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Photo Of The Day - January 2021

Clix Pix

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
Oct 9, 2005
21,655
48,696
8 miles from the Apple Store at Tysons (VA)
I run out on my deck and shoot when the ducks, geese or Alfred are close enough.... I don't always take time to put together my full-frame mirrorless camera and a long lens, if there is action happening that might stop at any moment, so sometimes I shoot with the "bridge" camera in order to at least get something. I don't do much shooting through a window because most of my "backyard birds" are water birds and I can usually get photos of them by stepping out on my deck.

Inside the house, I find and look closely at whatever is sitting around/lying around and I think, "how can I make this an interesting image?" and I start playing around with it. Sometimes the ideas don't work out at all so I chuck out the whole folder full of images and other times the results really surprise me. It's fun and it is certainly a way to challenge myself and to see if I can corral some creativity.....

The point here is, that we don't have to restrict ourselves and our shooting to just those occasions when we can go outdoors and fire away at whatever pleases us...... There are lots of photo ops everywhere, we just have to look around and discover them!
 
Apple fanboy

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
57,003
56,026
Behind the Lens, UK
Clix Pix said:
OK, I'm gonna say something. People, you know it IS possible to shoot something indoors, to find interesting subjects right inside your own homes? Sure, landscapes and birds and other stuff outdoors are there for the looking, but so are things indoors, too. It always surprises me when people say that they can't shoot these days or haven't shot recently because they're more-or-less confined indoors or within their own home and neighborhood due to quarantining/lockdown during this pandemic. Look around your own home, look at the big things and the small things and see if you can't find an interesting way to shoot these! If you've got birds which come to your backyard, you can shoot them through a window. If you have interesting art objects that you've collected through the years, set them up on a table and shoot away..... Some participants on this thread have demonstrated how this can be done, so why not try it for yourselves?
Click to expand...
You certainly find interesting things to shoot inside.
 
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Clix Pix

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
Oct 9, 2005
21,655
48,696
8 miles from the Apple Store at Tysons (VA)
Darmok N Jalad said:
My long zoom is the default lens on my setup. Usually if there’s an urgent photo moment, it’s something outside and far enough away to need hundreds of mm. :)
Click to expand...

That's why I keep the RX10 "bridge" camera sitting out on a table, ready to grab and run out to the deck, as it has a terrific focal range (24-600mm) and is ready to start shooting much more quickly than when I grab the A7R IV and a lens.... If the gang is just idly drifting around, casually swimming out on the lake and nothing exciting is happening, fine, I've got the time to put the A7R IV on the Bazooka and tripod or on the 100-400mm..... When someone's out there splishing and splashing up a storm or the scene is looking as though there is about to be a confrontation, I grab the RX10 and run out to the deck pronto. So I've got the best of both worlds!

When it comes to looking around indoors and finding an interesting possibility for a tabletop or macro shoot, for me it is a no-brainer that this will require the A7R IV and a macro lens or perhaps the 100mm STF (which has a closeup/"macro" setting) or for more fun and experimentation, the Lensbaby..... I've got plenty of time to decide on the setup, the lighting, the background, etc., and then can happily spend a half-hour, an hour or more shooting away. I really prefer to use natural light when I can but that isn't always possible.

....And yes, Molly's absolutely right: grocery store flowers are always there for the picking, too! :) Haven't done that much this past year, but have previously, and so I always keep that in the back of my mind as another source of photo ops. There are all kinds of potential subjects just sitting there in the flower department of your local store, waiting to be taken home and photographed!!

For those who are thinking, "but I don't have a macro lens!" there are other approaches: either close-up filters which can be put on the front of one's lens just like regular filters and also extension tubes which are connected to the camera and mounted like a lens and then the lens is mounted to them. Either option provides a closer look at one's potential subject. If all else fails and one has a longer lens, it's possible to stand way back in order to get the right focal distance, zoom in and shoot...I've done this both indoors and outdoors.

Look around: art is everywhere -- it's up to us to find it and bring it to life!
 
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baypharm

baypharm

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2007
1,951
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L1000047.jpg
 
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baypharm

baypharm

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2007
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Sometimes the story behind the image is more fascinating than what you think you are looking at here. I live on 1200 + acres and I've never seen this type of dragonfly in my yard. Ever. All of a sudden one day it appeared out of nowhere - and hung around me where ever I went. Incredibly, there was just this one to be found. No others. It would appear near one of my shed/workshops when I would drive out to them. If I sat down it would light nearby as evidenced here. It would stay still as long as I did. When I walked around the area or hopped onto my ATV, it would seemingly follow along. When I left, so it did as well - returning the next day. This went on for about 3 weeks. So the question is: was it a figment of my imagination? Was it something from the beyond that can't be explained? Here is the is the rest of the story. About two weeks prior to this insect making itself known to me, I lost the very last person in my life/family. I found myself suddenly alone and wondering why I was left behind. Being a doctor I am intrinsically aware that death can appear on our doorstep at any time of the day or night - without warning even if we are healthy. Some technical details for the photographically inclined: Imaged on a Leica Q2. Taken from about 20 feet away and cropped in LR. Shutter speed 125 @ 1.7 aperture. Memory card Sony Tough G, 64GB.


L1000052-3.jpg
 
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S

Steven-iphone

macrumors 68000
Apr 25, 2020
1,953
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United States
baypharm said:
Sometimes the story behind the image is more fascinating than what you think you are looking at here. I live on 1200 + acres and I've never seen this type of dragonfly in my yard. Ever. All of a sudden one day it appeared out of nowhere - and hung around me where ever I went. Incredibly, there was just this one to be found. No others. It would appear near one of my shed/workshops when I would drive out to them. If I sat down it would light nearby as evidenced here. It would stay still as long as I did. When I walked around the area or hopped onto my ATV, it would seemingly follow along. When I left, so it did as well - returning the next day. This went on for about 3 weeks. So the question is: was it a figment of my imagination? Was it something from the beyond that can't be explained? Here is the is the rest of the story. About two weeks prior to this insect making itself known to me, I lost the very last person in my life/family. I found myself suddenly alone and wondering why I was left behind. Being a doctor I am intrinsically aware that death can appear on our doorstep at any time of the day or night - without warning even if we are healthy. Some technical details for the photographically inclined: Imaged on a Leica Q2. Taken from about 20 feet away and cropped in LR. Shutter speed 125 @ 1.7 aperture. Memory card Sony Tough G, 64GB.


View attachment 1714275
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a visitor
 
r.harris1

r.harris1

macrumors 68020
Feb 20, 2012
2,210
12,757
Denver, Colorado, USA
baypharm said:
Sometimes the story behind the image is more fascinating than what you think you are looking at here. I live on 1200 + acres and I've never seen this type of dragonfly in my yard. Ever. All of a sudden one day it appeared out of nowhere - and hung around me where ever I went. Incredibly, there was just this one to be found. No others. It would appear near one of my shed/workshops when I would drive out to them. If I sat down it would light nearby as evidenced here. It would stay still as long as I did. When I walked around the area or hopped onto my ATV, it would seemingly follow along. When I left, so it did as well - returning the next day. This went on for about 3 weeks. So the question is: was it a figment of my imagination? Was it something from the beyond that can't be explained? Here is the is the rest of the story. About two weeks prior to this insect making itself known to me, I lost the very last person in my life/family. I found myself suddenly alone and wondering why I was left behind. Being a doctor I am intrinsically aware that death can appear on our doorstep at any time of the day or night - without warning even if we are healthy. Some technical details for the photographically inclined: Imaged on a Leica Q2. Taken from about 20 feet away and cropped in LR. Shutter speed 125 @ 1.7 aperture. Memory card Sony Tough G, 64GB.


View attachment 1714275
Click to expand...
I am sorry for your loss. I remember when I lost my father suddenly almost 10 years ago now, one of the interesting effects was a heightened awareness of everything in my surroundings and I began to notice small things I'd never seen before. I have tried to maintain that awareness over the years as it can be a gift indeed.
 
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r.harris1

r.harris1

macrumors 68020
Feb 20, 2012
2,210
12,757
Denver, Colorado, USA
Over near Boulder, Colorado this morning. The vantage point is a location called Table Mesa and it sits up against the Flatirons and maybe an image of those later. But in any case, one of the best jobs I ever had was for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (associated with NOAA) and I was able to get time on their Cray supercomputer. Now we carry computers like it in our pockets :). The lab is up on Table Mesa. A great place to work!

From Table Mesa by Ray Harrison, on Flickr
 
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