Friday Photography, April 7, 2017 … Playing with the camera.

Good evening all.

To me, playing with the camera means something like using it as a medium for trying out different moves or strategies; sometimes happily discovering in the process one that moves you. The element of surprise is one that keeps me engaged and wanting to play with the camera.

I would have loved to spend more time trying out different possibilities with these taro leaves, but the infusion of mosquitoes we've had because of the past few days of rain drove me away too soon.

Photographing in an environment or with subject matter that we don’t usually drift toward, recalculating our focus, photographing on a windy or rainy day; plus other endless possibilities, are all means I would consider and encourage playing with.

Digital photography is a great medium for rehearsing in. You can see what you're doing in the moment, and at no expense. I believe the real value of playing with the camera lies in the sense of wonder and curiosity that it stimulates.

What moves you?

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

janis b's picture

@dkmich

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

Will Hansel and Gretel survive...?

P3040008-2.jpg

Haven't done much photographering in the last week, even though I 'acquired' a new camera.

We will soon be entering 'Mosquito Season'.

Cheers Janis!

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

Do you know what the flowers and berries are that so beautifully complement the sharpness of the spruce tree? The thick smooth trunk at the bottom looks like a fruit tree of some kind.

Happy mosquito season ; ). At least the cold kills yours off for some seasons.

OT... I just put some freshly sliced ginger in to marinate with coconut cider and chili flakes. Do you think I should add lemon?

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

@janis b

I think you should go with armagnac!

As to the plants in the photo...... I know nothing.

(Edited)

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

I'll have to remedy that sometime. Probably too late for the ginger though.

up
0 users have voted.
boriscleto's picture

_IMG4661.jpg

_IMG4673.jpg

_IMG4689.jpg

_IMG4712.jpg

_IMG4723.jpg

_IMG4742.jpg

_IMG4748.jpg

_IMG4786.jpg

_IMG4792.jpg

_IMG4798.jpg

_IMG4811.jpg

_IMG4813.jpg

_IMG4823.jpg

_IMG4831.jpg

_IMG4840.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "

Knucklehead's picture

@dkmich @boriscleto Boriscleto, as usual you thrill me with your bird images. You seem to capture them all in natural poses. I suspect you`ve trained many of them to show their best side, respectively.

up
0 users have voted.

I`m already against the next war

janis b's picture

@boriscleto

To see the individuality and character of each is a rare treat.

I envy you the sights and sounds of Spring in the NE.

up
0 users have voted.
Pricknick's picture

One of my rescues.
PricknickIzzy.JPG

up
0 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

janis b's picture

@Pricknick

Cool - an ancient rescue, and looking very rare.

I thought you might be interested in this artist's night photography.

up
0 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

nice photos janis! too bad about the mosquitos. i guess you shouldn't have to donate a pint of blood just to get a great picture. Smile

lots of things move me, color is a big one, but there are other things. i just picked a bunch of shots at random from my flickr page that grabbed my eye as i flipped through:

IMG_6456lcs (Small)

IMG_8045 (Small)

delfest_2010_david_grisman_bluegrass_experience_img_1558c (Small)

IMG_0154 (Small)

IMG_9507l (Small)

IMG_1299 (2)-640

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@joe shikspack

Exciting photos, all. I especially enjoyed the playing/splashing ducks, and the joy of the three singers! Thank you, joe.

up
0 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

A few shots from an overnight trip to Ocotillo Wells last weekend.

Starry Night
DSC_8383.jpg

Find the Big Dipper
DSC_8389.jpg

Roadway to the sun
DSC_8392.1.jpg

Red mountins
DSC_8394.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

snoopydawg's picture

@Socialprogressive

IMG_0972.JPG

Has anyone done this type of night photography?

This tree is my favorite one at the cemetery where I walk every day. It's 80-100 years old if not older and they are trying to save it. You can see where a large part of it broke off during a wind storm.
I'll take other photos of it after it has leafed out.
IMG_0995.JPG
Unfortunately I took this with my phone which takes crappy photos and I can't see the view if it's sunny. But if I take my other camera out I don't see anything to photograph.

up
0 users have voted.

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

@snoopydawg I think your ancient tree was once pollarded. The branches were cut back every year for several years, but the practice was not kept up. I had a beautiful Catalpa which had been pollarded years before I bought the house. The branches were horizontal and too heavy to be supported by their own growth. I tried, but after about 35 years, I could no longer save the tree. So, sadly, I have no advice as to how to save the tree in your photo. Good luck.

sfern

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@sfern

for your wishes and efforts to save the life of old trees.

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

This photographer's work looks interesting. Google has lots of sites for night photography tips.

Your great old tree image is a perfect example of shooting blinded by the sun, but saved by the camera.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@janis b
Apparently I can get a program for my Mac to do this type of photography. And it won't cost me buko bucks on film anymore to get that one photograph that turns out.

. I took the photo without incident, an easy blend of at least 47 different images with different focal lengths, focus points, and degrees of inebriation. Just kidding. I won’t brag about my technical prowess. This is just a vertical stitch of three horizontal shots.

Here's the link to his website.
https://iso.500px.com/a-hilarious-description-of-an-incredible-photograph/

up
0 users have voted.

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

This was a pretty easy shot to take. I just had to hike to hooker glacier lake, stay warm, and keep my tripod still in 70km winds ... I saw a possum on the way back, what a cheeky little bugger

Fortunately, at least I don't have to hike a glacier to find a cheeky possum. I can just step outside tonight and possibly see or hear one. And yes, they can sound quite aggressive, and send me back inside.

up
0 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

@snoopydawg
Check out http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/all-section-list
It's a Photography forum with a lot of people willing to help you out and pass on what they know. It includes a long list of specific topics to choose from, including astronomical photography.

up
0 users have voted.

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

snoopydawg's picture

@Socialprogressive
I have done star trails with my old film cameras and got some great photos. However I have no idea where they or the negatives are. In one of the many boxes in my basement. Sigh.
Both sites look great.
I bought an intervalometer remote cable that lets me take photos at different intervals, but what I need is a windows computer so I can use the programs that let me stack the photos. I have an older pc laptop but I can't find a power cord for it.

up
0 users have voted.

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

janis b's picture

@Socialprogressive

and especially the 'starry night', where man meets the cosmos.

up
0 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

@janis b

up
0 users have voted.

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

janis b's picture

up
0 users have voted.
Knucklehead's picture

Experiments in "Lite"

Inner Light
INNER LIGHT DSCN7733

Ali Lights

DSCN0172

Green Light

DSCN0226

White Light

DSCN0175

Addendum:
Smoke Light (Long Lost Lady & the Blues)

LONG LOST LADY & THE BLUES.

Light Fantastic

DSCN0171

Mourning Light

2 DSCN7545

Raindrop Light

FUTURE WORLD 2

Family Light

DINNER PARTY

Secret Light

DSCN6871

Overhead Light (A saltwater Jacuzzi I built)

DSCN0372

Evening, Final Light

DSCN0344

Ya`ll have a great weekend, y`hear.

up
0 users have voted.

I`m already against the next war

janis b's picture

@Knucklehead

Thank you for reinforcing that, in all its forms.

up
0 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@Knucklehead

up
0 users have voted.
Daenerys's picture

Hi everyone! Found some mandarin ducks yesterday.


Mandarin ducks are native to eastern China, Japan and the southeast corner of Russia, but there are some feral populations here and there. These were at a nearby park; I commented on how they were so much easier to find than my hooded mergansers, hah!

These are from a few weeks ago; I just really like the light and reflection in this one:

Take care

up
0 users have voted.

This shit is bananas.

janis b's picture

@Daenerys

There’s something sad in the realisation that the native population (hooded mergansers) need to lay low and hide themselves, while the showy tourists seem to have no fear.

The single mandarin duck photo is especially beautiful. I do also love the warm, soft light on the seagulls.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Daenerys
I am going to wait until the trees have leafed our a little more. Maybe after it stops raining in 8-14 days according to the forecast.
How are you liking your camera?
I got my manual out to read again and see all the things my camera can do. Apparently I have been using the wrong settings for landscapes.

up
0 users have voted.

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

Daenerys's picture

@snoopydawg Not yet. I was going to go last Saturday, but then I was making French macarons and that is such a process that we just went to Decker Lake for a little while; it was really windy again and there wasn't much to see anyway. Tomorrow is supposed to rain again; blah. Hopefully next Saturday!

I still really like the camera.

up
0 users have voted.

This shit is bananas.

Bollox Ref's picture

2007_08300054_2.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

@janis b

Thanks for hosting Janis.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

it was my pleasure. Thanks Bollox.

up
0 users have voted.