# 2nd PAD Post for the Week of January 1-7, 2006



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Post your best/favorite image from the previous week. See Rich99's original post (http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/s...ad.php?t=101580) for more info. No explanation of your image should be used. Just post the image. Let it speak for itself. Try to get it posted before the middle of the following week. No more photo posts after Wednesday from the past week.

Is CC wanted with our PAD images? I vote yes. Vote yes or no with the image you post this week.

Remember to ONLY use constructive criticism if we go that route. Don't simply say you like it or hate it. Explain what you like/dislike about it, then add what might help it to be better image in a positive way. If you like an image and want to know how it was done, just ask. That is a great way to learn as well.


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## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Yes on CC.


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

I recognize this one! I like the shallow DOF that blurs the background and really makes the subject stand out. The generally muted colors give a good feeling for this time of year. Ideally, I would prefer a somewhat crisper focus on the bird. Have not decided if the loop of vine (wire?) gives an additional element of interest or distracts me from the bird.

I know, no fair that I have not posted one to critique. I will do so hopefully later today.


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## Shed Hunter (Mar 14, 2006)

*Egret*

Egret at zoo.


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## chicapesca (Jun 7, 2004)

Yes on CC.


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

I would like to give and receive CC. I will give my CC after the last photo has been posted, and all in one posting (thus saving post costs for Mont).


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## Slip (Jul 25, 2006)

Vote for yes,

Sunset on Lake Champlain, Vermont


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Click image for a larger version.

Feel free to critique. I can post the jpeg straight out of the camera for comparison later as well.

Does the injunction on explanations also apply to EXIF data? I thought posting EXIF data might be helpful in some cases.


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

chicapesca said:


> Yes on CC.


I really like your use of color/B&W effects on this shot. The composition effectively focuses on the subject as well.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

*Fred Hartman Bridge...*

Shot today 1/09/2007 in Baytown.
CC welcome
Mike


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## Shed Hunter (Mar 14, 2006)

*Cc*

I can take it better than I can dish it out. I will be kind and go with CC. It is really the only way one can learn anything. Every one just has to remember to take it with a grain of salt.
SH


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

MT Stringer said:


> Shot today 1/09/2007 in Baytown.
> CC welcome
> Mike


I like the dramatic lighting. I do find it a bit blown out in the highlights and maybe a bit too dark in the darker areas. I know that adds to the dramatic contrast so I am not sure if it would lose impact if the contrast were dialed down a bit.

Overall, a very nice composition and a different take on what I am sure in the hands of many would be an ordinary photo.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

Thanks for the feedback, Charles. It was very bright and sunny. I struggled with the sun in the viewfinder while making adjustments to the camera and the fact that the mosquitos were out in force and about to eat me up!  .

I shot several exposures and hope to try a HDR to see if it looks any different/better. Resizing the pic for posting also was disappointing, even after a tad bit of sharpening. It just looks too dark. The larger version looks pretty good. If I get a break, I may tinker with the shots tonight at work.

Mike


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

If you shoot RAW, that might be one of the instances where you can make a minor exposure adjustment to the RAW image and get some benefit. My entry in the "Best of '06" was an intentionally underexposed sunrise shot that I post-processed to keep some of the finer detail that would have blown out in a average-weighted exposure shot.

Still as you know any time the sun is in the frame you have problems with overloading sensors. I do think the image came out very nice, just trying to see if there is anything that would improve it. The shadows/highlights adjustment in Photoshop can make a big difference so long as the picture retains the detail originally.

With mine I usually have at least a dozen easy ways to imprive them in hind sight!


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

*Natalie, my grandaughter*

re CC OK 
p.s. I know I should have gotten rid of the angular molding and the rug line...somehow, but my skills with PS are limited. Rich


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## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Shed Hunter - I like this un-obstructive image especially since I know it was taken at the zoo. It doesn't look "zooish" (if that's a word). The only thing I see is that your white balance might be slightly off or at least it looks that way on my monitor. The white needs a bit more pop.

Chicapesca - Like the composition and the almost duo-tone look with that peach color sky. Very easy and pleasing to look at. The only distracting thing I notice it that the tree to the right of your image is cut-off on the right side. I would have liked to see the entire tree included.

Karen - Like your framing with the two forward tree trunks, upper hanging leaves and flower garden. Leads my eye directly to that gorgeous bay window. The reflection off the glass adds to the overall scenery then my eye races through the house and out the back window making me want to know what the heck is on the other side.  I wish that tree trunk on the left had been in focus while the tree trunk on the right could have been a little brighter. There are a few hot spots that could be toned down... bottom right, between right trunk and column and upper section between the trunks.

slip knot - Very interesting shot. If your intent was to get a full circle sunburst in your image, then disregard most of what I'm about to say. The setting and scene is gorgeous but the overall image needs a little pop (color crispness) to it. Do you use any photo editing software? The dead center horizon with a dead center sun breaks all the rule of thirds imagery but that may have been the only way to get a full circle sunburst in your image. I would have preferred a lower horizon with the sun slightly left or right of center. See below.

CH - Really like this outdoor portrait shot of the kids. Beautiful high and low horizon and background scenery. Gives a good feeling of depth. The highlights on their hairs make them stand out as well. Only thing I see that might help improve it is to lighten up their faces a tad.

Mike - Great looking image, composition and framing. Can't add much more than CH and yourself already pointed out. Unfortunately, down sizing always creates a softer image that needs to be sharpened before posting. I always copy the image into a new layer, then Filter> Sharpen that layer. If it's over sharpened at this point, I adjust/lower the opacity of that layer until it looks right. My final step is to merge them together and Save to Web.

richg99 - What can I say... it's a wall hanger. Very nice.


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## Slip (Jul 25, 2006)

Thanks for the CC. Yes, I took several which did not have full circle and thought this was most interesting. One other had a little prism effect in it but this one seemed to have most change with the prism but was not entirely all planned to begin with. Thanks for the CC and agree. Use PhotoImpact, but did not do anything to it on this photo. In color crispness, do you mean saturation? When I tried to adjust the image while taking photo, I started losing the effect of prism so yes, I did it dead center and in just a very short time, I lost the effect while taking more photos of same scene. Seems like I just happened to hit the timing just right for this photo. Your adjustment looks good however, thanks.


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

Sorry, but when I click on the link in the first post Ray, it doesn't show anything up for me. I was looking for dates when to start commenting. I'll just add mine in now as others have 

Ray, I love the colours, the softening of the background. I like the added interest of the branch it's standing on, the loop to the right and the twigs behind. I find it really interesting how many of the birds/animals that are photographed and shown here seem to blend with their surroundings. I love that the colours are shared around like this. Awesome photo. The black frame is the only thing I'm unsure of. It's very harsh, even with the internal small white frame. Perhaps that's a good thing as it make the background of the photo seem all the more soft. Be interesting to see it with different frames. Thanks for sharing this one. 

SH and the egret, I love the colours in this also. I like how the egret is not stark white and that it has shadows and depth to its body. I also like that I can see the whole bird and what it's standing on. I like the greens in the background. I don't know if this is technically possible but... I like the clarity of the top of the bird, and my amateur untrained eye expected to be able to see the legs and feet with the same clarity. I'm not sure if it's my computer monitor playing up or if the focus is slightly out. On the whole, a lovely photo with plenty of character showing in the subject. Thank you for posting this one. 

chicapesca - Nice boat! Shouldn't it be in water or something? Planning on sailing a green sea for a while?  Sorry it just struck me as funny.  I like what you've done with this photo. _Almost_ that old fashioned sepia look, but not quite. I like the subject, and the environment (as it's unexpected). I like the clarity of the photo and the thin black frame around the edge. I wonder if it would have more impact if it were straight black and white. I almost expect to see an old fishing rod hanging off the end of the boat. Great photo. Thanks for sharing. 

slip knot - I love this photo as the round 'thingee' (note my professional labelling?  ) really gives the sunset a punchy impact.

...got visitors, will come back and finish this shortly


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## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

Thanks to a ditzy family turning up over the last half hour, the rest of the critique that I had in here ready to post, will not post as it was past the 60 minute mark. grrrr x 100 <--- putting it mildly.


cont.

slip knot - like I was saying, I love this photo. I like how the boats and the moorings are off-centre. I would leave the photo as it is and perhaps use some of the colours in the 'ring', in the matt and frame and then I'd hang it up on my wall.  Thanks for sharing this photo. 

Charles - What beautiful grins! I'm grinning now too! I love this photo. I like the unexpected lines - the top of the mountain range going dead straight, the curve in the river edge(?) etc. I was going to suggest flipping the photo over, trimming back some of that bush that's on the right (as it is now), but then realised that you'd lose the distance of the far set of mountains. So leave it as it is. My eye follows the white curve and comes to the girls. Awesome. Thanks for sharing. 

Mike - Great photo! I like the soft lines in the sky, and the silhouette of the bridge. I love the colours. I think that I'd like to see some definition of shapes/silhouettes in the darkness on the bottom right. Also, it might be worth thinking about softening the lines of your signature within the photo... can you find a font that is softer (not hard rigid lines) so that it doesn't stand out so stark and so that it carries the softness from the sky down through the picture? Beautiful. Thanks for sharing. 

Rich - I didn't think you were old enough to be a grandfather! Don't you have to be 80+something for that to happen?  Beautiful photo. I love her eyes. I'm glad you chose that colour and shade of pink for the frame. Had you chosen blue, I think that would have dimmed her eyes. I see what you mean about the lines in the background, the walls and the carpet. Looks like you're going to be learning some new skills.  Is there perhaps a way of muting those... fuzzing(?) them and yet keeping your grandaughter clean and clear? The colours would be good to keep. Lovely photo, thanks for sharing. 


What an awesome experience to be able to critique other people's photos. Thank you all so much, it's been a great lesson for me and I've enjoyed it. I can't wait until next week's bunch is up.


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## galvetraz (Nov 29, 2005)

BBQ anyone?


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Thanks for the input. I was shooting RAW+JPEG and just for comparison purposes this is the unedited JPEG:


I could definitely have used more light on their faces but if you read my report of the trip with the kids one of the lessons I learned (actually something I knew but "forgot") was how much the cold weather would drag down my batteries, so always pack your charger because all those Christmas pictures you took with the flash used up your battery even though it showed it was fine, and you cannot rely on your back-up batteries in cold weather! My flash was unreliable due to low batteries so no fill flash (I was lucky to get the shot).

I cropped it quite a bit but left it the way it is in my first post to maintain what I thought were important background elements.

I was pleased with the results but would have preferred no shadows on the ground or in the faces.

Just for grins, this is the EXIF data:

Full EXIF Info

Date/Time 
01-Jan-2007 11:07:19

Make 
Nikon

Model 
NIKON D70

Flash Used 
No

Focal Length 
50 mm

Exposure Time 
1/320 sec

Aperture 
f/9

ISO Equivalent 
200

Exposure Bias

White Balance

Metering Mode 
matrix (5)

JPEG Quality

Exposure Program 
program (2)

Focus Distance

Thanks for taking the time ti look at it!


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