Quick question about pictures. I think I'm going to pick up a DSLR for Christmas this year, and I wanted to ask about your pictures and your post-processing. I looked at the info on the GF photo you just posted, and it said that you used Photoshop. Did you do a lot of adjusting on it with Photoshop, or was it pretty much out-of-camera? I'm trying to decide if I need to go ahead and delve into PS along with my DSLR. I've just been doing compact and bridge camera shots with minimal editing. Taking the leap back to a SLR (had a K1000 film camera back in the day before computers!) and getting sucked in scares me! LOL Thanks!
I shoot RAW (Nikon's NEF) instead of JPEG. I used to shoot JPEG and post straight from the Camera. Now, I pull the RAW photo into Lightroom (aka Adobe Photoshop Lightroom), which let's me organize (keyword) my photos. I spend a couple minutes on each photo, sharpening them, modifying the tone curve to increase contrast, or maybe even cropping them a bit. I don't use Adobe Photoshop CS5, as that's overkill for me.
I'd recommend Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture for any DSLR user who wants to organize and process their photos (such as adding a watermark). Both are much less expensive than Photoshop.
Here are some shots I took at the Wilderness Lodge before our dinner at Artist Point last night.
The first one is a composite of three different exposures. It came out all right; it's the best I could do in the late afternoon.
DM_20111206_162844_4_01_5 by DVC Mike, on Flickr
DM_20111206_192637 by DVC Mike, on Flickr
DM_20111206_193619 by DVC Mike, on Flickr
And a couple of shots after dinner:
DM_20111206_195026 by DVC Mike, on Flickr
DM_20111206_194753 by DVC Mike, on Flickr
I shoot RAW (Nikon's NEF) instead of JPEG. I used to shoot JPEG and post straight from the Camera. Now, I pull the RAW photo into Lightroom (aka Adobe Photoshop Lightroom), which let's me organize (keyword) my photos. I spend a couple minutes on each photo, sharpening them, modifying the tone curve to increase contrast, or maybe even cropping them a bit. I don't use Adobe Photoshop CS5, as that's overkill for me.
I'd recommend Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture for any DSLR user who wants to organize and process their photos (such as adding a watermark). Both are much less expensive than Photoshop.
First off, glad to hear that your wife is feeling better.
I noticed on your GF shot that the EXIF says that it was taken at 1/15th second. Did you handhold that shot or are you using a tripod? If you're handholding, my hat is off to you! Love the crispness of the shot and the mood of that predawn atmosphere.