Software plus Experience

Below are 2 versions of the same photo, taken 2-1/2 years ago and shot in RAW format.  The top frame was converted in DxO Optics Pro and edited the day after I shot it.  The lower frame was converted today using Lightroom 3.  I think Lightroom is a much better product than DxO, and I think my editing has improved in the last 2 years, also.

And that's two of the most important reasons I shoot in RAW.  If your files are shot and saved in RAW, you can always go back to them later and rework them as your skills improve, and you can also take advantage of software improvements as they are developed and added to programs like Lightroom or Photoshop.

The building is the Vista House at Crown Point in the Columbia River Gorge.  The photo was taken with the Sigma 10mm fisheye.

Sometimes It Pays to Have Company

I do a lot of photo trips alone.  I enjoy working by myself, and of course that allows me to set the agenda for when and where to go.

I do sometimes travel with another photographer, Tim Dubois.  Tim is good company, and I enjoy the trips we take together.

On a recent trip to the coast I was struggling to find a subject I thought was interesting when I saw Tim shooting some sea foam on the beach.  It looked pretty cool to me, too, and so I shot a bunch of good stuff that I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise.

I got the idea of shooting some of them as out-of-focus abstracts, which I mentioned to Tim, so maybe Tim benefited from sharing his find with me.

Everything Gets Better with Time

Or maybe not.  But my editing certainly has, and software has improved too.  The upper image is a shot I took in 2006, edited as well as I could at the time using DxO Optics Pro and Photoshop.

These days I do my conversions in Lightroom instead of DxO, and my Photoshop skills have improved, also.  The lower image, which I reprocessed today, shows the scene more as I saw it that day in 2006.

A couple of thoughts.  First, always shoot in RAW so that you can take advantage of all the improvements that come down the pike as time goes by.  Second, hang on to images that look like they have potential, even if you don't know how to realize that potential today.  You might learn tomorrow.

(Note:  I did choose a different frame to work with today, but the earlier frame was similar in exposure, etc.)

Frame for Clarity and Simplicity

Sometimes the difference between a good photograph and a poor one is just a matter of changing point of view by a few feet.  I found this great blue heron standing on a rock at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.  (Curiously, several other people walked with 50 feet of this rather large bird without noticing him.)

I shot a few frames quickly, in case he flew off, but I didn't like the green moss in the background, and I saw that the heron's head fell in an awkward location.  By moving up the beach and then laying down on the rocks, I was able to reframe with the simpler background seen in the lower shot.

This photo was taken with a Canon 60D, the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS zoom, and the EF 1.4X II extender.

A couple of years ago I got into a discussion in an online forum about the wisdom of using a tele-extender on a zoom lens. I was surprised to see a number of people steadfastly maintaining that one could not achieve professional quality results with a tele-extender on a zoom. Just wouldn't work, period, they said.

My own experience contradicts that viewpoint. I've used a Canon EF 1.4X II extender on my 70-200mm F/4L IS USM zoom since 2005, and I've been pleased with the results. I like the combination because it is light, long, compact, affordable, and hand-holdable. Mounted on an APS-C camera like my Canon 60D with a 1.6X 'crop factor', the 35mm equivalent maximum focal length is 448mm with a maximum aperature of f/5.6.

Below is a photo of a 12 spot dragonfly taken with this combo. The upper frame is the final cropped edit. The middle frame shows a 100% crop of one wing so that you can get an idea of the sharpness achieved. The bottom frame is a screenshot showing what I cropped away.

However, I would add that good mechanics are essential.  Either use a sturdy tripod or a high shutter speed, and check your focus carefully.  Use the sharpest f/stop available, usually f/5.6 or f/8.

Tonight I'm working on my new website at www.ashcreekphoto.photoshelter.com. So far I like Photoshelter a lot. They provide tons of support for photographers like me who are serious about creating a website where I can display and sell my work.

What I Learned Today:

I participated in a Canon workshop in Hood River centered on shooting wind sports with long lenses. I learned that pro windsurfers describe people who just go back and forth across the river without doing any tricks or jumps as "mowing the lawn". Very apt.

Another thing I learned today. Shooting windsurfing when the wind isn't blowing is not so much fun. That was a shame, because the Canon reps put lots of work into putting on the event.

I took the above shot a few years ago.