That Faded, Old Film Print Look

Waikiki Beach, by Reed A. George

 

I have no idea why I occasionally find it fun to take a decent digital photo and do my best to make it look like it was taken with a toy camera with cheap plastic lens. But, I do.

 

I wonder how long this type of manipulation will remain in demand? It seems like as soon as no one (or very few people) know the true look of old faded film images, this will go away.

 

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Live Oak Trees - Belle Haven Plantation - Nature Shot with Leica M9

During my trip to New Orleans for the LHSA (International Leica Society)'s Spring Shoot, we got to visit Belle Haven, a plantation that has been closed to the public for many years.

 

Our visit was wonderful, and I got to spend a lot of time out wading in the wet grass photographing the amazing old live oak trees on the property. Shooting with my M9, I manipulated the images in NIK Software to get the look I wanted. Here they are.

 

Live Oaks, by Reed A. George

 

All of these were shot with the M9 and either the 35mm v.3 Summicron or 50mm f1.4 Summilux (titanium).

 

One thing I don't like (or haven't figured out) in the NIK software is that if I want the same frame effect on a series of pictures, the frames come out looking exactly the same, including the dark and light smudges around the edges, which are supposed to represent the individual results of chemical darkroom techniques. Each one should be slightly different.

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result. Not everyone agrees with manipulation, but I got the feel from the images that I was looking for.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about LHSA (International Leica Society). The national meetings like the Spring Shoot are great, but there are also many other reasons to join, including a great publication (Viewfinder), newsletter, and local groups and activities.

 

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Storm Approaches the Manor House - Lumix DMC-LX100 and Snapseed

I ventured out from the office today as a storm approached. Here's my interpretation of the scene.

Storm Approaches the Manor House, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

iso 200, f8, 1/250 sec.

Manipulated in Snapseed on iPad

 

Here's the original image from the LX100.

 

The springtime seasonal allergies are killing me right now, so I paid the price for being outside. But, the clouds were so dramatic, I had to run out and get the shot. The Panasonic DMC-LX100 made that very easy.

 

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The Zenith - From the Days of Radio

Zenith, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor AF 28mm f2.8 Lens

iso 100, 1/2 sec., f11

 

Who knows the last time this old tuner was powered up? I'd love to know what programs were listened to by its owners.

 

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Snapseed - Too Much Fun

Here's a shot I took for work recently:

 

Unedited Shot

 

 

Pretty okay, I guess. Fun to shoot. But then I decided to play around with it in Snapseed. Here's the result:

Edited in Snapseed

 

I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I think this is really fun.

 

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Snapseed and Barcelona - Do They Mix?

Well, by the time this posts, I'll be home. But, I wanted to show a few images I've processed using Snapseed, an app on my iPoad, on our family trip to Barcelona, Spain. Snapseed makes it fun and easy to really add some character to your images.
 
These were all shot on Panasonic cameras (either DMC-G3 with 14-140 f4-5.6 or 25mm f1.4 Summilux, or the DMC-LX5). I'm too tired this evening to look up the details... jet lag, you know.
 

Enlightened, by Reed A. George

Le Meridien Stairway, by Reed A. George

 

Textured Steel, by Reed A. George

 
I know, I always say that I'm not into processed images. But, Snapseed sure makes it fun. I hope you don't mind this departure from "straight photography." I think they all give a nice feel for my experience so far in Barcelona. What an incredible place.
 
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Landscape Photographer of the Year - First Winner Loses Title Due to Overmanipulation of Image

 

The New Winner - Landscape Photographer of the Year, Simon Butterworth

Image Source: http://www.petapixel.com/2012/11/02/landscape-photographer-of-the-year-2012-stripped-of-title-for-too-much-shoppin/

 
 
"Take A View" (www.take-a-view.co.uk) has announced a new winner for Landscape Photographer of the Year. Originated by photographer Charlie Waite, the competition is in its seventh year.
 
Unfortunately, the initial image selected for first place this year was disqualified after the fact for over-manipulation.
 
(Click Here) to read the original posting, and see the excellent image that ended up being disqualified.
 
The website reports that the original winner, David Byrne, had not intentionally misled the judges; they simply found too much manipulation in the image to suit the requirements of their contest.
 
This is an important lesson for photographers. We all (or very nearly all) do some manipulation of our images. In fact, manipulation in the darkroom certainly precedes Photoshop. But, it's important to know the limits. And, the limits are different, depending upon the competition or venue.
 
I like to think that I use "straight photography" techniques, and don't rely too heavily upon manipulation. That said, I certainly have examples in my mind as I write this where the original image was, well, "ho-hum," until I got it into Lightroom for cropping, levels adjustment, conversion to black and white, and toning. Now it's one of my recent favorites. I would not consider it "manipulated" by today's standards, but it's certainly not straight out of the camera. Here's my image in question.
 

Forest Edge, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 lens

iso 160, f8, 10 secs

 
Personally, I think what I've done here is quite acceptable, as all of these things could have been done easily in a wet darkroom. But is that the right measure? We also know that composites (made from multiple original images) can be made in the darkroom. I would think that's too much (obviously).
 
Where do you think the limits of acceptable manipulation are? I guess as long as we're honest about it when we're done, it's always up to each of us.
 
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Before and After - Some Fun With Snapseed

Here's a rather pedestrian shot of an old telephone pole that I recently took in New Hampshire.

Before - Old Telephone Pole, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8

iso 200, f8, 1/125 sec

 
I really like the details in the pole, and the old wires hanging down. But, it was literally in the middle of a swamp, and I couldn't get a better perspective on it.
 
I decided to play with the image in Snapseed on my iPad.
 
(Click Here) for info on the mobile version of Snapseed.
 
Anyway, I did a few things to the image in Snapseed. First, I converted it to black and white, then, I used the tilt and shift function to restrict focus to the center of the pole, then I applied some "grunge," and finally an organic frame and a little grain. Here's the result:
 

After - Disconnected, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8

iso 200, f8, 1/125 sec

Manipulated in Snapseed

 
I don't always go for manipulated images. And, I absolutely hate working at the computer as compared to being out using my camera. However, in this case, I think a few minutes on the iPad absolutely transformed this from a boring image to something at least a little intriguing.
 
All things in moderation, I suppose.
 
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