My Photographic Journey

Zoom in, Part 1

2006-05-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

Still with my new lens, I tried a new technique I read about (in a book): focus on a subject, then as you take the shot, zoom in (or out) to add a different effect. Well, the shots in the book looked kind of kooky and uninteresting, but I gave it a go anyway.

When I looked at the result on screen, it made my eyes dance, so I thought I would share it with you :-)

Sigma 70-210/2.8 ISO 400 @ f/22, 1/40s
(Click image to view larger version)

Sticky, Part I

2006-05-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

I bought a second hand lens from someone at Dyxum and have had one outing so far. I was hoping to shoot some picutres of birdies that flit around, but there were not many visible as I strolled through my town.

This little guy was in a tree down the back alley outside my flat. In bright sunlight, the lens seems to work fine, but that's been my experience with all the lenses I own, so no real surprise there!

Sticky, because it's Autumn now, and the leaves are gone, leaving the trees bare with their branches sticking out in all manner of ways!

Sigma 70-210 / 2.8 210mm 1/1250 @ f/8
(Click the image to see a larger version)

Underwater Eggsplorer

2006-02-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

The new www.dyxum.com challenge is "egg", and was extended a week. Which is good because my initial idea, to capture a shot of an egg hitting the ground and exploding in a sticky mess, didn't really pan out.

A search on the internet lead to some interesting experiments that can be done with eggs (some people really have too much time on their hands??) and using those experiments as a foundation, I did the following pic.

Tamron SP 90mm/2.8 ISO 400 @ F8, 6s

(Click the image to see a larger version.)

I learnt a good lesson today: if you have a composition you are happy with, take a few different shots using different depths of field (f-stops) while you have the chance.

Moon shadow, moon shadow.

2006-02-13T03:29:00.000-08:00

Ugh this is really annoying. Beautiful full moon tonight. Duck out with the KM 75-300mm lens to take some nice moon/cloud shots and some cool close-ups and instead I get this: a bright white disc where the moon should be, and a reflection of the moon and its detail as a flare artifact.

About to ask the pros why, and how to remedy it. Stay tuned!!

KM 5D
KM 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm
1/5s ISO 400 f8

Framed!

2006-02-12T16:00:00.001-08:00

The last image I processed looked much better after some cropping and cloning / removing of unwanted portions. Another step that may be applied is framing, using some basic image manipulation techniques. I have included a few examples below:

Basic border: to start the process, a simple line is added around the image. Line colour can be matched to the primary photo colour for contrast / enhancement effects. Line width can also have an impact on the overall effect. Enlarging the canvas size in white provides the basic border.

Adding shadow. Here I have increased the canvas size again, shifting the photo up and adding a title area to the bottom of the image. Alignment of the title can be center, left or right, and (c) copyright notices and / or dates can also be added.

A fine black border provides context for when you click the image to view it normal size.

In this example, a thicker white line separates the photo from the black border. The image title matches the separating line in colour. Again, line thickness and colour can be matched to the photo to provide contrast / enhancement.

This final image is an example of a "cutout" between a border and the photo. I have removed the image title area for effect.

These are just some examples of borders that can be applied to electronic photos using a very basic paint program. Of course you can also frame a physical print using thick card, metal and wooden frames, glass, plastic, cardboard, almost anything you like.

Framing using the computer can be carried out quickly and painlessly, and also provide a preview of the end result. Remember to click on an image to view a larger version.

A different crop, and a border colour enhancing the green of the photo:

Now you see it, now you don't!

2006-02-12T06:25:00.000-08:00

(Click images for larger versions)

I used the cloning tool in Paintshop Pro (v7) for the first time ever this evening. I wanted to remove some unsightly man-made bits n bobs from a shot. It is a very small part of the photo, so probably only baby steps, but that's cool. I think the result is effective.

Original shot. This was not so impressive, and I was going to forget the shot entirely. I zoomed (scrolled) in, however, and the intrinsic crop produced by the application produced a more aesthetically pleasing result.

I think this looks better. The person who has commissioned me to do a mountain / forest shot was keen to have trees as the main subject, with the road looking like it was going somewhere. So far so good. I did not like the reflectors on the side of the road, nor the grass breaking the continuity of the white line in the bottom right hand corner. Clone tool to the rescue!

Final image. I am especially pleased with the removal of the larger reflector (middle of shot), the ivy was quite simple to clone and the result looks very natural (to me anyway).

No doubt the shots will get better, and my cloning skills will improve with practice too.

G'day

2005-12-15T23:22:00.000-08:00

1/10s f4.5 @ 75mm iso400

This blog is going to record a journey. A photographic journey using a Konica Minolta Dynax 5D, dSLR.

I used a manual Olympus OM 10 (or something) years ago that my brother lent me. It was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. With digital, there is no wait for the entire roll of film to be complete before you then take it in to be processed. I have a kit lens (KM 18-70 f3.5-5.6) and KM 75-300 f4.5-5.6 (D) lens. And alot to learn.

Comments, suggestions and photographic advice more than welcome.