Kite Surfer

[macgabhs]

January 31, 2007 at 1:22 pm

I took this on a recent trip to Oz. This has been cropped and sharpened in PS. I found it very difficult to get sharp pictures has anybody any tips for this type of shot? My camera settings for this were:
Shutter: 1/799
ISO 100
f 5.6

[Ali]

January 31, 2007 at 1:45 pm

Excellent shot and well place in the frame macgabhs. I don’t think i would sharpen the entire inage, definitely the kite surfer and maybe some of the spray from the waves – that we even if your subject is slightly soft, it will still most definitely pop out at you.

[nolonger]

January 31, 2007 at 2:22 pm

Is it an extreme zoom shot? Lots of zoom lenses will be a bit soft at the extreme zoom end, and you’ll also get a bit of softness at wide open aperture as well. It depends on the lens, but often enough you’re going to get your sharpest shots around the f/8-f/11 (roughly) range… and on a bright day like that you’ve definitely got enough light that you can afford it. Something to keep in mind, anyway.

As for this shot itself? Love it. Great composition. Colours feel a *tad* muted but just an all around fantastic shot.

[macgabhs]

January 31, 2007 at 3:10 pm

Thanks folks.
Ryan, I used the 40-150mm Zuiko lens with my Olympus E-500. I was at the maximum focal length of 150mm which gives an equivalent focal length of 300mm because of the 2x crop factor. So there is a fair bit of zoom there I guess. I’ll have a play around with PS tonight see if I can get some more vibrant colors.

[Rob]

February 1, 2007 at 10:59 am

Excellent. As Ryan noted, the colours may seem a little muted, but this could
easily be fixed with a small boost in saturation and contrast. At last, another
Olympus user. I’m no longer alone…

Rob.

[macgabhs]

February 1, 2007 at 11:41 am

Thanks Rob I did a little editing increased the saturation and applied an unsharp mask filter to the surfer and the spray nearest him. How does it look now? I really appreciate the advice

[Rob]

February 1, 2007 at 11:49 am

Much much better. A bit more zing in those colours now and the unsharp
mask has brought out much sharper detail. Really nice composition.

Rob.

[nolonger]

February 1, 2007 at 12:04 pm

Indeed – it’s amazing what a difference such a small change will make. Well done.

[macgabhs]

February 1, 2007 at 12:47 pm

Thanks Ryan and Rob I agree that the colours are much better now and are actually a bit more representitive of what they looked like on the beach that day!