My First 300D RAW photos

[tofuboy]

http://photography.tofuboy.net/Mt_Rainier/Sunrise/

The above link is for some photos I took with my drebel in RAW mode. It was my first time trying the RAW format out. I like the extra control you get of your photos for post processing, but it took me some time to get the photos converted (I think it's time for a new computer x_x).

I'm looking for comments on the realism of the end results (ie: saturation, sharpness, color, etc). Feel free to offer other comments/critiques on composition and other photographic features as well. And any suggestions for post processing procedures that I may have missed.

The first 5 images were taken with the ef-s 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens with uv and polarizing filters

The rest of the images were taken with the ef 28-135 f3.5-5.6 lens with a uv filter.

I'll post the exif data (focal length, Av, Tv, ISO) if requested... especially if someone can tell me how to view that from the RAW format without having to open the file...

[Leighow]

Good for you and the UV filters. I should use something similar in similar light on my G2 -- camera and I, we get the blues!


FOREWORD
In general I had no prob with color and sat. All looks good to me. There was a bit of blue and haze in some, perhaps due (as I see it) to mid-day bright light shooting. I only have a G2 and tend to avoid mid-day as I am unable to control same and prefer the saturation one sees before dusk when guided by the G2's histogram.

CRITIQUE FRAMEWORK
So too, over the past 2 years I have tried a variety of critique frameworks. Some members seem to appreciate that effort , others don't . So today I will keep it short and build on an idea of Michael Reichmann's at his Luminous Landscape website, namely
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/abstracting.shtml
where he suggest that we all take either:
- Snapshots,
- Postcards or
- Images.
He describes the "rationale" for each category in the above article.

NOTE
I review your 13 images, and 1.1 refres to the photo at Row1 Column 1, I was impressed with several photos

POSTCARDS:
1. 3 (Snow topped Mountain Fields): I love the contrast in colors. the whites of the mountains, the grasses, the wildflowers. The rock faces seem a bit blue, the way shadows can appear in the snow with my G2. I suspect that it is legit, but I believe that the eye corrects these. Probably due to the mid-day sun. I ran into tons of this same thing in the Saguenay Fjord.

2.1 (Portrait of a Mountain): This is a lovely portrait. But the shadows detract a bit. But the comp is fine.

2.3:(Glacial Till?) I liked this -- is it a raw look at a glacier. Its rugged. The comp could use a stonger subject. The strong light and reflections are hard to deal with.

IAMGE 3.4 (The Lodge)
This is a true beauty, color sat is bang on. The reds in the sky, the clarity of the light and the sharpness. The light remains very bright here too, but is behind the camera and that may have reduced the infiltartion of side light. The cars take away a bit . Perhaps a chance for a different angle and perhaps up higher on this hill. Comp might not need all the "loose" trees on the left. That said, , the jagged mountains peaks say it all, plus the odd cloud just floats by and adds. A wonderful shot, Great advertising poster for Sunrise (as I recall).

I guess that it time for me to stop yapping and to see if I can get beyond Snapshots myself! Seee Yah!

[tofuboy]

Thanks for the comments. I read a few of the essays on that one website and found them to be of value. From that one you posted, I find myself taking 'snapshots' and 'postcards'... If one of my 'postcard' shots turns out to be an 'image', then it's my lucky day :)

I am constantly learning, and find that just when I get a good grasp of one element, another one pops up. I think that next element is lighting. Hopefully I can learn how to be patient and wait for the right lighting, and learn how to deal with the harshness (or lack there of) of it when waiting isn't an option... at least in outdoor photography.

[Leighow]

Of course -- you are fine photographer as it is ... BUT ... not all mid-day scsnery gives you a great image.

One of your best was taken at Otter Falls -- the talls trees inthe mist. Now there is light and nature -- just as if you were there.

I too, have clicked away at Aspen,inthe Gatineau Hils, etc.... but .. if the scene is just not taking off, then another day will bring the opportunity.

In once sense photography is easy enough -- just P & S -- but nature's the target has to be a knockout .

[Sailor Don]

I couldn't find the sunrise in any of your photos. Only in the title. Where's the sunrise? What time of day were these pictures taken?


Great photos. I lost count, but somewhere around the umpteenth :) photo, There was a mountain chalet with a parking lot full of cars. The cars really didn't add to the scene. The sky seems to have too much red near the horizon and then transitions directly to blue. Doesn't look right. all the others are really good photos. Excellent realism.

[Hellashot]

Unfortunately you don't have your images numbered. I would have liked to see the 83.4kb image with a polarizing filter. As it is it is superb.

Hellashot