Your R System Images - December 2024

[PKM-UK]

We hope you enjoy creating memorable images this month!

(For those who celebrate the festive season, may Mr and Mrs Santa bring you plenty of cheer - along with love, good health, happiness, world peace and all that kind of stuff!).

Have fun - but stay safe and well…

Phil and Karen

——

Any R System images (stills or movies) can be posted. If you would like to say something about the subject, settings, or processing, that will be very welcome.

Remember, you don't have to only post things you took this month - sometimes people don't get around to processing/ editing images straight away. (Think of it more as an ‘images I’d like to post here this month’ thing). Images taken with non-R System lenses are also very welcome as this adds to the interest.

Images posted on this thread will also be available to view in the dedicated Monthly R System Images Gallery, which can be found Here.

Commenting on people’s posts is encouraged, as it keeps everyone interested and coming back. (Please aim to be considerate, thoughtful and constructive).

We aim to provide feedback - but note we are away for part of each month and busy with ‘life stuff’. The lack of a comment from us is not a sign of disfavour!

Finally, please post in accordance with the RF Shooters Community Guidelines.

Thank you!

 

[PKM-UK]

Images from our recent visit to Quarry Bank, Styal, Cheshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Photo AI/ Studio 2. The compilations feature: R7 - Karen and R5 - Phil).

You can find out more about Quarry Bank by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Built at the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1784, Quarry Bank Mill grew to become one of the largest cotton manufacturing businesses in the world. Quarry Bank House, home to the mill-owners, Samuel and Hannah Greg and their 12 children, sits right next to the mill.

2. Quarry Bank was also the home and workplace of hundreds of mill workers - both adults and child ‘apprentices’, some as young as 8 years old. When the mill opened in 1784, two thirds of the workers were children.

3. Huge waterwheels were originally used to power the mill, these were supplemented by steam power in 1810, with 2 water turbines installed in 1905 replacing the last of the great water wheels.

4. Nearby Styal Village was built by Samuel Greg to house his workers. Alongside cottages and rows of two-up-two-down terraces, he also built shops and social spaces. By 1840, Styal had transformed into a large and thriving village with 300 tenants.

5. The Apprentice House housed the child workers at Quarry Bank. They were given food, board and rudimentary health care/ education in exchange for their labour. As many as 90 children lived here, sleeping 2 to a bed. The last children left the house in 1847 when the apprentice system was finally abandoned.

6. Quarry Bank is now owned and managed by the National Trust.

(Sources: National Trust, Wikipedia)

 

[David Stallard]

Very first few shots with the R1, drizzling rain, cold and grey trip to local Zoo

 

[Only RF]

Images from our recent visit to Quarry Bank, Styal, Cheshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Photo AI/ Studio 2. The compilations feature: R7 - Karen and R5 - Phil).

You can find out more about Quarry Bank by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Built at the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1784, Quarry Bank Mill grew to become one of the largest cotton manufacturing businesses in the world. Quarry Bank House, home to the mill-owners, Samuel and Hannah Greg and their 12 children, sits right next to the mill.

View attachment 33190

2. Quarry Bank was also the home and workplace of hundreds of mill workers - both adults and child ‘apprentices’, some as young as 8 years old. When the mill opened in 1784, two thirds of the workers were children.

View attachment 33191

3. Huge waterwheels were originally used to power the mill, these were supplemented by steam power in 1810, with 2 water turbines installed in 1905 replacing the last of the great water wheels.

View attachment 33192

4. Nearby Styal Village was built by Samuel Greg to house his workers. Alongside cottages and rows of two-up-two-down terraces, he also built shops and social spaces. By 1840, Styal had transformed into a large and thriving village with 300 tenants.

View attachment 33193

5. The Apprentice House housed the child workers at Quarry Bank. They were given food, board and rudimentary health care/ education in exchange for their labour. As many as 90 children lived here, sleeping 2 to a bed. The last children left the house in 1847 when the apprentice system was finally abandoned.

View attachment 33194

6. Quarry Bank is now owned and managed by the National Trust.

View attachment 33195

(Sources: National Trust, Wikipedia)

Another set I enjoyed.

 

[PKM-UK]

Very first few shots with the R1, drizzling rain, cold and grey trip to local Zoo
View attachment 33202View attachment 33203View attachment 33204View attachment 33205

Hi David,

Congratulations on your new tech! These are the first R1 images to appear on the monthly thread (we think!) - and you're clearly off to a flying start.

A fascinating series of shots with terrific detail and colours evident throughout - but we're suckers for big cats (shot #4 is our favourite of the bunch).

Thank you for sharing these here...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Another set I enjoyed.

Hi Only RF,

Cheers - much appreciated!

This is a huge and fascinating venue with history recording a mixture of inspiring, heartwarming and also - occasionally - chillingly sombre tales.

Many wonders lie within, but where things were not particularly scintillating it's vitally important that we learn, remember and strive to be better.

P&K

 

[Kamoshika]

Kingfisher going in for the kill with steely determination.

 

[RedCobra]

 

[MSH411]

Very nice series David!

 

[PKM-UK]

Kingfisher going in for the kill with steely determination.View attachment 33235View attachment 33236View attachment 33237View attachment 33238

Hi David,

Absolutely amazing shots of a stunningly beautiful creature (as you say, going for it in a big way!).

Wonderful feather details and colours - with the AF doing a first rate job in the face of what appears to be a forest of potentially distracting foliage.

Well done for spotting, tracking and nailing the subject - and, of course, for sharing it all here...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

View attachment 33246

Hi RedCobra,

An eye-catching capture of a magnificent creature - beautifully posed and alert. All well controlled and detailed given the competing exposure demands.


Am I right in thinking this may be another excellent example of the power of Topaz Labs Gigapixel 8 to bring out the very best from distant subject shots?

Either way, I think everyone should be suitably impressed (well, everyone apart from the fish).


Thank you for sharing...

Phil

 

[RedCobra]

Hi RedCobra,

An eye-catching capture of a magnificent creature - beautifully posed and alert. All well controlled and detailed given the competing exposure demands.


Am I right in thinking this may be another excellent example of the power of Topaz Labs Gigapixel 8 to bring out the very best from distant subject shots?

Either way, I think everyone should be suitably impressed (well, everyone apart from the fish).


Thank you for sharing...

Phil

Heavy crop and processed in the new GP8 AI Generative models. Took a Looong time. Can't tell you exactly how long as I hit go and went to lunch.

 

[PKM-UK]

Heavy crop and processed in the new GP8 AI Generative models. Took a Looong time. Can't tell you exactly how long as I hit go and went to lunch.

I tried the new/ under development 'Super Focus' early release recently floated in Photo AI and I could have timed it using a calendar.

Even masking it down to a tiny area - a creature's eye - progress was glacial and, to put it mildly, the end results were underwhelming.


I believe this kind of slow-time/ MacBook melt-down experience is what Topaz Labs Cloud (processing) Credits are meant to address.

(I like Topaz Labs - a lot - but I'll be taking a pass on this particular initiative).

Phil

 

[PKM-UK]

Happy Birthday Frank!

(Seen here enjoying some autumn sogginess at Portmeirion, Gwynedd, North Wales).

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

A coupe of recent B&W re-edits - Witherley Village, Leicestershire (well, a part of it) and Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire (both are in England).

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Studio 2).

Phil and Karen

 

[PKM-UK]

I went out yesterday as the mists had lingered and there was an outside chance of an angel beam shot (the lack of any sun being a potential snag).

As it turned out the local woods were as dull as ditchwater, but I took one snap at a favourite spot and this morning gave it some added 'Phil pop'.

Shot raw and (creatively) processed with: DxO PL Elite/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Studio 2.

(I probably overcooked it to an alarming degree - as I'm prone to do with such edits - but here you go).

Phil


Life is but a dream...

 

[David Stallard]

Like the edit, not too sure on the framing but the shot itself works really well ;-)

 

[PKM-UK]

Like the edit, not too sure on the framing but the shot itself works really well ;-)

Hi David,

Pleased to hear you enjoyed the edit.

I tend to use open/ closed framing for presenting certain posts on here/ Facebook, but rarely use this technique in real life (if you know what I mean).

Phil

 

[NGauger101010]

Every year, a friend of mine creates an outdoor G scale layout with the help of around 20 others. They do it out of the kindness of their hearts, for the local children and their families.
Here are a few of the pictures I took this year.

 

[PKM-UK]

Every year, a friend of mine creates an outdoor G scale layout with the help of around 20 others. They do it out of the kindness of their hearts, for the local children and their families.
Here are a few of the pictures I took this year.

View attachment 33379

View attachment 33380

View attachment 33381

View attachment 33382

View attachment 33383

Hi Mike,

Absolutely Fantastic! What a treat for everyone involved - well done indeed to the organisers.

Given the demanding conditions the images are rich in detail and colour, with the subjects guaranteed to get the viewer to pause and explore further.

Great stuff - thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[NGauger101010]

Hi Mike,

Absolutely Fantastic! What a treat for everyone involved - well done indeed to the organisers.

Given the demanding conditions the images are rich in detail and colour, with the subjects guaranteed to get the viewer to pause and explore further.

Great stuff - thank you for sharing...

P&K

Thanks!!

Everyone has fun with it, both the crew and the visitors.
The R5 is a great camera for night time photos, so this was fairly easy.

 

[NGauger101010]

Some foggy pictures from this morning 12/10/24
A passenger train shed along the SEPTA line in Crum Lynne PA

A Island in the Delaware River. On a clear day you can see the New Jersey side of the river behind the island

The Phila International Airport RADAR Tower

 

[PKM-UK]

Some foggy pictures from this morning 12/10/24
A passenger train shed along the SEPTA line in Crum Lynne PA

View attachment 33391
A Island in the Delaware River. On a clear day you can see the New Jersey side of the river behind the island
View attachment 33392
The Phila International Airport RADAR Tower
View attachment 33393

Hi Mike,

Three fascinating images. Fog creates a pleasing sense of depth, with the gradually diminishing visibility leaving the viewer wondering what lies beyond.

(I like playing with the fog/ graduated fog filters in Nik Collection for this reason - but you can't beat the real thing).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

‘Out of Office’ - Hello, we’re away for a few days and will be unable to provide any feedback until after we return. Have lots of fun in our absence...

In the meantime, some recent-ish before/ after image comparisons - ‘as shot’ (un-retouched OOC files, exported as jpgs) and ‘as processed’.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Photo AI and Studio 2).

Phil and Karen


1. Zoo Time...

2. A new day dawns...

3. Flower Power...

4. Sand Art...

5. If you go down to the woods today...

6. Yes, we have seen the light (house)...

 

[NGauger101010]

Hi Mike,

Three fascinating images. Fog creates a pleasing sense of depth, with the gradually diminishing visibility leaving the viewer wondering what lies beyond.

(I like playing with the fog/ graduated fog filters in Nik Collection for this reason - but you can't beat the real thing).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

Thanks!
I always enjoyed the diminishing visibility of fog. I have a few shots of bridges disappearing into the fog.

 

[NGauger101010]

‘Out of Office’ - Hello, we’re away for a few days and will be unable to provide any feedback until after we return. Have lots of fun in our absence...

In the meantime, some recent-ish before/ after image comparisons - ‘as shot’ (un-retouched OOC files, exported as jpgs) and ‘as processed’.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Photo AI and Studio 2).

Phil and Karen


1. Zoo Time...

View attachment 33399

2. A new day dawns...

View attachment 33400

3. Flower Power...

View attachment 33401

4. Sand Art...

View attachment 33402

5. If you go down to the woods today...

View attachment 33405

6. Yes, we have seen the light (house)...

View attachment 33407

These type of before/after pictures are always fascinating. Great subjects and scenery.

 

[PKM-UK]

These type of before/after pictures are always fascinating. Great subjects and scenery.

Hi MIke,

Thank you for your very kind words - much appreciated!

It's our hope that before/ after examples such as these will be enjoyed - first and foremost - and may also provide inspiration.


(As you will have noticed, we haven't actually left yet... ).

P&K

 

[TedG]

Peace Memorial Park. Hiroshima, Japan

The plaque at the Atomic Bomb Dome translates to:



The remains of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, destroyed by the first atomic bomb in history on August 6, 1945

The bomb exploded in the air about 600 meters above the building

More than 200,000 lives were lost and about 2 kilometers of the city was turned into ruins by that one bomb. In order to pass on this tragic fact to future generations and serve as a warning to humanity, reinforcement work was carried out with donations from many people who wish for peace both inside and outside the country, and the building will be preserved forever


August 6, 1967

Hiroshima City

 

[ctitanic]

Local Photographer inspecting her gear.

Bird with some attitude

 

[funjp]

Some shots from last Saturday's stroll through Tokyo's Rikugien Park