greg_scott

Please post the date and specific location of a photo you show here, not for artistic excellence, though that is always nice, but to show how far along the foliage is in specific locations this year, 2022. I'm heading to GA/TN/NC to photograph autumn scenery, and will try to post as I go, whenever I decide to go. The date and precise location might be helpful, and even the type of the tree, since oak and maple peaks are entirely different, likewise a very specific location, perhaps even including GPS or mile marker on highway might be helpful. Peak color varies every year, and reports by news media and chambers of commerce are generally next to useless. Here is a photo from a former year. I'm afraid I badly oversaturated in my editing years ago, so its use as a color guide is minimal. 10/26/2013 Linn Cove Viaduct, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC.

I am giving away a powerful high speed flash. I used it mostly for birds in flight, without motion blur. It runs off of 12 volts (I use a small motorcycle battery) has a central power supply, a bit bigger than a shoe box, and has 4 cables leading to 4 flash heads, which are parabolic reflectors.

It is an antique, but works well. The problem for action photography is that it is sort of a "studio" setup. You need light stands or whatever, and there are cables too. Very delicate flash heads. Would be destroyed by moisture in connectors, because of very high voltage.

Still, I am giving it away, and it has a flash duration of about 1/30000 sec at half power. For sunlit subjects, it might not be powerful enough to avoid ghosting at the distance your sports might require. you can call me at 404-445-0989 if you wish to discuss.

Free Olsen-Ultra high speed flash. 1/30000 second at 1/2 power, faster and much brighter than Canon 550ex at 1/128th power. It has 4 flash heads, works on 12 volts. Let's call it luggable/portable. Can take flash photos of birds in flight without ghosts even in direct sunlight, at f32 iso 400. I will pay shipping. If you are interested, please call or email. If you have somebody to refer, please pass the info to them.

I'm too lazy to upload high-res photos to provide an URL here, but here are a few samples.

Visit gregscott.pixels.com to see my hummingbird studio photos. They are "crippled" there, with regard to resolution, but may give a better idea.

http://gregscott.com/hummingbird_studio/hs216_thm.jpg

I take hundreds of shots in a day, and choose the best poses. It is chance thing. I usually set up a tripod, and use a cable release while I relax in a nearby chair. Over time, you can get some good shots this way. I cut the perches off of the feeder, so that I can get them hovering. There is a trick to this. They will sip, then back off a few inches, and that is when you shoot the photo. A feeder in the photo sort of ruins the effect. I usually use a 100mm macro lens, and get it very close to the feeder. The sound of the shutter/mirror will scare them more than a flash. I use a white cardboard background, and a custom high speed flash, and try for totally frozen photos. With the white background, it is easy to replace the background. I set the shutter speed to the sync speed, and the flash duration of 1/30000th of a second eliminates almost all motion blur.

 

I am giving away my high speed flash to the person who will get the most use from it. It is good for larger birds landing at feeders also.

All photos copyright Gregory J. Scott. All rights reserved.

 

This is a magnificent humming bird, shot at Cave Creek Sunny Flats campground, Coronado National Forest, just past Portal Arizona, which is near Rodeo, New Mexico. It is a busy choke point in the migration path of many hummingbirds.

http://gregscott.com/gjs_2007_spring/hummingbird/20070322_2336_100.magnificent_hummingbird.jpg

This is a rufous hummingbird, with a cardboard background. I really liked this pose.

http://gregscott.com/gjs_2007_spring/hummingbird/20070310_0802_100_0436.rufous_hummingbird.jpg

 

This is a broadbill hummingbird, white cardboard background.

http://gregscott.com/gjs_2006_spring/hummers/CRW_7188_broadbill_med.jpg

 

I only have a good composite on the website where I sell my photos, so please don't be offended by the photo being for sale. I'll also include a link to my portfolios on that site. The first link is to a photo showing how good a composite you can make by adding flower and background to the bird, after clipping the white background.

 

.Descent to Middle Desert by Gregory Scott

Gregory Scott - Official Website

I have an old Olsen Ultra custom high speed flash to give away for free t a good home. It has 4 heads, At low power, the flash duration is about 1/30,000th of a second. Low power is bright enough to shoot hummingbirds at about 3 feet in broad daylight at f22, without ghosting. It is excellent for photos of birds in flight with little or no motion blur. I cannot travel any more, and I would like it to go to a bird photographer, or other person who appreciates the special nature of this flash. Here are some photos taken with it:

http://gregscott.com/rwscott/rws_042.jpg

My father took this photo years ago, with a film camera.

I took this photo in 2009 with a Canon 5D, A 100mm macro lens, at ISO 100, at sync speed. The flash runs off of a 12 volt lead acid batter, such as a car battery or a motorcycle battery. To qualify, you must be able to show me quality photos of birds, preferably in flig ht. I live in Atlanta Georgia and would prefer that you pick it up, and will ship in the USA, but you pay shipping. Please ask if you need more information. The flash tubes are great, little or no plating. The capacitors and trigger circuit have been rebuilt by an electronic flash professional. I have schematics and data. I will give preference based on three criteria: Quality of portfolio, location, and appreciation of the value of the flash.

 

It is much brighter than you really need for hummingbirds. It is strong enough to use with larger birds at a greater distance.

 

Please email home@gregscott.com for more info.

I have an old Olsen Ultra custom high speed flash for sale. It has 4 heads, At low power, the flash duration is about 1/30,000th of a second. Low power is bright enough to shoot hummingbirds at about 3 feet in broad daylight at f22, without ghosting. It is excellent for photos of birds in flight with little or no motion blur. I cannot travel any more, and I would like it to go to a bird photographer, or other person who appreciates the special nature of this flash. Here are some photos taken with it:

http://gregscott.com/rwscott/rws_042.jpg

My father took this photo years ago, with a film camera.

I took this photo in 2009 with a Canon 5D, A 100mm macro lens, at ISO 100, at sync speed. The flash runs off of a 12 volt lead acid batter, such as a car battery or a motorcycle battery. $1500 or best offer. I live in Atlanta Georgia, and will ship in the USA, but you pay shipping. Please ask if you need more information. The flash tubes are great, little or no plating. The capacitors and trigger circuit have been rebuilt by an electronic flash professional. I have schematics and data.

 

It is much brighter than you really need for hummingbirds. It is strong enough to use with larger birds at a greater distance.

 

Please email humbird@gregscott.com for more info.

A rather superficial reaction. Good photos, with suggested adjustments, but for the love of all that is good, please lose the horrible watermark. I beg of you.

I especially like the patina on the bike.

Personally, if this were mine, I would crop out the door, fence, and truck, and let it be a simple abstract.

<p>I have an Olsen Ultra flash in excellent condition. I'm selling only because of poor health.<br>

Interested people should email me at home@gregscott.com<br>

It is powerful, has four flash heads, and is in excellent condition considering that it was made maybe 20 years ago.<br>

It has new capacitors (reworked circuit board)<br>

It is suitable for photographing raptors in flight on the flight path to their nest, for example. I used it mostly for hummingbirds, where it was pretty much overkill.<br>

<img src="http://gregscott.com/hummingbird_studio/hs200_med.jpg" alt="" width="966" height="750" /></p>

<p>Hope its not to late for you to get this. A good sleeping bag and mat, and you might just sleep on the ground in many places. Run PC off of an inverter from your car battery, and charge your camera batteries that way.<br>

Escalante, UT has 2 campgrounds with cabins, showers, laundry. You are in range of several choice regions:<br>

* Devil's Garden -- Down 20 miles of dirt road on Hole in the Rock road. 2wd is ok, but road is washboard. <br>

* Waterpocket Fold in Capitol reef NP. Dirt roads: Burr Trail Road, Noton Road<br>

* Valley of the Gods, north of mexican hat, Utah<br>

Hope its not to late for you to get this. A good sleeping bag and mat, and you might just sleep on the ground in many places. Run PC off of an inverter from your car battery, and charge your camera batteries that way.<br>

The national parks and forests in the "Grand Circle" in South Utah and North AZ are incredible. They're close together, yet varied. These include:<br>

Zion NP<br>

Bryce Canyon NP<br>

North rim of the Grand Canyon. (Check close date.)<br>

South Rim of the Grand Canyon<br>

Upper and particularly Lower Antelope canyon just outside Page, AZ. Lower Antelope gives you unlimited time in the canyon, more freedom if you are a photographer.<br>

Valley of the Gods, north of mexican hat, Utah. Great boondocking area (free camping). There is a remarkable bed and breakfast on the dirt road entrance at the bottom of the Mokee Dugway. Goosenecks is in the area.<br>

Red Canyon State park in Dixie National Forest, about 10 miles west of Bryce.<br>

Between Boulder and Escalante UT there is an amazing coffee house with internet. The architecture and scenery are great, the coffee is good, the prices are a bit high.<br>

Check out the AZ and UT portfolios on my website gregscott.artistwebsites.com to see some of what's there....</p>

<p> </p>

I liked the answers that said that the optimal shutter time varies.

It varies with the velocity of the water, the turbulence of the water, the effect desired by the photographer. It depends on the obstructions and eddies in the water, standing waves, and any other details which might be desireable or undesirable to the photographer's vision of the subject. That said, I also liked the answers where they said Digital. If you can't come back often, I think that a wide time-bracket with a digital camera can show various effects better. Perhaps an additional problem is that I cannot possibly see details on the digital camera that I can see when I download to the PC, so bring a laptop to preview a serious shot! That's my summary of my current opinion, which is, of course, always subject to change.

I forgot to add:

If this hack can work, it's a short step to hacking a relatively inexpensive electronic eye trigger. The hard part is determining what exactly is required to trigger the camera safely.

I don't have the answer, but I have heard before that one of the pins is a "common", one is for anti-sleep, and the other is to trigger the camera. A dead short is rumored to do the trick. I'm about to test that theory, starting first with a resistor in series, just in case, and then "working up" to a dead short if necessary. There may be a diode required, if another thread is correct.

My Dad is still alive, and can be still found only in the field many summers and spring. He's also concerned about a replacement for his flash, should that be necessary, and I would like to notify him if any source is found. Below is a quote from a newsgroup post a builder in the UK who may be the closes substitute for Olsen:

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A number of people have responded to my listing regarding my source for high speed flash for hummingbirds etc. They are made in the UK, and though expensive are quite brilliant. I can attest to the quality and performance of these units having used them for some time myself, and the latest model has specifications that well exceed my own.

 

Specs:

 

1 unit can achieve f16 at 6 feet, with 100ASA film. This is REAL film speed, NOT as indicated on a flash meter, which would indicate f32. (No flash meter is fast enough to accommodate the 2 stop reciprocity failure). The reason for the reciprocity failure is the incredibly short flash duration - 40 microseconds!!! i.e. 40 millionths of a second...... The size is about 10x8x6 inches, weight of each head about 8 pounds. Operating voltage around 3kV and they recharge in less than 4 seconds. These units are built to be used!! Their robustness has been proved with an accidental drop of over 6 feet, with no ill effects at all!

 

Anyway, the guy to contact for prices and availability is:

Dr. Greg Parker, whose email is:

mobiusltd@aol.com

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If anybody buys one of his flashes, I'd like to hear his final price, and how you like it, and to see some results. Thanks. Let me know what's out there... I'm interested too, but not able to buy yet.