Project 52 by Frank Miller

[MilT0s]

Frank the main problem with capturing iridescent things with a camera is that the camera is perfectly still while our eyes are not.

As you pointed out the colors you see on the feather highly depend on the viewing angle just like a the back surface of a CD. The key point here is that when our eye "sees" an item it constaltly scans it so our brain can reproduce a clear image. The reason for that is that our eye lens produce a sharp image only in a tiny area near the center of our view angle so the scan is needed to compensate that (just compare the area of your camera lens and sensor to that of your eyes!). Due to the fact of this scan you constantly change the viewing angle of the feather thus altering the color pattern of the item slightly. This phenomenon gives the iridescent you want to capture.

By the way the physical explanation is indeed interference but not by a thin film (like a soap bubble) but by a diffraction pattern (or grating) just like a cd or a hologram like those in credit cards (the shining bird in VISAs). Canon has few lens indicated DO for "Diffraction Optics" that use this to make telephoto lens of small size.

A moving GIF is a really good idea but be carefull to use tiny step when changing the angle. I mean really tiny!

[FrankMi]

I finally got a chance to get out to take some pictures. We took a trip to New England to visit my wife’s sister and brother. Along the way we stopped at Cabela’s in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, an Outdoor Outfitters that caters to hikers, campers, hunters and fishermen.

I didn’t expect to see what was waiting inside and I didn’t have my camera along. I did, however have my cell phone so I thought I’d see what it could do, never having used a cell phone to take pictures.

Inside the store I came across a number of very interesting dioramas made from actual animals that had been mounted and preserved in natural settings through the process of taxidermy. There were scenes of everything you could imagine from polar bears to wolves to hundreds of deer to crocodiles to lions to, well, if you can think of an animal, they likely had it on display.

The following scene was particularly interesting owing to the action taking place and the fact that some of the animals, like the lead Lioness, had only foot barely touching the ground. In some cases, such as the back end of the Greater Kudu on the extreme left, the animal is leaping and all four feet were off the ground.

[nimitzbenedicto]

Hi Frank,

Terrific shot via cell phone cam!

D3100 user too,

( btw, did they say where they got all those animals they " taxidermied". thanks. )

[Letrow]

Great animal shot Frank. The lighting looks pretty good, white balance (I didn't check) as well. The background is a bit grubby, but that is a photo or something similar I guess. The rest looks very natural.

[Donald]

When I first opened the image, I took a gasp of air. My very first impression was of looking at an image in 3D. I don't think I've ever looked at an image in a 2D format such as this that looks more like a 3D image. It is remarkable. Are other people seeing this?

I don't know why it's happening. Is it the arrangements of the animals? Is it because it's a painted backdrop? I can't stop seeing it in what seems to be 3D. Weird!

[Coinneachmhor]

Fantastic photo. Agree with Donald re 3D, think it's the lighting on the central lioness that creates the very special effect.

[FrankMi]

did they say where they got all those animals they " taxidermied".

Thanks for the feedback, Victor! In some cases there were signs (you can see parts of three of them in this shot) that either named the animal or gave specifics as to who, where, and when the trophy was taken. In this case the signs only indicated the name of the species so I don't know how they were obtained.

I had my D3100 buried somewhere in the car but didn't expect to see this so I didn't dig it out. It was also a long distance to where we had to park and, as typical, the unexpected stop put us behind schedule. Once I got home and realized what I had and how much better it would have been to use the DSLR, I wish I had taken the time to dig out the D3100 and do a proper shot.

Thanks for viewing!

[FrankMi]

Great animal shot Frank. The lighting looks pretty good, white balance (I didn't check) as well. The background is a bit grubby, but that is a photo or something similar I guess. The rest looks very natural.

Yes Peter, the background is a painted scene on the back wall. I blurred it a bit to minimize the obvious seams in the panels and cut back on the distractions.

Thank you for viewing!

[FrankMi]

Thank you Donald and Kenny! I really don't know what is producing the 3D effect. I doubt it is due to the cell phone but then who knows? It may be due to the dramatic action involved that makes the animals seem to be popping out of the diorama or perhaps it is because the painted wall behind them is so flat.

This shot was taken just to the left of the previous one. In both cases I couldn’t back up as there was a railing that would be included in the foreground and would block some of the image. Unfortunately that also meant not being able to include all of the animals heads so you'll need to use your imagination!

I don’t think this one turned out as well, likely due to not having the needed DoF with the indoor lighting and no real camera controls on a cell phone.

Here you can get a better view of the Kudu leaping in mid-air with all four feet off the ground.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Frank, Donald, Kenny,

I 'get' the 3D effect too

I think this is caused, as said, by the flat backdrop vs the foreground animals, shot at probably a fairly wide angle and up close (due to railings) so you, and us, are in amongst the action. I suspect the phone's small sensor, wide DoF helps too and a shot with the D3100 would have struggled to match that at a sensible exposure/iso.

For anyone not seeing the '3D effect', it also helps to view these full size on a screen that can display the 1600 x 900px natively and be viewed close to, of course.
So, not a laptop then! (unless you're really rich)

They must look after the displays, or you 'dusted' for them in PP

Cheers,

[FrankMi]

I suspect the phone's small sensor, wide DoF helps too and a shot with the D3100 would have struggled to match that at a sensible exposure/iso.

Thanks for the insight Dave. This is an interesting observation that I hadn't thought of.

So, even if I did take the time to go get the DSLR, I might not have been able to effectively capture the images? I'll need to do some testing to compare the two. I had always considered a cell phone camera as a toy but perhaps it could be an alternative under some circumstances. Fascinating!

They take excellent care of their displays. Every animal that I saw was neat, clean, and in pristine condition. Cabela's has 35 outlets and this one has about 250,000 square feet of floor space. I don't know how many trophys are on display but they could easily have well over 1,000.

[Dave Humphries]

I had always considered a cell phone camera as a toy but perhaps it could be an alternative under some circumstances. Fascinating!

Of course, any smaller sensor camera would help (compared to a DSLR), like an SX40HS
Or a 'fit in your pocket' S100

As you can tell, I'm really getting into using the right sensor for the job now I have the P510, not just putting the right lens on my DSLR - but I got the idea from you and your SX40 shots.

So thank you,

[FrankMi]

I found this Lotus plant (Nelumbo Nucifera) growing wild in the overflow of a small pond alongside a highway in Rhode Island. Strange, this plant isn’t supposed to be here at all! In the U.S. we do have the only other known living species of the Lotus genus, the American Lotus (Nelumbo Lutea) and they are normally found in the southeastern United States, Mexico, Honduras, and the Caribbean, but not usually in New England. Both varieties have blossoms that can reach about a foot across.

According to a local newspaper article, these particular plants were a gift from China.

Nelumbo Nucifera is known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus. Native to Tropical Asian nations and Queensland, Australia, it is commonly cultivated in water gardens. It is also the national flower of India and Vietnam.

This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded Lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.

[FrankMi]

To get a feel for the environment these Lotus blossoms were in, here is a snapshot of the pond's overflow area. The pond is on the other side of the road and there is a small outlet from here to the stream below.

As you can see, most of the blossoms have past leaving their seed pods to dry in the sun.



This is what the blossoms look like in the budding stage. Two different images were combined so that only one picture would be needed to show different levels of development of the buds.



...and lastly, this is what the edible seed pod looks like after the blossom has passed.



Enjoy!

[Donald]

Enjoy!

I have. I am.

Your accompanying text, Frank, continues to complement and , indeed, strengthen the images. Thank you.

[FrankMi]

It had been my goal to get a nice image of a New England colonial covered bridge.... and I did get to photograph several. However, in a sense, they all looked pretty much the same.

I eventually came across something different. The Fisher Bridge in Wolcott, Vermont spanning the Lamoille River is the last covered railroad bridge in Vermont. Built in 1908 to serve the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad, it is the only one remaining in the country with a full-length cupola which provided a smoke and sparks escape for the steam powered locomotives.



I would have loved to have gotten a steam-powered locomotive passing through to complete the scene!

For now you'll just have to use your lucrative imagination!

[SpiderBob]

Stunning Frank, pretty much sums it up for me.

Great pic.

May I download that picture for just myself.

Bob

[Donald]

Frank - You've put quite a bit of space around the bridge, on all sides. I wondered why you didn't go in closer? Was it about very much locating it within its landscape?

[FrankMi]

Stunning Frank, pretty much sums it up for me.

Great pic.

May I download that picture for just myself.

Bob

Thank you Bob. Feel free to download any of my images - I'd be honored if you did! There are also no restrictions on the original sized images at my SmugMug account either so feel free.

[FrankMi]

Frank - You've put quite a bit of space around the bridge, on all sides. I wondered why you didn't go in closer? Was it about very much locating it within its landscape?

Actually Donald, I didn't give that much thought and I should have. I guess it just felt right to me. In my mind I'm seeing an 8-wheeler steam-locomotive running full throttle out of the bridge with smoke and sparks billowing up through the cupola.

Here it is with the tighter crop. I may have lost my ability to be subjective by this point. Does anyone have any comments on which would be preferable and why?



I would have also liked to been able to get high enough to get some of the Lamoille River in the composition but I didn't have any 40' tall stilts with me in the car. <sigh!>