2023 Project 52 by Geoff F - Part 2

Week 28 - The Plant Survey. Today was the annual plant survey at one of the wildlife sites where I am a volunteer so I wanted to capture a record of the event. But I only had my pocket sized Fuji X20; it was cloudy and the best angle meant shooting towards the available light. However, I had a go and this is the best which I could manage.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...6/original.jpg

1/200 F7.1 Iso 320

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...7/original.jpg

1/280 F6.4 Iso 320

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...9/original.jpg

1/300 F6.4 Iso 320

Yes that's what the plants are called - also known as Fireweed (in the US, but occasionally here too). It's a very prolific weed in this part of Scotland

I have a reason to recall the name ... I entered this in two club competitions a few years ago, the themed competition which that year was "Land Transport" and the end of season open one. It got a rave review in the former and absolutely slated in the latter - sound familiar ...?


https://live.staticflickr.com/4895/4...df449f69_h.jpg

I did find some Purple Loosestrife today, but only a few plants. It seems to require ideal damp conditions unlike Rosebay Willowherb which grows almost anywhere.

Week 29 - A day of sunshine and clouds. Where I was recording insects today.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...2/original.jpg

7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/250 F11 Iso 250. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

Sometimes it pays to think big - even if you are just a little spider.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...3/original.jpg

Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/200 F14 Iso 250. Flash used. Merge of two focus points.

And a Xysticus sp spider with a Swollen-thigh Beetle

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...54/orginal.jpg

Geoff, in the second photo you merged two focus points. Was this hand held or did the bugs co-operate enough for you to set up a tripod?

I normally use a tripod for all my macro shots, except when chasing a subject as it flits around among difficult foliage. This particular shot had problems because it was on a steep slope and I needed to show the top of the spider for identification. It is a female Misumena vatia. So I had to get down low amongst the Spear Thistles with my tripod on just two legs.

Providing there isn't any subject movement a little bit of wind rock usually comes out OK with the auto alignment. Even when there is too much movement for a perfect auto alignment I can often mix and match bits from two or three shots to produce an entire insect, using select, copy and paste methods.

Week 30 - A good crop of campers. In the field next to where I was recording insects. Poor light angle but I had a go anyway, chiefly concentrating on the sky. Definitely not a prizewinner though.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...8/original.jpg

7D with Tamron 24-70. 1/400 F11 Iso 250. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

And a couple of difficult to photograph little insects.

Heterotoma planicornis

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...3/original.jpg

Sigma 180 macro lens 1/200 F9 Iso 400. Flash used

Plagiognathus arbustorum

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

Week 31 - Do you ever think you are being watched? Andrews Wood wildlife reserve.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...6/original.jpg

This one looks more friendly. Part of the grass cutting team.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

A good pair of photos. The first one is wonderful – whatever bug it is that's looking at us!

That bug is Cicadella viridis and this is one in side view

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...6/original.jpg

Grasshoppers often hide behind a grass stem then peer out to look at you from the safety of their stem. That starts what I call the grasshopper dance. As you move your position to get a better view they also move around to keep themselves behind the stem and you both keep going around in circles. :)

Week 32 - Woodleigh Wood with sunshine and clouds. Where I was recently recording wildlife.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...8/original.jpg

7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/500 H11 Iso 320. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...9/original.jpg

1/320 F11 Iso 320

And a couple of difficult insect shots which didn't quite work out perfectly, although it wasn't entirely my fault

A pair of Field Grasshoppers but a pity about that stray leaf. I did think about moving it but that would have scared them away.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...0/original.jpg

My first Hornet Robberfly of the year. I couldn't get an ideal angle and as I moved it flew away.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...7/original.jpg

Week 33 - A Dull Day at the Beach. Light rain eventually gave way to dull cloud. But because I was there and I had my camera I had a go anyway.

Thurlestone Beach

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

7D with Canon 24-105 lens. 1/800 F8 Iso 500. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

Looking inland from the beach.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...5/original.jpg

1/250 F10 Iso 400 Merge of two bracketed exposures

A wider scene showing the bay and Thurlestone Rock

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...8/original.jpg

1/1000 F9 Iso 400. Merge of two bracketed exposures

And because it was a grey day I had a go with a monochrome landscape.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...9/original.jpg

1/500 F10 Iso 400. Merge of two bracketed exposures

Week 34 - Vintage Machinery Rally. A two day event but both days had poor grey light but, once again, I was there so I had a go.

Photographers seem to be always moaning about the light - either too grey or too bright and harsh. ;)

Ploughing with horses

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...7/original.jpg

1/1250 F8 Iso 500 7D with Canon 24-105 lens

Sharpening the saw. Pity about the background but I couldn't get any better angles.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...5/original.jpg

1/200 F9 Iso 320

Adjusting the plough

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...7/original.jpg

1/500 F8 Iso 400

And the reason I was there. With the local Salcombe History Society stall in the craft tent. But it did get me free entry to the rally ground.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...1/original.jpg

I managed a few candid shots with my little Fuji X20 camera from behind the stall. 1/480 F2 Iso 320. I was trying to avoid using flash so that meant some other settings were far from ideal.

The full range of my photos from this event are here

https://pbase.com/crustacean/2023_vintage_show&page=1

Like the tractor shot!

Sometimes I like to get something other than just tractors driving around with farm machinery. Plenty of moving tractors in that link.

Thanks for the comment.

Week 35 - Raking the grass. This was on the opposite side of the road to where I was recording wildlife today. These images seem a bit on the yellow side after conversion to JPEG. Maybe it is this old monitor. I will check the original images. I slightly changed the yellows towards blue during Raw conversion.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/1000 F9 Iso 400

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...5/original.jpg

1/500 F11 Iso 320

I like the first one Geoff, with the positioning of the stripes from the other field. However the yellow-green problem means the raking machinery almost blends into the grass, which makes the second one with the tractor facing you a better shot of the machinery (can you do something with the sky though?)

I have done a slight edit to fractionally turn the yellow areas a bit more greenish.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...8/original.jpg

That also helps with the sky. It was an odd light scene with yellowish sunlight on the field then some darkish distant clouds. I darkened them a little but I was afraid that going too far would make the scene appear unnatural.

It was one of those situations where I had to work quickly without any real thinking time. Changed the lens then found the lens lock had accidentally become engaged. After clearing that there was a malfunction between the camera and lens connections. And the tractor was almost at the end of its work in that field.

There must be a version of "Murphy's Law" that covers your efforts in showing this! Thanks for taking the time to edit the image - going by how much clearer the machinery now is it was a success.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Geoff F

Week 35 - Raking the grass.These images seem a bit on the yellow side after conversion to JPEG.

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Looked that way to me too, but this morning after driving past several fields where the hay had been cut somewhere between a few hours and about 10 days earlier I realised "silly me - the colour of the shorn grass is a slightly green tinged shade of yellow. In other words, there's nothing wrong with your original images (but they do look more attractive after your edits :)).