Team-BHP - Images from above 10000 feet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen (Post 2074128)

It’s a very logical question you’ve raised. I’m sure many have the same question in mind. Let me try to answer this.

At any point in time a camera can capture only the result from one exposure (shutter speed/aperture) combination. And a given exposure (read metering through Aperture Value/Time Value/Program/Manual) will capture what best it can of the frame. So if the metering is chosen for shadow area (less in brightness than the other area of the frame) high light area will blow out (less information or no information). The same applies for high light area metering and thereby getting under exposed/dark shadow area.

Current generation cameras have Evaluative Metering or more commonly known as Matrix Metering. This metering mode reads the overall area of the frame and tries to work out the best possible combination (Aperture if shooting mode is Shutter Priority/Shutter speed if shooting mode is Aperture Priority). Seldom this metering mode fails.

When we see anything, the eyes/brain processes the image in an accurate manner. We don’t have any difficulty to enjoy a vast tonal range scale in a natural way. No wonder the closest process to achieve this today is far from natural.
I’m talking about High Dynamic Range process here.

Now what do we do in places like these? Depending on the colour/brightness of the sky, clouds and rocks we need to take a call. And this call is crucial. This call will determine the exposure and thereby the final output.

If I take my meter reading from the white cloud or snow capped mountain, what happens to those brown and yellow surfaces? They’ll go darker than what they originally are. Is that ok with me? That’s ok with me as long as they don’t go too dark. I surely want them to go few grades darker because darker tones are going to make those colours richer.

Reducing or increasing tones and colours afterward is the job of PhotoShop.. One of the world’s most coveted software. :D

Rudra-da, thanks for explaining.

To sum it up, can we safely say, these photos are more closer approximation of what human eye can see, than one exposure by camera (which is very crude approximation by the machinery).

Dear Rudra da and Ajay

Your photos are simply amazing, words fail me and you guys are the benchmarks in the stratosphere for any shutter bug.

Please do us less talented creatures a favour. Request you guys to gift us TBHPians a few high res photos (pref res 1920x1080, your favourites) to use as desktop wallpapers with your signatures on them, quite literally autographed by you both. These will occupy pride of place on our machines. I perfectly understand if it cannot be done due to copyright or other reasons.

Regards,

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 2074993)

Dear Rudra da and Ajay
Request you guys to gift us TBHPians a few high res photos (pref res 1920x1080, your favourites) to use as desktop wallpapers with your signatures on them, quite literally autographed by you both.

I don't know but for some reason we're thinking alike. Ajay and me have decided the same some time back. I'm in the process of resizing few images for TBHP members to download as wallpaper.
It'll be up on Ajay's server soon and Ajay will give you necessary instructions to download them.

No, there won't be any autograph or watermark from us. We trust this huge bunch of car lovers for not using them other than as wallpapers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen (Post 2074997)

Thank you so much Rudra da and Ajay! Very kind of you. I am grinning ear to ear. I look forward to those wallpapers...<drooooool>:Cheering:

Best regards,

Ooooof....the long held breath has been released. I did not comment earlier as I was awestruck. Each picture a musical melody. Those pictures of the myriad coloured mountains - red, purple, brown, black all brough back my memories of the Ladakh visit in 2009.

RudraDa & Ajay, thank you for those wonderful pictures. I really really appreciate your comments about not watermarking or digitally signing these stunning pictures. I wish & hope that this trust is never broken..

My quest of meeting you (Rudra) in person still remains unfulfilled. I spent a wonderful evening with Ajay at his Delhi home last year.

May God bless you both...

Hi Rudra, Ajay,

All the adjectives have already been exhausted so I don't have anything to say other than these were the most beautiful pictures I have seen of that landscape.

Going through overall thread, some questions came to my mind.

On most photography forums I have read people saying It is not the cameras, but lenses are the ones that take pictures. But I see all along only the cameras mentioned above pictures.

Secondly, I read that you first decide how it should appear finally (after complete processing). This means it is an Artists (photographers :)) imagination that I see in the end. But in way this also implies that the only thing remains on the photograph from the landscape are the lines inside the picture. So if I visit that place in person I may not see/find the area that much beautiful.

Ajay, you place reads Zurich. That means you live closer to Alps. How do you compare Alps to this part of the world from photography point of view? Barring the green and barren part?

Again, thanks for the visual treat!

Quote:

Originally Posted by shipnil (Post 2075158)

On most photography forums I have read people saying It is not the cameras, but lenses are the ones that take pictures. But I see all along only the cameras mentioned above pictures.

That is because this thread has pictures taken from 3 different cameras. 1Ds Mark II and S90 from my side and 1Ds Mark III from Ajay. Often, very often members ask what camera used. Hence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shipnil

Secondly, I read that you first decide how it should appear finally (after complete processing). This means it is an Artists (photographers :)) imagination that I see in the end. But in way this also implies that the only thing remains on the photograph from the landscape are the lines inside the picture. So if I visit that place in person I may not see/find the area that much beautiful.

You may find these areas even more beautiful. About my decision on final frames.. read post #224.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shipnil (Post 2075158)

Hi Rudra, Ajay,

Ajay, you place reads Zurich. That means you live closer to Alps. How do you compare Alps to this part of the world from photography point of view? Barring the green and barren part?

Again, thanks for the visual treat!

All mountains have their own beauty and variations, be it Andes or Alps or Himalayas. Himalayas have a huge range of diversity and variations in every sense.
I love going to Himalayas because its so wild, magnanimous, large and open hearted for all of us to feast in it for our lifetime...!!

Hi everybody,

As Rudra earlier mentioned, here are 5 selected images from this thread which you can download from my Server. They are all in 1920x1000 in 24bit and above resolution. No visible/invisible watermarks and no signatures. These are our thanks to all of you for going through this thread all these days.

I have opened three User accounts and you can log into anyone of them for downloading the zipped file Ladakh2010_tbhp_5imgs.zip (8.2MB file).

Please goto http://ajaynarayan.no-ip.info
Ignore Security warning and continue
Login to Server using following inputs

Name: Public and Password: tbhp
or
Name: Public2 and password: tbhp2
or
Name: Public3 and password: tbhp3

The Server is fast and based in Zurich. Download time will depend upon Net speed. It switches-on at 0630CET or 1000IST and closes at 0030CET or 0400IST everyday. The access using above log-ins are valid till 24.09.10. Please logout as soon as you have downloaded the file to keep the access free for other members. Users have full access here, so please do not delete this file by any chance.

Many thanks from both of us and wishing you all a wonderful time.
Ajay

P.S. Please avoid that these images are wrongfully used elsewhere. Thanks.

"Hey this is the best pic.." is the line that we use before we scroll down to your next picture. Kudos to Rudra Sir and Ajay Sir for showing the best of wilderness in india. I am sure the international publication houses would be after you once they see these amazing pieces of art from you guys. Sir I have a request here, it would be great if you can showcase the best of this work in the form of an exhibition in the city center or may be use some media like a TV channel to showcase this work of art to rest of the human kind and let them feel how beautiful india is (apart from taj mahal) and let the country men feel proud of our hostile conditions that our army works in, to keep the country safe from predators. This would really create great awareness among countrymen and outsiders alike to save and preserve what is left with mother nature.
I am sure Team-bhp members would agree with my thoughts and recommendations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ajay Narayan (Post 2075309)

Hi Ajay and Rudra da,

For the 1st time in my life 2 images made me gasp and actually catch my breath. Breath taking is all I can say and this is no exaggeration. The images are TSOMORIRI and TSOMORIRIWAY. Like fazalaliadil said in one of his posts...I too see the Creator in your images.

Thank you so much for your generosity. These photographs are to be cherished forever.

Rgds,