Av: F/7.1, Tv: 1/1000s, f:18mm

Equipment: Nikon D3000 with standard 18-55 VR lens.

This was shot at Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui island, Thailand. This is my first attempt at partial B&W editing. I dint even know how to use layers in GIMP until now.

Although I have learnt a few things now, I am not very pleased with the result, nor the procedure. I edit the RAW using RAW Therapee, then do this layers thing using GIMP, finally use Picasa to add my signature! Not sure whether I will try such editing again in the future.

Coming to the photo itself, I do like the lazy relaxed mood it gives, not to mention the memories it brings back

]]> http://selfcriticshutterbug.com/2012/01/vacation/feed/ 0 http://selfcriticshutterbug.com/2011/05/arrangement/ http://selfcriticshutterbug.com/2011/05/arrangement/#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 03:30:43 +0000 kiranoncemore http://selfcriticshutterbug.com/?p=440

Tv: 1/50s; Av:F/2.7; f:7mm

I dug this photo out from my archives. It was taken almost 3 years back, at Auroville near Pondicherry, using my Canon Powershot S3IS.

I like the arrangement of the flowers. Very well done. Its not an easy task I suppose especially since they are floating on water! Technique-wise, the composition is very good. Also, I used the lighting conditions to my advantage. If you notice, the photo was shot with the lens being directly above the center of the vase. Yet, there is not as much as a hint of shadow anywhere. I had to struggle a bit to get this right.

I wish I had adjusted the exposure a bit better, and used vivid tone. Plus, some fiddling with the manual focus might have helped too. Finally, the in the top of the photo, you see that a part of the vase has been clipped off, which messed up the symmetry.

Tv: 1/200s; Av: F/7.1; f:52mm

Processed using Raw Therapee.

I took a picture of this kid at Sarchu – which is the border between J&K and Himachal Pradesh. We were exiting Ladakh and I wanted to take this photo as a sort of souvenir – a parting gift for myself.

I wanted to retain the original color photo because it highlighted the endearing child’s pink cheeks (which is a feature of all children in the region). However, the B&W brought out the expression better – so I decided to go B&W.

I only wish I had gotten a better background – a more natural one. The tent and that other asbestos shelter (I don’t know what its called) kind of spoil an otherwise great snap.

Av:F/3.5; Tv:1/320s; f:72mm(35mm-equiv:454mm)

This photo was shot at a riverside walk in Zurich one morning  in fall of 2009.  A bit of cropping has been done to eliminate some not-so-pleasing portion at the bottom of the snap.

I really loved the colors of fall in this picture. I also liked the geometry, the light-bulbs peeping out from amongst the shrubbery, and the overhead canopy effect.

What I could have done better was try to process the snap to get rid of the foggy mood. Or, on second thoughts – the foggy mood does contribute to my memories of this trip – so I’d rather let it be!

Tv: 1/100s; Av:F/29; f:26mm(35mm-equiv: 39mm)

Post-processing using Raw Therapee.

I was experimenting with taking photos of the CFL bulb in my room, at night. Obviously, it had to be a very low exposure shot. Getting the combination of shutter speed and aperture took some time though. Most photos were either horribly over exposed or extremely under exposed.

I did not crop this photo on purpose. I felt that for a change, having the subject in the centre looked good, rather than cropping it to obey the rule of thirds.

I think I might have done a better job of sharpening the photo during processing. Also, the .. impurity you see on the bulb itself kind of ruins the snap. I probably should have cleaned and dusted the bulb before attempting to photograph it

Grandpa

Av: F/5; Tv: 1/100s; f:36mm (35mm-equiv: 54mm); Flash used

Post processing using Raw Therapee.

This is my maternal grandfather. Closing in on 80, he’s still enthusiastic about anything and everything: politics, cricket, folk art, literature – you name it. I had carried my camera to the remote village where he lives; and had spent most of the time on landscape and nature photography. Ajja demanded that I click his portrait

The only thing I like about this photo is the expression. Ajja was initially looking directly into the camera – and I had to force him to look away. Had he been looking into the camera, I do not think I would have got such a pronounced expression.

What I dislike about this snap is the extreme sharpness. In fact this is a problem with most of my recent snaps. I do not know whether this is a side-effect of over-saturation. In fact, while processing this particular snap using Raw Therapee, I even disabled the sharpening altogether.

Any idea how to avoid this kind of sharpness-and-over-saturation problem while using Raw Therapee? I’d be grateful for any pointers. Maybe its time for me to understand what “Unsharp Mask” really means and how to use it to control the sharpness of one’s photos!

Sunset At Yegchi Dam

Av:F/7.1;Tv:1/400s;f:58mm

This photo was shot at Yegchi Dam in Belur in Hassan district of Karnataka. Belur is more famous for its temples, which, along with near-by Halebeedu are declared as World Heritage sites.

After touring the temple, we stopped by at the almost deserted dam and decided to wait by here till sunset before proceeding to Chikmaglur. The sight that greeted us was serene (as all sunsets are!).  Just then I spotted this strategically positioned tree behind which the sun hid while going down.

My favorite part of this photo is how the color gradually changes from yellow at the center to orange near the edges. I don’t think I would have been able to get this effect if it wasn’t for that tree there. This photo also obeys the rule of thirds. Finally, I love the sparkling effect of the sunlight shining through the gaps in the tree.

Improvements: Probably the photo is too .. wide? Meaning I might have done a better job of cropping it. I refrained from cropping it any further since I wanted to have the edges to show the complete change of colour.

AeroIndia 2011

Av:F/7.1;Tv:1/1000s;ISO:100;f:116mm

Equipment: Nikon D3000 with Nikon 55-200mm VR lens

This year’s visit to AreoIndia show in Bangalore was exciting for me in more ways than one. The point relevant to this post is that it gave me the opportunity to test out my new Nikon 55-200 VR zoom lens. I was disappointed that in spite of clicking more than 300 photos, I did not get one single impressive snap! I decided to put up a few of the photos in any case, just to ponder over what could have been.

One: I felt that at full zoom, this lens is far steadier compared to the one I have been used to (Canon Powershot S3IS). Now I know why people are ready to pay through their noses for DSLR lenses!

Two: Although Auto Focus results in far crisper photos in DSLRs, as expected this mode is not in the least suitable for an aero show situation. But then, manual focus isn’t much easier either. The primary reason for me not getting great snaps is not choosing the right focus mode according to the situation.

Having said that, I did like the Tri-color smoke in this snap. I also liked the composition and the formation.

So, any tips on how you used your DSLR to get good shots of distant, fast-moving objects?

Tv: 1/1000s; Av:F/11.0; f:55mm.

Post-processing using RAW Therapee

This was shot at Thiksay monastery in Ladakh. I had seen people get some pretty amazing shots of the burning incense, and figured I’d have a shot at it. I’m not exactly pleased with the outcome!

I think better positioning could have helped improve this snap. The incense itself (the part the burns) is okay, but the bowl is in its own shadow. Secondly, the background in the left portion of the photo is dark and that kind of masks the “spoon” jutting out of the bowl.

What I am most interested in knowing is – how do people capture the smoke in such cases? I mean, I know the theory – but how close do you get to the burning object?

Grazing Away

Av:F/7,1; Tv:1/500s; f:55mm

Post-processing: RAWTherapee

Meet our .. er.. neigh-bour at TsoKar. There were several horses grazing away in the pastures next to TsoKar lake in Ladakh. Even when we approached pretty close to them in order to get proper shots, they did not seem to take notice and continued grazing. That made for great framing and composition.

What I like about this pic is the landscape in the background. The horse itself, the mountains and the clouds form one heck of a combination.

I feel that I went too far while enhancing the colour during post processing. That makes the photo look slightly unnatural. Secondly, the horse’s face is a bit dark – I’d set that right by playing around with the shadows setting if I were to get another go at this photo.