-= T2i / 550D users UNITE! (4) =-

[waterrockets]

You should check out the tutorial videos from the Adobe site. They will clear it right up for you.

[EDIT] Here's a starting point: http://tv.adobe.com/search/?q=lightr...justment+brush [/EDIT]

[jamganz]

Originally Posted by Mitch.A

Jamg : beautiful shots , 1 & 2 are my favs because of that delicious colorful bokeh

Thanks Mitch. Bokeh courtesy of the 70-200 f4 IS!

[quote=KILLERCLOWN;14886746]

Originally Posted by jamganz

bee movie....
Beeautiful colours and bokeh!

Thanks Killer. Appreciate it.

[Dirby]

[quote=grumpy366;14886342]

Originally Posted by KILLERCLOWN

Not at all ..looks a lot better - Thanks KC

fantastic that you got the wings not moving.

[bobobird]

Cool shots grumpy.

Jamz - bee shots are superb.

Mitch - some of your best yet.

Vin - another beautiful shot of a lovely lady. FB you say? You must have lots of coverage.

Thanks kuku, Sean - it was fun.

Mitch - NatGeo? You are joking right? But thanks for the compliment.

[Mitch.A]

Originally Posted by bobobird

Mitch - some of your best yet.

Mitch - NatGeo? You are joking right? But thanks for the compliment.

Thanks i'm really excited about my next project , it's something different than what i usually shoot . i still haven't processed any shots (other than the teaser) , because i'm still thinking about how to approach it . I might collaborate with a couple of friends to create something more journalistic .

and no , i'm not kidding , i don't follow the print version of Nat geo , but your shot would surely make the readers' photos section (or whatever it is called) .

by the way , do you guys follow the nat geo live youtube channel ? it has very interesting stuff . I love the work of Matthias klum , check out these videos :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dFW04y9B6c&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5h1fRT6qNk

[Mitch.A]

and one more shot from my "people of Montreal" series :


The poeple of Montreal by Michel-A., on Flickr

[jamganz]

Originally Posted by Mitch.A

A teaser of my upcoming project :
and 2 shots from last month that i didn't have the chance to post :

I'm curious already Mitch! You should have a go at that Ivy covered bldg on the corner of that street.

[hyogen]

Originally Posted by waterrockets

You should check out the tutorial videos from the Adobe site. They will clear it right up for you.

[EDIT] Here's a starting point: http://tv.adobe.com/search/?q=lightr...justment+brush [/EDIT]

thank you

[Diamonddec]

Hi guys.

Long time looker, first time poster.

Here are a few people shots from my holiday in Spain earlier this month ...

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.






.

[Brain Mechanic]

Excellent shot everyone. Diamonddec love that 3rd one! Welcome!

Rainy day today so.....wet birdie.



Color:



B/W:

[Diamonddec]

Much appreciated, BM ... Thanks!

[Mitch.A]

Originally Posted by jamganz

I'm curious already Mitch! You should have a go at that Ivy covered bldg on the corner of that street.

Thanks , hopefully i'll be able to finish it somewhere next week .

Diamonddec

Welcome those are great shots , you have an eye for composition but i've never been a fan of selective colors (but that's a personal preference) . Oh ! and i miss Barcelona , one of my favorite places on earth .

Brain : Love the first 2

[hyogen]

Originally Posted by Diamonddec

Hi guys.

1.


4.


5.

.

#1: Hmm....my friend is always ragging on me about how bokeh is overused (me being no exception according to him). What do you/everyone think about this one? Did the hands need to be out of focus? The hands and face look pretty much on the same plane, so the Dof must've been pretty shallow.

I dunno. I probaby will never tire of that sexy schmexy bokeh

#4 looks kinda like Richard Gere...lol

I iike the selective coloring in #5 and will have to try it out myself I guess as long as you don't overdo something..

[Marm O. Set]

Originally Posted by hyogen

...my friend is always ragging on me about how bokeh is overused (me being no exception according to him).

You know how I loooove to talk

YES. Bokeh (which I will refer to as shallow Depth of Field or Shallow DOF) is overused. By some.

Shallow DOF is a tool. Like any tool it can easily be overdone or overused... just look at HDR, selective coloring, rule of thirds, perfect focus, sharpening sliders in photoshop, saturation sliders in photoshop, Photoshop in general, composing to reduce visual clutter, etc. Compounding the problem is the fact that the lenses used to get shallow DOF are expensive and therefore the owners are in an "exclusive club." When someone steps up from a point and shooot, they buy a Rebel that comes with an 18-55. They marvel at the relative shallow DOF. Then they buy a nifty fifty and the shallowness blows them away; they can now visually say "I have an expensive camera.". So we have to factor in the novelty factor as well. All these things combined create an aura around fast primes that, quite frankly, some photographers never progress past. Every photo follows the same formula: subject placed on the rule of thirds grid, shot wide open, sharpened and saturated to death. There is a time and a place for this style shot. That time and place is NOT *every photo you ever take.*

→Shallow DOF is a useful tool for guiding the viewer's eye in the direction you want it to go.
→Shallow DOF is a useful tool for simplifying a very distracting background.
→Shallow DOF is a useful tool for softening harsh features in a portrait.
→Shallow DOF is a useful tool for creating a dreamy aura in a composition.
→Shallow DOF is a useful tool for creating the illusion of depth in an otherwise 2D image.

→Shallow DOF IS NOT the crutch that supports your entire repertoire of shots.

My 2 cents worth.

[marubozo]

Originally Posted by hyogen

#1: Hmm....my friend is always ragging on me about how bokeh is overused (me being no exception according to him). What do you/everyone think about this one? Did the hands need to be out of focus? The hands and face look pretty much on the same plane, so the Dof must've been pretty shallow.

I think it largely depends on the background. In number 1, there is no background but the blue sky, so there's no need to use a shallow DOF to isolate the subject. In this case since the person is basically the only thing in the photo, he should be completely in focus.

Then if you look at number 4, you've got a subject with a busy background and a lot of similar colors. Without the shallow DOF and milky bokeh, the photo wouldn't work because the face wouldn't be separated from the background enough to make it stand out.

It's true that a lot of newer photographers get caught up in using wide apertures to get that bokeh when playing with their camera, but with more practice and constructive critiques they will learn when using bokeh is essential to pull off the shot and when it's more appropriate to concentrate on getting more of the image sharp instead.