Photography Thread

southdownswolf

pinno said:

@southdownswolf

Butts lane for the hill climb?! F*ck me. That hill is a brute. It was less than 2 miles from where I lived.
I have fond memories of bonfire night in Lewes. perfect place for a (crit) pub crawl - start at the top and work your way downhill and end up at the kebab shop near the train station and train home tanked up on Sussex 4x.

Yep, there's a hill climb there every year now organised by a local club. Short, but steep...

Lewes bonfire is great, especially if you are in the parade. Absolutely mental night.

masjer

Some nice evening sunshine.

Wheelspinner

Local coastline here, last light.

pblakeney

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

Wheelspinner

pblakeney said:

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

It does, although extreme foreground is a bit soft focus. 12mm Zeiss lens on APS-C sensor.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52195620031_219c8fcf8a_o.jpg[/img]

briantrumpet

FWIW, the forum software/platform resticts uploaded photos to 335 pixels height, so it's no wonder they look pants.

pblakeney

Wheelspinner said:

pblakeney said:

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

It does, although extreme foreground is a bit soft focus. 12mm Zeiss lens on APS-C sensor.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52195620031_219c8fcf8a_o.jpg[/img]

Much better.
Done any experimenting with hyper focal distance?

Wheelspinner

For

pblakeney said:

Wheelspinner said:

pblakeney said:

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

It does, although extreme foreground is a bit soft focus. 12mm Zeiss lens on APS-C sensor.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52195620031_219c8fcf8a_o.jpg[/img]

Much better.
Done any experimenting with hyper focal distance?

A little, but I think the issue with that particular image is that the camera lens was barely six inches above those rocks, and I'm not sure it would be sharp at that point anyway. Can't recall where I'd set the auto-focus point though, which is more likely the cause of the softness. If I get favourable conditions again I'll have another crack.

This one is a bit better - same lens and camera, but sitting far enough above the immediate foreground to maintain better sharpness across the frame.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52194672012_ff4fbfeea2_o.jpg[/img]

pblakeney

Yeah, that works better.
Not for me to decide, that is down to the individual photographer, but I once read that if you have to choose then is is better to keep the foreground sharp as the viewer will be less critical of a lack of sharpness in the background. As my earlier post proves. 😉

Pross

pblakeney said:

Wheelspinner said:

pblakeney said:

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

It does, although extreme foreground is a bit soft focus. 12mm Zeiss lens on APS-C sensor.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52195620031_219c8fcf8a_o.jpg[/img]

Much better.
Done any experimenting with hyper focal distance?

I was reading up tips on seascape photography ahead of a trip to Cornwall in a couple of weeks and saw that mentioned. Still have no idea what it is though!

pblakeney

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Wheelspinner said:

pblakeney said:

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

It does, although extreme foreground is a bit soft focus. 12mm Zeiss lens on APS-C sensor.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52195620031_219c8fcf8a_o.jpg[/img]

Much better.
Done any experimenting with hyper focal distance?

I was reading up tips on seascape photography ahead of a trip to Cornwall in a couple of weeks and saw that mentioned. Still have no idea what it is though!

It is basically focusing on a calculated distance to maximise your depth of field.
Some clarity here -
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/hyperfocal-distance.htm

Wheelspinner

I don’t know about DSLR’s but on my Sony cameras there’s a couple of options in the menus to switch off “shutter release AF” or something, and/or move the auto-focus spot around the frame to where you want, which I often forget to do.

I don’t use manual focus much though as my eyesight is sufficiently poor to make that a lottery trying to get it sharp on viewfinder or rear screen. Even the focus peaking assist doesn’t give me as reliable a result as letting the camera do it.

pblakeney

Wheelspinner said:

I don’t know about DSLR’s but on my Sony cameras there’s a couple of options in the menus to switch off “shutter release AF” or something, and/or move the auto-focus spot around the frame to where you want, which I often forget to do.

I don’t use manual focus much though as my eyesight is sufficiently poor to make that a lottery trying to get it sharp on viewfinder or rear screen. Even the focus peaking assist doesn’t give me as reliable a result as letting the camera do it.

DSLRs have the same or similar feature. There is usually a focus indicator which will confirm manual focus too and viewfinders usually have a diopter adjustment.

I suspect most people buying DSLRs who haven't a fair amount of interest in photography switch it on, set to Auto, and press the button. This is why the majority of photos are basically snaps* which could have been taken using a phone.

*I am guilty of using the point and shoot technique when out with the wife too. 🤬

masjer

I like this guy's vids. This one has a good explanation of shooting sharp front to back.https://youtu.be/OM3P8Ntcr34

pblakeney

masjer said:

I like this guy's vids. This one has a good explanation of shooting sharp front to back.

Yeah. I've subscribed to his Youtube. Covers loads and like his laidback style.
I'm not a big fan of stacking but each to their own.
He's not uploaded for a while so I presume he's on location and/or holiday.

masjer

He's had a nasty back operation. I don't think it went 100% so is out of action for a while.

Pross

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Wheelspinner said:

pblakeney said:

^^^^ Nice! ^^^^
Can only imagine that it looks better at full resolution.

It does, although extreme foreground is a bit soft focus. 12mm Zeiss lens on APS-C sensor.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52195620031_219c8fcf8a_o.jpg[/img]

Much better.
Done any experimenting with hyper focal distance?

I was reading up tips on seascape photography ahead of a trip to Cornwall in a couple of weeks and saw that mentioned. Still have no idea what it is though!

It is basically focusing on a calculated distance to maximise your depth of field.
Some clarity here -
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/hyperfocal-distance.htm

Thanks. I think I'll concentrate on trying to learn the basics first before worrying about that then.

Pross

Knew I should have gone to a good vantage point when I went out around 8pm and saw the clouds but convinced myself they were too thick for a good sunset. Took the dog and the sky was spectacular. I did grab my camera and get a few but the location was poor and didn't let me capture all the gradually lighter pink clouds as you got further from where the sun had gone down.

pinno

I just took a snap.

briantrumpet

Hoping my quarantine will be over soon... while I'm red-lining still though...

masjer

Some cheap (free) macro today by reversing the kit lens. Having to hold the lens (back to front) with one hand, whilst holding the camera in the other and operating it on manual felt a bit like juggling…which I can’t do
To make things more interesting, it was windy. The lens produces an ultra shallow depth of field (1-2mm?), so focusing was more miss than hit.
I've ordered a reverse mount (£2.90) so hopefully it’ll be a bit easier next time.
Uncropped, so a good magnification.

TheBigBean

Sadly my lens's manual focus isn't manual enough to work out of the camera.

briantrumpet

masjer said:

Some cheap (free) macro today by reversing the kit lens. Having to hold the lens (back to front) with one hand, whilst holding the camera in the other and operating it on manual felt a bit like juggling…which I can’t do
To make things more interesting, it was windy. The lens produces an ultra shallow depth of field (1-2mm?), so focusing was more miss than hit.
I've ordered a reverse mount (£2.90) so hopefully it’ll be a bit easier next time.
Uncropped, so a good magnification.

That actually kinda works better than a deeper depth of field where bits of the photo look like a technical fail (which it is) compared with this, which looks like artistic choice.

Pross

briantrumpet said:

Hoping my quarantine will be over soon... while I'm red-lining still though...

That's not a normal trumpet is it? The gap from the tuning slide to the bell seems way bigger than normal.

Edit - C trumpet?

briantrumpet

Pross said:

briantrumpet said:

Hoping my quarantine will be over soon... while I'm red-lining still though...

That's not a normal trumpet is it? The gap from the tuning slide to the bell seems way bigger than normal.

Edit - C trumpet?

Close - it's actually a D trumpet, but I can change the tuning slides to make it into a C trumpet. I've got a Messiah coming up in a week or so, on 2nd trumpet (in D), so am on this one. Normally I'm on 1st, and would play my piccolo trumpet in G for that.

Pross

Never realised there were so many type. Three valves was too much for me so a fourth would be a nightmare.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

Never realised there were so many type. Three valves was too much for me so a fourth would be a nightmare.

I've got trumpets in

orchestral (low) F
Bb (four different models)
C/D
F/G piccolo
Bb cornet (1933)
flugel
baroque trumpet (no valves)
slide trumpet

You pick the appropriate one for the job, based ona number of considerations. You have to learn how to transpose at sight, as trumpet parts might be in A, Bb, C, D, Eb, E or F. If you play a trumpet part on E on a Bb trumpet, you play up an augmented 4th, and ad 6#, which can be quite mentally challenging.

You'll be relieved to know that I've got more trumpets than bikes.

briantrumpet

Some of them...

Pross

Used to confuse me playing one of only two? E flat instruments in a brass band and having to do a different scale to the rest without trying to work it out on the go. Just reading a note ahead was too much of a challenge for me and even now, singing bass clef notes, I have to work out what note it is as I read it as the equivalent on the treble clef. Not sure I'm cut out for music! Certainly couldn't play a piano and read two clefs at once.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

Used to confuse me playing one of only two? E flat instruments in a brass band and having to do a different scale to the rest without trying to work it out on the go. Just reading a note ahead was too much of a challenge for me and even now, singing bass clef notes, I have to work out what note it is as I read it as the equivalent on the treble clef. Not sure I'm cut out for music! Certainly couldn't play a piano and read two clefs at once.

Like all skills, it's learnt, but you do need to keep alert and mentally flexible, and especially on trumpet, people hear when you get it wrong. The pressure for the top pros is immense, when you consider the amount that they are dealing with in real time, where everything has to be (by definition) played in time, dealing with the complexities of making a metal tube vibrate at just the right frequency, communicating something meaningful to a paying audience, and all the while you're being assessed in real time (no going back to correct mistakes!) by a paying audience, your professional peers, the conductor, the fixer, and the people who will be writing the cheque.

Despite that, it's great fun. Mostly. (Unless it's Elijah, in which case I just want to go home.)