Month: September 2007

Liberty

Liberty

I got bored the other day and decided to shoot some more macros using the Poor Man’s Macro technique. This penny happened to be on the window sill above the kitchen sink. I was shooting on the counter, next to the sink, because there was plenty of natural light. I think I dug it up in the yard a couple of weeks ago. I’ve blogged about a couple of other shots taken using the reverse lens technique here and here.

I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of this technique. First, I use a tripod now. That really helps keep the camera steady and frees up one hand to hold the reversed lens. I also started switching between manual and auto focus. Once you steady the camera, you can select the focus with the normal lens. It makes a big difference. Between changing the focal distance and actually moving the subject closer and farther from the camera I gained a lot of flexibility in choosing the focal point for the shot. I do need to figure out a way to mount the lens on the camera. My hand started to cramp up from holding the lens.

Overall, I’m pleased with the results this time. I had a good time taking the pictures and coming up with different things to shoot. I’m making list of other items to take macro photos of, so I’m sure to be posting more of Poor Man’s Macro shots soon. At least it will give me something to shoot as the rainy weather starts up again.

I also downloaded the trial version of Lightroom, so the EXIF data is now being read by Zooomr. You can get the shot details there. A friend on Zooomr also posted a very similar photo of a penny today. I guess we had the same inspiration.

Here are a few other shots from the macro session:
Ingredients

Links 1

Self Defense

Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon
The moon coming up last night was just amazing. Our family was out on a walk when it came up, so I missed the best part of the moon rise, but I hurried home (dragging the poor dog behind me) to grab my camera. I got a few shots before the moon got too high. Good thing I did, the fog came in tonight completely hiding the moon.

I used my new Manfrotto 190XPORB tripod with a 804RC2 head. The tripod is great. I had tried a couple of cheap tripods and finally decided to spend the money on a good one. I have not regretted it in the least. This is a great tripod and head

Shot Details

Shooting Date/: 9/26/2007 19:28:17
Shutter Speed: 1/500Sec.
Aperture Value:7.1
ISO Speed: 400
Lens: EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Focal Length: 300.0 mm

Lonely Playground

A long way down
I went into the little town of Penngrove for lunch yesterday and stopped by the park to take pictures. The park is one of the few with old, metal playground equipment, the kind all parks had when I was a kid. We’ve taken the kids there a few times, and they always have fun.

It’s not a fancy, shinny new park, but it has a lot of heart and character. You can easily imagine generations of kids playing there. I can easily picture kids from any time in the last 60 years swinging and sliding and laughing here. While the new playground equipment offers twisty slides, climbing walls, and rubber coated steps, they just lack character.

Shot Details

Shooting Date: 9/25/2007 12:48:40
Shutter Speed: 1/125Sec.
Aperture Value: F3.5
ISO Speed:200
Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length: 18.0 mm

I took several other shots that I posted on Zooomr, here are a few:
IMG_1335
IMG_1332
IMG_1344

She steals the sun

She steals the sun

The weekend was full of work around the house and not enough photography. I tried to get a sunset shot yesterday, but it just wasn’t that great. At least I was out for a bit. I grabbed a couple of quick shots tonight while walking to and from my car while downtown for an appointment this evening.

This bench, and many others like it, were made by the shop class at Petaluma High. They’ve been making benches and bike racks for the downtown for a couple of years now and it’s great. The students get to do real projects and the town benefits. Kudos to the students for great work. Your town appreciates it.

Shot Details

Shooting Date: 9/24/2007 18:16:36
Shutter Speed: 1/125Sec.
Aperture Value: F5.0
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length: 38.0 mm

Here’s another shot I took tonight:
9-24-2007_3

You get confused, but you know it

You get confused, but you know it
Just a shot today. Taken at the de Young Museum, San Francisco. Again, I don’t know the artist or the name of the piece. Let me know if you do. Larger view: http://static.zooomr.com/images/3260068_f23d53a0b3_b.jpg

Shot Details

Shooting Date: 8/18/2007 15:42:14
Shutter Speed: 1/60Sec.
Aperture Value: F6.3
Exposure Compensation: -1/3
ISO: 800
Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length: 46.0 mm

Our Love Shines Like Rain

Our Love Shines Like Rain

Here’s one from the archive. Nearly a month ago my family and I took a day trip to San Francisco to walk the Golden Gate Bridge and visit the de Young Museum. This is one of the shots from the de Young. Unfortunately I didn’t write down the artist or title. I would like to give credit, so if you know please email me.

I don’t have much experience photographing art work, and most of the exhibit halls have poor lighting for photography, so I didn’t take a lot of pictures. The lighting is great for showcasing the works of art, but there’s just not enough light for shooting photos. The museum has a “no flash” rule, so that wasn’t an option. I had been scolded for not carrying my backpack below my waist, so didn’t want to push my luck with a flash. All my shots from the museum have a lot of noise from cranking up the ISO.

The de Young has an amazing collection of art. There really is no way to describe it because the collections span every time period, medium, and style. No matter what your taste in art, there’s something there for you. We only spent a couple of hours there, but I really could have spent the whole day. My two younger kids got a little bored, but behaved exceptionally. Kids need a lot of stimulation and interactivity to really become engage in something (other than TV). While I think it’s good to expose them to the arts at a young age, I don’t want to do it at the expense of others enjoying it. My kids were great, but I don’t want to take them there for an entire day. I’ll go back soon with my wife and oldest daughter and really take my time. Then we’ll take the whole family to the zoo.

I didn’t take art history in college and really don’t know much about art, I just know what catches my attention and draws me in. It’s hard to pick a favorite from that day given the short amount of time we were there, but the Hiroshi Sugimoto exhibit running until September 23, 2007 really stands out nearly a month later. Maybe that’s because it is a photography exhibit, but I don’t think so. There is something truly magical about his work. To be honest, I had never seen his work before, but he instantly became one of my favorites. He makes photography a true art form. I’m glad I got to experience it in person the first time I saw it. Seeing it in a book or online does not have the same impact. The “Sea of Buddha” is amazing to see in person. Well worth the price of admission just to see that one piece.

Shot Details

Shooting Date: 8/18/2007 15:52:24
Shutter Speed: 1/25Sec.
Aperture Value: F5.6
ISO Speed:1600
Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length: 46.0 mm

It’s kinda creepy

It's kinda creepy
Just a quick post. I shot this at my youngest daughter’s soccer game two days ago. Not much to say about it, just look interesting at the time. I knew I wanted it to be a high-contrast black and white image when I shot it. It pretty much came out how I planned. Cool. As for the title, that’s what my oldest daughter said when she saw the shot.

Also, I wanted to point people to publicengery’s recent blog post. His stuff is awesome, and he rides. I’m jealous, biking is something I want to do much more of. Keep riding Dave.

Shot Details:

Shooting Date: 9/10/2007 17:55:05
Shutter Speed: 1/400Sec.
Aperture Value: F5.6
ISO Speed: 400
Lens: EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Focal Length: 300.0 mm

Renewable Resource

Renewable Resource

Today I was having lunch with my wife downtown while the kids were at school, and I saw this 20ish guy with a Canon T70 camera. I asked him about the camera and we struck up a quick conversation on photography. Turns out
he’s taking black and white photography class at the local Junior College and using his parents old 35mm film camera. I blogged about the photography I did back in college using my T70 and even posted a picture of my camera on Zooomr.

He probably wasn’t born when I got my camera, and said he thought his parents got his camera before he was born. My old T70 is broken and had been stored in the attic until a couple of weeks ago when I decided to use my 50mm lens for Poor Man’s Macro shots. I had also had the 75-200mm lens pictured here. Since I wasn’t using it anymore I offered it to the him for free. He was extremely grateful and shocked. This evening I dropped the lens off to him at work (he works in grocery store that I had to go to anyway). He still couldn’t quite believe his good fortune.

I was happy to give him the lens. It was doing me no good and he will put it to good use. He seems to really enjoy photography, and is wondering if he can make a career of it. Maybe someday he’ll be a famous photographer and I can say I helped him get started. I was also touched by his response. He was genuinely thankful and excited. A lot of kids I’ve seen around have a sense off entitlement, like the world owes them something. Not this young man. He’s working hard, going to college, and loves photography.

So here’s to Steven, a budding young photographer using recycled equipment to shoot black and white film. I can’t wait to see his work.