Nothing but fog

rutt · July 9, 2004

In addition to glorious sunsets and sunrises and cell phones, there's nothing but fog in Nantucket.

I took Andy's inspiration to heart and set my camera to ISO 1600 and attached my 50mm 1.4 and went out to see what was cooking in town last night.

The fog has been rolling in very thick the last few evenings.

I find it glorious.

Because Andy told me to, I headed right down to the Juice Bar to try to get the lick of ice cream shot. There's been a little construction there and the antique lights aren't really very close anymore. Next time I'll have to try outside one of the drugstores on Main St.

The Juice Bar has the best home made ice cream on the island. It is on "The Strip", a small collection of fast food joints (real joints, not franchises) that is also headquarters to the town's nocternal teenagers who are too young for the bars. They come there to eat, but also too hook up.

A few blocks away the atmosphere was more family oriented.

Straight Warf is where the really big fancy Yachts tie up, and the movers and shakers were returning to their boats from dinner in town.

The back way home was very quiet and dark.

SeeMoon · July 9, 2004

Oh, I like these! Specially #5: I feel like I'm in the picture and part of the crowd and #8; this one could either be creepy or mysterious..very nice!

pathfinder · July 9, 2004

rutt wrote:

In addition to glorious sunsets and sunrises and cell phones, there's nothing but fog in Nantucket.

I took Andy's inspiration to heart and set my camera to ISO 1600 and attached my 50mm 1.4 and went out to see what was cooking in town last night.

The fog has been rolling in very thick the last few evenings

I find it glorious.

Rutt, these are great and show the small town feeling of the island. I have never been to Nantucket, but now I feel like I have.

Have you done any post proceesing to any of these or are they pretty much straight from the 1D?

I like shooting in the fog too...

lynnma · July 9, 2004

rutt wrote:

In addition to glorious sunsets and sunrises and cell phones, there's nothing but fog in Nantucket.

I took Andy's inspiration to heart and set my camera to ISO 1600 and attached my 50mm 1.4 and went out to see what was cooking in town last night.

The fog has been rolling in very thick the last few evenings.

I find it glorious.

Because Andy told me to, I headed right down to the Juice Bar to try to get the lick of ice cream shot. There's been a little construction there and the antique lights aren't really very close anymore. Next time I'll have to try outside one of the drugstores on Main St.

The Juice Bar has the best home made ice cream on the island. It is on "The Strip", a small collection of fast food joints (real joints, not franchises) that is also headquarters to the town's nocternal teenagers who are too young for the bars. They come there to eat, but also too hook up.

A few blocks away the atmosphere was more family oriented.

Straight Warf is where the really big fancy Yachts tie up, and the movers and shakers were returning to their boats from dinner in town.

The back way home was very quiet and dark.

Oh nice work Rutt.. I love number 2 and the last one. Bear number 2 kinda shot for the next challenge? Great shots and yes it does make me feel like I'm there too. Looking forward to seeing more.
Lynn

rutt · July 9, 2004

pathfinder wrote:

Rutt, these are great and show the small town feeling of the island. I have never been to Nantucket, but now I feel like I have. Have you done any post proceesing to any of these or are they pretty much straight from the 1D?

These I shot as RAW because I knew I'd want to "push" them. So I did stoop to playing to the RAW conversion parameters and set the color balance to be tungsten for most of them and then tweeked a bit more. I played with exposure also a bit. The father and son were pushed hard and the color balance also changed. I know I could have done this with curves, but if it catches mice, right?

I cropped the last one, and I'm still not sure if that was the right decision. What do you think of the origina?l (It also with color balance "as shot" instead of tungsten.)

pathfinder · July 9, 2004

rutt wrote:

These I shot as RAW because I knew I'd want to "push" them. So I did stoop to playing to the RAW conversion parameters and set the color balance to be tungsten for most of them and then tweeked a bit more. I played with exposure also a bit. The father and son were pushed hard and the color balance also changed. I know I could have done this with curves, but if it catches mice, right?

I cropped the last one, and I'm still not sure if that was the right decision. What do you think of the origina?l (It also with color balance "as shot" instead of tungsten.)

I think this one seems slightly sharper because it has not been cropped, but the parked cars are not a visual assett in this image to my eye. The shadows in this image seems slightly blacker also which I prefer, maybe because of the push in the processing of cropped image. I DO like the dark shadow at the bottom of the uncropped image also, I just do not like the parked cars - perhaps they could be burned in much darker also and cast into the overall shadows of this frame. Could the warm tone of the tungsten light be dialed back a notch to help match the coolness of the fog too? Please do not take these comments as criticism but as visual alternatives that might be interesting.

I think you are enjoying your 1DMkll a lot. Focuses much better than the 10D doesn't it? I am planning to go

to a local Air Show tomorrow and looking forward to WWll War Birds.

rutt · July 9, 2004

lynnma wrote:

Oh nice work Rutt.. I love number 2 and the last one. Bear number 2 kinda shot for the next challenge? Great shots and yes it does make me feel like I'm there too. Looking forward to seeing more.
Lynn

I was sort of thinking of all of these for these week's challenge. I need to stew for a day or so I guess, but I'm partial the the last one (of the lone guy walking away.)

rutt · July 9, 2004

pathfinder wrote:

I think this one seems slightly sharper because it has not been cropped, but the parked cars are not a visual assett in this image to my eye. The shadows in this image seems slightly blacker also which I prefer, maybe because of the push in the processing of cropped image. I DO like the dark shadow at the bottom of the uncropped image also, I just do not like the parked cars - perhaps they could be burned in much darker also and cast into the overall shadows of this frame. Could the warm tone of the tungsten light be dialed back a notch to help match the coolness of the fog too? Please do not take these comments as criticism but as visual alternatives that might be interesting.

No quite the opposite, I love the feedback! The uncropped image is L jpeg directly out of the camera, with AWB. There is a lot of room to play with it. I originally cropped because I agree with you about the cars. I think that a good set of LAB curves could probably do all the things you suggest, and that's a good idea.

I'm thinking of this as a challenge entry. More than the sunsets, church windows, or anything I've shot yet for the challenge, it's pushing my abilities. So what if it doesn't win or make the cut.

pathfinder · July 9, 2004

rutt wrote:

No quite the opposite, I love the feedback! The uncropped image is L jpeg directly out of the camera, with AWB. There is a lot of room to play with it. I originally cropped because I agree with you about the cars. I think that a good set of LAB curves could probably do all the things you suggest, and that's a good idea.

I'm thinking of this as a challenge entry. More than the sunsets, church windows, or anything I've shot yet for the challenge, it's pushing my abilities. So what if it doesn't win or make the cut.

I tried this for a quick crop to see if you think it has possibilities....

rutt · July 9, 2004

pathfinder wrote:

I tried this for a quick crop to see if you think it has possibilities....

Yeah, that's a good idea. I wan't brave enough to leave in some of the cars. Cleary this image will repay a little post work. Thanks.

rutt · July 9, 2004

Thanks, Jim. A little help from my friends and a little work in LAB and it might be ready for the challenge.

pathfinder · July 9, 2004

rutt wrote:

Yeah, that's a good idea. I wan't brave enough to leave in some of the cars. Cleary this image will repay a little post work. Thanks.

One trick I have used more lately is to paint in some blackness wherever it is needed if burning and or dodging is not sufficient - I use a very soft brush set to black, and the opacity down around 15% and then just begin painting in darkness where ever it is needed in the image.
The cover of the current issue of Time magazine is an example of what I am talking about - Michael Moore's face is surrounded by black to highlight his face and to make room for the text needed for the cover story blurb and if you look carefully it is very clear where the brush has painted black along the left side of his face.
That is what I did to the cars to bring down their opacity and darkness to a level that I preferred. Your milage may vary of course

pathfinder · July 9, 2004

rutt wrote:

Thanks, Jim. A little help from my friends and a little work in LAB and it might be ready for the challenge.

I like this much better than your original - I like what you have done with the color of the light - the coolness of the light seems much more in line with the rest of the image. Tell me how you did this hue change please.

I like your crop too. The reason I kept the right side where I did with a few cars painted out, was to include the right line of the brick sidewalk into the corner of the frame. But this crop gets the subjects head nicely into the right upper 1/3 position. I think this is much better than your original crop. Good job!

damonff · July 9, 2004

Love this one.

Nothing but fog

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