Flying Banana Man

[jcdeboever]

Piasecki HUP "Retriever" Detail and Reference shot. These mules saved many lives.

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[Gary A.]

Dude, you have nailed the conversion, you have a zillion gray tones/zones in these images. Good job on exposure and processing! (Or should I be giving the atta-boy to the Fuji in-camera processor?) I think it's time you picked up an Ansel Adams book, "The Negative". It will also up your film game. Hell, pick up all the Adams books.

 

[jcdeboever]

Dude, you have nailed the conversion, you have a zillion gray tones/zones in these images. Good job on exposure and processing! (Or should I be giving the atta-boy to the Fuji in-camera processor?) I think it's time you picked up an Ansel Adams book, "The Negative". It will also up your film game. Hell, pick up all the Adams books.

Attaboy to Fuji, these are sooc converted raw in camera, into acros simulation jpegs. I cropped the first one a little to get rid of ceiling light. Other 2 original no crop. All shot in manual on a tripod with the old fashion shutter release cable.

I have been steadily studying the negative per your recommendation from a few months ago. Also using the guide to black & white photography by John Hedgecoe to bring it together. Actually, I went out on the street this morning (-10°) with my Nikon F and 50mm to practice a project. The goal of the project (shooting in difficult light) was to expose for the shadows and incorporate 3 element (minimum) street shots. Very challenging to say the least. I only snapped off 6 frames because of the self imposed strict guidelines. I am really trying to eliminate guess work as it applies to composition and subject matter. Making each shot specific to what I want the viewer to see. Quality, not quantity and carrying it over to digital as well. Nothing worse than to see a fantastic image in shadow and not being skilled enough to expose it correctly. I have to hone my skill for difficult conditions and hone my skill to walk away from it and go to the next opportunity, if that makes any sense.

 

[Gary A.]

Beaucoup sense. I've been shooting all my digital stuff on Single Frame, even sports, just to limit the amount of processing (culling) time. Difficult lighting conditions often make the more dramatic image. You just gotta get it right. I have always found that every image needs a little tweaking, a light burn here, or on the corners, a bit of a dodge there, a bit of curve adjustment, et al.

Example on #1: I would have burned in the upper right canopy/window for more texture in the roof, dodged the helmet and burned in the sign about don't get a haircut.

What really helped me in my photography is taking the lessons I learned shooting one genre or lighting condition and using those experience(s)/techniques in a different genre.

 

[Derrel]

You are getting your technical and technique aspects down very well with the various John Hedgecoe books; I still recommend his many books, just because the lessons they impart are so valuable, even in this digitial camera age. It's good to be intimately familiar with how your equipment works, and it's good to be able to shoot frugally, and to KNOW that you're capturing the shots successfully, at the time they are being made.

As Gary A mentioned, dodging and burning are pretty useful. For me, Lightroom has made both D & B easier than ever before. I just love the way I can quickly modify the adjustment brush and its feather size so,so easily!

 

[jcdeboever]

You are getting your technical and technique aspects down very well with the various John Hedgecoe books; I still recommend his many books, just because the lessons they impart are so valuable, even in this digitial camera age. It's good to be intimately familiar with how your equipment works, and it's good to be able to shoot frugally, and to KNOW that you're capturing the shots successfully, at the time they are being made.

As Gary A mentioned, dodging and burning are pretty useful. For me, Lightroom has made both D & B easier than ever before. I just love the way I can quickly modify the adjustment brush and its feather size so,so easily!

Thanks. I have work to do on software edit as well. I would say 90% of what I post is not edited other than a crop. I work real hard at trying to get it right in camera. I recently signed up for an editing class at the local CC, it starts at the end of April. I also tried to sign up for a dark room class but it didn't get enough participation and they cancelled it.

 

[Gary A.]

Don't take a wet darkroom class. With your OCD you'd have a darkroom build in your basement after week two. (Which may not be a bad thing because then you can use the laundry tub as you please without review.)