Reprocessed.. Night Heron.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I just thought I'd share this little trip down memory lane...

As we learn more about taking photos we can get better results.. the same is true of learning the software and techniques in post processing.

One of the images that was a "breakthrough" for me (at least in my mind) was of a night heron at sunset.

This was the first real chance I had ever had to get such a clear image in that "golden time" and it was a true lesson in why timing and lighting combine to be "everything"

I posted it here a little over a year ago now.. thinking that my Sigma 50-500mm was the best lens ever and that the extra time I had taken using a RAW image to start with was the best Post processing I had ever done. (at the time I was VERY new to working with RAW files)

Well I looked at that reduced jpeg in my gallery the other day and said to myself ,. I said "self,.. you didn't have a clue did you?"

So I found the RAW file and did a new conversion.. fixed the very ODD crop I had selected..

It's not that the first try was junk.. but it certainly could stand some guidance from the now more experienced CDS

Perhaps in a year I will dig it up and try again :)

Anyway.. I thought it sort of shows one of the advantages to digital in general and RAW as well.. we can always tweak some more.


http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yfdh4c&outx=600&noresize=1

It has replaced the original in my gallery.. but I moved the old one elsewhere so I could post the difference.

http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yf42k1&outx=600&noresize=1

[JMAS]

I had never seen the first.

Much better now, indeed. Crop and post processing.

It's a lovelly photo.


Jaime

[wolverinesr1]

yes much better now. this makes a great argument for always saving the raw files. i've noticed i am picking more up from processing raw. i just recently started using raw.i had the dreb probably 2 months before i got the courage to switch out of green box mode. i just have to keep pushing myself into new
territory, or go back to P&S.(never)
jeff

[Scottes]

Yep, much better.

A year though... I've been trying not to re-process on a monthly basis. I never use layers when I process. I have no way to back out or tweak. It's just that I know that I can do a better job just by going through the process again. I learn better processing techniques on a monthly, if not weekly basis.


Some time ago I collected my best photos at that time, processed and prepared them all for my web site. My web site project has been progressing VERY slowly. (Summer is not a good time to decide to do a large project like this.) I started processing the images on May 23, and I'm almost done with the "look" of the website. I figure that I have 2 more months to go, possibly 3.

I *already* want to re-process all the images, all 188 of them. And I have at least another 100 to add that I've taken since I started. And I don't do batch processing...

Sometimes I ain't too bright.

[LazyPhotographer]

Yup, much better. :D

This could be a really interesting thread - each person post 2 pics. One from "way back when" and one from how much better we are today .. either from the post processing point of view or just picture taking in general.

[drisley]

Excellent picture.
I totally agree with everything you said in your post CDS.
When I look at some of my "old" stuff from the past couple of years, "you didnt have a clue did you?" is something I think to myself often.

[JZaun]

Excellent CDS, it id show that you did do better the second time and you may make a raw shooter out of me yet :?

JZ

[CDickinson]

Thanks for posting about looking backwards! Sometimes I do it weekly and think the exact same thing! In fact, I've thought I didnt have a clue the second I look at the downloads!

C

[CyberDyneSystems]

Yup, much better. :D

This could be a really interesting thread - each person post 2 pics. One from "way back when" and one from how much better we are today .. either from the post processing point of view or just picture taking in general.

Any takers?

[cosworth]

There is a photograph hiding in every picture.