Cowboys, Cowgirls, & Cowdogs.
Hi Y'all,
Recently I had a chance to visit Parkfield CA, population 18. Parkfield is right on the San Andreas Fault and is about a 4 hour drive east from SF or LA.
Parkfield is the location for the V6 Ranch. We were there to take part in a Muench Workshop led by my buddy, Andy Williams.
The wonderful extended Varian family went out of their way to provide us with photo ops and insights into a working ranch.
Driving horses
Driving cows (AKA hamburgers, briskets and steaks :eat)
They demonstrated some rodeo events for us.
The Ranch and the Varians did their best to provide us models and photo ops
Equipment: Nikon D4 and 800E, 70-2000mm 2.8 Vr I & the 24-70mm 2.8
Processed with PS CS5 and with NIK Color Pro Efex plug-ins and the Perfectly Clear plug-in.
Recently I had a chance to visit Parkfield CA, population 18. Parkfield is right on the San Andreas Fault and is about a 4 hour drive east from SF or LA.
Parkfield is the location for the V6 Ranch. We were there to take part in a Muench Workshop led by my buddy, Andy Williams.
The wonderful extended Varian family went out of their way to provide us with photo ops and insights into a working ranch.
Driving horses
Driving cows (AKA hamburgers, briskets and steaks :eat)
They demonstrated some rodeo events for us.
The Ranch and the Varians did their best to provide us models and photo ops
Equipment: Nikon D4 and 800E, 70-2000mm 2.8 Vr I & the 24-70mm 2.8
Processed with PS CS5 and with NIK Color Pro Efex plug-ins and the Perfectly Clear plug-in.
Harry
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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Great to see you and Linda again too!
You've made me curious about the Perfectly Clear plug-in - is it "worth it", did it noticeably improve your shots, did you depend on the full-auto mode only? TIA!
Thanks for he kind words.
About the Perfectly Clear plug-in, first a disclaimer, Athentech's COO is my good friend Andy. I was rather dubious when Andy first told me about it and I downloaded a trial version. I have never been a fan any previous do it all global plug-ins.
After trying it out I was very impressed. It did an excellent job. On clarity, tone and color. The changes can be adjusted by sliders and it comes with different presets and you can create your own presets. It was a real time saver for me which is an important issue for me because I take lots of pictures. I could have gotten the same results with PS but it would have taken a lot more time.
Unfortunately it doesn't create a new layer when it makes its adjustments so I have to create a duplicate layer before applying it. The only thing I wsn't happy with was its noise reduction. The NR created a world of plastic so I just kept the NR clicked off which was not a deal breaker as I'm happy with myy current NR software (NIK's Define).
Perfectly Clear is now part of my usual workflow and it has saved me lots of time.
Here's a quick demo of it on one of Linda's pics with a her D7000 and the 70-300
OOC (cropped)
after I used Perfectly Clear
I would do some additional processing on the image but Perfectly Clear has already saved me a few steps and time.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks so much for the demo and info Harry.... I'm generally skeptical of anything "automatic" because of the often dismal results from the usual (software) suspects. However, this looks promising and because your results are the standard we all aspire to, I'll probably give the free trial a go-round.
Thanks again!
Glad you enjoyed them Awais.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
We had a great time and it was good to see you again.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks, they were very accomplished riders and confident in their abilities. They start riding at the age of 3.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Hey Harry! I can't beleive I was the only none to spot this! Would you care to tell us how much that first lens you listed weighs?
GaryB
“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
If I had a 70-2000 2.8 lens I would be writing this from a hospital bed with back injuries and multiple hernias. :hurt
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Glad you enjoyed them
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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Great stuff!! I really enjoyed looking at your images.
Sam
Thanks Ben, glad you could stop by.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
Silhouette images have always been one of my interests, glad you liked them.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks Sam, thta's one of the best complements a photographer can get.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
To those that may be interested, we're going back to the V6 Ranch for our California Ranch Experience in April
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Thanks
Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
Hey Phil,
There's nothing really complicated about taking silhouette photos. I just meter off the bright sky and shoot. Depending on lighting I will make adjustments to the exposure after my first captures. In ACR I may tweek the black setting to increase the black levels.
Here's a pretty good intro http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-silhouettes
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thank you, not as difficult as I thought.
Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
THanks Andy and next year's workshop looks great.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks very much for those kind words and as per your request
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Keep em' coming amigo.