Photos shared during UCSD PhIG monthly meetings
Jerry shared an eclectic variety of wonderful before and after images, some new some older. Birds, epic landscapes, action and portraiture show his skills in post-processing primarily using Photoshop.
Jim shared recent images from his April trip to Yosemite with fellow photographer Gary. Here are his before and after images. He did some astrophotography of the Milky Way over Half Dome that he is still editing. But included below are two sets of initial edits.
Gary shared mainly final edited images although he discussed the post-processing steps of images from his recent Yosemite trip. He also photographed the new Osprey pair nesting at Shelter Island. It took his several trips to get the right conditions for his favorite keepers.
Cathy uses a Canon camera and iPhone for her photography. Post-processing is done in Lightroom and Photoshop. Cathy’s been experimenting with Photoshop 2024’s AI generative fill tool to improve composition. She also used Lightroom’s masking and overall image tools to bring out specific details or remove unwanted elements.
Jerry’s plan to travel to Dallas Texas for 100% eclipse totality was cancelled due to the weather forecast. Traveling all that way only to have thundershowers and thick cloud cover spoil your plans is part of the photography experience. Fortunately, reservations can be cancelled and a partial eclipse can be enjoyed locally, under clear sunny skies. Jerry drove up to Mt Palomar to reduce the atmospheric haze. He shot the eclipse using a solar filter on his telephoto lens. His additional images are of a spectacular Vandenburg Starlink rocket launch at dusk.
Cathy had the wonderful idea of photographing people gathered and watching the eclipse. The main idea to catch the large group watching the eclipse, wearing their glasses, and looking upward. Turns out this behavior was more isolated and in smaller groups than you’d think. Still, the images are fun and she captured some wonderful moments at the Reuben H Fleet Eclipse Party April 8 2024.
Gary loves his Nikon 100-400mm zoom lens image quality and each week shares photos displaying tack-sharp images. This week he photographed a nesting Osprey on Shelter Island, San Diego. You’d never suspect they were taken in strong winds; his use of fast shutter speeds and image stabilization generated excellent results. For the street theme, he used his iPhone at the San Diego courthouse. Catching unique reflections of an old San Diego building in a modern glass building facade.
Sharon had a unique group of theme-related photos – street photography. The photos were from a neighborhood house fire. Using her favorite gear – iPhone camera – she caught some dramatic images of billowing smoke, a ladder truck, and the fireman fighting the blaze in full gear. The late afternoon sunlight adds to the drama.
Jim’s travel plans took him to Anza-Borrego for the wildflower bloom. There were remnants and patches of the desert blooms but he was probably two week too late. Fortunately, conditions Monday morning Apr 8th were good for photographing the eclipse. With only ~55% coverage of the sun by the moon, a 20 stop ND filter was used on his 400mm lens (ND1000000). Without totality, the eclipse was fun to see but much less impressive. Fortunately, the Street Photography theme was a good opportunity for him to compile & present some photos from a recent Oceanside Pier walk-about.
There was an interesting discussion on the Pier Fisherman photo he presented – see below. Cathy thought the t-shirt logo was distracting; Sharon thought the PPG logo suggested a working-man persona. Gary thought the fishing cart was a distraction. So below is the original presented (which Jim still prefers), an edited version with the t-shirt logo removed, and another with both the t-shirt logo & cart removed. Getting feedback about the images shared is one of the best parts of our meetings. It give a photographer the opportunity to share their images and get a reaction from other people. It’s always fun to here their comments.
Cathy proposed this month’s theme – Spring – and had plenty of theme-related images to share. Many of the photos were from a trip to Filoli Gardens, a 15 acre estate with beautiful landscaping. She also had images of wildflowers, Desert Gold specifically, and Lake Manley in Death Valley. The winter rains have made both exceptional this Spring.
