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the timber rattler I saw yesterday
Aug. 17th, 2009 11:38 am1. I submit for your consideration one timber rattler, approximate age 14 years old, who was cooperative enough to let me take these photos of it.
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( +17 )
One of Lorelei
Aug. 13th, 2009 04:49 pm
Took this at First Friday... I had her stand near a shop window that had a neon sign.
Friends and Alien Lifeforms in East TN
Aug. 6th, 2009 03:02 pmI took a trip with ![[livejournal.com profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nonspecific and her father up to Beauty Spot near Erwin TN. We also spent quite a while at a nearby meadow, where the alien lifeform was discovered. More of that in a minute. It was a GORGEOUS day for shooting, with good light, enough clouds to keep the sky interesting, and perfect temperatures (for this photographer anyway). The theme of the day was orange. I didn't plan it that way, but that's how it turned out.
Onward.
( Approximately many photos follow. )
nonspecific and her father up to Beauty Spot near Erwin TN. We also spent quite a while at a nearby meadow, where the alien lifeform was discovered. More of that in a minute. It was a GORGEOUS day for shooting, with good light, enough clouds to keep the sky interesting, and perfect temperatures (for this photographer anyway). The theme of the day was orange. I didn't plan it that way, but that's how it turned out. Onward.
( Approximately many photos follow. )
A sunny afternoon at the park
Jul. 30th, 2009 02:42 pmJust some pics of the family and misc friends. It was a sunny, breezy day. There were kites, smiles, and a baby.
1. Storm flying one of the parafoils
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1. Storm flying one of the parafoils
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Dinner in the Dark
Jul. 30th, 2009 11:40 amSeveral weeks ago we were scheduled to have dinner over at nonspecific 's house, and a big storm swept through the area. When we arrived, there was no power. But there was a grill, and there was tinfoil, and we had a great time despite the lack of electric current.
1. The dinner spread, by candlelight.
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nonspecific 's house, and a big storm swept through the area. When we arrived, there was no power. But there was a grill, and there was tinfoil, and we had a great time despite the lack of electric current.1. The dinner spread, by candlelight.
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Flexing some HDRI
Jun. 24th, 2009 12:24 pm(click pic for larger version)
I'm quite pleased with the overall look of this one, especially considering the three exposures where shot handheld. You can see some foliage movement at the left side, but that is the nature of these things.
I'm quite pleased with the overall look of this one, especially considering the three exposures where shot handheld. You can see some foliage movement at the left side, but that is the nature of these things.
Roller Derby Time
Jun. 15th, 2009 04:54 pmI have waaaaay too many pics. Random assortment follows. Little City Roller Girls (our team) vs. the Brusin' Burgs.
1. Warmups
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1. Warmups
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Looooong exposures are your friend
May. 29th, 2009 01:39 pmSo I went to the quarry cave again, this time with nonspecific. I hooked up the remote switch and set the camera to the bulb setting, so I could hold the shutter open as long as I wanted. Then came the fun part... using my extra-bright flashlights to "paint" the cave with light, only lighting the areas I wanted. It was nearly dark by the time we left, and definitely dark by the time we made it back to the car. As nightfall approached, a heavy mist settled into the cave, making for a surreal experience. When the lights were off, it was pure black, and when on, it seemed pure white, and you could barely see any better. Also strange, was that just 10 or 15 feet apart, and I couldn't understand Kara at all, due to all the echoes. In short, I had a blast. :)
Then suddenly, photos:
Near the entrance:
Exposure Time: 30.000 s
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO equiv: 400
Lighting: natural lighting from left, lesser so from right, fill-in by flashlight
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nonspecific. I hooked up the remote switch and set the camera to the bulb setting, so I could hold the shutter open as long as I wanted. Then came the fun part... using my extra-bright flashlights to "paint" the cave with light, only lighting the areas I wanted. It was nearly dark by the time we left, and definitely dark by the time we made it back to the car. As nightfall approached, a heavy mist settled into the cave, making for a surreal experience. When the lights were off, it was pure black, and when on, it seemed pure white, and you could barely see any better. Also strange, was that just 10 or 15 feet apart, and I couldn't understand Kara at all, due to all the echoes. In short, I had a blast. :) Then suddenly, photos:
Near the entrance:
Exposure Time: 30.000 s
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO equiv: 400
Lighting: natural lighting from left, lesser so from right, fill-in by flashlight
( +2 )
some HDRI's
May. 24th, 2009 10:17 pmThe batch from the tunnel didn't work out due to a lack of bright data (I really did need the tripod after all) but I think I've got the hang of it now with properly exposed photos and the newer software. The photos show some differences due to variations in the settings... I'm still deciding what I want these things to look like.
HDRI = High Dynamic Range Imagery. Take multiple photos of a wide contrast scene, varying the exposure up and down to capture the full range of data available. Using special software, you combine the images, and use tone-mapping to convert the scene-wide contrast into "micro-contrast". This compresses the tonal range a bit, and enables details that would have been lost to come through.
Here's some images I made a couple years back to explain it...
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/
1.
( +5 )
HDRI = High Dynamic Range Imagery. Take multiple photos of a wide contrast scene, varying the exposure up and down to capture the full range of data available. Using special software, you combine the images, and use tone-mapping to convert the scene-wide contrast into "micro-contrast". This compresses the tonal range a bit, and enables details that would have been lost to come through.
Here's some images I made a couple years back to explain it...
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/
1.
( +5 )
Canon 5d Mark II Infrared Test
May. 1st, 2009 12:28 pmIt seems the 5d Mark II is slightly less infrared sensitive than the Mark I, but with suitably long exposures I was still able to get some IR magic. Usually I convert IR to monochrome, but for some reason I was really digging on the hues the filter was producing, so I desaturated them a bit and went with it.
Results are below... note that these pics seem to have a hotspot near the center. I believe this was due to a smudge on the back of the lens. I didn't notice the hotspot until I downloaded, and went searching for the cause. Nice greasy smudge, near dead center on the rear glass. Can anyone confirm this can cause a hotspot in long exposures?
No idea how I managed that one... I am so careful. Alas. Anyway, I'll retest, sans-smudge, soon. The trees look excessively fuzzy because it was windy, and these were 6-15 second exposures.
1
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Results are below... note that these pics seem to have a hotspot near the center. I believe this was due to a smudge on the back of the lens. I didn't notice the hotspot until I downloaded, and went searching for the cause. Nice greasy smudge, near dead center on the rear glass. Can anyone confirm this can cause a hotspot in long exposures?
No idea how I managed that one... I am so careful. Alas. Anyway, I'll retest, sans-smudge, soon. The trees look excessively fuzzy because it was windy, and these were 6-15 second exposures.
1
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Misterx-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day
Apr. 28th, 2009 09:19 amAnd now, for something completely different. Grandfather Mtn, at 30fps. I have been testing out the video capabilities of my camera. Unfortunately, uploading these to Youtube made the quality look like oatmeal. They are in reality wonderfully crisp, even though I shot them on low-rez (640x480 I think). The sound is just as terrible as you hear though... I am looking for an external mic with windscreen. The built in one has no wind screen, and is highly susceptible to background noise, particularly electronic noise. It also picks up camera noise when focusing. Overall though, I'm pleased. The main thing I'm trying to wrap my head around is... what do I do with it?
One thing the videos do nicely however is get across how freaking windy it was up there. The wind wasn't enough to blow you over, but it was enough to blow you off balance so you fell over. I know because that happened a few times. :) It was a major challenge keeping the lens clear enough to shoot. I had to stop every three minutes and clean it off.
BTW, all you SLR owners out there, don't baby your camera too much. They can weather more water than you think. :) Mine got quite wet that day, and survived without a problem.
One thing the videos do nicely however is get across how freaking windy it was up there. The wind wasn't enough to blow you over, but it was enough to blow you off balance so you fell over. I know because that happened a few times. :) It was a major challenge keeping the lens clear enough to shoot. I had to stop every three minutes and clean it off.
BTW, all you SLR owners out there, don't baby your camera too much. They can weather more water than you think. :) Mine got quite wet that day, and survived without a problem.
