Flyboys

**purplehaze** · 24th September 2018, 12:00 AM

Three weeks out of radiation and feeling fit enough to spend long hours in front of the computer catching up on my processing. Not that I have a lot to show from this summer. This is from a day back in July when my brother and some of his friends were performing for my camera. I had the 300 mm PF plus 1.4 teleconverter (I think) on the D750. The sun was high, but behind them, so I was shooting Auto ISO with +1 exposure compensation. My main purpose in shooting that day was to practise focusing on moving targets.

How's the processing on these? I am wanting to share the best shots with their subjects.

#1

f/8 @ 1/1250, 500 ISO

#2

f/8 @ 1/1250, 400 ISO

#3

f/8 @ 1/1250, 640 ISO

**rtbaum** · 24th September 2018, 01:50 AM

Janis- I think that you did very well, my favorite is #3, I like the eye contact.

**purplehaze** · 24th September 2018, 04:41 AM

Thanks, Randy.

**FootLoose** · 24th September 2018, 04:46 AM

I was going to say you have a few dust spots in the first shot - then realised it is water drops <head slap>

I think your processing is fine and just importantly you have good captures. The positions of the subjects clearly indicate they are in motion.

Hope your recuperation is going well, too.

**Tronhard** · 24th September 2018, 04:49 AM

Janis those are awesome shots that really capture the action. I am totally impressed!

**John 2** · 24th September 2018, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by Tronhard

Janis those are awesome shots that really capture the action. I am totally impressed!

So am I. The action is well caught, the exposure is spot on and in fact so is the overall quality. Aesthetically it's no3 for me as well but the guys should be happy with any of them.

**billtils** · 24th September 2018, 07:20 AM

In a word, super!

Super captures, super technique, and super that you are back in action, even if it is the physically gentle processing of old images - it's the mental 'action' that counts here.

**bambleweeney** · 24th September 2018, 08:27 AM

Nice shots. They're sharp nicely framed and the processing is good (invisible). Mission accomplished !!!

**Shadowman** · 24th September 2018, 09:29 AM

Camera combo looks good as represented by these captures, stay strong.

**purplehaze** · 24th September 2018, 11:30 PM

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. This was a good practice session. Usually I am shooting them from the beach, where the 300 mm plus TC serves me fairly well, but this time I was on the pier, where my focal length sometimes proved too long!! I missed a lot of spectacular aerial shots, including the one guy jumping over the heads of the crowd of spectators, but it is nice to see that I in fact I have quite a few keepers. Next time, I will be better prepared for their antics, and will try not to waste too many frames on them just skating over the water.

**rpcrowe** · 25th September 2018, 02:25 PM

Very nice set Janis... I like them all but will go with the consensus that #3 is probably the top contender.

I really liked my 300mm f/4L IS lens but, occasionally it would prove too short and slapping on the 1.4x TC would take time and often was not the best solution. Less occasionally, like in your pier shots, the 300mm would prove too long. I experienced this at the end of the runway when I was shooting the Navy Blue Angels practice at their El Centro, California base. The planes would fly directly overhead and often, I could only get a portion of the aircraft with the 300mm lens.

I felt like I needed to make a decision and finally sold my 300mm f/4L IS and 400mm f/5.6L lenses to fund the 100-400mm f/4.5 -5.6L IS II lens. I still miss the 300mm f/4L IS lens because of its slightly faster aperture. However, I do not miss the 400mm f/5.6L one bit.

**Manfred M** · 25th September 2018, 02:26 PM

Janice - these are nicely done shots in some fairly challenging lighting conditions, so the images are quite contrasty. Have you looked at what the "shadows" slider (moving it to the right) does for you, if you are shooting raw and using either Lightroom or Camera Raw? It does act a bit like a fill light and would open up the harsh shadows, especially in the faces.

**purplehaze** · 26th September 2018, 01:02 AM

Hi Manfred,

I have in fact lifted the shadows globally on most of the images in the set (in Capture One). In some of the images (#2 for example), I lifted them selectively on the surfers. I had quite a lot of images to go through, so I did not spend a lot of time on each one, but just tried to achieve what was a pleasing amount of contrast to me. I find it is easy to go overboard into a waxy look, so I have probably erred on the side of caution. Thanks for the observation. I will see what the guys think.

**bambleweeney** · 27th September 2018, 11:58 AM

I kind of like the contrast myself. A little punch to the images and personally I don't find the shadows too dark at all.

**purplehaze** · 17th October 2018, 06:23 AM

Thanks, Paul. I finally worked my way through the whole set and the faces in some could definitely be brighter. I really need to learn the skin tone editing tool in C1 to do a satisfactory job, though.

**billtils** · 17th October 2018, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by purplehaze

I will see what the guys think.

This guy thinks you did a great job. Indeed having been faced with the exact same issue photographing surfers in the Australian summer sun, I'm impressed.

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