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Forum: Post Your Photos!
02-03-2017, 09:36 AM
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This is from my hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains last year. I had a bit of a tough time and lost my appetite on day 2 so I didn't get very many keepers unfortunately but this is one I feel came out ok. It was the middle of the day, so the color version is ... ok. With the large granite mountains of the Sierras I think it lends itself to black and white photography anyway.
This was along the PCT just north of Kearsarge pass looking west into Kings Canyon. There is a trail down there somewhere that goes from my location to the other side of the range following the canyon.
Taken with the cheap plastic nifty fifty.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
02-06-2017, 12:49 PM
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Pano from the top of Observation point over the weekend.
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Forum: Photo Critique
08-25-2017, 11:07 AM
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I feel like I am missing something in my post processing. I like the photo but I don't feel like the mountain stands out like it should, or maybe it's something else.
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Forum: Photo Critique
06-09-2016, 07:35 PM
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This was one of my favorite photos from my hike last year on the JMT. I have messed around with a few different processing techniques, this is the latest in my attempts to do this area justice. I had to put it into Photoshop because I got camera shake due to not having a tripod last trip. This year I am bringing a tripod.
Sorry I put this in the wrong category ... I cant figure out how to edit the category to landscape.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
11-07-2017, 10:45 PM
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I've always loved black and white (started with B&W film in high school). Here are some recent ones from my hikes in the Sierras this year. Comments/criticism is welcome.
The more high key of the first 2 images is a new style for me, I traditionally prefer more a high contrast darker overtone similar to Ansel Adams (my photography hero). Last one is more my traditional editing style of high contrast/drama style.
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Forum: Photo Critique
02-17-2017, 04:26 PM
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Its getting to that time of year again and I have about 2 months before entries are due for the San Diego Fair photo contest. The Fair holds one of the largest international photo competitions. There is 2 tiers of judging, the first is digital only, then if selected you have a short time to print your photo and submit it for display. The final judging is based on the final print.
Last year I submitted 4 photos, only 1 made it to the final round. The one that did was very strong on compositional rules. From looking at the photos last year that were displayed I think this is an important factor in their judging. In fact, I found a blog from a judge in 2013 who said "The biggest offender were some incredibly static arrangements and/or a shot with important horizon separation placed right in the middle of the shot." He also said "And if the story of your shot is such that color is important (otherwise do a B&W version) then respect that color as you would (or should) respect the tonalities. Overdone HDR or simply over saturated (or undersaturated) colors are as jarring to see as the overdone sharpening that should have been solved by about the second month of your basic digital class."
I am looking for any suggestions on changes. These are generally ones I have worked on for a while and should be close to finished product if not done. I will likely drop 1-2 of these and not submit all 9, at $20 a pop it gets expensive fast, and the first one alone will be around $70-$80 to print if it gets selected.
With that said, here are my planned entries for this year and their categories. A full list of categories is here. Unless otherwise noted, the photos will be 11x15 matted to 16x20. The first 2 I am planning on putting into the large print category.
1. Large Print - Planned size is 24x36 (6888x4592)
2. Large Print - Planned size is 11X40 (9621x2730)
3 -Summer
4. Flowers
5. All other Plants and Trees (cant figure out what category to put this into.)
6. Wild Animals - Birds
7. Black and White Scenic
8. Black and White Scenic
9. Black and White People (I am the one on photo left, stage right). :D
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Forum: Photo Critique
05-17-2017, 12:10 PM
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As a update. #5 got selected for the next round, the rest did not. I printed and matted it, it should be hanging at the show this year. I ended up not submitting 4 or 8
I did print #1 in 24x36 on metal and it's my new favorite print and lives in my living room.
I am a bit disappointed that only one made it into the print section of the competition but that's life.
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Forum: Photo Critique
06-01-2017, 07:23 PM
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Here is my 2 minute attempt at a fix, I darkened the background to isolate the subject and made a few levels adjustments. Still needs some more work though.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-07-2017, 09:54 AM
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Any help on this would be appreciated. This is one I want to submit for the fair this year, I can manually fix it in Photoshop but I would rather prevent it.
So I checked and I am editing in 8bit.
I am fairly new to Photoshop, only been really using it for a month or so, but I love the flexibility it gives and I found new life in some old images I had using it over lightroom. But I am far from an expert.
EDIT: Thank you Na Horuk for PM'ing me with some info on the banding so we don't take this off topic from the great photos.
I redid the photo and found my error that led to the banding was in overdoing the noise reduction for the sky. I undid that edit and toned the noise reduction down a bit and the result is much better.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-06-2017, 07:28 PM
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Love Black and White, here are a few of my most recent ones
Along the Pacific Crest Trail near Warner Springs CA
In the Sierras just north of Kearsarge Pass
Zion Canyon from Observation point
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-07-2017, 05:47 PM
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OK, One more today. This is at Joshua Tree with my K3ii, something like 10-13 photos stitched together @ 50mm.
If anyone is having banding issues like I was, an easy way to fix it is actually using negative dehazing in lightroom. I had to do it on this one as a gradient filter on the sky to prevent banding and painted it out of the trees above the skyline. I still have a little from converting to JPG ... but I can fix that with a bit more tweaking.
Here is the color version |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-07-2017, 01:17 PM
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Two more. First is in Yosemite with the K-50 and kit lens in 2015, second is a pano in Catalina Island with the K-50 and kit lens as well. Both in my normal style.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
02-03-2017, 12:31 PM
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Still working on final editing, but figured I would share.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
02-02-2017, 12:25 PM
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I am working on editing some photos of mine from over the last year for a photo competition. I am not sure if this one will make the cut yet, I have worked on probably 5 different interpretations of this photo. For some reason I wasn't fond of the color versions and I did well in the Black and White competition last year ... so this is where I am at so far. I liked the composition, but I don't really feel like the tree stands out enough. I will sit on it for a bit and decide later. For now enjoy :)
I am open to criticism or suggestions.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
01-25-2017, 06:14 PM
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Took this last weekend hiking in the Coyote Mountain wilderness in Southern CA.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-11-2016, 06:57 PM
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K3ii with 17-50 with ISO 3200
Wife took the K-50 and the 17-50 to work for her walk on lunch and caught these
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-11-2016, 06:55 PM
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Sea World today ... This is my favorite lens. DFA 100 2.8
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-11-2016, 07:13 PM
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Just got back from a day at Sea World in San Diego and had the pleasant surprise looking through my photos that my favorites were not the normal ones of the shows.
This guy was sleeping, he opened his eye just as I clicked the shutter then went back to sleep
D FA 100 2.8
Had to use ISO 3200 because these were inside aquariums.
Tamron 17-50
Random flower I couldn't walk past without taking a photo.
Tamron 17-50
I got my wife to start taking photos with my K-50, she brought it to work on Friday and got a few good shots on her lunch
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
05-31-2016, 11:06 PM
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I just finished going through my photos from a 3 day 60 mile stretch of the PCT (mile 60-120). Not the most scenic stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail, but I was testing my camera and backpacking gear for a longer trip this summer and I got a few keepers out of it.
Photos are with either the 15mm Limited or DFA 100mm Macro. I also brought the DA 50mm 1.8 but I wasn't too happy with the results from it, I am thinking of picking up the 40mm limited while its on sale for my longer trim this summer in the sierras.
Missed focus on this ... and had the aperture way off anyway, but I kinda liked the result.
A Horned Lizard. They are fairly uncommon now, in the last 3 years hiking often and often off the beaten path I only saw one before this trip This trip we saw three!
My hiking partner during a LONG hot stretch without water
Desert floor full of agave blooms. The agave plant only blooms once then dies (average lifespan 25 years), there are dozens just in this photo, we saw thousands on the trip. It was an unusual sight and pretty amazing and made the long miles in the hot sun worth it.
Trail along the mountain overlooking the desert
Woke up and found this guy hanging out by my bivy. I am new to macro, so it took about 20 shots to get this in focus this close, the pebbles are sand, the spider was very small.
More photos can be found here |
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
06-11-2016, 09:38 PM
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K3ii
This guy was sleeping, he opened his eye just as I clicked the shutter then went back to sleep
D FA 100 2.8
Had to use ISO 3200 because these were inside aquariums.
Tamron 17-50
Random flower I couldn't walk past without taking a photo.
Tamron 17-50
K-50 with the Tamron 17-50
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-02-2016, 11:26 AM
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50 1.8 plastic fantastic
Agave plant in bloom
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-02-2016, 11:22 AM
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Had to HDR because of the Sun.
Taken on my recent PCT section
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-01-2016, 07:55 AM
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D FA 100
On a recent 60 mile PCT trip.
Horned Lizard
This spider was tiny (the pebbles are actually a corse sand), it was very hard to get focus on him. I finally understand people who want an articulating screen.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
04-25-2016, 12:22 PM
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I took this on Saturday on a hike near Mecca Hills in the southern CA desert. I just got the Pentax 100 2.8 and am having a difficult time with it. It's a bit of a learning curve trying to get the focus right on such close shots hand held with the wind moving the subjects lol.
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