THE ROCKERY ON SUNDAY 4 MAY 2025
THE ROCKERY AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS - SESSION TWO [SONY A7RIV WITH 70-200 G II F4 LENS]
I visited the Botanic Gardens on Saturday and on Sunday. On Saturday I used a crop sensor Sony FX30 with a 16-35mm F2.8 GM II lens and on the follow up visit I used my old Sony A7RIV with a brand new Sony 70-200mm F4 G II lens. I also experimented with the new "landscape" masking feature in Lightroom Classic so some of the images may look a bit weird.
If you are a rockery fan you're in luck! The National Botanic Gardens in Dublin does indeed have a rockery, and it's a feature with some history.
Key Details about the Rockery:
Development: The rockery was developed towards the end of the 1880s.
Construction Material: It was built using stone quarried from nearby Finglas.
Reginald Farrer's Opinion: Interestingly, the renowned rock garden expert Reginald Farrer had a rather unflattering view of the Glasnevin rock garden. He described it in his book "My Rock Garden" as one of the finest examples of what he termed the "Devil's Lapful," suggesting a chaotic and haphazard arrangement of bare boulders.
Modern Interpretation: Despite Farrer's harsh critique, the rockery is still a feature of the Botanic Gardens today. It's mentioned as one of the attractions that visitors can enjoy, alongside the herbaceous borders, rose garden, and alpine yard.
Irish Geology Rockery: In more recent times (around 2009), an "Irish Geology Rockery" was opened within the Botanic Gardens. This rockery was specifically designed as an educational resource, showcasing different rock types from around Ireland, arranged geographically. The centrepiece of this rockery is the shape of Ireland outlined in quartzite and infilled with Mississippian limestone.
So, while the original rockery dates back to the late 19th century and received a less-than-enthusiastic review from a famous expert, the Botanic Gardens has maintained a rockery as a feature and even developed a new one with an educational focus on Irish geology. You can still visit and see it for yourself!
The latest version of Adobe Lightroom Classic (version 14.3, released in April 2025) has introduced a new "Landscape" masking feature within its robust masking panel. This feature leverages AI to automatically detect and create masks for various elements commonly found in landscape photographs.
How the Landscape Masking Feature Works:
When you select "Landscape" from the Masking panel, Lightroom Classic analyzes your image and identifies the following potential elements:
Sky: Similar to the existing "Select Sky" feature.
Architecture: Buildings and other man-made structures.
Vegetation: Trees, plants, and foliage.
Water: Oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water.
Mountains: Mountain ranges and hills.
Natural Ground: Soil, rocks, sand, and other natural terrain.
Artificial Ground: Roads, paths, and other human-constructed ground surfaces.
You can then choose to create masks for one or multiple of these elements simultaneously. Lightroom can create these as separate masks or combine them into a single mask for broader adjustments. Once the masks are created, you can refine them using other masking tools (like the brush, gradients, or range masks) and apply local adjustments (exposure, contrast, colour, etc.) specifically to those selected areas.
Discussion and Reaction:
The initial reaction to the "Landscape" masking feature has been largely positive, with many photographers viewing it as a significant time-saver and a powerful addition to Lightroom Classic's editing capabilities. Here's a breakdown of the observed reactions:
Pros:
Efficiency: The AI-powered automatic selection of landscape elements drastically reduces the time and effort required for manual masking using brushes or gradients. This allows photographers to focus more on creative adjustments.
Precision: While not always perfect initially, the AI generally does a commendable job of identifying different elements, providing a solid starting point for precise local adjustments.
Targeted Editing: The ability to selectively edit specific parts of a landscape (e.g., darkening the sky, enhancing vegetation, bringing out detail in mountains) offers greater control over the final image.
Versatility: Despite being named "Landscape," users are finding it useful for various outdoor photography genres, including architectural and even some wildlife scenarios where these elements are present.
Integration: The feature is seamlessly integrated into Lightroom Classic's existing masking workflow, making it easy to combine with other masking tools for further refinement.
Learning Curve: For users already familiar with Lightroom's masking tools, the "Landscape" feature is intuitive and easy to adopt.
Cons and Areas for Improvement:
Accuracy: The AI is not always perfect. It can sometimes misidentify elements (e.g., mistaking part of a mountain for a path) or create masks that need refinement.
Refinement Still Necessary: While it saves time, manual refinement of the AI-generated masks is often still required to achieve optimal results.
Potential for Over-Editing: The ease of making targeted adjustments could lead some users to over-edit specific elements, resulting in an unnatural-looking image.
Interface: Some users might find the increasing number of options within the masking panel slightly overwhelming initially.
Overall Sentiment:
The "Landscape" masking feature is generally seen as a valuable and welcome addition to Lightroom Classic. Photographers appreciate the increased efficiency and control it offers for editing landscape and outdoor photography. While the AI isn't flawless and refinement is often needed, it represents a significant step forward in simplifying complex masking tasks. Many anticipate that with future updates, the accuracy of the AI detection will further improve, making this feature even more powerful.
It's being hailed as a "game-changer" by some for outdoor photographers, streamlining workflows and enabling more nuanced and targeted adjustments than previously possible with basic gradient or brush tools alone. The ability to quickly isolate and enhance individual components of a landscape opens up new creative possibilities in post-processing.
I visited the Botanic Gardens on Saturday and on Sunday. On Saturday I used a crop sensor Sony FX30 with a 16-35mm F2.8 GM II lens and on the follow up visit I used my old Sony A7RIV with a brand new Sony 70-200mm F4 G II lens. I also experimented with the new "landscape" masking feature in Lightroom Classic so some of the images may look a bit weird.
If you are a rockery fan you're in luck! The National Botanic Gardens in Dublin does indeed have a rockery, and it's a feature with some history.
Key Details about the Rockery:
Development: The rockery was developed towards the end of the 1880s.
Construction Material: It was built using stone quarried from nearby Finglas.
Reginald Farrer's Opinion: Interestingly, the renowned rock garden expert Reginald Farrer had a rather unflattering view of the Glasnevin rock garden. He described it in his book "My Rock Garden" as one of the finest examples of what he termed the "Devil's Lapful," suggesting a chaotic and haphazard arrangement of bare boulders.
Modern Interpretation: Despite Farrer's harsh critique, the rockery is still a feature of the Botanic Gardens today. It's mentioned as one of the attractions that visitors can enjoy, alongside the herbaceous borders, rose garden, and alpine yard.
Irish Geology Rockery: In more recent times (around 2009), an "Irish Geology Rockery" was opened within the Botanic Gardens. This rockery was specifically designed as an educational resource, showcasing different rock types from around Ireland, arranged geographically. The centrepiece of this rockery is the shape of Ireland outlined in quartzite and infilled with Mississippian limestone.
So, while the original rockery dates back to the late 19th century and received a less-than-enthusiastic review from a famous expert, the Botanic Gardens has maintained a rockery as a feature and even developed a new one with an educational focus on Irish geology. You can still visit and see it for yourself!
The latest version of Adobe Lightroom Classic (version 14.3, released in April 2025) has introduced a new "Landscape" masking feature within its robust masking panel. This feature leverages AI to automatically detect and create masks for various elements commonly found in landscape photographs.
How the Landscape Masking Feature Works:
When you select "Landscape" from the Masking panel, Lightroom Classic analyzes your image and identifies the following potential elements:
Sky: Similar to the existing "Select Sky" feature.
Architecture: Buildings and other man-made structures.
Vegetation: Trees, plants, and foliage.
Water: Oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water.
Mountains: Mountain ranges and hills.
Natural Ground: Soil, rocks, sand, and other natural terrain.
Artificial Ground: Roads, paths, and other human-constructed ground surfaces.
You can then choose to create masks for one or multiple of these elements simultaneously. Lightroom can create these as separate masks or combine them into a single mask for broader adjustments. Once the masks are created, you can refine them using other masking tools (like the brush, gradients, or range masks) and apply local adjustments (exposure, contrast, colour, etc.) specifically to those selected areas.
Discussion and Reaction:
The initial reaction to the "Landscape" masking feature has been largely positive, with many photographers viewing it as a significant time-saver and a powerful addition to Lightroom Classic's editing capabilities. Here's a breakdown of the observed reactions:
Pros:
Efficiency: The AI-powered automatic selection of landscape elements drastically reduces the time and effort required for manual masking using brushes or gradients. This allows photographers to focus more on creative adjustments.
Precision: While not always perfect initially, the AI generally does a commendable job of identifying different elements, providing a solid starting point for precise local adjustments.
Targeted Editing: The ability to selectively edit specific parts of a landscape (e.g., darkening the sky, enhancing vegetation, bringing out detail in mountains) offers greater control over the final image.
Versatility: Despite being named "Landscape," users are finding it useful for various outdoor photography genres, including architectural and even some wildlife scenarios where these elements are present.
Integration: The feature is seamlessly integrated into Lightroom Classic's existing masking workflow, making it easy to combine with other masking tools for further refinement.
Learning Curve: For users already familiar with Lightroom's masking tools, the "Landscape" feature is intuitive and easy to adopt.
Cons and Areas for Improvement:
Accuracy: The AI is not always perfect. It can sometimes misidentify elements (e.g., mistaking part of a mountain for a path) or create masks that need refinement.
Refinement Still Necessary: While it saves time, manual refinement of the AI-generated masks is often still required to achieve optimal results.
Potential for Over-Editing: The ease of making targeted adjustments could lead some users to over-edit specific elements, resulting in an unnatural-looking image.
Interface: Some users might find the increasing number of options within the masking panel slightly overwhelming initially.
Overall Sentiment:
The "Landscape" masking feature is generally seen as a valuable and welcome addition to Lightroom Classic. Photographers appreciate the increased efficiency and control it offers for editing landscape and outdoor photography. While the AI isn't flawless and refinement is often needed, it represents a significant step forward in simplifying complex masking tasks. Many anticipate that with future updates, the accuracy of the AI detection will further improve, making this feature even more powerful.
It's being hailed as a "game-changer" by some for outdoor photographers, streamlining workflows and enabling more nuanced and targeted adjustments than previously possible with basic gradient or brush tools alone. The ability to quickly isolate and enhance individual components of a landscape opens up new creative possibilities in post-processing.
THE ROCKERY ON SUNDAY 4 MAY 2025