Portland Head Light

ChesterJack · November 27, 2011

Looking for feedback on this shot. Overall I am pretty happy with it however would like to know from others how it might be improved.

Taken Saturday 11.26.11 at about 6:50am.. Shot at 14mm F27 1.5 secs.

Thanks

dereksurfs · November 27, 2011

I think this has nice composition of an iconic light.

A few suggestions to improve things - remove dust bunny from upper frame (clouds), work on sharpening (looks a bit fuzzy), correct distortion of the house, consider a slight bump in saturation and/or contrast (looks a bit flat).

ChesterJack · November 27, 2011

dereksurfs wrote: »

I think this has nice composition of an iconic light.

A few suggestions to improve things - remove dust bunny from upper frame (clouds), work on sharpening (looks a bit fuzzy), correct distortion of the house, consider a slight bump in saturation and/or contrast (looks a bit flat).

Thanks much.. I agree it looked fuzzy too.. Is there anything I can do when shooting it to get it sharper? or is it just a matter of editing? really just starting out so the advice is greatly appreciated.

haha.. I think the dust bunny was actually a gull flying around..

Thanks again

dereksurfs · November 27, 2011

ChesterJack wrote: »

Thanks much.. I agree it looked fuzzy too.. Is there anything I can do when shooting it to get it sharper? or is it just a matter of editing? really just starting out so the advice is greatly appreciated.

haha.. I think the dust bunny was actually a gull flying around..

Thanks again

If you are just starting out then yes, there are quite a few things you can do to improve sharpness. Here are some general rules which improve sharpness:

1. Sturdy tripod with cable release, especially for longer exposures.
2. Decently sharp lens throughout the frame including edges. Wider sharp lenses are harder to come by and there can be quite a bit of variation even with same lens - lemons. For example I purchased a Sigma 10-20mm which had terrible right side bluring. This is known as a decentered lens element which can sometimes be repaired. I chose to return it.
3. When shooting at higher apertures for maximun depth of field beware of diffraction as you max out the lens. This can also cause blurring/loss of detail.
4. Shoot raw if you have it then sharpen in post processing. Raw gives you the most data to begin with. There are a number of sharpening tools available, some even free as photoshop actions or plugins.

Here is one I found from the exact same spot under similar lighting. In looking at this you'll notice some of the things I mentioned:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blypix/3697336063/

Hope this helps some. If you provide us more details regarding how this shot was made and with what gear that could shed more light it.

ChesterJack · November 27, 2011

dereksurfs wrote: »

If you are just starting out then yes, there are quite a few things you can do to improve sharpness. Here are some general rules which improve sharpness:

1. Sturdy tripod with cable release, especially for longer exposures.
2. Decently sharp lens throughout the frame including edges. Wider sharp lenses are harder to come by and there can be quite a bit of variation even with same lens - lemons. For example I purchased a Sigma 10-20mm which had terrible right side bluring. This is known as a decentered lens element which can sometimes be repaired. I chose to return it.
3. When shooting at higher apertures for maximun depth of field beware of diffraction as you max out the lens. This can also cause blurring/loss of detail.
4. Shoot raw if you have it then sharpen in post processing. Raw gives you the most data to begin with. There are a number of sharpening tools available, some even free as photoshop actions or plugins.

Here is one I found from the exact same spot under similar lighting. In looking at this you'll notice some of the things I mentioned:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blypix/3697336063/

Hope this helps some. If you provide us more details regarding how this shot was made and with what gear that could shed more light it.

Well a great of what you have suggested is what I was or was not doing. I did use a tripod but not with a cable release and it very well could have been my depressing the shutter was throwing the shot off a bit.

I took the shot with my Nikon D7000 and a Sigma 10-20mm. I purchased the lens on Ebay about 8 months ago and I feel like I always struggle a little bit with it. Easy for me to blame it on the lens but at the time I wanted a wide angle and was not looking to spend any money. I have come to realize that you do get what you pay for with this hobby / profession.

I do not take enough wide angle shots that would justify the Nikon 14-24MM 2.8 but would not be afraid to consider another lens that would provide me the opportunity for better results than the Sigma. It came off Ebay and very easily can go right back on it! I have since not purchased any gear off of Ebay.. I use Hunts Camera here in New England and they are just great.

I did shoot this RAW and played around a little with Lightroom 3 that I recently downloaded for the 30 day free trial. I have been trying to edit with iPhoto but I really dislike the software and am considering the Adobe product. So far I am pleased with what it can do and continue to play with it.

Great point regarding the tiny apperture, I was very focused on depth of field and likely could have opened it up a little and extended the time the shutter was open.

The shot you linked me to is what I someday hope to produce.

Thanks again

Jack

ChesterJack · November 27, 2011

ChesterJack wrote: »

Well a great of what you have suggested is what I was or was not doing. I did use a tripod but not with a cable release and it very well could have been my depressing the shutter was throwing the shot off a bit.

I took the shot with my Nikon D7000 and a Sigma 10-20mm. I purchased the lens on Ebay about 8 months ago and I feel like I always struggle a little bit with it. Easy for me to blame it on the lens but at the time I wanted a wide angle and was not looking to spend any money. I have come to realize that you do get what you pay for with this hobby / profession.

I do not take enough wide angle shots that would justify the Nikon 14-24MM 2.8 but would not be afraid to consider another lens that would provide me the opportunity for better results than the Sigma. It came off Ebay and very easily can go right back on it! I have since not purchased any gear off of Ebay.. I use Hunts Camera here in New England and they are just great.

I did shoot this RAW and played around a little with Lightroom 3 that I recently downloaded for the 30 day free trial. I have been trying to edit with iPhoto but I really dislike the software and am considering the Adobe product. So far I am pleased with what it can do and continue to play with it.

Great point regarding the tiny apperture, I was very focused on depth of field and likely could have opened it up a little and extended the time the shutter was open.

The shot you linked me to is what I someday hope to produce.

Thanks again

Jack

Looking at the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8.. less than half the price of the Nikon..

dereksurfs · November 27, 2011

Jack,

That's one of the fun things with photography. We can always learn and grow. I think I can help you at least in part with some recommendations that won't break the bank (i.e. 14-24).
A great third party wide angle which I purchased after the Sigma 10-20 was the Tokina 12-24 f4. The difference between the two was immediately noticable. http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=327 You can sometimes find a great deal on it used. It was the hardest lens for me to part with when I went from a cropped sensor to the Full Frame 5DII. The sharpness was great and I sold it for a song on craigslist. Here is one shot I took with it to give an idea of edge to edge performance, and this was @f7: http://landandseaphoto.smugmug.com/Locations/Northern-California-2008/23Nov081781CRt2/422918810_X3XEa-XL.jpg

Regarding software Adobe is having a Black Friday sale right now for the next couple of days remaining. So if you are thinking about Lightroom or Photoshop its a good time. http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-65064073-Photoshop-Lightroom-3/dp/B003739DVY I will probably get the CS5 upgrade for $139 (normally $200) before the sale ends.

dereksurfs · November 27, 2011

ChesterJack wrote: »

Looking at the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8.. less than half the price of the Nikon..

I would love to shoot wide at f2.8 for night photography. The reviews on it look really good. Its a trade off for a little more zoom length on the 12-24 and an extra stop of light.

ChesterJack · November 27, 2011

dereksurfs wrote: »

I would love to shoot wide at f2.8 for night photography. The reviews on it look really good. Its a trade off for a little more zoom length on the 12-24 and an extra stop of light.

Thanks..The 12-24 I agree might be a better option for a little less money and some additional focal length.

bigpix · November 27, 2011

..... agree with the others

Portland Head Light

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