My 2014 Weekly Photos - Part 3

[Cantab]

Geoff, I really like this photo - partly because it brings back memories of visiting a family farm in Saskatchewan when I was growing up, and riding on the tractor.

P.S. I had a look at the pbase link you provided and especially like one of the old steam tractor photos.

[Geoff F]

Week 34 - Regatta

Spent a week photographing the local regatta as well as doing various jobs in my role of Chief Gofor.

Hundreds of photos to choose from and I never like making decisions about choosing just one image, so I've taken a photo from each event to give an indication of what happened during the regatta.

Air Display



7D with Canon 70-200 lens plus 1.4x converter. 1/250 F14 Iso 200

Crabbing Boat Race



7D with Sigma 150-500 lens. 1/320 F10 Iso 400 on tripod

Greasy Pole



40D with Canon 24-105 lens 1/640 F6.3 Iso 400. Started shooting in reasonable sunshine but the sun soon went behind the hill and I finished with high speed flash. Took a lot of shots with over 80 keepers per day for 3 days. Used my some older equipment because there was always a splash risk.

Mud Race



Older equipment again; because I was standing in thick mud while the runners went past me. 1/800 F10 Iso 400

Raft Race



Standing on a landing pontoon, so the older gear once again. 1/1250 F8 Iso 400.

FETCHING MORE PHOTOS - will upload as extras because if something goes wrong I might have to start doing all this again; and my nerve is weakening now.

Rowing (one of the Children's Races)



1/640 F10 Iso 400. I did wonder about cropping closer on the left and only having 'half a boat' on the left. Background is a bit cluttered but I rather liked the idea of the small rowing boats against the moored fishing boats.

Sailing



7D with 70-200 lens 1/640 F 8 Iso 400. I was shooting from the ferry landing steps so had to take whatever came along with regard to shooting angles.

Fancy Dress Competition



7D with Tamron 24-70 1/250 F8 Iso 400. Dull day and in shadow, so flash used.

Rest of the photos are here

http://www.pbase.com/regatta

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[IzzieK]

Excellent shots all, Geoff! I love the expressions of the people and kids you took here...but I love the grape girl best of all -- her face said it all... Also the greasy pole kids have different expressions. 'Must have been hard. But they all enjoyed themselves. If I were there, I would have taken part in the mud run... and slipped and fell gladly.

[deetheturk]

Wonderful series Geoff, looks like you had a great week!

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments. And talking about facial expressions, Izzie . . .

Get on with it!



And looking happy in the water.



I had to send some regatta photos to the local paper and they printed that one on the front page. Just one of those quick casual shots which turned out reasonably well.

[IzzieK]

Oooohhhh.....love these last one, Geoff...the shot was perfectly done...and the women beautiful. You deserve to be published more for your work. It is thrilling and exhilarating and all that especially if they give you credit for them...they DID give you credit for the shots, didn't they?

So much so, I am glad you had a good time there...

Thanks for the comments. And talking about facial expressions, Izzie . . .

Get on with it!



And looking happy in the water.



I had to send some regatta photos to the local paper and they printed that one on the front page. Just one of those quick casual shots which turned out reasonably well.

[Donald]

Sometimes you're aware of a thread just rolling on and you never take the chance for a proper look at it. Well, that's now resolved so far as this thread is concerned. Thank you, Geoff. A delight to go through from start to finish (Well, not finish. Up to the present point).

[John 2]

A huge amount of fun had by all - and you've captured it. Very nice series.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice series Geoff

[Geoff F]

Week 35 - Yarner Wood

This wood, which once had a copper mine, has some very old tracks running through it.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/30 F11 Iso 800 and obviously on a tripod. Took several shots of this trackway running through a dimly lit area of the wood but this angle is the only one which had any chance of being a keeper.

An old milestone I assume it means 5 miles but I don't know in which direction.



1/100 F11 Iso 800. Another tricky shot, handheld while standing on a very steep bank and with over bright foliage/cloud in the distance.

Woodland Art



1/50 F11 Iso 800.

This shot ended up as a disaster. I tried several angles to avoid background problems. Eventually took a couple of shots before realising there was a branch in the foreground which was spoiling everything. So as I went to move the branch and my tripod developed a life of its own, jumped into the air and crashed to the ground smashing the flash unit. I wasn't using flash for the shot, it just happened to be still on the camera!

However, the main damage was that the base fixing screws had pulled through the countersinking. That design item may have looked better but it was a seriously weakened area. So, I removed the screws and refixed them with a small washer under the heads to cover the damage. Works OK now but doesn't look so neat.

Probably reduced the theft risk though.

Fortunately, the camera and lens appear to have been a stronger construction and look to be undamaged.

[Cantab]

Geoff, this is an interesting set of images. My favourite is the first one. I'm intrigued by the tracks. Perhaps carts of ore from the mine ran inside the tracks, which served more as guides? Or perhaps the cart wheels ran on the stones and somehow didn't run off the rails?

I'm glad your camera and lens survived the crash.

[Kaye Leggett]

Great shots - particularly like the first one.

[John 2]

Bit of a gut twister Geoff but it's one way to knock the dust bunnies off the sensor. No. 3 for me. I'm glad you weren't tempted to straighten the verticals. Seems appropriate as it is.

[IzzieK]

I can't find a favourite, Geoffrey...they are all unique shots with a story of each own, even separately. #1 is very interesting in that the tracks disappearing in the distance is the mystery yet to unfold and tell; intriguing how that number was carved in stone in #2; love #3 too...looks like a little shelter for when one get tired and want to sit awhile to savour the surroundings and just be quiet inside --- love that thought: sitting awhile...can't seem to have one lately.

Sorry about your flash unit having an Alfred Hitchcock moment...Look at it this way -- who knows what else could have broken if that unit wasn't there...what are the odds? ... something to be thankful about really. I know I would...and with your quick thinking, creative mind and creative hands, it did not turn out to be a throw-away after the incident...

You are still blessed.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Geoff. I like #1. I'm glad that your camera and lens are in good condition

[Geoff F]

Week 36 - Looking West from Gammon Head

A bit of an experiment this week. The distant headland was rather faint due to the haze, so this is a merge of two Raw Conversions from the same original.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/800 F11 Iso 400. No good reason why I used such a high Iso; except I needed it for the previous shot and by the time I realised my error I had taken this one. And of course, this composition worked out better than the later shots which I snapped with a lower Iso.

Edited the second Raw Conversion (of the distant areas) by adding more contrast to overcome the haze, also a little bit more noise reduction. Combined with layers and masks. Sharpening was also selectively applied.

Took several shots on this rather hazy day, but this was the only keeper.

There is another option of a tighter crop on the foreground; but I thought that with the distant areas being a little hazy the foreground became more important to draw the view into that stubble field, so the distant haze wasn't so noticeable.

[Nicks Pics]

Interesting. I wasn't sure if combining an two edits of the same RAW was something that was done or not.

[IzzieK]

I like it Geoff -- the misty background is well done........though I would rather that the mists extended down to the water a little bit so it will look more distant. Just a thought...

[Geoff F]

Not real mist, Izzie, just distant haze.

Nick, Yes combining different versions of the same Raw files is a useful way of creating an HDR type of image, providing you have suitable software to merge them together using layers and masks. Not true HDR but often a handy alternative work around when you only have the option to take a single shot. Such as, when there is movement etc.

However . . .

Week 37 - Mattiscombe Beach

Which won't mean much to almost everybody else.

Went on a fly group meeting but there wasn't much around so I switched to another lens for some landscape shots.



7D with Canon 70-200 lens. 1/800 F 11 Iso 200. Would have liked a bit more surf but only managed two shots with this amount. Mostly flat calm sea, and more haze in the distance.