Photography Open Thread
Friday Photography
This is the third of an ongoing series about everything to do with photography. Camera phone photography is the subject of this weeks post. Please post any photos, comment about anything or ask any questions about photography (If I don’t know the answer someone here probably will)- Please treat this as a photography open thread. .
Mobile Photography
This post scratches the surface of the most important development in photography since the negative and that is mobile photography. Of course almost all photography is mobile but the term is now used to specifically refer to images taken with cellphones or tablets. The iPhone is just about the best known of these devices but it is far from the only one.
The most obvious and immediate change has been the growth of social media and image sharing platforms. Here are a couple of numbers: in 2014 1.8 billion images a day were shared on the internet. 90% of the population who have taken at least one photo have only ever used a camera phone. While social media has been the major driving force behind mobile photography the cellphone camera has become an essential tool in other areas such as fine arts, photojournalism, street, and documentary photography.
In the world of fine art white walled galleries have been tripping over each other for some time now to create mobile photography shows. Even world famous artists have embraced the medium.David Hockney, the British painter of Californian swimming pools among other things.
Of course not every artist working with this technology is as well known as Hockney but there are many who are going to be more important with regard to this medium. I've included videos by three of my favorites. If you only watch one though, I'd recommend the Jaime Ferreyros one. Not only is his work very adventurous and really takes advantage of the medium but he also has an attitude that fits the immediacey of the medium. The video gives a great insight into his way of thinking and working.
Portability and being online combine to make the camera phone an essential tool for many photojournalists. Ben Lowri has produced some memorable images inluding the ones of Afghanistan featured in the linked article (nothing traumatic or NSFW. Lowi's images are heavily filtered and this does bring up the ethical question of just how much alteration should be allowed in an image that has a journalistic purpose. Opinions vary, personally I have no problem with his work as it is easy to see through the effects so to speak. If he were Photo-shopping objects or people in and out of frame that would be an entirely different matter.
An interesting aspect of the mobile photography phenomenon is the reaction by other photographers. Some embrace the new medium while others rail against it in a way that makes the PUMA Clinton supporters appear rational. I see it as a bit of a non-issue as the camera phone and the traditional DSLR camera are very different tools that excel at very different tasks. The cellphone camera is great for candid shots, street photography and up close and personal photo journalism but it is a terrible tool for say, formal portrait work or macro work. I don't want to get into a lot of technical detail here - suffice to say that the sensor size and available distance between the sensor and the rear lens element are major limiting factors. The objections from the more traditional photographers tend to come to aesthetic considerations - to put it bluntly they do not like the use of software filters (which are a major part of cellphone photography). I have a very live and let live attitude on this score - I enjoy trying out new things but I also enjoy working in a more formal environment and it is just a matter of selecting the right tools for the job.
Videos
Just to be clear these videos are about photography. Mobile videography is a huge subject in its own right and one that is way outside my field of expertise.
[video:https://vimeo.com/52221390]
The portraits of Nico Brons.
A slideshow consisting of some very interesting and quite disturbing work. Nothing graphic but definitely a dark undercurrent. I like these a lot.[video:https://vimeo.com/15906377]
An interesting look at one photographer’s process. Maia Panos takes a week or more to edit one iPhone image. Some of her work really appeals to me and some not so much.[video:https://vimeo.com/16871212]
Jaime Ferreyros. Interesting commentary by the artist. His images have an old analog film type feel. The work really pops. If you only want to watch one video I'd recommend this one.
Articles
Some discussions of the importance and significance of mobile photography.
Written in 2012 but still worth a read. There is a lot in it that I take issue with but that doesn’t negate its value.
Traditional photojournalists have most to fear from mobile photographers. If something dramatic happens on the street ... sorry, someone's already there taking a photo of it. Your average citizen photojournalist won't compose as well as a professional, but they will be on the spot to capture the moment and be able to publish immediately (heavy processing has no place in good photojournalism)
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/mobile-photography-r...
Not everyone is happy with the idea that just about anyone now has the means to take a photograph at anytime. This piece covers looks into that with a heavy slant towards photojournalism. A lot of criticism of mobile photography comes across as sour grapes but I do agree with one thing in this article - a cellphone is much harder to hold than a traditional camera. It doesn't feel as solid or well balanced as a 'real' camera.
Ging says he sees smartphones as a dilution of photography—that the average user ends up with average photographs because they lack basic camera skills, and that the influence of the smartphone has negatively impacted photojournalists.
“The amount of photographers are decreasing, but the papers still need photos,” he says regarding more news organizations sending their professional photography staff packing.http://www.ecollegetimes.com/iphone-kills-the-camera-star-how-smartphone...
Some iPhone images
I am primarily a DSLR and mirrorless camera user and son't claim any expertise in the field of mobile photography. These are posted just to give an idea of what the technology can do rather than anything else.
Final Thought
A camera didn't make a great picture anymore than a typewriter wrote a great novel
-Peter Adams
Comments
i like it. alot.
thanks.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
Thanks pfiore8 appreciated
Sterling work on the latest LL at TOP fiasco btw
suspect that you are no longer on his christmas card list
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
i really like how you capture
color, relationships... and scale (the building from you to the sky is awesome)
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
Thanks - Orange and blue
are complimentary colors. They weren't that saturated in real life though. The composition is just about leading lines.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
I am always amazed at the way
some people can look through the lens of a camera and see something that has never been seen in quite that way before, and then produce the image they see. I've tried, but have always failed miserably at capturing that view.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
and then think about doing it with the camera in a phone!
i take short videos of my dog on the phone when we walk in the park... it's mostly me calling to her: hey Bob, Bob, hey Bob... to get her to look at me. but she's usually too busy sniffing.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
After a while
I think it becomes instinctive - learning how the camera 'sees' is a big part of photography. One thing it taught me was just how much work the brain does processing the information that comes through our eyes. Cameras are really dumb.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
excellent article, steve...
one thing that i have found really interesting is how much the camera sees that we ignore.
especially in those situations where something is happening and you have to capture it quickly, sometimes you look back at the shot and find out that your eyes ignored something that is really obtrusive in the photo.
Thanks Joe
The unwanted clutter problem happens all the time - Once in a while though it works the other way - something I missed through the viewfinder makes the photo more interesting.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Photography has alw been easy for me
I think just like some people are able to write brilliant novels, some photographers just have the eye for what makes a great photo.
Since I'm not good with words, I don't think I'm saying what I want to say right.
I had a friend who would go with me to take photos and he'd set up his tripod, use his light meter, fuss around for 20 minutes or so and then take the picture.
I could just take it and when we got our prints back he'd say mine were much better.
My mom also had a great eye for taking pictures.
The only time I had a problem capturing what I saw through my eyes was at mammoth lakes. It's on the backside of Yosemite and the mountains are stunning. But I would look through the view finder and see that the picture wouldn't turn out right.
But a person who was drawing the same view I couldn't capture was able to.
On my website at the bottom, the photo of me and my dogs was taken at mammoth lakes. I think I could have taken better pictures from that climb, but I was out of film.
I'd love to go back there with my digital SLR and try again.
Thanks for doing this series, steve.
When digital first came out I thought that there was no way it would replace film photography.
But even in my line of work we use digital cameras to do retinal angiography.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
I envy anyone
that can take good landscape pictures and agree completely with Ansel Adams take:
For me photography isn't easy and it often takes me a long time to get the shot I want - but saying that it is extremely rewarding and I never regret the effort spent so the motivation is easy. I always want to be a better photographer than I am.
This is one of my few landscape attempts - Chicago from N. Indiana across a frozen Lake Michigan
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
This is one of my favorites
I had just gotten that Miata and it was the first car I'd ever owned that I truly loved. What made the picture so fun is that image was fresh out of the camera... no editing. In fact it was taken at night in a parking lot at a strip mall. It was a long exposure and the automatic white balance in the camera was adjusting for the orange sodium parking lot lights which is what turned the sky such a brilliant blue. In other words, it was a completely unplanned work of good fortune.
Insofar as using a less than professional camera, I'll never forget an article I read in a photo magazine talking about that very thing. The quote I remember was something like, "The best camera is the one you have with you at the moment" and accompanying the article were a series of utterly stunning photographs taken from cheap pocket cameras. As a result of that I started really seeing the world around me a LOT more carefully. I also started exercises where I'd randomly just pick some spot of ground and look at it until I found an interesting photo. It's amazing what is all around you when you really, really look.
---- edited to add
cool photos! definitely a photographer's eye.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
That is really cool
pic. I assumed that you'd altered temperature the color in post. The angle is perfect.
It really is all about the seeing. At the end of the day everything has been photographed to death so it really is a matter of seeing things in a different way.
One day I'll get myself a Miata
-drove a friends once.
edited to make the heading make sense!
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Thanks :)
It was like an unexpected treasure. Back then I was much newer at photography so things like white balance settings weren't really in my head. I was more worried about the long exposure. The angle undoubtedly came from me laying on my stomach in the middle of the parking lot at night and trying my best to hold the camera steady LOL because I didn't own a tripod.
I go back and forth between post processing. I'm quite skilled at photoshop and sometimes I have fun making something wonderful in post. The original of this photo is completely uninspiring. It's just my fairly regular looking wife laying nude on our pretty normal light brown carpet with whatever light was coming in the windows in the afternoon. Absolute junk in every respect.
My wife is an oil painter and this was a fairly normal shot of a model in our living room until I pretty much completely reconstructed it. I suspect there's at least 10 photos used in this along with about 50 additional "processing" photoshop layers
Other times I go into a purist jag and I want to work with the camera. One of my great regrets is that I lost a photo I'd taken once. We were in an art exhibit and the gallery was upscale... smooth grey carpets, overhead halogen lights to highlight the sculptures. And there, lying in this pool of sharp halogen light on that smooth grey carpet all by itself someone had dropped a red tic tac. It was an awesome "found" shot. Like a good strawberry, it was great all by itself and it didn't need any help. All I needed to do was actually see it as more than someone's dropped candy.
Honestly though, I feel like I've totally tangented from this thread which was about camera phones. I haven't actually owned one until just recently on my iPad Air2 and MAN am I astonished at how good the thing is. It's actually much better in many respects than the camera which took that Miata shot. Most of my photography nowadays is young women on a prosumer Canon 70d and pro Canon L glass. That's to help with my wife's figurative oil painting although she's getting better and better at handling the camera and lights.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Same here
sometimes anything goes and other times its straight out of camera, maximum dof so everything is in focus and no gimmicks whatsoever (including odd angles) I think its all part of the process to be honest. I do find that working with cellphones and an old point and shoot makes me less precious which is a good thing. I also think that some of this carries over into the DSLR work. My portraiture has loosened up a lot which is a good thing.
Amazing Photoshop work and believe me I am envious. - I love the global type editing - I use Lightroom and sometimes Nik Filters, mainly their BW one and an Analog one that gives results pretty similar to a lot of cell phone filters but with a little more finesse. I do have to use Photoshop for my real work though but it never feels instinctive. The problem isn't my understanding, I can do the masking, layering, blending etc but I guess it just feels a bit to technical. It feels like work!
There is no way I could produce the seco
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Did you know that Google nik
Is now free? I don't know if it works on Macs, but since I already have photoshop, I don't know if I would use it.
I rarely use PS any more because my photos seem to come out okay.
I did buy a great slide and film scanner to put my slides on my computer and had to use PS to clean up some defects.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
I just found that a week or so ago
And honestly, if anyone here is into photoshop and post-processing you NEED to get this plugin which used to be a $459 commercial product and is now free.
Get it here free
(spend the next 2 months learning how to use it LOL)
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Google made the Nik Collection
free about two weeks ago - I put a link up on an earlier essay. $500 when Nik owned it down to $150 when Google swallowed them up and now free. The downside is that this means that it is now abandonware and won't be updated anymore. This was pretty much expected as Google bought out Nik to get there hands on snapseed -Nik's mobile app. I still use Analog effex and silver effex (BW filter) - they are really useful and it is worth downloading the set for these two alone. Nik is very different to Photoshop (much less painstaking!) Also not only can it be used on the Mac but it works as a standalone - in other words you don't need to run it through other software like on windows.
Here is a pic where I did use Photoshop - as I snapped the pic a plastic garbage bag flew into shot - it didn't really add anything so it had to go.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Humble effort
with an old Olympus.
I don't have a smart phone.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Very cool
like the toning a lot. Nice sense of depth too.
One of my favorite photographers Alfred Stieglitz spent over a decade photographing clouds
http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/Stieglit...
I have to ask - what is the story behind your username. Assume it is a reference to British soccer
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Shouting at the ref via TV,
when actually I should have been shouting at the players of Spurs, who, until recently, were worthy of a denigrating shout.
Now they're second in the Premier League, I just shout at the refs regardless.
Leicester City will win though. The Spurs messed up last week.
I should note that the shot was taken after a very violent thunderstorm around sunset. Minnesota can be quite compelling at times.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Heh
In the 70s I used to get down to White Heart Lane for a lot of Spurs games - it was only a short tube rude from my home. I followed Man Utd though - used to go up on the train to Old Trafford Manchester every other Saturday.
Good times
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
My grandfather used to take us to games in London
Never been to White Hart Lane, ironically,.......... but Stamford Bridge, Loftus Road, Craven Cottage...... the old Wembley......... Vicarage Road in Watford.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
White Hart Lane
was one of my favorite grounds - great atmosphere. Used to go to Highbury to watch Spurs mortal enemies Arsenal if they had a game and no one else did locally - gawd they were boring though.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Love it.
I saw an international rugby test match in 1974. I was going to school at Trinity College Carmarthen. I was the only Yank, we drove over to Cardiff and watched the Welsh play the All Blacks at the old Cardiff Arms Park. Even though the Welsh side lost, it was one of the best days of my life.
And we were singing hymns and arias, land of my fathers, and Harry's got a horse.
"Just call me Hillbilly Dem(exit)."
-H/T to Wavey Davey
We had a Welsh assistant headmaster
who would do amazing baritone things when hymns were sung at school.
When a certain hymn was up for singing, everyone knew what was about to happen.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Saw a lot of Games at Twickenham
(Englands ground) would have given anything to see the All Blacks in action.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Loathed rugby
walked off the pitch after a particularly violent tackle, back to the changing room.
Cricket and Football kept me sane.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Twickers.
Also known as HQ.
"Just call me Hillbilly Dem(exit)."
-H/T to Wavey Davey
Twickers to the 1% :)
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
steve, check out this guy's website
He has some stunning photos and he used to have a tv show and he would go to the most amazing places and wait hours for the light to be just right.
Reminds me of ansel adams.
http://www.lik.com
I looked into how much a medium format camera is and the camera alone is mucho money. Then another $5,000 for a lense.
My work let me buy a hasseblad and all the rest of the equipment for portrait photography and I took it to glacier park, but wasn't very impressed with the quality of the photos. Plus it was a pita to learn how to use it.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Cool work
I like the fact that he uses non-traditional rations i.e. very long and thin.
Medium format is a whole new ballpark of horrendous expense. I have done some MF work but always with borrowed or rented gear. The backs can cost around $10k IIRC
To be honest I prefer working with APS-C sensors than with 35 mm ones which of course is a step in the opposite direction to medium format. I don't do a lot of very narrow depth of field work (which is where the larger sensors come into their own) or require prints larger than 18" x 10" so I am happy to spend a lot less
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
(No subject)
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
My cell phone doesn't take good pictures
I'm sure it's the cell phone's fault
On the other hand, I love my DSLR (Canon Rebel T3i):
“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett
Not all cell phone cameras are created equal
-bad ones are really bad. Saying that this shot would be impossible with just about any cellphone. I've tried to get insects in flight with my DSLR and never got a good shot.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
It's not the phone camera
It's a recent iphone. I just haven't figured out how to work it right. Still haven't given up yet!
“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett
I'm working on figuring out...
The iPhone 6s at the moment...
I'm pretty sure it can do good things...
I just haven't figured them out yet...
I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."
~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,
Definitely loving the color balance in that
Those oranges and greens are awesome together. I'd have probably liked it better sans moth although it does add an element of action to it all. Then again, I've always liked color.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Wonderful shot!
in so many ways. Thanks for posting it.
To thine own self be true.
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Improve the Resilience Resource Library by adding your links.
Vote Smart - Just the Facts - 40,000 politicians by name or zipcode
Love the stealth
moth? in the ivy and the pink and white flower. Seeing these makes me wish that our weather wasn't around freezing with snow sleet or rain - need to get out in the garden and take some pics.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
jigsaw puzzles
Some of the photo images in today's Essay would make fine jigsaw puzzles. As a Linux user, I have access to a program called Palapeli which is a digital jigsaw puzzle program. One of Palapeli's features allows its user to convert any digital image file into a Palapeli jigsaw puzzle. Again, many of the images here would make excellent ones, and in some cases very challenging ones.
Bollox Ref, your image would be the most challenging, as it consists of various shades of one color. Once you got the edge pieces assembled, filling in the rest would be sheer hell. It would resemble a Palapeli puzzle I once created out of a USDA photo of red tomato slices. Solving the puzzle was a real pain!
Anyway, unless the creator(s) object, I'd recommend any image in this Essay for use as a Palapeli jigsaw puzzle!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Sounds interesting
My wife is a writer but she always keeps a puzzle on the go for therapy - I'm slowly getting hooked and find that I can't walk past the table without putting at least one piece in place - latent OCD I reckon. Some of the puzzles she does are nigh on impossible but she slogs through them.
Unfortunately I haven't got a linux machine at the moment and have to be a bit careful with my other computers (don't want to risk partitioning as everything is working really well and both systems are really clean.)
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Try doing a puzzle of a masterpiece
Like Emily Carr's "Big Raven" as an example. You will remember things about that painting forever.
To thine own self be true.
There's an app for that...
You are right about using these fabulous photos for jigsaw puzzles! They would be great. On my iPad, I have an app called " Jigsaw Puzzle" (catchy title) where you can make a digital puzzle from any photo. I like doing puzzles of afghans I've made, for example. You can make it as easy or challenging as you want--it's a lovely thing.
I will pass the info on
-I suspect she'd like that - and I might get the dining room table back
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
well, I think hands on puzzles
are very satisfying and absorbing--to me the digital one isn't really a replacement, just another fun thing to tinker with.Besides, that's what dining room tables are for--projects!
i'm not wild about my cell camera...
it really could use some image stabilization, but maybe the next iteration of my smartphone will have that.
here's one i clicked with it of baltimore's inner harbor:
Joe: reply below - one day I'll get it right n/t
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
heh...
i'm starting to get better at it, but i still occasionally do the same thing.
i checked the exif for that shot, it's f2.2 at 4.1mm which i think is wide open for my smartphone.
I think that the aperture
in mine is fixed at f/2.2 never thought to check the exif data - I will report back. My guess is that the aperture is fixed, the shutter speed will have a minimum value and the iso will be the variable that the camera adjusts to get the correct exposure - I could well be wrong though.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Worthy shot
lights, water, reflection.... hard to go wrong with that combination
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Great photo, joe
I love the reflections in the ripples.
Phone or regular camera?
There are a lot of great apps for the iPhone and I think one is an image stabilizer.
My silly tracphone won't connect to my computer so I can't get the photos off it.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Beautiful image Joe
makes me want to be there. Colors are superb. No cell phone could get that shot I suspect.
Of course iPhones are completely auto. I think that the aperture is around f/2.2 and the camera adjusts the iso to allow for a shutter speed that is fast enough - again a guess but that would be around 1/35 or greater (iPhones are around 35mm focal length equivalent of a DSLR. Short version: they are pretty good in low light. I am using an ipod touch which only has the 5mp sensor so things may have changed.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Thank you stevej for this post--I'll have to drop in
and watch all the videos tomorrow (because of time constraints this evening), so I may have a question or two to run by you this weekend.
I'm not even sure what quality my cell phone cameras are, or how it is measured--which shows my level of knowledge, or lack thereof.
Is it the MB that determines the camera quality?
As you're finding out, myself excluded, there are a number of very excellent photographers in this Community.
Later.
Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive."
----Gilda Radner, Comedienne
National Mill Dog Rescue
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Agree totally
have seen some great work here. There is also a group that are very interested in birds and there seems to be a lot of cross over. Burned Out has some great bird shots - there are others but there names escape me at the moment.
I could be wrong on this but I think that cell phone cameras fall into two categories - pretty good and abysmal. I use an iPod Touch which was the first model to have a usable camera - the one before it was garbage. difference is night and day. Now all iPods, iPads and a lot of Android phones have good cameras. The MP (megapixels) could be a guide - if it is 5mp or over you may be in luck. The lower quality cameras generally had less. If you let me know the make of the phone I can find out for you.
The videos are worth watching - the quality of some of the work and imagination blew me away.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Hey, stevej--here's the specs for my (Android)
Galaxy II (older phone); so, hopefully, there's not too much to figure out.
Samsung Galaxy S II Review
Camera Reviews / Samsung Cameras
We have new smart phones arriving Wednesday, but I suspect that their cameras will not surpass the Galaxy--they fit the bill for reasons 'other than taking photos.' Didn't even notice the camera MG for them when we ordered them, but looked it up because I was posting this comment. So, I won't search for their specs.
Anyhoo, getting ready to watch the videos. I may get ambitious after viewing them, and see if I can take a few shots that are worthy of posting when I visit Nelle (Harper) Lee's birthplace, and grave site in a couple of months.
But, not holding my breath on that one!
Thanks again.
Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress
"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."--Cicero
--Chris Hedges, Journalist/Author/Activist, Truthdig, 9/20/2015
Visit Us At Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Still haven't gotten out of the house
And it's still cold and snowing...
" 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 "
SWEET SHOT!
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Much the same here
at the southern end of Lake Michigan. It's cold, snowing and the grass needs mowing. Not good.
Beautiful pic - what type of bird?
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
I have a cheap
flip phone that is only on for emergencies. Calling CAA and the like. It does have a camera but I have never used it.
I will have to dig through some old files to find the photos I took years ago with my film camera... just a little commercial one (I cannot remember what it was called) but I got some good shots from it.
Now I use a Canon Power Shot... And I seem to get some good results...the photos below were taken with it of my garden last year. I've not gotten the hang of low light yet...but I am working on it.
Had to snap this one quick as they were in a hurry to get home before full daylight. Mom was off to the left calling to them. She has four babies every year.
Same family of racoons, I call this one "The Breakfast Club". They are feasting on a patch of wild strawberries I have cultivated for a ground cover to hold that bank from pushing over the retaining wall. Their mother is off in the dark near my car laying in the grass watching.
We have been tracking Monarchs here...so this was a nice thing to see in my garden.
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Low light is a lot easier
with a DSLR than a point and shoot or a cellphone - the larger sensor makes all the difference. Saying that Apple have made huge strides in getting the most out of a small sensor. Getting good closeup nature shots is really tricky with small sensor cameras as the background stays in sharper focus. With a DSLR it is very easy to blur out the background. Saying that I really do like the monarch shot. Related note - we have seen a lot more monarchs over the last few years than we did previously and have no idea why that should be.
I do miss working with film sometimes it really is different. Saying that, I don't miss the chemicals and the mess at all.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Sorry....
I don't know what "DSLR" means... *sheepish shrug*
Over the past several years there has been a huge effort to replant habitat for the Monarch. Drives to keep people from killing off the dandelion and efforts to replant milkweed in gardens had helped a lot I think.
I still cannot remember the name of the camera I took these with, but they are special to me.
I call this one "Wide Open". Way in the distance you can see the Santa Elena Canyon in the Big Bend National Park. The Canyon leads from the US side of the Rio Grande into Mexico.
These next ones are from Taos, New Mexico
And this last one I took in San Antonio, Tex. My family and I were chasing balloons during a hot air rally.
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These are all beautiful
These are the ones shot on film? they certainly have that feel. The second one down is my favorite I think - love the soft light and the composition - the blue frame is perfectly placed.
DSLR = the bigger cameras where the lenses can be changed. The expensive ones have sensors that are the same size as 35mm film (cheaper ones are smaller but still way bigger than point and shoots or cellphones.)This makes for a huge difference in quality especially in low light.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Thank you! That means a lot... :-)
Yes, these last were all shot with a little 35 mm VIVIATAR. ( I finally remembered! )
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I was surprised my iPad
takes such good photos. I'm not doing too much with pics now due to my illness but here and there I've taken a few. I wanted to share a tree frog pic but have never uploaded here before-- couldn't get it to work although I did find the user files page. Oh well, I'll try another time. (Not using flikr right now, snarled synapses and old computer make it frustrating, though I used to.)
Thanks for the lovely essay and discussion!
really pleased that so many
really pleased that so many here are into photography.
The uploading is a bit complicated -took me a while to get the hang of it. I'll put a picture up now and list the instructions.
My computers new but can sympathize re the synapses - serious medical issues in the past thankfully resolved now but still very prone to brain fog and shiny object syndrome - In other words it has left me very easily distracted.
Edited to add: heard really good things about the cameras in recent iPad air.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
msg below was meant to reply to you
I see what I did, very tricksy.
thanks,
that'll be nice!
My brain is getting better but for a long time I've been hampered by the inability to multi-task, at all. It turns out, much of what we do really involves holding more than one thing in your head at a time! Problem solving, for example. Even cooking! On bad days I completely freak out over trying to prepare even a simple meal. Too many tasks all at once, can't do it. Instead, I will do one thing (make the rice, or put potatoes in the oven) and flee the kitchen; my husband fortunately likes to cook so he assembles the rest.
I have a nice camera (Nikon D40) but haven't touched it for a long time, too overwhelming. But, my brain is improving, I think I will recover my abilities. People with a well functioning brain have no idea how marvelous it is!! I know I'm in awe of my past self, lol.
Sounds very similar to my problem
and the cooking example really brings it home. I had to mentally walk through a meal or, on bad days write myself instructions in time order before I even started cooking and if my wife even asked me a simple question while I was cooking it would completely fry my brain. Multitasking was definitely out - prior to this one of my strengths was the ability to move between unrelated tasks very easily and not lose focus. Things have gradually improved over the past five years though but when I sit down to write I never know if it is going to be a two thousand word or a two hundred word day.
If you have any questions re the D40 just let me know either on one of these threads or via a message - I still use a D40x which is, to all intents and purposes, the same camera and know it inside out. Any DSLR is intimidating at first but that goes very quickly. At first don't worry, just set it on automatic and shoot away - treat it like a basic camera until it feels more comfortable.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
thanks, I will certainly take you up on that
when I get back to the camera again, appreciate it! May be a while yet, but I'll get there.
Your challenge does sound very similar to mine. There must be a certain specific brain function that's affected by something. I would make lists for the simplest things--say I needed to stop at the pharmacy and also the grocery store. Two things was difficult. If I didn't write it down, I'd forget one of those errands! Drive all the way home and realize I didn't get what I set out for.
I found it very helpful to talk aloud to myself while buying groceries, I guess it helped me focus. Mostly I don't thing anybody ever noticed, but I didn't care if I seemed weird.
My lyme treatment (antibiotics etc) eventually helped this a lot, and now I'm in a methylation program that seems to help--after a couple of months already I feel more verbal. Like blathering on and on in somebody's thread, LOL!
Am really pleased
that things are better - I think that mine was complications from undiagnosed sleep apnea - probably for years. My wife isn't convinced that there wasn't a virus or bacteria involved. I used to swim a lot in Lake Michigan. I found that any type of stress however minor, and overheating eating too much sugar/refined carbs, and exposure to allergens made me much worse.
Now I find that half an hour a day on a treadmill and as little sugar as possible are enough to keep things under control.
Edited to add: Re the D40 just hit me up anytime - I've been using mine for around ten years now.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
that'll do it
sleep apnea will wreck a person, glad you got it diagnosed. I do agree with your wife, though, about the microbes being a factor. I think once diagnosis technology takes another leap forward, we're going to find a lot of chronic problems involve stubborn microbes.
Thanks again for the inspiration. I will start thinking about photos.
Loads of interesting
work has coming to the fore since I had my problems and yes, a lot of microbial links in the chain. That could be the subject of an essay on its own.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Hi Steve, Great post
I wasn't around Friday, as it was my final day. That class made me very tense and I feel so free now.
I hope you continue this excellent series. Well done!
To thine own self be true.
reply below
aaaargh-I must stop doing that
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
Thanks Marilyn appreciated
I plan to keep it going for as long as there is interest. It takes a bit of time but it is a good excuse for me to take a break and look at other peoples work and catch up on some reading and research - gets me out of my own little bubble
Sounds like a tough class - hope that you got a lot out of it. Was it the abstraction from nature one?
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire
You might ponder putting a thread up with a week long assignment
I'd have gone out and deliberately taken some iPad shots (closest thing I have to a cell phone camera) if I'd had time for it.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Yes, Painting with Nature as a Resource
The teacher said, "no matter what exercise I gave, you always went off and did your own thing, with the stripes." Not that he didn't like the stripes. I wonder why they always come to my mind. I've never spent time behind bars, not physically anyway.
Looking forward to the rest of your series.
To thine own self be true.
I'm pondering
let me think on it for a day or so
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire