This is the shot I mentioned yesterday, the one I was taking outside my daughter's school, but I didn't put it up yesterday because I wasn't entirely happy with it. So today I thought I'd re-shoot it, but as is often the way with these things, it had gone. What I was going to do was shoot from a slightly lower position, not crop so tightly at the top of the image, and move the bag of rubbish leaving just the old vacuum cleaner against the wall. As it is though I do quite like it and decided it was worth putting up as it is.
capture date camera lens aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?
3.14pm on 31/1/05
Canon 20D
EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
f/3.5
1/100
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
100
no
RAW
C1 Pro
no
comment byDaaave at 09:15 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
The guy probably saw the potential in the vacuum cleaner after he saw your pics... it's now on ebay with a reserve of £150.
;D
Ahem, now onto a more serious note, do you have a custom colour curve (I assume you can do that sort of thing with the 20D)? And if so, does it bump up the contrast more than normal? Or is it all from the curves tool in PS? I just ask because normally your shots are quite contrasty, but the last couple even more so.
The text on the bag keeps me interested in this shot, but to be honest I agree with you - a re-shoot would be ideal.
comment bydjn1 at 09:19 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
Daaave: you can only apply custom colour curves to jpegs, RAW files are what they are. That said it's only very rare that I don't increase the contrast of a shot. My view on this is that a RAW file is a digital negative, and like there film based equivalents they all require some work, especially in terms of increasing their inherent 'flatness' and lack of saturation.
And you're probably right about eBay. Either that or it will appear in the Tate some time later this year ;-)
comment byAndy at 09:21 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
So this is the infamous vacuum cleaner :). Nice shot but since I’m in the mood for de-saturated pictures lately I wonder whether this picture would look any good if the colors were de-saturated. Then again maybe it is good the way it is.
comment byBen at 09:26 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
Although the obvious questions is: why was he vacuuming the lawn in the first place?
comment byAndy at 09:29 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
Just wondering is there a special secret recipe you use to increase contrast and saturation. Some how I think you are going to say it all depends on the picture and you mainly use curves.:)
Also I’m assuming that you bought c1 pro ... I’m thinking of getting the LE version because I’m broke but do you know what the differences are? Also what are the advantages of C1 compared to DPP?
comment by Skywriter at 09:54 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
djn1: You can indeed use custom colour curves on RAW files. The Nikon D70 has the ability to use such a curve "in camera" which I believe is what Daaave was refering to.
comment bydjn1 at 10:06 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
Andy: it all depends on the picture and I mostly use Curves ;-) The best way to learn about the Curves tool is to use it, both in terms of making adjustments with the main RGB curve but also by using the curves for individual channels. Another useful trick is to set the blend mode of a Curves adjustment layer to 'luminosity': that way you just alter the contrast of a shot and not the saturation.
As for C1 Pro versus the LE version: check out this pdf file. And in terms of how it compares to DPP: personally I think it's much better. The colours can be a bit off at times but it produces cleaner images with much better shadow details. Also, on my mac, it seems to use way less CPU cycles than DPP and is quite a bit faster.
Skywriter: I'm not sure that you can do this with the 20D, but I'm happy to be corrected. Personally I prefer to set the white balance with C1 Pro then make any other colour adjustments with PS.
comment byKristina at 11:11 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
This color is great...and 'senior cleaner" - that's hysterical. All your photos are so amazing.
comment byBrad at 11:16 PM (GMT) on 1 February, 2005
I actually like the bag in the photo. The top third of the bag really intrigues me with the 'reflections' it is giving off. I think it adds to the shot; for me anyway. Also, great job with the 'pop' factor.
comment bywilliam at 12:07 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
hello mr nightingale, i find your photography inspiring and has been one of the major influences on keeping my own photoblog going for the past year now. (www.wdphotos.com)
whats with all the glum post names at the moment?
"look on the dark side"
"time to stop"
"this is rubbish"
i hope these arent signs of the demise of chromasia!
keep it goin' dude.
comment by Adrian Hudson at 12:37 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
Ahhh... It now becomes obvious why the guy from the school was checking up on you. A very suspicious old hoover!!
Colours seem a bit too bright for me. I take your comments about RAW files being digital negs and that after processing is just the same as you might do in a trad darkroom but i think this shot is sickly green and hence looks more than unnatural.
I like the subject thought, just a l i t t l e less saturated would be better.
A
comment bySaroy at 01:13 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
This is awesome! Vacuuming a grass carpet. ;)
comment bymiles at 04:03 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
why isn't the ground white? Us people in Canada can't conceive of green stuff on the ground.
comment byRyan at 11:07 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
Ok, the vacuum cleaner is pretty cool and has lots of great old age character - especially the bright white writing, but for me, I just love the grass. I think living in Japan has me grass deprived! So David, thanks for the grass memories!
comment byChelsea June at 11:43 AM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
MM. Different from your usualy style. But I happen to REALLY like this. THe subject and colors- it's just really nice. Good work. =)
comment byDaaave at 12:59 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
Yeah, it was an 'in-camera' curve I was talking about, rather than PS.
I've still got to get to grips with the curves tool in PS to be honest. Actually on that note I would personally appreciate it if any of the milllllllions of viewers to this site could post a couple of really good tutorials that are available on the net (assuming there are some good ones...)
I might buy a book for Photoshop, problem is that a lot of them seem to waste chapters and chapters on stuff I'm not interested in like rubbish drop shadow frames and drawing web graphics.
comment bydjn1 at 02:54 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
Daaave: more later, but in the meanwhile try this tutorial.
comment byian at 03:26 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
i like just as it as it is, dave.
comment bybob at 03:40 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
great shot ... love the little red rubberband right there at the bottom of the frame :-) Oh -- and the colors are outstanding.
The tutorial link you posted is a GREAT one - I think you sent that to me long ago -- and it's done wonders for me - levels and curves -- two crucial tools for photographers.... good one, Dave...
comment byJesse at 05:38 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
I really like the color and contrast in this picture. I have Photoshop Elements, and I feel that the curves tool would come in handily for me. However, I don't have it, and I don't need to spend the money to get it.
I don't know if this picture would look better with or without the trash bag. With the depth of field, the rich colors and the deep contrast, it looks very phantasy-like, and that appeals to me. If I can say anything that could have gone better, perhaps the focus of "Senior Cleaner"--it took me a while to even recognize it had writing, because I kept my focus on the rich background (the right side of the picture) and didn't veer off to the left of the picture quickly. That just depends on what you wanted the main focus of the picture to fall to, of course.
comment by mohan at 05:57 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
Hello, I like this picture a lot, and personally I think interefering with a found still life like this by taking away the rubbish bag also takes away from the honesty of a shot - i find it much more fun getting a good photo with what we're given - the photographer as observer rather than engineer (we engineer the picture itself enough without also engineering the content). Does anyone agree or am I an ignoramus?
comment by mohan at 06:02 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
PS I like the shot because of the cool hoover and also that green of the grass. The palette of colours in general is eye catching. taking off the cropping at the top would probably open up the picture a lot, taking in more of the wall too, which would be a very different shot - i like the 'low ceiling' effect and that the eye is drawn down to the base of the vacuum cleaner, the way it is now. The cut off at the top of the cleaner helps emphasise the writing on it too. thats my two pence.
comment bydjn1 at 08:47 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
william: no, chromasia is alive and well and not likely to stop running any time soon :-)
Everybody else: thanks.
comment bymatt at 09:57 PM (GMT) on 2 February, 2005
Mohan: I agree with you aobut engineering shots...that being said sometimes a little tweak here or there can really increase the visual appeal and make a good shot fantastic.
I think that the bag in this shot is just a little distracting and maybe a bit confusing. At first glance it is not clear that they are two items. I like the rest though.
This is the shot I mentioned yesterday, the one I was taking outside my daughter's school, but I didn't put it up yesterday because I wasn't entirely happy with it. So today I thought I'd re-shoot it, but as is often the way with these things, it had gone. What I was going to do was shoot from a slightly lower position, not crop so tightly at the top of the image, and move the bag of rubbish leaving just the old vacuum cleaner against the wall. As it is though I do quite like it and decided it was worth putting up as it is.
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
Canon 20D
EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
f/3.5
1/100
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
100
no
RAW
C1 Pro
no
The guy probably saw the potential in the vacuum cleaner after he saw your pics... it's now on ebay with a reserve of £150.
;D
Ahem, now onto a more serious note, do you have a custom colour curve (I assume you can do that sort of thing with the 20D)? And if so, does it bump up the contrast more than normal? Or is it all from the curves tool in PS? I just ask because normally your shots are quite contrasty, but the last couple even more so.
The text on the bag keeps me interested in this shot, but to be honest I agree with you - a re-shoot would be ideal.
Daaave: you can only apply custom colour curves to jpegs, RAW files are what they are. That said it's only very rare that I don't increase the contrast of a shot. My view on this is that a RAW file is a digital negative, and like there film based equivalents they all require some work, especially in terms of increasing their inherent 'flatness' and lack of saturation.
And you're probably right about eBay. Either that or it will appear in the Tate some time later this year ;-)
So this is the infamous vacuum cleaner :). Nice shot but since I’m in the mood for de-saturated pictures lately I wonder whether this picture would look any good if the colors were de-saturated. Then again maybe it is good the way it is.
Although the obvious questions is: why was he vacuuming the lawn in the first place?
Just wondering is there a special secret recipe you use to increase contrast and saturation. Some how I think you are going to say it all depends on the picture and you mainly use curves.:)
Also I’m assuming that you bought c1 pro ... I’m thinking of getting the LE version because I’m broke but do you know what the differences are? Also what are the advantages of C1 compared to DPP?
djn1: You can indeed use custom colour curves on RAW files. The Nikon D70 has the ability to use such a curve "in camera" which I believe is what Daaave was refering to.
Andy: it all depends on the picture and I mostly use Curves ;-) The best way to learn about the Curves tool is to use it, both in terms of making adjustments with the main RGB curve but also by using the curves for individual channels. Another useful trick is to set the blend mode of a Curves adjustment layer to 'luminosity': that way you just alter the contrast of a shot and not the saturation.
As for C1 Pro versus the LE version: check out this pdf file. And in terms of how it compares to DPP: personally I think it's much better. The colours can be a bit off at times but it produces cleaner images with much better shadow details. Also, on my mac, it seems to use way less CPU cycles than DPP and is quite a bit faster.
Skywriter: I'm not sure that you can do this with the 20D, but I'm happy to be corrected. Personally I prefer to set the white balance with C1 Pro then make any other colour adjustments with PS.
This color is great...and 'senior cleaner" - that's hysterical. All your photos are so amazing.
I actually like the bag in the photo. The top third of the bag really intrigues me with the 'reflections' it is giving off. I think it adds to the shot; for me anyway. Also, great job with the 'pop' factor.
hello mr nightingale, i find your photography inspiring and has been one of the major influences on keeping my own photoblog going for the past year now. (www.wdphotos.com)
whats with all the glum post names at the moment?
"look on the dark side"
"time to stop"
"this is rubbish"
i hope these arent signs of the demise of chromasia!
keep it goin' dude.
Ahhh... It now becomes obvious why the guy from the school was checking up on you. A very suspicious old hoover!!
Colours seem a bit too bright for me. I take your comments about RAW files being digital negs and that after processing is just the same as you might do in a trad darkroom but i think this shot is sickly green and hence looks more than unnatural.
I like the subject thought, just a l i t t l e less saturated would be better.
A
This is awesome! Vacuuming a grass carpet. ;)
why isn't the ground white? Us people in Canada can't conceive of green stuff on the ground.
Ok, the vacuum cleaner is pretty cool and has lots of great old age character - especially the bright white writing, but for me, I just love the grass. I think living in Japan has me grass deprived! So David, thanks for the grass memories!
MM. Different from your usualy style. But I happen to REALLY like this. THe subject and colors- it's just really nice. Good work. =)
Yeah, it was an 'in-camera' curve I was talking about, rather than PS.
I've still got to get to grips with the curves tool in PS to be honest. Actually on that note I would personally appreciate it if any of the milllllllions of viewers to this site could post a couple of really good tutorials that are available on the net (assuming there are some good ones...)
I might buy a book for Photoshop, problem is that a lot of them seem to waste chapters and chapters on stuff I'm not interested in like rubbish drop shadow frames and drawing web graphics.
Daaave: more later, but in the meanwhile try this tutorial.
i like just as it as it is, dave.
great shot ... love the little red rubberband right there at the bottom of the frame :-) Oh -- and the colors are outstanding.
The tutorial link you posted is a GREAT one - I think you sent that to me long ago -- and it's done wonders for me - levels and curves -- two crucial tools for photographers.... good one, Dave...
I really like the color and contrast in this picture. I have Photoshop Elements, and I feel that the curves tool would come in handily for me. However, I don't have it, and I don't need to spend the money to get it.
I don't know if this picture would look better with or without the trash bag. With the depth of field, the rich colors and the deep contrast, it looks very phantasy-like, and that appeals to me. If I can say anything that could have gone better, perhaps the focus of "Senior Cleaner"--it took me a while to even recognize it had writing, because I kept my focus on the rich background (the right side of the picture) and didn't veer off to the left of the picture quickly. That just depends on what you wanted the main focus of the picture to fall to, of course.
Hello, I like this picture a lot, and personally I think interefering with a found still life like this by taking away the rubbish bag also takes away from the honesty of a shot - i find it much more fun getting a good photo with what we're given - the photographer as observer rather than engineer (we engineer the picture itself enough without also engineering the content). Does anyone agree or am I an ignoramus?
PS I like the shot because of the cool hoover and also that green of the grass. The palette of colours in general is eye catching. taking off the cropping at the top would probably open up the picture a lot, taking in more of the wall too, which would be a very different shot - i like the 'low ceiling' effect and that the eye is drawn down to the base of the vacuum cleaner, the way it is now. The cut off at the top of the cleaner helps emphasise the writing on it too. thats my two pence.
william: no, chromasia is alive and well and not likely to stop running any time soon :-)
Everybody else: thanks.
Mohan: I agree with you aobut engineering shots...that being said sometimes a little tweak here or there can really increase the visual appeal and make a good shot fantastic.
I think that the bag in this shot is just a little distracting and maybe a bit confusing. At first glance it is not clear that they are two items. I like the rest though.