LMSYS III - Photo discussion thread

[KenjiS]

Thanks for the feedback

And the bee is outside the focus plane, He's just not in focus, It was a sorta "lucky" capture....they move a lot so I was using AI Servo + full 8fps bursting to make sure i got keepers despite constant movement from me, the bee, the flower and etc....

And i also had one that was 1/3200 and the bee had motion blur....

[Kristy]

Originally Posted by KenjiS

I find it...hard to understand how people rely on a tripod for macros and that so much I do everything freehand, I'm pretty good with my handholding technique because of that, but i still appreciate the benefits of IS

I also appreciate the fact I can burst at 8fps because the SLIGHTEST movement loves throwing -everything- out of focus

However I do NOT love the quality at f/11 it makes me sad (but thats more having the high pixel density of a 7D D

I agree.. I never can be comfortable with a tripod.. it seems so limiting on the angles that you can use.. so I always hand hold... except once a year on 4th of July when I shoot the fireworks for fun... lol..

why is f11 not acceptable on the 7D? I'm confused....

Originally Posted by lavanut

Here are mine and Harm's comments (in that order). Jon said to go ahead without his for now.

Thanks for the feedback... I know it takes a long time to formulate your words and type them out... the information is vaulable, and as always, I like the perspective through other eyes.

I enjoyed so many of the shots....

Happy Tuesday!

[Cuypers1807]

Thanks to judges for feedback. I haven't been able to shoot lately so my participation will be scattered for the immediate future.

[Jason C]

Kudos for the words...thanks.

I had f/2 and f/2.8 shots as well, and those went into the trash bin.


Jason C

[StitchHessian]

Each to his own of course, but personally...
Iso is too high. pic appears accidentally grainy not intentional and that the shutter speed was to compensate for the Iso (so the iso was not so bright?) was the grain intentional or accidental due to the iso?
I agree with Kristy, it's not a bad shot. i would have cropped a little better to bring your eye away from the "weird bokeh" and towards the subject, which i assume is the leaf and the tree.

[KenjiS]

Originally Posted by Kristy

I agree.. I never can be comfortable with a tripod.. it seems so limiting on the angles that you can use.. so I always hand hold... except once a year on 4th of July when I shoot the fireworks for fun... lol..

why is f11 not acceptable on the 7D? I'm confused....

Personal preference, But the 7D begins to be limited by diffraction at f/8 or so, Personally, i think f/11 has too much loss in sharpness...

To see a demonstration, Take a book or something, focus on it, and take pictures at f/5.6, f/8, and f/11, You'll notice the quality will degrade slightly from f/5.6 to f/8 and majorly when you get to f/11....

[GarryKirsch]

Originally Posted by KenjiS

Personal preference, But the 7D begins to be limited by diffraction at f/8 or so, Personally, i think f/11 has too much loss in sharpness...

To see a demonstration, Take a book or something, focus on it, and take pictures at f/5.6, f/8, and f/11, You'll notice the quality will degrade slightly from f/5.6 to f/8 and majorly when you get to f/11....

I'm relatively new to photography, but I would have thought that each lens has its own optimum range of f-stops, and that it is the lens rather than the camera body that determines this. No?

[Jason C]

Originally Posted by GarryKirsch

I'm relatively new to photography, but I would have thought that each lens has its own optimum range of f-stops, and that it is the lens rather than the camera body that determines this. No?

Lenses do have their optimal apertures, but what Kenji states is correct. It has to do with the resolving power of the camera's sensor; more pixels means reaching a lenses optical limits.

The following is a cut-n-paste from "The Digital Picture"

"* DLA (Diffraction Limited Aperture) is the result of a mathematical formula that approximates the aperture where diffraction begins to visibly affect image sharpness at the pixel level. Diffraction at the DLA is only barely visible when viewed at full-size (100%, 1 pixel = 1 pixel) on a display or output to a very large print. As sensor pixel density increases, the narrowest aperture we can use to get perfectly pixel sharp images gets wider.

DLA does not mean that narrower apertures should not be used - it is simply the point where image sharpness begins to be compromised for increased DOF and longer exposures. And, higher resolution sensors generally continue to deliver more detail well beyond the DLA than lower resolution sensors - until the "Diffraction Cutoff Frequency" is reached (a much narrower aperture). The progression from sharp the soft is not an abrupt one - and the change from immediately prior models to new models is usually not dramatic. Check out this specific diffraction comparison example using the ISO 12233 chart comparison tool. The mouseover feature will show you the degradation at f/11 compared to f/5.6."

[Cuypers1807]

My 150mm Schneider L goes to f/64!

[airfrogusmc]

We have the winners from last week. Sorry for the delay. I was out of town all weekend and had a very busy shooting day today.

HM goes to Big K

3rd place goes to Skrim17

2nd goes to thatkatmat

and the WINNER IS Jason C father.....

I will post mine and Hanks thoughts in a bit.

[airfrogusmc]

Heres my thoughts
Jason C.....
My fav of the week. Father and the missing place at the table show father is no longer there. The shadow on the wall almost looks like the shadow father would cast it he were there telling me that he might not be there physically but he did cast a long shadow over those that are there physically. So he still is there as long as we are willing to look and those at the table are willing to keep him alive in their hearts. Really nice job of not shooting the obvious and making me the viewer think. Great job.

bohdank.....
Technically it seems a bit dark but to me there is no action and in these kinds of images I really think there needs to be something going on. Since I can't hear the music I wish I could feel it through the photograph.

a_roadbiker....
I do like the cool warm color thing going on but the tilted horizon is killing this image for me.

soulful2001....
I think I might like this a little better if the background weren't so bright on the left side of the frame. Maybe if it were completely filled in with vegetation Not sure what is trying to be communicated, different textures, a juxtaposition of forms

thatkatmat....
Nice color, good exposure and I even like the DoF. I'm not sure about the composition. Pretty straight forward and you see a lot of things here real similar. I think it would have worked better for me if the flower were a bit higher in the frame and off the the right a bit more. Also another real nit pik the almost sharp leaf or blade in the bottom right of the frame. I would clone that out. Nice flower shot.

GarryKirsch.....
THis looks just a bit over sharpened to me and there seems to be a lot of little white dots everywhere in the b/g. The eye so close to center is not my favorite placement. Nice separation from the background.

Big K.....
Looks a bit flat (lacking contrast) to me. OK stage shot.

Skrim.....
Nice shot of a cat though those eyes so close to center bugs me a bit.

Harm....
This shot really does little for me though I did see the humor in it. Maybe clone or crop put the strip of green at the top. I do find that not helping.

Thats how I see it.

[airfrogusmc]

Heres how Hank saw it
Jason C - I found myself saving comments on this image until last because I can’t quite describe what I am picking up from this image as well as I would prefer. I sense that it has a strong significance to it based on the title. It certainly has an ethereal feel to it: the title, the chair (is it a rocker?) the dual shadow that possibly represents two people (father and son?); and then there is the reflected glint of light on the wall and deeper shadow area in the lower left. They all add up to a compelling image. I cannot say why I like it, but I do. So I guess that’s where I’ll stop attempting to define why.

bohdank - I like the B&W conversion and the exposure is OK, but other than that I am not connecting with this image. Maybe it’s the side shot or the fact that I can’t see faces or the moment is too static for me, but it lacks a particular dynamic for a musical event – I just don’t feel like a participant as much as a spectator with this image.

a_roadbiker - Welcome to the contest Jim – nice first effort. I like the intent but the wooden ramp structure is too prominent for my taste – I don’t know if you really intended for it to be a major focal point of your landscape since it’s a 13 sec exposure, but there it is. Horizon is tilted to the right, which is a quick fix. Overall I would say it’s a starting point for future efforts as you define what you want your image to convey. In this case, I am asking myself if you want me to pay attention to the water/skyline, the grass/beach, or that structure.

soleful2001 - I very much like the unusual theme of this shot! How many people think of shooting a bowling ball with an iris patch as the BG? A little too bright on the left but it also acts as a break in the image by dividing the shot into thirds, albeit in an unconventional manner. I think the artwork on the bowling ball adds something extra as well. Overall, I think it’s a fun and creative image and my favorite of the week.

thatkatmat - Gorgeous bokeh really allows this flower to pop. Colors are rich and well exposed with nice detail. A little centered and that little tip in the lower left seems to keep catching my eye for some reason.

GarryKirsch - Nicely detailed and a pleasing background. Unfortunately, the harshness of the light along the back and wings in particular spots become more of a focal point than they should – and those wings really reflect a lot of silvery light. Also, pretty noisy in the shadowy area, lower left (I’m guessing a substantial crop?) I still like the shot and I “plant” sticks in my back garden to get them to perch for me. Bumper crop of dragons this year!

Big K - I like this shot. This one seems to pull me in a bit more and I can get a sense of the music, and the guitarist, looking into this image. I hesitate to compare photos (or photographers) directly, but this shot has me a bit more involved than the other concert image this week. It’s missing just a bit of contrast for some extra “oomph” but that’s about it. I like the crop (or just the subject placement if there isn’t any significant cropping.)

Skrim17 - I’m guessing you mean you’re testing your new light as in “finished remodeling project?” If so, the light is very good and that makes this entry a nice, natural light animal portrait. I just wish my dog would be so nonchalant about me photographing him.

Harm - Poking a little fun at our northern cousins…lol. I don’t follow hockey since the North Stars were stolen from Minnesota, but I appreciate the whimsy here. I was always a fan of the Blackhawks and the Bruins in the 70’s. I always wanted to be Tony Esposito. I never learned how to skate…OK, enough daydreaming. I am somewhat neutral on this image and I understand it wasn’t meant to make a statement, just a fun capture in a city park (?) that ultimately makes you smile and kind of laugh to yourself because someone took a few minutes to fabricate that makeshift jersey. I wonder how long it stayed there like that.
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[Harm]

Thanks for the comments guys. I didn't have anything available that was new last week, so I just put that in for a laugh

[airfrogusmc]

Originally Posted by Harm

Thanks for the comments guys. I didn't have anything available that was new last week, so I just put that in for a laugh

It worked I gotta chuckle.

[Harm]

Unfortunately, the place was too busy for me to lay down and take a photo from down below, that could actually be something worthy of this competition.

They - the City of Boston - decorate those ducks depending on the time of the year. My guess is, that they will be decked out pretty soon for the 4th July. I will try again