Photographers: let's hear about your set ups!

[weltweit]

Not hardware, but software. I lost my Adobe elements licence when I had to reinstall Windows and after a brief hunt found that the only recent photo editor that would run on my old machine was GIMP. And to make matters better GIMP is free.

I am getting used to it now, I can do everything I used to do in elements now but I still have some way to go to get sharpening to work well, I am almost there.

Very happy with GIMP, it won't open 30mb RAW NEFs so I convert them into large fine jpegs, I don't mind that, though some purists might.

Anyhow I recommend GIMP, best value for money photo editor I have used to date

 

[Ted Striker]

On a related note, does anyone have a recommeded 'idiots guide to...' for photo editing from a software perspective?

I take some nice wildlife shots, but would love to make them 'pop' a bit more if there are some gains to be had from using some sort of raw editing. But I know literally nothing about that kind of witchcraft.

Also, frankly, silly as it sounds, I also struggle with understanding what makes a photo 'good', if that makes sense? Not the composition, but the sort of things a photo expert would look at and that they do or correct for subconsciously to ensure the photos they deliver look as beautiful and engaging as they do (without taking out the fun/spontaneity etc)? So if anyone has pointers there, that would be ace!

 

[weepiper]

On a related note, does anyone have a recommeded 'idiots guide to...' for photo editing from a software perspective?

I take some nice wildlife shots, but would love to make them 'pop' a bit more if there are some gains to be had from using some sort of raw editing. But I know literally nothing about that kind of witchcraft.

Also, frankly, silly as it sounds, I also struggle with understanding what makes a photo 'good', if that makes sense? Not the composition, but the sort of things a photo expert would look at and that they do or correct for subconsciously to ensure the photos they deliver look as beautiful and engaging as they do (without taking out the fun/spontaneity etc)? So if anyone has pointers there, that would be ace!

I just use the Google photo editing software on my phone. I pay for Google One for photo storage purposes which also unlocks certain features. Usually I find with wildlife shots I'm adjusting/increasing the brightness, adding HDR effect, increasing the saturation and adjusting the warmth. There's very simple 0-100% sliders for all of these.

 

[RoyReed]

On a related note, does anyone have a recommeded 'idiots guide to...' for photo editing from a software perspective?

I take some nice wildlife shots, but would love to make them 'pop' a bit more if there are some gains to be had from using some sort of raw editing. But I know literally nothing about that kind of witchcraft.

Also, frankly, silly as it sounds, I also struggle with understanding what makes a photo 'good', if that makes sense? Not the composition, but the sort of things a photo expert would look at and that they do or correct for subconsciously to ensure the photos they deliver look as beautiful and engaging as they do (without taking out the fun/spontaneity etc)? So if anyone has pointers there, that would be ace!

This guide gives all the basic steps you need to consider:

Photo Editing for Beginners: A Simple Introduction

Looking to get started with photo editing? Discover a step-by-step process you can use to enhance your photos (with any program)!

digital-photography-school.com

The steps would apply to any photo editing software that could open RAW files. The most useful tool is the histogram - the graph that shows the range of tones from black on the left to white on the right. For an average photo (average in that is has, or should have, a full range of tones from black shadows to white higlights). RAW files in digital photography will give you a lot of latitude for pulling detail out of shadows that are too dark, but much less latitude for getting detail back from highlights that are too bright, so when you take photos you should look at the histogram on your camera to make sure that there are no highlights that are bunched up against the right-hand edge.

When making adjustments for a photo with an average tonal range, use the adjustments to make sure they are evenly distributed on the histogram from the black shadows to the white highlights, making sure that neither are 'clipped' at the right or left ends of the graph.

For colour balance, if you know something in the photo that should be a neutral black, white or grey, most software will have an eyedropper tool, which if you click it in the known neutral colour, will adjust all the colours to the correct colour balance.

Beyond that, most of the adjustments become subjective and are a matter of what you want your photo to look like.

Do you already have software?

 

[weltweit]

I like to see the histogram and for many images will adjust the image in levels to ensure that its tones do go from full black to white. But it isn't always appropriate, I love taking photos in fog for example and often the resulting images are just grey .. no blacks, few whites ..

 

[Ted Striker]

This guide gives all the basic steps you need to consider:

Photo Editing for Beginners: A Simple Introduction

Looking to get started with photo editing? Discover a step-by-step process you can use to enhance your photos (with any program)!

digital-photography-school.com

The steps would apply to any photo editing software that could open RAW files. The most useful tool is the histogram - the graph that shows the range of tones from black on the left to white on the right. For an average photo (average in that is has, or should have, a full range of tones from black shadows to white higlights). RAW files in digital photography will give you a lot of latitude for pulling detail out of shadows that are too dark, but much less latitude for getting detail back from highlights that are too bright, so when you take photos you should look at the histogram on your camera to make sure that there are no highlights that are bunched up against the right-hand edge.

When making adjustments for a photo with an average tonal range, use the adjustments to make sure they are evenly distributed on the histogram from the black shadows to the white highlights, making sure that neither are 'clipped' at the right or left ends of the graph.

For colour balance, if you know something in the photo that should be a neutral black, white or grey, most software will have an eyedropper tool, which if you click it in the known neutral colour, will adjust all the colours to the correct colour balance.

Beyond that, most of the adjustments become subjective and are a matter of what you want your photo to look like.

Do you already have software?

This is exactly the sort of thing I was after, thank you! I don't have software yet, so will investigate that too. I have tonnes of Raw's from a recent trip to South Africa so will have lots to test with. Thanks again

 

[RoyReed]

This is exactly the sort of thing I was after, thank you! I don't have software yet, so will investigate that too. I have tonnes of Raw's from a recent trip to South Africa so will have lots to test with. Thanks again

Software depends partly on OS, budget and whether you need an app the can catalogue and sort your photos as well as adjust them. Here's some options- there are lots of others.

If you just want to import RAW files and adjust them:

GIMP (as used by weltweit)
For - it's free
Against - the UI is appalling (but not as bad as it used to be)

Paintshop Pro
For - cheap (usually available for about £50), gets good reviews
Against - Windows only

Affinity Photo
For - cheap (about £40), Mac and Windows
Against - doesn't get quite such good reviews as Paintshop Pro

Photoshop Elements
For - cheapish (about £80), cut down version of Photoshop but it will probably do most of what you'll ever need, Mac and Windows

If you want something that will sort and catalogue as well as adjust:

DarkTable
For - free, Mac, Windows, Linux
Against - steep learning curve

RawTherapee
For - free, Mac, Windows, Linux
Against - not as good as DarkTable

Package that does both:

Adobe's photo package which includes Lightroom and Photoshop (there are several variations depending on whether you want the cloud or desktop version - desktop is better)
For - it's pretty much the industry standard
Against - it's subscription only at about £10/month and most functions will stop working if you stop paying

I still use an old version of Lightroom from before it went subscription only.

 

[weltweit]

RoyReed Just a note about GIMP I don't think it will open RAW files. I convert my NEF files into fine JPG at the moment using FastStone, then GIMP can deal with them.

As to the UI, I am getting more and more comfortable the more I use it.

 

[RoyReed]

RoyReed Just a note about GIMP I don't think it will open RAW files. I convert my NEF files into fine JPG at the moment using FastStone, then GIMP can deal with them.

Hmm, you're right. I was sure there was a plugin for GIMP that allowed this directly. Well there is sort of, as you can use either RawTherapee or DarkTable as a plugin to open files in GIMP, but if you have either of those I don't see why you'd need GIMP.

There are a couple of much more basic RAW converters that would also work with GIMP: EFRaw and DCRaw.

Here's a link to how this can all work.

4 Ways to Open NEF or Other RAW Files in GIMP (with Tips)

Modern cameras use RAW formats to get the best possible image quality, and most camera manufacturers use their own unique proprietary version of a RAW file.

thegimptutorials.com

 

[pogofish]

I was reunited with my old deep-water cameras recently. They are the three to the right on the bottom shelf. The fourth is still somewhere in the abyss as the release mech on that lander failed:



These were from the days when you just couldn't buy this kind of gear off the shelf. So we built our own.

One of our engineers took care of the housing and pressure certification. They are made out of Lockheed-grade titanium (bought from Russia!). Another engineer disembowelled an Arriflex movie camera for the electronics/control interface, film transport mechanism and made the external light pods. I did the optical theory and modified Takumar macro lenses for the optics. We also set-up a bloody great tank in my darkroom for testing. Great fun!

For several years, from the mid-1990s to around 2000, they broke successive depth records for the deepest independently operating cameras on the planet and we discovered new species on just about every deployment.

Now, considering they are sitting in a storeroom belonging to an unconnected project and not apparently used by anyone for anything anymore. Should I try and steal one for the work "museum"?

 

[editor]

When you're fretting about getting the latest, greatest gear remember: “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept” said Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004),

 

[pogofish]

When you're fretting about getting the latest, greatest gear remember: “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept” said Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004),

I have often had that very conversation over the years..!

 

[taperoo2k]

Seeing as I'm new.

ABOUT YOUR GEAR

Primary camera: Sony Alpha 7II

Lens/Tripod/Flashgun etc: Lenses 85mm f/2.8, 50mm lens and the kit lens for the
Sony Alpha II. Canon wise? 70-200mm f/4 USM L and a 17-40mm f/4 USM L.
I have a lot of lenses for my Canon cameras, too many to list. I have a used battery grip
for the Sony (cheaper than trying to source a new one, and it works).

What you like and don't like about the camera: Getting the hang of Sony's controls and button
layouts.

Secondary cameras (and what you use them for): Canon EOS 70D - Wildlife, and the Canon EOS M50 for
Macro stuff.

Plus and minus points of your other cameras: 70D is a bit long in the tooth now, but on the
plus side the AF is still pretty quick. M50? Using an adaptor to mount EF lenses onto it. On
the plus side it's a reasonably small camera. Pair it with a 50mm lens and you have a fairly
stealth street photography setup.

Ideal/dream camera set up: Professional level Canon camera with all the L lenses I can shake a stick at.

Previous cameras owned: Film wise? SLR, compact cameras. Most of my digital cameras haveb
been something like the Canon 400D, 50D etc.

Photo software used: Lightroom and photoshop, with Nik collection plugins.

Photo organisation/management software used (e.g Portfolio/ ACDSee): Lightroom and my own haphazard filing system.

Computer gear/scanner: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, 32gb ram, 3060 12gb GPU and a variety of SSD's and
an NVME drive. It's time I start saving to upgrade.

ABOUT YOU

What kind of photos do you take: Landscape, Street Photography, Macro and
whatever looms into view.

Who are your photographic heroes (and what you like about them): Ansel Adams, there is just something
magic about how Ansel Adams took photographs in Black and White.

Favourite photo sites:

Homepage/example of your fave pic (if applicable)
One of mine, Roger Allam just exuded cool when I stumbled across the filming location.

Endeavour 2017 Series 5 - Roger Allam by Kevin, on Flickr