Random Photos

  • Thread starter Thread starter morrobay
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Photos Random
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a variety of photography topics, showcasing personal photos and experiences from different locations, including Ko-Larn Island, Central Park, and various natural landscapes. Participants share insights about the techniques used in their photography, such as drone shots and long exposure panoramas, and discuss the beauty of nature, including autumn scenes and night skies. There are mentions of personal stories, including a trip to Sweden and memories of family history, particularly relating to military service during WWII. The conversation also touches on the impact of the pandemic on tourism and local businesses, as well as the enjoyment of photography as a creative outlet. Additionally, there are discussions about photography gear, including vintage lenses and new cameras, and the excitement of capturing unique moments like rainbows and wildlife. Overall, the thread highlights the joy of photography and the shared experiences of capturing the world around them.
  • #2,051
My new camera arrived! :woot:

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.

MrFishAndChips2024_June_Final_2048x1536.jpg

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:

MrFishAndChips2024_June_Final_SmallCroipForPF.jpg


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.

2024-06-25 Nala Puppy.jpg

"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:
  • Like
  • Love
Likes pinball1970, DennisN, morrobay and 2 others
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2,052
collinsmark said:
My new camera arrived! :woot:
Congratulations! :smile:
 
  • Like
Likes collinsmark
  • #2,053
A seagull juvenile enjoying a fountain...

"Ah, it's nice to just splash around here..."
15a.jpg


"Time for a bit of drying..."
15b.jpg


"...and then a little drinking."
15c.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Love
Likes pinball1970, docnet, jtbell and 2 others
  • #2,054
collinsmark said:
This is my first try on the Pep-Ventosa technique, named after the photographer who made this style of photography famous.
I have never heard of it before, very cool! :smile:

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:

2 - Focusing adapter.jpg


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):

1 - Pinhole lens.jpg


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)

3 - Pinhole lens - mounted.jpg


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)

10.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Love
  • Informative
Likes pinball1970, collinsmark, morrobay and 1 other person
  • #2,055
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
  • Continue getting used to the new camera, and
  • Take a picture of of Lily Pond while I still can (see below).
I got a pretty good parking space and soon found a pathway that leads to the Lily Pond. I thought it looked pretty cool -- slightly foreboding even -- so I got the camera out.

BalboaParkPath_2024-07-03_Final_1706x2048.jpg

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.

ElPradoWalkway_2024_07_03_Final_2048x1275.jpg

(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.

BeaEvensonFountain_SingleFrameSmallForPF-2.jpg

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:

FriendshipPond_2024_07_03_Final_2048x1357.jpg

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:

CasaDelPradoRooftops_2024-07-03_Final_2480x1363.jpg

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:

BeaEvensonFountain_2024-07-03_Final_2048x1363-1.jpg

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:
  • Like
  • Love
Likes pinball1970, phinds, docnet and 7 others
  • #2,056
collinsmark said:
I got the camera out today and went down to Balboa Park.
Lovely photos!
 
  • Like
Likes collinsmark
  • #2,057
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!"
1.jpg


"I want it"
2.jpg


Nice catch:
5.jpg


Like a fighter plane: :smile:
3.jpg


"I've got so much to choose from"
4.jpg


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)
 
  • Like
  • Love
  • Wow
Likes pinball1970, collinsmark, jrmichler and 6 others
  • #2,058
collinsmark said:
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.
Wow! those photos look beautiful.
 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, collinsmark and DennisN
  • #2,059
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: :smile:
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. :woot:

Your corn kernel technique is worth investigating. :smile:

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.
 
  • #2,060
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, DennisN, collinsmark and 2 others
  • #2,061
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.

LillyPondAirplane2024_2048x1363.jpg

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.

ElPradoWalkway2024_50mm_2048x1363.jpg

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:

AlcazarGardenFlowers2024_2048x1363.jpg

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.

LillyPondTwilight2024_2048x1365.jpg

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.

CasaDelPradoPillars_2048x1363.jpg

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.)
 
  • Wow
  • Like
  • Love
Likes pinball1970, DennisN, Arjan82 and 3 others
  • #2,062
A few vacation photos from Oʻahu.
1720575183564.png

1720575209300.png

1720575243793.png

1720575274525.png

1720575303025.png

1720575326976.png

1720575407309.png

1720575464109.png

1720575514158.png

1720575544955.png
 
  • Love
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, DennisN, Borg and 3 others
  • #2,063
The slightly weird but fun while on vacation.
1720576144118.png

1720576180565.png

1720576218667.png

1720576259048.png

1720576291311.png

1720576320512.png

1720576368447.png
 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, DennisN, collinsmark and 2 others
  • #2,064
1720576549660.png

1720576592861.png

1720576630945.png

1720576756157.png
 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, DennisN, collinsmark and 2 others
  • #2,065
The ultimate experiment, what's your limit for Hawaiian drinks? Too many drink tickets, only one liver to sacrifice for science.
PXL_20240708_050506470.jpg

PXL_20240708_051426174.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Likes pinball1970, DennisN and collinsmark
  • #2,066
collinsmark said:
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.

View attachment 348062
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.

View attachment 348061
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:

View attachment 348059
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.

View attachment 348063
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.

View attachment 348060
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.)

Those are absolutely stunning... Especially the second one. Well done :)
 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970 and collinsmark
  • #2,067
IMG_20240711_085128.jpg
IMG_20240711_083658.jpg
IMG_20240711_083239.jpg

Chinatown, Central Park, Washington Square
 
  • Like
  • Love
  • Wow
Likes pinball1970, Rive, DennisN and 3 others
  • #2,068
morrobay said:
Chinatown, Central Park, Washington Square
The candidness of the last photo is amazing. It's a quintessential, authentic, NYC moment.
 
  • Like
Likes DennisN and jtbell
  • #2,069
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.

IMG_4759.jpg

IMG_4749.jpg

IMG_4754.jpg




 
  • Like
  • Love
Likes pinball1970, Rive, DennisN and 5 others
  • #2,070
Reminds me of the Twister movie.
 
  • #2,071
BillTre said:
Reminds me of the Twister movie.
No tornadoes, but it was hot. I lasted only about 10 minutes outside, then sat in my car for a while with the a/c running full blast so I could stop sweating before I hit the road again.

IMG_4760.jpg
 
  • Wow
Likes pinball1970
  • #2,072
There were a lot to of wind chimes in a scene in the Twister movie.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #2,073
“Take that, squirrels. Good luck raiding the bird feeder on the deck now!”
IMG_3298.jpeg
 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, collinsmark, DennisN and 1 other person
  • #2,074
Flyboy said:
“Take that, squirrels. Good luck raiding the bird feeder on the deck now!”
View attachment 348277
The squirrels will find a way!
 
  • #2,075
BillTre said:
The squirrels will find a way!
And once they do, we’ll combat that too.
 
  • #2,076
I'd prefer my co-mammals over dinosaurs at any time.
 
  • #2,077
fresh_42 said:
I'd prefer my co-mammals over dinosaurs at any time.
What about birds?
 
  • #2,078
Flyboy said:
And once they do, we’ll combat that too.
It's probably best just to get a squirrel-proof bird feeder (there are several kinds). Squirrels around us just climb nearby tall trees behind our house, drop onto our roof, then make their way to the front of the house to drop down onto the balcony. Once they are done on the balcony, they launch off to land in treetops in the front of our house.

We have a bird feeder similar to this one:

1720889677643.png

https://www.amazon.com/Squirrel-Outdoors-Hanging-Protection-Capacity/dp/B0CCDL8JS6?tag=pfamazon01-20
 
  • #2,079
BillTre said:
What about birds?
They counts as dinos.
 
  • #2,081
berkeman said:
It's probably best just to get a squirrel-proof bird feeder (there are several kinds). Squirrels around us just climb nearby tall trees behind our house, drop onto our roof, then make their way to the front of the house to drop down onto the balcony. Once they are done on the balcony, they launch off to land in treetops in the front of our house.

We have a bird feeder similar to this one:

View attachment 348278
https://www.amazon.com/Squirrel-Outdoors-Hanging-Protection-Capacity/dp/B0CCDL8JS6?tag=pfamazon01-20
Problem is that it’s a tray feeder, not a hanging type. (Girlfriend loves the doves it brings.) The roof is basically inaccessible, as it’s a 3-story townhouse that is less than a decade old, so the decorative trees haven’t grown high enough for the squirrels to reach the roof.

Every bit of evidence says they’ve been climbing up the posts to get onto the deck, so we’re taking a page from the rural power companies and wrapping sheet metal around the posts so they can’t grab hold. So far, it seems to be working, but it’s only been a week.
 
  • #2,082
Got any flying squirrels around there?

 
  • Love
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, collinsmark, Rive and 1 other person
  • #2,083
BillTre said:
Got any flying squirrels around there?


Nope. It’s Iowa, so the only flying squirrels are the ones getting launched via catapults by irritated and/or bored folks out in farm country. 😂
 
  • #2,084
So squirrel-launching is the new cow-tipping?
 
  • #2,085
Less likely to cause injury, that’s for sure.
 
  • #2,086
Today I visited the TVA's Wilbur Dam near Johnson City TN.

IMG_0526.jpeg


The lake behind it looks like a nice fishing spot.

IMG_0528.jpeg


I was actually on my way to visit the much larger Watauga Dam a few miles further upstream. It turned out to be a one-mile round trip hike from the visitor center to a viewpoint overlooking the dam, and another mile to the dam itself. In 90-degree heat? No thanks. I did get some nice views of Watauga Lake.

IMG_0530.jpeg
 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, Rive, DennisN and 1 other person
  • #2,087
Flyboy said:
“Take that, squirrels. Good luck raiding the bird feeder on the deck now!”
View attachment 348277
IMG_20240714_074845.jpg
 
  • Wow
  • Like
  • Informative
Likes pinball1970, Rive and jack action
  • #2,088
BillTre said:
The squirrels will find a way!

Flyboy said:
And once they do, we’ll combat that too.

Remember what Jeff Goldblum said :smile: :

 
  • Like
Likes pinball1970, jack action and BillTre
  • #2,089
Night/day photos of a large lantern at the Cleveland Zoo's Asian Lantern Festival:

Montage.jpg


Both shot w/ Nikon D810 + Zeiss 15/2.8 @ f/5.6, 1/30s auto ISO.
 
  • Like
Likes collinsmark, pinball1970, morrobay and 3 others
  • #2,090
Some shots from May and June this year...

A young Chihuahua:
Chihuahua (4).jpg


A Siberian Husky:
Siberian husky (3) (Sony 55-210mm).jpg


Ivy:
Murgröna (1) (Yashica 35mm).jpg


Hollyhocks in the city:
City flowers (1) (Yashica 35mm).jpg
 
  • Like
Likes collinsmark, pinball1970, morrobay and 4 others
  • #2,091
  • Like
  • Love
Likes collinsmark, pinball1970, Rive and 4 others
  • #2,092
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes pinball1970 and DennisN
  • #2,093
A metal ladder wash up . This is from a pontoon platform for swimmers that broke loose from winds in Jomtien beach.
IMG_20240718_164709.jpg
IMG_20240718_164605.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Wow
Likes collinsmark, Rive, pinball1970 and 2 others
  • #2,094
Yorkshire today, the lovely Hebden Bridge. I will try and get different spots to last time.
 
  • #2,095
The Queen of Ice Cream along Jomtien Beach
IMG_20240721_170542.jpg
IMG_20240721_170807.jpg


IMG20240530110644.jpg
 
  • Like
Likes DennisN, Rive, collinsmark and 3 others
  • #2,096
pinball1970 said:
Yorkshire today, the lovely Hebden Bridge. I will try and get different spots to last time.
Well that did not work out. I did get a few near the station then played with the light to give them a Victorian feel.

IMG_20240720_110929_935.jpg
IMG_20240720_112343_539.jpg
IMG_20240720_112404_824.jpg
IMG_20240720_110807_903~2.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Love
Likes Astranut, DennisN, Rive and 4 others
  • #2,097
Why did the turtle cross the street?

IMG_0532.jpeg


Maybe it was looking for its sandals.

IMG_0534.jpeg
 
  • Like
Likes DennisN, Rive, pinball1970 and 2 others
  • #2,098
Trip to Nebraska (Part 1 of 3)

I grew up in Nebraska. The primary goals of this trip were to
  1. Visit family (not shown here).
  2. Photograph birds and other nature stuff.
  3. Photograph various other things that happen along, while I'm there.

My mother and sister live next to a highway, and between their building and the highway is a very narrow strip of overgrowth that has a lot of nature stuff in it. My mom also has a bird feeder that attracts birds and other nature stuff.

They also have balconies (of sorts) that allow me to gain an elevated vantage point, perfect for photographing birds.

Equipment:
  • Leica SL3 camera
  • Several Leica APO-prime lenses for family and other stuff
  • Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports (Leica L) lens for birds

L1011029-Final_2048x1638.jpg

Figure 1. Hoop dancer at San Diego airport. Leica 50mm APO-Summicron-SL (f/4.5, 1/100 sec, ISO-100).

Before I even left San Diego, I took some early morning shots of a hoop dancer at San Diego's airport. You might think it odd that someone would go to the airport and hoop dance while travelers sat and watched, but that's just what happens in San Diego. It's fine.

Little did anyone know at the time while I was shooting this, the No. 2 engine of the Boeing 737 that I was about to board was spewing hydraulic fluid all over everywhere. The leak was caught before the plane took off, causing everyone to de-plane and find alternate routes of transportation. It was the first of series of unrelated/unexpected delays and detours. I eventually made it to Nebraska in the wee hours of the next morning, but only after spending the whole day and evening in several airports and airplanes.

I left my telephoto zoom lens behind (bags were already full) and just stuck with the 500mm prime for telephoto use. It was the right decision. I now love that Sigma 500 mm prime lens.

The first couple of days were extremely hot and humid, at about 100 deg F (38 deg C) and 100% relative humidity (all the humidity), fairly typical for Nebraska at this time of year.

It was so hot and humid that merely walking out of the (air conditioned) house would cause my lenses to immediately fog up and start dripping with condensation: similar to normally how an ice-cold beer or soda condensates when taking it out of the cooler. Except my lenses weren't in a cooler; they were merely at room temperature.

L1011709-Final_1536x2048.jpg

Figure 2. Moth and house fly on my sister's balcony, after waiting for my lens to warm up and de-fog. Sigma 500 mm (f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO-320). I don't know the particular species of moth or housefly.

There's lots of bugs in Nebraska. Lots and lots. Fun fact: before the Nebraska Cornhuskers were called that, they were called the Nebraska Bugeaters (as in "bug eaters"). I'm not making that up. You can fact check it.

The strategy for bird shooting was to place my camera in manual exposure mode with auto-ISO, put the aperture at wide-open (f/5.6 in this case), and adjust the shutter speed from around 1/1000 to 1/4000 sec, depending on the speediness/figityness of the subject. Autofocus mode was set on contiuous (AFc), with focus tracking set on Animals (this "animals" focus tracking mode is something you can now do with modern, mirrorless cameras). Then, I might adjust the exposure compensation (affecting the auto-ISO) depending on the contrast of the scene.

I've found it extremely common that I have to set my exposure compensation to -1/3 stop to -2 stops to avoid blowing highlights. It could be due to the extremely sharp lenses that I use, although I'm not 100% sure. It's just something I get used to now.

L1011288-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 3. Bird on top of a pine tree. According to my bird app, it's some type of wren, probably a House Wren (troglodytes aedon), Brown-throated. Same Sigma 500 mm lens (f/5.6, 1/3200 sec, ISO-3200).

L1011420-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 4. Two birds on a twig. I'm guessing the birds (relying on the bird app) are both House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), both male. Sigma 500mm (f/5.6, 1/4000 sec, ISO-6400).

L1011431-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 5. One of two birds leaving the twig. Once again, these look to both be male sparrows. I'm not sure if they are the same sparrows shown in Fig. 4., but they might be. (f/5.6, 1/4000 sec, ISO-6400.)

L1011625-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 6. Back to the wren on the pine tree. This little bird loves to get up there and chirp it's little heart out. (f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO-400.)

(All photos in this post were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)

To be continued. ...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Love
Likes phinds, DennisN, pinball1970 and 8 others
  • #2,099
Trip to Nebraska (part 2 of 3)

Continuing with the sparrows,

L1020591-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 7. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), male, on a twig. Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports (Leica L), (f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO-2000).

Fig.7 is a pretty aggressive crop, but with impressive sharpness of the Sigma 500 mm lens and the 60 megapixels of the Leica SL3, I can crop all day. I'm kind of blown away, really.

L1020457-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 8. Four birds on a twig. I believe the top bird is a male House Sparrow, and lower three are female House Sparrows. Same Sigma 500mm lens (f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO-4000).

L1020287-Enhanced-NR.jpg

Figure 9. American Robin (Turdus migratorius) on a pine tree branch. Same Sigma 500mm lens (f/5.6, 1/10 sec, ISO-100).

I just noticed now that the image in Fig. 9 was taken at only 1/10 second. I must have neglected to change my camera settings back to birds at some point (or accidentally twisted the shutter speed dial). The sharpness of the image is a testament to image stabilization of the Sigma lens + Leica SL3. Remember, it was a 500 mm lens, handheld, with only the balcony railing for stability.

L1020526-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 10. Robin and female sparrow in the bird bath. Same Sigma lens (f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO-1000).

L1011131-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 11. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, on twig. (f/5.6, 1/800 sec, ISO-1600.)

These cardinals were relatively tough to photograph. They didn't stick around in any one place for very long. They'd land on a branch and stay for only a few seconds or so before flying away to god knows where. After a while they would come and land on some other random branch but for only a few seconds. This is the best picture of my attempts.

L1020052-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 12. Dove on branch. I believe (relying on my bird app) that this is a Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). (f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO-1600.)

That mourning dove had its adoring eye on me for awhile. It would sit there, preening and lovingly cooing at me like it wanted to devour me as if I was a big, delicious cicada.

(All images posted here were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)

To be continued. ...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Love
Likes Astranut, phinds, DennisN and 6 others
  • #2,100
Trip to Nebraska (part 3 of 3)

Moving on to some other nature stuff in and around the trees and brush.

L1011207-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 13. Squirrel high up in a tree. I believe this is a Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger). Camera: Leica SL3. Lens: Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports (Leica L), (f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO-5000).

That squirrel shown in Fig. 13 was pretty high up in the tree, higher up than most of the birds I was shooting.

L1020818-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 14: Bunny near a tree. Same Sigma 500 mm lens (f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO-8000, handheld [no balcony railing this time]).

I don't know what kind of rabbit or hare is shown in Fig. 14 (maybe @BillTre could provide some insight).

L1020883-Final_1280x1363.jpg

Figure 15. Another Bunny. Or maybe it's the same bunny from Fig.14; I'm not sure -- there were a bunch of them. (f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISI-6400, handheld [no balcony railing support this time].)

The bunnies emerge from the nature stuff in the evening.

L1011078-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 16. Bird eating tasty cicada. My bird app suggests this is a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), male. (f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO-8000.)

Here, in Fig. 16, a grackle has found a delicious, tasty cicada. Mmmm. Yummy, yummy, nom-nom. Tasty, yummmy cicadas! Mmmm, nom-nom. Prime numbers! Yummy, yummy. Mmmmm.

My trip back to San Diego happened to be on the very same day as as the Crowdstrike debacle. Many of the computers were down in the airport. And as you can imagine there were lots of delays. I did eventually make it back to San Diego, but it took all day. I didn't arrive until well after dark.

L1030049-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 17. Scene at Omaha's Epply Airfield airport. Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH (f/2, 1/124 sec, ISO-100).

(All images in this post were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom)

-----------------------

I'll finish off with one last photograph that I took on this trip.

L1020965-Final_2048x1363.jpg

Figure 18. Footpath in Hummel Park. Same Leica 50 mm lens (f/5, 1/160 sec, ISO-100).

My sisters and I took a quick drive to revisit Hummel Park, a place I know well from my childhood and youth. Fig. 18 shows a path hidden away within the secluded backwoods. (If you dare to walk the path, it will lead you to Devil's Slide.)

The mere mention of Hummel Park often seems to strike a sense of unease and trepidation among residents of (North-) Omaha, due to some spooky myths and urban legends. I won't mention the specifics though, because none of them are true. None of them. Just pretend you've never heard of Hummel Park. Do you understand me? None of them are true. None of them. Not even one.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Love
  • Wow
Likes DennisN, pinball1970, Borg and 3 others

Similar threads

Replies
40
Views
3K
Replies
14
Views
3K
Replies
35
Views
5K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
24
Views
3K
Replies
30
Views
3K
Replies
22
Views
3K
Replies
31
Views
5K
Replies
21
Views
3K
Back
Top