Why I choose Pentax....

Nigel, we all take images for different reasons and view them differently. On previous occasions I have gone out of my way to capture a specific effect/image. I have posted some of them on here, 'Sunset on Lowestoft Ness' and the 'Starlight over Horsey Windpump' to name but two.
In this instance we went for a walk and I took the camera to record the walk. I hoped that I might capture a 'gem' but the walk was the main reason for being there.
These images (excluding the HDRs) were the best composed and, with some P&P, were the best 'reflection' of the day.
Are they 'good' images? That is a decision to be made by the beholders. Some contributors to this thread appear to like them, so, IMHO, they were worth taking and sharing for the few seconds of enjoyment those viewers felt.

I can understand your view and I respect it but if no one took any pictures unless the lighting was right or it was a never to be repeated event, then the newspapers, magazines and galleries would have far fewer images to display

Looking at it another way; images are all about stimulating a reaction. Those can range from joy to anger, tears to laughter or, in this case, a bit of a discussion

IMO, as the person that froze his ***** off and got soaking wet, in the process of taking these, I'll count it as worthwhile

EDIT:
OOPs I was typing as you guys were posting. More discussion = definitely worth it

MrB. Thanks for your efforts but, I'll agree with Nigel on this one, there's not much to be done to these images to 'make them better'. As I said, it WAS dull, grey and flat.

However you are right about the inconstancies with my P&P. I edited each image individually rather than as a whole. When I look at them 'tiled' in LR4 I can clearly see the differences in the colouring and contrast.

On grey, flat days B&W can be the way to go, with its greater reliance on shapes, textures, and tones. But even colour shots can have a value, perhaps only as a reference to remind of the scene's potential in better weather. From a photographer's point of view these dismal days at least have the possibility sometimes of momentarily transforming themselves, and to that extent are much more promising than the sun at midday in summer.

Lucky you to have that choice! I had to go to work

I don't think there's anything wrong with flat light or grim weather per se, those conditions can yield nice shots with the right subject matter. And I think it suits the pictures posted here. I just think they're a little underexposed.

I must confess that I did have to push the slider, in LR, to the right more than normal on these. The end exposure becomes very dependant upon how bright your monitor is rather than the camera settings. But it's a fair point

A quick look at the histogram on one of the 'dingier' shots -




You haven't got a full range of tones, just darks and midtones.

Thanks Will, it seems I'm wrong about the exposure then! Actually, I'm intensly relaxed about being wrong It often leads to better quality discussion and draws out more information .. thats what its all about for me

The histogram you show does reveal a problem for sure - of course, not every scene will have a full range of tones, although for reproduction it may be desirable to try and achieve something close to this.

I'm usually complaining about people not keeping a grip on their blown whitepoints, but in this example here that is hardly a problem. A bit of upper expansion would work I think - for example, the very brightest parts of the sky where the clouds thin a bit were obviously not grey midtones in real life - so yes, you could pull the whitepoint up quite a bit, perhaps I'd take it a quarter of the way across from the right edge - this may positively affect bits of the foreground as well, giving brigher refections on the water for example.

But I'd keep the mids and shadows fairly anchored, as that is needed to keep the moode and atmosphere that is being displayed here.

An interesting discussion. I enjoyed seeing these images. They speak of place and time to me and not every photo has to be a wow shot to hang on a wall. I admit to being a paid up member of the flat light club and I find these more interesting than a sunny sixteen fit for a postcard pretty picture.

My favourites are 7 and 9 exactly for the gloominess, I feel they convey the right mood and invite me to share a moment.

I would agree that to elevate an image to a great image usually requires a touch of magic about the light. These don't possess that but I certainly find them worthwhile viewing, they have integrity. I'm not keen on the HDR ones though which really attempt to manufacture something not present.

I really admire the fact that the dreary weather (so much a part of winter in these islands) didn't deter the photographer. I go out for walks when it's like this and should take a camera but rarely do.

I've seen so little of the east coast, it has a magic all of its own and is very different compared to our own more rugged and indented west coast. These pictures make me want to go there and take lots of pictures of my own.

As the Doc says, there's and honesty and integrity about the non-HDR shots. I like them.

After all this discussion I'm not so unhappy about getting so wet taking these

So tweaking the exposure gives this:




Although it may have a better exposure and histogram AND is probably closer to the actual scene it doesn't quite portray the atmosphere of the original IMO. The original, as posted, gives a greater impression of how it felt at the time: dark damp and miserable

An interesting discussion covering;
- was it worth taking/sharing,
- the technicalities of the image exposure
- the intent of the photographer, and
- the impression that various edited versions give.

Loving this


Oh. by the way please ignore the HDR versions, I really wish I hadn't bothered with them. They were only a bit of fun.

Andrew, keep watching I'll show you a lot more of the East Anglian coast and countryside through 2014.

The way you have processed that last one again is not quite how I suggested - I agree that the dark mids and shadows give it that atmosphere, so I wanted to keep them. Can you try pulling up just the whitepoint and then re-correct the mid slider back to where it was, and finally pull the blacks back down again - this should stretch the DR giving better highlights but without losing the 'integrity' of your original intention.

Surely one should work each image as an idividual image...
in the darkroom, with chemicals that were never consistent...
and with dodging and burning...
you worked the picture until it came close to "what you perceived"...
which, of course, it never actually did!!
With the image on this page... the walk to the b-b-b-b-each... all it needs in the last shot is a bit of compression...
bring in the black until there are some distinct blacks in the foreground...
then slide the mid-point a tad further toward the white...
that should give you more of what you saw, whilst retaining the detail you exposed by lightening it....
I still think you were brave, venturing outside...
I would have been in the Sole Bay Inn...
cuddling a pint!!
Waterproof camera or not!!

Thanks for the comments:

Original:



Nigel's suggestion:





drofmit's suggestion (although I'm not certain I read it right)




Nigel's suggestion with a tweak to the midpoints (probably the best option):