2023 Project 52 by Geoff F - Part 2

[Geoff F]

Week 28 - The Plant Survey. Today was the annual plant survey at one of the wildlife sites where I am a volunteer so I wanted to capture a record of the event. But I only had my pocket sized Fuji X20; it was cloudy and the best angle meant shooting towards the available light. However, I had a go and this is the best which I could manage.



1/200 F7.1 Iso 320



1/280 F6.4 Iso 320



1/300 F6.4 Iso 320

[billtils]

Yes that's what the plants are called - also known as Fireweed (in the US, but occasionally here too). It's a very prolific weed in this part of Scotland

I have a reason to recall the name ... I entered this in two club competitions a few years ago, the themed competition which that year was "Land Transport" and the end of season open one. It got a rave review in the former and absolutely slated in the latter - sound familiar ...?

[Geoff F]

I did find some Purple Loosestrife today, but only a few plants. It seems to require ideal damp conditions unlike Rosebay Willowherb which grows almost anywhere.

Week 29 - A day of sunshine and clouds. Where I was recording insects today.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/250 F11 Iso 250. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

Sometimes it pays to think big - even if you are just a little spider.



Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/200 F14 Iso 250. Flash used. Merge of two focus points.

And a Xysticus sp spider with a Swollen-thigh Beetle

[Cantab]

Geoff, in the second photo you merged two focus points. Was this hand held or did the bugs co-operate enough for you to set up a tripod?

[Geoff F]

I normally use a tripod for all my macro shots, except when chasing a subject as it flits around among difficult foliage. This particular shot had problems because it was on a steep slope and I needed to show the top of the spider for identification. It is a female Misumena vatia. So I had to get down low amongst the Spear Thistles with my tripod on just two legs.

Providing there isn't any subject movement a little bit of wind rock usually comes out OK with the auto alignment. Even when there is too much movement for a perfect auto alignment I can often mix and match bits from two or three shots to produce an entire insect, using select, copy and paste methods.

[Geoff F]

Week 30 - A good crop of campers. In the field next to where I was recording insects. Poor light angle but I had a go anyway, chiefly concentrating on the sky. Definitely not a prizewinner though.



7D with Tamron 24-70. 1/400 F11 Iso 250. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

And a couple of difficult to photograph little insects.

Heterotoma planicornis



Sigma 180 macro lens 1/200 F9 Iso 400. Flash used

Plagiognathus arbustorum

[Geoff F]

Week 31 - Do you ever think you are being watched? Andrews Wood wildlife reserve.



This one looks more friendly. Part of the grass cutting team.

[Cantab]

A good pair of photos. The first one is wonderful – whatever bug it is that's looking at us!

[Geoff F]

That bug is Cicadella viridis and this is one in side view



Grasshoppers often hide behind a grass stem then peer out to look at you from the safety of their stem. That starts what I call the grasshopper dance. As you move your position to get a better view they also move around to keep themselves behind the stem and you both keep going around in circles.

[Geoff F]

Week 32 - Woodleigh Wood with sunshine and clouds. Where I was recently recording wildlife.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/500 H11 Iso 320. Merge of two bracketed exposures.



1/320 F11 Iso 320

And a couple of difficult insect shots which didn't quite work out perfectly, although it wasn't entirely my fault

A pair of Field Grasshoppers but a pity about that stray leaf. I did think about moving it but that would have scared them away.



My first Hornet Robberfly of the year. I couldn't get an ideal angle and as I moved it flew away.

[Geoff F]

Week 33 - A Dull Day at the Beach. Light rain eventually gave way to dull cloud. But because I was there and I had my camera I had a go anyway.

Thurlestone Beach



7D with Canon 24-105 lens. 1/800 F8 Iso 500. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

Looking inland from the beach.



1/250 F10 Iso 400 Merge of two bracketed exposures

A wider scene showing the bay and Thurlestone Rock



1/1000 F9 Iso 400. Merge of two bracketed exposures

And because it was a grey day I had a go with a monochrome landscape.



1/500 F10 Iso 400. Merge of two bracketed exposures

[Geoff F]

Week 34 - Vintage Machinery Rally. A two day event but both days had poor grey light but, once again, I was there so I had a go.

Photographers seem to be always moaning about the light - either too grey or too bright and harsh.

Ploughing with horses



1/1250 F8 Iso 500 7D with Canon 24-105 lens

Sharpening the saw. Pity about the background but I couldn't get any better angles.



1/200 F9 Iso 320

[Geoff F]

Adjusting the plough



1/500 F8 Iso 400

And the reason I was there. With the local Salcombe History Society stall in the craft tent. But it did get me free entry to the rally ground.



I managed a few candid shots with my little Fuji X20 camera from behind the stall. 1/480 F2 Iso 320. I was trying to avoid using flash so that meant some other settings were far from ideal.

The full range of my photos from this event are here

https://pbase.com/crustacean/2023_vintage_show&page=1

[billtils]

Like the tractor shot!

[Geoff F]

Sometimes I like to get something other than just tractors driving around with farm machinery. Plenty of moving tractors in that link.

Thanks for the comment.

[Geoff F]

Week 35 - Raking the grass. This was on the opposite side of the road to where I was recording wildlife today. These images seem a bit on the yellow side after conversion to JPEG. Maybe it is this old monitor. I will check the original images. I slightly changed the yellows towards blue during Raw conversion.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/1000 F9 Iso 400



1/500 F11 Iso 320

[billtils]

I like the first one Geoff, with the positioning of the stripes from the other field. However the yellow-green problem means the raking machinery almost blends into the grass, which makes the second one with the tractor facing you a better shot of the machinery (can you do something with the sky though?)

[Geoff F]

I have done a slight edit to fractionally turn the yellow areas a bit more greenish.



That also helps with the sky. It was an odd light scene with yellowish sunlight on the field then some darkish distant clouds. I darkened them a little but I was afraid that going too far would make the scene appear unnatural.

It was one of those situations where I had to work quickly without any real thinking time. Changed the lens then found the lens lock had accidentally become engaged. After clearing that there was a malfunction between the camera and lens connections. And the tractor was almost at the end of its work in that field.

[billtils]

There must be a version of "Murphy's Law" that covers your efforts in showing this! Thanks for taking the time to edit the image - going by how much clearer the machinery now is it was a success.

[billtils]

Week 35 - Raking the grass.These images seem a bit on the yellow side after conversion to JPEG.

Looked that way to me too, but this morning after driving past several fields where the hay had been cut somewhere between a few hours and about 10 days earlier I realised "silly me - the colour of the shorn grass is a slightly green tinged shade of yellow. In other words, there's nothing wrong with your original images (but they do look more attractive after your edits ).