Panoramic image of Cruiser Lake sunset. Made from 4 iPhone 3Gs snaps. No editing other than stitching. Obviously there are some blow-outs and aberations but still a decent job from a phone camera.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/18105test1.jpg

A beautiful B & W shot, well composed Doug! :clap:

Couple from this aft's hike along the Rouge. Never been...nice spot.

http://homepage.mac.com/plmnice/tigers.jpg

Sinc, what do you call those? Bumped into someone on the trail who referred to them as a "Tartar's Hat" lily. True?

Sinc, what do you call those? Bumped into someone on the trail who referred to them as a "Tartar's Hat" lily. True?

Nope, they are Saskatchewan's provincial flower, the Tiger Lilly. ;)

...the Tiger Lilly.

I've always called them that, as well. I guess a basic rule of thumb would be, to not believe everything you hear from strangers in the woods.

Sinc, what do you call those? Bumped into someone on the trail who referred to them as a "Tartar's Hat" lily. True?

Never heard of a Tartar's Hat Lily, however there is the Turk's Cap Lily (http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/liliumsupe.html), which is related to the Tiger Lily.

...there is the Turk's Cap Lily (http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/liliumsupe.html), which is related to the Tiger Lily.

Bingo!

The petals curl back severely, and this person I bumped into in the woods (who resembled a female version of Led Zep IV's kindling collector) said "Look at them, don't they look like Turk's hats?".

I thought I heard "Tartar", as I'm not much into flowers, or tip-toeing through poison ivy to shoot them, while maintaining small talk with earthy gnomes sporting large carved poles.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/close_files/yes%20please.jpg

A heritage church called St. Peter's in Aylmer where I live burned down a few weeks back, set on fire by arsonists with a malatove cocktail.

Afterwards I went to the ruins a couple of times taking photos. They of course had large wire fence barricades up keeping people away so you could only get so close. But by bringing a step ladder on the second day I was able to get some pretty good shots by shooting over the fence.

Here are a couple (actually one, before and after in Photoshop) that I didn't need the ladder for. The statue of St. Peter was still standing in the spire tower with everything around him in ruins. I thought the contrast of him still standing there on guard was fitting, in that the building was destroyed but the community that attended it still stood as their were no deaths.

I am no church goer and haven't been since my teens, but I know that places such as this are beloved by their community that attend it, yet the building extends its reach much beyond the religious community as it was a landmark in our town and it was really quite touching to see the number of people who came out over the next several days as if to pay their last respects.

I met a woman while taking my photos who had got up at 6 in the morning to drive for two hours to come and say farewell to a place where she was married, her two daughters were baptized and her husband eulogized after his death. In speaking with her, her eyes welled up on several occasions when she talked about what the building had meant to her.

It was my intention to do a bit of a series documenting the aftermath as a sort of memento mori.

So all that being said the first photo is the "straight" shot and the second is the Photoshop altered memento mori piece. This is just the first one I have Photoshopped after going through the edit in Lightroom. I took a few hundred shots overall and now have it down to about 20-30 that I think I will work on.

9896

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Good on you, screature. And a nice processing choice for burned out ruins, IMO – they'll be great.

Thanks for the feedback ScanMan. :) I will certainly do my best to do justice to the subject matter.

What have you been working on lately?

Good on you, screature. And a nice processing choice for burned out ruins, IMO – they'll be great.

What he said!

Great stuff, I especially love the 2nd / processed pic. Looking forward to seeing more!

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/brace.jpg

What he said!

Great stuff, I especially love the 2nd / processed pic. Looking forward to seeing more!

I too am looking forward to seeing more. If you feel that they turn out well, perhaps an iPhoto book sold with proceeds going to the church or books made available to the congregation (at cost) would be a nice gesture. Since you are in the area, some stories from locals about the church (like the story above) could grace the pages as well. I know I'd be interested.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/cafe%20bar.jpg

What have you been working on lately?

Shot a card full at the annual City Hall art show on Saturday. Just crawling through them in LR right now.

theDoug, you got something interesting going on with that 2nd from last shot. It's like your door knocker from a couple of days ago. Guess you've got a preset for it by now.;)

Guess you've got a preset for it by now.;)

No preset, but depending on the shot I can't seem to stay away from the "gloom" filter in GraphicConverter. I am weak. ;)

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/word%20sculpture.jpg

What he said!

Great stuff, I especially love the 2nd / processed pic. Looking forward to seeing more!

Thanks The Doug! As I get them processed I will post more. :)

I too am looking forward to seeing more. If you feel that they turn out well, perhaps an iPhoto book sold with proceeds going to the church or books made available to the congregation (at cost) would be a nice gesture. Since you are in the area, some stories from locals about the church (like the story above) could grace the pages as well. I know I'd be interested.

That is a great idea Macified! I will certainly take it under advisement.

I know a small gallery owner here in town and if the work is worthy I could possibly get a show together as well and if such a book were to come about they could be sold in conjunction with a show. Once again thanks for the positive feedback and I will post more as the work evolves. :)

No preset, but depending on the shot I can't seem to stay away from the "gloom" filter in GraphicConverter. I am weak. ;)

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/word%20sculpture.jpg

Woo!! Really cool The Doug!! What are we looking at?

I also really liked the solarized/infrared looking industrial piece you posted above this one. :clap:

Shot a card full at the annual City Hall art show on Saturday. Just crawling through them in LR right now.

theDoug, you got something interesting going on with that 2nd from last shot. It's like your door knocker from a couple of days ago. Guess you've got a preset for it by now.;)

Nice shot ScanMan. I am a sucker for shots with good reflections. :clap:

Another panoramic shot from an iPhone 3Gs. Stitched on the phone using Autostitch software then cropped and processed in iPhoto. Took this one while trying my iPhone at geocaching. Everything just works.

Another panoramic shot from an iPhone 3Gs. Stitched on the phone using Autostitch software then cropped and processed in iPhoto. Took this one while trying my iPhone at geocaching. Everything just works.

Pretty amazing results for an iPhone!

As promised here are a couple more images from the St. Peter's Church fire series. If anyone wants to see more just let me know, but I don't want to post too many at once. :)

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Brilliant on multiple levels. Love the post-processing too, the images have a Daguerrotype feel to them. Post more, eh?

screature,

Well, I'm not a God guy myself, but what happened to that lovely church is a crying shame. I'm drawn to shooting churches and have series on many, but nothing like this. Nothing in ruins. This is extremely hurtful to those who hold such things in the highest regard.

I think the consensus around here is that your look really captures the sense of loss. Almost leaves a sooty taste in your mouth. Nice eye, good heart, and please do show some more.

Brilliant on multiple levels. Love the post-processing too, the images have a Daguerrotype feel to them. Post more, eh?

Thanks The Doug, the Daguerrotype (with a very little bit of colour bleeding through) is exactly the feel I was going for so I am glad that you see it that way.

screature,

Well, I'm not a God guy myself, but what happened to that lovely church is a crying shame. I'm drawn to shooting churches and have series on many, but nothing like this. Nothing in ruins. This is extremely hurtful to those who hold such things in the highest regard.

I think the consensus around here is that your look really captures the sense of loss. Almost leaves a sooty taste in your mouth. Nice eye, good heart, and please do show some more.

Once again, thank you for your comments ScanMan they are greatly appreciated. I will post more as I process them.

Woo!! Really cool The Doug!! What are we looking at?

I also really liked the solarized/infrared looking industrial piece you posted above this one. :clap:

It's a huge word-art sculpture installed high up in the atrium of the building I work in. Probably about 20 feet from top to bottom (and about 50 feet off the main floor). Nice to be able to get a good shot of it with my new Nikkor lens. I think it's stainless steel but it could very well be aluminum. I kicked up the colour saturation & other things in this shot otherwise it would have been a pretty flat image - the end result is what I see in my mind's eye when I glance at the sculpture, anyway.

The industrial thing is also in the building where I work - it's a railing mount. The solarization effect is the lowly "gloom" filter in GraphicConverter. I seem to be using this filter frequently these days - I find it suits some images. I've always had a thing for solarization anyway; back in my b&w darkroom days (sigh...) I used to solarize prints a lot (much to dismay of other darkroom users sometimes).

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/chain%20post.jpg

Another really nice shot The Doug. I've had a "thing" for industrial looking subject matter going back to my university days. I like the composition and the bright splash of yellow makes for a nice visual contrast. Kudos!

The industrial thing is also in the building where I work - it's a railing mount. The solarization effect is the lowly "gloom" filter in GraphicConverter. I seem to be using this filter frequently these days - I find it suits some images.

I've read about and debated trying GraphicConverter for a while. And after your comments and recent shots here, I downloaded the thing and then chickened-out when it came time to install. I HATE rounding up debris on SW I demo and uninstall if I don't like it.

Aside from your recent attraction to the "gloom" thing, are there other features you've found worthwhile?

Overall GraphicConverter is pretty powerful. I've been using it for years. It does lack some interface finesse etc. and it has some quirks here and there but hey, for the price it's dandy. Until I get a new copy of PS Elements (I used to use the comparatively ancient 2.0 version which won't run in Leopard, grrr....). Anyway I'll stick with Capture NX for all raw processing and GraphicConverter for heavy PP effects etc. for now.

When I started dabbling in infrared photography a couple of years ago I found that GraphicConverter makes swapping colour channels a snap; there's menu items just for that kind of thing. Whereas, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do it in PS Elements - maybe the latest version has a simple solution. I guess I'll find out when I get a new copy of Elements.

I am way behind posting these but here are a few shots I took on Canada Day.
Was my first time ever taking shots of fireworks

http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/85195/ehmac/Fireworks1.jpg
http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/85195/ehmac/Fireworks2.jpg
http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/85195/ehmac/Fireworks3.jpg

Trevor, do you have PS? If so, open up images 2&3 and in the Levels dialogue, adjust the gamma (middle slider) to the right, to your taste. It will darken the sky so that it is a little less obtrusive. The end result also saturates your colors to a greater or lesser extent.

Trevor, do you have PS? If so, open up images 2&3 and in the Levels dialogue, adjust the gamma (middle slider) to the right, to your taste. It will darken the sky so that it is a little less obtrusive. The end result also saturates your colors to a greater or lesser extent.

I only have elements, and from what I can find I don't have the options that you are talking about.
http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/85195/ehmac/levels.png

My apologies for referring to the church that burnt in Aylmer as St. Peter's, the church's name is actually St. Paul's. I have now processed 25 images. So here are a few more for those who requested to see them. Thanks for your support and interest. :)

9919

9924

9921

9920

9922

9923

screature,

Glad you cleared that up. When you earlier said St. Peter's, I immediately did what Im always want to do, and that's fire up Google Earth. In this case, to check out what the church looked like before the inferno.

I use the word inferno, because I just viewed the video of the fire (in Google Earth, search: St. Paul's Church Aylmer, Gatineau).

What destruction!

The shots you just posted are intense. Appears you lucked out with a good sky/clouds that add to the drama. Are you working to a specific size on these? I imagine your wheels are turning regarding mounting, framing, presentation. So many interesting options considering the subject...

FWIW, and this is just my 2¢...I'm not seeing them HUGE. As theDoug says, they have that old, old French feel. Paper choice, my man, that's going to be important. Leave some border? What an interesting project you've taken on!

Don't know if I've posted this, but if you're looking to generate a commemorative book of some type, I've seen good work from this outfit. Make your own book with Blurb (http://www.blurb.com/)

Trevor,

Did this with an older version of Elements 4. Might give you some ideas...

screature,

Glad you cleared that up. When you earlier said St. Peter's, I immediately did what Im always want to do, and that's fire up Google Earth. In this case, to check out what the church looked like before the inferno.

I use the word inferno, because I just viewed the video of the fire (in Google Earth, search: St. Paul's Church Aylmer, Gatineau).

What destruction!

The shots you just posted are intense. Appears you lucked out with a good sky/clouds that add to the drama. Are you working to a specific size on these? I imagine your wheels are turning regarding mounting, framing, presentation. So many interesting options considering the subject...

FWIW, and this is just my 2¢...I'm not seeing them HUGE. As theDoug says, they have that old, old French feel. Paper choice, my man, that's going to be important. Leave some border? What an interesting project you've taken on!

Don't know if I've posted this, but if you're looking to generate a commemorative book of some type, I've seen good work from this outfit. Make your own book with Blurb (http://www.blurb.com/)

Thanks for the the feedback ScanMan. Yes there are many considerations. As far as size is concerned I am thinking in the order of 19"x 13" because that is the limit of what I can print with my HP Photosmart B9180 which renders B&W beautifully. The paper I was thinking off was the Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art Paper which is a matte paper and when used with the HP inks yields a 200 year archival print. Do you have any other suggestions?

Because of the vignetting I was not thinking of leaving a border. Did you have any other thoughts? Any suggestions that you may have would definitely be appreciated.

with your help I did this...

http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/85195/ehmac/fireworks4.jpg

with your help I did this...

KABOOOOOMMM!!!

That kicks A**, Trevor.

with your help I did this...

http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/85195/ehmac/fireworks4.jpg

That looks fantastic Trevor. Kudos!

The paper I was thinking off was the Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art Paper...because of the vignetting I was not thinking of leaving a border.

Yeah, I think you want something with a slightly warm base and no OBAs. Your Hahnemuhle choice sounds bang on.

To my eye, you've got both a black shadows and a sooty thing happening. So if you wanted to punch the blacks, I'd consider Epson exhibition fibre. It's wicked on anything geometric like architecture with strong shadows, and would really deliver a "starkness" to your burned scene.

But like you, I'm leaning to the warmer, (one might say "gentler"), sooty thing which would be emphasized by the lower contrast in your choice of matte.

And here, because I'm a shameless Epson hag, I'd be pulling out a few nice sheets of Ultra Smooth Fine Art, which always surprises me at how warm-toned it really is.

As for a border or no... a border might over-emphasize your vignetting, which is working really well as is. Me, I'm sitting on a fence on this one...

There. I've somehow managed to generate a post that's of very little help at all.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/fire%20escape.jpg

Another nice shot The Doug. Colour and subject matter wise, this ties right in with your post and chain shot you posted previously. :)

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/tractor.jpg

It's for sale! YAY! I want one. Do they come in other colours?

Whoever restored this thing (and painted it) did a great job. Immaculate and um, very colourful. Here's another taken from a slightly different angle, with no post-processing other than mild Unsharp Mask.

Whoever restored this thing (and painted it) did a great job. Immaculate and um, very colourful.

"Hand me that can of Ol' Caterpillar, Jake..."

And here I thought you'd "painted" it yourself!

Couldn't resist tinkering. I replaced the first version above with a new one - I think this version is better, and what I was originally after. Different shot, processed with greater care.

I went out for the Worldwide photo walk on Saturday in Cambridge. It was a nice day for a stroll.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa319/magnumfreak_photos/world%20photo%20walk/crookeddoor.jpg

Speaking of tractors:

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/tractor1/web.jpg?ver=12481294580001

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/tractor2/web.jpg?ver=12481294630001

1960 Kodachrome.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/barn5.jpg

Nice barn, the Doug. Here's a guest.

And here's a playmate.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/moo.jpg

Nice USM, the whiskers are hilarious.

Here's some brutal USM. I could futz with this all night trying to nail straw for 800 pixels. But hey...farmer Bob did roll our friends a nice fattie!

And Cliffy, your doorway really makes me wonder about the people inside.

Nice tractors, barns and cows, SINC, ScanMan and The Doug!!

While we are on the subject matter. My wife and I took a little trip to Westport/Picton/Bloomfield/Sandbanks at the beginning of the week, here are a couple of barn shots.

The first was out the window of the car while my wife was driving, I have always loved taking shots out of a moving vehicle, you can get some pretty happy accidents (photographic not vehicular ;) ) that way.

In the second the day was really hazy and the light very flat so it took a lot of work in Lightroom to get something out of it but in the end given the lighting I am happy with it.

10017

10018

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/barn1.jpg

More Barn!

The Rusties could tell this story better, but as I heard it, Neil Young has sound equipment and of course speakers, in various outbuildings on his farm. One day while lazily floating on a raft in one of his ponds and listening to tunes emanating from his farm-wide system, he was getting a bit annoyed with the sound balance.

"More Barn!" he called across the water to one of his farmhands. "More Barn".

After 25 years cottaging on Manitoulin Island, I've got enough barn shots to fill a silo. I've always had a soft spot for the old things. It's nice to see others feel the same.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/barn4a.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2603269794_8a69a8e13f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/astuteobserver/2603269794/)

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/bar2.jpg

Sandbanks Provincial Park, on Lake Ontario, Canada's inland Riviera. :)

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Another shot in the Sandbanks Provincial Park (sans sand).

Shot this one from the hip without looking through the viewfinder. An old art school technique that sometimes can yield surprisingly good results. Takes the brain somewhat out of the equation and allows for chance, which is sometimes better than our intentions.

10032

More Barn!

The Rusties could tell this story better, but as I heard it, Neil Young has sound equipment and of course speakers, in various outbuildings on his farm. One day while lazily floating on a raft in one of his ponds and listening to tunes emanating from his farm-wide system, he was getting a bit annoyed with the sound balance.

"More Barn!" he called across the water to one of his farmhands. "More Barn".

After 25 years cottaging on Manitoulin Island, I've got enough barn shots to fill a silo. I've always had a soft spot for the old things. It's nice to see others feel the same.

Nice shot and story ScanMan! Yeah I am a sucker for old stuff too, there is such character in them and I always feel that some untold story is somehow being expressed.

The Doug, you seem to like to shoot on gloomy days when many would figure the light is too flat to bother. Good on ya for pulling out great images despite the conditions. In fact It the conditions become what makes the images interesting. :)

Here is another shot of our little trip to the Westport/Picton/Sandbanks area. This time in Picton of the old Regent Theatre, a real old school theatre, not too many of them left.

I thought a B&W treatment with a touch of sepia suited the subject matter.

10049

Lindt

ssk, short depth of field, and chocolate - two of my favourite things!
Great shot!

Would you mind if I ask, what lens?

Yeah, ssk sweet shot.;) I thought you'd put up the chocolate because we'd been showcasing cows lately.

This for SoyMac: Flickr: More detail about Brown Gold (http://www.flickr.com/photos/astuteobserver/2603269794/meta/in/set-72157594544974888)

...Flickr: More detail about Brown Gold (http://www.flickr.com/photos/astuteobserver/2603269794/meta/in/set-72157594544974888)
f/2, aaaaaah! :)

Ambulances line up, 21 in all, at the gates of the exhibition grounds to transport the injured after the main stage collapse in high winds at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta on August 1, 2009:

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/bvj/web.jpg?ver=12493788960001

I'm such a sucker for clouds. Add a bit of sunset...Bonus! 1/400 f6.3 ISO500 55mm
And one more for contrast... 1/400 f11 ISO200 10mm

Just got my Minolta 50mm 1.7 prime and love it....this is the first shot!

I'm such a sucker for clouds. Add a bit of sunset...Bonus! 1/400 f6.3 ISO500 55mm
And one more for contrast... 1/400 f11 ISO200 10mm

ScanMan - very Canadian images. Love 'em! Especially the second.

ScanMan - very Canadian images. Love 'em! Especially the second.

Thanks. Didn't consider the "Canadian" aspect to them, but you're right. They were taken up north where the landscape makes a Canadian feel right at home. Well, an Ontarian anyway.

I suppose what makes the biggest impression on me in shots like these, aren't the actual clouds, but the fact that we still have so much room to step back and enjoy them! It's really a vista thing. And our country has it in spades.

I suppose what makes the biggest impression on me in shots like these, aren't the actual clouds, but the fact that we still have so much room to step back and enjoy them! It's really a vista thing. And our country has it in spades.

Shhhhh. Don't tell anybody...;)

^^^ The cat is already out of the bag... it's called Manifest Destiny... ;)

Here is a photo that I took recently on a trip to Sandbanks Provincial Park on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Unfortunately the conditions were less than ideal that day, hazy and overcast producing flat and low contrast lighting. We were only there for a couple of hours so I couldn't wait for conditions to improve, but the subject matter was great. So I took a few shots anyway hoping that I could make something out of them with Lightroom and Photoshop. So here is the original and the "final" image after Lightroom adjustments and a fairly good deal of work in Photoshop. Still less than ideal, but at least something that is more worthy of the subject matter.

Before:

10111

After:

10112

Thanks. Didn't consider the "Canadian" aspect to them, but you're right. They were taken up north where the landscape makes a Canadian feel right at home. Well, an Ontarian anyway.


The first shot (the sunset) really reminds me of those small panel paintings that Tom Thompson was so famous for, very "Canadian" indeed! :clap:

Just got my Minolta 50mm 1.7 prime and love it....

That's seriously sharp with some nice colour and the sweetest bokeh for a short lens. What camera are you using it on? You focus manual on this, or auto? Where did you find the lens?

... I took a few shots anyway hoping that I could make something out of them with Lightroom and Photoshop.

It's great how LR lets you nicely drag the colour out of something and play with it. Like the subtle orange in your trunk, yellow in the grass, cyan(?) in your lower sky. A subject worth saving, screature. Nice job!

Also, it'd make a great seat for a couple of people I can think of.

Also, it'd make a great seat for a couple of people I can think of.

Thanks ScanMan! They would have to be pretty large people for it to make a comfortable seat. Without a real point of reference for scale you can't really tell just how large this stump was. To the top of it was 10 - 12 feet.

That's seriously sharp with some nice colour and the sweetest bokeh for a short lens. What camera are you using it on? You focus manual on this, or auto? Where did you find the lens?

The colour and sharpens combined with the smooth bokeh is what i love about it. I'm still trying to figure out what it's capable of. I purchased it on craigslist and I'm currently using it on a Sony a200.

...a comfortable seat....

I had a couple of politicians in mind, so comfort wasn't exactly a priority.

With the storm we just had in the last couple of hours here in T.O. I'm wondering if there aren't a few new stumps like yours around our own neighbourhood.

I had a couple of politicians in mind, so comfort wasn't exactly a priority.


Ohhhhh.... Ok, I didn't know you meant for them to sit on the pointy bit ;)... Oooouucchh!

Was out roamin’ the back coulees of southern Saskatchewan south of Grasslands National Park. Ran into a ‘Hopper or two. Had to stop about every half hour and scrape ‘em off the rig to avoid overheating in the 34 degree temperatures:

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/rig/web.jpg?ver=12503308380001

Came across this lonesome old shanty with an interesting original contruction method:

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/shack/web.jpg?ver=12503308410001

Well a few weeks ago i picked up a 50mm prime lens and now i added to the family with a Minolta 70-210mm....i'm very happy with what i see so far......brings new life to my Alpha.

Couple of takes on last night's sunset. Just fartin' around...

Lovely shots! :clap:

Couple of takes on last night's sunset. Just fartin' around...

Well for farts, they sure aren't stinky...:lmao: Very nice snaps ScanMan.

scanman that silhouette is amazing!

:o Thanks all. Trevor, if you use LR, try my EF (extreme fartin') Preset:

contrast +100
clarity -100
vibrance +100
sharpening 150/2.0/25/100

curves in PS.


Sinc,
Been meaning to say that once I got over that disgusting mess on the front of your vehicle, I googled the manufacturer and started looking over specs, photos and floor plans. That's a very nice unit.

Years ago, my Dad bought a smaller RV, wanting to see the sights, after what he thought was a successful round of chemo. But it wasn't, and he didn't get to see much at all. Having no place to park it, I was forced to sell it. Now, if I've learned anything from Dad's experience, it's that perhaps I shouldn't wait till it's too late.

So sometimes, like Albert Brooks in "Lost in America", I'm 100% certain that it's high time to roll. Then I look at my driveway, and remember that I've sill no place to put the darn thing.

Looks like you're enjoying the ride of your life.

Leaving New Brunswick last Saturday...I actually have a great shot w/o the ominous warning too - didn't notice this "bonus" until I was taking a closer look today..:lmao:

.

Leaving New Brunswick last Saturday...I actually have a great shot w/o the ominous warning too - didn't notice this "bonus" until I was taking a closer look today..:lmao:

:lmao: :lmao: I like it...

.

Was out roamin’ the back coulees of southern Saskatchewan south of Grasslands National Park. Ran into a ‘Hopper or two. Had to stop about every half hour and scrape ‘em off the rig to avoid overheating in the 34 degree temperatures:

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/rig/web.jpg?ver=12503308380001

Came across this lonesome old shanty with an interesting original contruction method:

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/shack/web.jpg?ver=12503308410001

i really like the lines in the shack pic. very nice.

Memories of a misspent youth.

Great b&w! :clap:

Memories of a misspent youth.

I misspent countless hours at Carleton University the same way. Eventually though I ended up becoming the Games Room Manager and got to play for free (as long as there were vacant tables) so least I got paid to feed my addiction. ;)

Nice shot ScanMan! :clap:

http://img.skitch.com/20090821-edjcd17nxii5ahxmux6gcq1yi1.jpg

i'm working on getting all my photos integrated into 1 site, which can be seen at |Chris Burke Photography| (http://www.chrisburke.smugmug.com) and my photography (client) site is |Chris Burke Photography| (http://www.chrisburkephotography.com)

Chris,
THAT'S a nice barn! I like the tone you've chosen for the subject.

The Doug, screature,
Thanks for the compliments. I like the shot as well, but what makes it special for me is the lesson it taught me.

It was one of a couple of sheets of negs I rediscovered recently. Shots I'd taken and developed back at Ryerson circa 1970, and stuck away for almost 40 years. When I saw them again, I saw that they'd become scratched and nicked beyond repair. I know a bit about restoration, and groaned imagining the countless hours it would take to bring these babies back to life.

So I trashed them, keeping just one or two for sentimental reasons.

Then wouldn't you freaking know it. A few days ago I fired up some software I'd completely forgotten about, and hadn't used in years. A dust and artifact remover that is absolutely amazing. SW that turned days of tedious masking, layering, cloning, into a simple hour of touch-up.

I've been shooting myself for days and have run out of ammunition.

The lesson? Just because you can't figure out how to do something right now, doesn't mean that the technology or skills required will never materialize. And in the mean time...don't be so quick to throw things away!

I'd already stored them for 40 years anyway. Why the rush?! Idiot.

New toy, we bought a Wingscapes Birdcam (http://www.wingscapes.com/)the other day at a local birders shop. It's a rather clever thing, fully automatic motion sensing still and video camera in a weatherproof housing.

Highlights are blown out in this test at high noon, I just resized the pic without doing anything else other than opening up the shadow a bit.

First couple of test pix.

http://www.kevinomura.com/dump/grackle1.jpg

http://www.kevinomura.com/dump/grackle2.jpg

Seems happier later in the day.

http://www.kevinomura.com/dump/grackle3.jpg

K

yeah
its nice:)

...|Chris Burke Photography| (http://www.chrisburke.smugmug.com) ...

Chris
Nice, clean, easy-to-navigate website.
Mind if I ask what program you used to create it?
:)

New toy, we bought a Wingscapes Birdcam (http://www.wingscapes.com/)the other day at a local birders shop. It's a rather clever thing, fully automatic motion sensing still and video camera in a weatherproof housing.

Highlights are blown out in this test at high noon, I just resized the pic without doing anything else other than opening up the shadow a bit.



Hehe, that last shot is funny. Pretty cool toy K. Mind if I ask how much it costs?

Bump to see screature's last post.

Bump to see screature's last post.

I actually used the link that NiteShooter provided Wingscapes Birdcam (http://www.wingscapes.com/productdetail.aspx?id=WSCA01) (I didn't notice it the first time around) to go the web site that is selling the BirdCam. $250 :eek:

Now that is an expensive toy. ;) Maybe not for some, but for me right now it is, cool nonetheless.

I actually used the link that NiteShooter provided Wingscapes Birdcam (http://www.wingscapes.com/productdetail.aspx?id=WSCA01) (I didn't notice it the first time around) to go the web site that is selling the BirdCam. $250 :eek:

Now that is an expensive toy. ;) Maybe not for some, but for me right now it is, cool nonetheless.

It was my wife's birthday present... ;)

Actually wasn't that bad cost wise, $249 cdn at a local bird supply shop and that included the radio remote which I thought was extra.

K

PEI a day after the remnants of Bill swept through. It was surreal how the land met the water and the water met the sky.

Taken with my crappy Canon point and shoot.

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/crumble.jpg

http://web.me.com/dougcg/iWeb/Site/artis_files/crumble.jpg



great shot doug! wonderful composition!!

NICE one, The Doug. Sweet tone and texture. Couldn't come up with a good joke about jerking your chain...

Thanks. I like it but I might have darkened the image a bit too much; I'll think about it some more and maybe experiment with the levels. Glad I got the shot when I did though, they're repairing it this morning. I think some students out on a frosh bender stood on the chain and that's what caused the damage.

The damage adds the drama. It's the fact that something did or could happen - the remaining stones almost teetering, torn from their socket. It's a shot with a bit of "business". A photo of the repair job wouldn't be as interesting. Or?

Your texture and colouring has inspired me, and I revisited a couple last night. Same scene as one I posted here a couple of days ago. Yes, it's that boring PS texturizer, but for a guy who spends a lot of time suppressing texture in scanned images, it's fun to give it the beans on occasion.

No idea how these will look here.

Here's a couple:

The O'Connor Bowl in Toronto, shot with my Hasselblad 501C medium format with available light.

The City Motel in Hamilton, shot with my trusty Canon G3 with available light.

The damage adds the drama. It's the fact that something did or could happen - the remaining stones almost teetering, torn from their socket. It's a shot with a bit of "business". A photo of the repair job wouldn't be as interesting. Or?

Your texture and colouring has inspired me, and I revisited a couple last night. Same scene as one I posted here a couple of days ago. Yes, it's that boring PS texturizer, but for a guy who spends a lot of time suppressing texture in scanned images, it's fun to give it the beans on occasion.

No idea how these will look here.

A nice triptych ScanMan. Lovely mood. Very filmic.

Niteshooter,
I keep going back to that birdcam series. Your last shot completely cracks me up. Hope the set up is still working out for you. Guess a lot of your subjects will be heading south soon.

Mr. Jimmy,
Thanks. Still liking the mood of your PEI shot, and now the considered geometry of the O'Connor Bowl scene. Great light.

Here's a silly one that's been laying around my desktop. Must have been bored...
(edit) added another.

Here's a couple:

The O'Connor Bowl in Toronto, shot with my Hasselblad 501C medium format with available light.

Like the classic retro mid century look mrj. Nice. :)

...Here's a silly one that's been laying around my desktop. Must have been bored...
(edit) added another.

I really like the composition in the second shot here ScanMan. I wonder how it would look as a black and white?

In the first one did you try the B&W/colour the other way around with the reflection being in B&W and the rest in colour? I would be interested in seeing it that way as well.

I went in the Experimental Farm in Ottawa this summer and took a bunch of shots. I thought it only fitting that photos taken in the Experimental Farm should be "experimented" with.

Here is the first:

10426

...photos taken in the Experimental Farm should be "experimented" with.

Wow. Have to look pretty closely to see what's going on. Cool treatment. Especially nice in the leaves.

Wow. Have to look pretty closely to see what's going on. Cool treatment. Especially nice in the leaves.

Thanks ScanMan. I reposted a larger version so that when you click on it you can see it better. ;)

Ha. Finished a biography last night on Jimi Hendrix, so maybe I'm enjoying your foliage a bit too much. Groovy colours, man...

Plus, it's just a really interesting tree to begin with. I'm soft on gnarly old trees – this specimen of yours, is a beaut.

Here's 3 of mine.

A kid and a horse doing synchronized hand stands at Holstein Ont. a few weeks back.
http://www.pbase.com/sarrana/image/114867938/large.jpg

Buddy as a pup, tired after exploring my pond.
http://www.pbase.com/sarrana/image/63585786/original.jpg

My daughters frog showing "my best side"
http://www.pbase.com/sarrana/image/55645565.jpg

I really like the composition in the second shot. I wonder how it would look as a black and white? In the first one did you try the B&W/colour the other way around..?

By tweaking the blues (darker in the transition) the 2nd shot looks fine as a B&W, but not worth reposting. As to the other shot...yeah, I tried it the other way, but it's just as bogus looking. I thought I had a nice thing going on with the reflection, but in straight colour or B&W it just laid there. I think the mirrored glass might have been tinted, which affects the brightness, particularly on the reflected whites of the church. Just can't get them to kick without blowing apart. Farting around won't save her. She's mort.

AndyB,

That's a frame-worthy puppy shot. I like the way you kept it a bit cool and got your Lab's colour without going all yellow. Great mood. You've got to be happy with that one! Love the action in the corral, too. Interesting group of spectators. OK...now I'm no cowpoke, but I'm seeing beef burgers there, not a lot of horse hide...

First appearance since '83. Finally, some beautiful T.O. summer weather and a smokin' show!

AndyB, those are great shots! :clap: The puppy is too cute for words and the frog shot is amazing, such great character in such a small creature.

First appearance since '83. Finally, some beautiful T.O. summer weather and a smokin' show!

Great shot ScanMan! What lens were you using to "pull" it in so close and keep it sharp. I presume it was hand held, which given the speed of the subject matter makes it all that more impressive!

AndyB, those are great shots! :clap: The puppy is too cute for words and the frog shot is amazing, such great character in such a small creature.

Yeah! I agree - Great shots AndyB (BTW - that's a COW, not a horse ;))
The frog portrait is da bomb for me out of the trio!:clap:

AndyB
Great shots! :clap:

What lens were you using to "pull" it in so close and keep it sharp. I presume it was hand held...!

200mm / 1,600 / f 7.1 / ISO 200 / -.3 EV / Aperture priority / multi-exp / focus tracking

Basically, the camera was on auto-pilot.:D

The frog portrait is da bomb for me out of the trio!:clap:

Love those toes! First thing I thought of though, was how it looked like Don Rickles. Especially the way he used look over at Johnny, with that one eyebrow arched a bit.

If that's not dating yourself...

Here's 3 of mine.

A kid and a horse doing synchronized hand stands at Holstein Ont. a few weeks back.
http://www.pbase.com/sarrana/image/114867938/large.jpg

Buddy as a pup, tired after exploring my pond.
http://www.pbase.com/sarrana/image/63585786/original.jpg

My daughters frog showing "my best side"
http://www.pbase.com/sarrana/image/55645565.jpg

andy, that first shot is a fantastic action shot. any chance you know who what kid is? if not, a little searching and sending him the photo would make his day. I have a similar shot where I was mid-air holding onto a tube being pulled behind a boat. my body is perpendicular to the water right before I wiped out :)

Shanghai, China.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3750739929_cb5958a219_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3750740207_29abaae389_o.jpg

The Dome

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/3774392028_4b79eb2de7_o.jpg

the horizon is off in your shanghi picture.. all the buildings are all leaning to the left.. makes me think the water is going to pour out my monitor.. .straighten it out, and it'll be a decent shot

the horizon is off in your shanghi picture.. all the buildings are all leaning to the left.. makes me think the water is going to pour out my monitor.. .straighten it out, and it'll be a decent shot

For a newbie you could be a little more polite. Your point is taken but you could say it a little more diplomatically. How about , "Nice shot, noticed the buildings are a little skewed, do you have the tools to straighten them out?" We try to be constructive and friendly here... :)

Here is a shot that that I took in a series of shots at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa this summer. As I said previously, I felt that shots taken at the Experimental Farm should be be experimented with so here is a "straight" shot as taken and the "experiment".

10433

10434

For a newbie you could be a little more polite. Your point is taken but you could say it a little more diplomatically. How about , "Nice shot, noticed the buildings are a little skewed, do you have the tools to straighten them out?" We try to be constructive and friendly here... :)

sorry, I'm use to interacting on the professional photography forums... the way i responded was honest.. i don't butter things up..

sorry, I'm use to interacting on the professional photography forums... the way i responded was honest.. i don't butter things up..

I understand, that is the way it was when I was in university; to the point and brutal. But there are a lot of amateurs around here and we like to be encouraging. :)

Good point, screature. I'd been thinking of how to respond to that.

FWIW, that Shanghai shot rocks. Wonderful colour, nicely sharpened. But then I'm a hag for nighttime reflections on water, and this one does it nicely.

Hey, it's a wider lens, the buildings are vertically tilted...you can play this a number of ways. Decimal seven six degrees might make someone here happy, though.

Your shot, OTOH screature, is WAY off! What the hell are you smoking?! I suppose you think that's creative or something?

I do. Nice call on that one!

the horizon is off in your shanghi picture.. all the buildings are all leaning to the left.. makes me think the water is going to pour out my monitor.. .straighten it out, and it'll be a decent shot

For a newbie you could be a little more polite. Your point is taken but you could say it a little more diplomatically. How about , "Nice shot, noticed the buildings are a little skewed, do you have the tools to straighten them out?" We try to be constructive and friendly here... :)

Thanks, but he does have the right to criticize, but in a nicer manner would be better. Either way he's right with image being crooked. However, I'm still satisfied with my image, and that's all that matters to me.


FWIW, that Shanghai shot rocks. Wonderful colour, nicely sharpened. But then I'm a hag for nighttime reflections on water, and this one does it nicely.


Thanks.

Your shot, OTOH screature, is WAY off! What the hell are you smoking?! I suppose you think that's creative or something?

I do. Nice call on that one!

No, not smoking anything, haven't for years, can't for health reasons (wish I could sometimes though). ;)

Yeah, the horizon is a little off on that one, but I kinda liked it anyway. ;) Thanks for the comments SanMan.

Here is a shot that that I took in a series of shots at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa this summer. As I said previously, I felt that shots taken at the Experimental Farm should be be experimented with so here is a "straight" shot as taken and the "experiment".



Mwaaah ha ha... unleash the experimental zombie cows! Mwaaa ha ha... ha ha...

Great shot & fun post processing!

:)

I liked 'em all. Good work all round. :clap:

Mwaaah ha ha... unleash the experimental zombie cows! Mwaaa ha ha... ha ha...

Great shot & fun post processing!

:)

:lmao: :lmao: Thanks TD. :)

A sanguine scene. With horrific masking, befitting the ZOMBIE COWS.

Moooo... oooo... ah ha ha ha!

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

That's udderly terrifying.... :eek:

.....aaand the MILK runs cold.........
(great stuff you guys)
:lmao:

In the shadow of the power lines on Overlea Blvd, folks have been nursing along their little veggie gardens, some for decades. A gorgeous day, but it appears that this pitiful Toronto summer is indeed coming to an end.
(edit) original stuck on the end

Nice shots ScanMan!! I like the sunflower and the "soft glow" on the veggie "still life".

Thanks screature. With the veggie one, I did that lame-o "clarity -100 / contrast +100" thing again. Cloned out the highlights, then dodged them up a bit. I was going for an Olde Worlde thinge, but the cedar looks dumb. Be nice if it was a bit more weathered and beaten up. Gonna stick the original on the old post for comparison. Here's another with the lame-o technique. I'm becoming a one-click pony...

Well here are my latest offerings...ENJOY!!

Nice shots, I really like the light on those onions!

Nice shots, I really like the light on those onions!
Thanks for the kind words. I have found that through the many years of photo taking, the ones we don't set out to take often times end up being some of our best shots, like the onions...Cheers!!

Some very nice work here and nice to see some new posters.

Myself, I haven't posted in a while, so here's a sampling of some recent stuff that some of you might have seen elsewhere.

http://www.ikarl.com/pics/FM/kps_870_1.jpg
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/FM/kps_cz_2.jpg
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_1276.jpg
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_1279_bw.jpg
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_4415_w.jpg

Wow, I really like the cop car image! I love HDR images. Can change a simple image and bring out all aspects of the image that did not stick out to you prior.

Well done :cool:

Thanks Carter, but it's not a true HDR image. All done in Lightroom2.

Thanks Carter, but it's not a true HDR image. All done in Lightroom2.

I really like the one of the cop car, can you tell me what you did to give it that effect.

I really like the one of the cop car, can you tell me what you did to give it that effect.

Watch this LR2 video from the "Killer Tips" site and all will be revealed.

video-surreal-edgy-effect/ (http://www.lightroomkillertips.com/2007/video-surreal-edgy-effect/)

Speaking of wierd effects, can anyone tell me what happened here?

I was out in our RV when a fierce storm hit a couple of weeks back, After it broke, a huge rainbow appeared in the east and I got a few shots of it. I then noticed the sunset behind me in the west and decided to try and shoot it from either side of a pine tree. I was using my Nikon Coolpix 8800 8 MPX camera and flipped it to automatic just to see how it would turn out. When I downloaded the shots a couple days back I really didn't pay a lot of attention to them, but tonight when I reviewed them, I came across these three shots below.

WTH? How did the pine tree turn out white while the rest of the shot was normal in colour. It's a mystery to me. anyone have any thoughts?

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/weird1/web.jpg?ver=12530925440001

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/weird2/web.jpg?ver=12530925460001

http://gallery.me.com/plmnice/100073/weird3/web.jpg?ver=12530935950001

Heres a few i did just last night at our little heritage place...

http://img.skitch.com/20090916-d5af38fgf1gwsp1kd7ydp5m2xr.jpg

http://img.skitch.com/20090916-mmrr8j8k72ie22nghg9wxpgy98.jpg

http://img.skitch.com/20090916-t8dt2sqrmuh5j7wpq5nh99n5n4.jpg

Speaking of wierd effects, can anyone tell me what happened here?

I was out in our RV when a fierce storm hit a couple of weeks back, After it broke, a huge rainbow appeared in the east and I got a few shots of it. I then noticed the sunset behind me in the west and decided to try and shoot it from either side of a pine tree. I was using my Nikon Coolpix 8800 8 MPX camera and flipped it to automatic just to see how it would turn out. When I downloaded the shots a couple days back I really didn't pay a lot of attention to them, but tonight when I reviewed them, I came across these three shots below.

WTH? How did the pine tree turn out white while the rest of the shot was normal in colour. It's a mystery to me. anyone have any thoughts?


Sinc, I'd guess you were flashing things, again. :D

Yeah, when you turned it to auto, it was dark enough to automatically trigger the flash. The tree in the foreground is the only element that was effectively lit.

Watch this LR2 video from the "Killer Tips" site and all will be revealed.

video-surreal-edgy-effect/ (http://www.lightroomkillertips.com/2007/video-surreal-edgy-effect/)

Thanks for passing that one along.

Thanks for passing that one along.

Yer welcome, enjoy. Lightroom rulz!

Thanks for passing that one along.
+1! That's great kps!

Time to bump this thread with some pics! It seems this section just hides posts older than a month.

http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_4259.jpg
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_4433.jpg
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_4440.jpg

Nice shots kps, I particularly like the red tractor shot.

Thanks screature.

This gives a whole new meaning to "a man's home is his castle". This monstrosity reminds me of the castles along Germany's Rhine River.

Taken in Montana, USA.
*
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/ehmac/kps_4377.jpg

kps,

Nice vignetting and tones on the horse head w/straw shot – found a comfortable spot with the sharpening, too. That's a tough one.

Thanks, glad you liked it.

Thanks screature.

This gives a whole new meaning to "a man's home is his castle". This monstrosity reminds me of the castles along Germany's Rhine River.

Taken in Montana, USA.



Maybe he has a really, really big telescope in there somewhere. ;)

Maybe he has a really, really big telescope in there somewhere. ;)

...not to mention a really, really big wallet.:D

Compelling photos, kps! Please keep them coming! :clap:

(Actually, that goes for all of you)

Thank you, SoyMac.

...and yeah, let's see some more images from the rest of the community.

*
Kids by a waterfall, Southern Alberta:
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/ehmac/kps_4402.jpg
*
Hutterite girls by the same waterfall:
http://www.ikarl.com/pics/magic/kps_4407_w.jpg

Took these while at a luau in Maui last year. Not sure what to do with them..(suggestions very welcome) ...so far I have only "healed" a few specks of light pollution from electronics in background.

It depends on what you want to do with them...what your final intent is.

I think they're great as they are and you did a fantastic job at capturing the moment, both technically and aesthetically. Good captures, exposure, etc.

If you have a decent programme like Lighroom or Photoshop, you could play for hours correcting, cropping, whatever...it's up to you to decide.

Hope you don't mind, but I took your firegoddess and did a little colour correction, boosted the exposure and contrast a little to give it a bit of "pop". Not the best processing job, but you get the idea.

Thanks kps!


Yes, I have Photoshop. I'll try with the full res file to see if I can get the same effect.
I think my final intent for them would be to go in the family photo album...I cannot do anything commercial with them - I do not have any releases:(

Hah! One more ..( I thought there was one missing from the gang)
I wish I hadn't cut off his elbow though. :(

Nice images, good execution...great spot. One day I'd like a trip to Hawaii. :D

A discovery among Dad's old Ektachromes.

Love the sky.

Love the sky.

Yeah, it surprised me because it's the kind of scene I figured my Dad would have looked at and thought, "Must be late, it's getting dark". He's been gone a while now...funny, how you can get to learn a bit about people by the pictures they take.

Awesome drama in that picture Scan Man - Your Dad obviously thought it was worth capturing. ..and capture it he sure did!

It depends on what you want to do with them...what your final intent is.

I think they're great as they are and you did a fantastic job at capturing the moment, both technically and aesthetically. Good captures, exposure, etc.

If you have a decent programme like Lighroom or Photoshop, you could play for hours correcting, cropping, whatever...it's up to you to decide.

Hope you don't mind, but I took your firegoddess and did a little colour correction, boosted the exposure and contrast a little to give it a bit of "pop". Not the best processing job, but you get the idea.

Wow KPS, what's your monitor calibrated to?

On my end that picture looks cyan and washed out with minimal contrast and a lot of noise in the shadows....

The original looks quite good to me. Good saturation without plugged blacks.

K

Wow KPS, what's your monitor calibrated to?

On my end that picture looks cyan and washed out with minimal contrast and a lot of noise in the shadows....

The original looks quite good to me. Good saturation without plugged blacks.

K

Well, it's not calibrated with a "Spyder" if that's what you mean?

But, yeah it's admittedly overprocessed and a tad too Cyan than it should be.

Wow KPS, what's your monitor calibrated to?

On my end that picture looks cyan and washed out with minimal contrast and a lot of noise in the shadows....

The original looks quite good to me. Good saturation without plugged blacks.

K

Yes I have to agree Niteshooter. Here is my shot at editing it.... just for fun.

Rather than global changes because I felt the drama I was there I just removed the red cast on her skin as I felt it to be too red and added some localized exposure and brightness to bring out her face and parts of her body. I did this in Lightroom as I find for this king of adjustment it is actually easier and more flexible than Photoshop. I also darkened the sky a tad and made it a little bluer just to provide some more contrast for added drama.


11056

http://www.ehmac.ca/attachments/photos/10978d1256680934t-photography-anyone-firegoddess.jpg

Hi Friends
I am interested in developing (pun!) my macro photography.

I have a screw-on Macro kit of +1, +2, and +4 lenses.

I have tested them out on my 85mm prime, and here's what I can get:

http://i36.tinypic.com/atw1tl.jpg

But I want MORE!

I'd like to fill the frame with just the Jelly Belly lettering.

I'd like to be able to get super macro photographs of bugs eyes, frogs toes, fairy wings, etc..
Like this!...
1x.com - Photo: Eye by Yoshiaki Oikawa (http://1x.com/photos/macro/14800/)

I have a Canon 5D MKII, full-frame digital still camera.

What would you suggest?

just a reminder to all fellow photographers that the Leonid meteor shower is supposed to be tonight between 1:30 AM and sunrise (technically tomorrow morning).

clear skies and a new moon mean perfect conditions from what i read.

Hi Friends
I am interested in developing (pun!) my macro photography.

I have a screw-on Macro kit of +1, +2, and +4 lenses.

I have tested them out on my 85mm prime, and here's what I can get:

But I want MORE!

I'd like to fill the frame with just the Jelly Belly lettering.

I'd like to be able to get super macro photographs of bugs eyes, frogs toes, fairy wings, etc..
Like this!...
1x.com - Photo: Eye by Yoshiaki Oikawa (http://1x.com/photos/macro/14800/)

I have a Canon 5D MKII, full-frame digital still camera.

What would you suggest?


Well first I would lose the screw on macro attachments, they don't offer the best optics in the world, you still can't get really close and they usually take away a stop or two.

For the kind of extreme close up work you are looking to do you are looking at I would say a minimum of a 180mm macro which don't come cheap. In the Canon line for a full frame lens you are looking at somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1300 - $1400+. You can always go 3rd party manufacturer, just read any and all reviews. Also go for the fastest lens you can afford as when getting in that close light often falls off quite a bit.

If you were shooting on an APS-C sensor I would have also recommended the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO. It is a fantastic lens of amazing value (only around $500). The great thing about this lens is that it has a minimum focusing distance of 7.9" throughout the zoom, no more physically moving the camera back and forth to find the optimum focal plane, just move in and zoom and focus. It makes macro photography more spontaneous and fun.

Oh and of course if money is no object a macro flash system can come in handy. The Canon brand Macro ring light is around $500. Those would be my suggestions.

Macro photography is one of my favourites, there is a whole other world out there that the average person isn't aware of and doesn't take the time to slow down and look... I mean really look at.

Well first I would lose the screw on macro attachments, they don't offer the best optics in the world, you still can't get really close and they usually take away a stop or two.
... I would say a minimum of a 180mm macro ... You can always go 3rd party manufacturer, just read any and all reviews.
Also go for the fastest lens you can afford as when getting in that close light often falls off quite a bit.
... a macro flash system can come in handy.

... there is a whole other world out there that the average person isn't aware of and doesn't take the time to slow down and look... I mean really look at.Thanks for the advice, screature! :clap:

Yeah, I think I'm drawn to macro because of all the nature video stuff I've shot.
There's so much to see in every square inch, and I learned that the best way to find amazing things, is to sit down and be quiet. :)

I love Macro shooting, I picked up this lens about 8 months ago and I have been rather impressed with it for $600

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro (http://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraLenses/219695/canon-efs-60mm-f28-usm-macro-lens.aspx)

I love Macro shooting, I picked up this lens ... and I have been rather impressed with it for $600

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro (http://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraLenses/219695/canon-efs-60mm-f28-usm-macro-lens.aspx)Thanks for the thought, Trevor!

That's a good price and I would definitely look into that lens, but unfortunately the
5D MKII is not compatible with Canon EF-S lenses. :-(

I don't think that you get to use the crying smile guy and 5D MKII in the same sentence!!!

There's so much to see in every square inch, and I learned that the best way to find amazing things, is to sit down and be quiet. :)
+1:clap:

Screature - Great edit on the Fire Goddess shot....It's very interesting how many different directions a single image can take, isn't it?

I don't think that you get to use the crying smile guy and 5D MKII in the same sentence!!!:lmao:

Yes, I must be aware and thankful of how fortunate I am to have this amazing, full-frame camera. :D

I spent the rest of today researching Macro lenses, and eating my props.

Here are the three lenses I'm intrigued by:
Canon 100mm Macro (http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_100_2p8_is_usm_c16/)
Tamron 90mm Macro for Canon (http://photo.net/equipment/canon/can-tam-macro/)
And for fun! ...
Lens Baby
(http://digital-photography-school.com/lensbaby-composer-review) Also Lens Baby (http://lensbaby.ca/gallery-photo.php)

Have you tried extension tubes? I've had really good luck with them with some of my lenses. They are really cheap on ebay and the like, think I paid $25 delivered for mine. They basically just move the lens further away from the sensor which allows a MUCH closer minimum focus distance. It's not quite the same as a true macro lens, but depending upon which glass you have it does allow you to get _really_ close up to things. With the longest extension and my 70-200 L f/2.8 IS I can get within about an inch of what I want to photograph. Might be a nice cheap alternative to play with and see if it's "good enough" for what you want before you spend the bigger bucks on a macro lens + ring light.

I don't think that you get to use the crying smile guy and 5D MKII in the same sentence!!!

You do if you bought one and paid the big bucks to shoot video and then saw all the extra options the 7D gives you (like 1080p 24fps) ;) I'm not in that situation (I bought a 7D) but I see a lot of guys online who are crying about that on a videographer's forum I frequent ;)

Have you tried extension tubes? ....I've heard about them, but don't know anything about them.

I have that 70-200 lens you have.

Can you give me some direction on what I should look for in an extension tube?
For the price you indicated, I'd be very willing to give them a try. :)

You do if you bought one and paid the big bucks to shoot video and then saw all the extra options the 7D gives you (like 1080p 24fps)... It's funny, Canon has promotional material extolling the virtues of shooting film-like with the 5D MK II, but put that extended video technology into the 7D, and not into their full-frame 5D MK II. :confused:

I'm not disappointed about the video, since I bought the 5D for its full-frame still capabilities, but Canon could have released a real champion if they'd combined the 5D full-frame with the 7D's video capabilities. All those film lenses and cross-over film technologies would have given Canon a huge edge in the still/video market segments.

Maybe the next 5D will have all this technology. *fingers crossed* :rolleyes:

Is this what I should buy to try an extension tube? ...

3 Ring Macro Extension Tube for CANON EOS Lens & Camera - eBay (item 290368071081 end time Dec-08-09 09:11:55 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290368071081&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123)

Is this what I should buy to try an extension tube? ...

3 Ring Macro Extension Tube for CANON EOS Lens & Camera - eBay (item 290368071081 end time Dec-08-09 09:11:55 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290368071081&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123)

If you want full functionality take a look at these:

THK Photo Products, Inc. (http://www.thkphoto.com/products/kenko/slrc-04.html)

If you want full functionality take a look at these:

THK Photo Products, Inc. (http://www.thkphoto.com/products/kenko/slrc-04.html)Thanks, kps!

Yeah, I had looked at those and I like their AF capability.
They're $169 in the USA, which is tempting.
But they're $300 in Canada! Aaaacgh!

Maybe I should just get the cheap tubes off eBay and try them.
If I like that route, I could invest in something better later.

Okay, maybe you can tell me if I'm understanding this;

If I get the cheap extension tube, and then get a Macro lens later, I can then use the cheap extension tube to make the Macro lens even Macro-er, yes?

Have I understood what I've researched?

Thanks!

Another option are "close-up" filters (or diopter filters) that screw into the front of the lens, just like other filters.

They should be relatively inexpensive. They also have advantages in that there is no loss of camera functionality, and no significant change to exposure time.

With the cheapo extension tubes you may have to work in total manual mode. You may not even be able to change the lens aperature since there is no electronic signal between the camera and lens. This might be O.K. with a fixed studio setup, but you can forget about quick macro shots on the spur of the moment.

You can use extension tubes to make a macro lens even "macroer".

True macro lenses are designed to provide a flat plane of focus at close working distances. This is important if you're photographing flat object such as stamps or artwork, but not as important when you're objects aren't flat.

What Rob said...

I wouldn't waste my money on the eBay tubes. With shipping, etc. it'll be more than they're worth.

I'd consider the Kenko tubes from a reputable dealer in the US like B&H who services Canadian customers.

I had the glass screw-on close up lenses Rob mentioned and they worked very well, except that they are specific diameter and don't fit all lenses you may own where as with the tubes, filter size is irrelevant.

Many years ago I had extension bellows for closeup work, but I haven't seen those offered any more.

If I'm not mistaken SoyMac said that he already has a set of these screw in lenses and they aren't cutting it.

If you want to get serious about your macro work, I think there is no way around getting serious about your lens(es). If you want to just mess around then that is another matter, but to get the kind of close-up detail and image quality that SoyMac showed in the example he provided earlier, you can't get that on the cheap, you have to suck it up and get some serious glass. Extension tubes and screw macros aren't going to get the kind of results posted in SoyMac's link. Just sayin...

1x.com - Photo: Eye by Yoshiaki Oikawa (http://1x.com/photos/macro/14800/)

If I'm not mistaken SoyMac said that he already has a set of these screw in lenses and they aren't cutting it.Yep.

If you want to get serious about your macro work, I think there is no way around getting serious about your lens(es). ... you have to suck it up and get some serious glass. ... Just sayin...*sigh* I was afraid of that.

I'll be the one playing guitar outside the liquor store. My cardboard sign reads, "Please help. Need lenses (and inkjet refills). Every little bit helps. God Bless."

Thanks, screature. I needed the prodding to get serious about this, and I'm sure your advice will actually save me money and help me avoid lots of wasted time.

Thanks, all!

Ok, now the fun begins...which macro should he get? Followed by which ring flash?

Soy, this is a pretty good macro shooter forum if you need some expert advice:

Macro World - FM Forums (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/45)

Ok, now the fun begins...which macro should he get? Followed by which ring flash?

Soy, this is a pretty good macro shooter forum if you need some expert advice:

Macro World - FM Forums (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/45)

Cool site kps! Lots of great work there... thanks for the tip.

Coupla days ago in Beaufort NC. Highly recommended.

^^^ Nice shot ScanMan... looks like a beautiful place. :)

^ Stunning light and great composition, ScanMan! :clap:

Thanks, guys. A dream late fall road trip. Anyone who's driven southeast through New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland knows what I mean.

Keyword sampling: Pelicans beach sunset aquarium seafood fishing landmarks fort seashells crabs sandpipers lighthouse bistro Appalachian Hagerstown Tarsboro Harrisburg Beaufort Rochester Eastman museum gallery artwalk B&B.

Three days down. Four days Beaufort. Two days back up. 3,085 km.

Mansion laundry chute.

ScanMan, I have one thing to say:
"More!"

Thanks a lot, SoyMac! ACR doesn't support my S90 yet, so I'm doing a few trip shots through Canon's DPP, just to see if the camera is gonna make me happy. The RAW conversion is limited and a pain, so I'll shelve my files and wait for news from Adobe. Always love a good aquarium...

ScanMan: really like the dome shot, nice comp.

Mansion laundry chute.

Beautiful shot ScanMan !! :clap:

Thanks, all. The dome shot is purely the result of "looking up", which is something I think we've all got to remind ourselves to do.

Touring the Eastman house you find yourself going ooohhh, aaahhh...look at that desk, wow his library, his own camera right here on the mantle...what a staircase! But you've got to remind yourself to look where no one else is looking.

Same thing when trundling off through the bush, taking pictures all the way. Stop and turn right around sometimes. It's not always what's in front of you. I've got some interesting shots that were right behind my back.

Like you're all saying... content and composition is critical. I wish more of my shots had it. But that's the challenge, isn't it?

Man, I've got so many old shots laying around. Game 2 at the Gardens, Sept. '72.

... Game 2 at the Gardens, Sept. '72.That's an amazing shot. At first I thought it was a still from animation!

ScanMan why did you photoshop out all the ads on the boards ?
(he he he, it always looks odd to me looking back at old hockey shots, or video)

It looks like hockey used to be to me though. ;)

It looks like hockey used to be to me though. ;)

Yeah, note no helmets on the few Canucks visible in the image. I remember watching that series. It was a big deal because pros couldn't go to the Olympics back then and we had to show the Ruskies that our best could beat their best.

It was a big deal because pros couldn't go to the Olympics back then and we had to show the Ruskies that our best could beat their best.

It was a particularly big deal at the moment this shot was taken.

Our boys had had their butts kicked in game one, and the nation was stunned. I remember how very quiet it was during the pre-game skate. Things were tense, to say the least.

It was a particularly big deal at the moment this shot was taken.

Our boys had had their butts kicked in game one, and the nation was stunned. I remember how very quiet it was during the pre-game skate. Things were tense, to say the least.

hi ScanMan,

if you're up for it, you should email a copy of this photo to Liam McGuire. I don't know if he's well known outside of Ottawa, but he's an amazing hockey trivia guy. It's unbelievable the stats he knows. just nuts. He has a little recorder stick from the 90s which was sold. It contains Foster Hewitt's narration of Henderson's goal. He often plays it when he's on the radio.

It would tickle him pink if you sent him a copy. I don't know the guy at all, but i bet he'd appreciate seeing it big time.

Liam Maguire - World Renowned NHL Trivia Expert/Personality (http://www.liam.ca/)

Cheers,
Keebler

"Liam Maguire has devoted his life to knowing all there is to know about the game of hockey. There is no statistic too obscure for Liam."

Sounds like a guy who wins his share of bar bets. I might have a couple of shots he'd like.

Here's a few from my recent trip to Florida, namely Disney.

We did Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Note: I rented a Nikon 18 - 200mm Lens from Lens Lenders and not only was the lens worth every penny to rent, but they were excellent to deal with.

"Liam Maguire has devoted his life to knowing all there is to know about the game of hockey. There is no statistic too obscure for Liam."

Sounds like a guy who wins his share of bar bets. I might have a couple of shots he'd like.

he really is unbelievable with this stats. i'd like to corner him sometime and ask him what method he uses b/c he does know his hockey stuff.

Ugh. They're calling for snow on my doorstep tomorrow. In my mind, I'll just take it back a coupla weeks...

We did Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Yeah, your third shot would make a great Xmas card. Maybe a heading about "...friends all aglow...":)

Looks like you had some fun. That castle is amazing.

Yeah, your third shot would make a great Xmas card. Maybe a heading about "...friends all aglow...":)

Looks like you had some fun. That castle is amazing.
Thanks. The shot does not even begin to do the castle justice when you see it in person.

Max Power, those were great shots. You mention that you rented a 200mm lens, was it stabilized? As I am guessing to get that kind of glow from the castle that you would have had to have a shutter speed well under 1/60?

I am headed down there in a few months and never thought about renting a lens but that may be a good idea, can you give me an idea what it cost you as well?

Max Power, those were great shots. You mention that you rented a 200mm lens, was it stabilized? As I am guessing to get that kind of glow from the castle that you would have had to have a shutter speed well under 1/60?

I am headed down there in a few months and never thought about renting a lens but that may be a good idea, can you give me an idea what it cost you as well?
Thanks for the complement. The lens did have VR Reduction. The glow from the castle was the lighting and it changed every so often. The only difference was the little tiny "Ice" lights for Christmas. As for the shot, I always shoot in Aperture Priority (I thought I was cheating until I spoke with a friend of mine who is a professional photographer and he admitted the same thing). I opened up the aperture and took the shot. Of course the camera compensated for the lack of light and the image turned out blurry. I knew there would be sufficient light from the castle so I fooled the camera by using the on camera flash, knowing darn well it wouldn't do a thing. That image is unedited (except for cropping).

Here is the Meta Data:
ISO 400
f/4.8
Shutter speed 1/13

The Lens was the Nikon 18 - 200mm from Lens Lenders. (http://www.lenslenders.com/rent_lens_details.php?sku=N18200F35GAFSIFEDVRDX) I actually found out about them from one of the ads here. For the week it cost me about $120. The were having a promotion on the week I ordered it, so I got lucky there. I just emailed them asking for the week plus the couple of extra days I was going to be there and after I agreed, he sent me a pay pal invoice and the lens arrived two days ahead of schedule. The Lens was in really good condition (it wasn't beaten up) came in a SOLID Pelican case and had pre paid return shipping.

Here's a few more from the trip:

taken in Iron Bridge, ON at the local deer yard where the deer winter until spring.
just had auto settings on my pentax k100 with my 70-300 lens.

Wow, nice shot! Love the shadow on his body.

Wow, nice shot! Love the shadow on his body.

Thanks scanman. I was very patient for him to move and I moved around as well. I might stop there again on the way home to see if there is another opportunity, but we'll see

Merry Christmas!

That is a great shot of the white tail. Did I count 3 or 4 points on the rack?

That is a great shot of the white tail. Did I count 3 or 4 points on the rack?

You did. Depending on if you're out West or East, respectively. OutWest, they refer to it as 3x or 4x where ad in the East, we count all points (the side and the middle). In this case, he's an 8pt or 4x

I'm still so happy I saw them in this light. I'm going to print sown shots for a collage frame :)