childs play - photoshop actions
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A 4X5 crop that includes 3 pillars and creates the perspective that leads the eye to the distant bathers. A slight rotation was made to correct the horizon.
Bit of a Flickr slow-down while I struggle with a non-Adobe workflow for the first time in a long time (trying to break the addiction). I'm also pausing the 'pro' account on a trial basis, while I save up to buy a dozen eggs.
So hopefully all have a fine weekend. I'll be shooting a little but may or may not get more images up. I won't be Flickring much tonight but will try to fave from the mobile.
#sliderssunday
Spot the two birds :)
For a change, this is a new (outside!) photo, taken just a few days ago at the wonderful Britzer Garten, one of Berlin's biggest and most beautiful public parks (please check my album for more "Britz bliss", if you like).
For better dynamic range, I've used exposure bracketing (three images), pre-processed the images in DXO PhotoLab (sharpness and DeepPrime denoising only), from which I directly went into HDR Efex Pro to combine the images. I'm trying to get away from the annual Adobe subscription, and combining images from an exposure bracketing series in HDR Efex instead of Lightroom is one step into that direction. Unfortunately, whenever I think I can finally leave Adobe behind for good they come up with improvements such as the new "supersize" function (now also available in LR), a ton of new presets for LR, and other interesting stuff (and I'm still used to the LR/PS workflow, and the layers in PS). Well, maybe I'll be ready next year ;)
Extra sliding was done in Color Efex, where I added some "Brilliance and Warmth" and a tiny bit of "Contrast Color Range".
Happy Sliders Sunday, Everyone, stay safe and have a nice week ahead!
Someone asked me how I processed my photos which led me to write my workflow out on my "About" page. After some confusion, I decided to do a visual as you see in the attached image.
During the pandemic, I've been using my cell phone for almost all my pictures. I just wanted to pass along my workflow for others who haven't tried their phones yet. Just remember that a RAW file gives you much more room to adjust contrast.
Do you have a photo-taking workflow?
Before I pull out the “big camera,” I sometimes snap a quick iPhone pic to check composition and lighting. Sometimes it tells me everything I need to know, like whether to shift left, crouch down, or just give up and go get some eggs benedict for brekky at a cafe. And when my wide-angle lens isn’t quite wide enough, it's iPhone panorama to the rescue! It’s quicker than taking multiple shots with the OM-1 and stitching later. Lazy or efficient? You decide.
Fun Fact Time - The Goldfish Edition!
Have you ever wondered how long goldfish live? Most pet goldfish clock in around 5–10 years. But some have gone the distance......
The oldest was Goldie (45 yrs). A very solid name choice in my opinion. He never made it into the Guinness Book of Records due to a lack of official paperwork. While he was alive, Goldie garnered international media attention, and his family the Evans family donated any money earned by Goldie’s appearances to charity to help children with physical disabilities. How cool is that, a philanthropist goldfish!
Other notable characters in the geriatric goldfish club include:
Tish (1956-1999) – the official Guinness title holder at 43 years old. In 1988 Tish had a brush with death when he leapt out of his bowl and landed on the carpet. His mum Tilda wasn't home but luckily, when she found him & placed him back into the water, he resumed swimming as if nothing had happened. I wonder if he remembered or if every trip around the goldfish bowl was new to him! Over the years, as he aged, Tish’s scales turned from bright orange to silver, matching the colour of Hilda’s hair. That's kinda sweet.
Fred (42) and George (44). Keith & Mary Allies from Worcester UK won the pair of fish at a fair in 1974, when they were only dating. Since then, the married couple kept the goldfish, who outlived two of their dogs. They passed in 2017 & 2019. Fred & George that is, not Keith & Mary! My takeaway - a couple who raise goldfish together, stay together!
Splash (38) and Splish (36) - Haley and Matthew Wright never did anything particularly special to care for Splash. He swam around his tank all day, ate regular fish food, and fed on live plants in his tank. Splish and Splash were funfair prizes won by the Wrights in 1977 (bit of a common theme there). Mr. Wright believes that Splash mourned for Splish when he was no longer around. PS If it is annoying I listed splash before splish you may be OCD ;)
Sharkey (24) – I reckon best name, hands down! Another goldfish who survived a near death experience. His owner Paul's mother found him belly up in his bowl. She thought he was dead and flushed him down the toilet. However, Sharky was still alive and swam back up the pipe and was saved in time. I guess he felt a bit shitty about that ;)
Bob (20) from the UK – well, it's a solid name for sure. I wonder if it is because he "Bobbed" up and down in his bowl? Bob experienced his 15 minutes of fame in 2017 when his family noticed that he was struggling to swim and developed a lump on his fin. They decided to spend $250 on an operation to save his life. I'm pleased to report the operation was successful and Bob fully recovered. The doc said that his family was very pleased with the outcome as Bob was older than their children and considered part of their family.
I hope these goldfish ramblings brighten your day. Thanks kindly for any likes/comments, they are always appreciated.
Waterscape 34/100 in 2025
Wood Duck drake, Suamico, Wisconsin USA
"Hey look at the great black and white photograph I made of a beautiful Wood Duck drake" said nobody ever.
Canon 5D Mark III camera w/ Canon EF600mm f/4L lens.
1/1250s, f/7.1, ISO 2500
(a computer issue requiring a temporary change in my workflow is not carrying the complete camera data - working to fix that)
I went to a forest called "Rude Skov" - yes, the name is weird in English but I assure you that it is not rude!
I had all my gear with me but decided only to shoot handheld and to do so in manual mode, so no help from anything but the meter inside the view finder; it was so much fun and actually not that hard. Going manual gave me a sort of peace of mind, knowing how the camera was set and that the shutterspeed or aperture wouldn't change unless I wanted them to. I really encourage you to try manual mode for landscape if you haven't already.
The shots are basically of the same subject around a small lake in the forest but with variations in perspective and composition. Hopefully it's not too boring to look at.
Here's to experimentation! I plan to do a lot more of that in the near future.
Thanks again to Adam and his Landscape Masterclass at First Man Photography - without that I really wouldn't have considered going manual and not even gotten the shot because going through that masterclass has made me rethink how I shoot landscapes. I am still learning; I still struggle when looking for interesting subjects and also the composition. Also, ISO, aperture and shutterspeed is something I still need to incorporate into my workflow for each shot because I tend to forget checking and setting them. Heh.
The Great Photographic Gear Myth (and the Rise of Tog-Lite)
Modern photography has a terrible secret: most of the gear is a waste of time, money, and spinal health. It doesn’t improve your photos—it improves your anxiety. While you’re standing at the door wondering which lens, bag, backup bag, and emergency bag to take, the light has changed, the moment has passed, and your dog has fallen asleep.
When I go out to take photos, I take my camera. Also a coat, a hat, boots, and the dog. That’s it. I’ve heard of photographers so mentally stressed about gear choices that they forget to take the actual camera. This is not a workflow; this is a cry for help.
Enter Tog-Lite: a revolutionary concept for taking half good photos some of the time, with no preparation and absolutely no unnecessary expense.
Lesson One: The Tripod
Tripods are confidence crutches for people who don’t trust their legs. For the Tog-Lite initiation, imagine yourself carrying it to a cliff and throwing it heroically into the sea. (Metaphorically, of course. Please don’t litter.) Feel the freedom. Use your body. Or a rock. Or just accept a bit of blur and call it “mood.”
Lesson Two: Filters
Filters are shiny discs of regret. The true Tog-Lite practitioner symbolically tramples them into a muddy hole. Diehards will retrieve them, wipe them clean, and proudly announce they’ve created a “natural brown grad,” faintly scented with cow-based authenticity.
Lesson Three: Flash Guns
External flash: a bulky invention designed to frighten wildlife and strangers. The flash built into your camera is already in the right place, perfectly paired, and just as capable of ruining photos—without extra batteries.
Lesson Four: Remote Triggers
No. The battery is always flat, the signal never works, and by the time it fires, the moment is gone. Also, you have arms.
Lesson Five: Camera Bags
Empty it into a ditch (again, symbolically), eat any emergency snacks, then discard the bag. If your camera needs a suitcase, it doesn’t want to go outside with you.
So get your Tog-Lite today.
Save weight. Save effort. Save money.
Deliver half good photos some of the time—and enjoy yourself the rest of it.
Shot on 4x5 back in the early 1990s. Testing my transparency rig and post workflow in preparation for shooting some film again.
The upper wild part of river Isar, just before it flows in Sylvenstein reservoir. A magical sunset in autumn.
I have another version of this shot devloped with Fujifilm Valia. Then I tried a new workflow starting with Adobe Color, still with the objective to create high contrasts and intense colors with a fairly neutral balance.
- Thanks to everyone who looked at my picture, favors and have commented. Please press "L" or "Z" for a large view - an absolute must to fully enjoy this picture!
Said Bear has had a word with me about improving my workflow - whatever that means - and we published this picture directly from within Shotwell (a photo manager for Linux).
Said Bear has definitely settled into his new home, and I think he is actually taking over. No bad thing tbh.
Under Guard - It was fun to photograph these beautiful American Avocets watch over their young early this spring with some good friends.
Had the wrong lens for this particular occasion, the prime + a 1.4x extender would have provided a better background, but was still happy with the result. Been fun going through these older files with a new post-processing workflow.
Species: American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 ED VR, Handheld
Settings: 1/2500s, ISO: 450, f/5.6 @500mm, -0.7 EV
hybrid workflow Mint SLR670S/instant Lab, Polaroid bw 600 film film, Bonn Germany, day one 1/2
Happy PolaroidWeek to you all! so looking forward to see your great polas this week. this community is so inspiring, glad to be a part of it.
don't forget to join the polaroidweek 2025 group:
and please follow Polaroid Week on Bluesky:
- bsky.app/profile/polaroidweek.bsky.social
you can find me or my work here:
The start of a new project, re-visiting old favourites that are just sat on the hard drive and re-processing with my current workflow and detachment from the original trip
Sometimes I wish I had recorded my workflow especially when the results are like this. I tried very hard to replicate it with another similar image but got nowhere near.
Selati Game Reserve
Gravelotte
Limpopo
South Africa
Lately I have been re-examining some of my post-processing workflow and trying to master new techniques such as exposure blending, luminosity masks and LAB color. I've re-examined some earlier pictures and decided that in my effort to widen the dynamic range I sometimes went too far and created an unnatural appearance. This old picture of Mount Moran is one that I reworked to better convey my current aesthetic vision.