Photography!

[Tamiyacowboy]

Boom .... 

 

Canon 350D and canon EF 90-300

iso 800, 1/1250s, auto WB, 280mm focal

 

19 images captured, 9 used and stacked.

hard gamma correction, contrast drop and brightness drop.

sharpens tweeking and deblur via astronomy software. 

 

[Tingting44]

loving it tam!!! nice and sharp, have you blackened the background? how are you getting on with your dilemma about the ST80/mount, etc,etc come to a decision yet

Edited March 16, 2014 by Tingting44

[hazza1304]

Todays efforts.

 

Flying Fortress Stages 2014 by Harry Measures, on Flickr

 

Flying Fortress Stages 2014 by Harry Measures, on Flickr

 

Flying Fortress Stages 2014 by Harry Measures, on Flickr

 

 

[Tamiyacowboy]

awesome shots hazza.

 

no tingting, St80 out of the window, i maybe selling up to be honest.

cant justify 300 quid fro a couple of motors and a ****ty PIC controller,

to be honest i think all us astronomers are getting milked like cows.

 

so i either sell up or, sell the pano mount, the scope, the eq-1, 

then buy an eq3-2 , and have it standing in corner while i sell a liver

kidney and a left lung to get a scope and the motor drivers.

 

good news the EF 90-300 makes for an awesome lunar disk lens.

oh and the 50mm f1.8 II its the biggest piece of pony i have ever touched for astronomy

dont buy it for widefield ( 80mm is not widefield ) eyecandy, save yourself and get a 10-20mm fish eye

after you sold your soul to pay for it lol

[Tamiyacowboy]

Another one i shot the other day (15th march), the short chirpy tweet

made me look twice. this little fellow sat on the tree for ages.

and usually i go reach of the camera and they take flight. 

 

this chap was no phased, either hunger or being young he stayed 

around for his portrait. think i shot this at like 1/4000s at iso 400 F5.6 @ 300mm

i had to saturation boost by 50% and had to upscale brightness by +0.33 of a stop

 

Edited March 18, 2014 by Tamiyacowboy

[papasmurf]

I'm not really taking anything at the moment as the showjumping hasn't started yet and the autograss season is only just getting under way.

But here's another from last summer, not full res as my upload is slow so I shrink everything I upload to Flickr

Rob

[Tamiyacowboy]

gah could not resist it, 

 

grabbed a ST80 (80mm objective @ 400mm focal) telescope.

 

also found a 450D for

[carlcurtis83]

Decided I will be investing in a 50D. Full frame would be nice but that means more cash for lenses would be needed and I just don't have the extra to do so yet.

 

On another note, was asked by the new chef of a local pub if I could take some pictures of the new pub menu, was only happy to oblige especially as it meant I got to sample it all afterwards.

 

Technically not the greatest (never shot anything like this) but it's 100% better than the mobile photos they used to use.

 

Skirt Steak & Smoked Mushroom by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Prawn Cocktail Starter by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Hot Pork Open Sandwich by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Hot Lamb Open Sandwich by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Fishcake Starter by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Farmhouse Pie by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Beetroot Risotto & Creamy Goats Cheese by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

American Style Beef Burger by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Also looking forward to togging the beer festival the pub is having in the summer (first paid event)!!

[chewbacca]

Decided I will be investing in a 50D. Full frame would be nice but that means more cash for lenses would be needed and I just don't have the extra to do so yet.

 

On another note, was asked by the new chef of a local pub if I could take some pictures of the new pub menu, was only happy to oblige especially as it meant I got to sample it all afterwards.

 

Technically not the greatest (never shot anything like this) but it's 100% better than the mobile photos they used to use.

 

Skirt Steak & Smoked Mushroom by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Prawn Cocktail Starter by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Hot Pork Open Sandwich by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Hot Lamb Open Sandwich by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Fishcake Starter by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Farmhouse Pie by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Beetroot Risotto & Creamy Goats Cheese by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

American Style Beef Burger by Carl C Photography, on Flickr

 

Also looking forward to togging the beer festival the pub is having in the summer (first paid event)!!

Ya bugger, you've made me hungry!

[hazza1304]

Carl, they all look a bit yellow? I've done some pub stuff, looks like you've shot them near the hot lamps?

[hazza1304]

Will also mention that black background does no favours. Generally with food the lighter the better. With the beetroot and goats cheese thing the highlights are blown on the goats cheese, plus the underside of the plate and surrounds is all dark. 

 

The burger wants the shadows pulling out too. 

 

This is not perfect I know but it was side lit. I think a shallow DOF also helps with food

 

Chocolate Brownie! by Harry Measures, on Flickr

Edited March 20, 2014 by hazza1304

[richhrly]

A few thoughts for you Carl if you wanted to add some polish

 

- On the plate rims, make sure they're clean. A few have smudges, and a couple of shadows etc. Clone/Heal those out to make it look a lot cleaner.

- Same for crumbs, especially on the burger. Crumbs that are carefully placed can work, but no plate a chef will give you is perfect so a lot of time is spent solving that normally.

- On the hot pork sandwich, I think you've put some black brush strokes on to the plate edge in the top left.

- And colour balance, I think you just need to move your white balance a bit, and it'll look a whole lot more appetizing!

 

If you do it again, I'd ask the chef to undercook everything. That way the meat/veggies are firmer, and wilt less during the photography. Photography tends to make things look a bit more overcooked anyway.

[carlcurtis83]

Cheers guys. Yes Harry was shot under hot lamp. Didn't have ofc so couldn't use it unfortunately.

 

Will definitely give the tips a go next time.

[hazza1304]

Cheers guys. Yes Harry was shot under hot lamp. Didn't have ofc so couldn't use it unfortunately.

 

Will definitely give the tips a go next time.

 

Well in that case it's a bugger to do. Best I can suggest is frame the shot get the focus etc and then ask the chef to quickly turn the hotlamps off, fire the shot again then put the lamps back on. Better if the kitchen has some natural light obv.

 

Guess you're shooting during service also if it's done under hotlamps? Again, not ideal as using a tripod gets in the way.

[carlcurtis83]

Well in that case it's a bugger to do. Best I can suggest is frame the shot get the focus etc and then ask the chef to quickly turn the hotlamps off, fire the shot again then put the lamps back on. Better if the kitchen has some natural light obv.

 

Guess you're shooting during service also if it's done under hotlamps? Again, not ideal as using a tripod gets in the way.

 

Was all hand-held, unfortunatley the kitchen has a couple of tiny windows so no major natural light to help. Yes was shooting under service so had to be quick with what I was doing. Fired a few burst of each dish then simply edited the best one of those taken.

 

I have spoken to the chef and if we plan to do this again he has said we can do it on when he has stopped service and will cook the food so it is partially uncooked.

 

Got a few shoots coming up soon, another car meet and have been asked to do a wedding again!!!! This is the third wedding I have been asked to do now, really tempted to give it a go but I'm still unsure, it's not a full on Cathedral/Church wedding just a small gathering in a registry office I'm not sure on what do? I have the lenses to cover every possible angle and also have the flashes, spare batts etc etc, I just think I lack in confidence. So, should I give it a go to see if I'm comfortable with it or should I say no again?

[richhrly]

Only you can really make the call Carl! Maybe see if they want to hire someone else if you're unsure, but say you'll shoot it too along with the other guy. Don't charge them, but give them the shots. You'll get experience under your belt, no pressure, and you can see how you feel afterwards. You can have all the kit in the world but it's the top few inches that make the difference in those situations!

[hazza1304]

Quickie from today:

 

 

Regarding the wedding Carl, I wouldn't do your first one on your own. Shadow someone else who does them professionally (or regularly). I did that and honest to god I wouldn't ever do one again, let alone on my own. Too much stress!!

[richhrly]

Very nice Mr Harry! If you're after a few finishing touches (or fancy sending me the RAW/JPG/whatever)..

 

-I'd remove the open bit of hanger from the bottom left. Too small to be "going outside" for me at least.

-Dodge around the prop to bring it away from the wood - especially the top left blade.

-Pop the yellow just slightly more

-Photoshop out the driptray, the chock/string, and the towing gear. You should be able to do this without too much bother as you've lots of floor space to clone/heal from.

-Slight dodge on the control surfaces lower left to bring it away from the wood again.

 

If you were feeling very brave/bored, maybe get rid of the highlight across B7. Again, that should be really easy with a few paths and cloning/healing.

 

These are all really nitpicky things though, very nice shot!

 

Ps. I'm glad your horizon is straight

Edited March 31, 2014 by richhrly

[Tamiyacowboy]

well i am a happy man. 

 

i wanted a monster lens, something like a canon EF 400mm @f5.6 L 

but alas it costs like a grand to buy. 

so i went and grabbed a 400mm prime @ f5.0, its not exactly a camera lens either.

it does not have any autofocus at all, everything is manual.

in fact its described as a 400mm focal astronomy telescope

 

 

have to say i shoved a t-mount adapter onto the 350D shoved it into AV mode

and bashed of a single shot. it was a quick rush job just to see what the setup was like.

focuser is a bit stiff, so a slight adjustment is needed. 

 

first target was a lone set of daffs across the road ( about 30-50ft away)

focus came lovely and if i could have been more steady ( gun shooting style side stance)

i could have had a very crisp shot.

Second target was more smaller and closer, at 12ft i was pushing the focal length of the new lens.

i had to step back to bring focus in, so i need a 50mm extension tube. but again images were amazing

crisp clear and no chroma (2 element scopes suffer from chroma when shooting with sky as background).

 

the limited focus was the down fall and i had to swap out to the 300mm to be close enough to capture the butterflys

but am very happy and nothing a 50mm extension tube and a chroma corrector wont solve. 

 

The grand total of the new lens

[chewbacca]

well i am a happy man. 

 

i wanted a monster lens, something like a canon EF 400mm @f5.6 L 

but alas it costs like a grand to buy. 

so i went and grabbed a 400mm prime @ f5.0, its not exactly a camera lens either.

it does not have any autofocus at all, everything is manual.

in fact its described as a 400mm focal astronomy telescope

 

 

have to say i shoved a t-mount adapter onto the 350D shoved it into AV mode

and bashed of a single shot. it was a quick rush job just to see what the setup was like.

focuser is a bit stiff, so a slight adjustment is needed. 

 

first target was a lone set of daffs across the road ( about 30-50ft away)

focus came lovely and if i could have been more steady ( gun shooting style side stance)

i could have had a very crisp shot.

Second target was more smaller and closer, at 12ft i was pushing the focal length of the new lens.

i had to step back to bring focus in, so i need a 50mm extension tube. but again images were amazing

crisp clear and no chroma (2 element scopes suffer from chroma when shooting with sky as background).

 

the limited focus was the down fall and i had to swap out to the 300mm to be close enough to capture the butterflys

but am very happy and nothing a 50mm extension tube and a chroma corrector wont solve. 

 

The grand total of the new lens

[Tamiyacowboy]

very soon with pics 

 

will throw up a 400mm at 30-50ft and a second taken with a 300mm lens at around 8-12ft.

only have one battery and after a nights being on standby mode waiting for cloud to move

meant i was pushing camera when i went into burst mode.

 

1/3200s and i was only getting like 3 images buffered before cam started to stutter.

2hrs and i should be fully charged ready to upload.

 

image one : 1/3200s @ISO1600 F5.0 ( the telescope lens) 50ft away

image two@ 1/1600s @ iso1600 F5.6 ( ef 90-300mm) 8ft away

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2014 by Tamiyacowboy

[richhrly]

Young Harry is away in Spain, but said I could have a play with his image. Not perfect as this is working off a copy from Flickr, so could be better quality, but I was a bit bored! Here's before:

 

 

And after:

 

 

And a short video (if you're in to that sort of thing) of the original, corrections to be made, retouching, lower left dodging, prop dodging, yellow popping, and cheeky logo adding (mostly to wind Harry up )

Edited March 31, 2014 by richhrly

[carlcurtis83]

Only you can really make the call Carl! Maybe see if they want to hire someone else if you're unsure, but say you'll shoot it too along with the other guy. Don't charge them, but give them the shots. You'll get experience under your belt, no pressure, and you can see how you feel afterwards. You can have all the kit in the world but it's the top few inches that make the difference in those situations!

 

I'm usually confident around people I know (I'm the guy always doing stupid stuff when drunk among friends, we all have one of those friends right?) Anyway, I know the couple in question or rather my wife knows the couple in question and we have been invited so I have propsed they invest a wedding photpgrapher and to ask if it's ok if they have a friend (ie me) shadow him/her for a bit. Yet to hear from this proposal but I'm hoping it's a good outcome, that way I won't have pressure to deliver should I think the images are carp!

 

Harry that's an awesome image and Rich has done well with the edit, removing the highlight on the lettering and removing the pan has made it "cleaner"

[stupar]

Having done a fair few weddings, I find its not just about having the equipment (though it does help) - the average uncle bob has a DSLR with lenses from wide open to telephoto these days.

 

Weddings are a stressful environment for both happy couple to be and a photographer.  You have to be able to show confidence, assert authority, change rapidly to different environments and make sure that you nail it.

 

Unlike portraits and landscapes etc etc where if you get it wrong you have the chance to re-shoot it, with weddings you don't have that comfort.

 

From an equipment point of view two things I would say is fast lenses - f2.8 or faster plus a body that works well at high ISO and a back up body (the last thing you want is a failure mid wedding of the only body that you brought)

 

As an example, last saturday I did a wedding in a hotel.  With the 5D mk2 bolted to a Canon 24-70 F2.8 and Canon 580EX Mk2 I was shooting at F2.8, ISO 800/1600/3200 to keep shutter speeds high enough to prevent motion blur (by high enough I mean above 1/40 of a second)

 

A good understanding of how to use flash and mix it with ambient light

 

From a persona point of view I would say - let people know you are the wedding photographer.  It can be done in a manner that isn't rude but will prevent people from getting in your way and nailing the shot.  Dont be afraid to speak up and take command.

 

 

Other things to think of

 

Insurance - as in public liability insurance (peace of mind if someone has an accident where blame could be a portioned to you)

 

Speak to registrar/minister - some can put heavy restrictions on what you can and can't do e.g use of flash/where you can stand etc.  Sounds daft but it does happen!

 

Visit the venue before the big day - this will let you check lighting conditions, shooting locations etc etc.

 

 

Hopefully this info serves as a little insight.  I am not trying to belittle anyone because we all have to start somewhere just as did I.

Edited April 1, 2014 by stupar

[Tamiyacowboy]

hiya carl 

 

i love the food shots they are great. and other have pointed out areas where you could work on them a tad more. 

 

over time i have been reading and watching tutorials on photography. one caught my eye.

a chap was taking picture of food for a Cafe. same problem as you, no porta studio lights

and the heat lamps casting that orange/red glow. 

 

what he done was to move the food to a windowed table, at the same time some crumpled tinfoil

held by the chef/waiter to throw light on the darker sides, and add some zing to the backs of the spoons

etc etc. the before and after images you could tell just a slight change in setting was perfect.

and the tinfoil reflector done its job.

I thought maybe when/if you return for a second shooting to maybe move food to a

window table.

 

also food, if you think the plate is a little on the light side ( food wise ) ask for some extra.

a pastery brush and some light sunflower/olive oil on the burger will give the fresh

look, gives some moisture to the food and that simmering glow