HDR – Often Misunderstood and Under Appreciated

Jeff

Somehow the HDR, High Dynamic Range, style of photography has gotten a bad reputation in the eyes of some people. Let me explain why I like and use HDR when I can. Now I must admit, I am an HDR novice so I am not speaking from a point of expertise.

Were you ever in the presence of a beautiful scene and you grabbed your camera, adjusted the settings, created a very nice composition and then pressed the shutter release to capture the beauty of what you were witnessing? I think most of us have been there. Have you ever gotten home and looked at that beautiful scene to realize that it doesn’t look as wonderful in the picture as it did in reality? I think many of us can identify with that as well.

One of the reasons for this is that our eyes are capable of capturing a far larger dynamic range of color and detail than a camera is able to record and therefore some of the beauty is lost to the technology. That is where High Dynamic Range helps me. By taking several exposures; one at the correct exposure, one at two F-stops over and one at two F-stops under, and then combining them, we are able to help the camera “see” what we see once the images are combined. We add highlights in the dark elements of the pictures as well as in the brightest parts of the picture. That is what HDR is to me.

Just like everything else, there are those who like to carry things to the extreme and they may over-process a picture and it may look gaudy to us, but that is their vision and that is what makes photography a creative medium. If you don’t like it, that is your prerogative, but let’s not paint all of HDR with the same brush.

Now…let me refer you to Blake Rudis who is considered and HDR expert because of his body of work. He just released a video (also embedded below), Are you an HDR Photography Hypocrite?, explaining the difference between HDR and Tone Mapping and what the relationship is to one another. He addresses those among our peers who might be HDR Hypocrites. I encourage you to watch this short video to understand this point of view and to see how HDR can help capture a scene as it appeared to the photographer.



As the video points out, if you do any processing on your images after they are captured, you are probably using some aspect of HDR even if you don’t think so!

If you liked the video and/or you would like to learn more about HDR photography Blake has created a worthy introduction course that he offers free to subscribers. You can check this out at his website:

Everyday HDR Thanks Blake!

STATUS QUOtes — 20151006

Jeff

“Hell is a half-filled auditorium.” — Robert Frost

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” — George Lorimer

“Without wearing any mask we are conscious of, we have a special face for each friend.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

“How far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?” — Harry S. Truman

 

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PL8ATUDES – October 5, 2015

Jeff


Plate-A-Tude

We continue our series of personalized (vanity) license plates in Arizona. To maintain individual privacy, we try to show as little information about particular cars as possible as long as we can reveal the license plate

NOTE – License plate photos may have been archived for quite some time. The years indicated on the registration stickers DO NOT necessarily reflect the current status of any given plate!

We hope you enjoy these PL8ATUDES!

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I Was So

Efficient

That Now

I'm Thru

!


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STATUS QUOtes — 20151005

Jeff

“Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.” — Elmer G. Letterman

“The portrait of my parents is a complicated one, but lovingly drawn.” — Joyce Maynard

“There Is A Voice Inside Of You
That Whispers All Day Long,
“I Feel That This Is Right For Me,
I Know That This Is Wrong.”
No Teacher, Preacher, Parent, Friend
Or Wise Man Can Decide
What’s Right For You- Just Listen To
The Voice That Speaks Inside.” — Shel Silverstein

“I’m astounded by people who want to ‘know’ the universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.” — Woody Allen

 

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Pickleball Strategy – 10 Tips to Help Win the Point

Jeff

Every sport has two major components. First there are the physical skills, i.e. how to hit a ball, kick a ball, etc. Players need to master the different strokes, kicks or hits necessary to be successful on this level.

The second component is strategy. Beginners are often so focused on the physical aspect that they overlook the mental and strategic guidelines. The video below provides a brief outline of the types of shots and player positions necessary under certain conditions to enable a team to have the best opportunity to win a pickleball game..

I have outlined which skills are presented in which order and what the general time stamps are for each. Move the time-slider to get to any of the skills should you want to skip around or repeat a segment. The last ten minutes or so present a quiz for the viewer to test their understanding of pickleball strategies presented.

If you have some helpful hints, enter them in the comment section below.

Doubles Pickleball Strategy 101-How to Play Smart Pickleball, Ten Tips

00 – 1:10 – Overall Strategy and Goal – Getting your team to the net as quickly as possible.

Tip #1
1:11 – 2:26 – Shot #1: The Serve

Play it safe and do not miss!

Tip #2
2:27 – 3:55 – The Return of Serve

Aim for a specific spot in the left-hand court. The video explains why this is a good strategy!

Tip #3
3:56 – 6:02 – Return the Serve and Charge

The team receiving the serve SHOULD establish control of the net upon hitting the return of serve.

Tip #4
6:03- 8:42 – Partner positions

Play in tandem and not in a “this is my side, that is your side” manner. Another important note is to communicate UNLESS the shot is obvious and even then it may be better to call every shot; “you”, “me”, “no”, etc.

Tip # 5
8:43 – 11:26 – Third Shot Drop Shot

An alternate strategy is also provided for those who cannot make a third shot drop shot.

Tip # 6
11:27 – 12:37 – 4th Shot should keep opponents as deep as possible

Tip # 7
12:38 – 14:06 – Dinking when everyone is at the net

REVIEW

14:07 – 15:47 – Review of the first five shots of a Pickleball game

Tip # 8
15:48 – 16:34 – Net play – When to hit softly and when to hit hard

Tip # 9
16:35 -18:11 – Keep opponents back in the court if you can

Tip # 10
18:12 – 19:34 – Avoid low percentage shots

Down the alley from the back of the court
Lobbing from the back of the court

19:35 – End – PB Quiz with diagrams for viewers to test their knowledge of PB strategy.

STATUS QUOtes — 20151004

Jeff

“When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.” — Tuli Kupferberg

“Memories are like mulligatawny soup in a cheap restaurant. It is best not to stir them.” — P. G. Wodehouse

“Inspiration is around every corner. Go for a walk.” — James Massing (?)

“When money talks, nobody checks the grammar.” — Anonymous

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

STATUS QUOtes — 20151003

Jeff

“There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.” — Oscar Wilde

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay.” — Harold Wilson

“Seeing ourselves as others see us would probably confirm our worst suspicions about them.” — Franklin P. Adams

“Nobody works as hard for their money as the person who marries it.” — Frank ‘Kin’ Hubbard

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

Huge Hug – Hug of the Century Perhaps

Jeff

The story attached to this video explains that the woman found the lion sick and near death and took the lion with her to nurse it back to health. Once the lion was restored to good health she made arrangements for the lion to live at a “zoo.” When she returned to visit some time later, the lion had quite a hug for his friend.

NOTE – The soundtrack may be a bit loud so you might want to turn it down or off!

Read more details about this story at White Wolf Pack

STATUS QUOtes — 20151002

Jeff

“The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

“You win a few, you lose a few. Some get rained out. But you got to dress for all of them.” — Satchel Paige

“If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.” — Norman Vincent Peale

“We’ve a cat called Ben Hur; we called it Ben till it had kittens.” — Sally Poplin

 

JBRish.com originally published this post