2018 Project 52 - 4th Qtr - Sandy (Skitterbug)

Your bullfrog looks fine. Wet slimy subjects are never easy to expose without problems. Good camera angle as well.

Nice frog shots, good capture of the colors.

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Originally Posted by Geoff F

Your bullfrog looks fine. Wet slimy subjects are never easy to expose without problems. Good camera angle as well.

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Thank you Geoff and John for your comments. These two photos will be the last of my tries on Mr. Bullfrog for this season so I'm happy that the results are pleasing. :)

This woods is located about a half mile from our home. A few weeks ago, the weather was pleasant and the sky was beautiful too, so I walked the field to see if I could get an image with a decent show of color. I decided to take a break today from holiday preparations to play a bit with overlay techniques in Affinity Photo. The following is the result of my effort. Opinions are welcome. :)

Camera settings used: ISO100 - f/7.1 - 1/320ss


https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...67nZpqf-X2.jpg

Nicely captured and processed, I need to practice some foliage captures but will have to wait till next season.

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Originally Posted by Shadowman

Nicely captured and processed, I need to practice some foliage captures but will have to wait till next season.

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Hi John - thanks for commenting! I have one sweet gum tree that is in the middle of change. I really wanted to get a shot of it this morning but it was drizzling most of the time and I didn't want to take my camera out in the mess. I may not have any more chances this season either. Winter seems to be insisting on starting early! <UG>

Very dramatic sky and bold autumn colours. Very nice photo. Is " overlay techniques" similar to "-layers" in photoshop?

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Originally Posted by joebranko

Very dramatic sky and bold autumn colours. Very nice photo. Is " overlay techniques" similar to "-layers" in photoshop?

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Hi Joe - I've never worked in Photoshop. In Affinity Photo, I watched this video and then applied the idea to my RAW photo. When I was fairly satisfied I "Developed" and finished tweaking the photo. It is a way to use layers but I imagine that each application has its own way of incorporating layers within its program.

Not sure I am very helpful in answering your question. Maybe someone with more experience in Photoshop will jump in with the info you need?

Thanks for your critique! It helps me know I am headed in the right direction! :D

I just wonder, Sandy. Would this scene take a tiny bit of highlight boost to really make those autumn colours pop out? Very carefully applied of course.

In most cases, this has become 'standard practice' for me. When you think the image has been fully edited, just add a Curves Adjustment Layer as the final tweak and slightly boost the highlights. If it doesn't work, just remove the layer and continue as before.

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Originally Posted by Geoff F

I just wonder, Sandy. Would this scene take a tiny bit of highlight boost to really make those autumn colours pop out? Very carefully applied of course.

In most cases, this has become 'standard practice' for me. When you think the image has been fully edited, just add a Curves Adjustment Layer as the final tweak and slightly boost the highlights. If it doesn't work, just remove the layer and continue as before.

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Hi Geoff - I might be able to push it a bit more but I don't want the scene to take on a fake look either. I'll play with it and see what I think.

For Curves Adjustment, I've always wondered whether this ought to be the first thing done or put elsewhere in the flow of tweaks. In fact, I haven't really honed a flow of steps for photo edits yet. I've been considering what I may do for next year's P52 and it may well be editing: showing the before and then after.... I've much to learn! :)

Thanks for the suggestion! If I come up with something better, I'll post it! <smile> Otherwise, it will be on to something else! <lol>

Sandy

Having had similar thoughts to Geoff re the colours, the more I look at it the more I like it as presented. Lifting the colours would probably upset the nice balance between foliage and sky.

Nice to see you exploring more of the capabilities of AP too. Your thoughts for next year's P52 are exciting and I look forward to seeing your images, but I won't be doing it again as at times it was more like a weekly obligation rather than a weekly adventure (just a personality quirk :)).

It is a very pleasing image, but in my view, a couple of very small tweaks would help.

1. Correcting the white point will open up the tonal range. This shot does look like it has whites in the clouds, yet the image suggests no white at all. That results in a bit of a muddy look.

2. Opening up the shadows a touch often helps in a shot like this one.

http://i65.tinypic.com/x4f5th.jpg

Your question on curves adjustments is a good one. This is my most used tool and it can be applied globally, near the start of the edit and locally, as you are working specific areas of the image. Most "expert" editors that I know will start with global adjustments and work towards local ones. Affinity is very much a clone of Photoshop so the way that layers work is quite similar, in my experience with both programs.

If you open one of the images in Litebox and click the forward and backward arrows, that is an easy way of comparing the two versions of the image.

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Originally Posted by billtils

Sandy

Having had similar thoughts to Geoff re the colours, the more I look at it the more I like it as presented. Lifting the colours would probably upset the nice balance between foliage and sky.

Nice to see you exploring more of the capabilities of AP too. Your thoughts for next year's P52 are exciting and I look forward to seeing your images, but I won't be doing it again as at times it was more like a weekly obligation rather than a weekly adventure (just a personality quirk :)).

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Hi Bill - Thanks for your comments!

I was debating about doing another year of P52 and finally came to the conclusion that if I don't push myself, I'll get lazy. My goal in this is to keep striving for better results, especially in composition and then in editing. I don't travel very far (for the most part) so my subjects may be boring to some but while I take those same boring shots, I strive to improve on composition, inclusion of scenery or not, DOF, etc. and then finally on the post processing tasks. The feedback I receive is very helpful and I appreciate that you and others have taken time to do so. :)

If you are becoming more bogged down doing your P52 weekly, maybe you'd rather make it a monthly effort instead? You photo work is always interesting to see so don't make it work - make it fun! :) <Just my two cents worth!>

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Originally Posted by Manfred M

It is a very pleasing image, but in my view, a couple of very small tweaks would help.

1. Correcting the white point will open up the tonal range. This shot does look like it has whites in the clouds, yet the image suggests no white at all. That results in a bit of a muddy look.

2. Opening up the shadows a touch often helps in a shot like this one.

Your question on curves adjustments is a good one. This is my most used tool and it can be applied globally, near the start of the edit and locally, as you are working specific areas of the image. Most "expert" editors that I know will start with global adjustments and work towards local ones. Affinity is very much a clone of Photoshop so the way that layers work is quite similar, in my experience with both programs.

If you open one of the images in Litebox and click the forward and backward arrows, that is an easy way of comparing the two versions of the image.

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Hi Manfred - thanks for stopping by! :D

I appreciate the explanation for when you use curves adjustment. I've done it both ways but I was never sure how to make the best use of it. I am hopeful that during next year's P52 adventure, I'll develop a better work flow too.

Yes, the clouds were mixed that day and definitely had some white to them as well as the darker blue/grey, etc. Just the bit that you adjusted certainly helped! And then you lifted the shadow a tiny bit more which does bring the color and definition of the trees out much better.

Just for interest sake, I'll include a JPG of the RAW photo that I started with. Thanks for your suggestions for improvement! I like the changes it made! :)

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...JcK5Bqz-X2.jpg

Week 47 - The week of Thanksgiving festivities is over and done and I am behind a bit. We had a clearing of weather and took advantage to go for a walk along the edge of a lake. Not much was happening but I did spot this and thought of Geoff. He asked for fungi a month or so ago, and I finally found some! <yay me>

I'm not sure about the composition however. I set it up as best I could given that I couldn't circle the subject very well. The water was deep! :)

Fungi - f/6.3 - ISO400 - 1/160ss

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...bFdZQDm-X2.jpg

Hi Sandy,

It's an interesting composition and a good find for a random walk along the lake. Nicely done.

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Originally Posted by Shadowman

Hi Sandy,

It's an interesting composition and a good find for a random walk along the lake. Nicely done.

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Hi John - Thank you! I really appreciate the boost to my confidence. :D

Week 48 - We headed out to a different lake on Sunday to work off some of the treats we'd been munching. :)
I used a lens (EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM refurbished) that I purchased a few months ago. I wanted to try it for landscape shots. I had some PP work to defringe the edge of the woods on the far side of the lake and I hope I was able to be rid of it. I don't know if the lens caused this or just the conditions of the day.

Once again there wasn't much going on. I guess that's no surprise since the weather is changing for the worse! <sigh>


Tree by Indian Lake - 1/100ss - f/16 - ISO125

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...rtrNLdq-X2.jpg

Sandy, the lake picture works well for me. It's dramatic and immediately caught my attention.

I also like your week 47 photo.

P.S. I hope you're considering doing P52 again next year. I always enjoy looking at your images and the discussion that sometimes results.

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Originally Posted by Cantab

Sandy, the lake picture works well for me. It's dramatic and immediately caught my attention.

I also like your week 47 photo.

P.S. I hope you're considering doing P52 again next year. I always enjoy looking at your images and the discussion that sometimes results.

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Hi Bruce - Thank you for your thoughts and taking time to look at my photos. At first I did think about not doing the P52 work next year but realize that if I would quit, I won't be motivated to keep active in my attempts to improve. So yes, I'll be back to haunt the group! And any time you'd like to look or comment, I'll welcome it! It is because people do make suggestions, that I look at my images with a better understanding of the direction I need to go. And I appreciate the feedback very much! :)