dseltzer

Hilarye, thanks very much for looking and for the great review!

Yep, getting out and taking lots of pics with new gear is the way to go. That's what I want to do, and I will, maybe in segments given time constraints, but they'll add up. It's really interesting that you mentioned focusing by moving the camera. I did use that technique a bit the day this pic was taken. Of course, that's what's happening when using a bellows set-up, moving the lens along the track, and when using a microscope (done just a touch of that) it's all about moving the "objective" (aka: lens) closer or farther from the slide. Given the focusing mechanisms, not to mention auto focus with the digital cameras, one has to be as old as we are to think about moving oneself while focusing!

 

The point you made, about carrying something around long enough, is intriguing to me. I don't think there's any way to be aware of it until after it's happened, but there does come a moment that whatever we're carrying around gets incorporated in such a way that we can use it as an extension of ourselves, and don't have to consciously concentrate on what we're doing, save for going after whatever we happen to be after. One of the many amazing features of the human brain!

 

I've seen what were called "copy cameras," so if I'm understanding, a Stat camera is a more specific term for the same. Surprisingly large pieces of equipment... I guess the same work gets done by scanners now?

 

Thanks for the additional info, and the re-look at the pic, and for the encouragement about using the close-up filters. Now, if I could just cut back a bit on the day gig... ;-)

 

 

Interesting to know of your press room experience. What's a "stat camera"? And the prep stuff... yep, all gone, or rolled into software and done by computers. Terms have a way of developing a life of their own, or become the name for a class or type of thing.

 

Glad you like the little beasty, and that you commented on the composition, since I worked on that aspect quite intently and for awhile. The focus on my green and black buddy isn't razor sharp, and the pic would no doubt pop if were as tac sharp as I suspect the lens and filter can produce. I don't think the camera or the critter were stable or stationary enough to get the focus spot on as we'd both like better, and because of the +5 filter, the dof was quite shallow. I need to play with the lens and filter combo some more to get more familiar with where it can and can't focus, and its optimal focal distance. I'd been shooting with the filter for twenty or thirty minutes that first day I had it, and happened to be able to grab this. I'm looking forward to having more time to work with the close-up filters I got... a +3 and and +5... B+W - not coated, but made with Schott glass, and I'm using a NIkkor 28-105 AF D Macro. It's looking like it's a good combination, but I need to work with it some more.

 

Thanks for stopping by and for the info about you! I appreciate your careful examination and your comments.

Bleed, now there's a term I should know, right?! Actually, I do know, and when I'm home I'll give it a try... no problem since I always save at least one finished copy without frame. Really, for the most part, I only do the frames for presentation here. I much appreciate all the time you've given me on this shot, new terms, and encouragement to look and think outside the frame. I do have to be careful not to get too focused and miss bigger pictures. Thanks!

Hey! I resemble that remark about ultra thin hairlines! Unless you think of it as an extremely high forehead... ^_^

 

Thanks for the reference. I was pretty sure that was the gist of it... my father was a graphic artist who did hand lettering, silk screen, and the like. So, I know a little bit about registration, cropping lines, etc. Obviously, another word, particularly in terms of photographs (unless preparing for print) would be border. Maybe there should be another term for the transition between image and no image... hmmm.

 

I fiddled with PS awhile, and this is what I came up with without really knowing how to generate such an effect. Is this in the direction you were thinking?

Hi Fred! Glad you like this... mother nature gets all the credit for the color combo! As for the edge (you called it a "key line." Am I learning a new term here? Anyway, as usual, you've encouraged me to think beyond where I was... within the frame and not beyond it. Softening those edges will likely help focus attention on the bug more... I'll try some variations. Thanks for the detailed analysis and your reactions.

Oh, Pnina! Thank you so much. There's hardly a nicer compliment than to know I could give you a smile!

Pnina, you know very well I had to go look at the image you posted for me to see! Goodness! What an incredible difference. The second one is alarmed and alarming. Her head is up off the floor, and her mouth as open as it could possibly be... total shock, incredulous disbelief, and great tension throughout. In the first one, she is not only disembodied, but appears separated from her mind as well. In the second one, she is most certainly within herself and showing great emotional distress. I can only try to imagine the performance your images come from, but I imagine it's a very strong and moving piece of theater and dance.

Richard, Thanks for coming by and taking a long look. I appreciate your thoughtful comments, and I'm delighted you like this so well!

Entirely spontaneous, not posed or encouraged in any way. I was out

shooting in the garden, and along came this green, spotted beetle,

obviously female judging from the polka dots, and she paused along the

'runway' just long enough for one shot. It's one of my first using a

B+W 5x filter. ISO 100, ƒ/4.5, 1/80. Y'know, I wondered if Ms. Beetle

had any sense of how smashing her green looked against the flower's

pink! That, and the flower's natural sensuality make (IMO) for a

not-so-common close-up insect shot. I'm most interested to know if you

agree (or not) about the color combo and the natural composition. I

appreciate any comments you care to leave.

I love this kind of shot, and this one particularly. Because the world for which we need macro lenses is a world of it's own, when one gets on its level, there can be no sense of scale. This shot not only shows the beauty and intricacy of the small world, but creates an image that looks very like a pastel chalk abstract... and a very nice one! Bravo!

To my eye you've at least done justice here. I think you went well beyond just a well made visual record of the carving, and on to bring it to life, blend it with it's surrounding so there's no mistaking it belongs here... it lives here.

Wow! That's one powerful sky! This looks great in b/w. I think I'd have to tilt the image to the left to straighten the silo, but that's quite a small nit. Really nice pic!

Certainly an excellent bit of seeing, and a powerful image results because the light is just right, and the precise moment and angle were chosen with great skill. I must say, I don't see a demon on the Monk's back, unless a cross bow is considered a demon. One interpretation that seems to fit this image is that the Monk's work is done, he's slain the demons, and stops to contemplate before moving toward the light. Just what came to mind...

This is just wonderful! There's such a freedom... to dance, and laugh, and eat and drink, and play the trumpet, and just plain act silly. Another great capture and a finely made image, Pnina!

Disturbing, but peaceful, in fact, disturbingly peaceful... other worldly, actually. Amazing light, your usually perfectly chosen moment, a fascinating scene, an intriguing pose, and a most inscrutable expression, all collaborate to make this the powerful image it is. Power and also great calm. I find this a most compelling image, Pnina.

Pnina! How nice to see you here. I'm especially pleased you like the glow... that's what makes the shot for me. The last bit of sunlight that I followed to the bud. You see, I do pay attention when you speak of how you follow the light! :-) It's that same light that brings out the depth because of its fairly wide luminance variation from foreground to back. Thank you for looking and leaving such a detailed comment. You make me smile when you call this bud the "main actor." :-) So, now it looks to me like it is just about to start or finish taking a bow!

Thank you very much, Nezif. I'm glad you like these clouds.

I hate being a bubble buster (burster?), but I figured you'd want to know. As for the TC and tripod in the car, well, you're my kinda guy! That's precisely the kind of stuff I do in my zeal to grab an image that looks like a "must get." So many times I've tried valiantly (read that: in vain!) to hand-hold a shot I knew (somewhere in the darker recesses of my head) couldn't be held. Oh, well, all part of the learning (I hope) process, eh?

 

Anyway, all that aside, the dish wouldn't be at all hard to clone out, and the pier, etc., could be sharpened. I'm not sure what you're unhappy about with the bird. It looks fine to me. In fact, I think the bird and it's reflection, along with some of the nice water texture, would make a very nice image.

 

I'm looking forward to those shots of the Eastern Shore!

Thank you, Alex.

I've already commented on #7, which was the first I looked at. Now, I've looked at the whole series, and it is wonderful. There is much to study in this series about forms, angles and composition, and I really like each image the best when it's the one I'm viewing at the moment! And if these images are a good representation of how a frog sees the world, I'd like to be one, at least for awhile! :-)

Just the sort of image I was referring to in my response to your comment on my "Final Approach" shot. This is a wonderful combination and interaction of shapes and angles, and the color palate is vibrant without being garish.

IMHO this is just plain beautiful, and I respectfully disagree with Pnina and Ton about the contrast. I think I see what you were intending in regard to the soft feeling, and I fear increased contrast would make the orchid too distinct. It already looks 3D to me. I'm especially impressed with the huge difference between this one and your shot of the single bloom of this species in the much lower key. Such different ways to see the same flower.

 

Like Pnina, I learn so much from you. You sent me to the dictionary again with "mycorrhiza": The symbiotic association of the mycelium of a fungus with the roots of certain plants, such as conifers, beeches, or orchids. I love this place! Where else could I learn about photography and botany all at once?! :)

It's an interesting shot, and I think I see what you intended, but I have some trouble with the satellite dish and the sunken boat. Both are pretty distracting. I like the reflections of the bird and the pier and greenery, and the pattern and texture of the water are very nice.

This image would inspire one to acquire a macro lens! Your use of DoF is spot on, IMHO, and the lighting is wonderful. One of your best, Dave.