The Official S-T.N Digital Camera Thread

[kurtw]

MMmmmm, now that's a histogram...

This is the national geographic snow shot, just to give you an idea of what the right edge should look like on snow.

[Sport-Touring]

[Mr. Whippy]

Trip is in July.

We're attempting to summit 2 peaks:

Alpamayo



and Quitaraju

[torags v2]

Looks exciting... good luck...      

[Mr. Whippy]

Looks exciting... good luck...      

Thanks!  

For obvious reasons, if the shots aren't good, I don't think I'll be heading back to retake them, heh.

[doodah man]

I did some shooting this winter while ice climbing, taking shots with various settings in the semi-manual modes, but never really obtained the color intensity and detailed texture I was hoping for (and have seen in others pictures).

A lot of outdoor photographers use filters to get the color intensity and texture.  A polarizer can bring out detail and color by cutting glare and removing reflections off objects that tend to diminish the colour and detail, plus there are variants like warming polarizers that will help to neutralize the blue cast of the sky.  I have also seen some pros using blue and gold polarizers which can provide dramatic effects in certain situations.

That shot of Alpamayo was almost certainly taken with a polarizer, that's why the sky is such a deep blue, the clouds seem to pop, and there is virtually no glare from the snow.  The shot of Quitaraju could probably have benefited from a warming polarizer, especially with the sun at a low angle like that.  Also quite a bit of vignetting (shading or light fall-off in the corners) so it probably wasn't taken with the highest quality of lens.

Polarizers work best when at an angle of 90 degrees from the sun.  To see where the polarizing effect will be at maximum, face toward the sun, then turn 90 degrees left or right.  The polarizer for me is the one essential filter to have for landscape photography, followed by graduated neutral density filters.

[doodah man]

Here is a website of a local Calgary photographer who shoots extensively with ND grads, warming polarizers, blue and gold polarizers, etc.  You can really see the dramatic difference.  Those pictures are literally impossible to recreate with a point and shoot no matter how much Photoshop work you do.

http://www.darwinwiggett.com/

[torags v2]

A lot of outdoor photographers use filters to get the color intensity and texture.  A polarizer can bring out detail and color by cutting glare and removing reflections off objects that tend to diminish the colour and detail, plus there are variants like warming polarizers that will help to neutralize the blue cast of the sky.  I have also seen some pros using blue and gold polarizers which can provide dramatic effects in certain situations.

That shot of Alpamayo was almost certainly taken with a polarizer, that's why the sky is such a deep blue, the clouds seem to pop, and there is virtually no glare from the snow.  The shot of Quitaraju could probably have benefited from a warming polarizer, especially with the sun at a low angle like that.  Also quite a bit of vignetting (shading or light fall-off in the corners) so it probably wasn't taken with the highest quality of lens.

Polarizers work best when at an angle of 90 degrees from the sun.  To see where the polarizing effect will be at maximum, face toward the sun, then turn 90 degrees left or right.  The polarizer for me is the one essential filter to have for landscape photography, followed by graduated neutral density filters.

Quite right. But I think the OP has a P&S. which is appropriate for hiking but not photography. That's what I like about Kirks idea, handhold a filter (w/o fixed holder to cam). I'm gonna do it on my bike for sunrises. You got to use a filter 30 sec into the rise and the lens can be what ever I have on the cam.

That said, here is my farkled setup for a polarizer on my P&S (LX1 Pannie). It slides on and has a tether when the lens nests when turned off.



 

[Mr. Whippy]

Lots of really good ideas here.

This what I'm going to do:
The 870 can be setup for a maximum of 3 shooting options without adjusting (just quick button push)
1. Full auto
2. Manual
3.  "Special settings"

I think I'm going to use the Snow with outdoor light special setting (no EV adjustment) for the SCN mode.  Manual will be set to +2/3 EV and then full auto.  With my 4 GB  cards that's still 400 images per card at largest image setting.  3 pictures per scene and I'll compare in the evenings.  If it's action shots (unlikely) I'll pick what seems to be working best on the mountain and hope.  Oh, and I will take my old circular polarizer (from my old Pentax film setup) in the pocket that's in the clip on camera pouch.

I wish I could have gotten dialed in this winter, but I should have asked before ice season.  I wouldn't have wasted time in the -EV settings.  Here's what I was getting:

[doodah man]

The light in the previous photo is very flat and diffuse.  Landscape photography virtually never looks interesting in that light, no matter what settings are in the camera.  Actually the lighting is similar to the Nat Geo snow shot.  The difference there was that the photographer had a distinct subject (the tree trunk), filled the frame with it to minimize the dull uninteresting sky, and had a perfect exposure.

The problem with this last photo is primarily compositional.  There is no clear subject (is it the hiker at the bottom or the ice wall on the right?), 1/3 of the frame is flat dull sky, and  lots of distracting tree branches clutter up the frame.  In that lighting I would choose one distinct subject and fill as much of the frame as possible with the subject, perhaps the climber at the bottom in this case.  Get your subject to walk up higher where the other footprints are, get real low to the ground, shoot up at your subject and you will capture the textured ice wall above him.

Even just cropping the picture to remove the bottom fifth (the distracting climber and the uninteresting snow) and the left 1/4 to minimize the sky would do wonders for that shot.

[kurtw]

That's tricky. You can tell from the shadow on the climber that you were shooting into the sun through light clouds.  So it's exposed for the brighter sky, leaving everything else dark (EXIF says it was +0EV). Composing with less sky would have helped the shot.

[kurtw]

This what I'm going to do:
The 870 can be setup for a maximum of 3 shooting options without adjusting (just quick button push)
1. Full auto
2. Manual
3.  "Special settings"

I think I'm going to use the Snow with outdoor light special setting (no EV adjustment) for the SCN mode.  Manual will be set to +2/3 EV and then full auto.  With my 4 GB  cards that's still 400 images per card at largest image setting.  3 pictures per scene and I'll compare in the evenings.  If it's action shots (unlikely) I'll pick what seems to be working best on the mountain and hope.  Oh, and I will take my old circular polarizer (from my old Pentax film setup) in the pocket that's in the clip on camera pouch.

I think this sounds like a good plan. Don't forget to check the histograms for each shot as you take them and make adjustments, especially to +EV as needed.

Manual mean big-M full manual or a setting like Av? I would stick to Av or P for most shoot and go stuff. +/- EV doesn't really compute in full Manual mode since you are setting the exposure completely yourself.

[Mr. Whippy]

That's tricky. You can tell from the shadow on the climber that you were shooting into the sun through light clouds.  So it's exposed for the brighter sky, leaving everything else dark (EXIF says it was +0EV). Composing with less sky would have helped the shot.

Hey! I tried to look at what you'd done, but the photo's gone now!  It was interesting in the small image though.

The problem shooting these shots is, the ice wall is the real subject, with the climber there for perspective of the massiveness of it.  Twigs and branches are always a problem in composition, since many climbs are just scrambles to the base--no real trail.  Basically have to pick your poison--high branches, or low scrubby brush.

Edit to add: Not a true full manual (although that's possible) essentially just dialing in different "film speed"  Av and Tv modes are also possible, but I think I'm just trying to alter exposure time from full metered mode rather than forcing an aperture (for DOF) or shutter speed. --At least that's my admittedly basic understanding of what I'm trying to do here.

[kurtw]

Hey! I tried to look at what you'd done, but the photo's gone now!  It was interesting in the small image though.

hehe, I wasn't entirely happy with the quick and dirty job I did, but here are couple attempts. One is basically just curves, the other is some layer blending and heavier touch stuff. I had nuked them thinking I'd have to spend a little more time to have something I liked.

[Mr. Whippy]

Although the contrast is more dramatic in the first image, the snow on the ice face has an unreal brightness to it--more like a painting than photo.  The second image good.  More along the lines of what I'm trying to get.  I guess setting the aperature wider would blur out the twigs, and make them less obtrusive.   Hmm.  Maybe I should consider an Av setting...

[kurtw]

Although the contrast is more dramatic in the first image, the snow on the ice face has an unreal brightness to it--more like a painting than photo.  The second image good.  More along the lines of what I'm trying to get.  I guess setting the aperature wider would blur out the twigs, and make them less obtrusive.   Hmm.  Maybe I should consider an Av setting...

I think P mode (maybe it's called M on your camera) is just fine for what you are shooting when you want to shoot when you want to do +EV.
 
The first image was a clumsy attempt at layer blending.

The second one was mostly one simple curves adjustment to try adjusting the snow and sky curves which were distinct in the histogram. Simpler adjustments are usually better for a realistic image, so it's good you like that.

For fun, here is a more careful layer blending.  I hope you don't mind me playing with your image.  

[torags v2]

The final finish of the final race of the final day of 75 years of horse racing at Bay Meadows Race Track. I climbed a 20' tower to get this (security was bad). When I got to the top, I found I was too far away for my 200/400 and my 1.4 TC was in the car. Let's see climb down the rockin' tower with 20-25mph winds to get my TC? Nah, I'll crop.

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

Canon has their rebates out again May 18th through July 19th. I sure wish they would do a little better on the 70-200 F2.8.

http://www.unwir3d.com/887171/finally-canon-announces-us-spring-rebates

[BHW]

My wife bought a Nikon s9 last year. She wanted a small portable camera....my other two Nikons are not so small and portable. We ended up not being overly impressed with the Nikon...it was bought on a whim without any research, totally not my style. I did some research and decided we needed the Canon a720is. I've had it a few months now, and I can honestly say it's the best camera out there for under $200. This little camera takes excellent pics, and the image stabilization it has, is phenomenal. I have even quit using my Nikons, this one is simply great!

[doodah man]

Canon has their rebates out again May 18th through July 19th. I sure wish they would do a little better on the 70-200 F2.8.

http://www.unwir3d.com/887171/finally-canon-announces-us-spring-rebates

The rebate program in Canada is much better (still on, runs until sometime in June).  Canon has a double rebate if you buy two items.  I just cashed my $500 rebate cheque this week for buying a 70-200 f/2.8 IS ($300 double rebate) and EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS ($200 double rebate).

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

Ahhhh you suck    I am looking at the 70-200mm F4L IS.