Written by For the past few years that I’ve been shooting Orchid Mania, and while the quality of my pics has improved with my experience, the shots are basically the same. So I wanted to try doing something different this year. See whatcha think.
Posts in category New and Fun
No Two Are Alike
If I have to be out in the cold, I’m damn sure going to make sure the photos are worth it. On February 2nd, the temps were very low and we had snow. I finished shoveling (lots of snow but very light) and brushed off the truck and noticed that the flakes were sitting on top of each other. You know what I did next. (You can click on each photo for a larger view. While some aren’t sharp, you can tell that some flakes appear to be 3-dimensional.)
New Toy: Neutral Density Filter
As I stumble along, discovering new things to do with my camera, there’s so many different accessories that can be bought that will create different effects on your photos. Colored filters (blue? orange??), filters that will keep out UV rays, polarizers let you acheive vibrant color saturation, reduce or eliminate glare from non-metallic objects, fluorescent light correction filters gives true-to-life color rendition and dramatically increase color saturation.
Then there are neutral density filters. ND filters come in varying degrees of dark. They reduce and/or modify all the wavelengths of light equally, without changing the colors or hues. The purpose is to allow flexibility with aperture, exposure time and/or motion blur. I’ll show you some things you can do with an ND 8 filter.
I was able to stop briefly by Cascade Falls (East) the other day to try this out. (I’ll mention and show in later posts what I’ve been able to do with this filter.)
This shot was the first one I took, dialed the shutter to 1/250, f/4, ISO 500. Didn’t try to set anything up, I just wanted to get a base shot.
This was adjusted to f/8, 1/10 seconds on the shutter, ISO 100. Note the smoothness of the water, still a bit washed out though.
ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/40 second on the shutter. Good color in this, not washed out, quick enough to show detail in the water.
ISO 125, f/22, 1/3 second on shutter. Still good color, good light, smooth flow in the water.
ISO 125, f/22, 1 second. A little bright from the white, but still good color in the green of the leaves.
ISO 100, f/22, 1 second. Basically, the same settings as the previous photo, but this is what you get without the filter. Big difference.
I will end up at Mile Long Pier sooner than later, to see what kind of effect this has on the lake water when shooting the Lighthouse. I’ll get those up, too. Before I left, I thought I’d try shooting the sun, and was pleasantly surprised with what I got.
I loved the ring around the sun in the first shot, and then the “rays” in the second shot. Also note the detail in the clouds with the sun in the same shot. Definitely looking forward to playing with this filter in the future.
Update: So this is about 2 weeks and change later. I was in Elyria, and had the opportunity to play with the fountain.
First shot: Shutter at 1/400 and the ISO at 200
Adjusted: Shutter at 1/8, and the ISO at 100.
1/8 of a second, and ISO 100.
1/5 of a second, and ISO 100.
1/4 of a second, ISO 100.
No Tweaks Necessary
Still trying to find something to really motivate me to shoot. Gotta few churches that I’m planning on shooting soon but, until then, I wanted to shoot something. I don’t usually shoot midday because the sun is a little harsh on some subjects. I hadn’t picked up the camera in almost 2 weeks and thought “What the heck?” When I sat down to adjust these, I was kinda happy with them the way they were. Usually I’ll tweak the shadows and highlights a little bit. Anyway, I’m babbling.
Time Lapse
I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but free time has been hard to come by of late. The hydrangea is very sensitive to the heat, and after a long day, you see that in its leaves. I set up the tripod and the camera and took 342 photos, about 4 seconds apart, after watering it. Condensed, this video takes about 5 seconds.
Tiny Bubbles
I was doing the dishes a little while ago and got this strange “tower” of bubbles, growing as the water filled the sink. Being me, the first thing that came to mind was to grab the camera.
Here’s Your Hope and Change
Recently, there’s been a few photographers that have made coins the subject of their shooting. One here, and I’ll be danged if I can find the other one. If I find it soon, I’ll credit it and link it here. None of them have done the detail of the coins themselves.
There’s quite a bit of artwork done when you get up close.
Put The Screws To’em!!
Still more In-House Shooting…
Nailed it. Ya think?
Rubies and Emeralds
Continuing the In-House Shooting session, I got a kick out of the way these looked up close.
Yes, those are candy sprinkles. Who’da thunk it, right?
In-House Shooting
There’s no color outside: not on the trees, not on the ground, and very little in the sky at night. I’ve had nothing to shoot since Coventry, and my trigger finger was really itchy. I was left with no choice but to create my own. While I did HDR’s of the colorful things below, I shot over 300 pics Wednesday of quite a few household items, using the macro lens to get some detailed views. Those will be coming soon.
