Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]One comment you made earlier was that it was not good light for b/w: I disagree. John Sexton talks about "quiet light" and some of his images are just wonderful. Contrast range is so much greater than you at first imagine in dull overcast conditions. One of the problems I have with landscapes in Australia is the LACK of cloudy days: bring on the mist and rain I say ;-) Cheers --- hoppyman@bigpond.net.au wrote: From: "Geoff Hopkinson" <hoppyman@bigpond.net.au> To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org> Subject: RE: [Leica] IMG: Hoppies in Yosemite, the last photo set Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:18:25 +1000 Thank you for looking and commenting with good insight, Alastair. I like this new rigorous critique trend you have started. Guilty as charged on some of these being record shots. The first tunnel view one is there just to provide a comparison to the next day when the snow arrived. To get the real AA feel I'd have to practise for the next 100 years or so! You are spot on about the light of course. There is no substitute for time, expertise and experience in the area. Next time I'd love to go in the spring. In fact there is only one frame rendered as b/w. all of the rest are actually colour images. So you can call those VERY soft colour if you like. As always there's no substitute for holding a big print in your hand. I have some more that I meant to post (one you'll get in the Print Exchange), however I'll go back to the edit table first. The flat light though in some is partly due to them being taken through the falling snow where I stood. I had to discard a number that were taken with snowflakes ON the lens. To continue this into a maybe useful technical direction, I was going for stormy and dramatic, however there was simply very gently falling snow on the valley floor. So calm that the flakes became huge and fluffy. Staying past that day would no doubt have given us some proper cover, like in the shots that Aram has posted. I've rendered the snow clouds as darker, made green trees more sombre, actually intensifying the colour in some other areas. These all also have considerable local manipulation in specific areas, for example different saturation and luminance, graduated exposures, selective burning or dodging and some creative local sharpening. No surprise to anyone here, but looking at the originals at 100% on my screen reveals a stunning amount of detail and clarity from the superb Leica glass. I believe that if AA was with us today, he would be an avid enthusiast for Photoshop as his darkroom. Cheers Geoff -----Original Message----- Subject: Re: [Leica] IMG: Hoppies in Yosemite, the last photo set Wild weather to see Yosemite. You were lucky, though "big" waterfalls are always more impressive. Your images display the range of weather and the usually soft light of the place very well. To the get the real AA feel, you will have to work on the b/w displays, but the softer colour images have worked really well. Like most landscape (imo) the sunny clear days are the way to experience it, but not the way to photograph it. The sunny images look like good record shots somewhat flat, but I love some of the misty moody images well done and keep them coming Cheers Alastair --- hoppyman@bigpond.net.au wrote: Folks, there are 18 photos in my Yosemite galley. Won't you please take a look? http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/a/usa/g/ M8 with an assortment from 18, 24, 28 and 50 No alcoholic content but some very beautiful light and a tiny pilgrimage to some places where the master stood. Cheers Geoff http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman/e http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/ Pick up your camera and make the best photo you can. _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information