Autumn colours for c&c

squareballoon

After all the dull weather we've had recently when I saw the sun this morning I HAD to get my 10 year old out. This cost me a bar of chocolate and €5. The dog did his for free. I was desperate to get the colours of the leaves on the trees before the storm blows them all off at the weekend. c&c on anything.

All taken with my 70-200 at 2.8.

AnCatDubh

quite beautiful

technically great

You should be very pleased with these

There's not much nothing really that I can point to in what you've done to criticise, as I really like em.

If I am to mention anything, and this in no way takes from what you've done - I would refer to something that you haven't done. Thus I might suggest that there is little of originality or creativity in there. These are great classic images, which you can be well proud of and are of a style which is incredibly popular so you may not need to change anything; but, nothing in there is imho that which stretches your ability (that is in what i've seen of your work) or your equipments capabilities.

They are wonderfully safe images. Safe - as in you've mastered the technicalities of taking such images but safe as in they are the same as can be seen a million times around the web from really good photographers. You are in great company there - really good photographers; and this too you can be proud of.

Now in fairness, if you weren't setting out to do the original thing, then that's fine too. And yes being honest, I think i'm picking at straws/scraping the barrel in terms of what to suggest to you. ie. I really like these images and you may never need to do more .

Well done.

EDIT: Actually, in #1, you daughter looks a little uncomfortable. So there I have added criticism of the set

squareballoon

Thank you. You're absolutely right, they're safe. I've been trying to come up something to link everything together with a story but haven't had much luck working that out yet. I had hoped our dog would have been more biddable to make that happen this morning but unfortunately not this time.
The pose in the first is awkward and I wasn't going to add it except that she was directly between the triangle made by the trees and I liked that.
I think I need to be given an assignment to stretch myself for an entire set of photos. If you can think of one I'd do it.

steelydan99

Great set of photos, number 4 is my favourite. All natural and not staged

LeoB

Really nice set. Like them all, especially 4 and 6. All classic but so well executed.

Borderfox

Love em, they all sit together really well

squareballoon

thanks everyone. I really appreciate your comments. I was interested that nobody thought they needed warming up. I also posted them on ilovephotography.com where the posters are mainly american. Most of them were keen that i should warm all the images up and make them more orange to take the 'almost purple' look from her skin. Maybe i'm looking with irish eyes but are they really so cold looking?

Promac

squareballoon wrote: »

thanks everyone. I really appreciate your comments. I was interested that nobody thought they needed warming up. I also posted them on ilovephotography.com where the posters are mainly american. Most of them were keen that i should warm all the images up and make them more orange to take the 'almost purple' look from her skin. Maybe i'm looking with irish eyes but are they really so cold looking?

Not at all, as far as I can see. American's tend to like things saturated and unrealistic. I reckon you've got it about right.

Rainbowsend

As has been said a very nice set of photographs, my first reaction to them overall was a bit lacking in the Autumnal colours considering the title, my favourite is the one with the dog, backlit always works for me though the oof leaves in the foreground are maybe a tad too much and might benefit from a little crop to reduce it slightly. Just an opinion

squareballoon

Here's another with a crop to lessen the amount of leaves


And one were I used Shutter Priority because I almost never use it

Borderfox

Promac wrote: »

Not at all, as far as I can see. American's tend to like things saturated and unrealistic. I reckon you've got it about right.

Love that comment

Can I ask, out of curiousity, are these all naturally lit, or did you use any flash/soft box/etc. lighting?

Also, what time was it?


Maybe it's just because I don't really photograph people, but I'm tired of other people seeming to wander into these amazingly lit places the whole time. I never seem to come across that.


All excellent photos by the way (sure doesn't it go without saying )

squareballoon

Deleted User wrote: »

Can I ask, out of curiousity, are these all naturally lit, or did you use any flash/soft box/etc. lighting?

Also, what time was it?


Maybe it's just because I don't really photograph people, but I'm tired of other people seeming to wander into these amazingly lit places the whole time. I never seem to come across that.


All excellent photos by the way (sure doesn't it go without saying )

Thank you All natural light but having the 2.8 and an ISO of 400 in the darker areas of the woods help because the light wasn't great. I used lightroom to help with the light afterwards too. I took them at 9.30am
Here's a sooc to show how the light was.

That's after annoying me now. Will have to learn how to use Lightroom, so.


Cheers SB!

Though I must admit to being more fascinated by your PP techniques now. Lots of learning to be done.

PaulieC

All brilliant Lynn, 3&4 being my favourites. could I be so bold as to enquire about the location ?

PopeBuckfastXVI

squareballoon wrote: »

Thank you All natural light but having the 2.8 and an ISO of 400 in the darker areas of the woods help because the light wasn't great. I used lightroom to help with the light afterwards too. I took them at 9.30am
Here's a sooc to show how the light was.

Absolutely fantastic set! Would you mind briefly explaining how to turn that beautifully shot, but flat sooc image into the gorgeously toned image above??

Understand if you don't have time or don't want to

kelly1

Lovely set SB and very nicely processed!

dinneenp

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Absolutely fantastic set! Would you mind briefly explaining how to turn that beautifully shot, but flat sooc image into the gorgeously toned image above??

Understand if you don't have time or don't want to

Lovely pictures.
Interested as well to know what equiptment was used and was there much PP work? Any chance to post an original to show the difference?

cheers,
pa.

magicbastarder

dinneenp wrote: »

Any chance to post an original to show the difference?

about six posts up!

dinneenp

magicbastarder wrote: »

about six posts up!

Oh! see it now.
what changes in Lightroom? Wondering as I have Lightroom too but haven't done my 'homework' yet on it.

AnimalRights

#4 and #6 are best by far.
#1 is the weakest.

Thecageyone

2, 3, 4 for me, beautiful. I don't think much on #1 either, too central, she's too small in frame, though I can see you were trying to use the trees as frame? maybe? The closer in shots work much better, and I love the light in the one with the doggy

squareballoon

thanks everyone. In Lightroom it's different for each shot but for this one I
brought the blacks up to 28
fill light to 3
temp from 4350 to 4529

I exported to photoshop and used the dodge tool at about 30% exposure on the trees on the left because they had got too dark. That was it.

I then did a slightly warmer more colourful version to please the Americans.

In this I upped the colour by creating a channel mixer adjustment layer and made the reds 120% the blues -5% and the greens -5% and set it to 50% opacity and then created a gradient fill with the colour I wanted (a sort of dark peachy colour to a lighter one) and had it fading from left to right and set to soft light at about 24%

squareballoon

cambo_gueno wrote: »

All brilliant Lynn, 3&4 being my favourites. could I be so bold as to enquire about the location ?

Sorry, they were taken on Shangannagh park in Shankill. The council have been doing great work in there and maintain the little wooded areas really nicely.

Old Perry

Lovely set, well done , thanks for the tips also.