Please convince me!!!

BeemerChef

So I never stop admiring other's Photography, here, and also there, till the the other day one series really jumped at me. Besides having all the components the one aspect that stood out was the clarity, sharpness... much sharpness.
The Photographer was kind enough to reply to my query through a private message... Tripod, cable realease and locking the mirror. I have know all that but refused to do so and refused "stubbornly".
We live on the road, motorcycle, sidecar, dog... shot every day or just about, I keep a Journal with many photos, I do not process them through photoshop but still, crop, contrast, saturation, enough to take up my time, even is so very enjoyable. I shot much from the hip, from the ground...
Will the above additions "tripod/cable release/licking mirror" are really going to improve the clarity of the shots?
I think I know the answer... I just need convincing... ah! It will be one more "thing" to carry if so...
These here are pretty sharp...
The ones on my Journal. well, they are not so "so much"...
I have a serious decision to take!!! I need some convincing...
Thanks for you time...
Ara & Spirit

adbsgicom

BeemerChef wrote:

So I never stop admiring other's Photography, here, and also there, till the the other day one series really jumped at me. Besides having all the components the one aspect that stood out was the clarity, sharpness... much sharpness.
The Photographer was kind enough to reply to my query through a private message... Tripod, cable realease and locking the mirror. I have know all that but refused to do so and refused "stubbornly".
We live on the road, motorcycle, sidecar, dog... shot every day or just about, I keep a Journal with many photos, I do not process them through photoshop but still, crop, contrast, saturation, enough to take up my time, even is so very enjoyable. I shot much from the hip, from the ground...
Will the above additions "tripod/cable release/licking mirror" are really going to improve the clarity of the shots?
I think I know the answer... I just need convincing... ah! It will be one more "thing" to carry if so...
These here are pretty sharp...
The ones on my Journal. well, they are not so "so much"...
I have a serious decision to take!!! I need some convincing...
Thanks for you time...
Ara & Spirit

Can you provide the exif information for a couple of those picture in the 'pretty sharp' arena. The first one, "Valley Dunes", doesn't feel really sharp; I'm having trouble finding what is totally in focus. Also, what sort of PP are you doing? Are you applying any sharpening after the fact? Are you shooting RAW or letting the camera do you jpeg conversion? What sort of gear are you using?

BeemerChef

adbsgicom wrote:

Can you provide the exif information for a couple of those picture in the 'pretty sharp' arena. The first one, "Valley Dunes", doesn't feel really sharp; I'm having trouble finding what is totally in focus. Also, what sort of PP are you doing? Are you applying any sharpening after the fact? Are you shooting RAW or letting the camera do you jpeg conversion? What sort of gear are you using?

I will have to find some down time to look for the exif info...
I use Adobe Lightroom and I do shoot in RAW. Canon 5D 2 x "L" lenses (16~35 and 24~70). I am applying a bit of the sharpness...

Thanks...

Ara & Spirit

Nikolai

Ara,
your images, while showing a lot of artistism and soul, are very noisy, which may come up as "not sharp". This is a common issue for the lowlight shooting, i.e. when the most beautiful light is. Since you're shooting handheld, you naturally have to raise the ISO - hence the noise.
With this regard a good (probably compact, since you're on a motorcycle) tripod with a nice ball head and a cable release (you can get ADIDT from ebay for about $10..$15, or get "real" Canon with timer capabilities for about $80 methink) will indeed improve the technical quality of your work.
Also, while LR is a valuable product, it doesn't have neraly as much "image enhancing" capabilities (as in cleaning/sharpening/etc.) as Photoshop. Mind you, though, PS is not an entry level product, it has a very steep and long learning curve" (I'm talking *months* at least).
HTH

pathfinder

Beemer, the single most effective way to improve the sharpness of your lenses is to shoot from a tripod. Mirror lock up and cable release can also help, as well as accurate focus and good glass.

You own a great camera and great lenses, so your images should be superb, if you do your part.

Having said that, I don't always shoot with a tripod either. Snapshots, candids, some wildlife do not really allow routine tripod use. For exquisitely sharp landscape images in the low light of sunrise or sunset, a tripod will be necessary.

Files from a 5DMkII in RAW, will appear very soft. Do you fully understand how to sharpen your images in Lightroom in the RAW processing portion? This can make a dramatic improvement in the apparent sharpness of your images. The best source I know is the videos on the Luminous Landscape with Jeffe Schewe and Michael Reichman. They are about $30, and demonstrate the steps better than most books which cost even more.

Correcting chromatic aberration can help also.

A 5DMkII can provide files that look great at 20 x 30 inches, so looking fine on the web is no sweat if the files are processed and sharpened correctly.

Unlike Nik, I do my RAW processing in LR routinely - the RAW engines are basically the same. If the problem is noise abatement, there are stand alone programs and Photoshop plug ins. I use Plug ins because I do use CS4 from time to time for the features it offers that LR does not. But you can use LR with stand alone Noise killers. Using lower ISOs is usualy better, but a 5DMkII files should look fine even at ISO 1600 if handeled properly.

Avoid under exposure like the plague, as the noise is always in the lesser exposed areas of the image.

I wrote a post about LR sharpening values here


I wrote briefly about correcting Chromatic Aberration here

Sharpening in LT MUST be viewed at 100% with your alt/opt key held down. This will let you see the mask you create for limiting your sharpening halos.

The secret to seeing the results with correcting chromatic aberration is to use your "hand" and move your image while at 300% - the area in the box may display no red or green edges, but as new portion of the image are dragged into view the red/green edges will be seen and then disappear as the RAW engine recomputes the new corrections for chromatic aberration. I ALWAYS do both sharpening and chromatic aberration correction on images that I plan to own and display. You will find even L glass needs it from time to time.

chrisjohnson

Dear Ara,
I enjoyed your photos and reading a little about your life on the road - makes me feel like resigning my job and heading on out.

Should I do so, I would definitely strap a tripod to my bike. How else can you take those long exposure shots, get things sharp when they need to be? There is never a fence post when you need one, and if there is, then it is just in the wrong spot. I think you'll enjoy a tripod, and if you don't then it did not cost the earth.

I suppose if you get really obsessed then you'll need a cable release, worry about mirror fixing, etc. But meantime you'll have a lot of fun with a simple tripod - I know I do. It took me too many years to figure out that something so simple expands the horizons.

lilmomma

It seems to me that the ones on the journal are really sharp and the gallery images are not. Maybe i'm reading something wrong, or it could be my eyes. I did leave my glasses at home today...

Nikolai are you saying the ones on the jounral are noisy?? I am not seeing that but my eye is untrained... please clarify what photos you thought were noisy because if that is the case mine must be pretty bad.

BeemerChef

Wow... I truly feel as I have to climb another step! Well, a good thing... maybe I was getting bored? (NOT).
Nikolai, thank you for your time, very much. I admire your photography. I always shoot on 100ISO, my "L" lenses are 2.8, so it works, it is all in the shaking! We ride mostly dirt, the hack is not as a motorcycle, there is a lot of steering and without inverted fork, yes, my hands often start shaking, reason why I have often (and I like it!) shot from the hip or use my boots as a tripod...

But, since I am in Bozeman, Montana, and there is no sales tax here and the wonderful people of Bozeman Camera (used and new) where right around the corner, without NOW hesitation went and bough a good tripod used) with also a good Giotto ball head (new)and a Canon remote switch. They have sold for me a 24~105 "L", I am stil ahead and now excited about your feedbacks... and using it right after this hail storm!!! We are on our way to the Badlands...

Pathfinder, I am going to look into your numbers right after this. Believe it or not I have been given a "Adobe Photoshop" and also an "Adobe Premiere Element" a couple weeks ago! (legal copies), but... yes, I will need to get a tutorial to use them of even start understanding what they are all about.
Photoshop is for photos and I think Element is for Videos. The one thing I noticed with LR is that the photos loose their colors while processing them. I know I am doing something wrong, again, Pathfinder, thank you for your help.

I have the patience, Spirit has the patience and we both have the time...

(I kind of miss my point and shoot!!! Life was so much simpler... but... you know, not as much fun!)

Be well... Ara & Spirit

Nikolai

Congrats! You won't regret it!

BeemerChef

Nikolai wrote:

Congrats! You won't regret it!

Thanks... more stuff!!!

Pathfinder, I just realized that I download off the camera using Canon EOS utilities and then process them with LR... I guess that is wrong?

Thanks... Ara & Spirit

BeemerChef

Dedicated to you guys/gals!!!
My dinner with a tripod... glad he was not hungry!!!
(scaled down to 800p)







Be well... Ara & Spirit

pathfinder

Ara, get a card reader, do not download images directly from your camera. Lots of reasons for this; just get a good USB 2.0 card reader

Lightroom will recognize your compact flash card with images, and ask you if you want to import the images.

If your images look flat in Lightroom, and not elsewhere, you may not be setting LR's color space properly. I use Lightroom and CS4 and my images are identical in both ( as they should be ) since both apps are color space aware.

I wonder if you are shooting in Adobe RGB jpgs, and seeing them in sRGB or something. If you import your RAW files into LR, they should be in ProPhoto 16bit RGB until they are edited, and exported somewhere else. Within Lightroom, RAW files are viewed in ProPhoto RGB

BeemerChef

pathfinder wrote:

Ara, get a card reader, do not download images directly from your camera. Lots of reasons for this; just get a good USB 2.0 card reader

Lightroom will recognize your compact flash card with images, and ask you if you want to import the images.

If your images look flat in Lightroom, and not elsewhere, you may not be setting LR's color space properly. I use Lightroom and CS4 and my images are identical in both ( as they should be ) since both apps are color space aware.

I wonder if you are shooting in Adobe RGB jpgs, and seeing them in sRGB or something. If you import your RAW files into LR, they should be in ProPhoto 16bit RGB until they are edited, and exported somewhere else. Within Lightroom, RAW files are viewed in ProPhoto RGB

I know you are on to something, because the photos have just been too flat in LR after bringing them in from EOS Canon (still in RAW format). I have a card reader. I did not know that...
"setting LR color space properly"? I will look in "help" for that, I have no clue what it means...
I often thought about a tutorial. The problem is web tutorial are nor comprehensible to me for sme reason... just as I don't understand baseball... Maybe once back in Texas i can find a "live" good teacher...
Will do this tonight!
Thanks again... will let you know how it goes.

Ara & Spirit

pathfinder

Look here

Informative, no reading required, and entertaining as well. Jeffe Schewe is rider also if that helps

BeemerChef

pathfinder wrote:

Look here

Informative, no reading required, and entertaining as well. Jeffe Schewe is rider also if that helps

You are up early!!!:D

Thanks Pathfinder... I think that is the ticket! Would be a shame to continue as such, having the ability to be in such beautiful spaces all year round, photography being a passion, this would eliminate a bit of frustration when not turning out photos as they should be...
Pretty incredible at what levels this has surged to. I have not even tackled Photoshop... yet!!!
Safe riding... and be well...
Ara & Spirit

adbsgicom

Where in TX? I'm in Austin, by no means an expert, but could help get you setup if you are in the area.

BeemerChef

adbsgicom wrote:

Where in TX? I'm in Austin, by no means an expert, but could help get you setup if you are in the area.

What a great offer. It will be a while till we go through Austin. We will be about 25 miles north of Terlingua, 60 miles south of Alpine.
Stop by if in the area... not meaning the set up but visit.
In the meantime will try to get better results!

Thanks, be well.

Ara & Spirit

adbsgicom

BeemerChef wrote:

What a great offer. It will be a while till we go through Austin. We will be about 25 miles north of Terlingua, 60 miles south of Alpine.
Stop by if in the area... not meaning the set up but visit.
In the meantime will try to get better results!

Thanks, be well.

Ara & Spirit

Beautiful part of the country out there.

BeemerChef

It is...

Well, now that I magnify the photos, I can really tell that a tripod was needed!!! Thanks...

Ara & Spirit