the original RAW file.

Works quite well, and is free. Also, it doesn't need a particularly powerful computer, and is fairly light on CPU resources. Just be aware when installing it that it may ask you if you want to install Google Desktop and Google Toolbar, with these ticked "Yes" by default. If you don't want these, just uncheck them.

I still think it is the best general cataloging software out there, apart maybe from Photo Mechanic - which is not free.... The Picasa Sharpening tool is also quite good - as long as you don't overdo it. One click is usually enough. This can be found on the third tab on the left side of the screen, called Effects" when you view a single image (double-click on an image in the catalog view to view that image as a single large image). Double-click back on the single image to get back to the catalog view. Easy peasy...

Might be worth a try.

Thanks! I'll look into it.

[Photo Tramp]

Mel,
Don't be afraid of green. In fact I had the same problem with both yellow and green. I found by bringing down the color temp, (or cooling the temp) would take away the cast. For this I used Picasa first and if need be taken into Photoshop and cooled there. Pete is right about white balance If it were a problem with white balance all the colors would be off. I do find tho if you are shooting in the heat of the day (the brightest part of the day) try setting the white balance to cloudy and this might help but it may not for all shots. There are some good suggestions here and all have their qualities.

Another really good suggestion is throw away Pentax software and try another post processing program. Picasa is free and does have a lot of power.

[mel]

Mel,
Don't be afraid of green. In fact I had the same problem with both yellow and green. I found by bringing down the color temp, (or cooling the temp) would take away the cast. For this I used Picasa first and if need be taken into Photoshop and cooled there. Pete is right about white balance If it were a problem with white balance all the colors would be off. I do find tho if you are shooting in the heat of the day (the brightest part of the day) try setting the white balance to cloudy and this might help but it may not for all shots. There are some good suggestions here and all have their qualities.

Another really good suggestion is throw away Pentax software and try another post processing program. Picasa is free and does have a lot of power.

I think I had it on AWB. I meant to go earlier in the day but I got sidetracked. And really, the greens in real life were soooo brilliant as everything has just exploded with growth in the past couple weeks due to all the rain. Looking at the shots I thought, yeah, that's how it looked. I keep forgetting that you can make things look better than real life

I am planning to get a new cpu in the next couple weeks and go with Photoshop CS3. I think if I add anything to this one that is limping along it will roll over and die (just waiting for that gov't stimulus check - dependants can be a good thing).

I really appreciate all the great suggestions and feedback. It's helped me look at things differently and I'll use the suggestions when I go back to these and look for these things in future work.

Thanks again to all. This has been fun. I may actually try it again!

[Derridale]

I may actually try it again!

Mel - don't even THINK about not trying again The whole idea of these forums, and especially this one, is to learn from each other. Each person who posts has something to contribute.

Some of the photos people post here are fantastic, others are very ordinary. All are subject to constructive criticism - not destructive. We're all trying to help each other get better at what we like to do.

I'm a relatively recent member in here, but already I've learned a heap of stuff I didn't have any idea about before, and hopefully I've even managed to contribute a few morsels here and there.

So whatever you do, do NOT be discouraged by comments that some of us have made about pictures being too green, for example. That happens to all of us, and it's just a case of having the knowledge and tools to fix the problem. Preferably BEFORE it becomes a problem - at the picture-taking end of things. But if you find problems once a picture has been taken, then we have the wonderful world of post-processing nowadays.

Going with Photoshop CS3 is a very powerful thing to do, and expensive. Elements is a very good subset of Photoshop's capabilities at a much lower cost, and will do most things most of the time. And don't forget Picasa - often under-rated by many because it's free. But it's good, and although it is somewhat limited, it does tend to stop you from over-processing.

To get a better colour balance in the first place, try using the cloudy setting for white balance, as that will warm things up a bit.

Looking forward to seeing the results of your next outing.....

And above all - have fun

[cardinal43]

@Mel:

Dang, I really like your shots and you should have stopped by for lunch. I'm only 3 miles west of the battlefield on 29 (right at the I-66) intersection. I come by the battlefield every day on the way home from work. I work in Old Towne Alexandria and I go home via the beltway to I-66W to 29S and go in by the quarry (that might be interesting to shoot) and past the stone house (intersection of 234 & 29) and on to the intersection of 29S & Heathcote Blvd.

Just as another thought, you might consider shooting in Old Towne Alexandria if you haven't already. I seem to recall you are in the Springfield area.

[mel]

@Mel:

Dang, I really like your shots and you should have stopped by for lunch. I'm only 3 miles west of the battlefield on 29 (right at the I-66) intersection. I come by the battlefield every day on the way home from work. I work in Old Towne Alexandria and I go home via the beltway to I-66W to 29S and go in by the quarry (that might be interesting to shoot) and past the stone house (intersection of 234 & 29) and on to the intersection of 29S & Heathcote Blvd.

Just as another thought, you might consider shooting in Old Towne Alexandria if you haven't already. I seem to recall you are in the Springfield area.

Actually I'm just down 619/Bristow Rd (other side of 28), officially Nokesville but if you cross the stream that borders my property it becomes Manassas. I wanted to stop at that stone house you're referring to but there was a big ol' truck tailgating me and I did't feel like turning back around

When we lived here before, about 11 years ago, I worked in Old Towne Alexandria, just 3 blocks up from the Potomac. I do need to go back there, it's quite nice.

[mel]

Mel - don't even THINK about not trying again The whole idea of these forums, and especially this one, is to learn from each other. Each person who posts has something to contribute.

Some of the photos people post here are fantastic, others are very ordinary. All are subject to constructive criticism - not destructive. We're all trying to help each other get better at what we like to do.

I'm a relatively recent member in here, but already I've learned a heap of stuff I didn't have any idea about before, and hopefully I've even managed to contribute a few morsels here and there.

So whatever you do, do NOT be discouraged by comments that some of us have made about pictures being too green, for example. That happens to all of us, and it's just a case of having the knowledge and tools to fix the problem. Preferably BEFORE it becomes a problem - at the picture-taking end of things. But if you find problems once a picture has been taken, then we have the wonderful world of post-processing nowadays.

Going with Photoshop CS3 is a very powerful thing to do, and expensive. Elements is a very good subset of Photoshop's capabilities at a much lower cost, and will do most things most of the time. And don't forget Picasa - often under-rated by many because it's free. But it's good, and although it is somewhat limited, it does tend to stop you from over-processing.

To get a better colour balance in the first place, try using the cloudy setting for white balance, as that will warm things up a bit.

Looking forward to seeing the results of your next outing.....

And above all - have fun

Oh I hope you didn't take my comments as being discouraged. On the contrary. For the record however, historically it has been very difficult for me to share anything I've "created." Putting my work out there for all to see is a huge thing for me. I started to get over it just a little when I shot a theater production at my son's high school (I did costuming for it) and people wanted to buy prints from it. But it's still a hard thing for me to do. I'm always afraid of people saying mean things.

Everyone here has been NOTHING but NICE in their comments and all has been constructive. I sincerely appreciate every one of them.

My thanks once again.

[cardinal43]

Actually I'm just down 619/Bristow Rd (other side of 28), officially Nokesville but if you cross the stream that borders my property it becomes Manassas. I wanted to stop at that stone house you're referring to but there was a big ol' truck tailgating me and I did't feel like turning back around

When we lived here before, about 11 years ago, I worked in Old Towne Alexandria, just 3 blocks up from the Potomac. I do need to go back there, it's quite nice.

Small world. I moved to Gainesville (Heritage Hunt - 55+ active adult community) from Manassas. I work a couple of blocks up from the Potomac - N. Fairfax St. between Queen and Princess.