Assignment #16: Specular highlights

Nikolai

OK, pannin' n' blurrin' turned out to be pretty tough, didn' it? :wink

Let's drop technical difficulty down a notch and concentrate on something what is sometimes considered to be a defect: specular highlight.

Sun "stars", reflected or direct, a bright street light in a dark alley - well, your imagination is the limit.

As always: fresh pictures only, moderate PS is OK.
For the rest of the basic rules and index please check out this sticky.

Let's highlight!

anwmn1

Just for Clarification
We are looking for reflection of light correct? Like these?

Clouds Reflecting


Cardinal Stadium Roof on 1927 Ford


More Recent Sun Star


I'll find more. Just wanted to be sure I am on the right track.

Aaron

Nikolai

Aaron,

anwmn1 wrote:

We are looking for reflection of light correct? Like these?
Clouds Reflecting
Cardinal Stadium Roof on 1927 Ford
More Recent Sun Star
I'll find more. Just wanted to be sure I am on the right track.
Aaron

Clouds: no, they are just light, but it's possible and often desirable to salvage them.

Roof: the windows - yes, as well as some chrome refelection

Sun star: yup, can't get any brighter (unless you're in a ground zero of the nuclear blast, but this may fry your CCD anyway:-)

Good luck!

douglas

Fun with candle light.

Nikolai

Douglas,

douglas wrote:

Fun with candle light.

Great entry, as always!

Although I think the reflections on the left "steal" the attention, I'd clone them out, what do you think?

douglas

Nikolai wrote:

Great entry, as always!

Although I think the reflections on the left "steal" the attention, I'd clone them out, what do you think?

Thank you Nik. I considered cloning them out but I thought maybe they were "specular highlights" So I left them in for assignment subject reasons. Although I agree removing them which would be very easy in this shot, I think would make a better photograph.

Nikolai

Douglas,

douglas wrote:

Thank you Nik. I considered cloning them out but I thought maybe they were "specular highlights" So I left them in for assignment subject reasons. Although I agree removing them which would be very easy in this shot, I think would make a better photograph.

Those reflections are pretty dark, and as such, do not consitute the "specular highlights", which, by definition, are expretmely bright areas one should ignore while balancing the image.

Nikolai

Sun reflection
Specular highlights on the car:



Taken about 15 minutes ago...

douglas

Shot this one moments ago...

Nikolai

Douglas,

douglas wrote:

Shot this one moments ago...

Cool idea!

Antonio Correia

Four Specular Lights
Curious how CPF behaves here. Later I'll post those experiments.
These pictures were shot in the garden and right in front of the house.
It's not my car.
Is it well done, Nik ?

Nikolai

Antonio,

Antonio Correia wrote:

Curious how CPF behaves here. Later I'll post those experiments.
These pictures were shot in the garden and right in front of the house.
It's not my car.
Is it well done, Nik ?

They are all a propos, but the first two are awesome!

Antonio Correia

Nikolai wrote:

They are all a propos, but the first two are awesome!

Thank you Nikolai.

In all the photos I was controlling the reflections because I was using a CPFilter.
As I moved I could get the sun, or avoid it.
In the car for example I moved 2 or 3 times not to get the sun too strongly.
The same happened on the 3.ed picture.
Myself I think the 2.ed picture is too flat under an aesthetic point of view.

I hope to be able to shoot more soon.

All the best.

photodoug

red only seen when the light refracts just so....

Nikolai

Doug,

photodoug wrote:

red only seen when the light refracts just so....

With all due respect, I don't see any assignment subject here

Shima

This picture was taken a few days before the assignment was posted, but I have way too many papers to write this week for grad school to go running outside midday presently to take a new one (with my now new camera, still had the old camera at the beginning of this week).

Taken in my dad's backyard back on Long Island on the 21st with my Canon Powershot Pro1.



I realize it's overly centered, but that's what happens when you're just shooting for fun and not the actual assignment, if I make some headway on these papers tonight (as is the plan if I stop procrastinating on here) then I'll finally get to take the new Rebel I got last night out into some natural light for some fun

photodoug

Nikolai wrote:

With all due respect, I don't see any assignment subject here

yea, I'm pushing the definition. The red spots are highlights that only refract when the light is just right....suppose it missed the mark.

and this isn't allowed, right?

ShadowHawk

douglas wrote:

Shot this one moments ago...

My condolenses to see you have a Windows ME disk. :cry

I can only hope you are now running 2000 or XP or something better??

Shima

ShadowHawk wrote:

My condolenses to see you have a Windows ME disk. :cry

I can only hope you are now running 2000 or XP or something better??

Oh man, I hadn't noticed that it was indeed an ME disk... I too would like to offer my condolenses (as one who works for the Geek Squad and fixes computers on a daily basis). When someone walks in with an ME computer, I immediately start walking them over to the Computers department... x.x

Regardless though, it's an awesome shot

ShadowHawk

Shima wrote:

When someone walks in with an ME computer, I immediately start walking them over to the Computers department... x.x

That was nice of you.. whenever I saw a person with a ME computer, I usually just unloaded both barrels of a shotgun into the case and told the shocked owner that it was for the best!!

Anyway I am getting offtopic... it was a nice photo! An interesting viewpoint.

Nikolai

Shima,

Shima wrote:

This picture was taken a few days before the assignment was posted, but I have way too many papers to write this week for grad school to go running outside midday presently to take a new one (with my now new camera, still had the old camera at the beginning of this week).

I hope now that the papers are done you can go out and bring something fresher?

douglas

ShadowHawk wrote:

My condolenses to see you have a Windows ME disk. :cry

I can only hope you are now running 2000 or XP or something better??

Lol thats to funny, I was wondering if someone would have a simalar remark, I hated Win ME! Glad to have XP now!

douglas

Taken tonight...

Shima

Nikolai wrote:

I hope now that the papers are done you can go out and bring something fresher?

Oh man I wish...
I have a 30pp that's up to 16 pages right now...
a 10pp that hasn't been started
Two 6pp's that need to be proof read and have a few more sources sited
An easy 2-3 pp that needs to be started
a 6-8pp that needs to be started
And a 6pp that needs to be revised and slightly lengthened

I think my head is going to explode... they're all due between tonight and dec 9 on different days x.x... once I get a moment of "save me" I'll probably take a break and play w/ the new toy outside

Shima

Aw shucks, can't buy a new camera and then let it just sit there while I write papers.... took this on the rebel xti an hour or so ago




I took some really cool reflection photos too, not sure if they count as highlights persay:







Back to those darned papers now...

Swartzy

Does this work?

Antonio Correia

Swartzy,
I think: Of course it enters.
It's very good !!!

Antonio Correia

More in the near future.

Swartzy

I might be getting the hang of this

Elaine

Love those bridge shots, Swartzy! Really beautiful!

I posted this in "People" but I think it applies here too. Specular Christmas tree lights...and it's fresh from today...

Antonio Correia

Swarty !

That's fine. (I think).
I was going to shoot more tonight but my wife took my car with the tripod and I was needing it ...