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StevenZ Profile
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Ethereal Pathway


Canon 5D
EF 17-40
Hoya R72 Filter
approx 30 sec

Image

Last edited by StevenZ, 28/Jun/15, 8:42 pm


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TS446 Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


Looks good to me Steve. Id possibly darken the path more, make it really stand out.

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28/Jun/15, 7:36 am Link to this post Send Email to TS446   Send PM to TS446 Blog
 
eternumviti Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


But the foliage is all blurred. It just looks smudgy. However, the sky needs more movement blur to really work.
28/Jun/15, 12:43 pm Link to this post Send Email to eternumviti   Send PM to eternumviti Blog
 
StevenZ Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


quote:

eternumviti wrote:

But the foliage is all blurred.



Not really, Toby, there was a very slight wind factor which may have blurred some of the foliage but most of the blur you're seeing is caused by the "soft focus" effect I added to create the effect. I think the sky is fine as is.

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eternumviti Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


quote:

StevenZ wrote:

quote:

eternumviti wrote:

But the foliage is all blurred.



Not really, Toby, there was a very slight wind factor which may have blurred some of the foliage but most of the blur you're seeing is caused by the "soft focus" effect I added to create the effect. I think the sky is fine as is.



Well, your vision Steve. I keep trying, I really do, but I am just not really getting this IR project. Don't get me wrong, it isn't as simple as my just not liking IR mono photography, but I am not seeing the attributes that you clearly do in the use of filters as opposed to the traditional technique of a converted film camera. The necessity of long(ish) exposure, rather than freezing the shot, seems often to 'spoil' the takes, particularly where foliage is involved. And why would you deliberately make parts of what is anyway a rather fussy and 'detailed' photo smudgy by adding soft focus? The effect serves to make me think that my eyes have deteriorated even more than they have, I keep reaching for my glasses!

I must seem grouchy and rude. Let me qualify my comments by adding that for me you are one of the most accomplished landscape and urban photographers out there. My strength of feeling is because of this - I don't just believe, I know, that you are capable of much stronger work than this. I should add, of course, that my opinion is just that, my opinion, and I suspect that it is not necessarily shared by others on this forum. I would also add that there are a couple of IR takes on your website, one at least of which I have seen on this forum, that look better there than those I have seen here, which may be another issue.

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Norman2 Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


The presentation of black and white images derived from the detection of IR radiation is unnatural to a human being therefore, I suggest that this should be taken as a form of impressionism. If that is agreed then IR photographers should not have to be concerned with does my image look like a natural image but does my image give an impression of what my camera saw and does that impression mean anything to the human viewer.

To achieve this I suggest that the photographer needs to choose both the subject and the title very carefully indeed. I have tried processing images of ordinary subjects and converting them into pseudo-IR images and, in almost every case, the result is not what I was looking for. This was because the images were not suitable in the first place.

Consider the image under discussion. It is completely alien to the human eye even allowing for the fact that it is black and white and not in the visible spectrum. We are told that this is what the camera saw, but is it and is it the camera that is presenting the image or the human who pressed the shutter? Did the photographer look at the scene in the colours visible to the human eye and consciously envisage what the scene might look like viewed in IR radiation and converted into black and white before composing and pressing the shutter? I would like to think that this is what happened but I am sufficiently sceptical to think that it might not be in every case.

I am all in favour of pursuing new ideas and trying to do something different from the norm but my experience tells me that there has to be a solid reason for doing this and not just do it because it is there to be done.

Norman
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StevenZ Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


Norman, you've more or less responded to Toby's post above in this thread. I couldn't have stated it better.

quote:

Norman2

The presentation of black and white images derived from the detection of IR radiation is unnatural to a human being therefore, I suggest that this should be taken as a form of impressionism.



You hit the nail on the head.


quote:

Norman2 If that is agreed then IR photographers should not have to be concerned with does my image look like a natural image but does my image give an impression of what my camera saw



Norman, camera's don't see. A camera is just a tool that records a scene – unbiased and emotionless, it has no mind, no soul, no artistry. It is up to the photographer behind the camera to capture the emotion that make an image worth sharing.



quote:

Norman2I have tried processing images of ordinary subjects and converting them into pseudo-IR images and, in almost every case, the result is not what I was looking for. This was because the images were not suitable in the first place.



Pseudo or "faux" IR is very difficult to do. I've had very limited success. I have had better success using the filter as I'm sure you would too.



quote:

Norman2 Did the photographer look at the scene in the colours visible to the human eye and consciously envisage what the scene might look like viewed in IR radiation and converted into black and white before composing and pressing the shutter?



Absolutely!

    
quote:

Norman2I would like to think that this is what happened but I am sufficiently sceptical to think that it might not be in every case.



Norman, I agree, not every IR image I post on here is necessarily a keeper. in fact, of all the IR images I've posted on this forum, I can think of only two images I would even consider adding to my portfolio or to include in any upcoming exhibitions or shows.


quote:

Norman2 I am all in favour of pursuing new ideas and trying to do something different from the norm but my experience tells me that there has to be a solid reason for doing this and not just do it because it is there to be done.



Obviously, I can't speak for others, but for me the pursuit of IR photography is a passion - not my only photographic passion -
but one that I enjoy doing especially during the midday hours in the summer, when the sun is hot and bright. Like anything new, there is a learning curve and IR photography is no exception. I'm learing by trial and error and I've also done a lot of reading on the subject. My next step will be to get one of my older cameras converted to IR.




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eternumviti Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


"Norman, I agree, not every IR image I post on here is necessarily a keeper. in fact, of all the IR images I've posted on this forum, I can think of only two images I would even consider adding to my portfolio or to include in any upcoming exhibitions or shows."

Then why are you so resistant to constructive criticism Steve?

You seem to dispute or reject every point that I make, then anyway deem the photo not good enough to use.
29/Jun/15, 12:16 pm Link to this post Send Email to eternumviti   Send PM to eternumviti Blog
 
StevenZ Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


Toby, that's because...and I mean no disrespect...I don't find your criticism very constructive, only very negative. In the past, I have always respected and valued your comments and input regarding my posts but with IR it's different. I think it stems from the fact that IR photography just doesn't inherently appeal to you which is fine. I recall you posted similar comments about one Martin's IR image posts. The good news is, the IR stuff is just a stop gap activity for me. In mid August, I will be travelling to eastern Canada's Nova Scotia. There will be plenty of rocky cliffs, shoreline and ocean for me to photograph and I promise you more conventional monochrome images. emoticon



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TS446 Profile
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Re: Ethereal Pathway


A good read guys, some good points being made.
I quite liked this photo, but i know from my own experience with IR that there are a lot more shots to be binned than to be kept. Just look at my last 2 posts in this forum, one i wanted to work and was excited to be using my IR camera again but in reality it should have never even been processed. Then the other that I'm quite pleased with (at the moment) but still isn't as good as it could/should be.

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