The Big Photography Thread

[xKnuckles]

I swear the sun is dimmer than it used to be here (and it's getting colder).

Brett

.......but fortunately it doesn't seem to be affecting the size of your sunflowers ......

 

[Brettymike]

That was only the small one. Here is the large beast on the end of the garage roof >

My favourite flower , and I was finding them very hard to grow , and not living for long enough

Brett

[Lindaru]

That was only the small one. Here is the large beast on the end of the garage roof >

My favourite flower , and I was finding them very hard to grow , and not living for long enough

Brett

 

Mesmerizing!

 

I have two "wind mill bees" one larger than the other. It is fun to watch their wings spin.

 

[Brettymike]

^^^ Interesting!

Here is one of my bees (weathervane) I have been making off and on for about 30 years now (sold or for gifts) >

 

Mechanical Bee 003 by Brett Palmer, on Flickr

 

I have a monster beast of a bumble bee under construction right now .

[Lindaru]

My bees.

 

The larger one I have had for more than ten years, Bumbles, and Buzz we picked up this summer on the Oregon coast in one of those shops. The one pictured here is like our little one, but they look pretty much the same except Bumbles has gotten grayer over the years.

 

Hmm. So it happens to bees, too?

 

[RichieP_MechE]

Man, I go away for a work trip this week, and you guys have all kinds of great discussion! I want to add my 2 cents!

 

I too have only been 'seriously' shooting for a short time, the past 3 years or so. I picked up my first DSLR in the spring of 2012. Prior to that, the only experience I had was in a black and white film photography class in college (~2008). Looking back, this class really demystified photography and gave me a great understanding of both the technical and artistic aspects. I've said this before: I strongly recommend taking a class like this if you can (many colleges and organizations around still offer them, surprisingly).

 

Having shot digital exclusively for a couple years now, I've found that adding some film shooting back into the mix (through the acquisition of some medium format cameras) has helped me improve even further. Everything is slowed down, really making me think about composition and exposure. I have to use a handheld light meter since it's not built in. Everything is manual; I have to set the aperture, shutter speed, and focus. I'm limited to 12 or 8 shots per roll, and with the expense of film and developing, I need to make every shot count.

 

And it works. I find that my yield when shooting medium format is nearly 90%, that is, nine out of ten shots are worth keeping. Compare that to my typical 20 or 30% yield when shooting digitally. Actually, the film mentality is working its way over my digital shooting; I'm taking fewer shots of a scene than I used to, actively trying to get it right in a couple of shots.

 

Here is a challenge for you DSLR shooters, if you're up for it:

• Use the smallest memory card you have from back in the day, maybe 128 or 256 MB. Something that will only hold 10-20 shots.
  
• Put a prime lens on your camera and set focus to manual. If you don't have any primes, use your zoom lens but only at one focal length.
  
• Put your camera in manual exposure mode.
  
• Set your ISO to either 100 or 400 (these are the two most common film speeds). Pick one! No changing based on lighting conditions!
  
• Cover your DSLR screen with a piece of gaff tape. No reviewing the photos you took!
  
• Extra bonus point: Download a light meter app for your smartphone and use that in lieu of the camera's meter
  

For maybe a week or so, limit yourself to this situation. The goal is to have your memory card filled up by the end of the week. I bet nearly every image you get will be a good one.

[Lindaru]

Wow. This sounds like a fun challenge. Time to get my Nikon out of its case.

 

My memory card holds tons (no smaller one), but I will stick to the 20 picture limit.

 

Will make sure it is charged up tomorrow morning and be ready to roll!

 

[Brettymike]

Man, I go away for a work trip this week, and you guys have all kinds of great discussion! I want to add my 2 cents!

 

I too have only been 'seriously' shooting for a short time, the past 3 years or so. I picked up my first DSLR in the spring of 2012. Prior to that, the only experience I had was in a black and white film photography class in college (~2008). Looking back, this class really demystified photography and gave me a great understanding of both the technical and artistic aspects. I've said this before: I strongly recommend taking a class like this if you can (many colleges and organizations around still offer them, surprisingly).

 

Having shot digital exclusively for a couple years now, I've found that adding some film shooting back into the mix (through the acquisition of some medium format cameras) has helped me improve even further. Everything is slowed down, really making me think about composition and exposure. I have to use a handheld light meter since it's not built in. Everything is manual; I have to set the aperture, shutter speed, and focus. I'm limited to 12 or 8 shots per roll, and with the expense of film and developing, I need to make every shot count.

 

And it works. I find that my yield when shooting medium format is nearly 90%, that is, nine out of ten shots are worth keeping. Compare that to my typical 20 or 30% yield when shooting digitally. Actually, the film mentality is working its way over my digital shooting; I'm taking fewer shots of a scene than I used to, actively trying to get it right in a couple of shots.

 

Here is a challenge for you DSLR shooters, if you're up for it:

• Use the smallest memory card you have from back in the day, maybe 128 or 256 MB. Something that will only hold 10-20 shots.
  
• Put a prime lens on your camera and set focus to manual. If you don't have any primes, use your zoom lens but only at one focal length.
  
• Put your camera in manual exposure mode.
  
• Set your ISO to either 100 or 400 (these are the two most common film speeds). Pick one! No changing based on lighting conditions!
  
• Cover your DSLR screen with a piece of gaff tape. No reviewing the photos you took!
  
• Extra bonus point: Download a light meter app for your smartphone and use that in lieu of the camera's meter
  

For maybe a week or so, limit yourself to this situation. The goal is to have your memory card filled up by the end of the week. I bet nearly every image you get will be a good one.

 

 

No, I will never go back to those times for all the tea in China Richie! . I did all that stuff 35+ years ago with my legendary (and $flash$ for the time) Canon AE1.

I have gone off the boil with fancy night exposures etc etc. I am happy with my $250 Samsung digital today at the moment , taking 10 or more shots to pick 1 good one , and not using $squillions on old roll film

 

Every shot was manually focused on my AE1.

And yes , did much in black & white and wore the tee shirt

Brett

[Lindaru]

I chose ISO 400 (auto focus), no zoom. Already scouted seven of the pictures and took them a couple of hours ago.

 

I think this is a great exercise in getting back to basics, "setting the shot" before you take it, using angles and your own body to line things up before you shoot. I am really enjoying this exercise and "walk back in time" as I have to admit that since having digital, it is tempting to take a bajillion shots to get that one and I think the planning ahead and making that one count is a great exercise that may actually play into other areas of creativity as well.

 

[RichieP_MechE]

No, I will never go back to those times for all the tea in China Richie! . I did all that stuff 35+ years ago with my legendary (and $flash$ for the time) Canon AE1.

I have gone off the boil with fancy night exposures etc etc. I am happy with my $250 Samsung digital today at the moment , taking 10 or more shots to pick 1 good one , and not using $squillions on old roll film

Brett

Aww, don't be such a party pooper

I chose ISO 400 (auto focus), no zoom. Already scouted seven of the pictures and took them a couple of hours ago.

 

I think this is a great exercise in getting back to basics, "setting the shot" before you take it, using angles and your own body to line things up before you shoot. I am really enjoying this exercise and "walk back in time" as I have to admit that since having digital, it is tempting to take a bajillion shots to get that one and I think the planning ahead and making that one count is a great exercise that may actually play into other areas of creativity as well.

 

Awesome! Yes, this is exactly the idea!

 

I should also add to my original rule list that editing photos is permitted at the end of the exercise, but should be limited to contrast, exposure, and burning and dodging (aka adjusting highlights and shadows). Typical changes you would make in the darkroom.

 

Also, extra bonus point for doing everything in black and white!

[Lindaru]

Ooh! I had not set my camera to black and white. Would that be allowed in the post editing?

 

I also have sepia and cyanotrope. Also reverse (negative) has also been one I have loved to play with in the past. I may use those on my indoor shots now that I have ten outdoor.

 

 

 

[RichieP_MechE]

Ooh! I had not set my camera to black and white. Would that be allowed in the post editing?

I'll allow it. Though keep in mind had you intended to shoot black and white in the first place, the result may be different!

[Joe Muscara]

Ages ago, I read that some felt that B&W was *very* dependent on how you did it. Thus, I always shot in color and used the best process to convert the photo. I'm wondering if current cameras do a better job with B&W. I'm not even sure if my old Digital Rebel XT does B&W. It might, but I'd have to check.

[RichieP_MechE]

Ages ago, I read that some felt that B&W was *very* dependent on how you did it. Thus, I always shot in color and used the best process to convert the photo. I'm wondering if current cameras do a better job with B&W. I'm not even sure if my old Digital Rebel XT does B&W. It might, but I'd have to check.

Hmm, I'm not sure. I know that with my Canon 6D, if you set it to monochrome, only jpegs come out in black and white; the RAW files are still in color.

 

What I was getting at more specifically was how you may approach subject matter differently when shooting B&W. For example, clear blue skies make for a much less interesting landscape photo in B&W (IMO). Lots of clouds/overcast sky suits B&W better in that situation.

[Lindaru]

Rustic looking modern buildings (such as log cabins and sheds) look pretty awesome photographed in sepia. Makes you feel like you pulled out the old shoe box of grandparents' photographs.

 

I got a kick out of doing that with the in-laws' cabin built in 1994. You would be surprised at how many people did not even notice the solar panels until I pointed them out.

 

[Lindaru]

Might I ask how you guys get images to show up here as images? When I use the "image" selection from the message typing area, the preview just shows a link.

 

:idk

[KenElevenShadows]

 

And it works. I find that my yield when shooting medium format is nearly 90%, that is, nine out of ten shots are worth keeping. Compare that to my typical 20 or 30% yield when shooting digitally. Actually, the film mentality is working its way over my digital shooting; I'm taking fewer shots of a scene than I used to, actively trying to get it right in a couple of shots.

 

Here is a challenge for you DSLR shooters, if you're up for it:

• Use the smallest memory card you have from back in the day, maybe 128 or 256 MB. Something that will only hold 10-20 shots.
  
• Put a prime lens on your camera and set focus to manual. If you don't have any primes, use your zoom lens but only at one focal length.
  
• Put your camera in manual exposure mode.
  
• Set your ISO to either 100 or 400 (these are the two most common film speeds). Pick one! No changing based on lighting conditions!
  
• Cover your DSLR screen with a piece of gaff tape. No reviewing the photos you took!
  
• Extra bonus point: Download a light meter app for your smartphone and use that in lieu of the camera's meter
  

For maybe a week or so, limit yourself to this situation. The goal is to have your memory card filled up by the end of the week. I bet nearly every image you get will be a good one.

 

Much of this is what night sky / light painting / star trails photographers do. We shoot in manual. We focus in manual....focusing on faint stars in the sky while in the dark. We do all our adjustments, framing, focus, zooming, and everything manually. If light painting, we usually stick with one ISO and aperture setting.

[KenElevenShadows]

Might I ask how you guys get images to show up here as images? When I use the "image" selection from the message typing area, the preview just shows a link.

 

:idk

 

I click on the image icon, which produces a dialog window. I select the first one. I cut and paste the image URL in, and then hit okay.

 

If that doesn't work for you, then put and%20then around the image URL and you should be okay.

 

 

I forgot to post this from last summer's trip to the a couple of ghost towns in Nevada. All illumination was done during the exposure, and is not a post-processing creation. The long exposure shows the star trails over a long period of time, the trails created by the movement of the earth.

[Lindaru]

I think I have just discovered that Google photos do not share individually due to the lack of *.jpg in the URL.

 

Will share the link to the album and see if that works. I put one up that was the sepia cabin from 2001 taken with a Sony Mavica which is a nice starter camera. The one to the right was taken with my web cam Logitech C-510 as I was getting ready to start a Skype jam with some people in Canada. Interesting surreal effect I was not even trying for.

 

Random Photography on Google Photos

[KenElevenShadows]

That link doesn't work for me, unfortunately.

[KenElevenShadows]

This photo that I'm posting below is from Google+.

 

I r-click on the image. One of the choices is to copy the image URL. Then I do as I described previously.

 

Hopefully this helps.

 

 

Where else? Joshua Tree N.P., California, U.S.A.

 

There Is Trouble In The Forest And The Creatures All Have Fled (7471)

Ken Lee Photography

Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens-14mm. 2015-07-08 00:26. 20s f/2.8 ISO 4000 4000k.

Joshua Tree National Park, CA USA/EE UU.

 

My Google+ account is: https://plus.google.com/+KenLeePhotography/

[Lindaru]

Random Photography hopefully this one works

 

Thanks, Ken . . . I went into a different part on the Google Drive and it allowed me to get "a shareable link", so hopefully this album will show up now.

 

[RichieP_MechE]

Random Photography hopefully this one works

 

Thanks, Ken . . . I went into a different part on the Google Drive and it allowed me to get "a shareable link", so hopefully this album will show up now.

I can see them! The sepia gives the cabin the perfect 1800s look!

 

[Lindaru]

Thanks, Richie! I have fun with those effects.

 

Sadly, the in-laws plan on selling the place and moving closer to town (road closed in winter and 30 to 40 miles on snowmobile), so I am glad to have some memory of that.

 

[KenElevenShadows]

Nice cabin feel. I like that!

[KenElevenShadows]

 

Ryan Ranch, Joshua Tree N.P. in California, with the gorgeous Milky Way arcing high overhead.

 

I took this over the summer, coming back from Arizona. I couldn't just drive past Joshua Tree without spending a couple of days there.

[Mike Martin]

Manual Lens challenge:

 

I actually have several manual lenses that I've bought adapters to work on my Canon. Almost all of my other photos (except the bird shots) are taken with prime lenses but I have a few special old manual lenses that I like. This was taken with an old Minolta Rikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens. I think this was taken around f/2.8 at ISO400.

 

Shaken, not Stirred by Mike Martin, on Flickr

 

 

[Lindaru]

Ken, Mike and others I have seen on here thus far, you are an inspiration to me!

 

You all should be doing magazine lay-outs and gallery work, and getting paid good money for it.

 

[KenElevenShadows]

That would be cool if that's where it goes. I'm starting to get some attention from well-respected magazine editors, such as Smithsonian, Los Angeles, National Geographic, Orange County and the LA Times Magazine and Travel Section, but you know, there's a lot of really talented photographers out there.

 

My goal is just to keep trying to get better. Since starting to do night photography and light painting and star trails stuff about three years ago, I feel like I've found my "voice". And I simply want to soak it in and keep getting better and keep getting out there and taking photos. I love the whole creativity, peacefulness, sense of connectedness, and really, the entire process of taking night photos.

 

Noted night photographer Michael Kenna sums it up beautifully:

 

Getting photographs is not the most important thing. For me its the act of photographing. Its enlightening, therapeutic and satisfying, because the very process forces me to connect with the world. When you make four-hour exposures in the middle of the night, you inevitably slow down and begin to observe and appreciate more whats going on around you. In our fast-paced, modern world, its a luxury to be able to watch the stars move across the sky. Michael Kenna in Photographers Forum Interview Winter 2003 by Claire Sykes

[Mike Martin]

^^^^^

This.

 

Photographer is a huge escape for me. I honestly have a hard time sitting down to work on my own music any more without thinking about work. Writing music or checking out some new plug-in ends up being a sound design project for the PX-5S which is not a bad thing but it can be never ending.

 

Since I travel all over the US and to Japan a few times a year, I just take my camera everywhere. I rarely even go to the grocery store without throwing my camera in the back seat. I'm a bit obsessed I guess but with each picture I take I learn something new or get a little better. I really enjoy it. As far as money goes, I've won one contest and licensed two pictures but making a living with photography seems a bit unrealistic from what I've seen in the market. I could be wrong.