OCOLOY Day 6: The perfect sooc photo subject... by vignouse

OCOLOY Day 6: The perfect sooc photo subject...

...is not a pitch black country lane in the pouring rain! But when you've had a series of meetings all day and evening and it hasn't let-up raining once... well eventually you run out of choices!

This project is all about learning however, so on to today's OCOLOY learning point: make certain that your set-up is appropriate to the shot you're trying to take - hand-holding an exposure of 2/3 sec at ISO 6400 is not a good starting point for a fine-art photo! In principle, the lights of the town in the distance, distorted by the rain and reflected off the clouds as a contrast to the silhouetted trees, had the potential to make an interesting night shot. But the camera needed to be on a tripod, protected by an umbrella so that I didn't have to lean on the open car door and get the back of the car in the corner of the frame nor rush the shot and not frame properly! Finally, I learned that the in-camera focussing light is excellent at lighting up otherwise unseen reflective road signs ;-(

(You can find an explanation of OCOLOY in my 1 January post and in my profile.)

On black is best - even for this miserable offering!
I really like the lights in the distance. I've been caught out by those road signs as well - few mins processing would sort it out........
January 7th, 2016  
@rachelwithey You're so right Rachel - give me 10 minutes in Silver Efex Pro 2 and Lightroom and this could be quite respectable... but this year is about succeeding with SOOC. How long before I crack I wonder?
January 7th, 2016  
Ah well, you take what you have.

While I'm not into the OCOLOY totally, I do have my Sony RX100 IV that I intend to shoot with quite a bit. My Christmas present to myself, basically a small excellent video machine (4K and high frame rate too) with lots of bells and whistles. Now to find the right video editor.

Sony cameras and sensors are superb technology, but boy their manuals are practically non-existent.

BTW, did you see the Nikon D500 announcement at CES in Las Vegas? Only specification and stat sheets right now, but it really looks like a game changer. See, Nikon did not give up on the DX/APS-C market.
January 7th, 2016  
@vignouse I nearly asked how long you thought you'd last but I thought it might not be very supportive!
January 7th, 2016  
@frankhymus Congratulations on buying the RX100iv - you may remember that I have the MkIII - they're superb little cameras and the IQ is quite remarkable. Yes, I saw the D500 announcement and specs and my immediate thought was, 'Frank has found his next camera'!
January 7th, 2016  
see... I love the moody atmosphere of this - makes me think of a thriller/horror scenario - often the signs are an indication of something - and the lights in the distance - salvation or downfall
January 7th, 2016  
@vignouse I think so. Have to wait for the word from DxOMark on the performance numbers, but the spec sheet would suggest it will greatly outpace the D7200 and challenge the D750 full-frame. It would suggest "next generation" sensor technology, and coupled with the super fast image processor...And everything I had quibbles over on the D750 are now "fixed" here. But they left off the built-in flash...
January 7th, 2016  
This has a very spooky feel!
January 7th, 2016  
@lsanderson55 That's sort of what I was hoping for... so thank you.
January 7th, 2016  
@annied Thank you Annie - you've put into words what I was feeling when I first saw this scene.
January 7th, 2016  
@rachelwithey Classified information I'm afraid ;-))
January 7th, 2016  
A dark and dreary night. I like the foggy lights in the distance and the wet road. Nicely done.
January 7th, 2016  
Great photo of a dark and dreary night.
January 7th, 2016  
Impressive given your exigent criteria. Discard the project? Pouf!?They've got to be joking! You're made of stronger stuff than that. Trailblazers keep their derring-do...whatever.
January 7th, 2016  
I am always impressed at the lengths you go to to get your shot Richard and then you post it! This one certainly conveys the weather!
January 7th, 2016  
Another interesting feature is that it appears to be taken from the middle of the road, as if you're actually driving. The signs are like those omnipresent electric/phone wires that we don't even see in "real life."
January 7th, 2016  
Into each life a little rain must fall........ At least you were attempting. I had a bright sunny day and vegged playing with my scrapbook and doing laundry and dishes.
January 7th, 2016  
I am really enjoying your OCOLOY project. This really works well, tricky lighting....
January 7th, 2016  
we never stop learning... :o)
January 9th, 2016  
Well I like this, especially when I ignore the left hand corner. ! Great eerie feel to it. I am enjoying each day's observations as you progress with this project!
January 10th, 2016  
Very dramatic shot. It remembers to me a local mistery tail/legend that we call: " The girl on the curve". :)
April 12th, 2016  
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