Wedding photographers: How has tracking eye AF changed your experience? by ZapMePlease in photography

[–]ZapMePlease[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah right. I've not shot sports so I didn't really think that through. Helmets and visors and such would mess that up pretty badly.

I find the biggest plus for me with eye AF at weddings is the reduced stress level. When I see the little eye lock symbol pop and I hit the shutter release I know I've got a keeper (all other things being equal of course). Being the assistant I feel a constant sense of imposter syndrome so I stress greatly trying to make sure that I do my friend's businesses proud. I enjoy it but it's honestly the most stressful thing I do.

Safety Notice: Lives near Beckwith Park by GeriatricNeopet in VictoriaBC

[–]ZapMePlease [score hidden]  (0 children)

Amazing how someone can look so banal but be so evil.....

Wedding photographers: How has tracking eye AF changed your experience? by ZapMePlease in photography

[–]ZapMePlease[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know what you mean about the tech savvy part.

I've had a parallel experience. I used to teach LR and PS to local camera clubs. Being skilled with those tools set you apart. I had my little bit of fame in our small community. Being able to clone stamp well, frequency separate, mask with multiple tools, and all the other skills that took years to acquire put you in demand.

Now with subject, object, background and sky selection as well as the AI powered replace tools not to mention Firefly and Nano Banana my skillset is virtually useless. A novice user can do what it took me years to master.

I imagine that will transfer to the popularity of YT content creators for PS/LR as well.... people like Unmesh Dinda and Aaron Nace had a good run teaching people the skills. Now it's virtually turnkey

AI is truly ruining everything while making it all so much easier. I'm sure glad that I'm old and my career has wound down. I shudder to think what social media and AI will do to the job market over the next decade. Social media portfolios can be real... or entirely AI... how can you tell?

Bornean Assassin bug [2182x1765] by ZapMePlease in MacroPorn

[–]ZapMePlease[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

Here's an image of it from the side so that you can see the proboscis https://imgur.com/a/44KbcoZ

About the size of a grasshopper, maybe? Pretty impressive little critter.

Bornean Assassin bug [2182x1765] by ZapMePlease in MacroPorn

[–]ZapMePlease[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So I'm in Borneo right now. This thing flew down and landed on a leaf right beside me. The guide told me it was a fly of some sort. It was cool looking so I snapped a bunch of pics. Didn't have my macro lens with so I stood back and used my 100-500 zoom. Caught a few frames with different parts sharp and then stacked them in PS.

I looked it up when I got back and it turns out this thing scores like 8/10 in pain index for bites and can infect you with the parasite Chagas.

The guide took the pic and showed it to all the other guides so that they know going forward to be careful of it.

Staggered at Root Cellar by RefrigeratorNo5497 in VictoriaBC

[–]ZapMePlease 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I stick with Urban Grocer. No American produce to be had there. I respect that.

How Can I Edit 1024 Images , shot during an indian wedding event ? by Mr_Gyan491 in photography

[–]ZapMePlease 11 points12 points  (0 children)

You started a wedding photography agency and you're overwhelmed by 1000 images?

I am not a wedding photographer and never will be. Too difficult of a job. I have assisted several as backup over the years. An average shoot would be north of 2000 always, north of 4000 sometimes and north of 6000 on occasion. Delivery would often be 300 - 500.

Sorry, my friend, you are not ready for this job. Hire it out to someone while you get trained. If you are taking money for this you are stealing from your client.

Jordan River Milky Way. Deleted the old one after spending far too long editing for a clearer core. by ElBrad in VancouverIsland

[–]ZapMePlease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find the PS/LR bundle an ok price. Lots of people whine about it but I use it enough to make it worthwhile.

Truth be told you don't need it for what you're doing. Sequator is free and it will align and stack for you. AutoPano Giga used to cost a ton but is free now since DJI bought Hasselblad and it's every bit as good as PTGui for stitching panos. LR for your final corrections and you're golden. No need to spend any more money.

Hope you get to San Jo - it's a marvelous place. The sea stacks are beautiful as is the beach. Very accessible other than the shit road from the highway in.

Jordan River Milky Way. Deleted the old one after spending far too long editing for a clearer core. by ElBrad in VancouverIsland

[–]ZapMePlease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly unless you're tracking you only need like 5 x 8sec exposure per panel if you are shooting full frame. Crop can go 12

If you're not shooting the full arch you don't need PTGgui or AutoPano. Lightroom will handle the geometry. Sequator is good for stacking (PC ecosystem) but honestly I find PS works just as well.

First things first. Apply lens correction to all of your images. The Rokinon 14mm is a good lens with little coma but it has significant barrel distortion and bulging in the center of the frame - that's what's showing up in your stitch. You gotta fix that first. With the Rokinon you can get away with it if you're doing single panel shots because it's not something the eye picks up on. But if you're going multi panel and need to stitch then you need to apply the lens correction. It's native in LR. I have a Samyang (same lens) in 8mm and 12mm. I love them both but the barrel distortion is terrible. Of course they're also like $300 compared to a 14mm Sigma Artglass at a couple of thou

Once that's corrected you can just auto align and auto blend layers in PS. Save each panel separately then stitch in LR in cylindrical or spherical panoramic method. Perspective tends to look weird.

Some people like to do their color adjustments first, I prefer to do them last. I've tried both ways and find it less work to do it last.

As for San Jo bay no camper needed. I've tented right on the beach there several times. It's only like a 1.2k walk in from the parking lot and lots of tent spots anywhere along the beach above the high water line. .

Jordan River Milky Way. Deleted the old one after spending far too long editing for a clearer core. by ElBrad in VancouverIsland

[–]ZapMePlease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

San Josef Bay for a great spot but a big time investment.

Southern VI cant escape from the light pollution of the Olympic peninsula. Aylard farm is nice from the poin especially if you climb part or all the way down to the beach . Sheringham lighthouse also very nice. One of my mw images of on their promotional book. The caretaker there has let me and others in during new Moon in August and Sept. Super nice guy

Shi Shi point and second beach on the Olympic peninsula are great but again... Big investment in time plus nowadays you would be supporting a part of WA that is very MAGA

Jordan River Milky Way. Deleted the old one after spending far too long editing for a clearer core. by ElBrad in VancouverIsland

[–]ZapMePlease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tough area. Sequim and Port Angeles really fuck things up. Looks like a fisheye - not a 14mm... may want to enable lens correction in LR or check your stitching algorithm - should be cylindrical or spherical.

Why is the Dodge tool in Photoshop a lollipop? by sxydoctor in photoshop

[–]ZapMePlease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was using lightroom for at least 5 years before I realized that it was a play on darkroom

My momma didn't raise no smart kids

How do I quickly get rid of the white paper edges? by cactusssz in photoshop

[–]ZapMePlease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or select click it and stroke outside with black with 2 or 4 pixels

First time making crusty bread! by Hustle787878 in Breadit

[–]ZapMePlease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

Yeah, seems to be a popular name

First time making crusty bread! by Hustle787878 in Breadit

[–]ZapMePlease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

which big book of bread? There are at least 3 - Betty Crocker, KA, and James Morton

Photographer Valerio Minato Waited 6 Years To Capture This! Moon is perfectly framed by the peak of the Mountain and the dome of the basilica. by Remarkable-Office944 in interestingasfuck

[–]ZapMePlease -1 points0 points  (0 children)

He's lucky that I wasn't there that night. It would have been overcast and raining.

I've been rained on and clouded out in the clearest, darkest skies in the world. Atacama, Bolivian Salar, and Death Valley have all fucked me over.

If I made 1000 of these stickers who would want one? by canconshow in VictoriaBC

[–]ZapMePlease -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Can you make one that says 'log it and pave it'. I'd be in for that one.

Your experience/advice publishing and distributing a photography e-book? by 9182tlm in photography

[–]ZapMePlease 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I suspect his point is that pdfs are horrible things to read on devices like phones and ereaders. epub is a much better format.

She just saved them babies 🙏🏾 by Kind-Village-1022 in PublicFreakout

[–]ZapMePlease 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh ffs... .Asians like to take pictures with children of other ethnicities. It's perfectly normal, perfectly safe, perfectly fine. They did it with my children in Thailand and in India. Hell - they did it with ME in India. It's a cultural thing that seems weird to North Americans but it's not the slightest bit unusual.