<<< o >>>Ilyushin Il-76 #3 11 comments + add yours
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This is the third and final shot that I'll be posting of the interior of this Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane – a shot of the lower section at the front of the plane (visible in this shot of Jason's) – and in some ways it's my favourite of the three. As with my previous entry it's also an HDR, constructed from a bracketed sequence of 11 exposures with a 1 EV spacing using Photomatix Pro. And again, if you take a look at the original you can see the tone mapped image and small thumbnails of all 11 exposures.

Let me know which of the three you like best: this one, the shot of the cockpit, or the view from inside the tail section.

As I mentioned, while this is probably my favourite of the three it does pose a problem, as portrait format images are never easy to blog: either I post a version that's a lot smaller than my usual images (not a great solution for a detail-rich HDR image) or you need to scroll the page. Neither solution is ideal, but in this instance reducing the size didn't work well.

On a related note: as those of you who have followed me since the early days already know my switch from academia to professional photography and training was largely accidental: as my blog became popular I started getting work as a photographer, to the point whereby it became financially viable to swap careers. Along the way I've continued to treat my blog as a place to showcase my best work, experiment with different techniques, document the lives of my children, and so on. In short my blog is the primary way in which I output my images ... and it's a great venue with a wonderful audience :-)

The only negative consequence – because I take photographs with the blog in mind – is that I rarely shoot in portrait format, simply because I know that the images will be difficult to display. I guess this isn't a huge issue, but it does mean that I limit myself when I shoot, and while I don't think there's an easy solution to this I am conscious of the fact that I probably miss quite a few great shots, simply because I see and blog the world in landscape format. As I said, I don't think there's an easy solution, but if you do have any thoughts, let me know.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
3.25pm on 15/3/11
Canon 5D Mark II
EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
f/11.0
11 exposures (1/125 to 8s)
manual
n/a
evaluative
100
no
RAW
Photomatix Pro
Photoshop CS5
none
minor warping
 
3x2 + HDR + travel [Dubai, UAE] + show the original
comment by Dan Kaufman at 02:28 PM (GMT) on 8 April, 2011

I like this one too, the best, for the reason that I feel I'm IN the scene vs. looking at the scene (from the outside looking in to the principal subject area.) I also like the color toning in that it seems to give the structure under the missing skin a fleshy quality. Well done.

I understand very well your thoughts and comments on portrait vs. landscape orientations. I don't have a problem with my monitor seeing the full height without scrolling (I'm on a 27" iMac) but I can see why others on more "normal" monitors may have a problem.

comment by Garry at 02:47 PM (GMT) on 8 April, 2011

A friend of mine has similar issues... he has been shooting architecture for the past 10 years and now sees everything in wide angle

comment by rhys at 03:16 PM (GMT) on 8 April, 2011

I got your HDR book yesterday. I'll admit to not being a huge fan of most HDR work simply because a lot of it looks so false and 'sickly', but when it's done artfully, astutely and with control it can make a truly awesome image. I like this one, its clear to me why you have chosen to shoot the subject in HDR, and its not 'boiled to death'

comment by Chris at 03:22 PM (GMT) on 8 April, 2011

This one is definitely my favorite. The second one was my least favorite. This is absolutely awesome. Yes, you would have missed this shot if you did not change the orientation of the camera.

Regarding portrait displayin, I don't think worrying how the image is displayed should be a worry. Now a days many people have larger monitors. If they don't, I am sure they would not have a problem scrolling if they enjoyed the image and second, scrolling will most likely be a minimum.

In terms of capturing, it is like your explanation a few images back - After shooting an image, take 20 minutes to find another within the same scene before leaving or you might miss another great shot. - Next time you go out shooting, try to shoot a portrait shot immediately after the landscape shot. Another day, shoot nothing but portraits. Overtime, viewing in portrait will becoming automatic. Very similar to people viewing the world as a telephoto lens and others as a wide-angle lens.

comment by Carlos Garcia at 04:08 PM (GMT) on 8 April, 2011

Again... fantastic work David. Wonderful framing and balance. Interesting color choices from the original. I assume you were going for greater uniformity in the color palette? This is my favorite.

I don't mind scrolling, so let your creativity be your guide, not the consequence of viewing your art on the internet.

comment by Jason at 08:55 PM (GMT) on 8 April, 2011

My favourite of an excellent series! Love the angle of the shot and all the roof elements that you managed to include. So jealous of this shot..! A really excellent example of HDR :)

comment by Christopher at 05:26 PM (GMT) on 9 April, 2011

Fantastic! My favorite of the series. There's a great, subtle Fibonacci curve in this one which seals it for me.

comment by djn1 at 08:38 AM (GMT) on 10 April, 2011

Thanks everyone :)

comment by Jessica Sweeney at 06:34 PM (GMT) on 10 April, 2011

This one I actually find a little too busy for my taste, although maybe I'd feel differently looking at a large print on a wall.

I'd say shoot some portraits! I don't mind scrolling.

comment by Douglas at 10:50 PM (GMT) on 10 April, 2011

I liked the first, and then the second, and I'm blown away by the third. I especially like the final LAB colors; they're much more complimentary. The sharpness is outstanding. Also understand your comment about portrait orientation. I thought the same thing a couple days ago and had to mentally slap myself.

comment by Photography Backdrops Colourscape at 05:43 PM (GMT) on 15 April, 2011

I like this one the best, it sort of, spins your head around !! Great use of HDR.