Random Photos

[jack action]

And the cat has got such a cool stance in the photo; it looks like a real predator.

For every mouse and bird crossing its path, it is a real predator.
$\leftarrow$

 

[Rive]

I see you are shooting your cat outdoors .
And thus, more dynamic range in the photo.

Just luck ... The next one came as this:

...and two minutes later she was in the house again, in the darkest corner

For every mouse and bird crossing its path, it is a real predator.

Spiders too

 

[DennisN]

I was playing around with one of my macro lenses today...
I was out in the courtyard shooting some flowers and leaves just for fun (even though it was cloudy)...
...I will post some later...

In the meantime, here are some close-ups of one of my cats (indoors), face and both eyes:

Cutie...

...but still a predator...

Left eye:
(a fun thing is that a clock on my wall can be seen being reflected in her eye here)

Right eye:

(shot handheld with Sony A6000 + Canon nFD 100mm Macro + quite a bit of patience ,
and I pumped up the ISO to 2000 to allow for shorter exposure time (1/200s) to allow for sharper shots;
my hands are not as steady as I wish they were )

 

[DennisN]

...and two minutes later she was in the house again, in the darkest corner

Animals can be quite tricky to photograph, I know . They do as they please.

 

[BillTre]

(a fun thing is that a clock on my wall can be seen being reflected in her eye here)
View attachment 343320

Right eye:
View attachment 343321

I really like this effect.
There is a well known shot from Blade Runner doing this (a reflected city view at night from a flying vehicle):

I've tried it a few times without great success.

 

[Ibix]

I've tried it a few times without great success.

It's because you're not a replicant.

Look at the pupil size - that shot was not taken in a dark environment. Noting that we don't have cars flying above Los Angeles, I guess that the actor was looking at a screen that was showing a film of the city lights with the brightness turned way up. So his (it's Harrison Ford, isn't it?) pupil contracted and you get clear reflections of very bright point sources.

 

[DennisN]

I really like this effect.

Yes, me too.

I had been thinking about trying to achieve the effect for some time, but had not tried it yet.
The shots above got the effect by coincidence actually, I didn't try to achieve it, I was focused on getting the eyes themselves (iris and pupil).

I've also had the (wild?) idea of trying to shoot a photo of an eye where the camera lens can be seen reflected in the eye. I may have to work/experiment a bit to achieve it (if possible). Lenses tend to be very dark and it may be difficult to get enough light for reflection in the eye. Hmm, maybe one could try illuminating the lens from the side(s) to make it more bright, perhaps... we'll see...

 

[DennisN]

Some shots with my macro lens in the courtyard...

Great forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) (a little wet*):

Bishop's hat (Epimedium) (according to Google) (focus stacked):

The cool, silvery leaves on a Great forget-me-not:

(*) I sprayed some water on the great forget-me-not before shooting. It's another trick I've picked up from somewhere; flowers can often become a bit more interesting when wet.
And here's the flower makeup tool :

 

[DennisN]

First bird shots this year... Eurasian blue tits in the courtyard:

A pair:

A lucky shot (though not very sharp, I wasn't prepared for action shots):

A fluffy creature hiding somewhere behind lots of branches:

Enjoying the sunlight:

(shot with Sony A6000 + Sony 55-210mm)

 

[jtbell]

Any of these?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_tit

 

[docnet]

Somebody adding soap to the fountain in front of BG => world's biggest bubble party. The 8 year old me would have one into the fountain but the adult me is somehow afraid of getting weird stares

Even cameras don't like humid weather

 

[morrobay]

Candlelight with recreational Thai girlfriend

 

[jtbell]

Lots of wisteria around here:

 

[DennisN]

This time a naturally wet flower, shot yesterday after some rain:

(shot with a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8 (East German, from the 1960s))

 

[morrobay]

Songkran - Thai new year water throwing celebration. And around Naklua seafood market

 

[Rive]

Animals can be quite tricky to photograph, I know . They do as they please.

Another attempt, different problem - though this one is familiar already

...and finally, with a bit of help, some success:

How to train your dragon cat:

...but still NO for spinach

 

[DennisN]

Another attempt

You definitely have got more detail of the fur of the cat now!
(e.g. on the first photo I see shades of brown, grey and black)

 

[DennisN]

It is a lovely sunny day over here, but still a bit cold.
Sunny days mean photo opportunities for me...

An orange tulip:

(shot with Sony A6000 + Helios 44M7 58mm* + B&W polarization filter)

Do you think the colors look vibrant?
Do you think I boosted the colors when processing?
Well, I did not! Quite the opposite.

I changed the gamma correction, and then the photo got too much saturation (for my taste), so I actually had to decrease the saturation.

Here's the original:

Why so colorful? Well:

1. Sunlight
2. Sunlight coming in from 45 degrees behind the flower, so the flower gets light partly from behind it (and through it)
3. A polarizing filter was used, which can help with colors

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* A fun thing is that the new Dune movie, Dune Part 2, was partially shot with modified Russian vintage lenses, including Helios 44.

Source: ‘Dune: Part Two’ Was Shot Using Vintage Soviet Photo Lenses (Petapixel)

As an example, here is a shot from the movie:

A scene from Dune: Part Two that was shot with the Helios 44 (inset). My note: Christopher Walken is shown to the right.

Look at the background blur in the shot above and notice how it's distorted (it "swirls").
Well, it's the same kind of swirl as in this photo I've previously posted in this thread (photo #3 in that post):

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/random-photos.994801/post-6507686

 

[BillTre]

Nice shot.
The colors are nice, but I think they could be more vibrant if the side of the flower toward the light (sun) were directly illuminated. Most of the flower is in its own shade.

 

[Flyboy]

Went to Portugal last week for my sister’s wedding…

 

[DaveC426913]

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* A fun thing is that the new Dune movie, Dune Part 2, was partially shot with modified Russian vintage lenses, including Helios 44.

Source: ‘Dune: Part Two’ Was Shot Using Vintage Soviet Photo Lenses (Petapixel)

As an example, here is a shot from the movie:

View attachment 343749
A scene from Dune: Part Two that was shot with the Helios 44 (inset). My note: Christopher Walken is shown to the right.

Look at the background blur in the shot above and notice how it's distorted (it "swirls").
Well, it's the same kind of swirl as in this photo I've previously posted in this thread (photo #3 in that post):

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/random-photos.994801/post-6507686

Interesting! I have noticed that swirl used to excess recently in Shogun. They use it in practically every shot!

 

[DennisN]

Went to Portugal last week for my sister’s wedding…
View attachment 343755View attachment 343752View attachment 343754

Lovely!
I really like this kind of Mediterranean style architecture. It's chaotic and unpredictable, so to say.
(though I'm well aware Portugal is not adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea)

 

[DennisN]

Nice shot.

Thanks!

The colors are nice, but I think they could be more vibrant if the side of the flower toward the light (sun) were directly illuminated.

This time I purposefully did not go for direct illumination, because I wanted to catch some of the light going through the flower. Actually I've started shooting more shots with the Sun "partly" in front of me (sometimes directly in front) to get different kind of light (and sometimes possible optical artifacts from the lenses). I like to experiment.

 

[jtbell]

"Can I interest you in some insurance?"

 

[Flyboy]

Lovely!
I really like this kind of Mediterranean style architecture. It's chaotic and unpredictable, so to say.
(though I'm well aware Portugal is not adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea)

Well, there’s a lot of Moorish influence in Lisbon so it’s not as surprising as you’d think.

 

[DennisN]

Interesting! I have noticed that swirl used to excess recently in Shogun. They use it in practically every shot!

I don't remember if you use a compact camera or system camera (modern system cameras can mount vintage lenses with adapters), but anyway, I'd like to share one of the very best videos* I've seen about vintage lenses:

Bargain vintage lenses in M42 mount - best value performers from wide angle to telephoto (Simon's utak)


* That video is partly responsible for my lens collection . And the youtuber is completely honest; I can personally vouch for many things he says in the video. And I've now got a couple of the lenses he describes (Industar 50-2, Helios 44, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm, Pentacon 135mm, and I don't regret it).

And I might as well mention two good videos about affordable modern system cameras:

1. 11 Mirrorless Cameras - From £50 to £500! (Zenography)
2. The CHEAPEST FULL Frame Mirrorless Cameras You Can Buy - Sony A7 and A7R (Zenography)
(and this video made me get a Sony A7R )

 

[DaveC426913]

"Can I interest you in some insurance?"

Thanks. But iguaaaaaaaana get my own.

(Taken on Sunday last, exactly here, as I was strolling to breakfast).

 

[DaveC426913]

I don't remember if you use a compact camera or system camera

Personally, I have a Canon G15.

Goes with me everywhere (including to the bottom of the sea). My philosophy is: the 'best' camera is the one you have with you.

 

[docnet]

Photos from my visit to a lucky schoolmate's midtown NYC apartment in the MiMA building . The same 400 square feet studio that rented for $3500/mo USD two years ago, now rents for around $5000/mo USD . And it's probably one of the cheapest units on the 51th floor. The housing market is maybe the most promising area of investment.

His Kitchen had the nicest appliances I've ever seen.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal under the window. It ruins the $5000/mo view.

He had been growing bell peppers and tomatoes to pickle. He only had to water it once every 1-2 months b because of the water reservoir inside. The plant pods can be a hit or miss because some of them don't grow very well.

 

[jtbell]

The Lake Erie port at Ashtabula, Ohio, which was mothballed by Norfolk Southern Railroad in 2016:

Larger version here.

This port transloaded iron ore and coal between Great Lakes freighters and trains to/from the Pittsburgh and Mahoning Valley (Youngstown etc.) steelmaking areas.