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Photo of the Day - March 2009
- Thread starter techie4life
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Photo of the day. Try to limit to one per day, especially with large files.
Sorry, I've fixed it now.
Thanks! The blues that appear in the tropical areas always amaze this northerner (although a polarizer certainly helps...)
Jazz on the ship
Nikon D80 + 18-70 kit
Exposure: Aperture Priority
Shutter Speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 62mm
Flash: Off
ISO: 800
Re: Doylem
Apologies for getting back to you so late...I'd love to share the technique behind the boots picture--I mean, this is why I come to this board, to learn and to be amazed at everyones great shots.
The shot comes from a creative exercise I use whenever I have the time. I'll go to dictionary.com and grab their word of the day--then shoot my interpretation of it.
At the time I shot the boots picture, I was brushing up on my light painting skills.
The "Frye" picture is a light painting, shot at f 22 and exposed for 30 seconds. The lens used was a 70-200MM set at 120MM. The camera was on manual with exposure set at bulb. I used an MC-36 (Nikon remote trigger with some sweet functionality) to set a delay that allowed me to get into place and then to trigger the exposure duration.
If you've ever done light paintings you'll quickly note that 30 seconds is a very long exposure for this kind of a setup. But it does allow for a lot of variation and experimentation. In about the first 5 - 10 shots I will know what I want to "paint" and at what intensity to concentrate the light. When I shoot tethered I find that the entire process goes much faster and smoother.
The word of the day that prompted this shot was "burnish."
I found a tactical LED flashlight that works well for me. As with all my flashlights for stuff like this, I use electrical tape around the lens to act as a gobo. This step is critical.
The word used for this was "tautological."
And finally. I've done this in portraiture work to some good effect. The trick to this is to tell them ahead of time that their eyes are going to want to follow the light and that they simply will have to concentrate and not allow that to happen. Then i tell them they have to remain absolutely, perfectly still. Exposure times for these have to be short. So be ready to work fast.
"Hermetic."
I guess this means I cannot post a picture for the next three days
Apologies for getting back to you so late...I'd love to share the technique behind the boots picture--I mean, this is why I come to this board, to learn and to be amazed at everyones great shots.
The shot comes from a creative exercise I use whenever I have the time. I'll go to dictionary.com and grab their word of the day--then shoot my interpretation of it.
At the time I shot the boots picture, I was brushing up on my light painting skills.
The "Frye" picture is a light painting, shot at f 22 and exposed for 30 seconds. The lens used was a 70-200MM set at 120MM. The camera was on manual with exposure set at bulb. I used an MC-36 (Nikon remote trigger with some sweet functionality) to set a delay that allowed me to get into place and then to trigger the exposure duration.
If you've ever done light paintings you'll quickly note that 30 seconds is a very long exposure for this kind of a setup. But it does allow for a lot of variation and experimentation. In about the first 5 - 10 shots I will know what I want to "paint" and at what intensity to concentrate the light. When I shoot tethered I find that the entire process goes much faster and smoother.
The word of the day that prompted this shot was "burnish."
I found a tactical LED flashlight that works well for me. As with all my flashlights for stuff like this, I use electrical tape around the lens to act as a gobo. This step is critical.
The word used for this was "tautological."
And finally. I've done this in portraiture work to some good effect. The trick to this is to tell them ahead of time that their eyes are going to want to follow the light and that they simply will have to concentrate and not allow that to happen. Then i tell them they have to remain absolutely, perfectly still. Exposure times for these have to be short. So be ready to work fast.
"Hermetic."
I guess this means I cannot post a picture for the next three days
I'm just curious what the relationship is between this camera-based light painting technique you're describing now and the extensive post-processing you described back in May. I've attached the before and after photos that you provided back then, for which you gave this explanation of your technique:
None of that is in-camera, of course, yet the results seem pretty much the same. Are you still doing the same routine in post? Along with a new in-camera method?
By the way, I love your creative exercise of picking a word at random and making an image based on it!
Attachments
I almost fell back while sitting on my couch!!!
What did you use to shoot?
Thanks! I love Architecture photos. Nice!
Thanks! I used my Canon G9. It is the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle.
This is an awesome photo. I love the character, lighting and mood. It makes you wonder what he is looking at. Very well done, Master
BTW, is the picture in the gold frame the same person?
I love that shot!
Today's shot is my first for-real attempt at a good portrait. Details about why it was shot are on Flickr (click photo).
Re: Phrasekleia / wheelhot
Phrasekleia,
When I brought the thread up this morning and saw that mask picture I posted way back when (really? May?) I thought I'd somehow time-warped.
The similarities between the shots exist because one is a simulated light painting (all of that post processing) while the others are real. The real shots did receive PP treatment, but very little...nowhere near the amount of time it took me to get the effect I was looking for in the mask shot). Because light needs to be tightly controlled, the inky blacks and saturation of colors naturally occur (if you set it up and paint it right that is).
I still find myself in situations where a heavy load of PP is required. The first picture is is test shot I took while setting up my lighting, exposure, etc at a client shot (in a bathroom no less). There is so much wrong with this picture that it is laughable...except for the pose (shortly after this the child really woke up and decided he was hungry while repeatedly trying to fall off the towels)...this ended up being the only shot I had to work with that had this pose. So I PP'd the effect I wanted.
Client is happy (she cried), I'm somewhat happy (still not sure if I like it or not), but the flash head that died during the shoot is not so happy (but was under warranty thank heavens and was promptly replaced).
Hope that answers your question.
Wheelhot,
Thank you for your kind comments My training has been in art via traditional mediums (sketch, charcoal, etc...). During college I realized that I was going to have to focus on something that would give me a better chance at making some money to pay the bills in life so I took a long break, earned my under graduate and post graduate degrees; and then returned to my creative roots. Not in the mediums I'd used before, but in videography and photography. I've since dropped videography. In the photography arena I am self-taught and have a (very) LONG ways to go. Which is the main reason I visit this, and other sites. To learn. If I see something I like, I try it. I also look for ways that will force me out of my comfort zones and do or shoot new things.
Phrasekleia,
When I brought the thread up this morning and saw that mask picture I posted way back when (really? May?) I thought I'd somehow time-warped.
The similarities between the shots exist because one is a simulated light painting (all of that post processing) while the others are real. The real shots did receive PP treatment, but very little...nowhere near the amount of time it took me to get the effect I was looking for in the mask shot). Because light needs to be tightly controlled, the inky blacks and saturation of colors naturally occur (if you set it up and paint it right that is).
I still find myself in situations where a heavy load of PP is required. The first picture is is test shot I took while setting up my lighting, exposure, etc at a client shot (in a bathroom no less). There is so much wrong with this picture that it is laughable...except for the pose (shortly after this the child really woke up and decided he was hungry while repeatedly trying to fall off the towels)...this ended up being the only shot I had to work with that had this pose. So I PP'd the effect I wanted.
Client is happy (she cried), I'm somewhat happy (still not sure if I like it or not), but the flash head that died during the shoot is not so happy (but was under warranty thank heavens and was promptly replaced).
Hope that answers your question.
Wheelhot,
Thank you for your kind comments
My training has been in art via traditional mediums (sketch, charcoal, etc...). During college I realized that I was going to have to focus on something that would give me a better chance at making some money to pay the bills in life so I took a long break, earned my under graduate and post graduate degrees; and then returned to my creative roots. Not in the mediums I'd used before, but in videography and photography. I've since dropped videography. In the photography arena I am self-taught and have a (very) LONG ways to go. Which is the main reason I visit this, and other sites. To learn. If I see something I like, I try it. I also look for ways that will force me out of my comfort zones and do or shoot new things.
Great movement shot! Could have mistaken it as Doylem's with the great lighting.
That's high praise!
I'm not sure if you mean Flash Gordon or camera flash. The answer is no either way, though, since Flash Gordon would hardly be caught driving an old sedan leisurely through a roundabout at no more than 20mph.
It is funny how it looks to be about 200mph, though. I'd say you did great considering you didn't blow your sky out. A lot of folks would have done this regardless the mode they shot in.
Interesting... For some reason I didn't think about light painting, but, when you mentioned it, I had a Homer Simpson moment. Doh!
It's something I've never tried... but I will... I like pre-production rather than post-production: getting it right 'in camera'. I love the deep blacks you're getting, the 'chiaroscuro' effect, and it's something that can be applied to many subjects. Right... where's my torch?
This is an awesome photo. I love the character, lighting and mood. It makes you wonder what he is looking at. Very well done, Master
BTW, is the picture in the gold frame the same person?
Thank you. I just popped into this pub, with camera still on the tripod, and the old guy caught my eye. He obviously has some mental health problems (he seemed to be looking at something in his imagination, and was quite animated). He's a regular in the pub...
The pictures on the wall are some of the jazz musicians who've played there over the years.
"Master"... I like it ...
That's great Doylem. I'm enjoying this new direction of yours just as much as your landscapes.
