The magic half hour

[SimonBl]

Hi all,

My first post in these forums, so please be gentle with me! :confused:

I returned home after an 18 hour day today (up at 4am) to quickly develop a couple of photos from my day trip to the North West of Western Australia.

I didn't have time to take any photos until I was on the way back out to the airport at 1700 and just had to park the car by the side of the road, find a hillock (not easy if you know the Pilbara at all) and take these during 20 minutes or so of beautiful light courtesy of the setting sun. I had a hell of a job keeping my shadow out of these!

Please give me your opinions. I took these RAW, so will play with them more over the next few days, these are from the full-size JPGs:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44798420/original.jpg

a few minutes later:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44798421/original.jpg

[SWPhotoImaging]

Beautiful.

These will be stunning after you post-process them.

[Leorooster]

Great shots.

[cfcRebel]

I like both of them even w/o any PP. Great job Simon!

[witchy]

Beautiful shots!..The North West is stunning. I haven't been up there for a long long time now but I can't wait until I do and I can take pics..Where abouts exactly did you take these pics?

[MazerRakhm]

Great color.

[dannym]

Excellent images.

[nitsch]

Those red colours are just fantastic! Really stunning shots.

[SimonBl]

Thanks all, appreciate your comments. I really must correct a misconception that I have allowed. These 2 images are post-processed, but only from the large JPG. Not from RAW, which I will do later on.

Witchy, these are taken about 1km north of the Paraburdoo airport, looking towards (about 100km away) Karijini National Park which you may have heard of lately - http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1390771.htm).

I will be back up there for 2 days next week, more to come, however I will be with someone else this time and I'm not sure he'll appreciate my wanderings off into the spinifex to take photos!

Simon....

[jopfin]

The first one is awesome, the colors are very attention getting, great job..........Joe

[SimonBl]

The first one is awesome, the colors are very attention getting, great job..........Joe

Thanks Joe, I will be getting these printed out tomorrow on a Frontier system, so will see how they look with a prospect of getting them printed at 20"x30".

Simon....

[RaymondCheung]

Simon,
They are terrific!!
I will be going to Australia at the end of this year and it will be my first visit there. Australia is a wonderful place:D

[SimonBl]

They are terrific!!

I will be going to Australia at the end of this year and it will be my first visit there. Australia is a wonderful place:D

Thanks Raymond, where are you going in Australia? There are good bits and their are better bits :cool:.

Remember that Oz is about the size of the continental US, so the east side is vastly different to the west (the best bit).

Simon.... (Now watch those East Coasters jump in!)

[GTogs]

Amazing Colors!

[RaymondCheung]

Thanks Raymond, where are you going in Australia? There are good bits and their are better bits :cool:.

Remember that Oz is about the size of the continental US, so the east side is vastly different to the west (the best bit).

Simon.... (Now watch those East Coasters jump in!)

Hi Simon,
I am planning to go to the eastern Australia, first to Cairns for scuba diving, and the final destination at Sydney. Is there any nice driveway along the coast in the East that you can suggest to me?

[SimonBl]

I am planning to go to the eastern Australia, first to Cairns for scuba diving, and the final destination at Sydney. Is there any nice driveway along the coast in the East that you can suggest to me?
I can't really give any advice on the coastal drives in the Sydney region, but you probably should consider going down to Melbourne and do the "Great Ocean Road" drive. Haven't done it myself, but I hear it's a must.

Here's a webpage I found quickly: http://www.greatoceanroad.org/index.asp

I'm sure some of my east coast cousins can assist you more.

Simon....

[weemannie]

Lovely colours and light, well done:)

[RaymondCheung]

I can't really give any advice on the coastal drives in the Sydney region, but you probably should consider going down to Melbourne and do the "Great Ocean Road" drive. Haven't done it myself, but I hear it's a must.

Here's a webpage I found quickly: http://www.greatoceanroad.org/index.asp

I'm sure some of my east coast cousins can assist you more.

Simon....
HI Simon,
Thanks a lot for your valuable information. In fact, this is what I am actually looking for. Cheers:D

[tim]

Nice shots. I might turn the saturation down a little, and maybe play with the white ballance too - they're a bit too intense for my taste.

[SimonBl]

Nice shots. I might turn the saturation down a little, and maybe play with the white ballance too - they're a bit too intense for my taste.

Thanks for the feedback Tim. I will check the originals and 'retune' them this weekend. I will say that the colours are pretty accurate, but I did add about 10% saturation in PS CS, but I find this is the norm for the params I run.

Cheers,

Simon....

[witchy]

Thanks for the feedback Tim. I will check the originals and 'retune' them this weekend. I will say that the colours are pretty accurate, but I did add about 10% saturation in PS CS, but I find this is the norm for the params I run.

Cheers,

Simon....

Don't change them!..they look fantastic just as they are!

I guess unless people have been to the Pilbara they have no idea that EVERYTHING is red up there. Red dust, rocks, everything and the afternoon setting sun would make the colours look intense like this. I still remember my first trip up that way and being blown away by the scenery and how red everything was.

Do you work up there?

[SimonBl]

Don't change them!..they look fantastic just as they are!
I'll recheck the originals, but I am pretty sure I will leave it as is.


I guess unless people have been to the Pilbara they have no idea that EVERYTHING is red up there. Red dust, rocks, everything and the afternoon setting sun would make the colours look intense like this. I still remember my first trip up that way and being blown away by the scenery and how red everything was.
Sometimes it's easy to let the editing change your perception of reality, but I agree that the colours really are this intense. I really, really love that country and could spend weeks there.

Do you work up there?
Not exactly, but I work for one of the mining companies that has numerous sites there and I need to make fairly regular trips in my current role.

Here are some more from the Pilbara with my previous camera (click the thumbnails to enlarge):

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/pannawonica

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/cossack

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/pilbara

and some from one of my few trips to the Kimberley site:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/argyle_sept_2004

I'm really looking forward to revisting these sites with my new camera and new lenses!

I will be back on Wednesday and Thursday next week, along with the 20D. Don't have my 10-22 yet, which is a bit of a shame, but will get the opportunity many more times.

Thanks for the fabulous feedback all, makes me refired to keep going!

Simon....

[SimonBl]

I guess unless people have been to the Pilbara they have no idea that EVERYTHING is red up there. Red dust, rocks, everything and the afternoon setting sun would make the colours look intense like this.

PS: We got a server sent down from one of the inland sites the other day. It was located in one of the plant control rooms and was covered in red dust, inside and out. I will take a photo tomorrow to show all. It's amazing how stuff still works in that environment.

Simon....

[witchy]

I've just had a look at your galleries. You have taken some lovely photos :)

[SimonBl]

I've just had a look at your galleries. You have taken some lovely photos :)

Thanks Witchy, appreciate that. It's certainly interesting for me going back over the last couple of years represented there and seeing how I have matured photographically! Just wish I could go back to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon with my DSLR, but it looks like I may be late next year for a friends wedding... :D

Simon....

[SimonBl]

A couple more images, as promised:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44952302.jpg

and:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44952303.jpg

Both of these are 'blended' images, with 2 JPG 'exposures' taken from the single RAW image. 1 is 'exposed' for the highlights and the other for the lowlights and then the 2 JPG images are merged in Photoshop. I'm pretty happy with the results, particularly with the first one. What do you think?

Simon....

[SimonBl]

Okay, I have a question for you all. The following are 4 images that haven't been finetuned with PS yet, just JPG's created out of the RAW files. Which ones do you think are worth my time editing (cropping, rotating, slight colour and exposure edits, sharpening etc)? I'm going stir crazy here and can't decide:

#1:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44953030.jpg

#2:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44953031.jpg

#3:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44953032.jpg

#4:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/44953033.jpg

If you don't think I should bother with one or any of them, because they don't do anything for you, don't be shy, say so. I need to hear what others think! :lol:

Cheers,

Simon....

[witchy]

Both of these are 'blended' images, with 2 JPG 'exposures' taken from the single RAW image. 1 is 'exposed' for the highlights and the other for the lowlights and then the 2 JPG images are merged in Photoshop. I'm pretty happy with the results, particularly with the first one. What do you think?

I like the second one the best!..I am surprised at seeing so many cars on the road!


Okay, I have a question for you all. The following are 4 images that haven't been finetuned with PS yet, just JPG's created out of the RAW files. Which ones do you think are worth my time editing (cropping, rotating, slight colour and exposure edits, sharpening etc)? I'm going stir crazy here and can't decide:


I like the middle 2 the best but they are all nice pics.

[SimonBl]

I like the second one the best!..I am surprised at seeing so many cars on the road!
Peak hour on the Paraburdoo <> Tom Price road, Witchy ;). Seriously though, the flight that leaves the airport just down the road an hour after this was taken is the only one out other than the one that left at 0800 in the morning. One of the cars is mine and the other 2 are probably guys leaving the Para mine heading back home to Tom Price before it gets dark (about 80km).

I like the middle 2 the best but they are all nice pics.
Thanks. You're a lot of help :rolleyes:. Hehe. I guess I'll be doing them all then. What better way to spend a cold weekend?

Hey, guess what? Isn't fate amazing. I was doing some food shopping in Mt Hawthorn this afternoon and came across this fantastic gallery at 152 Scarborough Beach Road called "Red Dust". Any Perthite that likes landscape photography must get along and see it. The fate part? Well, their prints are done with pigment on canvas and look amazing and they will do your own prints for you too! Woohoo. Here I come. I am sure I will sell some prints if I take them into the office looking like that!

Simon.... (All fired up)

[RockOne]

Nice photos Simon. Looks like a great part of Australia - must get there one day :-).

[SimonBl]

Nice photos Simon. Looks like a great part of Australia - must get there one day :-).

It's easy to find, just keep the sun in your eyes!

Simon....

[skade]

Beautiful colours Simon! I know the colours are very rich and intense in the Pilbara area's.