Brian's View 2nd

I revisted the picture and came up with a different approach. - Still the principle stays the same, crap in crap out, handheld, brackets, no IS. - Apart from that, I developed the same 3 RAW's in a different workflow, ->DNG ->photoacute -> smart objects, double development, blended, lab color, shadow highlghts, sharpened @400% 0.3 pixels, no treshold.

What do you think?

I think this is an excellent photograph. What struck me first was the 3D effect. You have the close lichen covered trees, mid range items of interest with the mountain in the distance. Very good composition although I do feel that the colors in the fields are just a little intense.

Arvid

Agreed on the color of the fields! Thanks and welcome Arvid!

I think, If I would have worked on that for print, I would have chosen to work more in selected areas rather than global. Now, that Lightroom 2 appears to come closer, with local corrections, this will be a doodle in future.

Any more of the house itself Georg?

Seems it would be a good subject so for sure you have done it already!

Asher

Hi Asher,

nope no more photos, I was working flat out to install a cinema system and only took 5 minutes for a smoke and a photo.

However, coincidently I was back at Brian's yesterday installing a HD satelite box and finalizing the setup by programming 6 remote controls into a single one, very handy!

Then a chap arrived with a load of turf to be shoveled in a garage, of course I helped with that task and after 3 hours we had aching backs but Brians garage was full of black turf, a most fascinating material in deed, taking thousands of years to create and providing great heat and a amazing smell in an open fire.

This turf has been handcut by Michael, and in deed, this is an art on the edge of extinction that has been taught since generations from father to sun. Most people have maschines coming into the bog and cutting the turf, only a few people remain doing it in the traditional way, and this is a unique thing to County Donegal.

So I was chatting with Michael and he agreed that I can come to his Land this spring and spend a day in the Bog with him cutting turf the way it has been done since centuries. He is kind enough to allow me to turn this into a photosession as well and I plan an attempt to shoot a visual documentation of this fascinating craft.

Georg Baumann said:

Then a chap arrived with a load of turf to be shoveled in a garage, of course I helped with that task and after 3 hours we had aching backs but Brians garage was full of black turf, a most fascinating material in deed, taking thousands of years to create and providing great heat and a amazing smell in an open fire.

This turf has been handcut by Michael, and in deed, this is an art on the edge of extinction that has been taught since generations from father to sun. Most people have maschines coming into the bog and cutting the turf, only a few people remain doing it in the traditional way, and this is a unique thing to County Donegal.

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Hi Georg

Black Turf? is this not the same as peat? sounds like exactly the same methods used in the Highlands of Scotland where we frequently enjoy open fires with either logs or peat. In the highlands they cut it out of the bog areas using a special shovel which produces a brick shaped slice of peat, pile it into stacks (a bit like small hay stacks) and leaving it to dry throughout the summer, bringing it in and storing it to burn in the winter months..... Yes it smells gorgeous, I always wish I could bottle the smell of the peat fires, beautiful if you throw a few handfuls of pine cones on.

It's a dying tradition in the highlands too, not many people want to spend time doing this back breaking work any more. I'll photograph the stacks in Scotland when I'm up next, but you don't see them too often now, but our next trip is to some of the remoter parts, so maybe we will....

janet Smith said:

Black Turf? is this not the same as peat?

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Yes, I suppose it is. We call it 'turf' in the Netherlands as well.



Significant areas have been landscaped over the centuries by the semi-industrial production of this type of fuel. As a result we even have a (European Union listed) national park "de Weerribben" that was originally shaped by the canals (a canal was called a "weer") which were formed by pulling out the 'turf'. It was then piled on narrow strips ("ribben") of remaining land and left to dry. Hence the name "Weerribben". Note to self; go and make photographs of the current situation (when it stops raining like it is today).

Bart

Hi Janet & Bart,

yup, it is peat and the very same method/material, funny enough, only on this bog ground you will find Eriophorum Angustifolium or bog cotton.



Now this is an "old" picture in deed Literally taken in the week where I got the DSLR and a 200mm lense. I remember that I was fascinated by the fine structures being battered in the winds, so I layed down and waited until the sun just came out behind a cloud, very early in the morning in spring.

Georg Baumann said:

funny enough, only on this bog ground you will find Eriophorum Angustifolium or bog cotton

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Grows here in the Dales and Scotland too, great shot BTW, I have a very similar one - hehehe - it seems that you and I are prone to doing the same things on opposite shores!

Just out of curiosity, wherever the bog cotton grows in Scotland there tends to be great hummocks of Sphagnum Moss, difficult to walk through without wellies, too deep for hiking boots, as a child (I sometimes still do this!!) I would take off my shoes and socks and walk through bare foot, it's not muddy, just filled with beautiful clean water, when you get to the other side your feet are exceptionally clean and soft!! Don't suppose you do this too do you??

Nope, I bought a tele lense with xtender to get up to 560mm, and to keep the feet dry and as smelly as possible, keeps the midges away.

I always wondered though, when there is a long cue in the shops, I always come in first, must have something to do with the xtender... NOT?

Georg Baumann said:

keep the feet dry and as smelly as possible, keeps the midges away

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LOL, I think I'll pass on your sort of midge repellent!!!

Bart_van_der_Wolf said:

Significant areas have been landscaped over the centuries by the semi-industrial production of this type of fuel. As a result we even have a (European Union listed) national park "de Weerribben" that was originally shaped by the canals (a canal was called a "weer") which were formed by pulling out the 'turf'. It was then piled on narrow strips ("ribben") of remaining land and left to dry. Hence the name "Weerribben". Note to self; go and make photographs of the current situation (when it stops raining like it is today)Bart

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Hi Bart

Interesting to note the apparently large scale operation you've shown in the photograph, I'd be interested to see your results when you've photographed the current situation......