Winter Ploughing

[Donald]

Not finished with my images from September in the US yet. But processing them and other things getting in the way (like my dad being in hospital) has meant that there are times when the Gods just transpire against you getting the chance to get out there to take pictures. I hadn't held either of my DSLRs in my hand in anger since October. That's just crazy. I've been out and about with the Lumix, but I craved getting getting a DSLR back in my hands and getting out there.

So, today I had to get out there and just shoot.

I managed to come home with one that I think was worth a second glance.

Your comment and critique is always welcomed.

[madcrow]

I think FG and MG works very well. To me, the sky is a little to bright.

[Mike Buckley]

The birds really make this photo. I thought the sky was a little too bright until I displayed the image in the Lytebox.

I hadn't held either of my DSLRs in my hand in anger

Perhaps you meant something other than what you wrote?

[Donald]

Perhaps you meant something other than what you wrote?

Just a turn of phrase we use, Mike. I haven't had my DSLRs out of the bag and using them seriously.

[Mike Buckley]

It's good to know on several levels that you weren't at the ready to throw your DSLRs at anyone.

[Wavelength]

Nicely done

[Ken MT]

It wasn't this lens, was it?

"Time to confess to an act of gross stupidity

Okay, you know how I've been gushing about my new 5DS and the 11-24 f4 L lens I bought with it.

Well, this morning I dropped them ... onto a concrete pathway. The lens went one way (well, the main part that wasn't left attached to the body) and the body the other."

Probably about time you were using it again!

[ucci]

Nice capture full, of action from the birds. When I first looked at your capture my initial impression was that maybe the tree in centre midline was too light or a bit overexposed,; as people who understand these techie terms better than me might say. But on subsequent viewings I realised that my opinion on this was a lot BS and that you had nailed it just right. As it is, it subtly adds to the shot. Any darker and it would tend to gravitate to an eye catching distraction. And on seeing this post I for one am glad you have rejoined the land of the shooters.

[Black Pearl]

A well thought out image and one I very much enjoy.

[Donald]

It wasn't this lens, was it?

"Time to confess to an act of gross stupidity

Okay, you know how I've been gushing about my new 5DS and the 11-24 f4 L lens I bought with it.

No, Ken. This was shot on my 70-200 f4 L IS.

If I'd used the 11-24, the tractor would have been but a speck in the distance. In fact the 11-24 that fell and smashed was replaced by Canon, completely free of charge, after an issue of it not connecting to the camera properly couldn't be resolved.

[Donald]

Nice capture full, of action from the birds. When I first looked at your capture my initial impression was that maybe the tree in centre midline was too light or a bit overexposed,; as people who understand these techie terms better than me might say. But on subsequent viewings I realised that my opinion on this was a lot BS and that you had nailed it just right. As it is, it subtly adds to the shot. Any darker and it would tend to gravitate to an eye catching distraction.

My thoughts exactly, which links to the comment from Robin :-

A well thought out image and one I very much enjoy.

I knew that tree was going to be in the shot.The question was where to put it relative to the tractor and what emphasis it would have in the final image. Connected to that was what format the final image would take. When I got out of the car what was in my head, as it always is, was a square image. But as I looked at the scene and the 'bits' that were going to be in it (including that tree), it made more sense to me to shoot it as a 16:9; i.e. I saw the 16:9 composition in my head and composed for that, rather than for a 1:1 image.

This was shot with my 7DMkII. 'Envisioning' the final image can be easier with the 5DS as you can set the viewfinder to the image ratio; e.g. 1:1, 16:9 and that is what you see as you press the shutter. With the 7DMkII, you're seeing the whole viewfinder so have to feel confident that in your head you can 'see' the 16:9 or 1:1 or whatever, image.

[Ken MT]

"In fact the 11-24 that fell and smashed was replaced by Canon, completely free of charge, after an issue of it not connecting to the camera properly couldn't be resolved."

That's good to hear.

Ps. I didn't notice the trees in the fog in the background when I first looked at your photo.

[Kaye Leggett]

Lovely composition. Was it a foggy day or bright ? Also, have you used a filter or some such other technique in your processing which gives it the slightly sepia feel ? The reason for these questions is that I seem to be getting similar 'look' photos in both the recent bright and foggy days, but the colour is bluer - or maybe that is just the way my eyes and brain are seeing it.

[Donald]

Lovely composition. Was it a foggy day or bright ? Also, have you used a filter or some such other technique in your processing which gives it the slightly sepia feel ? The reason for these questions is that I seem to be getting similar 'look' photos in both the recent bright and foggy days, but the colour is bluer - or maybe that is just the way my eyes and brain are seeing it.

Thank you, Kaye. It was quite a dull day with a blanker of very uniform, low cloud/mist hanging over the ground. To emphasise the 'look' that you see, I use the 'Soft Contrast' slider in Silver Efex Pro. In fact I love that slider and use it a lot, sometimes more aggressively and sometimes less. One of my favourite tools.

And, yes, I did apply a tone in post processing. I don't usually go for anything so obvious, but this image just seemed to be suited to Silver Efex Pro's 'Copper No 16' tone. Again, In SEP you can adjust the strength of each of the tones. I just used this at the default setting.

[Rita]

I really love this image Donald. Your composition is great and the image tells a story. The long hours alone in the tractor, the vastness of the land, the hope of a good crop at harvest.

[John 2]

I know how you feel Donald. I think I have only been out once since we returned from Canada. This is a classic shot. As others have said, well composed but I also like the recession that the mist has produced. Just goes to show that weather is no excuse.

[bnnrcn]

A nice image which has to be viewed in lytebox. The birds really add to the image, they are probably there to pick up some seeds.