It sure is a beautiful scene, Kalin. Sharp, too (though with an f/8 setting, I think you might be flirting with danger! ).
For my tastes, the foreground is too dark, particularly the left side. It's common to meter to keep the highlights under control and let the shadows "fall" where they may. Usually that's a good approach; here, there are so few highlights and so much shadow, that I would have been tempted to expose for the latter and hope that the highlights don't get too blown.
The other alternative is a less contrasty film. I love the colors of Velvia, especially on a light table; but it's a tough beast to tame, particularly in these kinds of high contrast scenes. Scanning (for me at least) just compounds that challenge. Provia is a bit more kind, and Astia even more so. The colors on the tranny may be (slightly) less punchy, but that's easy to adjust in PS; getting to the desired end result has been much easier for me. Kind of presumptive of me to suggest switching films, but if you find yourself struggling with the limited dynamic range of Velvia, it may be worth experimenting with.
Posted by Jody Grigg on August 5, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Composition is good but trees and foreground to dark, looks oversharpened or something makes it looking funky.
Posted by Momo Vuyisich on August 5, 2007 at 12:44 PM
I agree about the dark trees/FG, but I don't think there is a photographic medium that would capture this dynamic range. This is where I think digital cameras shine, because we can bracket and combine the images easily. Nice photo overall, and I am sure the slide looks even nicer.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on August 5, 2007 at 1:25 PM
Did I say f8? Duh, it was f22 (again). I have this on provia. I liked the colors on velvia better and still have a little shadow latitude that I can pull, but maybe I can get more from the provia scan. At the same time, I don't want to over do it.
This one I output sharpened for the web. That doesn't always seem to be necessary.
Thanks for the comments so far!
Posted by Grant Collier on August 5, 2007 at 2:32 PM
Impressive lighting and scenery. I know it's hard to do in a small tarn, but I would like to see a little space between the bottom of the reflection and the foreground rocks.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on August 6, 2007 at 2:43 AM
Ok, I like this one better...
Thanks for the tip, Rick. I started with the Provia scan, which had 1/2 - 1 stop more dynamic range to work with - the shadows were more open. I tried to keep the foreground true to the feel of the morning but opened the shadows a little. I applied capture and some selective sharpening but no output sharpening.
Grant, I agree. I probably could have shifted to the right to get some seperation. I was a high as I wanted to go and keep the log in the frame.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on August 6, 2007 at 2:47 AM
Oops, here is the photo...
Comparing this to the original, the post is a little soft and a tad darker. Maybe I need to down-res it myself and use some output sharpening after all. But not now. Time for bed!
Discussion
7 repliesThe focal plane was kinder to me on this one.
Critiques and suggestions welcome as usual!
Shen Hao 4x5, Fujinon 125mm
1s @ f8 2stop GND
Fuji Velvia 100
For my tastes, the foreground is too dark, particularly the left side. It's common to meter to keep the highlights under control and let the shadows "fall" where they may. Usually that's a good approach; here, there are so few highlights and so much shadow, that I would have been tempted to expose for the latter and hope that the highlights don't get too blown.
The other alternative is a less contrasty film. I love the colors of Velvia, especially on a light table; but it's a tough beast to tame, particularly in these kinds of high contrast scenes. Scanning (for me at least) just compounds that challenge. Provia is a bit more kind, and Astia even more so. The colors on the tranny may be (slightly) less punchy, but that's easy to adjust in PS; getting to the desired end result has been much easier for me. Kind of presumptive of me to suggest switching films, but if you find yourself struggling with the limited dynamic range of Velvia, it may be worth experimenting with.
This one I output sharpened for the web. That doesn't always seem to be necessary.
Thanks for the comments so far!
Thanks for the tip, Rick. I started with the Provia scan, which had 1/2 - 1 stop more dynamic range to work with - the shadows were more open. I tried to keep the foreground true to the feel of the morning but opened the shadows a little. I applied capture and some selective sharpening but no output sharpening.
Grant, I agree. I probably could have shifted to the right to get some seperation. I was a high as I wanted to go and keep the log in the frame.
Shen Hao 4x5, 125mm 1s@f22 2stop GND, Fuji Provia 100
Comparing this to the original, the post is a little soft and a tad darker. Maybe I need to down-res it myself and use some output sharpening after all. But not now. Time for bed!