rick_falck

I don't know. I was in Sequoa National Park in CA and got similar shots. I met a guy there using a Mamiya 7II who said that he tried to capture it too, but never really could. None of mine turned out to be special either. Maybe some of the majesty is lost when captured on a 2D image.

I was there, but apparently didn't drink enough to see it like this ;)

Nice silhouette shot!

Happy 4th! I took this on my European trip. You can see the

fortress in the background.

Maybe it's time to start cutting the Prozacs in half.

WTF is it?

Great shot! Good job getting the right exposure too. I would bet you had to compensate for the bright rocky ground.

The only way for the DOF to have worked would to be at a small aperture and slow shutter speed. It's a shame you did not have a tripod. This is a great shot except for the DOF.

Thanks for a good chuckle!

Cool pic, but please explain what it is! What exactly was going on during the exposure?

Thanks.

(Now that you have explained the details below)

WOW!

1) Get a 28-105 zoom. You can then have the option to zoom in and out to see for yourself different compositions of the same picture. Without a boat, you could not have gotten closer with your 50mm lens.

2) Get a circular polarizer and/or ND grad filter. The sky is too light.

3) Shoot a good landscape film. Royal Gold is a low contrast unsaturated film. 400 film is also less contrasty and colorful. Even Kodak Gold 200 would have been better, but you may also want to experiment with slide films like Velvia, Kodachrome Elite Extra Color, and Provia 100. See what you like the best.

4) Use a tripod so you can maximize your depth of field with an aperture between F8 and F16. With 100 speed films you will not be able to handhold the shot.

Then, handhold it in the vertical and horizontal position, and zoom in and out to see various choices. When you are ready, put it on a tripod and fire away.

I think you have been very successful here. You have captured a scene that has absolutely nothing of interest in it and nothing interesting to say! My 4 year old nephew is also good at this.

This is an artsy shot. It will either invoke emotions in the viewer, or not. The subject (a cat) is more interesting to some people than others. The bars give one the feeling that he is trapped inside and longs to be outside.

It's like poetry in a way. It is neither a boring shot that no one will like, or the kind of shot that will appeal to everyone. It leaves room for the imagination to fill in the blanks.

YES! It is definitely a nude. Thanx!

I don't think you could have done much better taking this pic. However, 400 speed film is not the best choice for scenics like this. The colors will be better with 100 or even 200. Also, you can try different filters (like warming, circular polarizer, ND grad) to see how they effect the pic.

If you really want to get incredible colors, you can always try Velvia or Kodak E100VS (my favorite). Slides are a pain to deal with and show others, and they are more expensive to make prints from than negatives, but the results are much better.

You did a good job with what you used.

Butterflies are a pain. They are skittish and move fast (as you have noticed). For one thing, you need a longer lens so you don't have to get so close to them. Secondly, the DOF with macro shots can practically be measured in atoms, which is why you need to be at f8+, which is still not good enough if the subject is not at a fairly flat position relative to your lens.

I have a Nikon 70-180 macro zoom. At 180 I can sometimes get close enough without scaring it off. It still takes a lot of patience.

A fast shutter speed is needed since a macro shot is like using a 200+ telephoto, if not worse. I doubt you would have the time to use a tripod. I used a monopod or just hand held it.

You can also use a flash or reflector to increase the light to allow for a faster shutter speed and smaller aperture (as if they would sit still as you moved a reflector around!).

It is a little too late and dark, and to really make a pic like this sparkle, the water needs to be still enough to give that mirror effect. Also, it would help of the bridge was lit up some with street lights or shop lights of some kind.

It's not bad at all. It's just not great.

But there is a tree growing out of the back of his head. This is one of the biggest no nos with portraits. Mind the background.

I can't help but wonder though if it is slightly under-exposed and if the polarizer removed lighting details that could have made it more interesting. I would have tried it with a polarizer and then with a ND grad just to see which one works better. When you know you've got a winner, it is a good idea to experiment with it.

What a gorgeous shot! You framed it right (with the tree level being at the 1/3 spot). You exposed it right. The only thing that would make this a slightly better shot would be if you had used a slightly wider lens to get more of the sky (so you could get some of the darker area that is above that bright area). The reflection has this darker area, and I think the sky should have had some as well.

Still, it is a winner in my book!

I am an advanced amateur now (I think) :)

Not really. I feel like I am being blasted by a cloaked alien space craft. ;)