The Thirtieth Random Discussion for (TPB)M (and may they R.I.P.)

Pretty train pictures Didier.

Nice, Didier

sevillafox wrote in post #8785266
WOOL someone posted in the 5D thread to not use the sensor pen and go for eclipse swabs.

HELP!!!!

I have slurm the size of UFOs in my skies (ask diane...it's bad) and I need to get it cleaned off!!!

If you have Canon clean your sensor, they use a Lenspen Sensorklear. You can use eclipse and swabs...but it is more work and more expense....I've also discovered that after cleaning the sensor a couple of times with a sensorklear...that it doesn't seem to get dirty as fast as it used to.

DDA wrote in post #8785643
On your politics test, I did 40% I'm not american though....

Here is a small train rant for you. Those are the last shots from my August trip. All were taken from the train going back home...


This is a beautiful viaduct (called Landwasser viaduct), part of Unesco's world heritage list. It was unfortuantely under renovation. Here is how it looks like for real... (65m high and 136m long six-arched curved single-tracked viaduct)

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More info about this particular train line: http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/Rhaetian_Railwa​y

Wow! kewl shots! I like these two especially.

Woolburr wrote in post #8785807
.. You can use eclipse and swabs...but it is more work and more expense....I've also discovered that after cleaning the sensor a couple of times with a sensorklear...that it doesn't seem to get dirty as fast as it used to.

The sensor wand and pec pad is much less expensive, about .25 a cleaning or so. I too have noticed that once wet cleaned, the blower seems to clean it much easier.

Thanks guys. A car is indeed on the tracks There is just a wagon between said car and tracks

As for sensor cleaning, I'm ashamed to say that I've never cleaned my sensor with anything else than a rocket blower I'm too afraid of busting it And I can't bring it to Canon as they charge you 100$ for the cleaning, even if you bring it yourself

DDA wrote in post #8785997
..And I can't bring it to Canon as they charge you 100$ for the cleaning, even if you bring it yourself

YIKES that's outrageous..

Yep!

Didier, it isn't hard to clean it....even wet cleaning...1st time you're nervous as everyone says "you don't want to scratch anything"...but if oyu do things properly, you won't ever have a problem. Then after that, it is so easy you do it with your eyes closed!

Permagrin wrote in post #8785068
I promise, I'm not looking for pats on the back. I really am not. I'm just at a crossroads of sorts.

Things make me think...all the time. I was just as moved to examine my work when Neil posted his wedding shots as I was when I was watching the JA thing last night. Neil managed to shoot, process, post & make a book in record time. Why? Because his shots were technically correct. They looked great. THAT'S huge. I know it comes with experience. I'm only...I dunno how long I've had a camera...but maybe 4 years. I'd have to go look at the dates. When I was in school I took classes...but it was all b&w film 35mm stuff. The only thing I really remember from that was the stuff we used to do in the darkroom when the teacher wasn't present.

For months now I've been at the "I either need to move forward with this business" or "stop it all together". I've been trying to assess whether I've got the skills to really invest more than hobby time to this. That's all. It's just hard to make a decision.

I told Cat, two weddings ago that I was going to quit. I meant it too. Too many disasters/frustrations​.

If I could pinpoint where I go wrong, that would help. I shoot the same way every time. Two weddings ago, was such a frustrating wedding for me. And I spent almost 2 months "fixing it". It was also bad lighting. Either harsh sun or dappled forest bright and darks. Then my last wedding was perfect. Like my first wedding was. I dunno.

Anyway, sorry for thinking aloud. I'm just as confused as ever.

We all have bad days... I came back from the airshow this weekend pretty unhappy with what I got. The light was wrong, there was too much crap in front of us, and too many people in the media area. All of this caused me to lose my focus toward the end of the day and I ended up blowing what could have been the shot of the day. I wasn't watching my setting as it got darker and I ended up shooting this at 1/80th of a second so the jets weren't as sharp as they could be.

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JWright wrote in post #8786059
We all have bad days... I came back from the airshow this weekend pretty unhappy with what I got. The light was wrong, there was too much crap in front of us, and too many people in the media area. All of this caused me to lose my focus toward the end of the day and I ended up blowing what could have been the shot of the day. I wasn't watching my setting as it got darker and I ended up shooting this at 1/80th of a second so the jets weren't as sharp as they could be.

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Perhaps you need to take a break from weddings for a while and concentrate on some other aspect of photography. You are a superb landscape and wildlife photographer. Give that a try. With your processing skills, you could do wonderfully at it.

It took me years before I realized I had a knack for aviation photography. I tried wedding, portraits, wildlife and a bunch of other stuff until I discovered aircraft.

That's a great shot! I really like it.

Thanks. That's not even processed, just a jpeg conversion of the original RAW. The point I was trying to make was that even those of us that have been doing this photography thing for a long time can make mistakes...

BearLeeAlive wrote in post #8785311
Hi Didier, nice buy.

The Outlander series has a wee twist of sci-fi, but only a very small part. It is really a very good series, have a look.

Lisa, I think we all operate that way, in one form or another. Not only with photography, but all events in life. It is best to just do your best, and try to be happy with it. If I suffered my shortcomings too much, I woulda had to jump off a high bridge by now. We do learn by which you speak though, we just should not sweat it too much. I know, easy for me to say because I am not you, but it is my thought on it.

I'lI check it out.
*looks for bridge*

Harm wrote in post #8785312
The way I see things from many on these forums is that you can take a photo....and you know that you have PS to fall back on should your images turn out like crap...I know I do when I take a photo and it is too dark or something...but since I don't have PS or most other softwares to your levels, I end up concentrating more on getting the photo right so I have minimal needs for a computer (and you know how often I complain about this heap of crap)...

In your field though, the time you have to make sure the photo is right 1st time is pretty much nil, since you're doing weddings and people don't wait for a photographer...all you can do is practice. That is not to say "don't use PS at all, ever".

Try an experiment, where you try practicing / a project on something and know that you cannot use PS to correct any images. See how that goes. Sure the 1st time they may come out rubbish, but at least you know at the base on how to make them better next time...

Just my tuppence worth of thoughts (and not bird food)

I appreciate your non-bird food tuppence Harm. I really appreciate what everyone is saying.

neil_r wrote in post #8785387
I think I said that to somebody yesterday

LOL!! I KNEW I'd heard it before.

j/k It is important. Trying to find the balance btw. making them happy and me happy has got to be a possibility too. At least, I'm hoping it is.

gjl711 wrote in post #8785443
Nice post, but I'm not sure if I fully agree with your conclusions.
This post made me think.

Absolutely, though I come no where close to perfection, it is something I must strive for in each and every picture I take. Without that as a goal you'll soon stop improving and settle for mediocrity. Ok will become all you strive for and soon the bar will lower and lower. Where do you stop? For me I have to keep pushing for the ultimate where everything is perfect. Who knows, maybe one day I might actually get close.
That's what I keep hoping.


Is that really because you are striving for perfection or just the frustration of knowing that the road there is long, hard, and you might never make it.
Gil, I think this really cut to the heart of the matter for me. I'm 42. Starting a new career, an actual "commit to it...through thick and think" careeer, scares the he** out of me. Especially when it's performance based. I'm tired. I'm not in the best health. I don't know that I have what it takes. Fear is a huge stumbling block.


I've seen the guys work and he is astounding. Clearly he has more than just a good set of tools. But don't youy think he is aspiring for perfection as well?
I have to believe that he worked hard to get there.
Of course I believe that. There are very few people who are so gifted that they don't have to work hard to get where they are at. The gifted ones that don't want to make a career of it, busk for fun at Saturday markets.


How can one improve without direct and honest feedback. It is a necessary tool needed so that you can see the little imperfections and strive to reduce them in future pictures, then look for the next set of imperfections.
Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying don't comment on my photos. I'm saying that when the details have become everything and the photo is nothing, then the purpose is lost. I really truly believe that this forum (and others) have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. If it's not perfect it's bad. The moments themselves, that we strive to capture are gone with the pixel peeping]...Margaret Mitchell, look out....

really that last bolded comment is what I really think

Skrim17 wrote in post #8785664
Permi why don't you like to edit in Lightroom?

not enough control...I'm going to post some comparison shots in a moment.

poppie guy wrote in post #8785714
Dood. You already made the decision to move forward with it. You are committed. Quit looking backwards. Look forward to the happiness you are going to have as you constantly improve in what you do throughout your life.

I wish I could think like that.

Okay now I admit I'm no guru with lightroom. I did the best I could with it though...processing the photo as well as I could using the tools it provides.

The first photo in each set, in these next two posts is with lightroom (marked "a") and the second is with photoshop (marked "b")

To be fair, I wouldn't normally process all these photos...I picked normal photos

1. A

PART 2:


5. A