[PlayRaw]Sunset Tofino, Victoria Island CA

[Els]

Hi All,
I’m new to photography (as you will probably notice looking at the pictures) and new to this forum. My first post coming up…

I would like to know how one would start the process (preferably with RawTherapee; it is the only program I have installed on my machine at this moment)

On Holiday in Tofino, Victoria Island, Canada. I shot these photos within a ten minute time frame during sunset.
This is what I came home with. I was a bit disappointed with the result, but hey, I’ll do better next time. (I need to remember that landscapes need smaller apertures than what I took here (f11) since it all seems all to me a bit blurry.)

How would one start getting the best out of these pictures ? I would like to know what one should do to make it better.
I’m not thinking that my pictures are going to be used anywhere else outside this Forum, but since patdavid asks (and yes I have read some guidelines while joining up with the help of discobot );
Both pictures are posted under the Creative Commons, By-Attribution, Share-Alike
(Creative Commons, By-Attribution, Share-Alike)

DSC_1947.NEF (18.7 MB). The sky was the trigger to take this picture. After taking this picture i just looked at the sky for a long time.

DSC_1938.NEF (19.9 MB). I took a nice picture with my back to the sun and turned into the sun to take this one in the hope to have some contrast with the ocean an the trees masking the sunset.

For those who are going to give their thoughts “thank you !”.
And if you are thinking about processing both pictures (and not only one), I wont hold you back.

Your input will make me want to continue sticking my nose into Photo processing. I’m working on one picture myself but it is hard for a newbie to stick with it. Your results will keep my spirits up and keep me aiming for the sky.

Regards

[age]

Hi Els!
Well for my skills these two raw are really hard to develop but here’s my try ,
DSC_1947.NEF.pp3 (11.3 KB)

DSC_1938.NEF.pp3 (11.0 KB)

[ChasingShadows (Karlheinz Lehmann)]

Here are my two tries
DSC_1938.jpg.out.pp3 (11.0 KB)

DSC_1947.jpg.out.pp3 (11.0 KB)

For both images I applied the file “Nikon D5300 Camera Landscape.dcp” from the Adobe profiles and I played a bit around with the WB settings.

[Els]

@age: In my opinion, you did not do too bad. I didn’t do any better
@ChasingShadows: I like your “1947 take”. I also like the warmth in the “1938-processing”. I don’t have the Adobe Software so no D5300 dcp profiles for me.

I think my result is maybe a bit to red ? Although I remember it being colourful, don’t think it was that red
Where did I wrong ?

DSC_1947.jpg.out.pp3 (10.7 KB)

Bye for now

[ChasingShadows (Karlheinz Lehmann)]

ABout the Adobe DNG Converter have a look at How to get LCP and DCP profiles - RawPedia

[shreedhar (Shreedhar Inamdar)]

Hi @els Welcome to the world of RawTherapee!

First some general thoughts: The f11 aperture is more than sufficient. May be you were after getting everything from foreground to infinity in focus. For this purpose, you can install nice apps on your phone (HyperFocal is what I have on my android phone) to compute the distance at which you should focus (ignoring the scene!). Secondly, both your shots are at f11 so I am guessing that you are in a aperture priority mode. while shooting. Please try and move to full manual mode. (ignore if already done) Manual shooting gives far more control and joy than aperture priority.

As far as post-processing is concerned, anything goes. After all making a photo is a highly personal project and your vision is all yours. Given this, there are certain observations that are useful. We all are naturally attracted to the point of highest contrast. So try to make it happen where you would want viewers attention. I am sure you will find many interesting articles on the net.

Finally, here are my attempts:
DSC_1938.jpg.out.pp3 (11.1 KB)

DSC_1947.jpg.out.pp3 (11.5 KB)

[agriggio (Alberto)]

Hi, thanks for sharing! Here are mine.

DSC_1938.NEF.pp3 (11.2 KB)

DSC_1947.NEF.pp3 (10.5 KB)

[Thomas_Do (Thomas)]

Here is my try for the first image, not with RawTherapee, though. I prefer Darktable due to the availability of drawn masks for nearly all modules. I concentrated on the sky and the reflections in the water and tried to make the image a little less red.

DSC_1947.NEF.xmp (6.3 KB)

[chroma_ghost]

@Els

This is what I came home with. I was a bit disappointed with the result, but hey, I’ll do better next time.
{…}
How would one start getting the best out of these pictures ? I would like to know what one should do to make it better.

Welcome Els =)
IMO there’s absolutelly nothing wrong wth these. If anything framing (maybe some reccon, planning) could be improoved. I find films an incredible refreshing source for (stablishing shots) and general lanscape framing examples; the DP (director of photography) needs to nail framing not once but keep it continuosly engaging, ufff. And while films belong to fictional narrative (constructed and/or manipulated) scenarios, and landscape photography is dealing with what’s there, and both have quite different aspect ratios, still good inspiration. Not disimilar as you’ve place the water line, in films diagonals are often used (many times together with blocking) to cretae “inbalance” thus a dynamic, I also like the idea of things getting into and out of the frame, a more 3D approach to the canvas that general/classicl phtography

Examples for educational purposes from Malick’s Song to Song, a hearfully recommended watch and an enciclopedia of dynamic, blocking and overall framing with wide angle lens; you also get to drull all over Rooney and see Patti, Flea and Iggy

Another couple examples of layering

a very nice little quasi horror film (but more about loneliness and exclussion) called The Transfiguration

Brit romcom with good humour, extraordinary deccors, colour palette and wardrobe and pretty people Not another Happy Ending

 

(I need to remember that landscapes need smaller apertures than what I took here (f11)

Those general rules can be dangerous. It depends on many things, amongst which available light and overall desired effect, therefore the subject and composition (here’s where @shreedhar’s hyperfocal is very useful), the sensor (not the same µFT, DX, FF or MF), the lens, the focal lengh (not same WA or tele), understanding the trade offs between a slower aperture and diffraction, et., etc.

If I may, my first and only general rule for any kind of photography is to have fun, then bellow that there’s a very long and boring list … which I often forget je je je

[Els]

@ChasingShadows: thx for the link. It saved me a bit of research. Downloading as we speak.

@Shreedhar: i have an app on my phone, but i don’t always use it though. Like your work on the RAW pictures.

@agriggio: thank you for spending some time on my pics. I like them.

@Thomas_Do : Very nice output, well, i’ve put Darktable on my “to learn” list, but didn’t came around to it because I am a Linux illiterate. But what did I see a few minutes ago:
http://www.darktable.org/2017/08/darktable-for-windows/.
Yes Darktable is coming to windows… just when I have confiscated my parents old Vista PC to get Linux installed.
You don’t happen to have a few great links for Darktable beginners ? (I’ll search the web nevertheless)

@chroma_ghost: I like not-happy endings (but a happy one once and a while is appreciated) and yes, i guess the only thing to do is shoot, shoot, shoot (and one more) shoot and not to forget to have fun.
Thkx for the examples;

[paperdigits (Mica)]

For darktable beginnings, I highly recommend the YouTube videos of Robert Hutton and Harry Durgin. Both do a great job of talking through the tools and edits.

[Thomas_Do (Thomas)]

I also recommend the the videos of Harry Durgin at http://weeklyedit.com/. Harry is also sometimes active on this forum (harry_durgin).

[CarVac]

I used Filmulator instead of RawTherapee for this one, but I had to try, because Filmulator loves sunsets.

CA correction on, highlight correction 9, WB temperature reduced to 5248, drama at 91, overdrive on, white clipping point 0.43, and shadow brightness 260.

[chroma_ghost]

@Els In my previous post I forgot to thank you for the raw sharing and all the good lads’ versions

Rawtherapee 5.3 got me here

DSC_1947_RT.tif.out.pp3 (11.9 KB)

 
then gimp and gmic here =)

Cheers

[HIRAM (Richard E Barber)]

I also tried to get more contrast in the clouds.

DSC_1947.NEF.pp3 (10.8 KB)

[Els]

To all,
Wow , I see great results !.
And all those new tools (for me) that are being used. I will need to take a vacation just to learn those. No more wasting time relaxing at the beach (unless it is with a laptop nearby)…

[HIRAM (Richard E Barber)]

DSC_1938.NEF.pp3 (12.1 KB)

[kakashy (senpai)]

with darktable 2.60

DSC_1938.NEF.xmp (15,2 Ko)

DSC_1947.NEF.xmp (14,2 Ko)

[Timur (Timur Davletshin)]

Nice shots are nice, no matter what you do to them. I see no point in trying to improve them.