Having a zoom lens allows too many options at times. I moved in closer and zoomed out to get a similar framing. The result has a different feel. I can't decide if it is more succesful though.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Satisfaction
While waiting for the harriers to turn up I wandered around, snapping away. Oddly I find the non-bird pictures hold my attention more. I'm guessing it's because I find them more graphically interesting.
Having a zoom lens allows too many options at times. I moved in closer and zoomed out to get a similar framing. The result has a different feel. I can't decide if it is more succesful though.
Having a zoom lens allows too many options at times. I moved in closer and zoomed out to get a similar framing. The result has a different feel. I can't decide if it is more succesful though.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Harriers
I've been tempted back to trying to capture some wildlife shots this last few days. I have a shot in mind, but the window of opportunity is small (about an hour) and the birds fickle.
A full frame camera's low light performance and focus tracking would be beneficial, but so would the reach of a crop sensor. It's hard to decide which route to take.
The first of the shots below is closest to what I'm after - a harrier hunting over the reedbed with an evening sky as the backdrop.
This third shot is of an unexpected hen harrier which came even closer - but the autofocus went haywire and I got a slightly blurry shot that should have been spot on. So it goes.
A full frame camera's low light performance and focus tracking would be beneficial, but so would the reach of a crop sensor. It's hard to decide which route to take.
The first of the shots below is closest to what I'm after - a harrier hunting over the reedbed with an evening sky as the backdrop.
This third shot is of an unexpected hen harrier which came even closer - but the autofocus went haywire and I got a slightly blurry shot that should have been spot on. So it goes.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Portrait landscapes
Two similar compositions from an evening walk. To a degree the equipment used has dictated the visual outcomes, which helps emphasise the nature of the two subjects - which are actually both man made watercourses just a few dozens of yards apart. Both have been processed from RAW files, the most drastic manipulation being the addition of graduation to the skies.
The photograph on the right was shot using a telephoto zoom on a full frame DSLR which results in the shallow depth of focus giving a soft look that suits the more natural elements of the image.
The photograph on the right was taken using the X10 on a wide angle setting giving greater depth of focus laying stress on the industrial elements of the sewage works. The straight course of the ditch and the hard edge of the pipe in the foreground contrast with the delicate reed stems and the curves of the water in the left hand picture.
Individually the images work. Together they make a pair commenting on what we think of as the natural world and man's intrusion into it - while one scene looks entirely natural it has been created to appear that way, yet the other is obviously artificial and has been colonised by nature.
None of this occurred to me at the time I made the pictures!.
The photograph on the right was shot using a telephoto zoom on a full frame DSLR which results in the shallow depth of focus giving a soft look that suits the more natural elements of the image.
The photograph on the right was taken using the X10 on a wide angle setting giving greater depth of focus laying stress on the industrial elements of the sewage works. The straight course of the ditch and the hard edge of the pipe in the foreground contrast with the delicate reed stems and the curves of the water in the left hand picture.
Individually the images work. Together they make a pair commenting on what we think of as the natural world and man's intrusion into it - while one scene looks entirely natural it has been created to appear that way, yet the other is obviously artificial and has been colonised by nature.
None of this occurred to me at the time I made the pictures!.
Friday, 27 January 2012
Sensor size and big skies
There are pedants who maintain that small sensors do not give greater depth of field.Well if you take the same lens, then strictly speaking they don't. But when people say the smaller sensors do give greater depth of field they are referring to framing the picture the same with the two cameras. In which case there is a difference.
The X10 has it's lens barrel handily marked with the full frame equivalent focal lengths. I took advantage of that to frame two shots using the same shutter speed and aperture on the X10 and a full frame camera. No guessing which of the two shots below is from which sensor!
This extra DOF can be advantageous, as can the X10's close up capabilities. I couldn't get the shot below with the full frame gear I have.
Out on the flatlands it's difficult to make anything of the landscape because there's nothing there! One approach, I suppose, is to make skyscapes. The ultra-wide lens is the traditional tool for the job.
There are a few things out there to make some visual interest. Most striking to me are the coverts and farmsteads that break up the horizon ever so slightly. Although it is largely featureless the light changes quickly on windy days. And when the weather's bad it can be quite dramatic at times. If I was into landscape photography I'm sure I could spend hours out there waiting for the light. I think I'd do it with a large format camera rather than a DSLR though.
The X10 has it's lens barrel handily marked with the full frame equivalent focal lengths. I took advantage of that to frame two shots using the same shutter speed and aperture on the X10 and a full frame camera. No guessing which of the two shots below is from which sensor!
This extra DOF can be advantageous, as can the X10's close up capabilities. I couldn't get the shot below with the full frame gear I have.
Out on the flatlands it's difficult to make anything of the landscape because there's nothing there! One approach, I suppose, is to make skyscapes. The ultra-wide lens is the traditional tool for the job.
There are a few things out there to make some visual interest. Most striking to me are the coverts and farmsteads that break up the horizon ever so slightly. Although it is largely featureless the light changes quickly on windy days. And when the weather's bad it can be quite dramatic at times. If I was into landscape photography I'm sure I could spend hours out there waiting for the light. I think I'd do it with a large format camera rather than a DSLR though.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Panorama fun
When a new toy has a gimmicky feature it would be silly not to try it out! Quite what I might do with panoramas made in-camera I'm not sure. They do provide a different way of seeing, it's not like what an ultrawide angle or even fish-eye lens will give as there is no curvature, it's a different kind of distortion. It was misty afternoon, so doing these by hand left a lot to be desired - although they do demonstrate the effectiveness of the camera's software.
Where I think the effect works best is at what might be called crossroads. A series of such shots taken with more planning and care could be interesting. Click on the pics to get a better impression.
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| The 'straight' view of the above pano' |
Where I think the effect works best is at what might be called crossroads. A series of such shots taken with more planning and care could be interesting. Click on the pics to get a better impression.
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