From RAW to Final Image

I took this outdoor portrait of an Ottawa model. The day was overcast which made for a lovely soft light. The World's biggest "softbox". I shot in Pentax (PEF) RAW 12 bit format. I'll start with the Original image converted to png and downsized from the 3008x2004 pixel (12.6 MB file size)



Pentax *ist D, SMC Pentax-M 85mm f:2 lens. PEF format, 1/125 sec @ f:5.6

Overall not a bad image, the camera default 2:3 aspect ratio will be cropped so I composed the shot to allow cropping from the top down to a 4:3 format.



I was content with this low-key image for a bit, but decided to see how it would work as a Black and White image. So I did a B&W conversion with Photoshop CS2.



I always add just a slight hint of warm tone (sepia) to my digital Black & White images. Often not even that apparent but I find they print a bit better.

Finally while playing around with the RAW(PEF) in Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta 2 I saw what the final image could be. I adjusted the levels and warmed the photograph up a little. That created to me a nicer image.



None are really better, just different interpretations. Just like when I used to go into my darkroom with a negative.

The final image did win an Award of Excellence as mentioned in my previousBlog post.

Darrell Larose

Final Camera Club Slide Competition of 2009-2010

I entered 4 images into the Camera Club of Ottawa's final  slide competition of 2009-2010

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Advanced Class
Topic: Open



Linda

Award of Excellence



Jasmine & Josh

Honourable Mention

Both images were shot near the Château Laurier, along the same pathway to Major's Hill Park.

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Advanced Class
Topic: Nature



Mallard at Sunset

Award of Excellence



Heron at Sunset

Honourable Mention

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Both nature class images were photographed on the Ottawa River between Island Park Drive and Tunney's Pasture. Both were only a few minutes apart. I was almost ready to pack it in as the light was getting low.

Darrell

Curves

One of the more interesting buildings in the National Capital Region, is Douglas Cardinal's National Museum of Civilization, across from Parliament in the old Hull part of Gatineau, Quebec.

Cardinal was inspired by the Canadian Shield when he designed this building.



Here we see an overview reflected in a nearby window.



Here is another view of the many curves of the structure.



Some curves are organic in look.









Finally a detail of the Zen Garden on the site.



Darrell

Homage to Equivalents

Alfred Stieglitz (1864 – 1946), famous American photographer.

Stieglitz began a cycle of cloud photographs he called "Equivalents, from 1922-31 " claiming that form conveyed emotional and psychological meaning in the visual arts, not the specific subject of the artist.

I have always liked clouds and the sky, so perhaps inspired by the great Alfred Stieglitz, are some clouds in a boiling sky.

Moments later they have changed...

In weather like this change is quick...

And almost as quick as they formed, they left.

Darrell

Ordinary Things

A cold day project, I shot a handful of ordinary things around my home.



This is just a lamp, but the colour combination did catch my eye..



An ordinary gold mesh coffee filter...



A paper coffee filter ... Did some mention COFFEE!!!



perhaps another beverage will be more suitable?



Time to sign off, for now with one of my pens.



All photos were photographed with my old manual focus SMC Pentax-M 50mm Macro lens.

Darrell

Yet another walk downtown

I was out and about on a sunny afternoon. Enjoying the warm out of season weather. Again I had my 14mm lens, and I again was playing with buildings.



I liked the geometrics of this one.



Oblique angles are fun to work with.



Ottawa is full or glass box buildings, all have angular faces that can be worked with.



Maybe next time I'll wonder over to Douglas Cardinal's Museum of Civilization, with it's organic curves.

Darrell

New Angles

Always interesting to look at common scenes from a different vantage point. I was on the balcony, enjoying the early summer-like weather we had over the Easter weekend. When I grabbed my camera.



I liked the simple lines of this shot.



Same vantage point, I waited for the car to enter the scene.



This one I tried in Black and White. Probably not award winners, but it is a fun project.

Darrell