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Decanter, Blinds
Decanter, Blinds
banmorn


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Unrelatedness (Advanced Editing IV)
Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens: Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Nikon
Location: East Lansdowne, PA
Date: Oct 1, 2006
Aperture: f/ 16
ISO: 200
Shutter: 15 seconds
Galleries: Abstract, Macro
Date Uploaded: Oct 1, 2006

 Cliché? Well they are completely unrelated. I hope.

Our friend from Denmark had a student tour of NYC and she managed to escape from the madness to visit my Mom and sister. So I went yesterday to see them all. Also had to sing at the 100th anniversary of the family church in the morning. We had a very nice visit. She went back to NYC and I am home.

Now about 11:00 PM last night, I was thinking what to shoot for this challenge and said, hmmmm. I had shot the same decanter against blinds during the day at Mom's using the mini blinds in the dining room. Came out nice but I never liked the color. I did 'Stem Distortions' there around the same time, like Feb/Mar of '05.

I used a tungsten white balance in sunlight and got the blue coloring on 'Stem Distortions'. But I had always wanted to try to get the gold color you get from shooting with the white balance on sunlight against incandescent light. I had tried this on a subsequent visit or two Mom's and it just did not work out the way I wanted. So I said OK...do it. But....

There was a party across the street and it went on forever and people were coming and going and being loud and it just pissed me off til about 02:00 AM or so. I said it just has to get done and I gave up worrying what they might think if they saw me in the enclosed front porch taking a picture.

Mom has a lamp by the front living room window on a timer and the timer was about to go off. So I searched for a glass and then saw the decanter and said...YES! I put a small side table from the porch in front of the window and then set up a wicker footstool on its side on top of it. The combination of the two was high enough to have the decanter up to the blinds. I covered the footstool with a black sweatshirt I had with me and placed the decanter on top of it. I had the camera on my travel tripod and used the manual remote. I mananaged to get off 15 (well really 14.5, the exif is not complete on the last picture cause the lamp turned off while it was still writing the long exposure to the CF card and I turned the camera off before it completed....oy!) shots and came home and picked and processed this version.

Post: Convert from raw with a +0.33 exposure compensation. Crop. Cloned out some bright red hot spots on the decanter and some defects on the decanter neck and a small area of ill defined reflection. Layer adjustments for levels, brightness/contrast and hue/saturation. Merge. A layer of curves to brighten a bit. Cloned out some additional small aberrations on the blinds. I was going to use NeatImage but it could not find a place to work from on the image and I decided to let it go. Sharpen. Resize. Sharpen.

***************************************

Better Photo, 2nd Place, Elements of Design, October, 2006 Contest

Statistics
Place: 13 out of 134
Avg (all users): 6.3371
Avg (commenters): 8.0769
Avg (participants): 6.2542
Avg (non-participants): 6.3793
Views since voting: 1339
Views during voting: 279
Votes: 175
Comments: 20
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon
 10/23/2006 11:30:01 AM
This is terrific!

Thanks for the explanation - I always like to read the story behind the shot. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark IV
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM III
 10/15/2006 07:01:17 AM
Excellent shot. Congrats on your top 20 finish!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon
 10/09/2006 09:45:52 PM
Very nice colors! Congratulations on your top 15!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-20D
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
 10/09/2006 12:36:41 AM
Very creative with great attention to fine detail in the light play. Congratulations on your top 20 finish.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/08/2006 10:03:53 PM
Robert? Must be! Lovely job, great colours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
 10/08/2006 07:56:31 AM
I think this is beautiful - LOVE the light.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D300
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D
 10/05/2006 11:43:41 PM
Looks very cool. Nice idea. Good composition. Very interesting shapes and patterns.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS R5
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
 10/05/2006 12:04:48 PM
I really like the reflection of the blinds in the top of the decanter. Great use of light, too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D3
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 10/04/2006 08:44:46 PM
Beautiful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7200
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
 10/04/2006 01:15:16 PM
Beautiful job. I love the colors and the tilt. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM
 10/03/2006 05:46:54 PM
Has the WOW factor 9!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D50
Sigma 24-135mm f/2.8-4.5 Aspherical IF for Nikon
 10/03/2006 11:10:26 AM
Makes my vision wobbly. What's in it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark IV
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS
 10/03/2006 04:52:16 AM
nice shot, but i miss the "spirit" of the challenge."make some sort of sense out of their combination"
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D700
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
 10/02/2006 03:20:15 PM
Beautiful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony DSC-R1
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G ED
 10/02/2006 01:05:00 PM
I see the conection in the shades (if you pardon the pun :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300
 10/02/2006 11:03:23 AM
Beautiful colors and diagonals!! WTG!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-20D
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
 10/02/2006 10:05:51 AM
nicely done....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D70s
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
 10/02/2006 12:54:33 AM
I'm guessing your rotated this picture. Good job with EVERYTHING. I'm adding it to my favorites!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D800
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 10/02/2006 12:36:17 AM
great clarity and depth, good luck
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro for Canon
 10/02/2006 12:26:45 AM
Very artful. I like the abstractness. Cool tilt.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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