2017 Project 52 - 2nd Quarter by Geoff F

[Geoff F]

Week 23 - South Sands area. A brief bright spell but I didn't trust the developing clouds so just a quick stroll along the cliff path and thinking about more possible 4 x 5 ratio scenes which would be suitable for the calendar

Steps at South Sands Beach



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/400 F11 Iso 200

South Sands Ferry passing Salcombe Castle



Going for a paddle



And one of those 'This probably won't work but let's have a go anyway' type of scenes.



1/800 F11 Iso 200

[Urbanflyer]

been fun to see your part of the world!

I think # 4 has good potential with some judicious post processing.

[Wavelength]

Nice touring spots....

[Cantab]

Although intrigued by the steps in #1, my favourite is the last photo. I'm left wondering how/why the kayaker is in the midst of the rocks. At least he's heading in the right direction!
You did a good job of capturing the backlit water. It's a typical type of view where I live but not always the easiest to capture photographically.

[Geoff F]

There is a narrow shallow channel through the rocks; just space for a canoe to squeeze past. Quite a bit of editing on that scene including a graduated mask over the sky plus a few other masking tweaks in an attempt to add some detail and light reduction into the sky and sea while also brightening the rocks a little.

[lovelife65]

I like #2 ( Great colors!) and 3 a lot. #2 looks a little "downhill" to me.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Cantab]

I like #2 ( Great colors!) and 3 a lot. #2 looks a little "downhill" to me.

I opened the photo (#2) in PS so I could impose a grid on it. As far as I could tell, the day beacon and the vertical walls of the buildings all seemed to be vertical. So any "downhill" appearance is probably a function of the boat's waterline and perhaps the rocky shoreline but to my surprise the shoreline appeared to be remarkedly horizontal.

[bnnrcn]

I especially like the last two images

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments.

With some scenes, like #2, nothing can be relied upon for straightness, particularly the old castle walls and beacon.

So I zoomed in and worked from the corner wall of one of the distant houses near the image centre.

[Geoff F]

Week 24 - Damselflies. A lot of these around now, and judging by their actions there should be plenty for next year as well.

Blue-tailed Damselfly



7D with Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/250 F14 Iso 200

And a pair of Common Blue Damselflies.



Everything else is also getting some action. Green Dock Beetles



I always struggle to photograph these extremely reflective beetles. This time I increased the Iso to 800 and just used a little bit of fill flash.

Green Shieldbugs



Did the same thing with these tricky subjects. And a merge of two focus points to improve the depth of focus.

[Cantab]

A good set of photos of busy subjects!

[skitterbug]

Hi Geoff ~ Your dialog in explanation adds to the interest of these well executed shots! So crisp and clear!

[Wavelength]

Great private scenes.....

[Geoff F]

Week 25 which means half the year gone already!

While recording insect life at a local reserve I wondered if I could manage some sort of landscape scene from the area; so these are my attempts.

Across the Marsh.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. F11 Iso 200 and a merge of 3 different exposures, hand held. Maybe a fraction less sky?

Power Across the Marsh. A different angle from the same shooting position. Definitely an experimental shot to see if I could get anything to work from this scene.



1/200 F11 Iso 200 and a merge of different adjustments from one Raw file.

Topsham Bridge. A different site the previous day. I was leaning out as far as I could over a low wall to avoid various unwanted items. Nothing is truly horizontal or vertical in this scene so I went with the camera rotation indicator in the viewfinder.



1/200 F11 Iso 400 and a merge of Raw conversions.

[bnnrcn]

Nice set of images Geoff

Week 24 - Damselflies. A lot of these around now, and judging by their actions there should be plenty for next year as well.

Blue-tailed Damselfly



7D with Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/250 F14 Iso 200

And a pair of Common Blue Damselflies.



Everything else is also getting some action. Green Dock Beetles



I always struggle to photograph these extremely reflective beetles. This time I increased the Iso to 800 and just used a little bit of fill flash.

Green Shieldbugs



Did the same thing with these tricky subjects. And a merge of two focus points to improve the depth of focus.

[Geoff F]

Thanks Binnur.

Going to a square crop on the marsh scenes comes out like this:





This creates a slightly different sort of scene but I'm not really sure which I prefer.

[Cantab]

Geoff, with respect to the first of the two, I think my preference is the square crop but.....

Do you know what the derelict building was in its heyday? A very solidly built farm house?

[purplehaze]

Love the bug shots, Geoff. I hope ours are still in the mood this weekend when I might have an opportunity to shoot them.

[teokf]

"I always struggle to photograph these extremely reflective beetles. This time I increased the Iso to 800 and just used a little bit of fill flash."

Hi Geoff, my limited understanding of flash is either there is flash or no flash or diffused flash. I generally diffuse my flash or when I am lazy, I use fill flash but have not tried "a little bit of fill flash." May I know how you do it?