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Thread: EXPRESSING CREATIVITY: Media Arts - photography, videography, photo collage, etc.

  1. #101
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
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    Virginia, USA
    Quote Originally Posted by Tai Shi View Post
    One of our many parks in our area.
    Love the daylilies! In our house we call them “UOLs” - short for Ubiquitous Orange Lillies. Erin and I made a number of drives out into the hills early this summer to look for the first openings. Such a friendly flower.

    Gassho,
    Sekishi


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    Sekishi | 石志 | He/him | Better with a grain of salt, but best ignored entirely.

  2. #102
    Quote Originally Posted by Sekishi View Post
    All a matter of perspective I guess.

    Photograph the illustration was based on:



    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    #sat #doodled


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    BTW .. I tried to PM you just now and your inbox is full Just giving you a heads up!

    SatToday lah
    Bion
    -------------------------
    When you put Buddha’s activity into practice, only then are you a buddha. When you act like a fool, then you’re a fool. - Sawaki Roshi

  3. #103
    So many great images here. Wonderful work Jishin, Doshin, Tai Shi, and Sekishi!

    Keep 'em coming!

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -st-


    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  4. #104

  5. #105

  6. #106

  7. #107

  8. #108
    Jishin,

    Such lovely flower images!

    You've inspired me to share something more colorful as opposed to the grainy B&W work that I usually focus on. Here is a lotus flower from a garden walk that my family and I went on this past weekend.

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -st-



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    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  9. #109
    Beautiful flower Rob!

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  10. #110
    Jishin,

    Nice bouquet in aggregate

    Doshin
    St

  11. #111

  12. #112
    A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.
    Diane Arbus

    Going back to this original quote, I took some snaps of our ripostiglio, which I think all Italian homes have in one form or another - anything from a glorified broom cupboard, to a large storage space. We live in a very small apartment so our ripostiglio is of the broom cupboard variety. From the start my husband appropriated the space for his 'stuff' and he has a certain way of storing his tools etc which is very particular to him. Every one of these photos is a narrative, steeped in his story, his character, his creative touches. To me they represent his secret life, his inner self. This tiny space has no window and no lighting, just a bulb rigged up from a source in the corridor, hence the rather muddy tone and slightly out of focus images which I felt contributed to the sense of intimacy,

    I would like to thank everyone who is contributing to this thread and making it such a joy to look through.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    sattoday lah

    rip 1 photoframe etc.jpg

    rip 2 madonna.jpg

    rip 3 clock.jpg

    rip 4 ichnusa.jpg
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  13. #113
    Great photos Meitou!

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  14. #114
    Meitou nice black and white, it takes me home for some reason

    Jishin I am naive about editing photos besides cropping and adding light. What tool do you use to darken the background but focus on the color of the flower?

    Doshin
    St

  15. #115
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post

    Jishin I am naive about editing photos besides cropping and adding light. What tool do you use to darken the background but focus on the color of the flower?

    Doshin
    St
    I like Lightroom but you can get some of the same effects by playing with the exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites and black sliders of any free editor available. It also helps if prior to snapping the shot you have a dark background to begin with. The perfect situation would be a studio with a black background. Very little editing would be needed then. One technique is to look for shade and place your subject with the shade as the background and the part of your subject that you want illuminated not in the shade. An example would be to place your subject in the door of a dark room as your background with the light outside the room illuminating your subject (works well with people). Not every photo is a candidate. Only a few are. If you use Lightroom then expect to pay $10 per month. The service is worth it because it also catalogs your photos and changes to photos are reversible unlike Photoshop.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-20-2020 at 12:34 PM.

  16. #116
    Meitou, those images are so evocative. I imagine them shown in a grid. Stunning.
    So many good photos here..

    Doshin you can download a program called Gimp, it's a free software program that is very similar to photoshop. Can't beat the price. Fun to play around with it.

    Gassho
    A. ~ST~

  17. #117
    Got to love flowers.

    Fort Worth botanical garden, San Antonio botanical garden and just a flower.





    Gassho, Jishin, ST

  18. #118
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
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    Virginia, USA
    Quote Originally Posted by Cooperix View Post
    Doshin you can download a program called Gimp, it's a free software program that is very similar to photoshop. Can't beat the price. Fun to play around with it.
    I second this. It is cross-platform (Windows/Mac/Linux) and is free and open source. I use it nearly every day for work and play.

    To darken the background more than what came out of the camera, I would use "layer masks". This essentially takes elements of the scene and puts them into separate "layers" so each can be manipulated individually (this technique can be used in Gimp, Photoshop, etc.).

    Here is a contrived example to darken the woods and stream behind my Mattie and then to turn them into an alien planet:

    1. Take a photo and duplicate it into background and foreground layers (I always put an invisible "original" layer in too so I can A/B test my changes and make sure they haven't lost the spirit of the original).

    2. Hide the foreground layer and manipulate the background layer as needed. Example - using the curves tool to darken the background:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/83ozqilee1...27-50.png?dl=0

    3. Show the foreground layer again, add a "layer mask" to is, and initialize it so that everything in the foreground is transparent. Example - adding a mask to the foreground and initializing it to "full transparency":
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/d75h7ewf47...28-47.png?dl=0

    4. Now you can use the paintbrush, pencil, and airbrush tools to paint in a "mask" for the foreground layer to make part of it visible. Black will be transparent (allowing the background to show through), white will be opaque (showing only the foreground), and greys will be somewhere in the middle. I usually only use black and white and alter the "opacity" of the brush to mix and match as needed. I start with a large fully white brush and do a rough blobby area that I want to be the foreground. Then I switch back and forth between black and white using ever smaller and more opaque brushes to get the details right. Unless you are doing some radical edits, most of the time you do not need to get too detailed. Example - Mattie has been masked out in the foreground layer, and I turned off the background layer entirely so you can see what is transparent and what is not. The mask is not perfect - I spent about 60 seconds on it. You'll notice that some rocks and other details are still visible. This is OK.:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/teytmagvow...36-19.png?dl=0

    5. Now you can manipulate the foreground layer too. Example - using the curves too to lighten Mattie a little:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/rd4drxir5i...30-30.png?dl=0

    Most of the time, this will be plenty for lightening an area of the scene.

    Ok, I said "alien planet", so lets go a step further:

    6. Even though my mask is pretty quick and messy for the foreground / Mattie, it is still detailed enough that I can edit the hue and chroma to create pink and purple rocks and yellow foliage but still have a beautiful golden pupper (notice that I did not mask out her leash though -- oops):
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/dp09wv4mqn...37-04.png?dl=0

    I often use a technique like this to darken skies a little and lighten the ground a little. Sky layer, ground layer. Darken the sky, lighten the ground. Put a layer mask on one and use the gradient tool to make a nice transition from one to the other (sort of like using a neutral gradient filter over the lens - except that you can edit the mask a little to make sure foliage, trees, etc. are included in the "ground" layer instead of the sky).

    That is prolly way more than anyone wanted to know. But this IS the art-circle afterall. Maybe someone will find it useful!

    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    #sat #layermasked
    Sekishi | 石志 | He/him | Better with a grain of salt, but best ignored entirely.

  19. #119

  20. #120

    EXPRESSING CREATIVITY: Media Arts - photography, videography, photo collage, etc.

    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post

    Jishin I am naive about editing photos besides cropping and adding light. What tool do you use to darken the background but focus on the color of the flower?

    Doshin
    St
    Here is an example of what I talked about with Lightroom:



    When I took this picture I knew I wanted a black background so I tried to find something that was a little dark in the background.



    Then I used a paint brush to darken the background (I don’t know how to use Photoshop very well and I never can get the layers right with it so I prefer Lightroom. With Lightroom I can also go back to specific changes made to a photo from the end result not having to recreate the entire photo as in Photoshop).



    Pictures 2 and 3 are the end result.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-20-2020 at 12:35 PM.

  21. #121
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post

    Jishin I am naive about editing photos besides cropping and adding light. What tool do you use to darken the background but focus on the color of the flower?

    Doshin
    St
    Here is another example where I found shade for the background and light from the sun to illuminate my German Shepherd. It was very easy to make the background go away with a paint brush in this case.

    Before:



    After:



    A professional photographer would have the benefit of a studio and would have a much easier time with black backgrounds (if I could support my family taking pictures I would ).

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  22. #122
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post

    Jishin I am naive about editing photos besides cropping and adding light. What tool do you use to darken the background but focus on the color of the flower?

    Doshin
    St
    One of the most powerful ways to make changes to your whole picture is using the curve tool. It is not a brush but it can accentuate lights and darks so things pop. It's tricky at first but after you get the hang of it you can ditch the dark and white sliders. Most of the editors have this feature.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  23. #123
    Jishin,

    I'm right there with you about Lightroom. I originally trained in film photography, and I feel that Lightroom best mimics the printing process I used to employ in the darkroom, albeit digitally.

    I only ever use Photoshop if I absolutely need to composite images, but otherwise I avoid it as much as possible (too complicated).

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -st-


    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  24. #124
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    Here is an example of what I talked about with Lightroom:



    When I took this picture I knew I wanted a black background so I tried to find something that was a little dark in the background.



    Then I used a paint brush to darken the background (I don’t know how to use Photoshop very well and I never can get the layers right with it so I prefer Lightroom. With Lightroom I can also go back to specific changes made to a photo from the end result not having to recreate the entire photo as in Photoshop).



    Pictures 2 and 3 are the end result.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Fantastic work and thanks for explaining the process, I might have to try this out now.
    I'm loving this thread, great photos and lots of info exchange, brilliant!
    Gassho
    Meitou
    Sattoday lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  25. #125

  26. #126
    WoW!
    A tutorial! Thanks all. Incredible work.

    Bows
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  27. #127
    The world in a horse's eye!

    smokeys eye.jpg

    bows...
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  28. #128
    Love the image Anne. Is that you and another horse in the reflection?

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  29. #129
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    Love the image Anne. Is that you and another horse in the reflection?

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Thanks Jishin.
    That's me, the side of the stable, his own shadow and the NM blue sky reflected in his eye.

    Gassho
    A.

    ~lahst~

  30. #130
    Super cool Anne.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  31. #131
    This is an attempt to capture moving car lights at night by me. I don't have a lot of experience with this type of picture but it works better with a tripod to avoid camera shake. The speed of camera has to be slowed down so it captures a longer period of light. This was in Vegas right before Covid and I was on an overpass.

    Last edited by Jishin; 08-20-2020 at 04:23 PM.

  32. #132
    Great photos all...

    With all this knowledge shared and good works I am going to ponder my next artistic attempt.

    Doshin
    St

  33. #133
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
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    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Quote Originally Posted by Meitou View Post
    Diane Arbus

    Going back to this original quote, I took some snaps of our ripostiglio, which I think all Italian homes have in one form or another - anything from a glorified broom cupboard, to a large storage space. We live in a very small apartment so our ripostiglio is of the broom cupboard variety. From the start my husband appropriated the space for his 'stuff' and he has a certain way of storing his tools etc which is very particular to him. Every one of these photos is a narrative, steeped in his story, his character, his creative touches. To me they represent his secret life, his inner self. This tiny space has no window and no lighting, just a bulb rigged up from a source in the corridor, hence the rather muddy tone and slightly out of focus images which I felt contributed to the sense of intimacy,

    I would like to thank everyone who is contributing to this thread and making it such a joy to look through.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    sattoday lah

    rip 1 photoframe etc.jpg

    rip 2 madonna.jpg

    rip 3 clock.jpg

    rip 4 ichnusa.jpg
    LOVE LOVE LOVE these Meitou!
    I find so much beauty in the every day.
    Gassho Onka
    ST
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  34. #134
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
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    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Quote Originally Posted by Cooperix View Post
    The world in a horse's eye!

    smokeys eye.jpg

    bows...
    Anne

    ~lahst~
    This is perfect Anne
    My partner has a close up of our horse's nose as her screen background. There's so much within her photo that it could be anything if you didn't know.
    Gassho Onka
    ST
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  35. #135
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
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    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    This is an attempt to capture moving car lights at night by me. I don't have a lot of experience with this type of picture but it works better with a tripod to avoid camera shake. The speed of camera has to be slowed down so it captures a longer period of light. This was in Vegas right before Covid and I was on an overpass.

    What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I think you captured what you wanted to.
    Gassho Onka
    ST
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  36. #136
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Our driveway is 150m long and I tend to walk it barefoot between 3 and 6km per day for medical reasons. My pace is slow short steps a bit faster than kinhin yet just as perfect. Today is very windy but a beautiful winter day.
    Gassho
    Onka
    Sat today

    Sent from my SM-A205YN using Tapatalk
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  37. #137
    Good photo and a beautiful driveway.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  38. #138
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
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    Location
    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Thanks Jishin.
    Gassho
    Onka
    ST
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  39. #139

  40. #140
    Onka, I love road images and this one is beautiful. And I like visualizing your daily walk. Lovely..
    And Jishin! The world in a teen's eye! I love it..

    Bows
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  41. #141
    Jishin, I see you in the eye of the tiger

    Doshin
    St

  42. #142
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post
    Jishin, I see you in the eye of the tiger

    Doshin
    St
    Yes, either in the reflection of my son's eye or my DNA staring at me (the universe staring at itself or awareness aware of itself).

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-25-2020 at 12:19 PM.

  43. #143
    Some pictures I took in the "Pirineos", at the northern border between Spain and France. I am not into photography and have no idea how to use photoshop or other programs, but lately I enjoy taking simple pictures and sharing them .

    Nice rocks I found. Reminded me of Zazen: https://ibb.co/HdWyy6T

    Small green friend (low quality due to amount of zoom): https://ibb.co/82KJY3n

    Dandelion, reminded me of impermanence: https://imgur.com/a/UNojuzg

    Gassho, Tomás

    Sat (went over 3 sentences, oops!)

  44. #144
    Quote Originally Posted by Tomás Sard View Post
    Some pictures I took in the "Pirineos", at the northern border between Spain and France. I am not into photography and have no idea how to use photoshop or other programs, but lately I enjoy taking simple pictures and sharing them .

    Nice rocks I found. Reminded me of Zazen: https://ibb.co/HdWyy6T

    Small green friend (low quality due to amount of zoom): https://ibb.co/82KJY3n

    Dandelion, reminded me of impermanence: https://imgur.com/a/UNojuzg

    Gassho, Tomás

    Sat (went over 3 sentences, oops!)
    The little green friend doesn't seem so little, but it's cute. Thanks for sharing, the pics cheered me up in this cold and wet Scottish day.

    Gassho,
    Mags
    ST

    Sent from my SM-J600FN using Tapatalk

  45. #145
    Tomas,

    That cairn photo is spectacular! I love them all but that image is so iconic.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Bows
    Anne

    ~st~

  46. #146
    Quote Originally Posted by Tomás Sard View Post
    Some pictures I took in the "Pirineos", at the northern border between Spain and France. I am not into photography and have no idea how to use photoshop or other programs, but lately I enjoy taking simple pictures and sharing them .

    Nice rocks I found. Reminded me of Zazen: https://ibb.co/HdWyy6T

    Small green friend (low quality due to amount of zoom): https://ibb.co/82KJY3n

    Dandelion, reminded me of impermanence: https://imgur.com/a/UNojuzg

    Gassho, Tomás

    Sat (went over 3 sentences, oops!)
    Fantastic photos! Post more.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  47. #147
    I think I must have been sleeping the past few months to have not visited this wonderful thread- so impressed with the images and wealth of knowledge on photography being shared.

    We should definitely put a gallery together!

    I hope it wasn't outside group etiquette that I posted a new thread on the photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. Apologies if so. His work seems to have woken me out of my lock-down
    slumber and I'm now regretting not bringing my camera away with me (have been on a coastal retreat for six weeks now). Will try with my mobile phone camera.

    Thanks again for sharing such inspiring images.

    Gassho

    Jinyo

    sat today

  48. #148
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinyo View Post
    I think I must have been sleeping the past few months to have not visited this wonderful thread- so impressed with the images and wealth of knowledge on photography being shared.

    We should definitely put a gallery together!

    I hope it wasn't outside group etiquette that I posted a new thread on the photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. Apologies if so. His work seems to have woken me out of my lock-down
    slumber and I'm now regretting not bringing my camera away with me (have been on a coastal retreat for six weeks now). Will try with my mobile phone camera.

    Thanks again for sharing such inspiring images.

    Gassho

    Jinyo

    sat today
    Thank you for this Jinyo, HS is one of my favourite photographers, his sea images have inspired and influenced my own humble attempts.
    Gassho with gratitude
    Meitou
    Sattoday lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  49. #149
    Thank you Meitou,

    I have replied on the other thread.



    Jinyo

    Sat Today

  50. #150




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