Thursday, May 28, 2009

HARBOURING COLOUR - SKYWATCH

Set camera phasers to stun



All to easy to grab the pretty sunsets and sun ups when you live coastal to glean those "ooh ah stunning" comments. Well my poor little harbour has been neglected lately because of this laziness on my part. Ramsey Harbour is a wealth of colour, textures, layers and of course cranes. Am I the only one who likes a crane looming over the skyline? Possibly. A little slice of working dockside life then but how come the colours are so vivid for an industrial scene. It's all to do with your helpful little camera and it's setting, one's you may not even be aware you have. Shut up as tell us then you ask.



Obviously not all cameras from point and shoot to the big guns all singing dancing many lens ones have the same features but you might find yours has. Firstly you will need a manual setting mode switched on. Be brave try it. Next look around for these thing in your menu- sharp, vivid, saturate, etc or variations on those themes. These are different to your weather setting - cloudy, sunny, shade, etc.For this image I wanted to pick up the orange green and yellow bits and still keep the blue/lilac of the sky. For this I set the camera to vivid. This meant that the white stays white not bleaches so the clouds are white and not bleed into the colour part of the sky. The sky colour reflected in the water remains and doesn't lose out either. The hints of yellow, green and orange are picked up by the vivid mode without over egging them, just retaining the colour. As there was a slight haze I decided against using the sharp which can give harsh lines to retain the natural hazy feel to the building rooftops and the lighthouse far left keeping the sharp natural focus on the foreground. Ok there is slightly more to it than this. Seeing the scene in the first place and of course no amount of "magic buttons" on your camera can compensate for you if you know naff all about composition and chop the heads off (figuratively speaking) your nearest and dearest or can't keep a camera straight. That one's down to you.



Hoe you got all that.

104 comments:

Rune Eide said...

I know we don't agree, but if you can: Use RAW-format and suitable software. That gives the largest degree of freedom.

Anonymous said...

I am suitably stunned :) I usually get my blue skies washed of all colour and rely on my editing programmed to put it back in. My old camera isn't as fancy as yours :)

Jane Hards Photography said...

RuneE - I do shoo in RAW already for the large file size, just don't use the noise reduction stuff etc.

Marie-Noyale said...

I think I am starting to hear the Vroooooooooooooooom....

Carver said...

Perfect title for a glorious shot!

Daryl said...

Great advice and excellent photo .. not to mention a clever title .. wait, I did mention it .. LOL

the foto fanatic said...

Nice!
tff

VALKYRIEN said...

Very beautiful sky - and thanks for all the info.!

Brian Miller said...

great pic. lots of little color here and there. beautiful day.

Sulby said...

I prefer your beautiful photos of Ramsey without the bikes.

Dewdrop said...

Was there a crane in the shot??? All I could see was the really spectacularly lit thunderstorm on the horizon. Well done. I gasped at the picture. Awesome!

Markus Latva-aho said...

Long time no see!

Oh, and I don't always seem to get them straight... I'm waiting for the Isle of Man TT reportage, great fan of motorbikes and racing!

Guy D said...

Very nice shot, I've always love shots of boats in a harbour.

Have a great weekend.
Guy
Regina In Pictures

Gemma Wiseman said...

The intricate detail and spiral peaking of cranes adds wonderful texture variation to the skyline! I love them! But there are not too many round my way!

Love this shot! And thanks for the advice!

Photo Cache said...

Oh so glad you rectified the ommision of this little harbour by showing us what exactly you mean by wealth of colour, texture, layers, and ok well cranes.

Happy weekend.

Müge Tekil said...

A pretty shot of the harbour!

Bim said...

I love harbours. This one is particularly cute with the differently-coloured containers. And you have of course arranged it in a suitably scenic way with the cranes sticking out just where they ought to.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Bim - I do try and arrange the harbour so is is aesthetically pleasing. I wish, but I can spot them before I take them.

SH -ic said...

i smellthe oil nice

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Babboshka: What a neat shot of the habor. That one boat is high and dry. I guess that goes with tidal areas.
BTW: Fish are very weather sensitive and don't like it when the barometer is dropping. I get some aches at that time also so I understand.

Virginia said...

WEll where the heck is that setting B? I"m off to get the manual out. If I'd read it a year and a half ago when I got the camera I'd know this stuff. I"ll get back with you!
Gorgeous shot BTW>
V

Sylvia K said...

Ah, Babooshka! Fabulous shot as always! Love the clouds, almost looks like a painting! Have a great weekend, tip a JD for me!

marley said...

Ooh ah stunning! Lol :)

Thanks for the lesson. I've still not mastered the Manual setting - I don't really know why I'm scared of it. I can just delete the crap photos!

Jane Hards Photography said...

Virginia - How is Paris? The boys on there bikes are back soon, but I will email you about this and that this weekend.

Cathy said...

So blue!!!! So beautiful!

Lowell said...

Lovely shot. The splashes of color give it punch, but the sky makes it!

Reader Wil said...

I think that this about the most beautiful photo I ever saw of the Isle of Man. Thanks for your visit and have a great SWF.

Luiz Ramos said...

Beautiful colors and shot.
Congratulations.
Luiz Ramos

Barb said...

Hi Babooshka,
What a VIVID Sky Watch! Thanks for the lesson - I'll try it! Too bad you live so far away - I could follow you around and be your apprentice!

Erin said...

love the shot, love the info...always enjoy visiting your blog. have a fab weekend.

Unknown said...

Great so beautifully captured, as always.

mannanan said...

Cracking capture as ever. Thanks for the tip.

Sally in WA said...

Such a nice harbor. Very picturesque. :-)

Tootie said...

Sadly, all the camera talk is over my head. But, I know a nice photo when I see one. :-)

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Gorgeous shot. Lovely sky.

Ebie said...

Simply stunning and awesome. Thank you sharing the wealth of information. Have a great weekend, and I enjoyed your Harbor views.

The Write Girl said...

Great sky watch shot. I also enjoyed your camera tutorial as well. Your photos are wonderful.

Arija said...

Great sky and water and such a lot going on in your little harbour.

Gaelyn said...

I'm going to have to try that trick. Love the way the colors are so bold. Great capture.

Tammie Lee said...

Wonderful image!
Plus thanks for all the tips.

Pat said...

Very nice, and thanks for the info. I too usually like to do as much as possible in camera. All I ever do in Photoshop is sharpen, adjust contrast, and erase the occasional part of a telephone pole or whatever!

RuneE--I really must start to shoot RAW. I know it gives more freedom; must force myself!

mrsnesbitt said...

Oh I am tuned!

Midge said...

The colours are so vibrant. Thanks for sharing.

magiceye said...

brilliant!

Zannnie said...

wow, skywatch watchers, i'm so new to this...

thanks for your visit and comments and do pop by today too! :) and see the twilight KFC

Zannnie
http://www.budapestdailyphoto.com
http://www.singaporedailyphoto.com
ming is back to SDP! :)

Greensboro Daily Photo said...

We did the plane, you the ship, Carver the car, we've got the air, land, and sea covered with this sky watch!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. I know your time is limited!

penny said...

Wonderful view of the Ramsey Harbour. The colors in this photo are stunning.
Your lessons are helpful for a 'newbee' like me... thanks for sharing and for visiting, Pam

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Wonderful colours, and thanks for the info. I shoot almost all my photos in manual now but still have a lot to learn. I'll have to look up those settings in my camera manual and give them a go. But I do use Photoshop Elements and I LOVE IT!!!
Janice.

Dan( NZ) said...

Looking forward to your oustanding TT photos but this will do. Harbour in colour is a ripper.

Jim Klenke said...

I love all of the different colors and objects, but that boat out of water.....is it real? Looks awfully small.

laxeylass said...

I prefer Laxey Bay but Ramsey Docks look very pretty. Anymore of the LBS I did enjoy your others.

laxeylass said...

I prefer Laxey Bay but Ramsey Docks look very pretty. Anymore of the LBS I did enjoy your others.

Pearl Maple said...

Thanks for your advice and tips on how to get the most out of a camera. My little $50 point and shoot has way too many buttons to choose from.

As a girl from an industrial port town, loved your photo this week all full of colour and busy activity. Thanks for sharing with us all.

naturglede/Randi Lind said...

Great photo. Happy weekend:)

Larry D said...

Wonderful photo! Happy skywatch Friday!

Small City Scenes said...

thanks for the info. I now have to write everything down. I thought I could remember but just can't. Too much in camera language I am not too familiar with.

Nice shot---of course. MB

CTG Ponies said...

What a great photo!!

earthtoholly said...

I love the "slice of life" shots...they are often more interesting than just the "pretty." I love the blue sky and whispy clouds as a background for the manmade.

And thank you for the camera tips...I'll need to delve into my settings now...sounds as though I've been missing out!

SandyCarlson said...

Don't quite follow the technical stuff, but I learn from you and the ensuing conversation. Wow. Thanks.

GREAT photo.

Jilly said...

Hmmmm, if you like cranes, come to Monaco - you'll find dozens of them! Thanks for kind words on the monobike photo with silhouette - in fact it was just luck (!) I know you said not to say it. On the other hand, I'm learning to appreciate what is a possible photo and what isn't, so that wasn't luck. Thanks anyway, Babooshka, much appreciated. Next time I'll really look to create it. I have started doing that with some shots - just that particular one was pure luck.

Halcyon said...

That is one gorgeous sky.

Happy Friday!!!

Jane said...

Its a very nice photo of a busy harbour-I like the colour of the sky too. Thanks for sharing it with us Babooshka.

2sweetnsaxy said...

I know I should play with my settings more but there are soooo many settings I can't remember where most of them are and most times I just want to shoot the darn picture! :-) I'm slowly getting there.

In your photo, I like that the little boat in the front looks like a toy boat.

Mamapippa said...

A colorful place !

Adrienne Zwart said...

It's a great shot, Babooshka! Love the color!

prkl said...

Nice looking lil', quiet, dock with similar skies to back it up. Very calm pic, postcardish if you will. Happy SWF!

Anonymous said...

Good to see a real working harbor.

Deb said...

nice photo...thank you for stopping by to visit

Unknown said...

Ohh.. I 've missed your visits. As usual, stunning photos. Isn't funny how we forget the everyday scenes around us. Thanks for recapturing it.

Norwood

Debbie@Like a Rose said...

Great title, great shot, great tip!

A Joyful Chaos said...

I enjoyed this post. Beautiful sky!

Lisa Wilson said...

Great tips and great photo, as always!

Paul said...

I hope to see you in Ramsey snapping the Ramsey Sprint.

Anonymous said...

This is not to different than my Gloucester, MA!

Jane Hards Photography said...

Jim and all who mentioned the toy boat and is it is real. I passed it today different angle and it is a wee thing. I'll try and sneak another shot for you all.

Jilly I'll just come to Monaco. Now!

Mannanan- What's up with your website. Whole connection disappeared.

Gretchen said...

Absolutely gorgeous!!

Unknown said...

As always a well captured image.
Happy weekend.

Baruch said...

Great photo - love the colour

Pam said...

Dreamy clours B.

Hildegarde said...

Well, you are certainly original with the crane and it makes a terrific shot. I enjoyed your explanation and I will remember : be brave.

Unknown said...

Beautiful photo !

I have a few photos of cranes in my archives. There is something sort of majestic about the way they reach up into the sky...

Powell River Books said...

Thanks for the visit this week. Nice harbour. I guess it says pretty calm if they let the boat go aground on the beach at low time. - Margy

chrome3d said...

I could never grasp the fact that the sea rises and recedes so much in the canal towns. First the boat was safely on water and then it´s on the sea bottom. I still don´t get it.

Glennis said...

Good working harbour shot. The boat in foreground is very small strange it should be there high and dry in the harbour.

Jim said...

Thanks for the lesson, Babs. You harbor picture is soooooo pretty. I know I could never take one like this with my camera.

Happy SkyWatching, thank you for peeking in on my Southern France holiday post. I will be continuing these for a while. Carcassonne and maybe a few more of our Caunes-Minervois town and then I will do our Northern France, Paris and up to Bruges, Belgium. We had fun.
..

Rob said...

wow, what a vibrant scene. love the colors. To be honest, I have not messed around too much with those types of settings deep within the men. In fact, I have gotten way to lazy and shoot with the white balance set to Auto. No, not the camera setting; I switch between Manual and Aperture Priority. Also I shoot in RAW so I have much workj to do. Thanks for this tip. I shall now go in and delve deep into the recess of the menu system.

raf said...

Very colorful SWF image! Thanks for the great hints and info, Baboosh, as always. Prefer harbor shots over so many sunrise and sunsets. More, more from the harbor!

Lew said...

Stunning skies over your colorful harbor!

kRiZcPEc said...

the sky is sooooo great, wish to see one like that in HK.

Mo said...

oohh this is fabulous. Will play around with more settings 'in camera' this weekend. Thanks for your encouragement. Much needed this week.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

excellent sky and composition. I do like cranes. I use vivid color regularly and sometimes, like when I was in Morocco I used warm. Those settings add so much vibrancy to the photo. I have never photographed Raw though. Thanks for your comments about the cactus flowers on my site.

Carolina said...

Okay, I'm off to check if my very cool camera has such settings. I haven't gone beyond the 'idiotproof' setting yet. All the other options scare me ;-) Last week I bought a magazine about photography. It had an article about ISO. It's like maths to me. Haven't a clue ;-)

Bye honey, thanks for the lesson.

Maria Berg said...

It is never wrong with some tips, thank you.
It make it so good colors.
I read that you are a photographer.

If you have the time will you pleas help me go through some photo?

I will once again have a lottery for one of my photo.
This time, I want you to look at the pictures with the
aspect that you might want to buy a it and tell me why you choses those 5.

http://mariaberg-foto.blogspot.com/2009/04/tavling-nr-2-vinn-en-forstoring.html
You will find the text in English futher down that page.

It would make me very happy if you want to participate,
/Maria Berg, Sweden

Robin said...

Beautifully vivid indeed, and yet the clouds remain so whispy and white.

Very impressive that you've done it straight out of the camera. I'm still in the learning to watch the blinkies stage, but slowly slowly I'm seeing less blown highlights. All in good time.

Lee Spangler said...

Thanks for visiting. I had relatives who stayed in Ramsey during WW2. I have always wanted to go there.

Martha said...

What a gorgeous skywatch shot! Perfect!

mrsnesbitt said...

7 more sleeps! This time next week we'll be having our early breakfast before the trip to the ferry!

Yipppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Sally said...

Gorgeous sky.
Sorry I haven’t been around much lately – life’s busy!

ninja said...

Simple a postcard! /you should really be named the Isle of Man ambassador.

bill said...

Fine looking harbor.

Anonymous said...

I'm always so afraid to try the Manual settings on my camera. I needed a nudge. I love the colors in this photo. Thanks so much for the great tip!!!

Mojo said...

Looks like someone left the drain open again. let all the water out and left that little fella stranded there in the foreground.

To get this kind of saturation I would probably be using the "Portrait" style, or possibly "Landscape", both of which punch the saturation up. But both of them would also try to warm things up, which I don't think is what you were going for here. The other option would be to start with "Neutral" and dial in more sat and contrast -- and I'd probably tinker with white balance as well. There's a bit too much going on to use custom white balance... the scene covers too many light variations to get an accurate exemplar shot, so it's the "K" setting and shoot, adjust, repeat in 1000 K increments until I get close, then smaller ones to fine tune.

That's the coolest thing about digital... you can toss the shots you don't want for free.

Chuck Pefley said...

Your laser was working just fine. Gorgeous. Stunning ... to coin a phrase -:))

kRiZcPEc said...

How I like to be where it's all too easy to photograph sunset!

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin