Just one more Superbike related...

F45

[FONT=Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]One finale post and an updated gallery link...
Thanks for looking and for all of your feedback!


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AMA Superbike Championship gallery highlights
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Steve Cavigliano

Lookin good, Chris

This is one of those "mirror" images that look just as good rotated 180 degrees Very Kewl :ivar

Steve

F45

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Lookin good, Chris
This is one of those "mirror" images that look just as good rotated 180 degrees Very Kewl :ivar
Steve

You're right Steve...I hadn't looked at it like that before.

I learned an invaluable lesson at my first bike race (US MotoGP '06) when I was called by Road Racer X's editor saying he would like to use one of my shots on the cover! Unfortunately I cropped a horizontal image into a verticle, thus the resolution was compromised and they couldn't use it. So, now I shoot full frame and full frame only...no crops, tilts, rotations or messing around in any way! That was not a fun lesson :cry

galaxycowpoke

F45 wrote:

Unfortunately I cropped a horizontal image into a verticle, thus the resolution was compromised and they couldn't use it. So, now I shoot full frame and full frame only...no crops, tilts, rotations or messing around in any way! That was not a fun lesson :cry

Ouch! I'm sure you'll get another chance.

I'm assuming the cropped image did not meet their dpi requirements?

I don't have a lot of experience with this, but aren't there specialized programs (like Genuine Fractals) available to upsize RGB and even CMYK files?

How big was the image to begin with?

P.S. When you said full frame before, I thought you were referring to the image sensor (Canon 5D or Ds) not the absence of cropping. I understand now.

F45

Saxon wrote:

I don't have a lot of experience with this, but aren't there specialized programs (like Genuine Fractals) available to upsize RGB and even CMYK files? How big was the image to begin with?

Believe me; I used several algorithms and software aps to make the file larger (and it looked really good) but after their graphics department made a mock up cover they determined that the resolution just wouldn't be enough.
They said "we hope you understand, but covers have to be perfect"
The overal size of the subject was too small in the frame to begin with, so even as I made the crop I was already too small for a high res cover! ...but never again :bash

galaxycowpoke

F45 wrote:

They said "we hope you understand, but covers have to be perfect"
The overal size of the subject was too small in the frame to begin with, so even as I made the crop I was already too small for a high res cover! ...but never again :bash

Interpolating software: $250.00-$500.00

Real world lesson: priceless.



Thanks for sharing that. It's a good lesson to keep in mind.

I recently acquired a 5D. I love to crop, and the 12MP makes it easier to do and still have enough pixels for a large print.

But you really take a hit on the file size when it comes to storage. And I don't look forward to the accelerated hard drives purchases. I don't think storage devices have caught up with digital media, yet. Maybe one day we'll have terrabyte holographic storage devices. Until then, it's a real challenge.

Now that I think of it, what I'd really like is broadband upload times to vaulted and backed-up servers that store all your images. That might be coming, too. I hate the pain of managing my own storage facility.

Jeffro

F45 wrote:

They said "we hope you understand, but covers have to be perfect" The overal size of the subject was too small in the frame to begin with, so even as I made the crop I was already too small for a high res cover! ...but never again :bash

What a bummer. That's why I "crop" with my lens, and my feet. I hate cropping pictures afterwards. I think too many people rely on cropping too much these days, without thinking about the possible results.

It's a good practice to forget that you have a digital file, and shoot as if you have film. Frame it right, expose it right, and do away with all that post shooting trickery!

Can we see the cover shot that wasn't?

F45

Jeffro wrote:

Frame it right, expose it right, and do away with all that post shooting trickery!
Can we see the cover shot that wasn't?

...You got that right brother!!

This is the shot they wanted. They told me that because I was new to the sport I probably shot with a fresh perspective and that kind of originality is something they always look for, especially for covers and double page spreads (full trucks). Now I shoot as if I will be "handing in my film" and not even seeing the finale results. When I edit at the end of the day, I delete anything that doesn't look very sharp at 100%...no acceptions. Some of the shots I throw out now are better than my best keepers from last year. As Jeffro said...use your "sneaker zoom" and crop in camera only! Its good self-discipline practice.
Hopefully my mistake can be a good lesson for others

galaxycowpoke

F45 wrote:

This is the shot they wanted.

And that, coincidentally, is my favorite of the series. Well, actually, it was the closer crop from that same angle. Great capture.

Was the above the original or the crop?

F45

Saxon wrote:

Was the above the original or the crop?

That was the crop...the original was horizontal.

galaxycowpoke

F45 wrote:

That was the crop...the original was horizontal.

To crop or not to crop.

So many pros and cons.

I'll always retain the option of cropping to make an image better, especially those intended purely to show my work.

But I suppose you can really shoot yourself in the foot if you crop too much and ruin an image's usefulness to a magazine as a background for text, for example.

But if you see an excellent crop and don't do it, you have to rely on a magazine to see the same potential in an image that you see. Then again, if the crop is so tight as to ruin its technical suitability, I suppose it's a moot point.

No doubt, achieving the same compositional exactness in camera as with cropping can be a real challenge with 100mph subjects. But, I agree, that method certainly has its advantages.

Jeffro

F45 wrote:

That is a sweet shot.

ONESHOT

I LIKE'S THATS ALOTS I DO...COOL SHOOTIN TEX...:rambo

F45

Thanx guys...I appreciate your supportive comments!!

CookieS

Hmm, Im realy surprised that you could not crop that at 300 Dpi and have a usableimage, what camera did youshoot with, It looks great!

F45

CookieS wrote:

Hmm, Im realy surprised that you could not crop that at 300 Dpi and have a usableimage, what camera did youshoot with, It looks great!

Thank you CookieS...
Sadly, my mistake started before I released the shutter! I was deliberately shooting with the intention of cropping for best composition after the fact (which was a practice recommended by many sportsshooters around the web) and since it was my first bike race, I wasn't thinking about getting the subject as big in frame as need be. I used a 1D MarkII (8 MP) but even if I had not cropped it into the finale vertical, the size of the bike would not work for something as critical as a racing magazine's cover (although it does make for a good image otherwise). Cover shots don't allow much room for error and as I said earlier, this error will never happen again. A tough lesson to say the least, but because of that mistake I've made considerable changes in my technique and approach to composition which I feel my current work and future images will demonstrate. All of my shots now are full frame only and composed with specific vertical or horizontal marketing ideas/tactics in mind. In other words, because I'm trying to shoot commercially; I'm visualizing the finale layout and possible usage of the image before I take the shot. This also makes for a more creative eye!