UNADJUSTED camera jpeg files???? ... Do I even NEED to make my point again ....

We've all seen examples of, and produced some of our own, where the result of processing had produced something unnatural, and of course for standard types of photography we all want to avoid that. But this is only about the extent of changes ... I agree that if the key shooting aspects were well set at capture then that's the best starting point for processing.

Lets not confuse it too much with historic comparisons, lets stick with what we're using now, digital ... Now the camera records RAW for that can't be used for any practical purpose, so it needs conversion and optimisation to become a more usable form, mainly the jpeg. Whether this process happens on the camera with its tiny brain, our on computer with its massive brain and sophisticated software, that choice is the photographers, but it has to happen one way or the other.

Every digital image demands basic adjustments to contrast, brightness, saturation, and subsets of those. Stub, did you accept my earlier points about the camera jpegs?

Smartphone browsers can be configured to default to a sites desktop or mobile versions, but of course both options have to be up and available on the web simultaneously.

There's no such thing as a 'pure' unprocessed digital image. A camera joeg does not equate to what is commonly termed ' straight out the camera' ... That is to misrepresent the process, which is that the camera captures the image in a RAW format, then uses its tiny camera brain to apply preset image adjustments with further editing input from the photographer via the custom image settings, white balance etc. It's just a much less powerful form of Photoshop and the other computer programs.

There may be an advantage for some with this more limited editing capacity from the camera, as it is more limited in its scope than computer software, so less to go wrong if you are not so experienced, but its just image editing so the same. But there are plenty of times when a camera edited jpeg is a good choice ... For me that is for images where the quality is not subject to critical looking or there are many many shots of a similar nature ... Then camera jpegs' will cut down the processing stages and make things quicker.

Pentax camera jpegs are excellent, but if you want to get the most out then without photoshop etc, then you need to be prepared to do your photo editing on your camera as you go.

Thanks Stephen, that would be a great addition - I'll check it out, much appreciated!

I know Alan, there's an argument to be made that frankly there's no ' photographic' light helping these shots at all ... This is not to be unkind to the photographer, who has done a good job under difficult circumstances given the limited equipments and tine available, but it means the processing challenges are far higher ... In this type of situation, I would describe it as ' lighting rescue' work, I think attempts at reality portrayal can be set aside in favour of a histogram re-shaping job ... This is the sort of process like auto -levels, but with some more intelligent selective balancing as well, eg here as I said I'd bring the sky highlights down a tad. By this approach we hopefully maximise the quality of brightness tones we've recorded, and may achieve something more akin to the effects of using a physical ND grad as recommended above.

Well I'm very glad to see people thinking about sky contrasts and mood, and even more pleased that some are scared about it ... Now that's what forum photography sharing is all about

Actually Alan, in your reworking above, I do actually find the cloud shadows perfectly ok, but I still think I would reduce overall contrast in the sky by pulling the whitepoint down, just to reduce the glare of the very bright areas.

I have no doubt that one of the higher spec models will have things to offer you ... Eventually! But it takes time to explore and discover those features and to learn how they might in practice be a benefit. You don't have that time before your trip, so stick to the camera you know and work at getting the best out of it using the experience you already have. K30 sensor is very advanced and capable for high quality travel photography.

Good sharp captured, and the browny muted tones of the surrounds complement the bird nicely. Perhaps the subjects themselves could be selected and brightened a little.

Thankyou Philip and Alan I'll have a look at the red saturation in some and reduce it a bit, it may have come up a bit too much in spots.

Alan I'm always trying to get that foreground interest in for you, well, without scratching the front of my lens I might try a few different crops on that one with the yellow bucket and boat. Thanks again guys for your feedback.