Beyond [PHOTO]dome (Two men enter, one man leaves.)

projectmayhem

From my shoot on saturday. This is the only one I've 'done', by that I mean just lr and resize.

Uncle Long

Cycophant- Nice. I loved the Rockies for the one day I drove through them on my high speed trip from Michigan to Alaska.

The first one is pretty solid. The second one has a dust spot that you should clone out, and the third one has a nice tone, and the light patterns on the land from the splits in the clouds gives it a nice scale.

So, I hopped in a skiff and shot over to Berg Bay to stay the weekend. I managed about a ten mile round hike lugging my Mamiya RB67 gear, my digital gear and my 12-gauge through Mr. Brown's country. I love how this place opens up in the summer and I can finally shoot in new areas.

I got dumped on all weekend, bit, and had a brief use for my shotgun at a salmon stream crossing where a curios brown bear was in need of some encouragement to stay put or back away, but the light was incredible, the spring growth lush and green, and the clouds rolled dark in places and as wisps in others.



The flats is rife with waist to neck high weeds, where bears tend to rest. You usually don't know you're near one until you walk into a big round furry rock. It's hard to be vigilant in this place, however.



The bears, however, are not so pesky as the mosquitos and the noseeums, which cover you in a moment once you stop. They breed in the tall grasses and the water. The flats runs with sloughs like veins of water coming down from the melting snows, the rising tide, and the nearby river.



You could follow the small creeks and rivers until you lose your way. If you get lost, you have to look to the river to find your way back.



For the Tlingit and Haida who lived here before this place was settled, the river was life. It was a teacher and illuminator.

Artreus

Jesus Uncle, those pictures are amazing. The lighting in the last one is a bit confusing, but I think that is just the way the island works.

I grew up in Anchorage and would love to get back up there or visit some family in Fairbanks or Valdez and take my camera with it. Alaska has some of the best wilderness in the US.

MaximasXXZ

Hey I need some help, I'm currently in Iraq (again) and I've become a combat photographer. Right now I'm stuck using a massive Canon 1D MkII for field work. A fantastic camera, but much too large for my purposes. Usually USMC photographers are issued the Canon 30D, but since I'm only substituting as a photographer I got stuck with the brick.

I'm looking at buying a new camera, but I'm somewhat overwhelmed with options. I've grown very familiar with Canon's layout, though I can't say I particularly like it. Sony is becoming more and more attractive to me as I look through their cameras. However, I'm looking at getting a prosumer model, and the A700 is the only one that Sony offers. On the Canon side, I'm eyeballing the 40D and 50D. I don't currently own a DSLR of my own, so I have no loyalty here. I'm using the Marine Corps' glass right now and I don't intend to buy my own until I get back for fear of breaking it out here.

From what I have read, the A700 holds its own quite well against the 50D and below. Video isn't a concern of mine, but Live View is something that I am pretty interested in. Both of Canon's models have it, but unfortunately Sony's does not. I was looking at the A380 coming out but I'm not a huge fan of the CCD sensors in those models.

My gunny is trying to convince me to buy a Canon, he's grown loyal over the years of combat photography since that's all we use. But I've been a longtime Sony fan and I know that I can get some cheaper, high quality Minolta glass that I can't get from Canon for cheap. Built in image stabilization is a plus, my only qualm is lack of Live View in the Sony--but since all I've been using is the Canon 1D Mk.II, I think I can live without it.

Anyone have any suggestions or input?

erisian pope

Long, the shots are very nice. They tend to be darker on top than bottom (ie - the grass is brighter) and it might be interesting to either make a second picture from the RAW that is exposed a stop or so brighter and then merge them in PS (emulating an ND filter). Not sure if it would make them even more gooder, but maybe?

Mayhem - I like the portrait a lot.

erisian pope

MaximasXXZ wrote: »

Hey I need some help, I'm currently in Iraq (again) and I've become a combat photographer. Right now I'm stuck using a massive Canon 1D MkII for field work. A fantastic camera, but much too large for my purposes. Usually USMC photographers are issued the Canon 30D, but since I'm only substituting as a photographer I got stuck with the brick.

I'm looking at buying a new camera, but I'm somewhat overwhelmed with options. I've grown very familiar with Canon's layout, though I can't say I particularly like it. Sony is becoming more and more attractive to me as I look through their cameras. However, I'm looking at getting a prosumer model, and the A700 is the only one that Sony offers. On the Canon side, I'm eyeballing the 40D and 50D. I don't currently own a DSLR of my own, so I have no loyalty here. I'm using the Marine Corps' glass right now and I don't intend to buy my own until I get back for fear of breaking it out here.

From what I have read, the A700 holds its own quite well against the 50D and below. Video isn't a concern of mine, but Live View is something that I am pretty interested in. Both of Canon's models have it, but unfortunately Sony's does not. I was looking at the A380 coming out but I'm not a huge fan of the CCD sensors in those models.

My gunny is trying to convince me to buy a Canon, he's grown loyal over the years of combat photography since that's all we use. But I've been a longtime Sony fan and I know that I can get some cheaper, high quality Minolta glass that I can't get from Canon for cheap. Built in image stabilization is a plus, my only qualm is lack of Live View in the Sony--but since all I've been using is the Canon 1D Mk.II, I think I can live without it.

Anyone have any suggestions or input?

I shoot Canon and I like it. You'll have maximum options for purchasing lenses if you go with Canon or Nikon - they have the largest number of and diversity of lenses from what I have seen. I don't know much else about the specs on the Sony, but the 50D (and maybe the 40D?) have a self-cleaning sensor which would REALLY benefit you if you change lenses at all out there in the dust and debris. My sensor on my 20D gets pretty dirty just walking around in central Texas. The 50D has a newer chip and much better ISO/noise handling than its predecessors, and it's a very attractive camera from where I sit. Plus, if your fellow USMC Photographers shoot Canon, that means their lenses will work on your camera and vice-versa. That is assuming you'd have access to swapping lenses (ie - if the rules allow it and people are willing).

Anyway, that's my relatively useless 2 cents' worth!

KAJed

olimario: hey, finally someone who doesn't think my name is Jed! I imagine by the time I can afford another lens there'll be newer and better, and cheaper stuff (well, one can hope)

CommunistCow

Uncle I really like the last shot but the other ones seem a bit off since you have really highly saturated and contrasty grass/foreground but the sky looks dull. It kind of looks like you PSed the foreground a lot and just did a tiny bit to the sky.

On an OT note when you say you had a use for your shotgun did you actually fire it in the air or something to scare off the bear?

project: That is a pretty nice portrait. The composition and cropping are a bit unusual but I think it works well. (usually you wouldn't want to crop the hand and putting her head a little to the left makes it feel a little cramped but since her eyes are looking rightish it works IMO)

MaximasXXZ: The 1dm2 is really friken heavy. Do you have a problem with the size or weight? My old 10d and now my 5d both with battery grips are large but are a lot lighter than the 1dm2. As pope said I would suggest going Canon or Nikon.

Uncle Long

CommunistCow wrote: »

Uncle I really like the last shot but the other ones seem a bit off since you have really highly saturated and contrasty grass/foreground but the sky looks dull. It kind of looks like you PSed the foreground a lot and just did a tiny bit to the sky.

On an OT note when you say you had a use for your shotgun did you actually fire it in the air or something to scare off the bear?

My first round is always bird shot to pepper either the water at a bear's feet or the bear itself. In this case it was the water at the bear's feet.

The next five are rifled slugs, by the way.

erisian pope

Pope plays with his macro at maximum magnification:

MaximasXXZ

CommunistCow wrote: »

MaximasXXZ: The 1dm2 is really friken heavy. Do you have a problem with the size or weight? My old 10d and now my 5d both with battery grips are large but are a lot lighter than the 1dm2. As pope said I would suggest going Canon or Nikon.

The 1D is both heavy and big. The weight doesn't really bother me, but it doesn't fit in any of the pouches on my flack. I have it hanging off of a carabiner on my chest. I'd put the strap around my neck but with my grenade pouches it gets in the way. The hanging thing isn't so bad, I just have to make sure it doesn't bang into things either on me or when I'm climbing in and out of 7-tons or MRAPs. The other photographer I'm working with puts his 30D in his drop pouch, which would be fantastic, but the 1D is just too huge.

CommunistCow

Uncle Long wrote: »

CommunistCow wrote: »

Uncle I really like the last shot but the other ones seem a bit off since you have really highly saturated and contrasty grass/foreground but the sky looks dull. It kind of looks like you PSed the foreground a lot and just did a tiny bit to the sky.

On an OT note when you say you had a use for your shotgun did you actually fire it in the air or something to scare off the bear?

My first round is always bird shot to pepper either the water at a bear's feet or the bear itself. In this case it was the water at the bear's feet.

The next five are rifled slugs, by the way.

You should leave instructions with your cameras on where to post pictures if you are eaten by a bear so we see how well you compose things under pressure...or while being gnawed on.

bombardier

MaximasXXZ wrote: »

CommunistCow wrote: »

MaximasXXZ: The 1dm2 is really friken heavy. Do you have a problem with the size or weight? My old 10d and now my 5d both with battery grips are large but are a lot lighter than the 1dm2. As pope said I would suggest going Canon or Nikon.

The 1D is both heavy and big. The weight doesn't really bother me, but it doesn't fit in any of the pouches on my flack. I have it hanging off of a carabiner on my chest. I'd put the strap around my neck but with my grenade pouches it gets in the way. The hanging thing isn't so bad, I just have to make sure it doesn't bang into things either on me or when I'm climbing in and out of 7-tons or MRAPs. The other photographer I'm working with puts his 30D in his drop pouch, which would be fantastic, but the 1D is just too huge.

Would a 5D or other full frame be more appropriate for war photography? Seems like you'd be missing out on a lot of up close stuff with a lens crop.

MaximasXXZ

bombardier wrote: »

Would a 5D or other full frame be more appropriate for war photography? Seems like you'd be missing out on a lot of up close stuff with a lens crop.

You know I'm sure it would be, but I don't think I could convince my wife to let me spend $2,500 on a new camera. :P

Honestly this is really more for personal use anyway. I think I might have misspoken before... I'm going to stick with the issued gear for this deployment, but I'm shopping for a personal DSLR right now for when I get back from Iraq. I plan on doing a lot of outdoor photography (I live in Hawaii), as well as a lot of photography of Marines training. Currently I don't have any plans to deploy again.

Projeck

went to the zoo a bit ago, finally goin' through some of the photos

Prospicience

Projeck wrote: »

went to the zoo a bit ago, finally goin' through some of the photos

Uncle: really love the last one, but the others I feel pretty much the same way as CC about.

Pope: Like the colors (as usual), but not super happy about the composition. The stamen just seem kinda out of place for some reason... a lot of help I am.

Projeck: NEMO!

I borrowed my dad's sigma 70-300 4-5.6 yesterday. Actually enjoyed it but damn... I am apparently not very good at holding still.

Edit: ^ not my dad.

Rohan

Sparkle.

CommunistCow

My gf managed to get a good picture of me with my camera which is nigh impossible in most cases.

erisian pope

That's a nice shot, CC's gf!

Rohan - that's kinda awesome. Is your P&S camera hooked up to a telescope?

Prosp - you're handholding a 190mm focal length at 1/80 sec. The rule-of-thumb for acceptable handshake is 1/[focal length] (in this case, 1/200). You'd have to be some sort of Shaolin master to pull off hand-holding it that slow. Since your ISO was only 100, you might have been able to get closer to sharp at ISO 200 (making shutter 1/160). Compositionally I like it a lot!

Projek, great colors!

Thylacine

erisian pope wrote: »

The rule-of-thumb for acceptable handshake is 1/[focal length] (in this case, 1/200). You'd have to be some sort of Shaolin master to pull off hand-holding it that slow.

I must be really out of it, because this is making no sense to me. I was always told the rule was the lowest you should go hand held is about 1/60th of a second...that usually works out for me. Is it a lot different for various lenses? Unfortunately I haven't experimented with many.

Speaking of lenses I am really sad today was the last day of the movie shoot, and I got to the location early. We were shooting at this restaurant in Austin that looked great inside...but unfortunately, I didn't have any kind of a wide angle lens. I did have my 18-55 kit lens...but no tripod, so things just weren't happening.

Also unfortunately, the rest of the shooting days I was needed much more as a production assistant than a set photographer as they picked up another one(sad face ), and didn't really get more pictures. On the other hand I get a 'featured extra' credit as basically a club skank, because they wanted someone with boobage for eye candy. I still think I'd rather have been taking pictures. :-P

There have been some really good pictures lately so great job everyone. I just wish I had something to contribute.

BladeX

I attended a Pow wow that was taking place in a park downtown and got some shots. I wish I could afford the money for glass with a shallower DOF but I'll have to make do! I'm still editing/uploading so I'll just share a few.




and my fave since it was taken later in the day with some nicer light:

Thylacine

I went to a powwow at the state fair grounds in MO when I was a kid(we lived there so they went to lots of things that came through). I wish I'd been more into photography then...but I was in my cranky pre-teen/early teen phase where I didn't like doing things, and I really didn't like doing things outside very much in the sun where it is hot.

Anyway, I guess my point is despite everything I thought it was pretty cool...but I thought the same think then that I thought now...watching these elaborate costumes is really cool and then having plastic chairs in and people milling around aimlessly the background and it drives me nuts. Maybe that's just me ;-P. I really like your last picture though, I just wish like you said you could've gotten shallower DOP. I think I might like them if you gave them a slight bump in brightness and maybe saturation.

BladeX

Yeah, it was quite the show but all the plastic lawn chairs and people milling around was driving me nuts as well. It also didn't help that a lot of the dances invited the audience to participate so you get these elaborate costumes and dances but there's a bunch of normal dressed people in the way/background..

EDIT: Gave the last one a slight saturation and brightness boost. Hell, if I get the time I might fake the DOF in Photoshop to see how it looks.

erisian pope

Thylacine wrote: »

I must be really out of it, because this is making no sense to me. I was always told the rule was the lowest you should go hand held is about 1/60th of a second...that usually works out for me. Is it a lot different for various lenses? Unfortunately I haven't experimented with many.

It would be 1/60th if the lens was a 60mm lens. It would be 1/100th if it's a 100mm lens. It would be 1/17th if the lens is 17mm.

When the time doesn't work (i.e. you can't set your camera to 1/17th sec) then you approximate, erring towards a faster shutter (so on a 17mm lens 1/15th might be too slow, 1/20th would be great).

Some people say that this only works for fullframe sensors, and that on a 1.6 sensor like mine you need to be faster (i.e. on that 17mm lens you would need [ 1 / (17*1.6) ... which is 1/27] - but I have not found that to be true).

But the basic premise is take your lens's focal length and make the shutter speed 1 over that.

EDIT: 3 new pics

Gafoto

Went hiking today:

olimario

Lovely radar shot

needOptic

I posted on your flicker about the radar shot


Anyway, I think this is the last batch of my Greece shots. There's so many I'm a bit lost in what I've posted and whatnot...






































I apologize if there are dupes.

muninn

ring! ring!.. Banana-phone!

Prospicience

Pope: Well there goes all my shaolin training right down the drain dammit. (really though thanks, I did not know this rule but I definitely knew that 1/80th was too slow when I was shooting with that long of a lens, just wanted to see if I could pull it off).

CC: was it in manual?! Even if not, still good shot.

Gafs: I think your hiking shots are getting better and better honestly. My nitpick with the first one however would be... I honestly can't say right now, I'm stumped, something about it bugs me, I think it's the comp. but I can't pick out why.

nO: I'm pretty sure I've commented on most of those in flickr already, if not I like most of them, especially the moon shot, gorgeous.

Munin: Kinda bugs me how the rim of the booth is cut off, if you had cropped it lower it would have been fine I think, but the fact that there's a tiny bit of the top and it sorta runs off bugs me.

olimario

muninn- I love it. Do you have a larger version? I'd also be interested to hear camera, lens, and settings used. Was it a handheld shot or did you use a tripod?


needOptic-
You did an amazing job of capturing one of the most beautiful cities on the planet.

muninn

Propiscience: I hear ya. It is bugging me too a bit, but I would rather have the rim visible than cropping it out. Will have to see if I can somehow fix that...

Olimario: Thanks. Shot with D50 and 50mm f1.8 @ 1.8, 0.04 sec ISO400, handheld.

Gafoto

Honestly I'm covering a lot of the same ground if you look back through my photos. I'm really eager to get to northern NY and the Pacific northwest this summer for some ripe opportunities.



I need to travel!

Kworn

Hi all

I'm after some advice for a new lens. I am looking to get a Sigma Cannon fit anything from 20mm to 100mm.

I already have a 70-300 but this lens is a bit hefty and I am stugling with close up work. Any recommendations for a resonably priced lens in this range? I have looked around and there are a ton...but which one scores best on the Penny-Arcade Photographers charts?

olimario

Kworn wrote: »

Hi all

I'm after some advice for a new lens. I am looking to get a Sigma Cannon fit anything from 20mm to 100mm.

I already have a 70-300 but this lens is a bit hefty and I am stugling with close up work. Any recommendations for a resonably priced lens in this range? I have looked around and there are a ton...but which one scores best on the Penny-Arcade Photographers charts?

So you want a macro lens?
Judging by your 70-300 I'd say you're budgeting yourself, so there's no better low-priced lens than the EF 100mm Macro.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-100mm-Macro-Lens-Cameras/dp/B00004XOM3

I think I payed $500ish for it a couple years back. If you're shooting with a crop sensor even better. The detail is going to blow you away.

Gafoto

The 60mm EF-S macro by Canon is the same quality, just at a different focal length and is slightly cheaper:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gafoto/3130342232/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gafoto/2892457489/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gafoto/2496350726/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gafoto/1659755206/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gafoto/434032515/

erisian pope

I shoot with the Sigma 105mm Macro, and I love it, and it's in the same basic price range. A few dollars more would net you the Tamron 90mm Macro which has amazing reviews over at Fredmiranda.com.

EDIT: combining my double-posts



Gafoto - You spend a lot of time in absolutely gorgeous scenery. Since your schedule (i.e. hiking in daylight and not darkness) dictates shooting in pretty full sun, have you considered using either an ND filter (maybe grad) or else using a tripod for multiple exposures (bracketing) with a merging in photoshop? Like the first one here, there's a lot of lost detail in the sky, and stopping the sky down a couple stops and keeping the mountains/hills might be an even more radtastic photo. - Just a thought.

needO - You definitely put the best shots first (in my opinion) and I love the heavy saturation of the first pic and in the second really like the comp, lighting, and post-production (or however you achieved the ultra-smoothness). Nice stuff! Honestly I like them all except maybe the one with the boat - the sun-glare washing out so much of the frame kinda bugs me.

Munnin - I love the colors and the crispness. Having the phone halfway cut off by the bottom of the frame makes me feel kinda like it's a snapshot (although this is kinda minor). I wonder how it would look framed vertically with the entire booth in the shot?

Bladex (last page) - I like the shots of the powwow a lot! You mentioned a lens with smaller DOF ... check out this series of blogposts from The Online Photographer discussing lens "speed" and DOF. His conclusion (backed with examples) is that distance between lens and subject has the most impact on DOF and that aperture has relatively little impact. I know that this is in conflict with conventional wisdom, but read the posts, he makes his point very strongly. I've sure noticed that when I am really close with my macro lens, changing from f/4 to f/11 has little effect, and stopping all the way down to f/22 has some impact, but not a ton. So I kinda think he's right. Anyway, I encourage everyone here to read the posts, they're spiffy!

First post (What is a fast lens?)
Follow up (DOF Hell)
Second follow up (DOF Hell Sequel)

---
I posted some pics on the last page that got botp'ed ... here's a link if anyone wants to see my latest super-close macros.

needOptic

Thanks guys.


Gafoto - that last picture is lacking a point of interest.

BladeX

erisian pope wrote: »

I shoot with the Sigma 105mm Macro, and I love it, and it's in the same basic price range. A few dollars more would net you the Tamron 90mm Macro which has amazing reviews over at Fredmiranda.com.

EDIT: combining my double-posts



Gafoto - You spend a lot of time in absolutely gorgeous scenery. Since your schedule (i.e. hiking in daylight and not darkness) dictates shooting in pretty full sun, have you considered using either an ND filter (maybe grad) or else using a tripod for multiple exposures (bracketing) with a merging in photoshop? Like the first one here, there's a lot of lost detail in the sky, and stopping the sky down a couple stops and keeping the mountains/hills might be an even more radtastic photo. - Just a thought.

needO - You definitely put the best shots first (in my opinion) and I love the heavy saturation of the first pic and in the second really like the comp, lighting, and post-production (or however you achieved the ultra-smoothness). Nice stuff! Honestly I like them all except maybe the one with the boat - the sun-glare washing out so much of the frame kinda bugs me.

Munnin - I love the colors and the crispness. Having the phone halfway cut off by the bottom of the frame makes me feel kinda like it's a snapshot (although this is kinda minor). I wonder how it would look framed vertically with the entire booth in the shot?

Bladex (last page) - I like the shots of the powwow a lot! You mentioned a lens with smaller DOF ... check out this series of blogposts from The Online Photographer discussing lens "speed" and DOF. His conclusion (backed with examples) is that distance between lens and subject has the most impact on DOF and that aperture has relatively little impact. I know that this is in conflict with conventional wisdom, but read the posts, he makes his point very strongly. I've sure noticed that when I am really close with my macro lens, changing from f/4 to f/11 has little effect, and stopping all the way down to f/22 has some impact, but not a ton. So I kinda think he's right. Anyway, I encourage everyone here to read the posts, they're spiffy!

First post (What is a fast lens?)
Follow up (DOF Hell)
Second follow up (DOF Hell Sequel)



EDIT: I posted some pics on the last page that got botp'ed ... here's a link if anyone wants to see my latest super-close macros.

Oh sweet, thanks! I'll definitely give those a read as I'm always trying to find anything I can to improve and since I'm such a sucker for nicely blurred backgrounds all the better. Reading your brief synopsis it actually makes sense and I'm wondering if I've actually seen examples of this with some of my pictures and not thought anything about it.

EDIT: went to check out your photos as I had missed them. Forgot that fucking Photobucket is blocked at work. No other image website it, but photobucket for some unknown reason. Makes viewing this thread a real treat .

Kworn

Hi guys is this camera any good? Looks like just what I need...

SIGMA 18-50 F2.8 EX DC MACRO SIGMA S-AF

It's going for £269 on ebay buy it now...it's making me feel excited

Oh and can I take normal pictures with this camera, not just Macro?

olimario

Kworn-
So do you want a wide zoom lens or a macro lens? I'm not a fan of the macro capabilities of wide zoom lenses.