Arlin.Photography

Amateur Bird Photography by Arlin Schaffel

About

I have been taking photos since the early 2000s and always struggled with where to post them. Since social media is dying, why not host my own photos?

Right now I mostly photograph with a Fujifilm X-T5 + Fujinon XF70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR + FujifilmTeleconverter XF 1.4x TC WR or Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR.

Use My Photos

If you want permission to use my photos and would like higher resolution version, feel free to contact me at arlin@fexd.com. If you are in a rush and want to use a photo I’ve posted here, please give me attribution and don’t use for commercial purposes.

Note to Self

I’m never going to remember all of this, so why not put it here.

  • Optimize images for roughly 4K resolution
    • 4096 x 2160 maximum pixel size
    • 1920 x 1280 minimum pixel size
  • Use the original aspect ratio of the camera
    • 3:2 aspect ratio is standard for most SLRs
  • Keep file sizes relatively small
    • 2 MB if possible, 3 MB hard(ish) limit
    • JPG quality 6-8 will usually achieve this
  • Images must be set to be the feature image
    • This ensures ActivityPub support

Processing

Try to follow this general post-production flow.

  • Shoot JPEG and Compressed RAW
    • Why both? I like having originals for future editing, but also JPEG for quick previewing. Also iOS and MacOS do not have native support for previewing Fujifilm Compressed RAW.
  • Cull with FastRawViewer on card or in temp directory
    • 1 star = keeper
    • 4 start = worth editing
    • 5 start = best – edit and post
  • Upload photos to Dropbox and Photos
    • Why both? I have low trust in Dropbox long term and my primary photo library is in Photos. This allows flexibility for the future, and ability to quickly show folks my photos.
  • Edit 4/5 star photos in Lightroom Classic
    • I follow editing technique recommended by photographers like Simon d’Entremont and Brad Holman.
    • Basic idea is to edite the subject and background separately with masks.
    • I also occasionally add a linear or radial gradiant to the top and bottom of the photo.
  • Export as JPEG and DNG
    • I don’t know why I do the DNG to be honest, mostly because it feels like a better universal backup?
  • Post
  • Upload edited 4/5 star photos to Dropbox and Photos
    • Add photos to appriopriate Photos group