Perhaps its a hold over from my film days, but doesn't anyone just shoot a great photo without a bunch of photoshop or HDR. Please don't get me wrong, I completely appreciate the talent of you who know the intricacies of Photoshop and Silver EFX Pro and the like. But what happened to the simplicity of composing a great image and exposing it correctly?
Here are a couple shots, straight out of camera (not landscape, sorry). Sometimes, but usually all too rarely, the light is perfect for work straight out of the camera. Most of the time, this is with low contrast light on cloudy days.
SOOC by
posthumus_cake (www.pinnaclephotography.net), on Flickr
Clara by
posthumus_cake (www.pinnaclephotography.net), on Flickr
In most cases, the light is not terribly conclusive to optimal output straight out of the camera. Digital sensors have a nasty habit of blowing out highlights instead of a smooth transition to white like film. Most films were more forgiving in terms of exposure, and depending on what result one wanted, you could select a film with curves/contrast pattern/grain structure that most closely resembles the final desired output. Most professionals who did their own darkroom work often burned or dodged sections of their photos as required. Likewise, taking a roll of film to a lab also involved processing, much of which was sub-ideal, but processing none the less.
What I'm getting at is that processing has been around for a long, long time; it is not a new phenomenon. The techniques of processing have just become more accessible and easier to use. Admittedly, post processing is often abused, but I don't think that should tarnish the overall practicality of its use.
Silver EFX Pro is fantastic. If DSLRs had customizable firmware where one could input a certain film grain and rendering pattern, that would be very nice (depends on how well implemented and how long it would slow down camera operation). DLSRs simply do an awful job replicating the old film grain styles and rendering. If one has to use software to get the equivalent, so be it. I really would rather not drag a medium format camera around everywhere with a half dozen film types and have to switch off from one shot to the next, depending on what I wanted. Silver EFX Pro is a incredible time saver. I can take point-n-shoot shots and make them look like lovely medium/large format shots (not ideal, but the only camera I had at the time was a point-n-shoot).
Mt. Oberlin and Bird Woman Falls [explore 08/29/11] by
posthumus_cake (www.pinnaclephotography.net), on Flickr
reflections by
posthumus_cake (www.pinnaclephotography.net), on Flickr
into the storm by
posthumus_cake (www.pinnaclephotography.net), on Flickr
