*OFFICIAL* Snapshot of the Day (one image per post please) #2

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Thanks. Used the code and saved $10. Still, they ripped me a new one on the shipping cost.

I should follow up. We were talking about Fracture, a company that mounts prints directly to the back of glass. I ordered a "Large" print and the shipping was just under $25. I must say that the packaging is the very best that I've ever seen. There's lot of extra space around the glass and print and it's suspended within the outer post with a custom packing system. No cost was spared in that regard. Given that, I think that the shipping cost was reasonable.

Now that I'm talking about them, I wasn't happy with the print itself. I chose a print with lots of color depth in blues, greens and browns. I've printed it before, myself and also had My Publisher put it in a vanity book of a trip we took. The processing was done on a calibrated monitor and all the other prints look like my screen, but the Fracture was kind of toned down and looked almost like it was drawn with pastels. I didn't go back and forth with them to try to fix it, because I decided to simply do my on prints and mount them in Plexiglas wall mounts. As they requested, I used sRGB colorspace, but that isn't any excuse. The sample below is sRGB.

The image was taken through a window screen, so there's a bit of softness caused by that, but Fracture further softened and homogenized it. Here it is:

View from our window at Westward Sudeley B&B by David Stephens, on Flickr

Just looked at the print again. It's not even close to what you see here.

[justanotherdude]

Originally Posted by dcstep

I should follow up. We were talking about Fracture, a company that mounts prints directly to the back of glass. I ordered a "Large" print and the shipping was just under $25. I must say that the packaging is the very best that I've ever seen. There's lot of extra space around the glass and print and it's suspended within the outer post with a custom packing system. No cost was spared in that regard. Given that, I think that the shipping cost was reasonable.

Now that I'm talking about them, I wasn't happy with the print itself. I chose a print with lots of color depth in blues, greens and browns. I've printed it before, myself and also had My Publisher put it in a vanity book of a trip we took. The processing was done on a calibrated monitor and all the other prints look like my screen, but the Fracture was kind of toned down and looked almost like it was drawn with pastels. I didn't go back and forth with them to try to fix it, because I decided to simply do my on prints and mount them in Plexiglas wall mounts. As they requested, I used sRGB colorspace, but that isn't any excuse. The sample below is sRGB.

The image was taken through a window screen, so there's a bit of softness caused by that, but Fracture further softened and homogenized it. Here it is:

View from our window at Westward Sudeley B&B by David Stephens, on Flickr

Just looked at the print again. It's not even close to what you see here.

Hmmm, that's unfortunate and I'm sorry to hear that.

Don't know what to say though, my print looks exactly like what's on my computer. :/

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by onlyabloke

Hmmm, that's unfortunate and I'm sorry to hear that.

Don't know what to say though, my print looks exactly like what's on my computer. :/

Thanks for your concern, but I've tried enough online printing to know that it's always a bit of a crap-shoot. That's part of the reason that I bought my own pro-level printer. That's also the reason I ordered only one test. Now, I just wish that I'd tested in the smallest size. I had a brain fart and over-optimism all at once.

For large prints, I'm extremely lucky to have a world class printer just 15-minutes away. He knows me and what I expect and we're on the same wavelength without even trying.

The fact that Fracture wanted sRGB tells me that they're aiming at the uninformed market. Still, Bay Photo goes to great length to get colors right, but it can take some effort to iron things out, even with them.

Since I didn't try to resolve my issue with Fracture, I feel that my review may be slightly unfair. Maybe their customer service is excellent and they would have made it "right." I just took the path of least resistance and greatest control by printing my own.

BTW, until you've printed a few yourself and critically worked with test images to get you computer/printer calibration in sync, you may not appreciate that color matching is NOT an easy thing. With test images going back and forth, there's no way to guarantee success on one try.

BTW, looking at my image above in Chrome browser, it is VERY close to my RGB version in LR or DxO . Fracture is way off.

[dcstep]

Back to the thread purpose. Here's a shot where I was showing a friend, my 8, 8, 8 rule for shooting the moon. ISO 800, f/8.0 and 1/800-sec., hand held:

Waning Gibbous Moon by David Stephens, on Flickr

800mm would be nice also, but I happened to have 700mm in hand at the time.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Back to the thread purpose. Here's a shot where I was showing a friend, my 8, 8, 8 rule for shooting the moon. ISO 800, f/8.0 and 1/800-sec., hand held:

Waning Gibbous Moon by David Stephens, on Flickr

800mm would be nice also, but I happened to have 700mm in hand at the time.

Magnificent. Is this a cropped photo?

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by jmg

Magnificent. Is this a cropped photo?

Thanks.

Yes, 2012x2012p.

[justanotherdude]

Just a weird edit I ended up liking.

[dcstep]

Storm clouds last evening.

Color or Black & White? by David Stephens, on Flickr

[Zing]

The moon was out this morning and I was reminded of dcstep's moon shot so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

200mm f/16 @1/160 ISO100

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Zing

The moon was out this morning and I was reminded of dcstep's moon shot so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

200mm f/16 @1/160 ISO100

Totally different exposure approach, but it works. Is that hand held? (My method is with hand holding in mind, but I could see hand holding a 200mm with good IS at 1/160-sec.)

[Zing]

Tripod. But I misspoke (or mistyped, rather). f/11 not f/16.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Zing

Tripod. But I misspoke (or mistyped, rather). f/11 not f/16.

Good, because you risk diffraction at f/16 and smaller. The moon requires no DOF, so you want to be in the lens' "sweet spot", where it's sharpest, like f/8 to f/11.

[Itsed65]

Wild Berries by lennycarl08, on Flickr

[allachie9]

We've been 'enjoying' quite a mixed summer here, but now and again the sun does shine and we get a nice sky.
Here's the view across the River Lossie estuary towards our East Beach taken this afternoon.



ps. the image has just been used on BBC National TV weather forecast !

[M_Six]

Great shot, Alan. And kudos on the added exposure by BBC.

[Zing]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Great shot, Alan. And kudos on the added exposure by BBC.

I'll echo both of these sentiments.

The photo is very inviting and certainly worthy of BBC recognition. Congrats!

[Josh (PA)]

sitting on my Kayak doing a little fishing. Snapped a cellphone pic of the view:



Sunset on the Lake by Josh, on Flickr

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by allachie9

We've been 'enjoying' quite a mixed summer here, but now and again the sun does shine and we get a nice sky.
Here's the view across the River Lossie estuary towards our East Beach taken this afternoon.

image here

ps. the image has just been used on BBC National TV weather forecast !

That's a super image Alan.

Did BBC send you money for a free cup of tea?

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Josh (PA)

sitting on my Kayak doing a little fishing. Snapped a cellphone pic of the view:

Nice one, Josh.

[dcstep]

Coming At Us by David Stephens, on Flickr

[Itsed65]

First harvest from the garden this year. Had a very nice tomato salad with my rib-eye and Zin last night!

First Garden Harvest 2016 by lennycarl08, on Flickr

[M_Six]

I bet those are tasty tomatoes, too. Not like the tasteless hot-house tomatoes they sell in the supermarket these days.