Retouch Magic - Photo Manipulation and Retouching
View allAll Photos Tagged TechTalk
In the summer it's muddy and slow; in winter it freezes over and is covered by snow. Only in the transition seasons, early spring and late fall, does its surface become truly interesting. At those times I often stop and get out the macro lens. The Frenchman River is my fallback subject when conditions are right, and has salvaged many a day when the wildlife would not co-operate.
The three key tech points: (1) a good quality macro lens. I use Nikon's 105mm, often with a teleconverter to increase working distance a little; (2) a tripod, to allow the full range of exposure options; and (3) a cable release to lock up the mirror just before exposure and thereby prevent mirror slap vibration.
Plane of focus is also critical. There are many ways to shoot macro, but when I'm dealing with a more or less flat subject, lining up the subject's plane of focus with that of the sensor - ie. parallel plane focusing - and then stopping down the aperture will ensure that I don't have sharpness falloff toward the edges. How much to stop down the lens is debatable. Ideally I'd never shoot smaller than f/16, but often I want just a little more depth of field. Usually I'm willing to sacrifice a tiny bit of sharpness for better DOF. I don't hesitate to go to f/32 or even f/36 with this lens; any smaller and the loss of sharpness becomes apparent. There's no set rule about this. If I acquire another macro lens, I'll just run some tests until I find out what works best.
The trick is to learn the technical part so well that you no longer have to think about it; then it will never get in the way of seeing. When you have a photo idea, a subject and light that you like, your attention is all on how to frame your subject - or better, on how to allocate space within the frame. The hands fly to the camera controls without conscious effort. You spend the next few moments visualizing, not fussing.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Delft zit vol met superintelligente mensen die werken voor slimme Delftse bedrijven en instellingen. Deze organisaties behoren tot de top van het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven en soms zelfs tot de wereldtop. Ze werken hard om met elkaar technologische oplossingen te vinden voor de maatschappelijke problemen in de toekomst. Zij weten als geen ander hoe technologie kan worden gebruikt om het leven beter en leuker te maken. Maar ook hoe ze de wereld groener kunnen maken door gebruik van slimme en innovatieve technologie. In de Techtalk Expositie maakt u kennis met prachtige Delftse uitvindingen en innovaties.
Click here to see where this photo was taken. By courtesy of BeeLoop SL (the Mapware & Mobility Solutions Company).
Whoa Color Key Week is arduous…
Today no techtalk and not even a good processed photo… I am sorry about this.
I wanted to cut out the rail but just image the work this would take! OMG :)
So then here you see the result. I personally like the red color. The photo would really be cool if the rail would be cut out perfectly.
If you want to particitpate in the Color Key Week tell me about your color key photos uploaded this week. I will comment and look at them!
Ben
| Facebook | Fluidr-Interesting | Flickr Hive Mind | DNA | Blog | Twitter | Tumblr |
I’m gonna do some techtalk on this one so this blog entry could be interesting for you.
First of all I need to apologize because this image isn’t really a color key image but well I think it fit’s quite well in the series because of the three significant colors used here. Red Yellow and Blue. It’s quite near to the RGB spectrum and maybe that’s why at least in my eyes the colors fuse perfectly.
Of what are you reminded when you see the image. Close your eyes and think about it for a while. For me it reminds me of the Novel “Das Parfum” by Patrick Süßkind. I’m not so sure if it is translated into English. In the Novel there is the main character- Grenouille. An absolutely strange guy. Dirty, no one likes him and he doesn’t like anyone, too. The only passion this guy has is to experiment with scents. In the story he develops the perfect perfume that charms everyone.
For me this picture on the one hand symbolizes purity and the lovely scent of perfume but on the other hand dirt that is covert by the beauty. Somehow a catching tension is achieved by the image.
So how have I done this?
First I went into this beautiful store at Arab Street Singapore. It’s a shop for parfume only and it’s very minimalistic. In a city like Singapore minimalistic is luxury and it is expensive because space is rare. Then I looked at the picture you can see underneath and thought man this in not how I imagined it when I was thinking of the store.
The picture is hazy and gray. Something must happen.
I decided to use a gradient filter starting with blue on the top and ending with yellow at the bottom. The best way is to see it at the left bottles and the wooden front. I allingned the effect, that the absconding lines are colored perfectly. Then I used a high pass filter to work out the popping wood structures. As the light comes from the bottom and illuminates the bottles in a nice way I choose to intensify this effect by adding the Orton glow effect to the image and multiplied it negatively with the layer in Photoshop. One has to be good in masking to do so because the Glow effect would destroy the structure in the wood and the writings on the bottle if you don’t take care. In the end I used a noise cancelling filter to get rid of noise coming from the highpass filter. I quickly added some contrast to boost the light from the bottom. That’s it.
Tell me how you like the result if you read this article. If you try to do a picture like this on your own let me see the result. I know everyone of you has really good skills so I can learn from you, too.
You can find the shop here: sifr.sg/
If you want to particitpate in the Color Key Week tell me about your color key photos uploaded this week. I will comment and look at them!
Ben
| Facebook | Fluidr-Interesting | Flickr Hive Mind | DNA | Blog | Twitter | Tumblr |
Delft zit vol met superintelligente mensen die werken voor slimme Delftse bedrijven en instellingen. Deze organisaties behoren tot de top van het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven en soms zelfs tot de wereldtop. Ze werken hard om met elkaar technologische oplossingen te vinden voor de maatschappelijke problemen in de toekomst. Zij weten als geen ander hoe technologie kan worden gebruikt om het leven beter en leuker te maken. Maar ook hoe ze de wereld groener kunnen maken door gebruik van slimme en innovatieve technologie. In de Techtalk Expositie maakt u kennis met prachtige Delftse uitvindingen en innovaties.
(Op de achtergrond uiterst links hangt mijn prijswinnende foto Delft Keramiekstad)
Sony a7R vs. Leica M9 infinity scene shootout with over 20 rangefinder lenses - full-rez files via my website.
Lenses compared:
Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical LTM
Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 Aspherical M
Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f4 ZM
Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH.
Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM
Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH.
Zeiss Biogon T* 25mm f2.8 ZM
Leica Summicron-M 28mm f2 ASPH.
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical VM II
Canon 35mm f2.0 LTM
Zeiss Biogon T* 35mm f2 ZM
Sony RX1R with Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f2 lens
Zeiss C Biogon T* 35mm f2.8 ZM
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f2.8
Voigtlander Nokton classic 40mm f1.4
Leica Summilux-M 50mm f1.4 ASPH.
Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM
Voigtlander Nokton Aspherical 50mm f1.5 LTM
Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50mm f1.5 ZM
Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 ZM
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 55mm f1.8
Voigtlander Heliar classic 75mm f1.8
Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* 85mm f4 ZM
Leica Summarit-M 90mm f2.5
Photo © Ron Scheffler
Sony a7R vs. Leica M9 infinity scene shootout with over 20 rangefinder lenses - full-rez files via my website.
Lenses compared:
Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical LTM
Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 Aspherical M
Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f4 ZM
Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH.
Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM
Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH.
Zeiss Biogon T* 25mm f2.8 ZM
Leica Summicron-M 28mm f2 ASPH.
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical VM II
Canon 35mm f2.0 LTM
Zeiss Biogon T* 35mm f2 ZM
Sony RX1R with Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f2 lens
Zeiss C Biogon T* 35mm f2.8 ZM
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f2.8
Voigtlander Nokton classic 40mm f1.4
Leica Summilux-M 50mm f1.4 ASPH.
Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM
Voigtlander Nokton Aspherical 50mm f1.5 LTM
Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50mm f1.5 ZM
Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 ZM
Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 55mm f1.8
Voigtlander Heliar classic 75mm f1.8
Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* 85mm f4 ZM
Leica Summarit-M 90mm f2.5
Photo © Ron Scheffler
Delft zit vol met superintelligente mensen die werken voor slimme Delftse bedrijven en instellingen. Deze organisaties behoren tot de top van het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven en soms zelfs tot de wereldtop. Ze werken hard om met elkaar technologische oplossingen te vinden voor de maatschappelijke problemen in de toekomst. Zij weten als geen ander hoe technologie kan worden gebruikt om het leven beter en leuker te maken. Maar ook hoe ze de wereld groener kunnen maken door gebruik van slimme en innovatieve technologie. In de Techtalk Expositie maakt u kennis met prachtige Delftse uitvindingen en innovaties.
Astro Teller, grandson of the hydrogen bomb and Moonshot maven, introducing me at Google. The video of my talk just went up.
---------------
ABSTRACT
Many of the interesting challenges in computer science, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology entail the construction of complex systems. As these systems transcend human comprehension, will we continue to design them or will we increasingly evolve them? As we design for evolvability, the locus of learning shifts from the artifacts themselves to the process that created them. There is no mathematical shortcut for the decomposition of a neural network or genetic program, no way to "reverse evolve" with the ease that we can reverse engineer the artifacts of purposeful design. The beauty of compounding iterative algorithms (evolution, fractals, organic growth, art) derives from their irreducibility.
Google itself is a complex system that seeks to perpetually innovate. Leadership in complex organizations shifts from direction setting to a wisdom of crowds. The role of upper management is to tune the parameters of communication. Leaders can embrace a process that promotes innovation with emergent predictability more than they can hope to dictate the product of innovation itself.
Innovation is critical to economic growth, progress, and the fate of the planet, yet it seems so random. While innovation may appear inscrutable at the atomic level, patterns emerge in the aggregate nonetheless. A critical pattern, spanning centuries, is that the pace of innovation is perpetually accelerating, and it is exogenous to the economy. Rather, it is the combinatorial explosion of possible innovation-pairings that creates economic growth.
---------------
(more on the dichotomy of design and evolutionary search, organizational optimization, and innovation)
I arranged the talk to overlap with a SFI brain spa @ Google. Some quotes from that event (without attribution per Chatham House rule):
“Unlimited power limits intellectual parsimony.”
“With machine learning, we are creating electronic savants. They are happy in a high-dimensional space. They have no desire to reduce. What we want is electronic Keplers that can recognize the ellipse, not savants that can force fit a heliocentric model.”
“The target of evolution can’t be more complex than the selection pressure itself. If you can come up with the selection pressure, you might as well design it.”
“I don’t think there is any natural process that is incompressible. It’s not random.”
[I disagree with the premise of those last two quotes]
Read my review of the Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 compared against three other Leica M-series 21mm lenses, primarily on the Leica M9, but also with the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
This scene tests for infinity performance.
January 8, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Lens used for this image: Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8. Lens comparison: Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 vs. Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH., Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM and Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH. Hamilton lower city skyline as seen from Sam Lawrence Park with the Jolley Cut and Claremont Access crossing in the foreground. Photo © Ron Scheffler
Wir muntern Dich auf! Hol Dir die neue digit! als eMag und genieße das beste Profi-Magazin für digitale Bilder elektronisch:
Hier kommt ein Schnupperartikel daraus, viel Spaß!!
www.dropbox.com/s/hyjpyhtshhrxeql/200417_digit0320_Techta...
Die digit! als eMag gibt es entweder hier:
www.united-kiosk.de/zeitschriften/audio-film-foto/digit/
... oder auch per App im App Store. Einfach nach United Kiosk suchen, dann in der Kiosk App nach digit. Enjoy! :-)
Read my 21mm M-series four-lens shootout review on the Leica M9, but also with samples from the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
January 8, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Lens size comparison: Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical VM II vs. Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8. Photo © Ron Scheffler
As part of MAC’s popular Tech Talk series, technology, mobile and marketing experts came together for a 2-part event on the ways technology transforms the business world. Carla Paschke, co-founder of Sandbox Digital discussed the importance of storytelling in today's digital world.
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical LTM lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
Read my 21mm M-series four-lens shootout review on the Leica M9, but also with samples from the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
January 8, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Lens comparison: Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 vs. Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH., Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM and Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH. Photo © Ron Scheffler
Read my 21mm M-series four-lens shootout review on the Leica M9, but also with samples from the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
January 8, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Lens comparison: Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 vs. Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH., Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM and Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH. Photo © Ron Scheffler
Read my review of the Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 compared against three other Leica M-series 21mm lenses, primarily on the Leica M9, but also with the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
This scene compares the lenses at the Leica minimum focusing distance of 70cm, in particular to compare background blur ability against the Leica 21mm f/1.4.
January 9, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Lens used for this image: Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8. Lens comparison: Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 vs. Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH., Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM and Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH. Photo © Ron Scheffler
Read my review of the Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 compared against three other Leica M-series 21mm lenses, primarily on the Leica M9, but also with the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
January 14, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f/1.8 lens with Nofoflex adapter on the Sony NEX-7 camera. Photo © Ron Scheffler
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f2.8 lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
Read my 21mm M-series four-lens shootout review on the Leica M9, but also with samples from the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
January 8, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Lens comparison: Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH. vs. Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8, Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH., Zeiss Biogon T* 21mm f2.8 ZM and Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f3.4 ASPH. Photo © Ron Scheffler
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 Aspherical M lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH. lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 Aspherical M lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f2.8 lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f1.5 Aspherical LTM lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Leica Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH. lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
Read my review of the Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f1.8 compared against three other Leica M-series 21mm lenses, primarily on the Leica M9, but also with the Sony NEX-7 and Ricoh GXR M-mount module, with full resolution downloads available at www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
January 14, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Voigtlander Ultron Aspherical 21mm f/1.8 lens with Nofoflex adapter on the Sony NEX-7 camera. Photo © Ron Scheffler
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical LTM lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical LTM lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Voigtlander Nokton classic 40mm f1.4 lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224
October 19, 2013; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Test of the Sony a7 camera with the Sony 28-70mm f3.5–5.6 OSS lens.
Sony camera and Sony lenses used in this test are preproduction samples and may not be indicative of results from final production units.
Photo © Ron Scheffler
For more info see my online test/review: www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224