Point Conception
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Cactus and Shells part 2
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DennisN
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Film noir meets Stephen King.Rive said:
DennisN
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On second thought I want to say I think you did something very nice there!Rive said:Just ... corridor, lighting, horror stories
You brought out a feeling from very, very little. It's very minimalistic.
I haven't played around much with shadows as the main subject, but I will keep it in mind, so thanks for the inspiration!
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Ice spike in my ice cube tray:
According to the wiki article they're fairly easy to produce in distilled water and the mechanism is understood, but they're less common and less well understood in less purified water.
According to the wiki article they're fairly easy to produce in distilled water and the mechanism is understood, but they're less common and less well understood in less purified water.
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My new camera arrived! 
I'm excited. I haven't been spending much time on PF lately, because I've been spending my time getting used to the camera and learning Lightroom and relearning Photoshop. (So much has changed.)
Here's my first project: "Mr. Fish & Chips, June 2024"
The picture in composite of about 140 individual photos taken from many different vantage points and perspectives around the front of the storefront, and taken at different times of day (some in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some in the evening). The photos were then painstakingly aligned in Photoshop (aligned to the "Mr. Fish & Chips" marquee) and blended together. (PixInsight also played a role in the integration.)
This is my first try on the Pep-Ventosa technique, named after the photographer who made this style of photography famous.
Mr. Fish & Chips, June 2024.
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
A lot of the detail is hidden in the PF-sized version here. It looks a lot better enlarged to poster or wall sized. Here is a crop that I still had to shrink to fit here:
I had a lot of fun on this project. The mistakes I made here I can learn from for next time. I have a lot coming up in the next few weeks, so I don't think I'll get around to more Pep-Ventosa-esque photos for a little while. But I'll try to keep posting other random photos when I get the chance.
Here's a photo a puppy that lives in the neighborhood.
"My Name is Nala"
Leica SL3
Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400 f/5-6.3 (f=230mm, 1/2000s, f/6, ISO-10000)
I'm excited. I haven't been spending much time on PF lately, because I've been spending my time getting used to the camera and learning Lightroom and relearning Photoshop. (So much has changed.)
Here's my first project: "Mr. Fish & Chips, June 2024"
The picture in composite of about 140 individual photos taken from many different vantage points and perspectives around the front of the storefront, and taken at different times of day (some in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some in the evening). The photos were then painstakingly aligned in Photoshop (aligned to the "Mr. Fish & Chips" marquee) and blended together. (PixInsight also played a role in the integration.)
This is my first try on the Pep-Ventosa technique, named after the photographer who made this style of photography famous.
Mr. Fish & Chips, June 2024.
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
A lot of the detail is hidden in the PF-sized version here. It looks a lot better enlarged to poster or wall sized. Here is a crop that I still had to shrink to fit here:
I had a lot of fun on this project. The mistakes I made here I can learn from for next time. I have a lot coming up in the next few weeks, so I don't think I'll get around to more Pep-Ventosa-esque photos for a little while. But I'll try to keep posting other random photos when I get the chance.
Here's a photo a puppy that lives in the neighborhood.
"My Name is Nala"
Leica SL3
Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 100-400 f/5-6.3 (f=230mm, 1/2000s, f/6, ISO-10000)
Last edited:
DennisN
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Congratulations!collinsmark said:My new camera arrived!
DennisN
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A seagull juvenile enjoying a fountain...
"Ah, it's nice to just splash around here..."
"Time for a bit of drying..."
"...and then a little drinking."
"Ah, it's nice to just splash around here..."
"Time for a bit of drying..."
"...and then a little drinking."
DennisN
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I have never heard of it before, very cool!collinsmark said:
But since you seem to be interested in experimental photography I want to share a useful thing I've picked up... (we have talked about the pinhole camera technique before in this thread).
I recently got me a focusing adapter (also called "Focusing Helicoid", in my case it's an M42 to NEX/Sony E), i.e. a lens adapter which can move the adapted lens back and forth, so to say:
And here I have my pinhole "lens", simply an M42 lens cap in which I've drilled a hole (diameter ca 0.5 mm, if I remember correctly):
Mounting this pinhole lens with a focusing adapter thus yields a pinhole "zoom lens":
(since different distances between the pinhole and sensor plane yield different focal lengths)
It works really nice.
Another great thing with a focusing adapter is that it can be used with prime lenses in order to get a budget version of macro photography (in the same way extension tubes do). And when doing this I can achieve focus in a simpler way than moving the camera back and forth; I just use the focus ring on the adapter.
Here's a photo taken with the pinhole "lens":
(very soft, as expected)
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I got the camera out today and went down to Balboa Park. Balboa Park is San Diego's "Central Park," so to speak. It's close: only about a 14 min. drive (40 minutes with traffic). Balboa Park is a very photogenic place, as long as it's not too crowded.
The goal was to
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
(f/4.5, ISO-100, 1/100 sec)
I sized up the situation at the Lilly Pond, but it was still a bit too early. The thing about the Lilly Pond is that in order to get a good photo, it must be done near the summer solstice during the evening "golden hour;" otherwise the lighting isn't quite right.
Having found some time, I took pictures of a bunch of other stuff, most of which I won't show here. Most of the shots were boring or bad, which was expected. I was just testing out how much dynamic range I could eke out of the high-constrast, sunny day. (The Leica SL3 does have its limits.) Anyway, most of the photos were just test shots that I didn't expect to be very good anyway.
I also missed a few timely opportunities because I was fiddling with camera dials. The Leica SL3 has three dials (along with several buttons). None of them are labeled. They're not labeled because you can configure each of them however you want. Even the dials' directions are configurable. I had that all setup to my liking, but my brain hasn't reached reflex memory yet. More practice is needed.
So anyway, I missed a few good opportunities of cute puppies and whatnot. Sure, I could have been quicker had I used aperture-priority mode (or a program mode), but I'm trying to get my brain to memorize all the dial settings, thus I was shooting everything in manual (with only ISO being auto, but that was often hitting the floor). I'll get speedier with more practice.
I did manage to get this shot though.
(f=35mm [same lens], f/8, ISO-200, 1/125 sec)
Then I walked up to the Bea Evenson Fountain. I had actually planned, as a secondary goal (not listed above), to use the Bea Evenson Fountain as the subject for another Pep-Ventosa-technique photo.
Here is what the Bea Evenson Fountain actually looks like, from one particular vantage point. By the way, this was one of the 18 photos I took of the fountain.
One of Eighteen different vantage points for my Bea Evenson Fountain project. Yeah, I know: not particularly impressive. But wait a second before passing judgment (final result still to come, below).
I walked around the fountain, with my camera mounted on a tripod, and placed the camera such that main nozzle was right in-between two of the outer nozzles, from my camera's line of sight. I was careful to keep the camera position at a constant radius from the center. I did this 18 times, one for each of the outer nozzles.
Although not shown above, there were many people coming and going -- some of them quite up-close to the fountain. I paid no heed to their presence. This was all intentional. A couple times people asked me if I wanted them to move as I plopped my camera tripod down right in front of them: facing them. "No, I'm fine," I said, "Don't mind me. You're good. Please carry on." Then I would take a picture as they milled around the fountain, sometimes in front of the camera. Again, this was all intentional.
I'll come back to the fountain with the post-processing result later, below. But first, the Lilly Pond.
I walked back to the Lilly Pond. I had to share the best spot for photography with several other people, mostly people using their cell phone cameras. We all took turns. I fiddled with the dials while I was waiting, so as not to hog the spot when it was my turn. But when I got up to take the shot, I did need to make some adjustments, and I did feel a little rushed. Anyway, here's the result:
Lilly Pond, 2024. (f=35mm [same lens], f/2, ISO-100, 1/2000 sec)
What the hell? f/2? What in the world was I thinking? I meant to take this at f/8 for more depth of field. Not f/2! I didn't realize it until I got home. Good god. I mean, it didn't turn out half bad, but the ducks in the foreground are soft.
What happened was, before I took the shot, the exposure blinkies were warning me of blown highlights. The exposure compensation wasn't helping because the ISO was at its minimum of 100 (as it should be for this shot). But instead of raising the shutter speed, I mistakenly twisted the wrong dial and made it worse by widening the aperture. Then I figured that out, and raised the shutter speed until the blinkies went away, but not before putting the aperture back. Ghaaa!
I might have a chance to try again next week (when it's not as crowded as a holiday weekend). But I'm running out of time. Otherwise, there's next year.
I've been kind of obsessed with reproducing an image I took of the Lilly Pond about 19 years ago, but with better equipment. Now I have the better equipment. The rest is on me.
When I got back to the car, I looked over my shoulder and saw this. I decided to test out the 90 mm lens. This is first time I ever used this lens:
Something about the way the lines lined up caught my eye.
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH (f/8, ISO-100, 1/80 sec)
So when I got home, I processed the Bea Evenson Fountain project. Here is the result. I have to say, this is my favorite photo of the outing:
Bea Evenson Fountain, July 2024. Eighteen photos from multiple vantagepoints, blended/stacked. There are several people in the image, but you'll have to look for them. This is my second attempt at a Pep-Ventosa-technique photo.
(All photos in this post were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)
The goal was to
- Continue getting used to the new camera, and
- Take a picture of of Lily Pond while I still can (see below).
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
(f/4.5, ISO-100, 1/100 sec)
I sized up the situation at the Lilly Pond, but it was still a bit too early. The thing about the Lilly Pond is that in order to get a good photo, it must be done near the summer solstice during the evening "golden hour;" otherwise the lighting isn't quite right.
Having found some time, I took pictures of a bunch of other stuff, most of which I won't show here. Most of the shots were boring or bad, which was expected. I was just testing out how much dynamic range I could eke out of the high-constrast, sunny day. (The Leica SL3 does have its limits.) Anyway, most of the photos were just test shots that I didn't expect to be very good anyway.
I also missed a few timely opportunities because I was fiddling with camera dials. The Leica SL3 has three dials (along with several buttons). None of them are labeled. They're not labeled because you can configure each of them however you want. Even the dials' directions are configurable. I had that all setup to my liking, but my brain hasn't reached reflex memory yet. More practice is needed.
So anyway, I missed a few good opportunities of cute puppies and whatnot. Sure, I could have been quicker had I used aperture-priority mode (or a program mode), but I'm trying to get my brain to memorize all the dial settings, thus I was shooting everything in manual (with only ISO being auto, but that was often hitting the floor). I'll get speedier with more practice.
I did manage to get this shot though.
(f=35mm [same lens], f/8, ISO-200, 1/125 sec)
Then I walked up to the Bea Evenson Fountain. I had actually planned, as a secondary goal (not listed above), to use the Bea Evenson Fountain as the subject for another Pep-Ventosa-technique photo.
Here is what the Bea Evenson Fountain actually looks like, from one particular vantage point. By the way, this was one of the 18 photos I took of the fountain.
One of Eighteen different vantage points for my Bea Evenson Fountain project. Yeah, I know: not particularly impressive. But wait a second before passing judgment (final result still to come, below).
I walked around the fountain, with my camera mounted on a tripod, and placed the camera such that main nozzle was right in-between two of the outer nozzles, from my camera's line of sight. I was careful to keep the camera position at a constant radius from the center. I did this 18 times, one for each of the outer nozzles.
Although not shown above, there were many people coming and going -- some of them quite up-close to the fountain. I paid no heed to their presence. This was all intentional. A couple times people asked me if I wanted them to move as I plopped my camera tripod down right in front of them: facing them. "No, I'm fine," I said, "Don't mind me. You're good. Please carry on." Then I would take a picture as they milled around the fountain, sometimes in front of the camera. Again, this was all intentional.
I'll come back to the fountain with the post-processing result later, below. But first, the Lilly Pond.
I walked back to the Lilly Pond. I had to share the best spot for photography with several other people, mostly people using their cell phone cameras. We all took turns. I fiddled with the dials while I was waiting, so as not to hog the spot when it was my turn. But when I got up to take the shot, I did need to make some adjustments, and I did feel a little rushed. Anyway, here's the result:
Lilly Pond, 2024. (f=35mm [same lens], f/2, ISO-100, 1/2000 sec)
What the hell? f/2? What in the world was I thinking? I meant to take this at f/8 for more depth of field. Not f/2! I didn't realize it until I got home. Good god. I mean, it didn't turn out half bad, but the ducks in the foreground are soft.
What happened was, before I took the shot, the exposure blinkies were warning me of blown highlights. The exposure compensation wasn't helping because the ISO was at its minimum of 100 (as it should be for this shot). But instead of raising the shutter speed, I mistakenly twisted the wrong dial and made it worse by widening the aperture. Then I figured that out, and raised the shutter speed until the blinkies went away, but not before putting the aperture back. Ghaaa!
I might have a chance to try again next week (when it's not as crowded as a holiday weekend). But I'm running out of time. Otherwise, there's next year.
I've been kind of obsessed with reproducing an image I took of the Lilly Pond about 19 years ago, but with better equipment. Now I have the better equipment. The rest is on me.
When I got back to the car, I looked over my shoulder and saw this. I decided to test out the 90 mm lens. This is first time I ever used this lens:
Something about the way the lines lined up caught my eye.
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH (f/8, ISO-100, 1/80 sec)
So when I got home, I processed the Bea Evenson Fountain project. Here is the result. I have to say, this is my favorite photo of the outing:
Bea Evenson Fountain, July 2024. Eighteen photos from multiple vantagepoints, blended/stacked. There are several people in the image, but you'll have to look for them. This is my second attempt at a Pep-Ventosa-technique photo.
(All photos in this post were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)
Last edited:
DennisN
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Lovely photos!collinsmark said:
DennisN
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Acrobatics with jackdaws
I really like jackdaws. They are quite fun to observe and very intelligent birds.
A fun thing is that I have noticed that I sometimes can make them jump/fly and catch the food in the air.
Earlier this summer I decided to try to film it, and so I did.
I fed them corn kernels, which they love.
Here are some screenshots from my clips:
(it was filmed with my smartphone, so the quality is not that good)
"Going for it!"
"I want it"
Nice catch:
Like a fighter plane:
"I've got so much to choose from"
A short clip with three catches in slow motion:
(I slowed it down because the catching happens very quickly, and it's easier to see in slow motion)
I really like jackdaws. They are quite fun to observe and very intelligent birds.
A fun thing is that I have noticed that I sometimes can make them jump/fly and catch the food in the air.
Earlier this summer I decided to try to film it, and so I did.
I fed them corn kernels, which they love.
Here are some screenshots from my clips:
(it was filmed with my smartphone, so the quality is not that good)
"Going for it!"
"I want it"
Nice catch:
Like a fighter plane:
"I've got so much to choose from"
A short clip with three catches in slow motion:
(I slowed it down because the catching happens very quickly, and it's easier to see in slow motion)
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Wow! those photos look beautiful.collinsmark said:
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DennisN said:Acrobatics with jackdaws
I really like jackdaws. They are quite fun to observe and very intelligent birds.
A fun thing is that I have noticed that I sometimes can make them jump/fly and catch the food in the air.
Earlier this summer I decided to try to film it, and so I did.
I fed them corn kernels, which they love.
Here are some screenshots from my clips:
(it was filmed with my smartphone, so the quality is not that good)
"Going for it!"
View attachment 348009
"I want it"
View attachment 348010
Nice catch:
View attachment 348014
Like a fighter plane:
View attachment 348011
"I've got so much to choose from"
View attachment 348012
A short clip with three catches in slow motion:
(I slowed it down because the catching happens very quickly, and it's easier to see in slow motion)
That's awesome and inspiring.
Your corn kernel technique is worth investigating.
I plan on taking some bird photos in the near future. But I'm way out of practice (I think I still have a tripod gimbal around here somewhere). Not that I had much experience with birds to begin with. But I've set up a settings-profile in my camera specifically for birds and fast moving animals. We'll see how it goes.
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I read somewhere that tossing chum over the side of a boat can get you some great shark pictures...collinsmark said:Your corn kernel technique is worth investigating.
https://www.thehorrorreport.com/movies/jaws-1975
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Ok, back to the Lily Pond.
This time I learned my lesson and set everything to manual. Manual-ISO, manual exposure (shutter speed and aperture), manual focus. Everything exposure and focus related.
Figure 1. Lily Pond again. This time with an airplane. At least I got the f-stop right this time.
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
(ISO-640, F/8, 1/500 sec)
I decided to boost the ISO a little, thus allowing me to reduce the shutter speed, to sharply capture the airplane. They were coming in about once ever minute or two.
By the way, if you ever happen to fly into San Diego and have a starboard side window seat, you can see Balboa Park pretty clearly soon before you land.
The Leica glass did an excellent job with the sharpness. This scene is notoriously unforgiving in terms of chromatic aberrations. Something about the palm trees against the blue sky at this time of day tends to amplify any color limitations of lenses. This scene right here is one of main reasons I switched to the Leica system instead of sticking with my Nikkor lenses. Was it worth it? I don't know, but the Leica APO-lenses do hold up well.
I also redid that walkway photo, this time using a 50 mm lens instead of the 35 mm. The 50 mm lens offers a little more compression (relatively speaking). I'm not sure which photo I like better, but here it is.
Figure 2. El Prado walkway, this time with a 50 mm lens.
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH (ISO-100, f/8, 1/30 sec, handheld)
I took a load of other pictures too, but most didn't turn out well. So I won't post them. Anyway, here's some flowers:
Figure 3. Flowers in the Alcázar Garden.
Same 50 mm lens (ISO-100, f/2, 1/2500 sec)
I decided to stick around to see what photo opportunities the park had to offer after dark.
Here's the Lily Pond again at twilight. Also taken with the 50 mm lens this time. (This is nice that I don't have to do this at any particular time of year. All the lighting here is artificial, except for some residual skylight.) The bottom of the camera was touching the railing for a bit of stability. I also had image stabilization turned on.
Figure 4. Lily Pond at twilight.
Same 50 mm lens (ISO-400, f/5, 0.4 sec, handheld [with the help of a railing for support])
I took a couple dozen images before deciding on this one. That duck in the middle of the image is very photogenically affable. All the other ducks swam around back and forth, but that middle duck posed in the center for quite awhile, as if he knew it was his place to be in the photo.
Also, notice the clouds coming in, reminding me that my telescope will not be in use for yet another night. Again.
On the way back to the car I had to stop and take a photo of these pillars.
Figure 5. Pillars near Casa Del Prado.
Same 50 mm lens. (ISO-40000, f/5, 1/100 sec, handheld)
I don't know what it is about this scene, but it captivates me. I think the palm fronds in the immediate foreground, the shadows of the palm fronds on the pillar, and the hand-railing to the left all play nicely together. As a matter of fact, Lily Pond be damned, I think this is my favorite photo of the day.
(All photos posted here were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)
This time I learned my lesson and set everything to manual. Manual-ISO, manual exposure (shutter speed and aperture), manual focus. Everything exposure and focus related.
Figure 1. Lily Pond again. This time with an airplane. At least I got the f-stop right this time.
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
(ISO-640, F/8, 1/500 sec)
I decided to boost the ISO a little, thus allowing me to reduce the shutter speed, to sharply capture the airplane. They were coming in about once ever minute or two.
By the way, if you ever happen to fly into San Diego and have a starboard side window seat, you can see Balboa Park pretty clearly soon before you land.
The Leica glass did an excellent job with the sharpness. This scene is notoriously unforgiving in terms of chromatic aberrations. Something about the palm trees against the blue sky at this time of day tends to amplify any color limitations of lenses. This scene right here is one of main reasons I switched to the Leica system instead of sticking with my Nikkor lenses. Was it worth it? I don't know, but the Leica APO-lenses do hold up well.
I also redid that walkway photo, this time using a 50 mm lens instead of the 35 mm. The 50 mm lens offers a little more compression (relatively speaking). I'm not sure which photo I like better, but here it is.
Figure 2. El Prado walkway, this time with a 50 mm lens.
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH (ISO-100, f/8, 1/30 sec, handheld)
I took a load of other pictures too, but most didn't turn out well. So I won't post them. Anyway, here's some flowers:
Figure 3. Flowers in the Alcázar Garden.
Same 50 mm lens (ISO-100, f/2, 1/2500 sec)
I decided to stick around to see what photo opportunities the park had to offer after dark.
Here's the Lily Pond again at twilight. Also taken with the 50 mm lens this time. (This is nice that I don't have to do this at any particular time of year. All the lighting here is artificial, except for some residual skylight.) The bottom of the camera was touching the railing for a bit of stability. I also had image stabilization turned on.
Figure 4. Lily Pond at twilight.
Same 50 mm lens (ISO-400, f/5, 0.4 sec, handheld [with the help of a railing for support])
I took a couple dozen images before deciding on this one. That duck in the middle of the image is very photogenically affable. All the other ducks swam around back and forth, but that middle duck posed in the center for quite awhile, as if he knew it was his place to be in the photo.
Also, notice the clouds coming in, reminding me that my telescope will not be in use for yet another night. Again.
On the way back to the car I had to stop and take a photo of these pillars.
Figure 5. Pillars near Casa Del Prado.
Same 50 mm lens. (ISO-40000, f/5, 1/100 sec, handheld)
I don't know what it is about this scene, but it captivates me. I think the palm fronds in the immediate foreground, the shadows of the palm fronds on the pillar, and the hand-railing to the left all play nicely together. As a matter of fact, Lily Pond be damned, I think this is my favorite photo of the day.
(All photos posted here were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)
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collinsmark said:
Those are absolutely stunning... Especially the second one. Well done :)
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Chinatown, Central Park, Washington Square
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The candidness of the last photo is amazing. It's a quintessential, authentic, NYC moment.morrobay said:
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On a recent weekend trip to North Carolina, I stopped to see the wind-driven kinetic sculptures of Vollis Simpson. He called them simply "windmills", but his fans started calling them "whirligigs", and that name stuck. A park in the town of Wilson displays a collection of them.
