Tag Archives: photo

Experimenting with PureRAW3

This blog includes a very infrequent series of posts reviewing the processing powers of PureRAW. The third version of this raw image processor has just been released and I downloaded the trial to see how it performs. I was impressed by what the previous version did to clean up some high ISO shots but the need was limited and the price was high enough that I didn’t see the point in signing up for it. I was curious as to whether the third version would change my mind.

When I download one of these trials, I always try to avoid installing it until I have time to play with it. The trial last 30 days so I want to make sure I make good use of the time. Once I got around to installing it, I put it to work. I was disappointed to find the trial was limited to 20 images at a time which is a little restrictive but, for the purposes of evaluating it, I could work around this. I had two things I wanted to do. First, I wanted to convert some shots that I had previously tried for PureRAW2 to see how different they were. Second, I had some recent night shots which I also wanted to try.

So, how did it perform? Results were mixed. I found the conversion process was quick sometimes and would slow down or stop on others. This was annoying but I suspect is something that they will fix before too long so I wasn’t that worried. What I was surprised about was that, when starting the process in Lightroom, the new DNGs will be reimported into Lightroom. However, this was unbelievably slow. I would set it off, the conversion would finish and then, a long time later, they would suddenly get added. Again, something that is probably going to get fixed but bloody annoying in the mean time.

As for the output, I was quite amazed by the results. I will show here some of the Lightroom edits along with PureRAW2 and PureRAW3 versions of the files. As you can see, the latest version really does clean up images a lot. However, I don’t think it is all good. Some of the shots feel like they have been over sharpened and look too crunchy. Also, the algorithm seems to get imaginative when it comes to lettering on airframes. Some of the results have created shapes that just are not there in the original shot. For some shots, this might not be an issue but, when something is supposed to be recognizable, the odd artifacts show up conspicuously. If the shot had been soft and noisy, you wouldn’t have worried but, because it is supposed to be clear and sharp, the weird results stand out.

Is it worth it? Not for me. I used it on some more normal exposures and couldn’t really see much benefit. Certainly not enough to make the effort worth it. For high noise, it does provide some nice results and some odd side effects but, I don’t shoot enough of them to make that really worthwhile. For now, it shall sit in the interesting but not interesting enough category. Maybe we shall have the fourth installment of this series when PureRAW4 comes out!

Venue for a Great Wedding

Leave a Reply

The whole point of the trip to the UK was the wedding of Chris and Sam. It was taking place at a venue called the Pear Tree in Purton. We got there the day before the wedding itself. Ahead of the wedding, I took a stroll around the building and grounds to see how everything was laid out. Without all of the guests, it was very quiet but you could see how it would all fill up quickly. The place was a lovely venue. It was very picturesque and you didn’t fell like you would be lost within it. It suited the event perfectly.

The wedding itself was such a great time. The location proved to be the perfect match with the event and we had a most excellent time.

Farewell Salmon Thirty Salmon

Leave a Reply

At the time of writing, the end is nigh for the second of Alaska Airlines’ Salmon Thirty Salmon paint jobs. These are a result of a sponsorship program with Alaskan fisheries and, from what I have heard, this deal has come to an end and the jet is due for a repaint. I came across the first of the Salmon Thirty Salmon jets many years ago at LAX. The original jet was a 737-400 and I shot it on Sepulveda Boulevard resulting in a shot I was rather surprised and happy with.

The -400s have gone from the Alaska fleet and the livery was added to a 737-800. I have seen it a few times over the years but never in good conditions or too close so, once I heard it was heading for repaint soon, I decided to try and get some parting shots. These shots required a combination of decent conditions, the right time of day, not being at work etc. I was lucky that the jet was departing SEA early one Saturday morning so I would get it with low early sun as it climbed out. That worked out pretty well.

The second shot I wanted was inspired by my original shot. I wanted to get a low shot from underneath. Fortunately, I got an evening when the jet was due in and would be approaching from the north which gave me a good location to get the shot. Mission accomplished so, now when the jet gets painted, I will be fine. If they paint a Max9 in the livery, that would be cool but no sign of that so far.

Bothell’s New Fire Station

Leave a Reply

One of the routes that I take when riding my bike takes me through the center of Bothell – a town next to ours. I would ride past the old fire station but hadn’t been on the route for a while. There had been a sign saying a new fire station was going to be built and, when I recently rode by, not only was it finished but there was a sign outside saying that they were planning to have an open house to celebrate the opening. I figured this might be interesting.

The open house was scheduled for a Saturday morning so was not going to be a long event but that didn’t deter people from showing up. There were plenty of people there when I arrived – indeed some were already leaving having got there earlier. As I stayed around, it got a lot busier. So many people came to have a look around. Many of them brought their kids along to see the station but I suspect the kids were less interested than the parents were.

The appliances were on display in the main open space of the station with fire trucks, ambulances and assorted support vehicles for people to climb all over. These were of interest to me but I was almost more interested in the stuff around them. Storage for the equipment, venting pipes for the vehicle exhausts so they could run indoors, things like that. The one thing that they didn’t have was a pole! I guess those are no longer a standard of fire stations!

There was much more to the station to see, though. You were able to walk throughout the building and, while there were some tours explaining everything to people, I was happier going at my own speed and avoiding the worst of the congestion. The operations space where they could control the delivery of whatever services were needed was pretty compact but efficient. It was alongside a selection of offices for some of the leadership. Across from that was a gym where the crews could work out if they wanted.

Heading upstairs and we got to the more domestic side of things. There was a large kitchen and dining area. Large cooking surfaces with big skillets were a sign of what feeding a shift involves. There were multiple refrigerators along one wall with each labeled for the shift that utilized it. I wonder whether there are ever issues with one shift pinching food from another! Next to that was a TV room with big recliners arrayed around the TV – each on embroidered with the logo of the fire station. This logo showed up in various places.

Next was the accommodation space. There were bunk rooms available for the crews to use. I understood that they would be on watch for long periods so could eat, relax, sleep, shower and work out while they were not required for operations. The bunk rooms were compact and basic but looked like they would do the job nicely.

It was interesting to see what a modern fire station involves. I hadn’t really given it much thought before and seeing the layout gave me a new appreciation for what the crews’ lives can be like. The new building was clearly a nice upgrade for the facility and it was functional but not unattractive. They even had some sculpture work outside. A lot of effort went in to putting the place together. I hope they find it beneficial.

Anatomy Of A Special Weapon

Leave a Reply

Many moons ago, I was walking around the RAF Museum at Cosford when I was taken aback to see a “special weapon” on display. I didn’t realize that they had been declassified so, to see an inert one on display was rather a shock. Now they crop up all over the place. The Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum has one on display. It has been cut open to reveal the various elements of what turns a small amount of metal into a large amount of energy! Amazing to think so much destruction can be done wrought with so little!

Penultimate Boeing 747

Leave a Reply

By the time this post goes live, the last production 747 will have been delivered long ago and will be in service. As the countdown to the last jet was underway, the interest in the remaining jets off the line went up significantly. The penultimate jet to be built was also for Atlas Air and was branded for their contract supporting Kuehne + Nagel. I saw a few shots of it appear online as people got it arriving in some gorgeous lighting. Sadly, I couldn’t be there for that but I did manage to get it arriving from a test flight one afternoon. The light wasn’t fantastic, but it was okay. After this one, there was only one more to go.

Snowdrop Carpets

Leave a Reply

Not far from where we were staying while in the UK and en route to the wedding venue was Welford Park. Nancy was interested in this place because it is the location for the filming of Bake Off. However, it isn’t normally open to the public. Spring is the one exception when the snowdrops flower in huge numbers in the woods on the estate and they open up for visitors. Fortunately, the timing of this coincided with our visit so we scheduled a stop on our way to the wedding.

The weather was not looking like it would play ball. Just as we arrived in the parking area – a field – the heavens opened. We figured it was the UK so things could change quickly so waited it out. Sure enough, ten minutes later the sun was out and we headed in. There were a couple of times when the rain threatened again but we stayed basically dry, and we walked around the wood checking out the snowdrops.

They weren’t kidding. We saw quite a few as we walked into the estate but then we got to the woods and the place was carpeted with them. At first, I thought it was just the distance that made it look so dense but, no, when you got closer, it was really that many flowers. We wandered around the grounds taking them all in. It didn’t take too long, of course, before you started to get a little blasé about just how many there were. Sure, more snowdrops! No biggie!

Delta/LATAM Comes in After Dark

Leave a Reply

Delta picked up a few ex-LATAM Airbus A350-900s as part of that airlines restructuring during the downturn in the airline business caused by the pandemic. They went initially in to storage and then have been progressively moved to Singapore for updating to the Delta configuration. Seattle has been the location for them to come through on their way to Asia. I have missed a few but one was due to come through when I could see it. Sadly, it departed a little late from Victorville and was showing due in after dark.

Since it was an unusual movement, I figured it was still worth the effort. I would use the 500mm since it has a wider aperture and test the low light capabilities of the camera to the full. It still meant some very low shutter speeds but I let the tech compensate for my low skill levels. I was pleasantly surprised by how well some of them came out given the lack of light. Since this shoot, I did also reprocess with PureRAW3 and this improved the quality of the shot further.

Mergansers Show Up Before the Sun Does

Leave a Reply

We have a bunch of birds that are regulars at Juanita Bay which I will still photograph but that don’t stand out. Then, when you walk along the shore and you see a flash of something different, you quickly change direction. I was walking along the shore back towards the park when a white bird came into view and I saw it was a merganser. I reversed course and managed to get some shots before it too reversed course and disappeared behind the foliage. I was able to get some further shots further across the bay later, but they weren’t as close as this initial encounter. Sadly, the sun had not come up very far. It was a sunny morning, but it was midwinter and the trees were providing plenty of shade this early in the day.

Blackbird Air Park

Leave a Reply

Alongside, connected to but not part of Joe Davies Historic Airpark is Blackbird Airpark. On the south side of Palmdale’s airport, this area pays tribute to some of the most iconic products from Plant 42 across the airfield. Lockheed’s Skunk Works turned out some amazing aircraft and this exhibit includes an A-12, an SR-71, a U-2 and an D-21 drone. Having an A-12 next to an SR-71 is pretty special. You have to look closely to see which is which. A selection of black airframes together in the desert sun does not make for easy photography and there are lots of power lines and fences in the background but it would be churlish to complain too much. It is free after all!