tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193071772011-07-07T20:51:03.922ZA forum for discussions and views on photography, the creative photographic process, digital image making techniques, software and equipment.Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.comBlogger5501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-31835085025345856872010-09-28T21:43:00.003Z2010-09-28T21:45:12.952Z

Here is my urban photography submission: my pet goat Rickenbacker.

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-1929606646978152602010-07-21T13:20:00.003Z2010-07-21T13:24:26.706Z

This startling photograph is of me with my new 'look'.On a more serious note, the photo was taken by my mother and I really like the composition which is why I am posting. I am not looking at the camera, the leaning on the wall adds a dynamic sense to the image, the pattern on the t-shirt creates contrast and something of interest to look at and the background is not too distracting and

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-80959922125966746072010-07-11T23:01:00.002Z2010-07-11T23:04:12.307Z

Here are few pics from the recent Canada Day parade...

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-14170861493774732132010-06-30T12:18:00.001Z2010-07-02T12:39:47.067Z

So, a friend of mine had a little fun with Miksang,...http://birdbeeblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/miksang/#comment-97Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-61566777094014954652010-06-29T16:21:00.003Z2010-06-29T16:24:16.876Z

I was looking back over the blog, and noted Adam's excellent suggestion to convert my hands image to mono.So, I have done this. I have also added a tilt-shift blur and a slight vignette.I must admit, I do like the new image - great suggestion Adam.Comments welcome as ever.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-39491216843575939702010-06-29T12:47:00.004Z2010-06-29T12:52:56.917Z

Final image for today, another grab shot with the camera phone. Final view of the first day at the beachside campsite in Wales. Taken through the mosquito net, looking out to sea. Fuzzy for two reasons - the mosquito net fooled the simple auto focus of the phone, and it was quite a noisy image, so I softened it a bit to hide it a little. I think it gives an almost dreamy quality to it, which

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-88009847264270931532010-06-29T12:23:00.004Z2010-06-29T12:37:05.007Z

Yup, corny title, but I am practising "witty" titles for the up-coming Camera Club season. Seriously, if I ever do start to use such titles, you all have my permission to disown me forever. Another snap taken on the mobile phone. It's limitations are severe, but it has made me think about getting a decent portable camera, perhaps a Leica or something that has good image quality but slips in the

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-88329595017994201172010-06-29T12:15:00.002Z2010-06-29T12:16:11.064Z

A simple image of our daughter, flying her kite while we were on holiday. It was really windy, and I wanted to get down to her level, and see the whole of the kite, string and her holding on (one-handed, despite my advice!). It has a totally different feel this low down. I captured it on my camera phone, so not a great technical image, but one with bags of energy and "in the moment" appeal, I

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-83779967664798045552010-06-14T15:56:00.000Z2010-06-14T15:58:20.135Z

Here is an image I shot over the weekend. Just a bit of fun...Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-50318412238105901752010-06-06T19:02:00.004Z2010-06-06T19:14:43.492Z

Been a bit tied up recently so not much time for a post. Here is one I'm not entirely satisfied with, taken in the Shenandoah national Park in Virginia last month. Not sure if it's lack of potential or I just can't see the final image. Used my 17-40 at 29 mm on my 5D, 1/8 @ f16, ISO50. Post-mucking-about in LR2. Suggestons or is this a non-starter? Cheers, A.

stasher1http://www.blogger.com/profile/17406459626472213472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-74540429548724200302010-04-18T18:23:00.002Z2010-04-18T20:34:34.001Z

Here's a recent image, one of my "what the h*ll is that?!?" subjects. Anyone care to guess what it is?I rather like how the lighting worked out here. This is uncropped, by the way. If you have any crop suggestions, or even just rude remarks, bring 'em on!

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-85362515765169828402010-04-01T18:16:00.002Z2010-04-01T18:25:12.410Z

Just a quick one as I'm pushed for time (but trying to be a better bolgger). Took this about 8 years ago at Seattle zoo when on a buissness trip. shot on Fuji Provia (transparency) on my trusted Minolta. Scanned as a TIFF, cropped and not done much else. I like the way the eyse are almost like sockets with holes which gives it a little bit of a creepy feel. Any suggestions for improvements? Happy

stasher1http://www.blogger.com/profile/17406459626472213472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-77902573800444601072010-04-01T10:15:00.004Z2010-04-01T10:19:34.308Z

A shot taken just this morning. My daughter wanted to hold hands while we had our breakfast. It was quite a touching moment - no upset or anything from her for the request; she just wanted to. I had my phone in the other hand, so snapped this, as I saw it. Didn't think much about it, just wanted to see our hands together, but I like the edge of her cereal bowl in shot.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-65475987669936995572010-03-31T14:01:00.003Z2010-03-31T14:04:38.319Z

HiMy take on Colin's recent horse eye pic. I did it in a hurry, so not completely tidy in places, but I went for a mono image with a colour splash, to highlight what the horse sees. I also put the whole eye in the shot (my earlier comment) and tried to leave as much space for the horse to look into.Thoughts welcomedIvan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-2378538921337498272010-03-28T14:30:00.002Z2010-03-28T14:33:11.940Z

Here is a pic of my nephew Sam. I like it a lot...just a quick post. I took this with my fixed 50mm 1.4 lens.

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-46042683091672126002010-03-27T19:27:00.001Z2010-03-27T19:29:06.067Z

The ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW 2010 is an international exhibition of photographic art which will take place August 28 through November 7, 2010 at the elegant Lyceum Theatre Gallery, located in the historic Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego, California. The Opening Reception Gala will be on Saturday, August 28th, and will be a world class event!WEBSITE: www.artofphotographyshow.comJURIED

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-32532437183430311052010-03-25T12:16:00.002Z2010-03-25T12:20:38.162Z

Here is my "vision". I was going to leave the colour in but I found the pinkness off-putting. I was then going to create a strong black and white contrast but that didn't fit with the softness that the original image had. That is, the pinkness, to me, implies more delicate tones rather than harsh tones (comes from the pinkness in albinos). Anyway, I used black and white and attempted to create a

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-39276008322112647222010-03-20T17:41:00.001Z2010-03-20T17:44:59.397Z

This is an image I took a while ago at the local Market. These lads use to play often there. I took this by climbing up some stairs above them.

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-66428661787795381812010-03-18T11:43:00.004Z2010-03-18T11:46:38.533Z

Final one from me for today.Taken at a local National Trust property near Cambridge (Anglesey Abby) - this patch of pure white trees planted against an intentionally dark backdrop makes for a quite stunning scene. I cropped this to accentuate the effect - this is also a stitch of 3 images to get the wide view.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-20204645417438043252010-03-18T09:35:00.002Z2010-03-18T09:39:18.604Z

Took this one a few years back, while on a camping trip to the Peak District in England. Can't recall the place, but I wanted to put the players in context with their English game and general backdrop, so I included it all in a wide, panoramic style crop, bleak skies and bricks and all. I quite like this, and it's a kind of "reportage" photo I don't usually take. Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-39599344668505154722010-03-18T09:30:00.003Z2010-03-18T09:34:39.768Z

In the spirit of posting something different to one's usual style(e), let me know what you think of the above, kind of an abstract study of something (prize for saying what that "something" is). I know there are technical deficiencies (some blown highlights), but any "artistic" comments welcomed too.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-27130577504111510522010-03-13T16:02:00.005Z2010-03-13T21:14:06.212Z

Yup, another horse eye! And what did she see?

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-48809628389008815382010-03-03T20:15:00.003Z2010-03-03T20:19:37.797Z

Way back in October 2006 I visited Montreal and went to Mount Royal. Both of these pics are from there. Like the boat in the previous post, they seem to have a painterly feel to them.

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-87948996119022185192010-03-03T19:03:00.003Z2010-03-03T19:27:14.282Z

Experimented a bit with this one and went a little wild on the rt hand side of the sliders in LR2. Overdone, almost certainly, but I kind of like it...thoughts.

stasher1http://www.blogger.com/profile/17406459626472213472noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-40083574258297380222010-02-19T19:35:00.003Z2010-02-19T19:40:26.216Z

OK, before this blog dies completely, I'll try one last time. Just a little something from this afternoon. Like it? Hate it? Just say something.

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-4466533997417804392009-11-09T15:26:00.004Z2009-11-09T15:28:21.584Z

As suggested, Adam's excellent shot cropped to echo the lead-in lines of the huts more and emphasise the letterbox element of the pier PLUS a nice mono treatment, and lose some of the somewhat redundant shoreline..Thoughts?Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-2151233282667687982009-11-01T19:58:00.002Z2009-11-01T20:03:26.442Z

Sorry it's been so long - been travelling loads and working like a dog. As a result have barely picked up a camera, but here is one I did manage to snap at Southwold pier at sunset in early October. Pretty miserable day but I tred to make the best of it.... 24mm f22 8 secs....

stasher1http://www.blogger.com/profile/17406459626472213472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-60825633232621867732009-10-01T12:20:00.005Z2009-10-01T12:41:18.355Z

Available light is my second photography exhibit and at the same gallery as last year. This exhibit will feature myself and three other photographers that will present work of images captured using only the available natural light and careful consideration of the moment. The idea is to show the ever present beauty in every day life.The exhibit will run for one month and will open on the eve of

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-46513616346600597502009-09-28T17:44:00.002Z2009-09-28T17:50:43.133Z

I took this photograph in January 2008 just before leaving Sable Island. I was at the West Spit and crept up to these birds on my stomach so as not to disturb them. I also wanted to be at their level to get a different view. The seals and gull in the background maintain a sense of scale. This photograph reached the semi-finals in the 2008 BBC Wildlife Competition.Canon EOS 40D, 100-300mm 4.5/5.6

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-85803794069535121762009-09-17T13:58:00.003Z2009-09-17T14:23:56.349Z

Found this via the BBC tech website. It's an online photoshop clone called Pixlr.com. It's free and no registration required (I think).Looks and works very like it apparently, although I have not fully tested it (review to follow). Have a try and see what you think. May be useful if away from your PC and Photoshop not available...It does layers, but not masks, and I can even see how to erase one

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-4633634082875768202009-09-14T23:11:00.002Z2009-09-14T23:17:13.546Z

Here is a technical question for you budding photographers.The situation: I am slowly crawling along a narrow beach at high tide, occasionally wading, to reach the thousands ofsandpipers and plovers on a narrow stretch of beach. When I get close enough to start shooting, I run into the problem of shooting into the sun. Colours are washed out and there is haze. I can't get to the other side of the

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-68595855634618116152009-09-11T15:59:00.001Z2009-09-11T16:00:34.943Z

Taking Damian's advice, cropping off the lower black layer...better?Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-66445807032062077822009-09-08T18:04:00.010Z2009-09-11T14:12:36.205Z

I recently made three photographic trips. The first was to Evangeline Beach where I photographed thousands of semi-palmated samdpipers and plovers. I will post the other two trips later: the Bay of Fundy and Kejimkujik National Park.Each year in July thousands of these birds congregate on the Minas Basin to feed on the mudflats. If you go on the fall of high tide the birds are crammed together on

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-35482397766784566622009-09-08T09:12:00.003Z2009-09-08T09:16:12.123Z

Another 3.2MP image taken on the cybershot phone. This time tweaked quite a bit more - I wanted to see if I could make a decent mono image. I think I can. Not much interest in the foreground, and it's a little imbalanced across the image, but the limitations of the colour image (noise) works out to give quite a nice mono grain effect. I used a vignette too to increase the moodiness of the image.

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-87466843348348181572009-09-04T10:44:00.001Z2009-09-04T10:46:07.004Z

Some flowers, now getting near the end of their best period. I liked the murky water and view through the glass. Quite nice, muted colours and shapes. Sony Cybershot mobile phone, macro mode.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-37375684437029390672009-09-04T10:38:00.003Z2009-09-04T10:41:37.855Z

A simple shot, taken because I liked the light and shade on the patterned glass we have in our front porch. The little cybershot has slightly over-exposed the most intense area of light, but has handled the shade part very well, and overall exposure is good considering how tricky this must be to meter. It actually has spot metering, would you believe..!Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-42051580299580986922009-09-04T10:30:00.003Z2009-09-04T10:37:37.144Z

Last of this summer's crop of clematis flowers. Wonderful colours. Taken with the cybershot from mobile phone. This time on macro mode, which is actually not too bad - there's a lot of detail in this image, and it's only had a marginal amount of sharpening.I'd like to enter one or more of the technically better mobile phone shots to a projected image competition at Cambridge Camera Club this year

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-62751932528104158042009-09-04T10:28:00.002Z2009-09-04T10:30:35.551Z

Same place, but closer in. I think this accentuates the elements - the grimy pavement, the vomit on the ground and the smiley face.Sony Cybershot from mobile phone.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-9595505509098034042009-09-04T10:21:00.003Z2009-09-04T10:28:11.262Z

A bit like the "Paradise Lost" image recently posted, this one is from a back alley in Cambridge, where often you see homeless folks sleeping. I liked the contrast of the bleak stained brick with the playful face.Taken with the Sony Cybershot again. It definitely does better in good light, but I think I didn't quite let the (slow) autofocus do it's thing before moving a little. There are better

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-5332538937656809892009-09-04T10:13:00.004Z2009-09-04T10:20:58.412Z

A snapshot taken at a local horse show, where the kids were having races. I liked the poses of the watchers, the man with his hands on his hips, the old woman and youngsters sitting down, the action going on in front of them. I am trying out a more "in the moment" style of photography, perhaps with elements of what Damian does, less thinking more capturing and seeing what it comes out like. A bit

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-609364220447364402009-08-20T08:25:00.004Z2009-08-20T08:26:45.622Z

Taken in Cambridge last winter, I loved the soft early evening light on the brick and water.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-70038649857867688582009-08-20T08:21:00.002Z2009-08-20T08:23:15.133Z

I posted this image about a year ago, but got no comments. So, I think it's OK to post again! I am thinking to enter it as part of the 6 image assault on the 2009/10 CCC Digital Projected Image Competition, so all comments gratefully received.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-61825671194475425162009-08-20T08:16:00.002Z2009-08-20T08:18:02.803Z

A simple, long exposure shot, taken in the Peak District a few years ago. Not pushing the boundaries of the aesthetic, but quite challenging to get right.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-73731451553591598742009-08-20T08:11:00.001Z2009-08-20T08:14:20.210Z

Who hasn't been guilty of this from time to time...?IvanCartoon (c) Whattheduck.net

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-16908470650749007322009-08-20T08:01:00.003Z2009-08-20T08:08:44.790Z

A shot, taken a couple of years back, from the small town in the west of Scotland (Linwood) that I grew up in. When we moved there, I was 3, it was 1971, and everything was shiny and new; the schools, the roads, the parks, the houses. It really was very nice and community-spirited and a great environment to grow up in. All the men worked at the newly opened car factory and the women either stayed

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-19812588922755816402009-08-17T21:49:00.002Z2009-08-17T21:54:44.504Z

I entered this image into the Emerging Photographer contest with the magazine Photolife and was successful. The image is listed along with several other photographers of different styles.Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-6441560721401776412009-08-09T18:24:00.004Z2009-08-09T18:31:00.941Z

Gentlemen - it's August so it's time for a monthly post. This was taken as a bit of an abstract snap whilst in Notre-Dame la Garde, Marseille in March with my Canon-G9. I use LR2 to convert the RAW and add a bit of colour back. I was trying to post something a bit different to my usual offereings - I'm not sure I like it myself, but anyway, let me know. A.

stasher1http://www.blogger.com/profile/17406459626472213472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-69526831632113986252009-07-25T14:59:00.003Z2009-07-25T15:02:50.630Z

In the spirit of regular contributions, I'm posting this image. A free bag of onions to whoever first guesses what this is.Your thoughts? Too much black? Not enough? Does it need more puppies?--Colin

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-84420129646655026422009-07-24T02:11:00.006Z2009-07-24T02:20:41.880Z

I thought I should add something, anything, in light of today's email.I played a little with Adam's image, desaturating the red and yellow a lot. The idea was to make things look gloomier. I wanted to keep the sky fairly colourful, though, to emphasize the gloomy foreground. It was a very quick and dirty fiddle. Thoughts?BTW, is this some sort of tidal river?

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-84142266563232737182009-07-13T18:55:00.006Z2009-07-14T07:05:02.534Z

I'm back and promise to post at least once a month...here's a shot a took at sunset in march at Blakeney. Any thoughts welcome. 24mm, f11, 1/10, iso 100, with tripod. Adjusted levels in LR2 and used LR2 graduated filter to darken sky two stops. With regard to the discussion around calibration, I've used Spyder2 for a couple of years and I'm very happy...more soon, A.

stasher1http://www.blogger.com/profile/17406459626472213472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-3321465986842105422009-07-08T16:34:00.003Z2009-07-08T16:39:06.855Z

Well I don't want to be the one that causes the collapse of Critical Light so I vow to post at least one blog a month...well, we will see...So, here are a few pics from past Pride Parades. Another is coming up this month and I always find them a photographic treat...

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-59136449681781483012009-06-02T11:15:00.003Z2009-06-02T11:18:03.394Z

I enjoyed reading this essay from an experienced professional - gave me hope that it's not just us "fumbling amateurs" that need multiple gos to sometimes get the image we see in our minds eye...

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-45843879166794426592009-06-02T11:09:00.002Z2009-06-02T11:14:25.808Z

I missed the last meeting of the Cambridge Camera Club season (well, I missed pretty much everything from end Jan to end of the season), but, at the Annual Prize Giving, I came 2nd in the serial projected image competition. This is a 3 round, 2 images per round, open theme competition, running September to Feb. In my first CCC season, I came third overall in the club, then nowhere last season,

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-73277928795627693712009-06-02T11:06:00.001Z2009-06-02T11:09:28.087Z

A useful link, from Colour Wiki. My new LCD screen is way off, and I am seriously thinking to get a colour profiling device, like a Spyder or a Huey. Any experience from you guys and/or advice?Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-88584554758541413292009-05-19T19:35:00.001Z2009-05-19T19:35:51.739Z

So, where is everyone?

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-84674278155810851282009-05-06T16:33:00.002Z2009-05-06T16:36:18.529Z

Recently I have been playing around with black and white images of landscapes. Here are two that I am quite happy with...Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-59826969465163603592009-05-06T16:30:00.002Z2009-05-06T16:33:12.111Z

The last post in the series on the evolution of my photography has just been posted. So now the whole story is there....Where I wasWhere I wentWhat I foundWhere I amConclusionDamian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-15262993283324250362009-04-14T15:25:00.006Z2009-04-14T15:45:41.081Z

I recently read an email post by Tim Grey on how to correct strong colour casts and thought I would demonstrate it here.In this image one can notice a pink and green cast across two of the eggs, especially if you look at the lower righht egg. To remove this cast one does the following1. Duplicate the Background and rename this layer Colour Correction2. Ago to Filter>Blur>Average. This averages

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-25882956072534515622009-04-09T20:10:00.002Z2009-04-09T20:12:58.399Z

I recently presented a talk to the Contemporary Arts Society, Halifax on the evolution of my photography from when I began in the early 1990s to my present day work on Sable Island. The talk was very well received and was interesting to me too since it allowed me to see how my photography has changed and the elements that have shaped it.This presentation will be posted on my blog,

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-79064350249407055672009-04-02T15:17:00.002Z2009-04-02T15:22:56.337Z

This is a photograph of Greater Black-back gulls flying above a snow covered dune. There gulls are ferocious mean carnivores and will peck out the eye of seal pups, attack birds nests for eggs and chicks and go after some mammals such as rabbits. If one had this "label" in mind when photographing these birds it would surely influence the type of image produced. So, when I saw this image below, I

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-25005888260679504642009-03-11T15:52:00.001Z2009-03-11T15:55:20.755Z

Miksang Podcast with Michael WoodMichael Wood recently did an interview about Miksang with Paul Giguere, thehost of 'Thoughts on Photography', a web site that contains lots ofgreat interviews and articles that revolve around the notion of, asPaul puts it, 'Living a Photographic Life'Click on the 'POD' Icon, or on 'direct download'Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-53694688526942066362009-03-01T19:54:00.002Z2009-03-01T20:01:44.176Z

In January while on Sable Island I came across a shipwreck that was exposed albeit for a week or so. I took quite a few photos but didn't seem to be able to capture a strong relationship between the sea and the wreck. I really wanted this because the sea is of course the reason for the shipwreck being there. I also wanted to capture a sense of 'spookiness' since I felt that while walking around

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-61462578164044907022009-02-26T23:46:00.005Z2009-02-26T23:56:56.155Z

Well, this place has been quiet for some time! To break you out of hibernation, here is a shot of a melting icicle. Taken with my new Christmas toy (Pentax K-20D) and my trusty 50mm/f1.7 prime lens, it's a crop of a somewhat larger image. The falling droplet manages to focus the background surprisingly well:If you rotate the picture, you should be able to make out the barn (immediately to the

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-64531995563231504482009-02-02T17:31:00.003Z2009-02-02T17:34:25.970Z

Hello all,This is a short post. Late last year a friend told me about these Adobe resource sites for learning PS and other Adobe software. Thought I would post them so you can have a look.1. http://www.layersmagazine.com2. http://www.lynda.comDamian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-87279790828862834052009-01-25T19:52:00.002Z2009-01-25T19:59:18.052Z

So I came back from the Island on Friday (23rd Jan) after a 4 week trip. The trip was very good and great for photographs. Lots of great light, extreme weather (wind, snow, rain, blizzards, cold). And best of all I was very much in the right mood to take advantage of it all. Posted a couple of images below and hope to post more. Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-81993973188392970282009-01-22T09:56:00.003Z2009-01-22T10:06:11.853Z

HiI recently - like, 2 days ago - purchased CS4 upgrade from CS. First impressions are very favourable. It seems to run faster, and the Bridge function - which was a real trimmed down affair in CS - is much quicker too. It has some nice neat tweaks and interface changes, and a greater level of control with some of the filters etc. Very early days, so have hardly scratched the surface of the new

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-58151030145870820752009-01-07T14:51:00.001Z2009-01-07T14:52:54.312Z

I found this image last year on flickr, and it made me chuckle. NOT my image, but I kind of wish it were...Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-34474902376126986492009-01-07T14:42:00.002Z2009-01-07T14:51:28.705Z

Happy New Year, fellow "Critical Light"ers. Hope 2009 is great for you all.I came across this interesting article on Tim Grey's blog, that Damian put me on to last year. It deals with the issue of composite vs straight images. I found myself agreeing with the sentiments expressed, and can see that I apply a similar philosophy, albeit in a much more straight photographic way, when I sometimes "

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-77781007162694332812009-01-04T12:20:00.003Z2009-01-04T12:30:02.818Z

Happy New Year to you all!Surprised to be the first to post this year...I love Lomo style photos and keep meaning to get myself a camera.I thought I'd try to emulate the effect, and with a little web tutorial came up with this after a little experimenting.Curious for your thoughts?

DXBlueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06801871436502391485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-85139714239344847292008-12-21T15:31:00.002Z2008-12-21T15:34:36.875Z

As I write this I am waiting for my flight to New York. We are going for 5 days (until Boxing Day) and then two days after I get back I am off to Sable Island for work. So I would imagine that I will not be on the blog until February when I return.I have my camera with me so hopefully I will capture some decent New York images for the blog.See you all then,...Damian 

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-61875904926312667312008-12-14T16:11:00.002Z2008-12-14T16:14:18.046Z

I always have my camera with me when I am selling at the market and am always looking. So I saw this. The girl was walking around with this brilliant yellwo scarf and the green cat grass. The contrast was startling to me. Then she came over to my table and POW...I took her down.Shot with my great and most beloved fixed 50mm, 1.4 lens...D

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-86957027835775718832008-12-10T12:07:00.002Z2008-12-10T12:11:50.945Z

Both of these were taken in 2004 using my old Nikon Coolpix. Crap camera - although it did do RAW - but somewhere as beautiful as this can be captured with a disposable camera and still look good.They were both early morning, before the crowds. I like the one of the shadows under the arches, with the solo figure walking away. Also, I tried to get a new take on the tired theme of Venetian gondolas

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-14142922911845753942008-12-07T21:27:00.001Z2008-12-07T21:30:14.116Z

Well, not much to offer this week. Shot this while in St John's, Nfld during the summer. Its kind of fun with the plant pots and the broken pot and the various fun colours, typical of houses here. Lots of lines up and down.Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-47600283462191624082008-12-05T20:21:00.005Z2008-12-05T20:26:36.016Z

I posted the sister image to this quite a while ago, but I found this one - which is portrait rather than landscape format - while browsing my back catalogue. I think I prefer this one to the landscape image.Comments?Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-23332013422307047742008-12-05T19:17:00.004Z2008-12-05T19:25:34.608Z

This one is quite radical, and from the days (about 4 years ago) when I used to make really big changes to images, including new skies, colour temperature, adding/removing elements. I don't really do that these days, but I do like the change from the original to the manipulated image in this before and after.Below is the original. It was taken at/near sunrise, so it's nice and quiet, few boats

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-5314873443689294712008-12-03T10:49:00.003Z2008-12-03T11:11:52.104Z

Ventured out again a few evening ago with a Cambridge chum (not Gareth). My friend, Bob, has a new Nikon D300 - man that camera has great high ISO sensitivity and low noise. Awesome. Make the 450D look a bit shit, actually, in that regard, but I was able to get both shots below at ISO 200-400, 30" exposure, f8-9. I have also just got a remote control, so I can move to bulb (i.e. >30s) exposures

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-75869631480078522432008-12-01T22:53:00.006Z2008-12-01T23:05:48.203Z

A few months ago I received permission to spend hours in our local natural history museum photographing bird eggs. Bird eggs have amazing intricate patterns, and they are of different sizes and shapes. Anyway, here are three eggs from a guillemot (seabird for those who are not ornithologically gifted). They are pointed so that they don't roll out of the cliff nest but rather spin on their

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-24646097372098142172008-12-01T20:57:00.002Z2008-12-01T20:58:52.574Z

This picture is a crop of a larger shot of the Mexico's Gulf. I burned the blacks to remove the sea. I also wanted to have a minimalism feeling. The lines of the clouds are supposed to give a feeling of movement, the shot being a part of the "On The Road" series. Here is the original shot :

Sebastien Mamynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-90416537152660314452008-11-28T07:21:00.003Z2008-11-28T07:31:36.689Z

Taken at the Aya Sophia (Hagia Sophia) in Istanbul.Playing with my new 50mm prime lens. As you'd expect it was very limited light in the interior of the building.I was drawn to the curlicue lights, the bulbs and that not all were working. Again, I liked the very tight depth of field from the prime lens.I don't mind the slight lens flare...What do you think?f/1.6 1/80sec ISO200

DXBlueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06801871436502391485noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-28626524895420051932008-11-28T07:02:00.003Z2008-11-28T07:13:52.481Z

Taken 11am on a very bright sunny morning on Venice Beach, LA.A four piece blues band were busking and I could get in quite close. Liked this shot with the focus as the drummer's hat and the Roots logo. The more obvious shot was the classic look of the vocalist, however I liked dropping him out through the depth of field...I think it works well in mono.f/5.6 1/640 ISO200Comments?

DXBlueyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06801871436502391485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-61817113451937312872008-11-27T00:55:00.005Z2008-11-27T02:37:07.429Z

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. Here are a couple. Nothing too spectacular, just a couple of quickies from our big snow storm last weekend.First: I think I was hoping for more with the icicles. I think the crop helped as there was a lot of other stuff in the frame, but I don't think this is a jump-out-at-you shot. Discuss: how would you have improved it?Second: One of those

Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100067948848970203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-35574631988827686872008-11-26T12:37:00.003Z2008-11-26T12:40:05.403Z

If I saw what Ivan saw on Sandwich Bay this is what I would have done. Just a different viewpoint.Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-13052093809166289472008-11-23T21:58:00.004Z2008-11-24T09:36:11.442Z

Another shot from the Shropshire archives. This one taken on that recent October trip this year. This was shot from a good distance away, using the telephoto image-stabilised lens all the way out to 600mm. Lovely light picking out the relief of the land, and the detail of the wet road in the middle slight dip is visible as a nice feature. Great land contours and overall quite pleased with this

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-58398628242184759232008-11-21T23:10:00.004Z2008-11-24T09:35:51.148Z

I took lots of pictures of the wet sand patterns when we were there a few weeks ago. I was thinking that, with some post-capture work, they'd come out quite nice, and I think they have. Enough Sandwich Bay monos..for now.Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-67685852075099256492008-11-21T22:35:00.003Z2008-11-21T22:39:36.690Z

A colour one this time. Concentrating on the wet sand shapes and clouds. I processed two RAW files to tiffs, then blended them in PS, with some dodging and burning to bring out the contrast in the wet sand patterns. Lightened the strip of sand to enhance the effect. It's more punchy than I saw it, but I like the image.

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-54400487960168943252008-11-21T16:53:00.004Z2008-11-21T17:04:05.398Z

I see lots of HDR images on Flickr. Some of them are great; subtle blending of carefully chosen images to gain a wider exposure range than the camera can normally handle - done well, they should look pretty much like how the eye sees dynamic range (ca. 12 stops) rather than the usual 4-6 stops of digital sensors.Some of them are total shit. I mean, really freaky looking, and used in circumstances

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-372082778325559452008-11-21T09:23:00.006Z2008-11-21T09:42:12.314Z

A while ago, I posted to the blog my thoughts about how I could use Flickr to help me choose/confirm choices for up-coming competitions. Of course, this means I need to get those images on Flickr a good deal before the competitions. Failing that, I can always look back with hindsight, and see if the placings (or not) in competitions match up to the "interest" in an image, as calculated by Flickr.

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-30604315165081786852008-11-20T14:41:00.004Z2008-11-20T14:57:11.185Z

Another image from last night.Clare College Bridge (1640)Info from Wikipedia:The oldest of Cambridge's current bridges, this bridge in classical style was built in 1639–40 by Thomas Grumbold (d.1659). It survives as the oldest due to all its contemporaries being destroyed by the parliamentarian forces in the Civil War, to make the town of Cambridge more defensible. Many different stories are told

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-33696337742174391052008-11-20T09:53:00.005Z2008-11-20T10:04:59.028Z

Last night, a chum and I headed off to take some long exposure night shots around Cambridge. It was really to help him learn his new DSLR (Nikon D300, the one with the great high ISO performance), since he's quite new to photography, and never had a DSLR before. I was hampered by the fact that I have lost the tripod shoe to attach my camera to the tripod, so had to balance the camera on whatever

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-74550815107652324012008-11-19T11:56:00.005Z2008-11-19T12:03:19.553Z

Anyone know the whereabouts of Stasher1 (last seen 04 October 2008) or, more worryingly, DXBluey (last seen 03 September 2008).Even Gareth has been very quiet of late. Now, he changed jobs in early October and has had "the shits" for the last week, but that doesn't explain it fully...Stasher has changed jobs too (in September), and God knows what's happened to "I'll post a lot more now that I

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-34789567769309374402008-11-19T11:43:00.003Z2008-11-20T10:07:24.405Z

A new website resource for assessing key elements of your DSLRs performance, with the ability to compare other models. Makes interesting reading, esp the bit about high ISO performance - gives the highest ISO above which image quality (as defined in the blurb) becomes unacceptable. Shows that most high ISOs in consumer and enthusiast SLRs (i.e ours!) are really just spec-dressing (like high pixel

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-81035930366519031212008-11-17T16:14:00.002Z2008-11-17T16:17:44.781Z

Here is a larger view of the screen shot. Now, the file was saved as a JPEG and I have saved it as a JPEG several times so there will have been degradation of both images somewhat. Damian

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-86196700345656626852008-11-14T23:02:00.003Z2008-11-14T23:16:59.369Z

So I have done something similar as Ivan to show how Camera Raw 4 handles noise for comparison with the Canon software. The image was taken outside at 530 in the morning in May so still quite dark. It was shot with my Canon 40D, fixed 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/60 at f2.0 and the ISO was at 3200. The first screen shot shows the unprocessed RAW file zoomed in at 165%. So you can see noise in the sky and

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-2076211145416153672008-11-13T14:24:00.004Z2008-11-24T09:28:14.891Z

I'm not sure if I've posted this image before, so I did a quick search and I don't think so.Anyway, an image taken a few years ago in the Peak District National Park. A lovely place, increasingly overrun with Manks (look that up).The Roaches are a collection of rock formations/hills of particular scenic interest.

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-38462291320191151962008-11-11T23:36:00.002Z2008-11-12T09:25:56.305Z

Which one do you prefer, and why?IvanNote: the images are soft/unsharp - ignore that. It's the cropping I'm interested in.

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-53439184171458076522008-11-11T23:32:00.004Z2008-11-11T23:36:04.396Z

River Cam, Grantchester Meadows, a few weeks back. Works better in mono than colour. False (PS) bokeh - does it work?Ivan

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-82782826224565144292008-11-11T22:50:00.002Z2008-11-11T22:55:02.485Z

Now, most of you know I'm a Scotsman - cut me in half, and, like a stick of rock, it'll say ALBA all the way through. But, I've been down here in the land of the Sassenachs for nearly 16 years, living and working; when asked, I'll say I'm only here because there are not enough clever English people to do the work, but I'm only kidding.Scotland has it's own rugged beauty. No doubt. But this shot -

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-35727899813714794382008-11-11T22:31:00.003Z2008-11-11T22:34:54.442Z

A screenshot showing a before and after noise reduction on a shot taken whilst in Shropshire.The shot was taken at 1600 ISO, and is noisy. It's been brightened to show the ISO artifacts.The after shot has been brightened by the same amount, but has had luminance and chroma noise adjusted too, using the Canon Digital Photo Professional. It's lost a little detail, but the effects are pretty good, I

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-13171599945415007202008-11-10T22:39:00.005Z2008-11-10T22:52:28.688Z

My entry for this week is this photo showing hoof prints over the top of a dune on Sable Island. Shot on 14 January 2006 at close to 5pm. 1/60th at f4.0, ISO 200, focal=17mm I tried in both colour and BW and much prefer the latter.  All editing was done in Camera RAW (basic stuff like temperarture, levels, contrast) and the image was converted to BW in PS. Damianoriginal, RAW imageafter editing

Damian Lidgardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01050337256447366027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307177.post-2018118780759847632008-11-07T20:09:00.003Z2008-11-07T20:22:55.592Z

Again, on a trawl, I found these. My two published guidebook images. For an Alistair Sawday's Travel Guide. The owner of the Castello (where we had our honeymoon in 2004) saw me taking pics, and asked if he could use them in the upcoming edition. I said yes, and when we got back, it was confirmed by the publisher, and I got a free copy with my photo credit. Both images are mine, although only one

Critical Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609563350801160087noreply@blogger.com1