My Weekly Photos During 2015 - Part 2

[Geoff F]

Thanks. With the first image, there is another bigger tree on the left which creates more of a gap for the harbour to show through; but including that tree also added too much in the way of buildings on the left, including some rather ugly modern designs which are totally out of place in that overall situation.

However I did vary the angle slightly to place the old ruined castle clearly in the greatest gap. Then after waiting for a boat to appear at a suitable place, I had to go with it.

I did walk around looking for alternative angles for #2 and tried several amounts of zoom etc. This is a crop and probably the best of what was available.

Around the corner in #3 is a herd of cows in the field but I thought that including them, with a wider scene was going to lose impact and become overly complicated. A few fluffy clouds in the sky would have been nice.

I was a bit constrained by gaudy notices about no public access through another gate on the left; which I have managed to hide from this angle.

[deetheturk]

More nice images Geoff, well done bud

[Geoff F]

Thanks, David. I must try to catch up on this thread.

Week 18 - Woodland Path. Every year I try some bluebell scenes; and each year I go away disappointed! This is the best of this year's many attempts.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/60 F11 Iso 800. A merge of two focus points and a bit of selective editing.

If I can add on something completely different.

Demolition Site. I should really have taken a shot a couple of days earlier but at least this will prove some sort of record about the site. Looking south so I needed a cloudy day to have any hope of avoiding brightness issues.



1/500 F8 Iso 400

[Kaye Leggett]

Thanks, David. I must try to catch up on this thread.

Week 18 - Woodland Path. Every year I try some bluebell scenes; and each year I go away disappointed! This is the best of this year's many attempts.

I sympathise, all mine have gone in the bin too.

I like the documentation of the demolition site and presumbaly the build that follows ??

[IzzieK]

I like the Woodland Patch too...I like the greens and the purples and the trail that led to the third of the frame...more composition to think of for me...I am learning so much this year so far. It feels like I just bought a brand new camera and learning from scratch. Analyzing images of Project 52 have so much more "contents" for me...than I can even imagine...thanks.

[Geoff F]

Thanks. Life in general, besides photography, is a learning experience for me, Izzie; and long may I continue to learn.

Week 19 - Some Steep Steps



7D with Canon 70-200 lens 1/125 F11 Iso 400. The wrong lens for this sort of scene but I just managed to squeeze everything in at 70 mm. There is a path at right angles to those steps and on the other side there is a very steep slope covered in dense foliage. So to get this angle I had to lay down amongst the undergrowth and point my camera upwards.

A merge of two different conversions from the same Raw file.

New life around the old dead tree stump



1/100 F 11 Iso 400. Another 'wrong lens' shot which I tried to squeeze in by climbing up a slope covered in woodland undergrowth and looking slightly downward

[Kaye Leggett]

Your efforts for your first shot are well worth it. You have a very good composition and great details.

[IzzieK]

Geoff, I like #1 very much and I have to laugh (sorry) at your description of how you took that shot...I hope you have your tarp with you to lie down...one of my "photography accessories" is a tarp to lie down or sit down on the ground which is sometimes wet and a towel to cover my equipment just in case I "need" to change lenses. I like this first shot very much...the steep step I might have some trouble navigating but my mule will surely be with me to help....

In #2 there are a lot interesting to use a macro lens there too and I can see that no matter where you are in the world, the same weeds appeared anywhere else too. I can recognize some weeds on your shot that I have in my garden if I do not take care and some of them makes me itch to touch...I love those 'rooms....and the moss and the odd pink flowers too...not to mention the texture of the wood...very nice find...did you know of this place beforehand before you went here? just curious...

[Geoff F]

That spot, Izzie, is a fairly small wood close to the sea where I regularly record wildlife.

This shot from nearby shows the harbour entrance.



Ideally, it could do with a bit more activity in the foreground.

[IzzieK]

Nice place...I have only been to London and the adjacent surrounds. Is it quiet here? I mean, not much people like in the city? I just googled Devon, UK and I noticed Powder (sumptin') Castle. Are you near there?

I noticed that you are using a 70-200mm lens for this. I would have thought that a wide angle aspherical lens will be more suitable to a landscape...that is why I am aiming for one and looking around. I am curious. I have not used aperture priority before, just either Shutter Priority for fast moving objects and Manual for most of the time especially landscape because landscape is static. What made you chose Aperture Priority here? Is it more advantageous to use AP instead? How do you determine choosing this for this kind of exposure?

[bnnrcn]

I loved the Woodland Path and Some Steep Steps

[Barbara Ponder]

I want to walk those stairs and explore that path to see where they lead.......excellent composition!

[Geoff F]

One problem about using a smaller lens, Izzie; such as my Tamron 24-70 which would have been ideal here. I was chiefly shooting insects so that meant a macro lens plus one other. Thinking that there might be some farming type scenes available I chose a mid length zoom for my second lens. It is always a gamble when having to make decisions in advance.

This area is about 20 miles from Plymouth, which you should find on most maps. It was once a shipbuilding and farming area plus fishing. Well, shipbuilding mostly ended with the switch from wooden to steel ships. Now it is reasonably busy as a tourist location during the summer months but quiet outside of the season and at this time of the year I can easily find locations where I will only see one or two people a day.

[JohnRostron]

I like the old tree stump. There is a nice collection of springtime flowers around the stump. The bracket fungus looks like Dryad's Saddle.

I thought I would look at your extended threads because I have been impressed by your wildlife photos. I has been well worth the visit!

John

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments, John.

Sometimes it is a bit of a struggle to find something different each week but it does tend to make me look at potential subjects which I would otherwise have passed by without a second glance.

I haven't given much thought yet to the fungus identity. My first thoughts were for Birch Polypore but that didn't quite fit so I had put the identity question to one side. You could be correct, although is it a bit too 'flat'? Although I think they do flatten out a bit with age. But is May a bit early for them to be aged to that extent?

Those steps, Barbara, lead to a cliff top path with views along the coast and inland to the harbour and farmland. Maybe I will have to show some scenes from that path soon.

[TrishBJ]

An interesting and well shot series. Taking candid photos with grab-bag equipment always carries a risk of imperfection. That doesn't mean the images lack interest. I love cows, so the shots of the cattle are my favourites! They are such curious creatures. Always love to have a sticky-beak to see what's going on. I suppose life in a never-changing paddock can be rather boring for them. You give me inspiration to post something. I'm quite new to CIC and haven't yet been bold enough to post an image. We haven't any cows at the moment, only horses and kangaroos.

cheers.
Trish

[TrishBJ]

Forgot to say, I like that you say what equipment and exposures you used. Helpful!

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments.

I seem to be finding these weekly shots a bit of a challenge at the moment. I'm keeping up with shooting, editing and identifying the insects and although I'm a bit slow with editing the botanical photos are coming along; but I seem to be struggling for inspiration and keep encountering technical limitations with this series.

When potential scenes occur I always seem to have my camera in the backpack and with the wrong lens for what needs to be a quick shot; and by the time I'm ready, the scene has changed.

We are getting quite a bit of dull weather here which doesn't help either. Not nice foggy scenes, just bleak grey conditions.

Here is a typical example of me being too slow. I noticed one evening when I just happened to glance out of the window that there was a wonderful moon setting over the next 'city' so I quickly grabbed my camera, tripod and the 70-200 lens plus cable release for a photo attempt. Isn't it amazing how quick the moon moves when you are racing against it!

Week 20 - Moon over Malborough



7D with Canon 70-200 lens 20 sec F7.1 Iso 400. Frantically tried some other settings and switched to my big lens. Then realised I should have been using mirror lock up with these long settings. So a bit more fumbling around attempting to set that up. And by the time I was ready; the moon was tired of waiting and had gone behind a low cloud.

This is the only keeper and without mirror lock up it isn't as sharp and crisp as it should have been.

A couple of days later, the moon was on a different track, but I had another go at capturing the variation between evening sky colours with the town lights in the foreground. This time, although I was still rushing, I made sure that selecting mirror lock up was the first job.

Malborough Evening



13 sec F6.3 Iso 200

[Shadowman]

Thanks for the comments.

I seem to be finding these weekly shots a bit of a challenge at the moment. I'm keeping up with shooting, editing and identifying the insects and although I'm a bit slow with editing the botanical photos are coming along; but I seem to be struggling for inspiration and keep encountering technical limitations with this series.

When potential scenes occur I always seem to have my camera in the backpack and with the wrong lens for what needs to be a quick shot; and by the time I'm ready, the scene has changed.

We are getting quite a bit of dull weather here which doesn't help either. Not nice foggy scenes, just bleak grey conditions.

Here is a typical example of me being too slow. I noticed one evening when I just happened to glance out of the window that there was a wonderful moon setting over the next 'city' so I quickly grabbed my camera, tripod and the 70-200 lens plus cable release for a photo attempt. Isn't it amazing how quick the moon moves when you are racing against it!

Week 20 - Moon over Malborough



7D with Canon 70-200 lens 20 sec F7.1 Iso 400. Frantically tried some other settings and switched to my big lens. Then realised I should have been using mirror lock up with these long settings. So a bit more fumbling around attempting to set that up. And by the time I was ready; the moon was tired of waiting and had gone behind a low cloud.

This is the only keeper and without mirror lock up it isn't as sharp and crisp as it should have been.

A couple of days later, the moon was on a different track, but I had another go at capturing the variation between evening sky colours with the town lights in the foreground. This time, although I was still rushing, I made sure that selecting mirror lock up was the first job.

Malborough Evening



13 sec F6.3 Iso 200

If you really want to challenge yourself, try taking a series of 5 photos within a short time period; each being a different subject. 5 minutes is a good time frame. Hopefully one of the five will be a keeper.

[Shadowman]

Thanks for the comments.

I seem to be finding these weekly shots a bit of a challenge at the moment. I'm keeping up with shooting, editing and identifying the insects and although I'm a bit slow with editing the botanical photos are coming along; but I seem to be struggling for inspiration and keep encountering technical limitations with this series.

When potential scenes occur I always seem to have my camera in the backpack and with the wrong lens for what needs to be a quick shot; and by the time I'm ready, the scene has changed.

We are getting quite a bit of dull weather here which doesn't help either. Not nice foggy scenes, just bleak grey conditions.

Here is a typical example of me being too slow. I noticed one evening when I just happened to glance out of the window that there was a wonderful moon setting over the next 'city' so I quickly grabbed my camera, tripod and the 70-200 lens plus cable release for a photo attempt. Isn't it amazing how quick the moon moves when you are racing against it!

Week 20 - Moon over Malborough



7D with Canon 70-200 lens 20 sec F7.1 Iso 400. Frantically tried some other settings and switched to my big lens. Then realised I should have been using mirror lock up with these long settings. So a bit more fumbling around attempting to set that up. And by the time I was ready; the moon was tired of waiting and had gone behind a low cloud.

This is the only keeper and without mirror lock up it isn't as sharp and crisp as it should have been.

A couple of days later, the moon was on a different track, but I had another go at capturing the variation between evening sky colours with the town lights in the foreground. This time, although I was still rushing, I made sure that selecting mirror lock up was the first job.

Malborough Evening



13 sec F6.3 Iso 200

Nicely done on both, I like the partial moon and light flares best.