Jake's Backdoor Hippie-palooza, 2014 Edition

BackdoorArts

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Big Spring Migration Day In The Yard - Part 1...

Two Male Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks

20140504-D81_0217-Edit.jpg

 

hark

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Hmm...I don't know about this one. It kind of leaves me with the impression that it is...........





FANTASTIC!!! Cool shot, Jake, but then you DO have a photographer's eye! ;)

Seriously--I love the symmetry. :)

Nice job with the other photos, too. I especially like the iridescent coloring of the turkeys as didn't know they sported that look. Cool beans!
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Seriously--I love the symmetry. :)

Thanks - it's what I was going for. I'm still just a little annoyed that I missed it by a hair - I'm standing just a little too far to the left, so even though it appears to be framed correctly it's not perfect. I've started noticing that my shutter button technique is lacking and I will take a perfectly framed image and rotate it ever so slightly with the shutter depression. It's the only reason I can come up with that would give me skewed images when I know I've been extremely careful to frame them squarely. I guess there's always something to work on.

And speaking of symmetry...

20140504-D62_5573-Edit.jpg
 

hark

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Thanks - it's what I was going for. I'm still just a little annoyed that I missed it by a hair - I'm standing just a little too far to the left, so even though it appears to be framed correctly it's not perfect. I've started noticing that my shutter button technique is lacking and I will take a perfectly framed image and rotate it ever so slightly with the shutter depression. It's the only reason I can come up with that would give me skewed images when I know I've been extremely careful to frame them squarely. I guess there's always something to work on.

And speaking of symmetry...

View attachment 87272

Hmm...seeing these makes me think symmetry would be a great photo assignment although I don't know if the idea has been used in the past. Another nice shot, Jake! :)
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Hmm...seeing these makes me think symmetry would be a great photo assignment although I don't know if the idea has been used in the past.

It seems to be a rather frequent topic for contests at the DPChallenge website/forum, with 2 active contests utilizing the idea, one without using any reflections or reflective surfaces. Alas, the bridge photo was taken too early (my subjects seem to be running 1 week ahead of any contests/assignments I can use them in, lol), so I went out and about looking for something else to enter. Not sure if this is getting put in or not - all depends what I'm able to find today, if I have the time.
 

hark

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Huh? What is this? It's a really cool-looking photo, but the trees and the sky remind me of an IR shot. How did you do this? Quite fascinating actually! :cool:

And I LOVE the Chapel door!
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Huh? What is this? It's a really cool-looking photo, but the trees and the sky remind me of an IR shot. How did you do this? Quite fascinating actually! :cool:

And I LOVE the Chapel door!

Messing with layer blend modes, and not much else.

Original photo...

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 9.46.16 PM.jpg



Duplicated it in another layer and started flipping through blend modes. When I hit Exclusion I got this and really liked it...

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 9.46.27 PM.jpg



...but it wasn't punched enough for me. So, I created a new layer from what I had so I could build on it, and then did the same thing again - duplicated the layer and started flipping through and when I hit Exclusion again I had this...

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 9.49.43 PM.jpg



I created a new layer from that and tried messing some more but didn't like anything I got, so I flattened it, sent it back to Lightroom and tweaked some of the color levels there, mainly darkening the greens and messing a bit with some saturation levels. I also pushed the shadows out (+21) and cranked up the clarity (+30), a lot higher than normal.

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 9.54.22 PM.jpg



Fun with Photoshop. Total time, about 3 minutes. I wasn't really expecting anything from it, and it's more of a novelty look than anything else - had it not been a cemetery I would have likely tossed it. I thought it was rather interesting how the paired Exclusion layers managed to leave the ground area virtually unchanged, but totally messed with the sky (i.e. the brighter areas).
 
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Lawrence

Senior Member
Yay I was a few pages behind so catching up was fun.
Great shots here and you certainly do have a photographer's eye.
So many awesome shots that to single out one is difficult but I do like that little humming bird up top.
I think you should change your status - Under "Image Editing" to "YES!" ;)
 

RON_RIP

Senior Member
I loved the chapel doors. You have caught their true character. There is a great poster here of the doors of Pittsburgh. I keep it in my shop to inspire me when I build entry doors. Should probably go and photograph the ones I have built and could have my own poster. At least half of the doors on that poster are church or chapel doors.
 

wthorson

Senior Member
Messing with layer blend modes, and not much else.

Original photo...

View attachment 87470


Duplicated it in another layer and started flipping through blend modes. When I hit Exclusion I got this and really liked it...

View attachment 87471


...but it wasn't punched enough for me. So, I created a new layer from what I had so I could build on it, and then did the same thing again - duplicated the layer and started flipping through and when I hit Exclusion again I had this...

View attachment 87472


I created a new layer from that and tried messing some more but didn't like anything I got, so I flattened it, sent it back to Lightroom and tweaked some of the color levels there, mainly darkening the greens and messing a bit with some saturation levels. I also pushed the shadows out (+21) and cranked up the clarity (+30), a lot higher than normal.

View attachment 87473


Fun with Photoshop. Total time, about 3 minutes. I wasn't really expecting anything from it, and it's more of a novelty look than anything else - had it not been a cemetery I would have likely tossed it. I thought it was rather interesting how the paired Exclusion layers managed to leave the ground area virtually unchanged, but totally messed with the sky (i.e. the brighter areas).

Thanks so much for the mini tutorial on PhotoShop. I am amazed at that I am able to find out here. Keep up the mini tutorials, for me. :)
 

wud

Senior Member
I do the same sometimes when taking the image - juuuust turn my camera a bit around. Even though I concentrate on keeping it level. Worst is when I - apparently - go just off center when doing a straight on photo. That's a problem! Maybe I should work a bit on that..

Very nice shots, Jake. I like those 2 birds on previous page, how they fill the image because they are on each side of the frame, even though they are so small :)


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Pretzel

Senior Member
I do the same sometimes when taking the image - juuuust turn my camera a bit around. Even though I concentrate on keeping it level. Worst is when I - apparently - go just off center when doing a straight on photo. That's a problem! Maybe I should work a bit on that..

Very nice shots, Jake. I like those 2 birds on previous page, how they fill the image because they are on each side of the frame, even though they are so small :)


Sent from Tapatalk

It's a similar technique to what shooters experience at the firing range. Instead of the trigger/shutter finger just doing it's simple straight down and back up action, all the fingers are clenching slightly, and that's enough to give a little twist to the whole shebang. Makes handgun shooters shoot low and left. OR, if the whole hand is involved, low and right. It takes a lot of practice to break the habit and train the hand. I notice it a lot more with the weight of the D7100, now, so I've really been working on steady breathing, steady shutter release...
 
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