I finally got out to take a picture

[Robert Watcher]

Ontario, Canada is under Lock Down —- although my wife and I have been living as if we were under lockdown, for the past 9 months. I have been very busy with two website builds for a couple of businesses, and that has been my focus. I have barely looked at my camera.

I got that web work done this week, and needed to take a drive together out of the apartment. I had the idea of using Olympus Live Composite with a lighthouse, and so we drove about an hour or so to the lake. Unfortunately there was no fog or mist, and so I didn’t end up with streams of light spreading out from the rotating light at the top. And so instead I did some light writing, captured car light steaks, and found some objects covered in thick ice. The ride home, proved to be brutal as a winter storm was settling in.

here are a few from this afternoon.

 

[Asher Kelman]

The light-writing puzzled me before I read the text as especially this last one appeared by first glance, to have been taken underwater!

It never occurred to me to be a result of light-writing, perhaps as I have only read about results!

The specularity of these long icicles is particularly satisfying as it draws one attention away from common burdens and allows one to escape!

Kudos!

Glad and grateful you came out of hibernation and took this brave 2-3 hour outing in the frozen wastelands!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

And for those who might not know the location:

There's a little piece of heaven tucked away on the shores of Lake Huron. Not many know about it but those that do simply love it. Tiny roads meander through the woods and pass family cottages that are generations old.

🦉❤🦉❤​

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

​

Robert,

Decipher for us. What is it?

When I particularly like or am fascinated with shots I like to look at them and see what the shadows and highlights are like and understand what decisions the photographer might have made. Here I was lost!

How did you process. There appears to be strong vignetting all around and the slightest adjustments outline the “post” elements!

Your files are usually very rubust and can withstand my study of them without deconstruction!

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

View attachment 6446


​

Robert,

Decipher for us. What is it?

When I particularly like or am fascinated with shots I like to look at them and see what the shadows and highlights are like and understand what decisions the photographer might have made. Here I was lost!

How did you process. There appears to be strong vignetting all around and the slightest adjustments outline the “post” elements!

Your files are usually very rubust and can withstand my study of them without deconstruction!

Asher

The pic shows the legs of boat docks pulled out of the water. I have no pictures to show the context. I liked the reflections and found a composition that worked.


the original wont help you much, but here it is upcropped and unaltered:

 

[Robert Watcher]

The light-writing puzzled me before I read the text as especially this last one appeared by first glance, to have been taken underwater!

View attachment 6443​

It never occurred to me to be a result of light-writing, perhaps as I have only read about results!

​

Asher

Thanks Asher.

yeah, this picture is a result of processing and use of textured layer over top (Snapseed).

The light writing I mentioned, is the obvious part of the first picture of lighthouse - making use of the flashlight feature on my iPhone 7, and my imagination writing backwards in the air. It is crazy to me, that a big 6 foot tall 250lb guy can be walking along in the open - reaching fully overhead to down around the knees with the light source —- and yet there is no trace of me LOL.

for the fun of it, here is the uncropped, unaltered picture. Just natural heavy overcast light and photo paper look background of the hazy water - shot with a 600mm lens:

 

[Asher Kelman]

​

This first picture was so dull.

And what a superb transformation:

​

So spectacular. Did you add the extra bright light in the center of discovered it in the file?

I can’t see how you did this with just Snapseed. The ice is superb craftsmanship on your part. Must have something like HDR. But your background texture that is the perfect finish! Where does that come from?

The result reminds me of seeing a model shoot and then the model going home without any makeup or lighting!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

I don’t take folk’s work for granted and find it awesome that you mastered a micro 4/3 camera to make such effective and commanding pictures!

Thanks so much for sharing the pictures and your creative approach!

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

View attachment 6453
​

This first picture was so dull.

And what a superb transformation:

View attachment 6452
​

So spectacular. Did you add the extra bright light in the center of discovered it in the file?

I can’t see how you did this with just Snapseed. The ice is superb craftsmanship on your part. Must have something like HDR. But your background texture that is the perfect finish! Where does that come from?

The result reminds me of seeing a model shoot and then the model going home without any makeup or lighting!

Asher

My digital processing follows the same methods I used for 20 years in my wet darkroom. Primarily cropping, dodging, burning including vignetting - density, contrast and saturation adjustments. Snapseed has all of those basic but essential tools, as well as few other nice tools like textures, sharpening and enhancing detail and tonal adjustments. As you know, all of my photographs are shot with the simplest of cameras and lenses in jpg format - are wirelessly transferred to my iPad - and in general are given no more than a couple of minutes of time processing always in Snapseed - ready for display. And yes. I use old model Olympus micro-four-third camera bodies, and I need nothing more.

 

[Asher Kelman]

​

Robert,

It’s your application of “Retrolux” that I have never seen used.

It makes ALL the difference! Thanks for that revealing and valuable tip!

On the treasures of “Snapseed”, do you know what other program has the equivalent of “Ambience” which is so useful in changing what is emphasized.

I would love to use “Snapseed” alongside PS in Mac OS but it doesn’t seem to have such a version!


Also, BTW, do you ever use RAW files?


Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

​

Oh my goodness, Robert,

I look at pics before reading the text.

I had thought the City and lighthouse had invested in man-sized neon lettering to show “POINT CLARK”!

That impression. Stayed even after I read you were light-writing for some pictures!

Now I realize you are such a damn good text writer with a flashlight!

It looks totally like a commercially made sign by a fabrication company with a talented designer!

The giveaway the slight overlap in the first letters P O!

 

[Robert Watcher]

View attachment 6455
​

Robert,

It’s your application of “Retrolux” that I have never seen used.

It makes ALL the difference! Thanks for that revealing and valuable tip!

On the treasures of “Snapseed”, do you know what other program has the equivalent of “Ambience” which is so useful in changing what is emphasized.

I would love to use “Snapseed” alongside PS in Mac OS but it doesn’t seem to have such a version!


Also, BTW, do you ever use RAW files?


Asher

I only use Snapseed on my portable devices, so don’t know. Ambience is a valuable tool. I use it judiciously with both plus values and minus values depending on what I want to reveal in a particular image. Two Snapseed tools I never use are HDR Scape and Drama.

on a very few occasions I have decided to shoot raw along with jpg - but those files just fill disk space. I never used them. No I don’t ever use raw as my normal workflow.

 

[Robert Watcher]

Here is a shot I took of Anne wandering around the parking taking photos and video of the ice with her phone. It really gives a sense of the mood - gray/blue water and sky behind

 

[Asher Kelman]

....and using Snapseeds “last edit” and desaturation

In 3 second:

​

I am so grateful to you for sharing the Snapseed secrets you have discovered!

I’d love to know what “ Retrolux” and “Ambience“ correspond to in Photoshop, Capture One or any other Mac OS editors!!

This program is simply fabulous.

But if you were printing 40” wide by 60” tall, for a gallery commission, would you still rely on jpg and not bother with RAW?

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

....and using Snapseeds “last edit” and desaturation

In 3 second:

View attachment 6458
​

I am so grateful to you for sharing the Snapseed secrets you have discovered!

I’d love to know what “ Retrolux” and “Ambience“ correspond to in Photoshop, Capture One or any other Mac OS editors!!

This program is simply fabulous.

But if you were printing 40” wide by 60” tall, for a gallery commission, would you still rely on jpg and not bother with RAW?

Asher

yes. I have printed many many 20x24, 24x36, 30x30, 30x40 and even an occasional 40x60 prints (my price was $2500 for that size, so that limited sales) for clients. All are from jpg files. Several have even been from files that were cropped quite severely. These are not only from my current 16mp and 20mp files from my micro four/third Olympus cameras, but also when I was extremely busy in my professional portrait work, they were from 8mp and 10mp four/third Olympus cameras. It seems that the small jpg files suite my style of photography.


The reality though is that if I was displaying my images in some type of gallery setting, they would be smaller sizes - more like I did for the month these were on display many years ago:

 

[Robert Watcher]

....and using Snapseeds “last edit” and desaturation

In 3 second:

View attachment 6458
​

I am so grateful to you for sharing the Snapseed secrets you have discovered!

I’d love to know what “ Retrolux” and “Ambience“ correspond to in Photoshop, Capture One or any other Mac OS editors!!

This program is simply fabulous.

But if you were printing 40” wide by 60” tall, for a gallery commission, would you still rely on jpg and not bother with RAW?

Asher

I like it

 

[Deleted member 55]

I love snow and ice photos, thank you for posting them!

 

[Robert Watcher]

I love snow and ice photos, thank you for posting them!

you are more than welcome

 

[Asher Kelman]

Robert,

Really this is a sculpture!

I’ve commented on this already, but I must I must return as it’s been on my mind.

I didn’t realize how much it registered in my brain and now it calmed me back, like returning to a room in a museum gallery!

This work has such graceful and theatrical gesture that I would wish I had been there to take 50 pictures and use photoprogrammetry to build a 3D model!

Still, I am grateful to see it!
it’s inspirational!

Asher