KenElevenShadows

I found the link: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop_lightroom It doesn't have a time limit?

Yes, for clients, and unfortunately all too rarely, for myself. Only so much room in the house, you know.

I'd like everyone who is curious about processing to look at Mike's before/after photos again. See what he changed. This is very typical of how simple processing can transform a good image into a great one. The white balance, exposure, selective sharpening, and contrast are things that any RAW file can benefit greatly from. It's very simple tweaking, yet you can see how effective it is. It takes it from a nice composition that you might share on Facebook to something that you might see in a magazine with just a few tweaks.

I've never seen that. Thanks for the tip. This works much better than microfiber cloth, in my opinion. I own two of these. I'm not sure how that happened, but I have two.

Very cool.

Excellent example, Mike.

I talk about this with a lot of professional photographers. Our feeling has almost unanimously been that we have never seen a RAW file that cannot be improved through processing. For reasons that would take a while to describe, a RAW file does not some massaging to realize their full potential. Without that, they tend to look a bit drab. http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/03/19/how-to-process-raw-images-the-right-way/ It sometimes takes a very short while, while other shots, particularly ones such as night sky shots, can take considerably longer. It's really difficult to answer. And if you are doing complex things like stacking or stitching together photos for panorama shots, that can take a really long time. The sky's the limit. Each year, I learn considerably more about processing. What to do, what not to do. It's several lifetimes worth of stuff, I think. I don't consider myself very proficient at Photoshop, but I think the stuff I do, I'm reasonably good at.

1. What would you say is the most useful thing you have learned about taking good photographs? How to slow down and appreciate the beauty around me. This might sound really trite and pie in the sky, but for me, that's what it has done. No matter where I am, if I have a camera in my hand, there's always something interesting to see. And now, even when I don't have a camera in hand, I think and feel that way. I appreciate everything, whether people, nature, buildings, details, stuff that usually goes unnoticed. It's fantastic. I do a lot of long exposure and night sky photography. It's really slowed me down and taught me to appreciate things. I'll lie on my back for long periods of time and watch the stars go past while my camera clicks away, doing star trails photography over long periods of time. I'm hyperactive, and so this is a gift. It's forced me to slow down, take a deep breath, and appreciate nature more. This is a quote that I love from night photographer Michael Kenna: I share this quote at the star trails/light painting photography workshops that I teach. I really feel this way. It's a total gift. Here...let's read another quote that sums up much of the night sky photography process: 2. Apart from your camera, which piece of equipment is most useful to you? If we're talking equipment, my wide-angle lens. If we're talking about anything, probably the new knowledge and appreciation stored in my meat computer. 3. Do you tend to wait for something you see to inspire you to photograph it, or do you have a plan and then make it happen - and which method is more rewarding? All of the above, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love planning shoots and making it happen. I plan night sky shoots depending on when the moon is out, how the moon will be in the night sky, or when it is not out. It lends itself to different shoots. I like this sort of thing. I can do light painting when the moon is out, then shoot Milky Ways when it is not out. Fantastic either way. But I also like travel photography, being in the moment, photographing interesting people I meet, fantastic places I see, all that. Spontaneous. Not thinking, but reacting. I like taking photos of field trips with my students, parties, fun stuff, concerts/gigs, hikes, and all sorts of things that are spontaneous. I love doing both, and feel it's important and gloriously rewarding to do both. I don't value one more over the other. 4. How important is the editing / processing side of it all to you? All my comments here are about serious photography, and not selfies on Facebook with a smartphone or snapshots at a party or things like that. I am not a snob. If we're talking about really serious photography, it's everything. If you are shooting RAW and just tacking it up as is, you are not unlocking the full potential of your RAW image, much in the way that you shoot a nice image on a negative, but you don't really do much when you or someone else is developing the film. So with film, you would take it to a cheap-ass place and any photo, no matter how beautiful, looked like crap, or take it to a really great film lab, and they would unlock the beauty of your photo. It's the same thing with your RAW file. A RAW file...you can do so many things. It stores all information, and should never be thrown away. It should be converted to TIFF after some gentle massaging, making sure the WB is dialed in sweetly, and then some simple massaging, like sharpening, contrast, color adjustments, etc. before an image should ever be shown. And if you only shoot JPG - again discussing serious photography - you're totally locking yourself in to the WB and chucking much of your information. Good processing makes the photo sing. It unlocks the beauty of the image. Bad processing...well, in my opinion, if you overdo it, it looks jagged or over-sharpened, and unrealistic and ugly if too strong if overdoing HDR (which is unfortunately easy to do), etc. By the way, extra brownie points for anyone who can guess when the first HDR photo occurred. Analogies sometimes suck because they throw people off track a little, or it devolves into semantics. But nonetheless, I'll risk it with one of the many parallels between photography and music: If taking the photo is like tracking during a recording session, than processing the photo is like mixing.

Thanks! xKnuckles, you have really good photos. If you want to ask something, this is a good thread to do it, I think.

It was worth the extra effort. I especially love the silhouette of the tree. Great texture, strong composition.

Wow, thank you very much for even saying that, that would be really cool!!!

Well, uh, I was gonna suggest 500px.com. I like 500px because of the way my photos look on there. They don't mess it up. A lot of people like smugmug, zenfolio, Flickr, and others. I post on Flickr because, if you want, there can be a thriving community with tons of participation. Same with Facebook (although FB absolutely destroys your photo). Facebook has some amazing photography groups where the interaction is really friendly, talented and knowledgeable, and you can't ask for a much better combination than that. I'm a flickr guy, and the community aspect of it is cool like Ken mentions. I don't participate in any Facebook photography groups, but I do post my pictures on profile to share with my friends. Facebook compression isn't kind, but the majority of my friends aren't in to photography enough to notice anyways. The Facebook groups, such as the night sky and long exposure groups, are SUPER nice. I mean super nice. A lot of talented, friendly people who are generous with their knowledge. I've made a few friends from those groups as well, and learned a LOT. You can get a lot of great info and interaction on Flickr as well. There's other great photography forums as well, but I'm not so familiar with which ones are great or that kind of thing. Only so much time in the day. I'm also on Google+, but I don't interact with others quite as much there, mostly sharing photos. But I've had some success in sharing those photos at least, as I have 240,000 followers on Google+, which I'm rather pleased with since I haven't been on there for a super long time.

Totally down with those Kentucky photos!!! Those are all very nice!!!

Thanks, Brett! Yeah, if you want it something like billboard size, you gotta pay for it!

I just uploaded my Easter Moon photo to 500px.com! It's a higher res photo, if you wanna have a look! Thanks! http://500px.com/photo/70057559/luna-pascua-by-ken-lee?from=user_library

Well, uh, I was gonna suggest 500px.com. I like 500px because of the way my photos look on there. They don't mess it up. A lot of people like smugmug, zenfolio, Flickr, and others. I post on Flickr because, if you want, there can be a thriving community with tons of participation. Same with Facebook (although FB absolutely destroys your photo). Facebook has some amazing photography groups where the interaction is really friendly, talented and knowledgeable, and you can't ask for a much better combination than that.

First of all, thank you for "resuscitating" this thread! All of these houseboats are handmade. I saw a Kashmiri carver creating a post. Wow. And he does it so quickly! Beautiful artistry. Kashmiris are known for their fine arts anyway, including woodwork. This is unfortunately starting to fall by the wayside, and there's a bit of a movement afoot there to keep it alive. But anyway, thank you for noticing the woodwork. It's really very cool.

It is. Very very comfortable and pleasant.

I'll post something different from the photos I often post here, the night sky and long exposure photos (although I did those during my last trip to India as well, of course! ). I have a friend in Kashmir that some of you guys know about from some old posts many years ago. We redid the websites for them just now, with a bunch of my photos on there to try and show the beautiful houseboat and the hotel. The websites for Ajanta Palace and Queen of the Lake Houseboats and Hotel Green View have a fresh new look, and we are in the process of teaming up with Travel Guru to provide an easier method of booking your stay on Class A houseboats or hotel, all with the same attention to detail and family hospitality that this family has been providing since 1962. Ajanta Houseboat and Queen of the Lake Houseboat, Dal Lake, Kashmir: http://www.houseboatajanta.com/ Hotel Green View, Dal Lake, Kashmir: http://www.hotelgreenviewkashmir.com/ This is the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kashmir-Houseboat-Ajanta-Palace/104660126320183 http://www.elevenshadows.com/travels/india2013-himalayas/images/partwo-dahhanu-kashmir-delhi/1046kenlee_india-kashmir-houseboatreflections.jpg http://www.elevenshadows.com/travels/india2013-himalayas/images/partwo-dahhanu-kashmir-delhi/0196kenlee_india-ajantakashmirhouseboat.jpg http://www.elevenshadows.com/travels/india2013-himalayas/images/partwo-dahhanu-kashmir-delhi/0744kenlee_india-kashmir-vegetablemarket.jpg

Cool! If I break a remote shutter release or forget mine, I will tape a pebble to the shutter button if I need to have it locked down while in bulb mode. Very nice. A smartphone is excellent for light painting, and there is even an app for light painting if you want to get different colors or shapes!!!

I do it solely to create star trails. If I wanted to, I could put the individual photos in iPhoto or something similar and make a really really short time-lapse video, but it's not something that interests me at this time. I'm sorry, I don't understand the question. Anything that is moving lends itself to long exposure shooting. This may include stars, moving water (waterfalls, coastlines, rivers and streams, etc. are a favorite of people who love long exposure photography), people moving in crowded areas, fireworks (this is another photography favorite), scenes in which the photography wishes to light paint (1. illuminating foreground subjects with an off-camera light source, 2.) shining a light source into the camera and moving it to create patterns or lights or whatever, and 3.) moving the camera while the shutter is open to create movement from light sources) etc. Another common use of long exposure photography is to photograph architecture. Sometimes, instead of clearing the street of people, a photographer will use a long exposure shot, keeping the shutter open while people are walking past. If people do not stop for at least 10% of the exposure, they will be rendered invisible. For people like me, this technique is particularly useful when I need to walk through the frame as I am light painting. Apologies for the late response, but I have been extremely busy and haven't been able to visit here much this past week.

A bunch of acoustic instruments and a big ol' drum...taking it down to basics a bit...nice.

Thank you to everyone for voting! I greatly appreciate it! We'll see how far it gets! And if I don't win this, there's possibilities for an editor's choice, I believe it is, or a panel of judges' choice, if I remember correctly. Regardless, it would be a great honor. I've won the Daily Dozen (National Geographic) and the LA Times Travel Photo of the Year before, so win or lose, I'm beyond flattered to be included with these other photographers.

Thanks! Hopefully it goes well. It's an honor even being included in the finalists. Those other photographers are very very very very good.

Cool. They're a lot of fun, and it's a great way of introducing movement into the photo. And thank you very much for voting! Back to the star trails for a moment...although you obviously get considerably more star trails when the moon is not out and there is little light pollution, it's surprising how many star trails you can get even despite a moon and light pollution. For a fun experiment that I wanted to show my students at the star trails and light painting workshop I did over the weekend, I showed them a photo of some star trails that I took in my backyard in Los Angeles in a cloudy day....in other words, far less than ideal conditions. And they were amazed at how many star trails there still were. Sure, the sky looked orange, but there were a lot of stars. You can barely see them with your eyes, but when you open up the camera like this to long exposures, it becomes considerably more sensitive to stars than your eyes are.