My 2013 Weekly Photos - Part 3

[Geoff F]

In order to reduce the size of my weekly photos uploads I have started another post. The previous thread is here 2013 Weekly Photos - part 2

Week 40 - Ploughing

Went on an insect hunt today without much success; when returning I found they were ploughing the field next to the rough track where I was walking. If I had returned a few furrows little earlier taking some photos would have been much easier.

As it was, I didn't really have the right size of lens. My 24-70 wasn't really big enough even at 70 mm. This is a crop, but it does show the larger scene.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/320 F11 Iso 200.

My only alternative was the Sigma 180 macro lens which tended to be a bit on the large side but I eventually managed to get some different angles which just about worked. A faster shutter speed helped with the gulls but this wasn't the ideal lens and the gulls haven't quite worked out. They are always a struggle to photograph well in scenes like this, particularly at greater distances. I should have dropped the aperture to F8 and got an even higher shutter speed.



Sigma 180 macro lens 1/640 F11 Iso 400.



1/800 F11 Iso 400.

Took quite a few shots but got a lot of rejects. Reasonable bit of background sky but I struggled for good angles.

Between the ploughed areas is a grass strip which is used by light aircraft (hobby pilots). A plane was taking off and I thought a shot of the plane just leaving the ground with the tractor in the background would work nicely. But it rose upwards to quickly and I failed to zoom out in time so another clever idea resulted in failure!

I did manage one shot of the plane in the air coming towards me though.

ps. This 5 furrow reversible plough is a bit different from the old 2 furrow versions which I photographed recently at my local vintage machinery show!

http://www.pbase.com/crustacean/2013_vintage_show

[geoz]

I like the first the best since the banding in the sky mirrors the furrows. Suggestions may be to reduce the luminance in the sky a bit to balance out the colors. I found this effect is similar to a UV filter. Removing the top of the building will enhance the parallel lines.

George

[Wavelength]

Nice

[Geoff F]

The foreground needed a bit of a boost in brightness and I reduced that effect on the sky, but possibly not sufficient on the first image.

Here is another edit with the sky closer to the natural light shot.



When the grass strip was a WW 2 airfield that concrete building was the control tower. It creates the only reference point which clearly identifies exactly where this shot was taken; so it has to remain 'as shot'.

But I have slightly toned down the top section.

[geoz]

I think it works better. Thanks for the explanation of the building. I thought it was some kind of odd farm structure. If you are looking for a title for the picture how about "Swords into Plowshares".

[Geoff F]

Another farming scene. I had set off to photograph some fog in the harbour below. But it turned out to be 'the wrong type of fog' and I didn't find any good options. As I was returning I had a quick shot at this scene.

A mixture of sun peeping through cloud and shadows in the wrong places etc. And a struggle to get the sheep and tractor in a suitable alignment as my shooting position was somewhat limited.



1/320 F11 Iso 400.

Turned out a bit on the under exposed side but I have done what I can to salvage something.

Weather hasn't been inspiring for most of this week and when there were a few brighter interludes I had other commitments!

[Donald]

I'm just catching up with this thread, Geoff (apologies) and am enjoying it greatly. Living as I do, within a rural, agricultural community, I've often felt I should be making a project out of the farming life of our area. I did fire off a few frames of a tractor ploughing at the weekend, but was not happy with any of them. So, they're now history.

[Geoff F]

Yes, Donald, I keep intending to regularly return to the same area to record more in the way of a year of farming.

But too often I'm a day too early or a day too late! Sometimes I think 'That field of wheat is nearly ready for cutting' then by the time I return it is just bare soil and I have missed several stages of the farming process!

I have managed to visit some sites at least once a week through the summer to record and photograph the wildlife there.

However, besides working around the weather (at least I am retired now) I have taken on a fairly big project for our local history society which meant recording and now editing over 12 hours of memories from some of the older citizens.

I did take several other angles of the tractor as I walked along this path but I suspect when I get around to editing them I will be lucky if two are kept.

Here is another shot of a different scene from nearby on the same day. I liked the alignment of boats but couldn't get everything to my liking. Then the angler, who hadn't caught anything pulled his anchor and left.



Some days like this start full of hope, but end up without the intended result. But I suppose that makes those successful days really special!

[Geoff F]

Week 42 - Not required until next summer

Went on a late season bug hunt but little of any interest and a dull day between showers.

Saw this scene, but struggled with the conditions and tried several angles. Rather dark under the tree; with brighter light from the yellowish foliage and distant grass.



1/80 F8 Iso 800. Exposure set for the brighter areas then recovered what I could with a combination of two different Raw conversions. Then blurred part of the distant foliage slightly.

Would probably have worked with F6.3 and a lower Iso if I was thinking more clearly. But, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to get anything usable from this scene and was more concerned about over exposure from the distant foliage.

Nearby was an old piece of farm machinery but the light was just as bad.



I was tempted to go on the grass to see if those front wheels would rotate to a better position; and to straighten up the wobbly rear wheel. There are obviously a few other broken parts and the towing assembly is missing.

In fact there are several items which don't make sense to me. But it does show the downward pointing cultivator heads which are held in place by a couple of wedges which makes them adjustable.

[Geoff F]

Week 43 - Fungi Hunt

Spent the day on a fungi identification course which was followed by a look around the nearby woods to see what could be discovered. But it was getting a bit late in the day by then; particularly when deep in the woods!



7D with Tamron 24-70 1/200 F14 Iso 200 with flash. In reality, I didn't need F14 but I was set up for photographing fungi then saw the potential for a quick people shot.

Some examples from the woods; using flash. There is always a potential problem of hot spots when 'flashing fungi' so I tend to prefer long exposures when practical. But it was too dark to have any real hope of success without flash by then.

[Brownbear]

Hi Geoff,

I adore these two images... beautiful...

Week 42 - Not required until next summer

Went on a late season bug hunt but little of any interest and a dull day between showers.

Saw this scene, but struggled with the conditions and tried several angles. Rather dark under the tree; with brighter light from the yellowish foliage and distant grass.



1/80 F8 Iso 800. Exposure set for the brighter areas then recovered what I could with a combination of two different Raw conversions. Then blurred part of the distant foliage slightly.

Would probably have worked with F6.3 and a lower Iso if I was thinking more clearly. But, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to get anything usable from this scene and was more concerned about over exposure from the distant foliage.

Nearby was an old piece of farm machinery but the light was just as bad.



I was tempted to go on the grass to see if those front wheels would rotate to a better position; and to straighten up the wobbly rear wheel. There are obviously a few other broken parts and the towing assembly is missing.

In fact there are several items which don't make sense to me. But it does show the downward pointing cultivator heads which are held in place by a couple of wedges which makes them adjustable.

[Geoff F]

Week 44 - November Garden Flowers

It has been fairly mild here although rather damp and with some wind. Eventually a calm and dry day appeared, although an overcast sky.

So time for a spell in the garden, and a few photos of late flowering plants. A few tricky subjects though.

Euonymus fortunei always adds a bit of colour whatever the season. It even looks good in rain. And now there are some distinctive berries.



7D with Tamron 27-70 lens on a tripod. 1/125 F11 Iso 400

I can't remember the name of this late flowering plant. There are red and pink forms.



1/60 nF11 Iso 400. I think the colour is about right but a tricky one to get perfect.

This rambling rose shouldn't be flowering now. The buds were starting to open as I was photographing.



1/200 F11 Iso 400. This was a real struggle. Red flowers always seem to present problems. I used a bit of exposure compensation to reduce some over bright areas, even with the overcast light.

I tried shooting a couple of different exposures for blending but eventually settled for using the basic image with a couple of different Raw conversions which were then combined with a mask.

But it still needed quite a bit of subtle editing to produce anything usable; and I'm still not happy with the result.

Fuchsias always present a problem for me; and this wasn't an exception.



In this case, I did combine two different shots with exposure variation. Plus a bit of editing. Not quite right but the best of the bunch.

[rudi]

For your info, this is Schizostylis coccinea. Yep, the color is about right !!!
My first attempt with focus stacking, already some years ago, was with Schizostylis.

The rose: the main bud seems to be a bit overexposed. In ACR I would try to bring the brightness down a bit, desaturate, bring in some blacks..... Afterwards some LCE. And maybe this will bring you a bit closer to what you want ....
Kr, Rudi



1/60 nF11 Iso 400. I think the colour is about right but a tricky one to get perfect.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for that.

Also known as Kaffir Lily; originally from South Africa. I've found it in one of my plant books now. They were in the garden when I bought this house 30 years ago and I never discovered their true name.

Some years they reduce in numbers, particularly the pink form which was down to a handful of plants, but this year they have fully recovered.

The rose bud, being an out of season rambling rose, was a rather pale red colour and I have struggled with various selective editing tweaks to get it looking good. Maybe going back to the Raw file and slightly increasing the blacks might give an improvement.

The under exposed alternative shot, which was only one stop less, lost virtually all detail. These are so tricky to expose correctly.

[Geoff F]

Here is an alternative edit. This time I have used Smart Sharpen as well as using two different Raw conversions in a merge and produced a slightly darker main bud.

[John 2]

I like the fungi, particularly the first one, and the flowers Geoff. The alternative edit was worth the effort. Just brings out that extra bit of quality. I think I must have missed your first two weekly posts somehow. Things move so fast on this forum.

[rudi]

Hi Geoff,

with your permission, I would like to have a go with the rosebud myself and post it here. Don't know it will be up to your second, but I like the 'challenge'.
Yep, they are difficult to expose correctly.
Kr, Rudi

[pasusan]

Hi Geoff - I'm glad to find your weekly photos again. Very interesting images. I especially enjoy the ones of the old implements - I think you did a fine job with PP to adjust the lighting. For that first tractor scene - I think the image could use a small counterclockwise rotation to make the top roof of the building straight. And the work you did on the last rose image looks to have helped a lot - now I don't feel sorry for it being a "faded rose".

Very nice images (I'm sort of glad you didn't find the bugs)!

[Geoff F]

OK Rudi, I will post the original here. Or if I get a chance later, I can always put the full Raw on Mediafire or elsewhere for downloading.

And thanks for the comments everybody.

[Geoff F]

Here is the original rosebud image as a jpeg if anybody wants to have a go at editing a tricky scene.