mkendzierski Posted December 19, 2007 Share #21 Posted December 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Bill...absolutely beautiful pictures! I've been a big fan of your work since I got my camera...it definitely gives me something to shoot (pardon the pun) for. Great work! I'm not sure which one is my favorite..#5 or #12. Just tremendous! -Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 19, 2007 Posted December 19, 2007 Hi mkendzierski, Take a look here M8 in India with the 35 and 50 Lux. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Nitnaros Posted December 19, 2007 Share #22 Posted December 19, 2007 Well, I think the colors are very striking and fit perfectly the documentary. That's why I asked about the "color workflow". Awaiting your comments on that, thank you for taking the time, Bill. I am also asking since I shoot in addition to the M8 a Hassy-503cw with an Aptus-17 digital back. Those colors - if whitebalanced upfront with an expodisc-type lens cap - come out absolutely spot-on in the Leaf or RawDeveloper raw converters.... But I seem to not getting it right with the M8!! Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted December 19, 2007 Share #23 Posted December 19, 2007 Thanks for noticing Chris. Yes, call it artistic expression. As i mentioned above, India's streets are so chaotic and overload all your senses. My decision was to de saturate a bit with high contrast. I've been working on a technique (which I'll get to in my next post because Peter asked). I know many members will not be impressed, but it works for me. Bill - thought it might be - and I'd be interested to hear how you systematise this across the image collection. Again - lovely work, I was just intrigued. V Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M'Ate Posted December 19, 2007 Share #24 Posted December 19, 2007 just checked your web site and its full of terrific images very rewarding thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted December 19, 2007 Share #25 Posted December 19, 2007 I really like your color palette and feel its both vibrant and understated at the same time. I'm pretty sure I know what you've done and have been playing with it myself. The only images I had problems with were the ones where you tried to save misfocus by oversharpening the faces/eyes. I would probably let be or edit out. Yeah I have a black version of that dog minus the scars and mange. There's a real universality in that shot for me at least. Off on my first short trip with M8. Think it'll be 28 cron and 50 pre-asph lux and maybe zeiss 18 for me. A longer trip would probably bring my Mamiya 6 or Rolleiflex (great portrait camera) with me. Best of both worlds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted December 19, 2007 Share #26 Posted December 19, 2007 William - I'm glad you posted these -- They are among my favorites from your lovely sight. As with your man on the stairs photo, these too have a wonderful consonance of colors, razor shapr details, 3D effect against the bokeh, and perfect balance. Many of my India shots are tight, too, I thnk beause with the population, energy and activity it frequently is nesessary in order to retain "focus". I had no worries of the titanium in #19 (five years and counting), but thought you'd be amused at the reference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted December 19, 2007 Share #27 Posted December 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Excellent work, William. It's easy to see why you like the 50 so much. It suits your style, which is not to include too much unnecessary clutter in your shots. Some people have a style that is best suited to wide shooting, but you're obviously not in that camp. I very often carry the 35 on my M8 when I'm out with just one body and lens but also very much love shooting with the 50 lux ASPH. In my opinion, it's the best lens I own. You have one shot in the India series that is a stunning portrait of two women looking at the camera. I can very easily see why you left if in because it is so strong based on their expressions and the nice background bokeh, but the damn guy in the red shirt right behind their heads nearly does the shot in. I'd be very tempted to PS the guy out. Of course, if you want to retain documentary integrity you can't really do that. Anyway, it's great photography. The opening shot is a powerful portrait that sets the stage and what follows doesn't disappoint. Thanks for posting them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 19, 2007 Share #28 Posted December 19, 2007 I really like the color palette you are painting with the M8.How do you deal with color and in particular whitebalance, Bill? How do you process your files? Peter, thank you for commenting. I know many members will not be impressed and possibly distressed by my approach to post processing many of these images, but here it goes anyway. First off, in street photography with the M8 I always set my ISO to 320 or 640 (never 160). Thank you Forum member Tim Ashley for that tip. Next, never use AWB, always cloudy, sunny or incandescent depending on the prevailing light conditions. My EV is typically -1/3. All post is done in Lightroom and CS3. Some of the techniques below will only work in CS3, making the upgrade for me worth every cent. I work on the DNG in Lightroom. I want to say before venturing much further, the best $30 that i spent all of last month was investing in the book "7-Point System for Photoshop CS3" by Scott Kelby. You can download the images from his website and follow along though 21 different lessons. It is always available at Border's Books, so you can pick it up before buying and browse through it in the cafe there for free. In India there always seemed to be something gray in the image so I would just click there with the white balance tool. Next i would warm the image up ever so slightly. The tip that really came up for me in the book was that I have always needed to push the Black slider to the right to lift some of the fog. With the M8 it is much more of a subtle movement than my Canon, but really makes a big difference for me. I push the Clarity control to the right typically no further than the mid-point for some punch in the mid-tones. I push Vibrance ever so slightly. Now I open in CS3 as a 16 bit TIFF. In CS3 I immediately convert to the LAB Color Space by going to Image>Mode> LAB Color (this is covered extensively in Mr. Kelby's book). Now Image> Apply Image.... (looks awful)[see screenshot below]. this is because the default Blending Mode is Multiply. Change it to Soft Light and things look better. Now you have to decide which looks better in the Channel drop down menu. Usually between Lab, a or b. For me, usually Lab or a. The effect is typically too much with an M8 file so I drop the opacity on the box between 20-40%. Make sure Preview is checked so you can see your image updated. When it look good, hit OK. Next very important, convert back to RGB by going to Image>Mode RGB. Here's the bastardization part from numerous different sources that works for me. Duplicate your Background Layer (Command/Control J). Change the Blending mode of the new Layer to Multiply or Soft Light (typically things with M8 look better in Soft Light). While still on this Layer hit Command or Control U to bring up the Hue/Saturation command and drop only the Saturation slider almost all the way to the left and hit OK[see screenshot below]. Now go to The Background layer and duplicate it again. The new background copy should be sandwiched between your Soft Light Layer and the Background Layer. On this middle layer again bring up Hue /Saturation and move the Saturation slider only very slightly to the left this time. Hit OK[see screenshot]. Now click back on the top Soft Light layer and hit E to bring up the Eraser tool. Set the opacity in the Options bar to 20% or lower. Now on the top layer use the eraser on the areas of the subject that are to dark to lighten them. When things look good, flatten the image with the layer fly out menu. ***Note*** I use a Cintiq monitor or Intuous 3 tablet and pen for the above technique and below when using Layer masks and Dodging and burning. They are indispensable tools to me but you can probably do it with much more effort using your mouse. The first time you use the item you will think that you made a big mistake. Trust me, it takes about 4 hours. Kick the kids, wife and dog out of the house for a morning or afternoon and put away the mouse. You will never look back. I set my left touch strip to make my brush size larger and smaller on the fly (so I don't have to look down for my bracket keys) and my right touch strip to zoom in and out of the image. On the pen, the forward button becomes an option click and the back button the x key to switch between black and white foreground to background colors.[These are not the default buttons for the tablets when you pull them out of the box] Now that you have a flattened image, back to the "7-point system". Go to the menu bar (CS3 only) Filter >Convert to Smart Filter.... It will take a few seconds, then Image>Adjustments>Shadow/Highlight.... (the only selection visible) Your image will now look ridiculous because the default settings are to high. Make sure the "show more options" box is checked and you now have WAY to much information. But we only have to concern ourselves with the upper "Shadows" area. Slide "Amount" to the left somewhere between 15-30%. Drop down to Radius and slide it to the right somewhere between 120 and 150. Now in Tonal Range, drag to the left somewhere below 50[screenshot]. this should give you a realistic starting point. Hit OK when you are happy. Now in the Layers palette, your new smart filter should have a Layer Mask (white rectangle. Click on the rectangle. Now hit command/control I which will turn the layer mask black hiding all your hard Shadow/Highlight work. Now hit the B key to get the brush tool and make sure your foreground color is white. Choose a medium or smaller soft edged brush, dial down the opacity in the options menu to 40% or lower and paint with light (make sure the layer mask is still selected) with white as your foreground color in areas that need to be lighter. When happy, flatten image. For dodging, I create a new Curves Adjustment Layer (from the bottom of the layers palette and click OK. I turn this layers blending mode to Screen (which blows everything out) but lower the layers opacity to 35%. the nI turn the layer mask to black hiding everything and paint on the layer mask with the brush tool (50% opacity in the menu bar) and foreground color to white to subtly dodge. For burning, new curves adjustment layer, set layer blending mode to "Multiply", lower opacity to 35%, inverse layer mask to black, paint with white on layer mask (50% menu bar) to selectively burn in areas. Also, if it is not enough, i use the Pixel Genius sharpening software using "Creative Sharpener" to selectively sharpen small areas of the image using the Wacom tools and blurring adjacent areas to create a 3 dimensional quality. I've also found that selectively burning and dodging adjacent areas really makes them pop. I hope this enough to confuse everyone. I've attached screen shots below, I don't know haw to imbed them in my essay. I hope they help and you can figure out what goes where. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/40610-m8-in-india-with-the-35-and-50-lux/?do=findComment&comment=430862'>More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 19, 2007 Share #29 Posted December 19, 2007 Chris and Peter, I hope I didn't go into to much detail and end up confusing everyone. If something is unclear please don't hesitate to ask. Mike, thank you. If I can do it in 3 1/2 years, you'll be up to speed in 1. The fact that everyone seems to have a different favorite makes me happy. Thank you Stuart, Charles and M Ate. Your kind words are much appreciated. Brent, thank you and I agree regarding the 50. I'm starting to kind of like the guy in red but I know what you mean. If he was sharp, it would drive me nuts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbert richter Posted December 19, 2007 Share #30 Posted December 19, 2007 there is very little to add those fotos are mesmerizing the colours, the intensity, i have a lot to learn happy new year my very best norbert richter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
misha Posted December 20, 2007 Share #31 Posted December 20, 2007 i am going to delhi and bihar with 15, 35, 50 and 75. anything specific that you found difficult, challenging in india? thanks misha Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 20, 2007 Share #32 Posted December 20, 2007 norbert, thank you for the wonderful comments. misha, buckle in baby! I thought New York or Rome were the noisiest urban cities in the world. Amplify both those cities by 10 and you might be approaching the roundabouts of Delhi. If you are going there as a photographer, try to travel alone. Go to the Red Fort and hire a pedi-rickshaw to take you deep into the Chandni chowk. The guy I hired spoke perfect English and wore a brown jacket. He was amazing. I am Irish/Hungarian and didn't see another Caucasian for hours and got the impression that many of the locals had never seen someone of my race. I'm not kidding. If you see someone worth photographing make eye contact and with a slight smile walk up deliberately and shoot. Say namaste afterward while lifting your hands in a prayer like fashion below your nose. Show the people your images afterward and watch them break out in laughter. Wear darker clothing. Do not take a friggin Billingham bag. Shove your second lens into the front pocket of your cargo pants with a little bubble wrap. If you plan to shoot kids and show them your images, make sure you have a grip on your camera as they will attack you with utter joy and jubilance. Place an extra SD card and battery in the other front pocket of your cargo pants. Go to the Jami Masjid (see my image in the People Photo area), the largest mosque in India with an enormous outdoor square like area and spend an afternoon. Even the most intimidating looking of characters loved having their photos taken. When in the Chadni Chowk area, have your driver take you to the Spice Market, breathe in deeply! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Pic A Day Posted December 20, 2007 Share #33 Posted December 20, 2007 wonderful photographs. congrats! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 20, 2007 Share #34 Posted December 20, 2007 Thank you One Pic. I'm a big fan of your Japan work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulberrybay Posted December 21, 2007 Share #35 Posted December 21, 2007 Very beautiful pictures William. I like the color and the eye to eye contact in your pictures. Did you have to do a lot of adjustments to get the color and contrast or was it very close to what you got straight off your camera? MB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 21, 2007 Share #36 Posted December 21, 2007 thank you Ericson. First I tried to get it right in camera (bokeh is amazing with the Leica glass). Using Lightroom as my conversion program I got whie Balance as close as possible and then warmed just the slightest amount. I can't sya enough about Scott Kelby's book 7-Point System..." I mention above, He got me to push the black slider more than I typically do. it doesn't take much in the M8 but makes some tremendous subtle differences. I typically use Medium or Strong Contrast in the Curves drop down. In Photoshop I convert to LAB and Apply Image (again covered extensively in the Kelby book. A couple posts above I outline an entire workflow that I used for several of the images. I hope this helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val B Posted December 24, 2007 Share #37 Posted December 24, 2007 William...Like your India portfolios very much. Nice work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 24, 2007 Share #38 Posted December 24, 2007 Thank you Val. I added a few more to the India-M8 (Two) Gallery and (dare I say it) added a Canon Gallery just yesterday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotomiguel Posted December 25, 2007 Share #39 Posted December 25, 2007 I've visited your gallerie. Nice work and very interesting treatment of the images. I like how you face photography and how you see the subject and go ahead with without doubts. I think that the 50mm is a number one to travel and street photography. But I'm not lucky enough, I have just the cron. Still lucky and happy. Thanks for sharing Regards Miguel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted December 27, 2007 Share #40 Posted December 27, 2007 Miguel, Thank you for the compliments. After visiting your gallery I see that the cron works very well in your talented hands. Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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