2017 Project 52 - 4th QTR - Sandy(Skitterbug)

[skitterbug]

You captured those stones very well

Hi Nandakumar - Thank you very much. I'm looking forward to learning how to use a macro lens properly!

[skitterbug]

Week 52! I made it to the end. I have to be honest, I wasn't sure I was up to the task but I'm glad I persevered. This activity made me take my camera out of its hiding place, learn more about it and use it! I am now fairly comfortable with the Canon Rebel and the lenses it has.
I cannot say that about the EOS 7D Mark II yet. Lots of work required of me for that one! I've read through the abbreviated manual and now find that there is a more intensive manual on the CD that came along with it. So more reading to do. Considering I really detest manuals, this is saying a lot about how much I want to learn!

So I'm going to finish by posting three photos. The first two were taken with the Rebel using the S18-55 lens. And the last photo is captured using the Mark II and the EF100mm F/2.8 L Macro lens.

Playing with dice
ISO - 200 - 42mm - F/11 - .0.5ss



Spilled from the bag
ISO-200 - 27mm - F/11 - 1.3ss



Which ones are lucky?
ISO-200 - 100mm - F/11 - 1.3ss

[Geoff F]

More tricky scenes, Sandy. There is a risk of exposure hot spots on the lighter areas while you also have quite a lot of dark shadows which could easily become clipped and lose detail.

But you have managed a good exposure which has overcome those potential problems. Nice composition as well.

My only thought is, maybe the first image is a fraction on the dark side? Particularly the midtones. Also, looking towards the wrist area, is it very slightly on the blue tint side?

The other two are good.

[Geoff F]

Regarding the 7D Mk II. That is a good all round camera and there were quite a few changes from the Mk I.

Generally speaking, I found those changes actually made the newer model a little more user friendly. But there are a lot of possible settings involved with that camera which will never be used by the average photographer shooting average scenes under average conditions. So just concentrate on understanding the basic settings until you find yourself in an advanced state and needing something more extreme.

For me, particularly with wildlife photography, I find having the GPS data included with the exif information to be really useful; but it tends to run the battery down so I remove the battery when my camera isn't in active use.

[skitterbug]

Hi Geoff - I chuckled about the hand photo because that blue may be my blood hiding just under the surface. Weird I know but aging and health causes some issues, I suppose. The photo does seem a bit dark to me today. The other thing that I was curious about was whether it appears a tiny bit "out of focus" or not? Considering I used f/11, I thought everything showing should be sharp!

I tried adding lighting using lamps to make it "more even" but opted for natural light instead. It was fairly bright yesterday. I did end up with several photo attempts that had the dice shining and the details washed out. Those hit the bin!

I would like to take a moment and thank you very much Geoff for your support with my project! I've appreciated the added encouragement and suggestions you've given. Happy New Year of 2018 to you!

More tricky scenes, Sandy. There is a risk of exposure hot spots on the lighter areas while you also have quite a lot of dark shadows which could easily become clipped and lose detail.

But you have managed a good exposure which has overcome those potential problems. Nice composition as well.

My only thought is, maybe the first image is a fraction on the dark side? Particularly the midtones. Also, looking towards the wrist area, is it very slightly on the blue tint side?

The other two are good.

[skitterbug]

Hi Geoff - I believe I will enjoy the Mark II once I am more familiar with the various settings. I'll probably default to those settings that become my favorite and not be concerned with some of them that are more complicated and confusing (Listed in the menu options).

I'm really looking forward to adding the long focus lens so I can finally get decent shots of the birds that like to hide in the tip of the trees, etc. Since my hubby feeds birds year round, we are finally getting a larger assortment of them. We've also added plenty of trees, bushes and such not to encourage them to come visit us. It is one of the reasons we added the water fall feature to our small pond, to encourage more bird life. Our small property is surrounded by bare farm ground so wildlife doesn't venture here often. They feel exposed trying to cross over the open areas.

Anyway, catching photos of what does come is my goal! And I'm looking forward to perfecting this skill!

Thank you!

Regarding the 7D Mk II. That is a good all round camera and there were quite a few changes from the Mk I.

Generally speaking, I found those changes actually made the newer model a little more user friendly. But there are a lot of possible settings involved with that camera which will never be used by the average photographer shooting average scenes under average conditions. So just concentrate on understanding the basic settings until you find yourself in an advanced state and needing something more extreme.

For me, particularly with wildlife photography, I find having the GPS data included with the exif information to be really useful; but it tends to run the battery down so I remove the battery when my camera isn't in active use.