Marc Muench - SmugMug Artist-in-Residence

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  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    Marc, another question from me...i know...ugh!

    canon in camera "noise reduction" do you use it for your painting with light?
    ive never have used it ever so im not sure what it will do until i get out and test, i thought it would just be nice to hear your take on it...
    btw, if it matters i have a 5d...
    Aaron Nelson
  • anwmn1anwmn1 Registered Users Posts: 3,469 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    Marc, another question from me...i know...ugh!

    canon in camera "noise reduction" do you use it for your painting with light?
    ive never have used it ever so im not sure what it will do until i get out and test, i thought it would just be nice to hear your take on it...
    btw, if it matters i have a 5d...

    I can answer that one.

    Yes... Use the in camera noise reduction deal.gif We did a painting with light shot at double arch (well everyone else did a painting with light shot.. I did the painting)
    "The Journey of life is as much in oneself as the roads one travels"


    Aaron Newman

    Website:www.CapturingLightandEmotion.com
    Facebook: Capturing Light and Emotion
  • BeachBillBeachBill Registered Users Posts: 1,311 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    anwmn1 wrote:
    I can answer that one.

    Yes... Use the in camera noise reduction deal.gif We did a painting with light shot at double arch (well everyone else did a painting with light shot.. I did the painting)

    And we thank you for your sacrifice Aaron! bowdown.gif
    Bill Gerrard Photography - Facebook - Interview - SmugRoom: Useful Tools for SmugMug
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    Marc, another question from me...i know...ugh!

    canon in camera "noise reduction" do you use it for your painting with light?
    ive never have used it ever so im not sure what it will do until i get out and test, i thought it would just be nice to hear your take on it...
    btw, if it matters i have a 5d...


    YES

    It will double your time but well worth the wait.
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    coscorrosa wrote:
    Boo hoo! I've spent a *third* of my life waiting to get out of work just to have the opportunity to go out shooting and wait for the wind to die down between shots :D


    :D:D:D

    looks like you are adding a few hours up thoughthumb.gif Your posts are incrediblewings.gif
  • philiphutsonphiliphutson Registered Users Posts: 235 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    Happy BDay
    Just to embarrass you since this is your thread :D
    Happy Birthday Marc!!!clap.gifclap

    -Philip
    If you want to see paradise simply look around and see it.
    -Willy Wonka
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2008
    :D:D:D

    looks like you are adding a few hours up thoughthumb.gif Your posts are incrediblewings.gif

    Thanks Marc! :D I'm lucky to live so close to a lot of amazing scenery that I can easily reach on a day trip, but I always feel like I'm missing out (a lot of breadth, but not as much depth as I would like, a lot more reacting than anticipating as I'm seeing a lot of these places for the first time and without previous experience to help me out). But when I am out there there's usually no other place I'd rather be, even if I'm scrambling like crazy, so it works out in the end.

    And if it really is your birthday, happy birthday! If not, I take it back :D
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,934 moderator
    edited October 14, 2008
    Well then :bday :bday
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2008
    ian408 wrote:
    Well then :bday :bday


    Smugmug gang, Ian, Philip and Ron thank you for the HB wish:ivar I did have a great one including some sweet hot apple piewings.gif
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2008
    coscorrosa wrote:
    Thanks Marc! :D I'm lucky to live so close to a lot of amazing scenery that I can easily reach on a day trip, but I always feel like I'm missing out (a lot of breadth, but not as much depth as I would like, a lot more reacting than anticipating as I'm seeing a lot of these places for the first time and without previous experience to help me out). But when I am out there there's usually no other place I'd rather be, even if I'm scrambling like crazy, so it works out in the end.

    And if it really is your birthday, happy birthday! If not, I take it back :D
    Good point! reacting to a landscape is exciting but for some reason not quite as fulfilling to me personally,,,,, until! I throw this thought to youheadscratch.gif I find when shooting in a new location that is better than any wild expectations I could possibly contrive, I reach a heightened state of seeing.
    I have photographed in many old locations and many new locations and as I look back on my work and consider what I was doing, what I had to plan for, what my expectations were, I have fulfilling work in both scenarios. Images planned in well scouted locations, where I contrived and demanded certain light, certain weather, tides and growth, I have images well worth the effort. But while shooting in new locations I am able to leave myself out of the shoot and allow my eye to see subjects for what they are rather than what I see them as.
    This is a question I throw to clients on occasion. Would you rather me reveal what nature has to offer or impose myself upon it?
    Some clients understand! and some don't, which is why it is simpler to shoot first and present those clients with both ways of interpreting the scene.

    It is for this reason that I never really scout, but rather shoot ALL THE TIMEwings.gif
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2008
    Marc, im not experienced enough to look at every photograph and see and know everything about it, for instance your double arch shot...i just cant tell what type of lens you used, so i would like to ask what lens was it for your double arch "painting with light shot"...???
    http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=939548&postcount=1

    i ask because im looking to get that type of perspective on subjects and just cant seem to get it in there like i imagined i could from somewhere like Zion or whatever. how you did that shot seems so right.
    anyway, the past month or so i have been looking for the right lens for what i want to do...problem is i dont have the funds to test this or that or whatever...and i find most reviews not helpful to my specific questions...and i dont go to shootouts and have access to so many people to talk shop...so i rented a canon 14mm and its on its way for the end of this month...i guess once i use it i will know if its what im looking for...

    lastly, throw out the thought that im just being cheezy here with a complement, but i am simply taken back by your work at times...one to the next i get motivated by them....it seriously has changed the way i look at my own photography. (not that im comparing, i just mean in what level i strive to reach for myself.)

    btw, i seriously find myself seeing all the time, and i think i know what you mean......i just cant put it to print...
    Aaron Nelson
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2008
    Good point! reacting to a landscape is exciting but for some reason not quite as fulfilling to me personally,,,,, until! I throw this thought to youheadscratch.gif I find when shooting in a new location that is better than any wild expectations I could possibly contrive, I reach a heightened state of seeing.
    I have photographed in many old locations and many new locations and as I look back on my work and consider what I was doing, what I had to plan for, what my expectations were, I have fulfilling work in both scenarios. Images planned in well scouted locations, where I contrived and demanded certain light, certain weather, tides and growth, I have images well worth the effort. But while shooting in new locations I am able to leave myself out of the shoot and allow my eye to see subjects for what they are rather than what I see them as.
    This is a question I throw to clients on occasion. Would you rather me reveal what nature has to offer or impose myself upon it?
    Some clients understand! and some don't, which is why it is simpler to shoot first and present those clients with both ways of interpreting the scene.

    It is for this reason that I never really scout, but rather shoot ALL THE TIMEwings.gif

    Great stuff as usual, and I couldn't agree more with that last sentence :D

    There's a danger becoming too familiar and losing spontaneity and forcing things into your pre-conceived ideas, but there's also a trade-off to not knowing enough about a spot to shoot it at the peak time (of day or year), and there's also the danger of not returning to a spot because "I've already done that" (things change!).

    I think the key is just to always keep shooting, and not worry about if you know the spot or not (if you do know it, use your previous experience to your advantage but still try and keep it fresh, if you don't know it, just go out there and see what happens, sometimes nature puts on a show that any amount of prior experience will completely negate).

    A lot of my frustration is something to the effect of "This place rocks! Why haven't I been here before! What else am I missing? I need to shoot more!" :D
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2008
    Marc, im not experienced enough to look at every photograph and see and know everything about it, for instance your double arch shot...i just cant tell what type of lens you used, so i would like to ask what lens was it for your double arch "painting with light shot"...???
    http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=939548&postcount=1

    i ask because im looking to get that type of perspective on subjects and just cant seem to get it in there like i imagined i could from somewhere like Zion or whatever. how you did that shot seems so right.
    anyway, the past month or so i have been looking for the right lens for what i want to do...problem is i dont have the funds to test this or that or whatever...and i find most reviews not helpful to my specific questions...and i dont go to shootouts and have access to so many people to talk shop...so i rented a canon 14mm and its on its way for the end of this month...i guess once i use it i will know if its what im looking for...



    btw, i seriously find myself seeing all the time, and i think i know what you mean......i just cant put it to print...
    Aaron,

    My head floweth over
    Thank you for the compliment. I use a 17 -40 Canon for most work when I am not stitching a pano. However, the one I will be getting soon, when released is the new Contax 21mm. The results are mind blowing, just how much sharper a lens it is, even compared to the new Nikon. I really don't know where Canon is? There is also a Zeis 18mm which I would rec as it would replace the zoom. I dont often use the other focal lengths except for on occasion about 20mm, and I do that to just exclude the soft corners which occur at 17mm.
    BTW I plan on testing these wides soon once the Contax is outwings.gif

    However, it is not about the lens but more about the way you fill the frame. If you consider the shapes in composition ALL THE TIME, you will begin to understand composition more. Light is the juice that makes the composition, so consider taking a studio lighting course sometime as well. I apply the lighting techniques learned in my early years in the studio all t he time, especially when painting with lights.
    I do believe composition is a balance between experience and talent. We all have unique talents so it really comes down to how much time you are willing to give to gain the experience.

    There are many rules of composition and learning them is first base. Breaking them would be something like rounding second, capturing a great composition in camera would be about third, and for the home run, being able to repeat it over and overdeal.gif
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    thank you for the advice, i know i have a epic learning curve, i will do my best:D

    lenses: see if you can test the canon 16mm-35 f2.8 MII while your doing a test...
    ive read that its superior to the 17mm-40 f4 and vica-versa...i dont know who to believe (besides dgrin folk)...i just want to get a great lens....
    im really looking for something i can avoid doing pano and merge if possible...
    in nov. i will show you my raw files from horseshoe bend and the amazing sunrise i had...i did a 12 expos double level pano and i messed up bad using the 24mm t/s....

    anyway, i will also look into that zeiss 18mm and that contax 21mm... i cant find any zeiss for canon at B&H, do you have suggestions on where to look and trust?
    Aaron Nelson
  • Awais YaqubAwais Yaqub Registered Users Posts: 10,572 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    15th October ! me 16th
    Happy belated birthday clap.gif
    Thine is the beauty of light; mine is the song of fire. Thy beauty exalts the heart; my song inspires the soul. Allama Iqbal

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  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 22, 2008
    anyway, i will also look into that zeiss 18mm and that contax 21mm... i cant find any zeiss for canon at B&H, do you have suggestions on where to look and trust?

    I will be testing the 18mm zeiss against the 17-40 this week and will post some results. However, the 21 looks to be the real sharp one. Honestly though, I have many files that I have stitched together with the canon 24 T/S that I am very pleased with. One factor you must not overlook is shooting at the lenses sweet spot. In the case of the 17-40 F11 is sharper than all other apertures especially several stops from F11. When you are here in Nov, I can demo blending two images bracket for focus, something David Porter has been doing and works very well.

    BTW, we have all been looking for that one lens, sharp enough to prevent us from having to stitchmwink.gif
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 22, 2008
    15th October ! me 16th
    Happy belated birthday clap.gif

    A Libra indeedclap.gif
    it is actually the 14th but whats one day amongst friends:D

    Thank you Awais
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited October 22, 2008
    the canon 24 T/S that I am very pleased with.

    me too!!! it was me that messed up, not the lens....i had the tilt set at two marks the evening before and then pulled it out of my bag to shoot the next morning without checking it and it had moved five more marks.......long story so i will just show you the results....

    and btw, i will not do that again....
    Aaron Nelson
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    The 28mm point and shoot has arrivedwings.gif

    The new Canon G-10 ended up in my hands and WOW am I amazed. I took it down to the beach tonight and shot this one right smack into the sun, just like I usually do:D I am posting this one which was taken at 100 ISO but others I took at 400 looked usable. This file was processed through the Canon RAW converter as Adobe is still waiting for their camera from Canonheadscratch.gif. I then made only one curves adj to the shadows just to illustrate that there was detail down in the darks. Go Canonmwink.gif

    Full image
    30.5mm / 100 ISO / 1/800 sec / F 4.5
    401750314_u5XiS-X3-1.jpg

    crop the way I would like, and there is still resolutiondeal.gif yes I would like to remove the boat from behind the runner too.
    401750554_WGTj3-X3-1.jpg
  • thebigskythebigsky Registered Users Posts: 1,052 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    Sweet shot Marc clap.gif

    That's quite a camera, was there much chromatic aberration and if so was it easy to rectify?

    Charlie
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2008
    thebigsky wrote:
    Sweet shot Marc clap.gif

    That's quite a camera, was there much chromatic aberration and if so was it easy to rectify?

    Charlie

    Hey Charlie

    It looks like some on the fringes at 28mm wide. However, I will be able to tell better when Adobe Camera Raw can open the files.
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    Marc: When's that book coming out?
    You know, the book where you explain your techniques both in the field and in post-processing? The book that I (and most other dgrinners in this forum) would buy in a heart-beat?

    I've seen books that cover one end of the spectrum (post processing) or the other (techniques in the field), but I think you're uniquely qualified to cover both (or have two books, I don't care!).

    Anyway, just throwing it out there...

    I can send you a deposit now if that will help speed up the process mwink.gif
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    Ron, thank you for your encouragementthumb.gif I have been considering something that will include interviews with other landscape photographers I have worked with and admire including my father. For years I have wondered what are the most important questions in the entire creative and yet technical process of landscape photography, and I am slowly narrowing them down. I must get busywings.gif
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,934 moderator
    edited December 1, 2008
    A book with your father could easily be a book by itself--he's an amazing wealth of knowledge thumb.gif
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    Ron, thank you for your encouragementthumb.gif I have been considering something that will include interviews with other landscape photographers I have worked with and admire including my father. For years I have wondered what are the most important questions in the entire creative and yet technical process of landscape photography, and I am slowly narrowing them down. I must get busywings.gif

    my 1/2 cent....

    Marc, i always enjoy the story of the lucky shot someone captured, and/or how someone planned a shot they captured....

    turn off questions for me are : digital vs. film, or equipment used...
    Aaron Nelson
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    ian408 wrote:
    A book with your father could easily be a book by itself--he's an amazing wealth of knowledge thumb.gif

    I agree Ian.
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    my 1/2 cent....

    Marc, i always enjoy the story of the lucky shot someone captured, and/or how someone planned a shot they captured....

    turn off questions for me are : digital vs. film, or equipment used...

    Aaron, thanks for your input. I do get tired of those questions alsodeal.gif
  • ivarivar Registered Users Posts: 8,395 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    ian408 wrote:
    A book with your father could easily be a book by itself--he's an amazing wealth of knowledge thumb.gif

    I agree Ian.
    On slightly on/off-topic note, I visited the Dutch Museum of Photography recently. The top-floor of the building has a 'knowledge center', which includes a library. It's not even that big, actually, but one of the books there was a book by your father :D
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2008
    Ron, thank you for your encouragementthumb.gif I have been considering something that will include interviews with other landscape photographers I have worked with and admire including my father. For years I have wondered what are the most important questions in the entire creative and yet technical process of landscape photography, and I am slowly narrowing them down. I must get busywings.gif

    Sweet, looking forward to it! :D
  • Marc MuenchMarc Muench Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2008
    ivar wrote:
    On slightly on/off-topic note, I visited the Dutch Museum of Photography recently. The top-floor of the building has a 'knowledge center', which includes a library. It's not even that big, actually, but one of the books there was a book by your father :D

    Ivar,

    Thank you for letting me know. Yes those books do get around, but it is good to know there is one way up there in the northern hemispheremwink.gif
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