2017 Project 52 - 1st Quarter by Geoff F

[Geoff F]

Making an early start on this year's challenge.

As with previous years, I will be showing various landscapes, people and events from around the area where I live; but my additional challenge this time will be to experiment with different size ratios and where possible to avoid my most commonly used sizes of 3 x 2 and 5 x 4.

Foggy Morning in the Harbour



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens, 1/500 F11 Iso 200

Foggy Trees



1/200 F11 Iso 200

Lifeboat Memorial Stone



1/80 F11 Iso 200

Dangerous Waters



1/400 F11 Iso 200

Looking through a 3 x 2 ratio viewfinder while considering how the image would work at a different ratio does take a bit of extra concentration.

[Shadowman]

Nice concept/elements used for the final week of your challenge.

[bnnrcn]

You live in a lovely place Geoff, so many opportunities for shooting #2 is my fav of this set with a very nice composition and good exposure. It would be nice to have some more space at the top in #4 as the mast looks a bit squeezed in the frame.

[Geoff F]

There is plenty of spare space to be had above the mast, Binnur, but it was shot at 3 x 2 ratio intending to crop at 2 x 1 and I now find myself not wanting to lose any more from the sides or bottom. Maybe I can lose just a tiny bit at the bottom without appearing too cramped.

Although another problem will start to develop because the skyline is just cropped out now and if I show it there has to be sufficient sky space to work well.

That is one of the problems which I'm finding about turning away from the 3 x 2 ratio with this year's challenge.

Possibly moving the boat may be something to consider?

[Cantab]

Geoff, congratulations on an early start to the New Year! I particularly like the first photo. It works well with the 16:9(?) ratio.

For the final photo, my reaction changed when I looked at it in Lytebox. I think it works well. Yes, there's not much space above the mast but this helps convey the correct impression that the vessel is in restricted waters and needs to be careful. There are rocks not far away on either side of the boat.

[Geoff F]

Here is an alternative where I have fractionally moved the boat.



The fog kept moving around, partially clearing then closing in again; so I kept looking for alternative angles and took many shots, but quite a lot just didn't quite work. Fog is very deceptive in many ways!

Here is the view looking north from the same position as the boat scene.



These are 2 x 1 ratio, which is almost the same as 16 x 9.

I tried several shots from the cliff tops including some rocky outcrops but most were rejected when I looked at them on the computer because the rocky headlands appeared over dominant although I thought they were working in the viewfinder. With this one I was able to move back a little and experiment with a portrait ratio.



ps. I have found with these Project 52 threads that it helps to try and stay a week in advance to allow for those weeks of bad weather or other temporary setbacks which can so easily put you behind.

[Cantab]

I had to look carefully and repeatedly to see in what way you moved the boat. I finally decided its course is now slightly closer to the red buoy. Although very subtle, the change of position probably helps the image.

[madcrow]

Geoff, that's one great series. I have never got a good fog image no matter now I try. All very well executed.

[RandyRFJP]

Excellent series of photographs. First-rate composition and captures, Geoff. My favorite is "Foggy Trees."

[Geoff F]

Geoff, that's one great series. I have never got a good fog image no matter now I try. All very well executed.

Thanks for the replies.

Foggy photos start, Maurice, with the right sort of fog.

Often I think about shooting foggy scenes but it may be too thin a fog or more in the way of low cloud so, knowing that neither would work, I just move on to something else.

Then comes the choice of subject. In most cases, you need a definite reference point to clearly demonstrate this is a foggy day and not simply shot out of focus with poor exposure.

[bnnrcn]

IMO moving the boat worked fine Geoff. But I think it is necessary to add some fog to the emty area to make it similar to the original image.

Some cameras' live view modes show the compositions in the desired aspect ratio although they shot the raw image with 3x2 aspect ratio . So you can crop the raw image in PP in order to have the composition you have seen in the live view mode.Do your camera have such a function? It might be helpful unless you go for very special aspect ratios

[joebranko]

Nice series Geoff. I particularly enjoyed'Foggy Trees'

[Wavelength]

Excellent shots....

[mknittle]

Nice series Geoff. I particularly enjoyed'Foggy Trees'

+1 I liked this image also.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the replies. I had shot various angles around those trees and the garden in front of them but wasn't totally happy with the results. So thinking along the lines of what else can I try resulted in that particular scene.

Week 02 and still trying to keep a few days ahead. I tried some scenes from a path around the harbour to show a boatyard and looking further inland towards some more creeks while the tide was only half way in and the mud banks were visible.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/350 F11 Iso 200



1/250 F11 Iso 200

I took several shots of different angles and tried mixes of varying focus points and exposures to merge together but I wasn't keen on the results so these are the only keepers.

Then I managed to scramble down to the foreshore to try some boat and landscape scenes but couldn't really find what I wanted. At that point, a swan came along so I had an idea of including it in the foreground to add a bit of interest.

But this bird appears to be a professional model and when it saw I was photographing it without permission it immediately came ashore, walked straight up to me and demanded payment. But all I had to offer was one chocolate biscuit and I thought that wasn't really suitable swan food. After my refusal, it started tugging at my trouser leg!



1/250 F11 Iso 200



I'm sure I heard it muttering something about 'You're a tight fisted old . . .'



Eventually it waddled back to the water but kept swimming along and following me as I continued along the foreshore. I suspect it is a fairly young bird which has spent the summer demanding food from all the boats which moor at the nearby pontoons and has come to regard that as normal behaviour for a swan.

[Cantab]

Geoff, unlike my usual practice of looking at CiC on an iPad, I looked at today's post via Lytebox on a good quality profiled monitor. I love the second photo. It works very well.

We have mute swans on a tidal inlet not far from where I'm typing but ours aren't native but were introduced at some time in the past.

[Geoff F]

Following on from the Swan's Tale, something unexpected from the bird hide.

Week 03 Distant subject in the rain so I had to push the Iso to 1250 to get anywhere close to an acceptable aperture and shutter speed. It was looking towards what little light was available. I have done what I can with the images but they certainly won't win any prizes.



7D with Sigma 150-600 Sport lens at 600 mm. 1/200m F8 Iso 1250 cropped to around one third of the original size.

She eventually found a dead bird to eat, possibly a Canada Goose.





Also tried a few birds but difficult to get any keepers due to the murky conditions. Some Curlew settled but kept themselves a little too distant, although the rain had eased so I was able to increase the shutter speed a little.



1/500 F8 Iso 1250

And a Sandpiper came close to the hide.



I dropped the Iso to 800 but that reduced the shutter to 1/100

A Kingfisher hovered alongside the hide but by the time I refocused all I managed was another blurred rear end as it flew away. I've seen so many of them, but still can't manage an acceptable photo.

[Geoff F]

A couple of days earlier I visited another hide under better light, although I struggled with the light angle at times.

This flying Bittern was a bit too distant for a perfect shot, although getting anything from one in flight is worthwhile.



1/1000 F11 Iso 800.

There was a duck shaped speedboat racing across the water!



1/1250 F8 Iso 800. Red-breasted Merganser.

And there is always some official character who wants to order everybody else around.



1/800 F8 Iso 800. Both shots were looking towards the light although the light was beginning to fail under encroaching cloud by now.

This Whimbrel was something of an accidental success. I had started packing up when it came close to the hide with a Little Egret so I tried a couple of hand held last of the day shots. Originally I thought it was just a juvenile Curlew until I returned home and had a good look at my computer screen. These birds should have all migrated by now but this one appears to have decided that after reaching the south coast, from its north Scotland breeding site, it had travelled far enough and would try spending the winter here.



1/400 F8 Iso 800

The recent mild winters have encouraged a few migrant species to remain here.

[Geoff F]

Female Wigeon and a Little Grebe



1/800 F8 Iso 800

And a very common Blue Tit.



The shutter speed had dropped to 1/320 but luckily it didn't move during my shot.

[Cantab]

Geoff, an interesting collection of photos in today's posts. The sandpiper in particular (but also the blue tit) turned out well despite the low shutter speed.

Congratulations on the fox photos. These sort of wild life action shots are always (at least for me) unexpected and you just have to make do the best in the circumstances.

Congratulations on the two merganser images. With the second one did you do some selective brightening of the bird against the backlighting, in pp?