Photo of the Week 06/01/2008

[DWScott]

Great shots everyone! I enjoy Miserere's first shot the best. What's the story?

[travis_truman]

The new lens that motivated me to get out shooting is a Sigma 28-70 2.8 EX Asph that I picked up on Ebay for a bargain. The damn thing weighs a ton, but I've enjoyed shooting with it so far. The first two shots were taken with the Sigma and Euclidean Pigeon was taken with my FA 28-105 3.2-4.5 which is my normal walk around lens.

[mcmanamey]

travis - now that i've slept a little, that reminds me to tell you I really like your 3 shots

this week. nice!

[mountainvisions]

I agree about Miserere ...although my light hearted comment a few weeks ago was misunderstood, definitely some great shots and a vast improvement in misereres images on a consistent basis. Seems like a great shot every week now.

[travis_truman]

@Maria - thanks, glad you like them.

 

This is the first time I've posted anything to photo.net as I've generally been in awe of the images I've seen posted.

[a few images]

Miserere is definitely firing on all cylinders. And I liked his Brit commentary to boot - magpies, pavement.. lol (a personal goal of mine is to get a really good shot of a magpie. They're everywhere but, they're skittish).

 

Looks like everyone is doing well again. Thanks for sharing!

[dorus]

The windtunnel, and all 3 by Travis struck me as very extraordinary . Besides that I very much enjoy this weekly surprise with always all enjoyable pictures.

But here's something different again, and I'm curious as to what you think of my experimenting.

I was ﾑdoingﾒ glass this week, herewith samples of 3 different styles.

 

<img src="http://album.zoom.nl/public_images/17779/OGPwhT.jpg">

 

<img src="http://album.zoom.nl/public_images/17779/bihRQ5.jpg">

 

<img src="http://album.zoom.nl/public_images/17779/lyFbZH.jpg">

[travis_truman]

@O Shiva - I like these types of focused studies on lighting and form. They can be really gratifying and really frustrating at the same time, but they usually pay off with some great learning. I really like the minimalism of these.

[hinman]

Bee shots and that of my boys.

<br><br>

<p align="center">

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2537870112_e777ca1984.jpg">

<br><br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2546070598_559659563b.jpg">

<br><br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2545323961_e198a32fae.jpg">

</p>

And I have been requesting help in checking if noise are normal with my K10D in iso 400 shots in <a href="http://hintheman.com/misc">Noise Samples</a>. Thanks!

[todd_phillips3]

These are all outstanding as usual. The wind tunnel evoked a big wow from me of course. Amazing shot!

<br>

<br>

Here are some from the weekend...

<br>

<p>

<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tmphillips/2546140820/">

<img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2546140820_ba9e9d52af.jpg?v=0"></a></p>

<br>

<p>

<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tmphillips/2545314861/">

<img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2545314861_d1cc8b0147.jpg?v=0"></a></p>

<br>

<p>

<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tmphillips/2546140504/">

<img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2546140504_39090f1bd5.jpg?v=0"></a></p>

<br>

<p>

<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/tmphillips/2545314589/">

<img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2370/2545314589_a01d09a5a9.jpg?v=0"></a></p>

<br>

[dorus]

@ Hin Man: the noise in those images is quite acceptable. I'd be happy with such bees.

[alisa_stieg]

Hin, I don't notice any distracting noise in your shots at all. What lens did you use?

 

I went outside to try to capture a piece of flying fuzz...failed miserably though. I've been trying to capture birds in flight and having a very difficult time of it. I was sitting inside the house looking out on my yard and noticed the fuzz from the Cottonwood trees gently falling and figured maybe tracking a piece of falling fuzz would be good practice for capturing flying birds. Let me just say that before I grabbed the camera, the pieces appeared to be falling quite slowly, almost like snow. By the time I got outside, those slow-falling fuzzies were flying by much faster! LOL! This will take a LOT of practice!

 

I did get this itty bitty butterfly though. They are bright blue when their wings are open, but I wasn't able to capture that...*sniff*.

 

 

Lisa<div></div>

[alisa_stieg]

Mis, I am dying to know the story behind your Wind Tunnel pics! I loved them all, but that one really intrigues me!

 

O Shiva, as always, your picture always amaze me! They are alway so very visually interesting!

 

Haig, I LOVE the handprint picture!

 

Travis, not sure why you're intimidated...I loved the first one!

 

Fredrik, your Shadowplay is my favorite!

 

Justin, great job on the stitch! Fabulous panoramic shot! My stitches never look that good...

 

Todd, the color in your photos is beautiful! #3 almost looks fake!

 

Maria, in spite of having little time to get many shots (or much sleep), you still did a great job!

 

Javier, I like #2 best too! Tell your son great job!

 

And Nick, my favorite part is that the berries are NOT red but parts of the stem are! If only there were a few drops of dew on those berries! LOL!

 

Now, Dave, I gotta tell ya...that pot and greasy backsplash does NOT make me want to eat the food outta that kitchen, but I still like the picture! It's probably a good thing I don't see all the kitchens of the restaurants at which I eat...I am curious what lens you used though.

 

Lisa

[hinman]

@Alisa, @Shiva: thanks for the comments. Mis went over my originals and noted the noise being normal. And I may have worsened the noise in sharpening in Picasa -- my software to be replaced by Lightroom, hopefully in the near future.

<br><br>

And I have been shooting with Tamron 70-300 Di LD + K10D in jpg in ISO 400 as I want to test out on noise in my K10D which I find more presence of noise as compared to K100D and I need more powerful tool not to aggravate the noise in post processing with sharpening and others.

<br><br>

<p align="center">

another shot with Tamron 70-300 Di LD<br>

this one, I see the sucking from the bee <br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2546070874_87e87c3bdf.jpg">

</p>

Thanks everyone!

[mc2imaging]

@ Alisa - Funny thing, I was on my way home from work and there is a giant

cottonwood tree next to the light that I sit at for 20 minutes. As I sat there watching it

shed fuzz balls through my sunroof, I pondered the best way to photograph such an

experience. My answer was Stereographically (3D). Unfortunately, with all the

excitement of last week (and this week), I don't think I'll get the chance to prove my

theory this year. I tried something similar with some bubbles at a wedding a couple

weeks ago, but my convergence was off a bit...<div></div>

[mc2imaging]

I've been playing with 3D stuff a lot lately, but it doesn't translate to the internet very

well. My dad and I are used to looking at two separate images and forcing our eyes to

focus on each image independently to see the 3D effect. Most people can't do this

well, so we include a victorian style viewer with our 3D packages...<div></div>

[mc2imaging]

@mis - regarding the 'pavement' shot... What did the other half of that gal look like? I

think you were out taking 'girls on the street' shots, but had to include distractions to

make your wife think you were doing something 'artistic'... :-P

[bob_marz]

Just a little furry friend, but he liked kind of cute with a glint in his eye.

[mc2imaging]

One more thing @Alisa - <i>"...good thing I don't see all the kitchens of the restaurants

at which I eat..."</i><p>

 

I take it you are not a Waffle House fan?

[miserere_mei]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words; trying to please you guys keeps me going :-) As I started the thread, I feel a moral obligation to comment on what's been posted so far, so get ready for a long post.

 

Wind Tunnel story: Why doesn't anyone believe anything I say? If I say it's a wind tunnel, then that's what it is, what's so difficult about that? Oh OK...so it's the ceiling above the cafeteria and store area at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. You can take pictures throughout the museum, except in the temporary exhibits, and it's a great place to shoot. I got so many keepers just walking around, but this one was definitely my favourite. They have 3 guys whose job it is to just hang from wires all day long, but I could only fit 2 of them in the frame. I was talking to one when he took his lunch break and apparently the pay quite well.

 

I'm surprised nobody asked me about the title for Caffrey's... Maybe everyone got it? I'll have to be more obscure next time. I wonder if Rose has any photos of this storm; it hit Boston last Wednesday, I think.

 

Dave: you might very well be correct in your crop judgement on "A Pavement in New York". The problem is that when I came upon this poor bicycle I got the idea for the photo, so I crouched down and composed carefully so the bicycle, lampost and street were *exactly* the way I wanted them. Then I waited for someone to walk by...which took about a minute and my legs were getting numb. When taking a shot like this, I find it difficult afterwards to let go of my initial plans. When I come to terms with this, I will probably chop a chunk off the top. Thanks for pointing it out!

 

As for your pics, I remember being 12 (isn't that your daughter's age?) and *always* being hungry, so I sympathise with her. I love "Secured Network"! Did you make it that dark on purpose?

 

Travis: What took you so long? Those photos are only your 2nd post on the forum, and I love them, especially the first. I really like abstracts, and I can see from your Flickr page that you're an expert; please post more often. My comment for your 3rd shot would be to increase the contrast (Warning! Miserere is a known, registered contrast junkie. Take his advice at your peril.)

 

Nick: What camera are you using? I think you have a problem with the white balance, strawberries are red! (Violets are blue, this was a joke, I hope you laughed too.) If you're going to fall off the wagon, do it in style, I say.

 

Javier: You went from one extreme to the other when sizing photos :-) I like the first one, I expect a duck to come sliding down any minute.

 

Haig: Yes, you caught *the* magpie strutting around pretending not to know anything about my memory card. Maria, go take a look! As for your pics this week, my fave is the piano, and not just because I live in it.

 

Andrew: Mislabelled lenses are the holy grail of eBay, good for you! My advice, get that lens closer to the plant! It's a macro for good reason.

 

Morgan: Thank you for your compliments, much appreciated! Ah yes, the days when I tried to mediate the "discussions" between Justin and Lindy. I had to give up on that, Morgan. I turned to herding cats instead, it's a lot easier. But hey, are you saying I'm no longer funny!? [Rushes off to grab a copy of "The Jumbo Book of Internet Jokes"] As for your pics, I like the oranges, but for some reason I keep turning my head; my brain wants to see them rotated 90 degrees to the right. The 2nd shot is awesome, pontoon boat or not; I didn't really notice it until you pointed it out. I love how you've exposed for the shade, throwing the river and sky out with the highlights. It's one of those things you're probably not meant to do, and yet if you hadn't, this shot just wouldn't have been as grand.

 

Maria: sorry to hear about all your hospital visits and your friends lost to the tornado; I'm afraid I didn't hear that piece of news. I'm always in awe of how cheerful you come across, considering all the stress you must endure on a weekly basis. You're a great lady! And not a bad photographer, either ;-) Good job on that drive-by wedding, the bride *does* look happy. But please, no tornado chasing, OK?

 

Justin: Where's Caney!? Don't take this the wrong way, but your wife doesn't quite do the yearning-stare-into-the-vastness-of-the-world-and-my-life as well as Caney does. Beautiful panorama, otherwise. As for the photo set-up, I think you forgot to mention what socks you were wearing. "...although my light hearted comment a few weeks ago was misunderstood", by whom? Not me!

 

Fredrik: I like the old man, but I'm afraid I don't know who it's an homage to.

 

Markus: Love the peacock! What a show-off. Is the hen ignoring him? I like the contrast of the tail with the arches in the background.

 

O Shiva: I think I see what you're trying to accomplish in the 3rd one, but maybe a straight B&W would be better. The 2nd one has a great gradient in the background, but the glass isn't saying much to me. The 1st one, however, man, that's precious. The silhouette, the lighting on the sides, the roughness of the upper edges...It's beautiful! A request from me: Translate your webpage into English!

 

Hin: Noise or no noise, the bee shots are outstanding And good to see your kid again, I think it's been a while. Is this the youngest or eldest? Back to noise, most people say the K10D is worse in that respect than the K100D, so maybe you've just been spoilt :-) The bee in your 2nd post is my fave.

 

Todd: Pic #1 is my fave; #3 and #4 are also cool, but #1 just has something special about it. OK, I'm going to say it: Have you tried converting it to B&W with an orange filter...?

 

Alisa: "Itty Bitty Blue Butterfly" is a beauty, and I actually feel the blue of the wings would have broken the harmony of the muted tones in this shot, so I think it was a good thing it didn't flap its wings. The composition, whether coincidental or not, is just icing on the cake.

 

Matt: Does Maria know you don't converge...? Soap bubbles are tough to photograph. If that darn magpie hadn't stolen my SD card, I would have posted a bubbles shot last week. Oh well... Love the Victorian viewer, I bet there aren't many wedding photogs that offer that. And are you saying it's actually legal to take shots of pretty girls on the street!?!? :-o I had no idea!

 

Bob: Now that is one cute squirrel posing for you :-D

 

Phew...I made it! Now I'll go put my fingers in ice. Please excuse me!

[shots worth sharing]

Wow--Pentaxians rule!

 

@ Mis: I know what you mean about crouching the bad news is that it gets worse with age. "Secured Network" is dark because it was a night shot--I just couldn't wait to play with the new lens and didn't see the spiderweb til I got it on the pc.

 

@ Alisa Trust me: you definitely DO want to eat there--really terrific food. This was in the middle of a busy day so a little splatter is excusable. I really wanted to photograph the cook who was black, beautiful and cranking out great stuff (hash browns to tempura) to beat the band but I'm a bit shy about sticking a camera in busy peoples faces. The lens was the Sigma 24-60mm f2.8 EX which I'm liking a lot.

[hinman]

@Mis, you are a kind soul. Your black & white always carry a mystery of wonderful story behind. The wind tunnel is excellent and intriguing shot. What lens you have used! I still remember the photo of your wife's shoulder and that of the leaves' shot in b&w from last week. I forget to ask what tool you used for post processing. And thanks for all the help with my noise checking.

 

@Shiva, can you tell me what software you use for your post processing? I love the simple but elegant style of photos from Mis and you.

 

@Todd, I especially love the last photo, she is so pretty with that smile.

 

@Haig, I love the piano shot's reflection. Colorful reflection in the black.

[hagar]

@Mis, thanks.. and great comments on everyone's photos.. Maybe we should get you to start the POW every week? <grin>

[alisa_stieg]

Yeah, I agree with Mis about the NO TORNADO CHASING thing, M&M! When that wind comes sweeping down the plains in a rotating fashion, better to be far, far away! LOL! Seriously, it's been all over the news about wanna-be storm-chasers getting caught out in severe storms and how dangerous it is! Please keep yourselves safe...your Pentaxian friends would miss you so! And I do hope your grandmother is feeling better!

[alisa_stieg]

<i>"Markus: Love the peacock! What a show-off. Is the hen ignoring him? "</i>

 

...Mis I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing...guy shows off, girl ignores it...LOL! I thought I made comment about that, sorry for missing you Markus! I thought that was a great catch!

 

And Bob, your squirrel is GREAT!

 

<i>"I take it you are not a Waffle House fan?"</i>...well, the only time I go there is when my children drag me there, so I guess I could be described as "not a big fan." It always smells like yummy coffee though, so it's got that going for it.