Artistic Shots- Well thought out, framed (positioned), artistic shots only please.

[Tucson T4R]

Wow :Wow1: You have some amazing fall colors up there. Nice job capturing it so well.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Thanks Brad. Yeah fall in certain parts of Ontario, like Algonquin for instance, are unreal. It's almost overwhelming.

I made a 20x40 inch print of this one which I think looks wonderful large. It really has to be seen large to appreciate the intricate details and colours.

Just to give you an idea, albeit a poor one, here's a crop of a small section of the image.

 

[nwoods]

So rich!

 

[mervifwdc]

Superb! I really like the one with the train. It's like it wants to go again!

 

[JamesDowning]

Trevor, not trying to criticize, because I'm still relatively new to taking higher quality photos, but I've noticed some of your recent images have low contrast levels. I'm not seeing many blacks. Like the last image you posted, cool composition, but it seemed very grey. I just played with it in microsoft image manager (or whatever it's called) that we have here at work, and I thought with some added contrast that the image came out better. But I'm no expert.




On another note, here's a recent favorite of mine...

 

[taco2go]

^^Very nice James.
And amazing series Trevor.
I actually like the low contrast stuff Trevor's been putting out lately: probably because I have been on a similar kick for a while myself but have yet to find some compelling scenes for that- maybe this weekend. fingers crossed.

I also got to see some large prints (20 inch plus) of my pics done by a patron last weekend. Eye opener. :Wow1:
A new realization for me- and well known I'm sure to most, but large prints absolutely bring out details you can't see on a computer screen. No wonder commercial photographers shoot with that in mind.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Thanks guys!

James, I appriciate the feedback, if you don't mind me asking what's your viewing environment like for image process. The reason I ask is because most standard LCD monitors under a grand have terrible contrast range and small colour gamuts. LCD's in general suck for black levels, ask any cinephile, most have Panasonic plasma's hanging on their wall. If you're not already, try viewing the images on a good monitor like a high end NEC, Eizo, Apple cinema, or even an iPad or top of the line old CRT. I've got a hunch your viewing environment isn't the best which is misleading you a bit, either that or our tastes vary a bit. I'm not huge on over the top unnatural contrast, I'm more of a softer palette with nice vibrancy kind of guy.

 

[JamesDowning]

That could partially be it Trevor. I've got a Viewsonic LCD and a Lenovo laptop LCD screen here at work, and they both display the image similarly. However we aren't really concerned with image colors here. So you could be right, that my eye is over compensating for the lighter blacks of these screens. However, whenever I've printed out my photos on paper, they seem to have similar contrast to what I see on screen.

However, I think you're also right, that I do tend to lean towards more contrast in my images. I actually tend to always bump the contrast up on images I take. I like good deep blacks. Maybe just two different mindsets? However I do notice that many of the others you posted do have deep blacks, according to my screens.

Now, in reverse, what are your thoughts on the photo I posted... too much saturation and contrast? It's certainly possible! I'm always open to opinions and suggestions.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

I agree with Joash, I recently had a few of my images printed 24x36 and WOW! What a difference.

Cindy and I actually sat down with the images laid out in front of the screen and there is so much the screen is missing that is in the image. Plus, one of the images looked really grainy on my screen, due to a High ISO setting to achieve the image. In the print, you can see zero grain!

I can only imagine how amazing many of our images would look if we could afford to get them all printed really big! I think we'd all be very surprised

 

[Lost Canadian]

That could partially be it Trevor. I've got a Viewsonic LCD and a Lenovo laptop LCD screen here at work, and they both display the image similarly. However we aren't really concerned with image colors here. So you could be right, that my eye is over compensating for the lighter blacks of these screens. However, whenever I've printed out my photos on paper, they seem to have similar contrast to what I see on screen.

However, I think you're also right, that I do tend to lean towards more contrast in my images. I actually tend to always bump the contrast up on images I take. I like good deep blacks. Maybe just two different mindsets? However I do notice that many of the others you posted do have deep blacks, according to my screens.

Now, in reverse, what are your thoughts on the photo I posted... too much saturation and contrast? It's certainly possible! I'm always open to opinions and suggestions.

James what images of late are you finding low in contrast, is it all of them or just that one? Below is panel view of what I've posted in the last week or so. Keep in mind some images are naturally lower in contrast and crunching contrast too much can spoil the intent, by that I mean heavy contrast adds visual weight to an image and sometimes light is what a photographer is after.

With respects to your image, I don't find it too heavy on the contrast, perhaps a touch considering the soft light situation provided by the cloud cover. Saturation is good, greens look good, not unnatural, can't speak for the rocks though, never seen them in person. I'm finding clouds are a bit distracting though, maybe crop it into a 1x1 to minimize or get rid of them.

 

[Lost Canadian]

I agree with Joash, I recently had a few of my images printed 24x36 and WOW! What a difference.

Cindy and I actually sat down with the images laid out in front of the screen and there is so much the screen is missing that is in the image. Plus, one of the images looked really grainy on my screen, due to a High ISO setting to achieve the image. In the print, you can see zero grain!

I can only imagine how amazing many of our images would look if we could afford to get them all printed really big! I think we'd all be very surprised

Bring on the 36 megapixel cameras I say, yes I said it. I want to print 24x36 and larger with at least 180 DPI or more, and the only thing that can do that at the moment is medium format.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Even on my super crappy monitor at work, all of these look to be nearly perfect. Remind me, what do you shoot with?

 

[JamesDowning]

These are the only two that appear to be without deep blacks, but I like the way the left one is done. The right one still appears a bit too light,... but I also see the appeal of the intricate designs. Loved all the others. Again, not trying to be picky with an excellent spread.

Thanks for the feedback on mine. I hadn't before considered cropping it like that.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Hey James, no harm no foul as the saying goes. I actually really appriciate the critical feedback, it's what makes us better photographers. If all I ever wanted was consistent praise I'd stick to showing my mom my images, lol.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Even on my super crappy monitor at work, all of these look to be nearly perfect. Remind me, what do you shoot with?

Thanks man, appriciate it!

My gear is as follows:

Bodies:
Nikon D700
Nikon D7000
Canon S90

Lenses:
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (DX)
Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 (new)
Nikon 24-120mm f4 VR
Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR
Nikon 50mm 1.8
Lensbaby

Filters:
Singh-Ray 2 stop hard and soft split ND's
Singh-Ray 3 stop reverse split ND
Singh-Ray Vari-ND
B+W kasemann polarizer

Process and calibration:
27" iMac and 24" Eizo Coloredge
X-Rite Colormunki
X-Rite Color Checker Passport
Lightroom 3
Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

Printer:
Epson 3800
Fav paper Ilford Gold Fibre Silk

Other bits:
Nikon ML-L3 Wireless remote control
Kata Rain cover, works but clumsy to use.
Gitzo Mountaineer and Traveller carbon tripods with Acra Swiss and RRS ball heads.