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Fast Glass and muc1 - great shots!
Fast Glass - colors are sweet but the branch is very distracting, it'd could be a great picture without it.
muc1 - I'd clone out the flower at the right top of the picture and the other one at the bottom left corner as well.
Fast Glass... I like the Robin, the orange breast is nice...I think solid red and solid orange colors are difficult to see details in the feathers..good work on that one.
muc1...the honey bee is cool and you have some suggestions already...I would consider darkening the background a touch to make the bee pop out even more.
Here's one of a Nuthatch...40D, 300mm 2.8L, 430exII fill flash[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.32.28/IMG_5F00_3821.jpg[/img]
Great shot Joel Eade, nice detail.
Hi All, From what I gather from your c's I need to brush up on my photoshop skills, crop, clone, darken background. I agree with all the suggestions just not up to thatlevel of Photoshop usage as yet, been focusing on capture of subject, time to step up a level on the computer.
Whatsreal, bees are cool I haven't been stung yet and I have hundreds of bee shots some a lot closer, They give you a warning if you're anoying them to much, stinging means death to them they are not sucidal.
Thanks all for the suggestions, will see what I can do to improve the field.
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.33.11/IMG_5F00_0116-copy.jpg[/img]
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.33.11/7d_2300_3-014-copy.jpg[/img]
Cool ladybug! :)
-Rodger
heh, I know that about bees, but I grew up in South America where almost the only bees we had were the killer african hybrid. 1 stings you and they swarm to sting you. They also don't really give you a warning, well they do, but it is really really fast. But these two pictures are awesome!
Thanks Rodger.
Whatsreal, yea we have something like those swarm bees really aggressive but usually not killers, our honey bees are really placid just cruise around give a buzz if annoyed and continue working, never had a problem with them. I got close to a swarm of them once and took shots, I have to admit I was a tad nervous being that close ( 6 to 12 inches) to so many bees protecting a new Queen.
Hi Whatsreal,
I attached in mypage three pics of the bees mentioned in the last post scuse the quality of the shots, done with a P+S.
http://www.pscvn.org/members/308/10-...9-54-32_PM.jpg
Brown Pelican diving
40D & 400 f/5.6, f/6.3, 1/2000, ISO 400
Larger version http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9957731&size=lg
Sweet! Great shot! And its not even taken with your 500.
I will be getting my 7D in about three weeks, huray!
John.
Perfect as always Nate! Wonderfully sharp, excellent feather detail.
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.33.43/IMG_5F00_0441.jpg[/img]
Canon 500D, EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS, 1/30sec, f/3.5, 21mm, ISO100
(No postprocessing, shot with 8 MPixels in B/W mode, can't remember the exact picture settings. First time in the woods with the new DSLR; after a bunch of really crappy shots I took a break and then tried to capture the mood of the place...)
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.32.28/IMG_5F00_3914.jpg[/img]
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.23.23/slideshow2_2D00_29.jpeg[/img]
ooops, bad post, let me re-format
Very nice, I gotta say.
Just curious- was this shot a member of a burst, or a single button press?
Do you think it the whole bird would not have been in focus at f/5.6? Or was there another reason for stopping down? I like how the water looks as is, but I have no idea if a tiny bit more blur would be better or not as good... do you? (Not trying to put you on the spot, but when people take way better pictures than I do, I like to inspect their minds [:)])
I'm *this* close to picking up a 400mm f/5.6 (imagine thumb and index finger 3 mm apart). Maybe a christmas present from me to me. But if I do that I'll have to get something for my wife... [;)]
Colin, love the shot of the woods. I like how you managed to get the mood. It is really nice.
Joel, love that shot of a bird. It is well framed and really well set with blurred background.
Bob Williams, I really like the shot of a wolf. It would be nice if you could set it to 800 pixles wide so that we could see the whole image.
Here are a couple of shots that I just took around my campus here.
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.23.29/IMG_5F00_6187.jpg[/img]
Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 30mm f/3.5 1/90 ISO 100
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.23.29/IMG_5F00_6225.jpg[/img]
Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 24mm f/3.5 1/60 ISO 100
Hi John,
it's a member of a 3-shot burst.
f/6.3was a mistake, I actually wanted f/7.1, these brown pelicans are so big that if you focus on the wing tip their heads get all blurry[:)]
These pelicans are so used to human activity at Bolsa Chica that they dive so close to the bridge, sometimes I wish I have my 70-200 with me.
House Finch
40D & 500 f/4L IS, f/5, 1/2000, ISO 250
Large Version http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9957752&size=lg
http://www.pscvn.org/members/308/10-...9-15-40_AM.jpg
Great shot of the House Finch! I have a film picture of one somewere in my other computer, but it is broken at the moment. I will post it once I get my computer fixed.
John
Thanks for your answers. f/6.3 seems to have worked okay :)
Personally, I never mind slightly blurry extremities, I just like the focus of attention to be sharp. Others feel differently, I know. Heck, maybe it is just that when I pay for glass, I like to use it! :)
Bob,
Did you use a filter on this shot?
-mc
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.23.23/Tmber-Wolf-2.JPG[/img]
Nope, But the shade helped with the snow
I have now reduced the image width to 800px. Hope they are displayed correctly now..
This one took me 9 months to finish...(a "4-season-panorama"). Have anyone seen anything like this on the web...?
Perfect stitching is ofcourse impossible. One have to comprimise.
http://bjonefoto.no/Panoramas/Norway...sons_1600p.jpg
Three mushroms.. a little bit tweaked in PS...and som PS-plugins...
http://bjonefoto.no/Foto/Nye rammer/...r_FR_Lands.jpg
An image shot with my Canon EOS 30D IR (converted to infrared, by LifePixel)
http://bjonefoto.no/Foto/Nye rammer/..._infraroed.jpg
ArnsteinB,
Welcome to the forums!
They look like they are great images, but they need to be resized to display properly in the forum. I believe it's a 600px width.
One of the easiest ways I find to do this resizing is uploading my pictures to Flickr, and then grabbing the HTML and putting it in the HTML editor of the new post screen.
Interested in seeing them once they are resized!! :)
-Rodger
I was wrong and right. They're fine at 800px.
I was right in the fact that they're great!
I've never seen anything like the first one. Great stuff!
-Rodger
Hey Guys
Here is another one of those Robin shots, and no braches in front either! It was taken with my Minolta 600mm f/6.3 with a 2x extender, I can tell ya for a fact that 1920mm is hard to hand-hold without any support! I must have looked like a sight sitting on my belly taking this shot![:D]
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.28.86/205-reduced.JPG[/img]
Anyway, hope you all enjoy it.
John.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArnsteinB
See, now if I did that where I lived, you wouldn't be able to see any difference in seasons... LOL
Me too! It would just show different shades of brown grass [:D]
Great idea though - works well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Glass
I can imagine--it's hard enough holding my 100-400mm still. I usually use either a monopod (assuming that I don't have time or the energy to lug a tripod around) if I'm elevated, or a "bean bag" support if I'm on my stomach. If the lens has a collar, using a monopod is easy--just screw it into the lens collar's foot or get an Arca-Swiss-type clamp (Kirk, Really Right Stuff & Wimberley make good clamps; Kirk often puts discontinued clamps on eBay) and install a lens plate on the foot. (I use Wimberley plates, but Kirk & RRS also make good plates.) If the lens does not have a collar, you can use a monopod with a shooting rest, like hunters do. Trek-Tech makes the Versa-Rest that supposedly fits on a 1/4" stud, which most monopods have.
An alternative to a monopod is a "string-pod." Basically, you tie a nylon cord to a 1/4"-20 eye bolt, screw the eyebolt into the camera's tripod socket, then step on the cord and pull up. (It's a good idea to use two nuts and a lockwasher on the eyebolt to keep it from being screwed in too far.) The tension on the cord helps stabilize the camera. Kirk sells a fancy version, the Strap Pod, but the DIY method works quite well. Many years ago (about 1978), I attended a Nikon School session in Los Angeles. They suggested using a window sash chain instead of the cord.
There are lots of bean bag supports around--I have several. Some are flat, others can be tied onto something, or draped over a car window, etc. The one I use the most is Kirk's Fat Bag, a saddle-shaped bag which is just about the right height for resting a lens while on my stomach. I also use it on top of my car or over the car door/window. I've also tried the Op/Tech OmniPod, the Trek-Tech MagBag I & II and the Kinesis SafariSack. They are more versatile (especially the SafariSack, which can be tied so that it stands up on its own) and easier to carry around, but not quite as stable as the Fat Bag. Filled, the FatBag and SafariSack are not light--about 6 lbs. The SafariSack is relatively cheap, though. (Arthur Morris' "BLUBB" is decidedly NOT cheap, at $100.) For most of us, I suspect, a good bean bag would be a good investment.
If you're doing a lot of ground-level shooting where you want to be able to pan/tilt the camera quickly, there are supports to which you can mount a ballhead or gimbal head. The OmniPod had a 1/4" bolt, but it's not very heavy duty. There are more solid ground-level devices available, including Kirk's Low Pod and, in a pinch, their Window Mount; Jobu Design's Skorpion; and Naturescape's Skimmer II. The Kirk devices have rubber feet. The Skorpion can be flipped one way to sit on rubber feet or turned over to ride on metal skids. The Skimmer is like a medium-sized frying pan without a handle. (In fact, I've seen a DIY project where someone made a similar device from a cheap aluminum frying pan.) These all need a ballhead or gimbal head.
There are also low-level tripods, but they are often too light-weight to handle such a big lens. Two exceptions (alas, rather expensive!) are Kirk's Mighty Low Boy ($190)--a modified Manfrotto tripod--and Really Right Stuff's TP-243 Ground Level Tripod ($375!). Some full-size tripods can also get quite low (especially if you can remove the center column), but their legs may get in the way.
In summary, if you don't have them, a good monopod (has to be able to handle the weight!) and a bean bag might be very useful investments, if you don't have them already.
Thats quite a post.
I have a cheapo tripod that I use but I didn't have it at the time, so Iput my handholding skills to the test.[:S]
When I get my 7D I will definitely get some sort of monopod. A bean bag like you sugested would be something I could use also. Yes, my lens does have a tripod ring so it would be easy enough to mount anything that you said. I will take a closer look at the "string-pod", that looks interesting. My 600 weighs in at a not-to-bad 5.2 lbs so it's not a bear to handhold, but in a akward position I might think differently!
ThanksGeorge,
John.
Here's one of a Downy Woodpecker I took this morning (40D, 300mm 2.8L)[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.32.28/IMG_5F00_4016.jpg[/img]
Is just me or is it every time I post a bird shot someone else has to post a bird shot to?[;)]
Sweet, sweet shot Joel. I absolutely love that woodpecker! Keep up the great work.[Y]
The only thing I take pictures of is birds, sorry>>>>[:D]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Eade
Me too :) :) :)
Not me.....I'll shoot anything.
In this photo I was trying to capture the New England fall colors, but this blankety blank Mute Swan kept horning in the photo and hamming it up. [;)]
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/e...or/Windlll.jpg
Salt Pannes, Plum Island, Ma.
Nice capture Bill
Hi,
Top knot pidgeons nesting in a Magnolia tree.
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.33.11/IMG_5F00_0005-copy.jpg[/img]
Nothing in comparison to what you guys are posting but thought I'd contribute. I caught this guy when I was out doing landscapes. I happened to have my 70-200 with me but not my 100-400 :-(
Canon EOS 50D, 1/250, f/2.8, ISO100,EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, 200.0mm
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.26.13/2009_2D00_11_2D00_02_2D00_13_2D00_40_2D00_21.JPG[/img]
@ Joel. Love those robin shots. They always appear so cute in real life, so the background full of dandelions really evokes that emotion.
@john, The wood pecker is Amazing, so sharp and a very well timed pose. Between you, nate, and joel. I just can't get enough of these birds you all can find!
Took this of some flowers near my folks home in the piedmont of NC
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/800x533/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.28.47/IMG_5F00_8164-copy.jpg[/img]Canon 50D + 60mm f2.8 macro @ 60mm f7.1 1/20" ISO-100
Strobist: 430ex @ 1/8 power shot through 13" white umbrellacamera left slightly in front of subject (My old man was a human boom). Triggered by CTR-301p.
Looking back at it, I think I would have shot at a smalleraperature to get more of the front flower in focus, but it was raining, and I dont have a 1D so I stuck with what I could get in a hurry. Thanks for critique, comments, and if neccessary,... rude gestures.
Cheers,
Dave.