Any photographers in here?

[NVP5White]

Recent trip to the zoo last week. C&C please

Nice focus. Good composition although it might be a little tight. Generally, birds don't have the prettiest faces, rather its their overall line which is pleasant to look at.

Plus, this is way over exposed. The conditions were a bit difficult considering the spotty shadows that cover part of the image. To work on a bright sunny day, you just have to have the subject all the way in or all the way out of the sun. With the lens you have and the location you should be looking for a ton of detail in the feathers, but the exposure robs the viewer of that detail.

Finally, I think you're a bit overexposed because of the wide aperture. I think you could sacrifice a bit of DoF for a more even overall exposure. If you want to separate the subject make sure you catch them against a distant background like in this image. The separation between foreground and background will more then make up the the few stops you have to dial down. Who knows, maybe the increased resolution in the background scene will help place the subject in the context of its environment instead of strictly isolating it as in the above image.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Something fun

 

[FunkyBuddha]

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Nice focus. Good composition although it might be a little tight. Generally, birds don't have the prettiest faces, rather its their overall line which is pleasant to look at.

Plus, this is way over exposed. The conditions were a bit difficult considering the spotty shadows that cover part of the image. To work on a bright sunny day, you just have to have the subject all the way in or all the way out of the sun. With the lens you have and the location you should be looking for a ton of detail in the feathers, but the exposure robs the viewer of that detail.

Finally, I think you're a bit overexposed because of the wide aperture. I think you could sacrifice a bit of DoF for a more even overall exposure. If you want to separate the subject make sure you catch them against a distant background like in this image. The separation between foreground and background will more then make up the the few stops you have to dial down. Who knows, maybe the increased resolution in the background scene will help place the subject in the context of its environment instead of strictly isolating it as in the above image.

Ya the time was a bit of a constraint since these guys were flocking all over the place. Notice the lifted wing and such. Ya the overexposure on the chest and neck I agree.

What do you mean by increased resolution?

 

[FunkyBuddha]

cool pic where was that?

It was in a village called Sherbrooke in Nova Scotia. Kind of a historical site now and open for tourists, but there are still residents in it. About 30 or 40 permanent residents.

 

[NVP5White]

Ya the time was a bit of a constraint since these guys were flocking all over the place. Notice the lifted wing and such. Ya the overexposure on the chest and neck I agree.

What do you mean by increased resolution?

In this instance I mean the fineness of detail that one can see in the background (versus more pixels). With more detail I might be able to tell if the bird was part of an enourmouse flock, or aisngle majestic bird on a small marsh in summer, or in a zoo near some tree. I guess you knew before you took the picture whether the background was worth seeing or not. I just want you to consider that aspect of the composition when you are exeuting a shot. I sometimes get pigeon-holed into focusing on a single parameter such as shallow DoF, or movement, etc. But I miss some really good other shots when I get super focused on achieving a single type of shot.

I do understand the circumstances (timing, light/shadows, setting) all play a role in your calculus for a shot...just wanted to throw some stuff out there to make you think.

BTW, I like the cat picture...its like you caught him sleeping in the car but he's not supposed to, or something.

PS: the cat is slightly underexposed, but only because the white color fools your camera's metering. Bump that white level up in post processing and you'll be fine.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

In this instance I mean the fineness of detail that one can see in the background (versus more pixels). With more detail I might be able to tell if the bird was part of an enourmouse flock, or aisngle majestic bird on a small marsh in summer, or in a zoo near some tree. I guess you knew before you took the picture whether the background was worth seeing or not. I just want you to consider that aspect of the composition when you are exeuting a shot. I sometimes get pigeon-holed into focusing on a single parameter such as shallow DoF, or movement, etc. But I miss some really good other shots when I get super focused on achieving a single type of shot.

I do understand the circumstances (timing, light/shadows, setting) all play a role in your calculus for a shot...just wanted to throw some stuff out there to make you think.

BTW, I like the cat picture...its like you caught him sleeping in the car but he's not supposed to, or something.

PS: the cat is slightly underexposed, but only because the white color fools your camera's metering. Bump that white level up in post processing and you'll be fine.

I actually notice that different whites fool the camera. For instance the pearl white on the RSX is so hard to capture versus the harder white of the Mazda 3 or Protege in the same setting and lighting. It's weird.

Anyways..thanks..you give good advice and pointers.

 

[gr?]

I actually notice that different whites fool the camera. For instance the pearl white on the RSX is so hard to capture versus the harder white of the Mazda 3 or Protege in the same setting and lighting. It's weird.

Anyways..thanks..you give good advice and pointers.

I can't pull the EXIF data since you're using flickr to host the shots. Use the histogram on the camera or in a graphics program to judge the exposure. Generally speaking, you want an S-shape curve for proper exposure. Overexpose the shot by ~ to 2/3rd stops and the image should be exposed better. Here's a quick shot I took yesterday at the autocross. A girl wanted a few pics of her Tiburon:

The first image I overexposed by 1 stop, the second and third shot I overexposed 1-1/3 stop. I shoot in RAW so if my settings are slightly off, it's fairly easy to adjust the exposure in post processing.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

 

[FunkyBuddha]

I can't pull the EXIF data since you're using flickr to host the shots. Use the histogram on the camera or in a graphics program to judge the exposure. Generally speaking, you want an S-shape curve for proper exposure. Overexpose the shot by ~ to 2/3rd stops and the image should be exposed better. Here's a quick shot I took yesterday at the autocross. A girl wanted a few pics of her Tiburon:

The first image I overexposed by 1 stop, the second and third shot I overexposed 1-1/3 stop. I shoot in RAW so if my settings are slightly off, it's fairly easy to adjust the exposure in post processing.

Oh I know how to use the histogram and all. I was just saying. It was something I noticed while taking this shot...

 

[NVP5White]

So, I was thinking about a car camera mount when this popped into my head:

Do you think it would work? Its basically a standard tripod with suction-cupped ball heads for feet. There are obviously details to be worked out, but it basically is a workable idea, IMO.

 

[ZoominMX-5]

Probably would work well, as long as the suction cup mounts are of high quality.

One thing i've noticed is that the larger you go with the suction cup mounts, the worse they are for automotive photography, mostly because cars aren't nice and flat like we'd wish. I'd invest in good quality small suction cups

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Someone had that idea in this thread

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=237033&highlight=car+rig

Worked well enough for him.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Probably would work well, as long as the suction cup mounts are of high quality.

One thing i've noticed is that the larger you go with the suction cup mounts, the worse they are for automotive photography, mostly because cars aren't nice and flat like we'd wish. I'd invest in good quality small suction cups

6" Manfrotto pump cups. They work very well. Plus they come with the joints or just plain flat option. Then get some Bogen superclamps.

EDIT: NVP5White....let me know where you pick up these suction cups. The Manfrotto ones are like 60 bucks a piece.

 

[ZoominMX-5]

6" Manfrotto pump cups. They work very well. Plus they come with the joints or just plain flat option. Then get some Bogen superclamps.

EDIT: NVP5White....let me know where you pick up these suction cups. The Manfrotto ones are like 60 bucks a piece.

Yah those are the cups I have. They work very well

 

[NVP5White]

6" Manfrotto pump cups. They work very well. Plus they come with the joints or just plain flat option. Then get some Bogen superclamps.

EDIT: NVP5White....let me know where you pick up these suction cups. The Manfrotto ones are like 60 bucks a piece.

They are sold under the brand StickyPod. The site indicates that three will take ~75lbs of force to pull straight off. It possible to find industrial suction cups for less but you'd probably have to buy in bulk quantities.

The Bogen brand pump-style suction cups have flat bottoms and a vacuum indicator that will warn you when the vacuum has been lost. They are pricey but are designed to be sued with standard pin-connection rigging used in the film/TV industry. Getting a rig to extend several feet away from the vehicle would not be hard, just pricey.

I am thinking of looking for larger suction cups to use for the ends ofhe tripod.

Funky, thanks for the link. After reading 6 pages of posts I found a reference to an article about removing rigging in a photo during Post. The author references a rigging technique that combines a tripod, 4 super-clamps, and 3 Bogen cups. The extra super-clamp is to reposition the center post out a litte so the rig is away from the center of the image.

http://mattwatkinson.com/blog/?p=60

Unfortunatly, this rig is still pushing $260 if you supply your own tripod. Altough, it is the most flexible in that you can reuse the parts seperatly for other creative uses. A monster magnetic or other type rig is a singular purpose device.

 

[NVP5White]

Funky--just a thought: In reading that thread on the Canon forum I was struck by the quality of the comments and the fact that, absent your link, I would never, ever be exposed to that site. Why? I shoot Nikon.

I am in no way a Nikon fanboi. If someone asks, I will tell them why I chose Nikon, but sh!t if I care what anyone esle shoots with. I am intersted in talking about good photography, yet photographers are often segregated at the highest levels by equipment manufacturer.

So, I'm just wondering if you ever considered that when making website choices. I'm not saying the Canon forum si "bad" but why segregate on the basis of something so unimportant to making good pictures? When I go to sites like FredMiranda.com or DPReview.com I frequent the technique forums versus equipment forums.

Anyone else had similar thoughts?

NOTE: Some might find it just a touch ironic that I'm knocking about a brand-specific forum on a, um, Mazda forum. I would tend to agree, but only superficially. In reality, I need the support and experience of other Mazda (P5) members to get full enjoyment out of my car. The same can not be said about photography, IMHO.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Well..short answer is because I read all those sites you mentioned as well. That site came up on a google search and I've stuck with it...that's all. Plus as a Canon user..it's easier for me to find information regarding my camera on that site. Just like why you come to this forum to read about Mazdas

And yes..that how-to is very well written! I never would've found that either if I didn't read that whole thread. It's too bad those guys on there are very reluctant on sharing rig info. I can understand though.

I am going to stay away from magnets as it scratches paint. As my little XM antenna showed me. Grrr.....

EDIT: you talk about needing other fellow mazda drivers to get full enjoyment out of your car...but I think it's same with photography. Techniques can be shared between brand names, it's just the technical hardware that's different. To me, the camera is just a camera and whoever is behind it makes it unique and different. To me, the pictures you achieve with a different brand can be achieved with by others with different brands. For example: Look at Altspace's pictures with his little point and shoot. Those pictures are better than some of the pictures I've seen taken with better cameras. In a bigger picture, to me, photography is the same, just not the equipment used. I guess it just depends if a Nikon user will help a Canon user out..and vice versa. There's no segregation..only if you want it to be.

 

[ghetto waggon]

I had read up on this 2-3 years ago. dieselstation is a good place for it, although the automotive photographers tend to be hoarding pricks, unlike the nature crowd that I am familar with.

I have some interesting shots of shooters who have revealed their rigs on my laptop. That user matt watkinson openly showed his and was almost shunned from the site! He was very correct that it doesn't matter if 10 people are using an identical rig, the pictures will all still turn out very different.

Ed, i'm sorry we've never made it out to shoot. I got roped into a full time job and gave up all freelance and most personal shooting early in the year BUT, if you'd be interested, i'll go half in with you on a suction cup setup.

I have 3-4 more sets on my laptop, one even with a sticky pod and single suction cup I believe.

 

[ghetto waggon]

here is the $799 kit from automotiverigs.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkmphoto/878571409/in/pool-361841@N25/