Returning member

[joewatt]

I'm a long time member here who has not been active for a few years. I'm an amateur photographer and for reasons I don't know the photo bug has bitten me once again. I've learned a lot since I was last here ...

As soon as I remind myself how to post photos I will post one -

[Donald]

Just over 4 years since you last posted Joe .... and it's great to see you back.

If you ever need any help in getting images posted into your message, then this walks you through how to do it. Click HERE to read the thread.

I hope the photo bug will stay with you and that you'll be around here for a long time to come.

[joewatt]

Here it is - I'd appreciate feedback, criticism, comments -

[joewatt]

I'd like to post a larger version of the photo I just posted, but TinyPic is not responding right now. I'll try again later -

[Geoff F]

There have been a few bugs with Tinypics lately. Have you seen this thread about the problems.

TinyPic

[kristent]

a very nice photo, Joe. For me, it would be stronger and have more energy with less blank sky. Also I'd try to eliminate that 35 mile per hour sign as it seems to interrupt the flow of light. but that's just my 2 cents...it's a terrific pic.

[Tronhard]

Hi Joe:

Welcome back! Photography seems to infect one when we reach a certain point in life when we feel the need to create I think.

I agree with Kris' comments, I would crop about half the night sky out so the cityscape is more dominant in the image. I think you got the exposure and time pretty well.

I look forward to seeing more of you images.

[joewatt]

Thanks for the feedback. Here's a bigger image with suggestions incorporated as best as I can
http://www.pbase.com/joewatt/image/165001821/original

[joewatt]

How can I get that to show the image instead of the URL?

[Dave Humphries]

How can I get that to show the image instead of the URL?

By using the Insert Image icon instead of the url, but also ensuring you are using a file name ending jpg.

Let's see if I can do it.



It seems not, even though I am using same method I use for my own images.

This prompts a couple of questions;
a) Are you subscribing to PBase? (e.g. paying for it annually)
b) Is that image set for public access?

Cheers, Dave

PS welcome back

[joewatt]

I am on Pbase paid, but when I select the image it doesn't give me a ".jpg" link - sorry tp be so much trouble ...

[Dave Humphries]

That IMG tag doesn't end ".jpg" Joe, so it won't display as an image.

[joewatt]

Finally got it! This has taken me hours!

[Dave Humphries]

Success Joe

I think the moral is; "if at first you don't succeed ...", well done.


When viewed large, at 100% - and scrolling around, it becomes noticeable there are processing issues with the blown highlights.

Was it shot RAW Joe?
have you worked out when they appeared?

Dave

[Wavelength]

Nice night scene

[joewatt]

Dave - it was shot raw. I had a heck of a time with the street lights, which were those orange sodium (I think) lights in the original. I reduced the yellow hue and saturation in Lightroom, which turned them white. A problem arose when I reduced the yellow luminance, which was that it produced a halo effect which is still visible in the sky despite my reducing the effect. What would you suggest?

[Dave Humphries]

Dave - it was shot raw. I had a heck of a time with the street lights, which were those orange sodium (I think) lights in the original. I reduced the yellow hue and saturation in Lightroom, which turned them white. A problem arose when I reduced the yellow luminance, which was that it produced a halo effect which is still visible in the sky despite my reducing the effect. What would you suggest?

Hmmm, that's a tough situation Joe, sodium vapour street lighting remains the bane of most night photographer's lives.

For this shot, you could go back to RAW and try targeted/radial adjustments in LR to bring down those lamps as a first stage (e.g. whites and highlights -100 each, plus exposure down too), but beyond that, all I can suggest is cloning and/or blurring in PS.

For capturing this, or a similar scene better in future, I'd suggest shot bracketing, so you have image(s) where the lamps are not so horrifically blown out which you could merge via Photoshop layers to give a composite final image which combines highlights from one exposure and the rest from another (which is exposed as this one is).


If you follow the link from this thread (and watch the video), it shows one (admittedly PS, not LR) technique for highlights, it looks useful, but is really only leveraging the built in PS functionality in a quicker and arguably more user friendly way of dealing with bracketed shots.

HTH, Dave

[joewatt]

Hmmm, that's a tough situation Joe, sodium vapour street lighting remains the bane of most night photographer's lives.

For this shot, you could go back to RAW and try targeted/radial adjustments in LR to bring down those lamps as a first stage (e.g. whites and highlights -100 each, plus exposure down too), but beyond that, all I can suggest is cloning and/or blurring in PS.

For capturing this, or a similar scene better in future, I'd suggest shot bracketing, so you have image(s) where the lamps are not so horrifically blown out which you could merge via Photoshop layers to give a composite final image which combines highlights from one exposure and the rest from another (which is exposed as this one is).


If you follow the link from this thread (and watch the video), it shows one (admittedly PS, not LR) technique for highlights, it looks useful, but is really only leveraging the built in PS functionality in a quicker and arguably more user friendly way of dealing with bracketed shots.

HTH, Dave

Thanks a lot, Dave - clearly I need more practice in post-processing. Interestingly, I'm taking a video tutorial by Jim Hamel on the dps web site and he mentioned using bracketing for this very kind of problem.

Meanwhile, here's another image for feedback, comment, etc

[joewatt]

Dave - this thread seems to be a conversation between you and me, and I very much appreciate the time you have taken to help me. I noted a comment you made in another thread regarding the desirable size of photos posted and I will comply in the future. In addition, I will post my last photo elsewhere to give others a chance to comment -