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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Reply |
Thank you, Richard. It is a great deal of fun but requires a bit of patience since there are multiple shots per "keeper".
The valve connects to a very clever device called the Pluto Trigger and the trigger fires the camera. The whole thing is managed by your smart phone using a very sophisticated and free app. The URL for the Pluto Trigger is: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?InitialSearch=yes&N=0&Ntt=Pluto+Trigger&c3api=4680%2C265049491124%2Cpluto+trigger%2Ce&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZfoBRB4EiwASUMdYQSYOr3ZB07mk_2SKYayQ06lWz6-oAxS3EiNgelPP1NGULeV0sQr-xoCZpsQAvD_BwE. If you scroll down you'll find the separate Pluto Valve which is need for the water drops. Even without the valve, the trigger has extremely impressive capabilities.
If Santa "does his thing", please let me know and we can share experiences.
|
Jun 16th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Nick, I never know what to expect from you so I look forward to seeing your submission each month! Your composites are always imaginative and well done and this month is no exception. I like the diagonal line formed by the giraffes and terminated by the man. Like Barbara and Terri mentioned, the addition of shadows would be beneficial.
Nicely done!
|
Jun 16th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Reply |
Thank you, Diana. I found that water drop photography is fascinating. Each "success" is different and offers wonderful opportunities for experimenting with various post processing techniques. And, like you, I find Tom's latest addition to the Digital Dialog system absolutely wonderful!
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Jun 14th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Richard, I'm very impressed that you saw this image. The man in the background certainly makes it your art instead of a simple photograph of someone else's work. Somehow, to me, the fact that the two figures are facing in different directions is a plus, adding even more interest to an excellent image.
Only a couple of minor suggestions. It appears that there may be a sharpening artifact on the statue's back that could be removed. Also the colors, especially the green, seems a bit over saturated. However, these are nits on a well done photograph.
|
Jun 12th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Very clever, Phil. I like the angle that you achieved. Capturing good moments in an arena football game is difficult to do if you want to avoid a distracting background. I like the fact that the huddle is bounded by the refs at each end. It might be an improvement if it had been possible to capture the feet of the closer referee.
A challenging shot to take. Well done.
|
Jun 9th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
David, this is probably my favorite of all the images you've submitted to our group. There is a wonderful sense of mystery that makes me immediately start imagining what the interaction is between the woman and the man. The fact that I can't see their faces contributes to this feeling.
I really like how you've dealt with the lighting. If there were anything that I wonder about it would be whether it would be beneficial to include the bottom legs of her chair. But, honestly, this is not at all a significant detraction.
Very well done!
|
Jun 7th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Barbara, it's a wonderful capture! I like the tight cropping since it really emphasizes the boy's face and expression. If I were to do anything (which it doesn't need), I'd probably crop out the writing on his helmet. I find that my eyes are immediately attracted to anything in an image that's written. |
Jun 5th |
| 5 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Terri, this is a wonderful capture! Wow! Really well done. I like how you handled the background and, to me, the lighting and sharpening on the foxes is "right on". It doesn't appear that your shutter speed was too low.... I don't see any motion blurriness. Some folks might feel that you could crop a bit tighter on the sides. However, I personally like the environmental context provided by the wider view that you used.
My only suggestion would be to darken the blurred grass in the foreground. The brightness pulls my eyes away from the foxes. Also, possibly a touch of a vignette would further highlight the foxes. I took the liberty of giving it a try. Your thoughts?
|
Jun 3rd |
 |
6 comments - 2 replies for Group 5
|
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Reply |
Hattie, this is my first attempt at water drop photography. It's definitely tricky and requires lots of attempts to get one acceptable image. However, it is a fun table top photographic activity.
|
Jun 16th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Reply |
Thank you, LuAnn. Water drop photography comes with its own challenges! I appreciate your input and will see what I can do about removing the overly bright and overly dark areas of the bowl. The concept of a simplistic, yet intriguing image is very appealing.
|
Jun 16th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Pandula, once again you've created a spectacular monochrome image. The shading is lovely as is the lighting. I especially like the fact that I can see detail in her hair, and the lighting on her fur and shoulder is outstanding.
I agree with Julie about her eyes being a bit too light. Also, there's a tiny fringe of white on the wrap next to her bare shoulder. Looking at the original photograph I see that the fringe isn't a result of over sharpening, nonetheless you might consider removing it.
Beautifully done, Pandula. Absolutely gorgeous.
|
Jun 16th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Gary, I've looked at your image multiple times this month. And, each time I study it I find something new that impresses me. I like how your post processing has turned an interesting photograph into a B&W work of art. The floating aspect of the mountain is especially appealing to me. And, I really like the highkey vignette. On my third examination, I noticed the grain which gives the image the feeling of an ancient photograph.... very suited to the subject. Beautifully done.
The only portion of the image that I find distracting is the very bright rectangular object just below the buildings. It would be a simple matter to eliminate or darken that object.
Like you, I use Camera Raw and the NIK collection extensively. They are so rich in capabilities that it's unlikely that I'll ever master them completely.
|
Jun 15th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Hattie, I see what you mean. Your post processing resulted in showing the similar texture of the tree and the gorilla. It makes it clear that the tree is the ape's home/environment of preference. I think that approach has significant meaning and value. Nonetheless, I played with the image a bit using Nik's Color Efex Pro 4... specifically the Fog and Blur filters. The control points made it easy to avoid applying the filters to the gorilla. I then lightened the entire image a bit and added just a bit of a vignette. What do you think?
|
Jun 11th |
 |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Hattie, the position of the gorilla is wonderful. It's almost like the gorilla is part of the tree. I like how you've brought out the texture of her fir.
You've done a marvelous job with the lighting and tones. I have no suggestions that would be useful. Nice work!
|
Jun 10th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Paul, I'm sure I speak for all our group members when I say that you will be missed.
I think this image is an example of how you visualized a fascinating image in a photograph that I would probably have dismissed as "lacking potential". Having the ship bow tower above the viewer while the billowing clouds anchor the top of the image is wonderful. It gives a sense of power that fits a large ship. My only suggestion would be to tweak the bottom right corner where it seems like the clouds have been cloned in a repeating pattern.
Nicely done!
|
Jun 9th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Reply |
Thank you, Gary. It was lot of fun but took awhile to get it working as I wanted. I used something called a Pluto Trigger and a water drop attachment, also sold by Pluto. (B & H carries them.) They are not terribly expensive and work with your smartphone to "schedule" the drop times and drop sizes.
I tried color gels on my flashes, but found that the colors needed a lot of additional saturation added in Photoshop. I've also tried thickening the water and have obtained some food dyes to play with. There are some excellent Youtube videos if you want to give it a try.
|
Jun 9th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Reply |
I'm glad you liked my modification. And, you're certainly allowed to post a "variation" of any type. I'd love to see a comparison with her eyes open.
|
Jun 5th |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
Julie, I think you've done a wonderful job with this image. I was aware that the iPad had a good version of Lightroom available, but I've never used it personally. Needless to say, it's definitely impressive!
I feel that your image is much stronger as a monochrome. And, I really like your cropping and how you've handled the background and the lower part of her dress. Well done!
I agree with you about the position of her arm. It provides a frame for her lovely face. Having her eyes closed gives a feeling of serenity that wouldn't otherwise exist. However, I think it would also be a beautiful photograph if her eyes were open and either looking down (serenity again) or looking at the camera.
To me her skin, especially on her face, is a bit too bright and would benefit from more variations in tone. I took the liberty of playing with your image, using Photoshop's Camera Raw to see how Gemma looks with her face having more tones. While I was at it, I also slightly darkened the hair behind her neck and her bright fingertips.
Your thoughts?
|
Jun 5th |
 |
| 62 |
Jun 19 |
Comment |
LuAnn, when I look at your image it makes me smile. I can't help recalling my youth when blowing dandelion balls was such a fascinating pastime. Of course my parents weren't wild about having the seeds scattered all over the lawn, but they were quite tolerant.
I really like how you've cropped this. At first I was caught in the staid "rule of thirds" and "don't put an object in the center". Then I got past that and simply appreciated how the extra room at the top of the photograph seems to draw more attention to the blow ball. I think the plain background is what makes this work so well.
I also like how you've sharpened the image. Each of the seeds seems to stand out beautifully.
My only suggestion would be to see if you can reduce the noise a bit. I've recently acquired the Topaz DeNoise AI plugin. It's really amazing. I played with that plugin filter and darkened the background slightly. Not sure that I like the darker background as much as your lighter one. Nonetheless, here's what I came up with. Your thoughts?
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Jun 2nd |
 |
7 comments - 4 replies for Group 62
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13 comments - 6 replies Total
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