Photography

[KingOfPain]

How much post processing do you do for these images?  The colors are so vivid .

Darrell

It depends. For sure, the camera sees different than what a person sees with naked eyes, and as different as what I see in my mind (with techniques available to myself).

Most are naturally vivid because of time of day such as twilight and sunset, some because of weather conditions such as overcast day or after a rain. 

Shooting at RAW format (instead of .jpg) preserves all the data and offers a much wider dynamic range.

Camera settings. The last photo "The birds called it a day" shooting against the sun, do I expose for the highlight or shadow, or a compromise? So I shot 5 photos and merge them together. (Why a rock solid tripod is a must. The other example is the Perseid meteor shower star trail photo of 450 pix over 3 hours without any movement).

I don't use any digital filters but a real (glass) Polarize filter is always on the lens. It cuts down stray lights in the atmosphere to give me an intense blue sky, it lets me control the amount of reflection on water surfaces. I can see your eyes through the reflections of your eye glasses.

White Balance - If your camera is set to Auto White Balance, it will try to make your sunset whiter.

I process to print, which has an entirely different scheme from displaying on a monitor. Besides different paper types reproduce prints differently, the short answer is prints are reflected light and monitors are illuminated light - Monitors work with RGB primary colors and prints work with CMYK primary colors.

The display on monitors are more difficult to control since everyone tunes theirs differently. I bet I can go to a hundred homes and see each TV looking different from the others, but mostly reddish because we all like to see a "healthier" skin on dem humans. (why buffets use reddish lights over the food) I use a calibrated monitor to reproduce photos closely matched to the paper I most use.

Most of the time, surprisingly, is just adjusting the Brightness/Darkness levels to give the illusion. Take the walking trail example, I only selectively darken or brighten some of the foliage (especially in the foreground) giving them contrast.  

That's tldnr answer to a simple question

The short answer is Yes


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[pindicator]

These are making me think it's time to remedy that.

Where about are you? Lots to see and do in and around Vancouver. You will love it

Portland, Oregon. I have relatives who are a couple hours south of Prince George so I usually go north and east when I cross the border.

[darrelljs]

That's tldnr answer to a simple question

The short answer is Yes

Thanks for the explanation! You mentioned you process to print, do you have an online store or something I can order a print from? I'm thinking of giving one of these as a gift...

Darrell

[KingOfPain]

I print for galleries and local sales. FineArtAmerica handles online sales. I am quite please with their quality, and they have a "If you're not happy with a purchase, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date" policy. CLICK HERE. There is also an augmented reality function you can use to pre-visualize on your own wall.

I would recommend Somerset Velvet paper. It is a rag type archival paper with a rich texture you can see and feel, that I often frame without glass to show off the painterly texture. People often mistake the Neowise comet photos for paintings partly due to that.

I also highly recommend their Acrylic Print. They look super sharp and modern, especially fit for photos with high contrast such as the Pacific Sunset (Whytecliff Park) photo. And it is actually less expensive since it's ready-to-hang.

PS: I don't upload all photos to that site, I get lazy. If you don't find it there you might find it on my personal site (which is not setup for sales). Or give me a shout.

[darrelljs]

Wow, there are a few in the Such is Life section that really caught my eye. Same paper & paint recommendation for a black & white photo?

Darrell

[KingOfPain]

Wow, there are a few in the Such is Life section that really caught my eye.  Same paper & paint recommendation for a black & white photo?

Darrell

Black and white would work with Archival Matte. Picture Rag and Somerset Velvet would give it richer/blacker blacks

[KingOfPain]

Speaking of computer backgrounds. I am throwing this 2007 piece back on the screens for a bit.





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[KingOfPain]

Pacific Coastal Ocean Drive - La Push

Google: La Push is a village on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. It lies at the mouth of the Quillayute River, surrounded by Olympic National Park. It’s known for wild Pacific beaches like First Beach, with its huge waves. Forested trails lead to Second and Third beaches, where birds gather on offshore rock formations. At Rialto Beach, tide pools surround Hole-in-the-Wall, a natural rock arch

Wikipedia: La Push is a small unincorporated community situated at the mouth of the Quillayute River in Clallam County, Washington, United States, in the western Olympic Peninsula. La Push is the largest community within the Quileute Indian Reservation, which is home to the federally recognized Quileute tribe. La Push is known for its whale-watching and natural environment. The community has historically been located on the coast, however sea level rise led the community to begin managed retreat to higher grounds in 2017

This sleeper of a place might not have the most iconic/epic landmarks, what it has is visual diversity. I wish I could have planned an extra day to explore the community, and its surrounding; but I was set to make it to Ruby Beach and wait for the sunrise there...

Rialto Beach, La Push. Bleached petrified woods




Actually a refreshing scene from all the sunrise and sunsets




La Push









Crash site


If I have done my research proper... this area will be a 2 days one night visit next trip.



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[KingOfPain]

First Flight

First batch of photos from my first flight, with my first drone - DJI Mini 4 Pro
Just a short slideshow of 6 photos, no video yet cus I am still trying to find the button.
A micro drone because it would allow me to fly pretty well anywhere as long as I obey the one rule "Don't Be Stupid", and without a operator licence.

This boat, the S. S. Sicamous, the big 220 ft sternwheeler, holds a special place in my heart. I owned and operated this as a 250 seat restaurant for 7 years back in the 80s.







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[KingOfPain]

Ruby Beach

The problem with a well planned tour is that it doesn't have much flexibility, especially true when there are certain unknowns and then there's mother nature... (just ask Gilligan). I would have loved to stay at least another day at La Push, but then I would have missed the wonderful experience that was Ruby Beach's sunrise. Another day would have been a different sunrise.

My Google Map - A to J is town or major stops. Orange markers are points of interest on the way down. Purple markers are points of interest on the way back. 
There were no lodging planned in the entire trip, not even camp grounds, it was all going to be camping on the road side for the 14 days. Trying to fit (photographically speaking) all the points of interest into a 14 days was pushing a little too hard. A month long trip would have made it more a Relax Fit™.



Ruby Beach is the northernmost of the southern beaches in the coastal section of Olympic National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Like virtually all beaches on the northern coast, Ruby Beach has a tremendous amount of driftwood. It is notable for the number of sea stacks there.The beach is so called because of the ruby-like crystals in the beach sand. Not that I have noticed.






It was just after midnight when I arrived at the beach and managed to cook up a nice serving of Chicken Ramen in the cold of the night. Caught a couple hours of shut eyes and headed down to the beach through a short wooded path. A family of four was already there with a warm and inviting campfire, and so we waited for the sun together. That was a nice experience. Thanks for the hot chocolate

This morning turned out to be one of the most memorable sunrises, seeing sunrise inside the cab of a tow truck at Mt. Robson being the other one. The twilight start from a deep purple and I saw the beach for the first time. It was low tide. The shallow shore stretched far in the distant with sea stacks breaking the horizon. Nothing imposing, just wide open spaces.



What is more interesting to me is (you can hardly ignore it) the ever changing patterns and texture of the receding tide. This is when the background scenery plays second fiddle. The story is in the sands. Every step and every turn of the head is a different scene. It is almost overwhelming, how many pictures do I take? Was this shot better than the last? What if I move an inch to the right?




Or a couple of feet back.
Pebbles



From deep purple to crimson to Campaign pink, this glorious light seemed to have lasted for hours. It's soul food.






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