2016 Project 52 - January - Creve Coeur Airport flood

[Rita]

Hi Izzie,

You have a great location here for images. I am partial to your submitted #4. If you could get rid of the dark effect without losing the detail in the waterfall it would be an even better image.
In one of your comments you said that you would stop using the 'darken/lighten centre', I say don't stop using it. It can have a nice effect on some images but it does need a bit of practice to get the balance right. Being subtle so that the dark around the edge is not really visible can still focus the eyes to the centre without the effect being overpowering.
Didn't know you were having hand issues, hope you are back to normal soon

[IzzieK]

Well done, Izzie, I like both very much but I'm slightly partial to the monochrome (#3).
You should be well pleased with what you've done.

Sergio

Thank you, Sergio...I am getting used to the kind of pp that I had learned from all of you here at CiC...so much vibrance and/or saturation. I appreciate and value your comments very much...makes my heart sing.

[IzzieK]

Hi Izzie,

You have a great location here for images. I am partial to your submitted #4. If you could get rid of the dark effect without losing the detail in the waterfall it would be an even better image.
In one of your comments you said that you would stop using the 'darken/lighten centre', I say don't stop using it. It can have a nice effect on some images but it does need a bit of practice to get the balance right. Being subtle so that the dark around the edge is not really visible can still focus the eyes to the centre without the effect being overpowering.
Didn't know you were having hand issues, hope you are back to normal soon

Brain and armpit + fingers doesn't want to coordinate at times... so I am thrown on the corner to rest them. Good thing the door wasn't locked or I'll feel very much a prisoner.

I will try that darken/lighten center on some of my other images...I shot only 10 from that site and got tired and told to go back to my car. So I chose only 4 to make up my story even if the images themselves already tells it. I just like writing my thoughts like others.

Appreciate your comments and suggestions. I am not allowed to do anything much until I see my surgeon on the 16th of February...so one more week in this batch to finish off this month...I will think of something simple. Thinking seems to be an exercise lately because I am scared of alzheimer's...you know empty mind...

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Izzie,

I'm late this week (sorry), in fact if I delay any more you'll have posted another set here or moved on to February.

BTW I have now added this thread to the P52 Index and will do similar with February's when I see it.


Increasing contrast, as we typically do when converting to monochrome, often reveals lens vignetting, which would be my suspicions with regard to the dark corners, given the camera used this week. Therefore, I'd have corrected that in ACR (yes, even if original is jpg) with the vignette control on lens tab.

My personal view is that both the Edited versions of 3 and 4 have gone too far with the contrast, all #3 needed was anti-vignette and perhaps some brightening of the white, without crushing down the shadows any further.

In Submitted #4, the saturation already looked too high to me and went 'off the scale' with the Edited version

Hmmm, not sure how to say this; I'm not a fan of (what I think of as) 'Lucky Dip' processing - e.g. effects filters and plug ins, but that may be because:

a) I find I get 'button happy' in similar situations and just 'loose the plot' after a while and what results usually "ain't pretty"
b) I don't have any plug-ins (beyond the filters in PS, which I never use nowadays)
c) I prefer fully understand what each image needs and discover how I can achieve that 'manually' in PS, it takes time

As a series, I enjoyed these, giving me a glimpse of an alternate landscape so close to the airfield that I'd never have imagined could exist - my; what pre-conceptions I have, and false assumptions I jump to!

I still recall when I first flew in to JFK, back in the seventies, how surprised I was that it (America) wasn't like I'd seen in westerns it was so much greener than I expected.


Now - you take it easy before the quack (hopefully) signs you off in mid-February - look after those flippers - and that's an order!

All the best, Dave

[IzzieK]

You and me the same...must be from old movies syndrome...US is Wild Wild West (Think Will Smith from that movie) and Australia is all Outbacks (Northern Territory kind). How wrong we are...

My workflow here was ACR, then Photoshop for some nitty gritty straightening or rubbish removals then off to Nik's software. Make my general pp easier especially as I cannot sit very long, need to lie the body down from time to time.

I have this week to finish off January and since I am stationed here at home, I will think of what will be good to photograph that is connected to flood/snow theme that I had decided to continue here...have to have something for this last week...still thinking hard.

Thank you again for your critiques and suggestions. I was waiting for you to come in and give me that big thump in the noggin to keep me in the straight and narrow in my shoots. I am glad you did not disappoint me this time around...

Cheers...
Izzie

Hi Izzie,

I'm late this week (sorry), in fact if I delay any more you'll have posted another set here or moved on to February.

BTW I have now added this thread to the P52 Index and will do similar with February's when I see it.


Increasing contrast, as we typically do when converting to monochrome, often reveals lens vignetting, which would be my suspicions with regard to the dark corners, given the camera used this week. Therefore, I'd have corrected that in ACR (yes, even if original is jpg) with the vignette control on lens tab.

My personal view is that both the Edited versions of 3 and 4 have gone too far with the contrast, all #3 needed was anti-vignette and perhaps some brightening of the white, without crushing down the shadows any further.

In Submitted #4, the saturation already looked too high to me and went 'off the scale' with the Edited version

Hmmm, not sure how to say this; I'm not a fan of (what I think of as) 'Lucky Dip' processing - e.g. effects filters and plug ins, but that may be because:

a) I find I get 'button happy' in similar situations and just 'loose the plot' after a while and what results usually "ain't pretty"
b) I don't have any plug-ins (beyond the filters in PS, which I never use nowadays)
c) I prefer fully understand what each image needs and discover how I can achieve that 'manually' in PS, it takes time

As a series, I enjoyed these, giving me a glimpse of an alternate landscape so close to the airfield that I'd never have imagined could exist - my; what pre-conceptions I have, and false assumptions I jump to!

I still recall when I first flew in to JFK, back in the seventies, how surprised I was that it (America) wasn't like I'd seen in westerns it was so much greener than I expected.


Now - you take it easy before the quack (hopefully) signs you off in mid-February - look after those flippers - and that's an order!

All the best, Dave

[IzzieK]

My last continuing theme for January...Week 5 Newspaper

YESTERDAY'S NEWS IS TODAY'S FISH AND CHIPS WRAPPER

​

Took this image this morning on my dinette table and thought of what I read on the title of another article from an Aussie online newspaper the other day...sort of twisted it a bit but I think it is sort of related to the flood/snow theme that that I started on the first week of January.

For C&C -- will appreciate any comments and critique. This is just a simple Photoshop filter using Gaussian Blur and adding a mask to make the text more clearer by brushing off the blur on top of what I wanted to show more...very simple and quick edit, not tiring at all..

Now I am back to bed for a while...Thanks to all who bear and grin my Point and Shoot. Next week my February contribution to my P52 project will start...with a better camera I hope..

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Izzie,

I might even be first this time

I like the concept you have thought up to stay on topic without the need to go out.

I'm glad you left the picture captions readable - I was thinking the woman at the bottom was over-stocking, to the detriment of others, but it turns out that's far from the case - good for her.

I am intrigued what caused Vincent's jeans to need to be blurred though(?)

I thought wrapping Fish and Chips in old newspaper was a just UK thing - and probably not encouraged these days in case the ink poisons us!

Take it easy, Dave

[IzzieK]

Thanks for bringing that one to my attention...I was struggling with it awhile but I soon found out that I have to select my mask instead so the sharpening on that part would work...

Thank you again for being there for me...making me take another look...Appreciate your eye for things and your comments and critiques...as always......Cheers,
Izzie

Hi Izzie,

I might even be first this time

I like the concept you have thought up to stay on topic without the need to go out.

I'm glad you left the picture captions readable - I was thinking the woman at the bottom was over-stocking, to the detriment of others, but it turns out that's far from the case - good for her.

I am intrigued what caused Vincent's jeans to need to be blurred though(?)

I thought wrapping Fish and Chips in old newspaper was a just UK thing - and probably not encouraged these days in case the ink poisons us!

Take it easy, Dave