Photography Thread

Pross

masjer said:

Missed the sunset too, so went out late. Edit- better version from Flickr.

Love that one

pblakeney

Pross said:

Editing software, including the stuff built into camera phone software, will allow you to rotate the image to straighten a horizon (although it obviously crops the image a bit. However, as PB says most cameras / phones will have an option to turn a grid on in the viewfinder. It really helped me, it's great for composing the shot as well as keeping lines horizontal or vertical.

A top tip. As horizons taper off away from you and buildings "lean" if you tilt the camera or phone it is more accurate to use a central vertical should one exist.

Pross

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

Editing software, including the stuff built into camera phone software, will allow you to rotate the image to straighten a horizon (although it obviously crops the image a bit. However, as PB says most cameras / phones will have an option to turn a grid on in the viewfinder. It really helped me, it's great for composing the shot as well as keeping lines horizontal or vertical.

A top tip. As horizons taper off away from you and buildings "lean" if you tilt the camera or phone it is more accurate to use a central vertical should one exist.

Yep, I've started to use the most prominent vertical feature when I can get everything to align (since comments on some of my photos a few months ago).

masjer

Pross said:

masjer said:

Missed the sunset too, so went out late. Edit- better version from Flickr.

Love that one

Thanks Pross. I did it as a tester night shot, which wasn't far to drive to. It was taken in complete darkness, so long shutter, high(ish) ISO on a tripod.
There was a pea soup fog, but I was just high enough to be above it for a clear shot. I would have taken the other side of the rock, but the moon was too tempting (although it came out a full moon rather than a crescent). It looks better on Flickr, with more stars.
As an experiment, I used a bike light to illuminate the foreground for more interest. A good enough start, but will try again at another location in better weather and shoot in RAW next time.

masjer

I use Polarr (free) to straighten things up.

micaab

pblakeney said:

micaab said:

two things spring to mind when reading this thread.
1. i'd love to get more into photography as always appreciated and a little bit inspired by good photographs
2. i can never get a level horizon!!

I thoroughly recommend it. You don't even need to take photos. 😉 A phone will do.
I find it to be very calming and therapeutic, assuming you can get the time to do it without rushing.

PS - Does your phone not have a grid display option to help with horizons?

Such a simple response - thanks

Have found that and turned on the grid and the "spirit level" thing

Looking forward to doing a few more shots, like you say though, will try and take time to consider it rather than being snap happy.

micaab

In addition, being a bit of a city dwelling lad, when i do get out and about, horizons and big sky tend to draw me in so even more important to start off level.

masjer

A quick trip to a wet and windy Welsh beach.

pblakeney

One for Pross taken last night, with method.
I would have got more of a blue sky if shot earlier, and I didn't have any foreground.



First up there is no need for a tripod. Try a tripod with long exposure and you will soon find out that the moon moves faster than expected.
Shot using a 70-300 @ 300. Sensor image reduced to cropped so effectively 450mm.
I have found that this method is better than full digital crop post processing as the camera is metering for what you want rather than including some you don't.
Set to aperture mode wide open as you don't need much depth of field.
I then shot at various levels of exposure compensation using auto ISO. Best was -5! 😱
Final details - f5.6, 1/500, ISO 5000. I then had to do a further crop to get closer and sharpen. (It is noticeably sharper on my laptop. I can even see a couple of stars).

Pross

First attempt at a sun star today which seems to have worked quite well.

Pross

Nice skies today, it clouded over a bit while I was at the parents' asit would have been too blue earlier

Wheelspinner

Can it ever be too blue?

Wheelspinner

This was *winter* on one of my favourite beaches a few years ago...

Pross

Wheelspinner said:

Can it ever be too blue?

I meant unbroken blue rather than tone. Deep blue skies always seem rare here in summer as when it is sunny there is usually a fair bit of haze. Clouds add a bit of interest.

masjer

Wheelspinner said:

Can it ever be too blue?

I think you've just proved that the sky can't ever be too blue. I could just lie down there, take in the view, then have a kip....... Then wake wondering how many venomous snakes there are.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

Wheelspinner said:

Can it ever be too blue?

I meant unbroken blue rather than tone. Deep blue skies always seem rare here in summer as when it is sunny there is usually a fair bit of haze. Clouds add a bit of interest.

Yes, exactly. Dartmoor in particular is really hard to photograph on a clear summer's day if there are no clouds, and you haven't got a tor or a tree to play with. South Dartmoor is the worst.

It's not so bad in the mountains, because at least you get shapes to play with.

Tashman

String of hearts

Tashman

Reflective tubby Dotty

Wheelspinner

masjer said:

Wheelspinner said:

Can it ever be too blue?

I think you've just proved that the sky can't ever be too blue. I could just lie down there, take in the view, then have a kip....... Then wake wondering how many venomous snakes there are.

In 4 years here, I’ve seen two actual live snakes, a few dead ones, although friends locally have been less lucky. One almost lost both their dogs to snakebite, and eventually sold the property anyway. The new owners of the place took a few months to move in, and in the interim a couple of snakes had decided it was a nice place to live… in the pantry. 😀

There’s an old bloke down the road who spends his days out with a humongous camera lens photographing bird life here. He captured a nice shot of a wedge tailed eagle flying off with a snake in its talons, only to drop it on the roof of a neighbour’s house.

rjsterry

Last night's stroll up the lane, overlooking the Malverns.

masjer

Not much sun again......until I got home, but a good walk on the coast.

briantrumpet

Always nice when you find a new view of somewhere you've been many times before. Dartmouth today, walking back up a big hill to get to where the car was parked...

pblakeney

Today's effort. Pretty much sums up my day so far.
No shots over the weekend. Far too busy enjoying myself. 😉

Ben6899

Ben6899

briantrumpet

I like the 'luck' element of automatic settings: I'd not really checked the composition of this self-timer selfie (this was the second shot, as the first one was spoilt by the one car of the day using this road arriving at exactly the wrong moment)...

...anyway, I'd not spotted the greenery in the foreground on the right, and the auto focus picked on that, and blurred Dartmoor behind (that's Cosdon Beacon, near Okehampton). The other reason I like this is that I lived further along this road for 6½ years. so know it like the back of my hand.

pblakeney

briantrumpet said:

I like the 'luck' element of automatic settings: I'd not really checked the composition of this self-timer selfie (this was the second shot, as the first one was spoilt by the one car of the day using this road arriving at exactly the wrong moment)...

...anyway, I'd not spotted the greenery in the foreground on the right, and the auto focus picked on that, and blurred Dartmoor behind (that's Cosdon Beacon, near Okehampton). The other reason I like this is that I lived further along this road for 6½ years. so know it like the back of my hand.

Only a low life pedant would point that out. 😉

Nice shot!

briantrumpet

pblakeney said:

briantrumpet said:

I like the 'luck' element of automatic settings: I'd not really checked the composition of this self-timer selfie (this was the second shot, as the first one was spoilt by the one car of the day using this road arriving at exactly the wrong moment)...

...anyway, I'd not spotted the greenery in the foreground on the right, and the auto focus picked on that, and blurred Dartmoor behind (that's Cosdon Beacon, near Okehampton). The other reason I like this is that I lived further along this road for 6½ years. so know it like the back of my hand.

Only a low life pedant would point that out. 😉

Nice shot!

That particular greenery might not have been exactly like that when I was driving along this road regularly, 35 years ago.

pblakeney

briantrumpet said:

pblakeney said:

briantrumpet said:

I like the 'luck' element of automatic settings: I'd not really checked the composition of this self-timer selfie (this was the second shot, as the first one was spoilt by the one car of the day using this road arriving at exactly the wrong moment)...

...anyway, I'd not spotted the greenery in the foreground on the right, and the auto focus picked on that, and blurred Dartmoor behind (that's Cosdon Beacon, near Okehampton). The other reason I like this is that I lived further along this road for 6½ years. so know it like the back of my hand.

Only a low life pedant would point that out. 😉

Nice shot!

That particular greenery might not have been exactly like that when I was driving along this road regularly, 35 years ago.

Isn't it amazing what can grow on a hand in 35 years? 😉

Wheelspinner

Ben6899 said:

Oooooooooh Citroen SM. Maserati engine. 6 headlights, with swivels. Gorgeous.