If people have got two different brands of camera, one Pentax and one other, I'd have thought it fairly unlikely to be a second DSLR System like Nikon ... Not many can afford to run two DSRL systems side by side.

It anything, I thought most people with other brands tended towards a different sort of system as their 'other' .... A mirrorless or compact quite popular for when they don't want to carry a DSLR and lenses.

Very effective presentation and showcasing of the extreme colours featuring in this display, you've captured a vibrant and wide range of tones and nicely exposed also. I see a magenta cast overall ... Whilst that may have been present naturally, it rarely looks good on photos I feel, so I suggest trying to knock out the magenta, at least on background areas.

Very professional looking, yes, would clearly look fabulous on the cover of a glossy book on architecture in the city or something like that! I particularly like the one where the bridge in the distance appears underneath the main nearer bridge, but they all ooze a special character and dynamism. Brilliant work !

Well I was giving it some time, but you seem to have stopped them in their tracks with that Philip!

I don't think the standard set of processing adjustments is really 'digitally faking it'. And of course Adams and all the others had to 'process' after the event of capture in the camera, so I agree with the point that it is really just the same. My own view is that, (apart from camera JPEGs where the photographer has very carefully set up all the custom settings for the image precisely), it is a requirement to carry out 'optimising' adjustments after capture - that is an inherent part of the exercise, and absolutely for RAW.

Here I see some nice summery lakes images, all good views and pleasing to look at ... but the conditions and angle of light to the lens has reduced contrast and tonal range, and weakened colours. The example that Philip has shown has improved this I think - it would be interesting to know more about the specific adjustments you made MrB .... I think it may be a little too sharp now, perhaps the softness of the original should be retained in the far distant areas? This could be done with layers and masking to hide the adjustment effects further back into the scene, keeping the foreground areas with the full effect.

Thanks Jules, yes I was attracted to the layering effect going into the scenes and was happy to exaggerate this with the telephoto effect. Thanks also xbow and Russ. I think I was attracted to the highlights reflecting of the buildings in the 2nd, and thought it added to it all somehow? But we all see different things, and its a good point about the' industry' going on there!

Thanks guys Yes, the shots are sharp and ready for the printer. I don't mind a bit of extra bite for screen viewing. These are taken very close to first sunrise, so there are patches of darkness around. I did take some brighter ones but prefer the mood of the lower exposures.

If I'd angled the camera to make the water straight on this one, the building would have ended up like .... Well, Leaning Tower of Pisa wouldn't even begin to describe it !

Yes, absolutely, Phillips work there is impressive, well done Sir! Philip, do you share my view that there is not any single correction tool or software application that can apply all the required corrections successfully to a single image?

Thanks also to Algi for so ably demonstrating the single image approach, although this has the obvious disadvantage of the quite major cropping as a result.

So people, now we have two versions to compare ... My intentional distorted original, with it's law of physics defying gravity resistant water, ir our MrB's clever stitch up job. Which has the most successful elements that make the better image overall???

Well I'm glad you ditched the motorsport that day! My favourite is the 3rd, a lovely compo and gorgeous purply magenta against a rich green. Also the 2 ducks together stand out. All shots cruel and clear and vibrant colours throughout the set. Lovely work!

Here I am highlighting the beautiful lowlands around the Pool Harbour area, including the end of Studland Beach, Brownsea Island and Bournemouth in the far distance. You will see the distinctive purple heather common in this area. The shots are taken from the Purbeck Hill tops near Swanage, looking east. These are Telephoto shots from a long distance, but I include a final image at 14mm from the same position to show some wider context. And the contrast is extreme

I took a range of views and exposures with the Pentax 'M' 75-150 f4, and mostly shot at f11 or f13. All with the K7, tripod mounted, remote control shooting & mirror-up operation.

Thanks for taking a peek!


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5. And finally the bigger picture ... from the same place with the Samyang 14mm f2.8, shot at f13 - taken later at about 7am after I'd been shooting the other way for a while into Swanage Bay and just before packing it in and heading for breakfast!






Hope you enjoyed them, as I sure did really enjoy being there and taking them!!