Category: Photography

All posts that are general photography comments or articles

Playing with old images.

Over the last 14 months, I have not added many new images to my collection, so I have been revisiting some from years past. I have been looking mainly at landscape rather than wildlife. A landscape does not run away!

This started from spending time revisiting and improving Photoshop skills and knowledge using YouTube and other sources, often revisiting some instructors I have been following for years. I have also spent a good amount of time improving my Final Cut Pro skills but have, as of now I have few past videos to develop.

The following images have been edited in Photoshop using Tony Kuyper’s Luminosity Masks, f64 Zone System, Selective Colour adjustment layer, and other Photoshop techniques.

If you want to see the YouTube subscriptions I use, then search for PiXimperfect, Photoshop Training Channel (PTC), photoshop CAFÉ, f64 Academy, Max Kloskowski, The Joy of Editing with Dave Kelly. These are the main places I visit regularly for reviewing and learning Photoshop and Lightroom skills used with my wildlife and landscape.

Three recent samples below (yes a wildlife image slipped in)

Photoshop – image tidy and object removal

I have recently been watching tutorials by PHLEARN at phlearn.com . The latest series was ‘How to Remove Anything in Photoshop’ as part of my continued practice at Repair and Restoration of images old and new.

To practice what I had seen I decided to clean up an image I took on a recent visit to the Walker Gallery in Liverpool. Can you spot the changes?

St Georges Hall, Liverpool

RSPB Leighton Moss iPhone Digiscoping Trial

Monday at RSPB Leighton Moss I thought I would try digiscoping again. The main issue was the vibration even though everything was mounted firmly with a hide clamp. An issue that is all to common with wildlife photography was the Otters arrived performed and went 15min before i got to the hide.

 

Wedding Photoshoot

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to not only photograph but also share in the celebration of the wedding of Mr and Mrs Kirton.

An excellent celebration day. Now to choose from many images ones that will remind them and others of the day for many years to come.

Congratulations to you both.

Canon 5D Mk 4

Delamere Forest
As Taken with just a little Luminosity Mask tweaking

Very impressed with the speed of the focussing and the image quality even at high ISO. I used it at Chester zoo the other day on Shutter priority with auto ISO. I wanted to try it out and I am very impressed. Next testing is Manual and auto ISO. But the speed of focussing even with my 100-400mm lens was what really impressed.

Commercial Photoshoot

I have just completed a small commercial photoshoot for an excellent restaurant in Bowness On Windermere. They have just completed a refurbishment and redecoration making the atmosphere much more relaxed. They wanted new images for their website. They required a range of images of the establishment from outside and inside, some of the plated dishes on the current menu and of the staff.

To see a sample of the images please visit my website https://www.stevepeacock-photography.com/galleries/commercial-photography/

To visit the restaurant please see their website at Porto Restaurant

Economy Portable LED Light Source

Daylight LED lamps. Many of these are daylight rated that is 5500-6000K. I have just purchased two portable 23W/1400Lumen ones from Screwfix. Taking the base off and mounting them on flash stands (need to buy bits and pieces from Amazon) has given me a cheap way of adding support lighting to my 580EX II flash which I also mount on a stand with a diffuser and remotely trigger using hahnel Tuff TTL triggers.

Although not as effective or powerful as professional LED lights they are much cheaper at £30 each. They recently solved a problem at a wedding which was in a barn. They allowed me to take wider shots by mounting a light source either side of the small groups. Being portable they let me move them around quickly and not have trailing cables. I also have a 30W mains powered unit and find them all a lot more convenient at this type of even than my studio flashes.