Photography and Cameras

[love_the_life]

The course has finished and it’s assessment time on Wednesday. A run through of everyone’s photos in class and mine met all the criteria and have pared that down to the required 10. I thought I was one of the juniors but was surprised to find I was one of the few that had. But I do have more free time than others. I found a photo I’d taken after the first class that I’d chucked as a failure back then but it was actually a great example of slow shutter speed. Go figure.

Using Lightroom well and um, I’m now hooked on #instagram I’m also loading up older photos to an online sales site and am currently in the top 10% for an online voting competition for new photographers. After a week on that site I can’t enter that comp anymore. It was this photo that people seem to like

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Looking over old photos I realised I’d covered lots of techniques but using auto settings. Begs a few questions.

We also have to present two photographers - one ‘dead’ and a modern one. I’ve chosen that Pantone Project (kudos @TheRealTMA) as the modern selection and have corresponded with him. Ouija Board for the other one.

And I’ve never heard this announced previously (but knew from research it happens every year) but yesterday on the media heard that Pantone announced the colour for 2018 as being Ultra Violet to partly recognise Prince and Purple Rain. Weird phenomena that.

I seem to recall that photo
The Pantone colour is gorgeous - deep and rich.

 

[love_the_life]

Daughter is into raptors at present but they are very difficult to photograph well. This one was moving towards her quite quickly so missed all of him but I like the outstretched wing feathers - think it is a bit arty though light was a problem.

 

[Pushka]

Today MrP took me on a photo venture. To Carrick Estate and Brownhill Creek. Got some excellent shots plus one that I’m going to use in the portfolio. Which means updating the contact sheets. Having another print done urgently. Tomorrow. Will post pix shortly.

 

[Pushka]

Later

 

[Pushka]

One of these.

 

[Pushka]

And I have so many of this one perched high in the tree

 

[love_the_life]

And I have so many of this one perched high in the tree

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Cute koala

 

[love_the_life]

The other bird daughter saw today was a brown thornbill, tiny.

Will get photo soon....or as Pushka said, later

 

[TheRealTMA]

One of these.
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Only 1,3 & 5 are in focus. And 3&5 are marginal.

 

[love_the_life]

From one extreme (the wedge tail eagle) to the other (brown thornbill). Little birds are hard to photograph for a different reason - although they can be quite close, they move around too quickly. On the other hand she finds tawny frogmouths tend to oblige as they sit still


And Pushka, I prefer the first photo of the bee - just like the way he is sitting on the thistle

 

[Pushka]

Only 1,3 & 5 are in focus. And 3&5 are marginal.

Ok. I think that something happens when posting pictures here then. Those photos look very much out of focus on the forum but when I blow them up in LR and the RAW on iPad, only this one, which I didn’t post, is blurred. Agree that they don’t look in focus here but a couple were on auto setting so they have to be in focus. Bokeh is quite nice though.

 

[love_the_life]

Ok. I think that something happens when posting pictures here then. Those photos look very much out of focus on the forum but when I blow them up in LR and the RAW on iPad, only this one, which I didn’t post, is blurred. Agree that they don’t look in focus here but a couple were on auto setting so they have to be in focus. Bokeh is quite nice though.
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Also the comparatively small file size to post here means quality is compromised.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Ok. I think that something happens when posting pictures here then. Those photos look very much out of focus on the forum but when I blow them up in LR and the RAW on iPad, only this one, which I didn’t post, is blurred. Agree that they don’t look in focus here but a couple were on auto setting so they have to be in focus. Bokeh is quite nice though.
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Yes depending on the downscaling done by the forum software there can be some issues. In the ones above, same issue with photo one. Photo two is good.

It’s very difficult with autofocus on such images because the camera has trouble with different colours and generally being contrast based it can actually focus on one of the green spikes rather than the bee I suggest. Perhaps a slightly one stop smaller aperture to have the depth of field just a bit wider.

 

[love_the_life]

These are not great photos as the Canon seems to be struggling with the light and of course the eagles were quite high in the tree but I thought they are interesting in that they show the take-off of our largest bird of prey. It was a bit of up, up and away.

 

[Pushka]

Last night award from a US photography site voted by others. Taken 5 years ago with simple P&S camera. It now gets promoted as a photo for sale in their signature catalogue. It’s all about the moment.

 

[love_the_life]

Last night award from a US photography site voted by others. Taken 5 years ago with simple P&S camera. It now gets promoted as a photo for sale in their signature catalogue. It’s all about the moment.
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That’s fantastic. Congratulations.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Intersting presentation on cameras and phones and Portrait Mode.

 

[Pushka]

That’s fantastic. Congratulations.

Followed up today with this - look familiar? Not quite so good.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Of course if you are serious about your photography and colour, then you should calibrate your monitor (and printer if you print) with something like

Datacolor | Photography & Design

We've been using their products for many years and they work quite well. Currenty we use the Spyder Elite 5 product.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Only 1,3 & 5 are in focus. And 3&5 are marginal.

Looking at these again, I just thought that it's not focus as such but perhaps the zoom is too great for the quality of the lens and the loss of definition at max zoom where the image becomes somewhat soft and lacks clear precise focus.