Post Your Best Nature Shots!

[Fast Glass]

The xxD series won't autofocus at an effective open aperture smaller than f/5.6.

I am aware of that. You can do two things, manual focus or tape the pins and trick the camera autofocus.


John.

[btaylor]

Image Quality is king as far as I'm concerned. So I wouldn't touch the 2x extender witha 10m pole, with a monkey holding the pole being held out by an elephant on theother side ofthe country. That should keep it far enough away from my gear. []


Brent - love that last shot mate. Welldone. Glad you're happy with your new lens.

[HiFiGuy1]

Brent,


Great shots! I also really like the third one. Do you live on the Gulf Coast, like me? The bird selection is something I am very familiar with and see almost every day.

[powers_brent]

@HiFiGuy1: I actually live in the same area as Nate. We live in the same city! Thanks for your compliments.


@Btaylor: Thanks for your compliments too!

[HiFiGuy1]

That's cool! Do you and Nate know each other and/or shoot together?

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

Power Brent, I too like the third one. Really caught that one at the right moment, good exposure too. We should shoot together sometimes

[Fast Glass]

I also like the last onepowers_brent. Lots of action.


Hereare a fewmacro shots, taken once again with my Minolta 600mm.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.28.86/0160.TIF-reduced.JPG[/img]


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.28.86/0162.TIF-reduced.JPG[/img]


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.28.86/0164-reduced.JPG[/img]


I really like the bokeh in these shots!


I would really appreciate your comments.


John.

[jeffersonposter]

Here's a few shots from around the house that I have taken since motorsports season is mostly over now. An Encore Azalea, a night view from my front deck (I'm thinking about getting the 35 f/1.4L so I used a 17-40 f/4L @ 35mm for perspective), and an artistic attempt with a non-keeper from awhile back.


JeffersonPoster


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.05/Azela2.jpg[/img]


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.05/NightShots.jpg[/img]


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.05/Fossil_5F00_Grasshopper.jpg[/img]


I know these may not meet exact "nature shot" criteria, but there are so many shots on this fourm subject now, it's hard to come up with something original.

[George Slusher]

JeffersonPoster:


Nice shot of the azalea. Water drops on flowers can make them seem more alive.


The grasshopper is interesting! Great way to put a "non-keeper" to good use.


Don't worry too much about being "original." "Nature shots" here have been of:

1. Birds
2. Flowers, leaves, trees, plants
   
3. Insects
4. Landscapes
5. Animals (wild or domestic, including spoor)
6. Sky (including sunsets)
7. Marine subjects (fish, mammals, invertebrates)

Kind of covers the gamut, doesn't it? The point is that every shot is unique. Some are great, some are good, some are so-so. As you can see from some of the bird shots, luck can enter, as well (e.g., capturing a bird eating a small fish), though being prepared and shooting a lot count even more.


If someone wants to be "original" with "nature" shots, try:

1. Rocks
2. Soil
3. Worms
4. ??

I'll post one a bit later that's not a plant, animal, landscape, sky, or any of the above.

[George Slusher]

What did I leave out of the previous list? An entire kingdom. (Well, actually at least THREE kingdoms, but I don't have a microscope, so I can't shoot Bacteria or Protists. Some add Archaea as another kingdom, so that would make four I left out.)








(Yes, there are plants and animals in the picture, but the main subject is neither.)


I had a helluva time getting a decent shot, as the light was very poor--4:37 PM on a typical grey January afternoon in Oregon. I tried a 100mm macro, but the shutter speed was so slow that there's noticeable blurring. I used a 17-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS--less blurring, but had to get closer. (I can't use either of those lenses now, as they and a bunch of other lenses--including a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS & 100-400mm L IS--were stolen.) I even tried a Canon G9 & S3 IS. This was with a 70-200mm f/4L IS (which, fortunately, was not in the bags that were stolen!) at 183mm on a 30D, ISO 1600 (noise doesn't show as badly here as with people), f/8, 1/20 sec. (Yes, it was handheld--carefully!--at 1/20 sec. The IS in that lens is amazing.)