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Pikes Peak Colorado 2019
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Feb 19, 2019 23:31:51   #
SafetySam Loc: Colorado
 
This is my first post to this forum but not my first photograph . . I was a commercial photographer for 14 years in Houston (1970 - 1984), then burned out from looking at the world upside down and backwards through all the 4x5 and Hasselblad equipment . . . put it up in 1984 and haven't seriously taken a "image" since . .

I recently "restarted" my passion with a Nikon D810 system complete with all the "holy trinity of lenses" and have been having a great time learning the "digital age" of cameras . . . If they had digital software back then, I probably would never have stopped, BUT this digital manipulation has me quite "humbled" with using Affinity for the first time and struggling to get all the different adjustments where they should be . .

I was in Colorado Springs on Saturday when the storm front began to move down from the mountains onto the front range, and while there, the sun peaked from behind a cloud to light up the foreground on the red rocks, giving me a pretty good 3D combination . . . got it . .

NOW, let me know what I should be doing to improve this image . . I really don't know how I got here, but I know I didn't do everything that should be done for improvements . . .

I have a pretty tough skin after 74 years, so all comments and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for looking and commenting.

Safety Sam


(Download)

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Feb 19, 2019 23:59:09   #
billbarcus Loc: IPNW
 
Dramatic capture - you state you're now shooting an D810. It would be helpful to better evaluate this photo if you would care to elaborate on the lens, OEV camera settings, etc. I'm curious as to if the image was taken using a tripod, shutter release ... or, if it was handheld. The reason being, that for an 810 @ 36 MP (which is what I shoot) the image is a bit blurry when magnifying 1 click. Thanks if you care to share that info.

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Feb 20, 2019 00:54:07   #
SafetySam Loc: Colorado
 
Thanks for the reply. This was with the 24-70mm f2.8 @ 70mm f5.8 @1/250 I believe (too shallow I know) on a tripod. Really wanted to focus stack but the other images were just not sharp at any length hence the fine tune.

I have since fine focus tuned the lens in the camera to better align the depth of field ( it was really front focusing ) and subsequent shots are much better.

Composition & post comments?

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Feb 20, 2019 00:58:49   #
Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii
 
I’m working on it now .., it should be a little more clear .. you said you have the holy grail of lenses...and as I went from a D800E to a D810 with the best Nikon glass .. I would know .., I now shoot with a D850 and the same glass ...
That being said ... the transmission of the picture via the internet and a lot of other factors can make a perfectly clear image .., not so clear ...case in point .. if you want to post your clear picture on FaceBook and have use ,, sharpening or clarity sliders in a photo program .. and post on FaceBook ..wow not so clear..sharpening sliders not overdone will be alright on Post in FaceBook .. however the “clarity” slider will make it worse when you post .. ..Anyway .., I’m working on your picture now to see what’s up ...

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Feb 20, 2019 01:00:27   #
SafetySam Loc: Colorado
 
[quote=SafetySam]Thanks for the reply. This was with the 24-70mm f2.8 @ 70mm f5.8 @1/250 I believe (too shallow I know) on a tripod. Really wanted to focus stack but the other images were just not sharp at any length hence the fine tune [Quote]

On second review of the data, this was @ 1/250 but it was hand held after I put away the tripod and the sun broke through.

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Feb 20, 2019 01:04:38   #
SafetySam Loc: Colorado
 
Dr.Nikon wrote:
I’m working on it now .., it should be a little more clear .. you said you have the holy grail of lenses...and as I went from a D800E to a D810 with the best Nikon glass .. I would know .., I now shoot with a D850 and the same glass ...
That being said ... the transmission of the picture via the internet and a lot of other factors can make a perfectly clear image .., not so clear ...case in point .. if you want to post your clear picture on FaceBook and have use ,, sharpening or clarity sliders in a photo program .. and post on FaceBook ..wow not so clear..sharpening sliders not overdone will be alright on Post in FaceBook .. however the “clarity” slider will make it worse when you post .. ..Anyway .., I’m working on your picture now to see what’s up ...
I’m working on it now .., it should be a little mo... (show quote)


That may be the issue with the clarity slider. May have gotten a little “heavy handed” there trying the application.

Looking forward to your feedback.

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Feb 20, 2019 01:23:13   #
anotherview Loc: California
 
You have a fine photograph needing very little attention to maximize its potential.

I called it up in a simple photo editor that comes with Microsoft Windows, and then I cropped it slightly for visual balance. Now, the sky and foreground take up about equal space.

You will notice that the bushes on the slopes look dark. They present a common problem. You might try setting the black point to tease out some tonal defintion here. In Adobe Camera Raw, you could use the Targeted Adjustment Tool to to add some luminance to the bushes.

Others here more skilled could help you with brightening these bushes.

Otherwise, your photograph stands out as a worthy product.
SafetySam wrote:
This is my first post to this forum but not my first photograph . . I was a commercial photographer for 14 years in Houston (1970 - 1984), then burned out from looking at the world upside down and backwards through all the 4x5 and Hasselblad equipment . . . put it up in 1984 and haven't seriously taken a "image" since . .

I recently "restarted" my passion with a Nikon D810 system complete with all the "holy trinity of lenses" and have been having a great time learning the "digital age" of cameras . . . If they had digital software back then, I probably would never have stopped, BUT this digital manipulation has me quite "humbled" with using Affinity for the first time and struggling to get all the different adjustments where they should be . .

I was in Colorado Springs on Saturday when the storm front began to move down from the mountains onto the front range, and while there, the sun peaked from behind a cloud to light up the foreground on the red rocks, giving me a pretty good 3D combination . . . got it . .

NOW, let me know what I should be doing to improve this image . . I really don't know how I got here, but I know I didn't do everything that should be done for improvements . . .

I have a pretty tough skin after 74 years, so all comments and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for looking and commenting.

Safety Sam
This is my first post to this forum but not my fir... (show quote)

Reply
 
 
Feb 20, 2019 02:00:38   #
billbarcus Loc: IPNW
 
Thank you for the information. Based on your photography background you'll fall in love with the D810. It's a great camera ... but at times I think 36 MP is too much and 24 is just fine. My backup D610 does a pretty good job at 24. But then again, having been potty trained with a 12 MP S2 Pro upon leaving the film world back in the day, that camera produced outstanding IQ photos, especially shooting Nikon f/2.8 lenses. I'm a firm believer in the use of a tripod and shutter release, yet there are many times it doesn't quite pan out like that. Thanks for sharing your nice photo and information.

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Feb 20, 2019 02:39:39   #
Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii
 
A little more than feed back ...I was trying to get the mood of the photograph .., you said you saw the storm coming in and pulled out the camera ... so I made the sky a little more menacing ...

I dipped your shot into A.I. Gigapixel for sharpening .. then into PS fix .... added additional spot sharpening to some selected areas ..and hit lighten ..touched some areas .. hit dark and hit some spot areas (clouds).. hit color and hit some areas on the sky .. mountain tips and etc..

Just worked the sliders around looking at different views ...examples are attached .. I apologize if out of line posting examples ... there is so many different ways to convey the mood of this picture ...

Certainly cropping to achieve balance can be done ... it’s up to the photographer to convey the mood of the photo to project this’s out to your audience ...

For me # 1 is a starting point ....

#1
#1...
(Download)

#2
#2...
(Download)

#3
#3...
(Download)

#4
#4...
(Download)

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Feb 20, 2019 02:59:38   #
Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii
 
Remember .., when you get to the D800/E ..D810...36 MEGAPIXEL ...and with me now .., the 47 megapixel D850 .. they magnify the slightest shake and vibration ...in your case x 36 megapixels ..
A great landscape camera ..usually tripoded for the best clarity ...I had a real learning curve going from a D7100 24 megapixel and my now D850 at 47 megapixel ..

You stated you went back and found that the shot you posted was indeed hand held ...which given time with the beast .., you will master hand held perfectly clear shots...I still use a tripod and mirror up / electronic shutter for my best work ..

Welcome to the Hogggg .. you should get a lot of feedback ...from the helpful members ...there is about 10 that know really what they are talking about ... you will get to know them as time goes on ..all are very helpfull ...in one way or another .. and all of us love photography ...

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Feb 20, 2019 05:19:27   #
cameraf4 Loc: Delaware
 
Welcome, Sam. Nice shot. I have some images from just about the same spot. Like DrNikon, I generally prefer a tad more contrast, though not as much as the Doc. It looks like you used "Standard" Picture Control if you shot it as JPG. If that is the case, you may want to try "Landscape" or even "Vivid" for a scene like this. Adds a bit more "punch."
BTW, I use a tripod for most of my scapes, but 1/500sec at 62mm should be good enough to give you shake-free images, even with an 810. So don't be afraid to experiment "on the road."
Welcome back to the fold. Look forward to seeing more of your shots.

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Feb 20, 2019 08:06:11   #
Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia
 
Welcome, Sam and a very beautiful download!

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Feb 20, 2019 08:29:55   #
donrosshill Loc: Delaware & Florida
 
You bring back a lot of memories good and bad. I also made my living in Imaging from 1956 to present. Spent lots of time behind a View camera with a black cloth over my head. Retired and enjoying the new digital age.
Love your Mountain view.
Don

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Feb 20, 2019 08:58:46   #
47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range
 
Dr.Nikon wrote:
A little more than feed back ...I was trying to get the mood of the photograph .., you said you saw the storm coming in and pulled out the camera ... so I made the sky a little more menacing ...

I dipped your shot into A.I. Gigapixel for sharpening .. then into PS fix .... added additional spot sharpening to some selected areas ..and hit lighten ..touched some areas .. hit dark and hit some spot areas (clouds).. hit color and hit some areas on the sky .. mountain tips and etc..

Just worked the sliders around looking at different views ...examples are attached .. I apologize if out of line posting examples ... there is so many different ways to convey the mood of this picture ...

Certainly cropping to achieve balance can be done ... it’s up to the photographer to convey the mood of the photo to project this’s out to your audience ...

For me # 1 is a starting point ....
A little more than feed back ...I was trying to ge... (show quote)

I like #1 just the way it is plus a little sky cropping. Just my taste, but I think the other three are HDR overcooked.

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Feb 20, 2019 09:45:27   #
Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii
 
#1 was my adjusted model that I said was a starting point .. I did some detail and and normal slider action in a few programs .. never used HDR on any of them
The others were just to show some different versions to show more angry look of the sky and overall storm coming .., but # 1 was my version adjusted normally ..

I seldom ever shoot less than 500 on my Landscape ...and up to 1200 … especially if I am hand holding .. and Mostly the 24-70 2.8

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