University of Utah: Presidents Circle.

Day after Christmas, have to work.... how to make the day brighter? Take pictures after work! Nothing especially awesome here, just working on getting my mojo back. Been in a bit of a slump except for the Christmas at Temple Square shoot, and needing to just wander with camera in hand. Thought about the shots I got the last time I was up on the circle and decided to head back, this time with my 55-300 zoom. Usually I am a prime guy for this kind of stuff but wanted to try something different. My goal was to capture the wonderful detail on the column caps with good exposures that keep detail on the stone.

The first four shots are of Gardner Hall, home to the department of Music.

This last is of the LCB, or Leroy Cowles Building, I had many classes in this building. Not entirely sure that this is the best processing of this, I will re-post if I get something better.

Think I learned that I am still pretty much a prime guy for creative shooting.....

Draper City Park... Rocks the Christmas Light Game!

Nothing especially technical about these shots. Just my usual night light work. Thought they turned out pretty well though.

Temple Square Christmas Lights 2011

One of the most beautiful places to visit during the Christmas Season in Salt Lake City is Temple Square. A great deal of money is spent, and countless man hours as well, making the light display one of the most magnificent anywhere. At least in my opinion anyway.

I try to get downtown every year to take some photos and enjoy the ambiance. Some years have snow, others (like this one) are mostly barren of snow. I prefer the snowy day clearing at sunset weather but seldom get it. This year was cold, and hazy, but not enough to impact the photos. Though, the drive home was a bit scary due to some foggy patches.

I took my usual "Full Kit" Consisting of my K200d (without battery grip for more solid mounting on my tripod's QR plate) Cable Release, Rokinon 8mm f3.5, Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5, Pentax DA 55-300 f4-5.8, and my Pentax DFA 100mm f2.8 WR Macro. I really didn't need the Fisheye, but I like to have it around if an interesting composition comes up. I also, of course, had my trusty Induro Tripod and Vanguard Ball Head.

My intent this trip was less shooting what I have shot before, but looking for a slightly new angle or composition. I have shot here many times before so it is easy to get stale.

This first shot was from the plaza of the Conference Center that sits north of Temple Square. I was trying for extreme depth of field so I shot at f16 with the lens set at 53mm, and an 8 second exposure. (Hint to all those folks running around with their DSLR's set to the highest ISO and the pop-up flash raised. Bring a tripod... it makes your shots look a LOT better. Trust me.

I had several spots picked out before I went that I wanted to try for, this one didn't quite turn out as I had hoped. One day I will get a nice sunset and then have to stand around until the turn the lights on afterwards and composite it together. Till then this will have to do. 19mm f9.5 2s.

I really liked the symbolism of a tree of light in front of the Lord's House, I am almost afraid that the tree dominates too much on this shot. 21mm @ f11 and 2s.

This was a quite tough shot, the lighting on the statuary is much brighter than the lights in the trees. I ended up bracketing +2,0,-2 and blending them in Photomatix. I do wish I would have gone for at least a -3 or 3.5 to give me a little more detail on Mary and Joseph in the highlights, but overall I pretty much achieved what I set out to get. 48mm @ f9.5 Multiple exposures.

Another HDR from the opposite side of the reflecting pond. This shot shows where there is a lot of value in closely looking at your composition. I ended up just cutting off the top of the trees reflection in the pool. It would have taken very little maneuvering to get just a little more height and include that.... sigh.... 53mm f9.5

When I did my survey trip right after thanksgiving, I desperately wanted to include these red trees running east from the temple. They add just the right touch. The difficulty lies in the perspective distortion from the angle. I am not entirely satisfied with the look, I always notice things not being level, this is level, but it doesn't look it. The slight tilt up and the lens pointing just to the right of the temple combine to make it look akward. Need to work on it. 19mm @ f9.5 and 2s

Strangely this is right up there as one of my favorite shots ever taken on Temple Square. For some reason these bag lights really held my attention, and I really wanted to capture them. At larger size the texture of the paper and the holes in the bag just warm my heart. I LOVE this shot. 100mm @ f4.5 and 1/8s.

You may be wondering..... why did he just repost the same shot. Fooled ya! Sorta, same shot different aperture, which changes the look of the background significantly, shot a f6.7 and 1/3s, the out of focus areas are more sharply defined and more detail can be had deeper into the photo. I like the first one simply due to the background being smoother. I sorta wish I had shot one at f2.8 and really blurred the background...

I think this is a better use of the red trees and water feature, with a longer focal length the distortion of the temple seems less, plus I like the composition a little more. 28mm @ f6.7 and 1s. It is sharp enough though I do wish I had stopped down another stop or two. There are subtle changes in the shadow and highlight detail with a longer exposure and smaller aperture that are pleasing to my eye.

This is a favorite angle for me when there is a lot of snow on the trees. Really REALLY hoping to get snow in the next week or so before they turn the lights off. 15mm @ f11 and 6s.

This is a fairly commonly shot perspective, though often from 25-30 feet further back. I love the dominance of the Red tree on the left, giving way to the light of the temple on the right. The stillness and peace of the enduring light vs. the movement of the masses below. 15mm @ f11 and 8s.

While I like this shot, I am not really happy with it. Despite being an HDR, I still have too much highlight loss on the temple. The overall composition is pleasing but I am not completely convinced that I cannot do better. 70mm @ f9.5 multiple exposures.

I shooting through things, to make something familiar almost abstract, it is hard to achieve, which makes it worth trying. Don't believe I was truly successful. However, it is pleasing to me... so there! 170mm @ f9.5 and 4s.

This shot of the same window pleases me more I think. I really need to repeat it in the spring when the tree is blossoming and the sun is just rising. 55mm @ f6.7 and 3s.

I was itching to get my Fisheye out, but I am not fond of the distortion for architecture. This works for me though, mainly because it allowed me to get into a tight spot and make an interesting shot. 8mm @ f9.5 and 20s.

This shot is really my piece de resistance of the evening. I printed a similar shot, for a friend to give to her daughter earlier in the year, but it was pushing the resolution of my sensor a bit. I zoomed to 20mm and shot 9 shots (3 columns across and 3 rows down) giving me a file with the resolution of 6250 x 5000 pixels or 31 megapixels. Plenty of resolution to print this guy BIG!!!!

20mm @ f11 and 4s.

I hope you enjoyed my photos and maybe getting a little more of the technical side of what I was thinking. Merry Christmas!

Lloyd

Shots on campus......

I am frequently on campus at the University of Utah, but I seldom take the opportunity to wander the lower parts of the campus below the Hospital. Wishing for better light I jumped off the train and set out. Not getting blessed with said light I still felt the need to flex my photographic muscles and creativity in preparation for some Christmas light shooting on Wednesday Night.

My first memory of this building is of a stormy October night, and a flash of lightning making the door look like the open mouth of some kind of academic monster. Wasn't able to frame it that way with the lens I had but I still like the shot.

These columns have always fascinated me... who in their right mind carves sandstone?

Turning my eye to the center of the circle, this chappie walking alone and cold in the encroaching December gloom seemed to epitomize the day.

Just off campus and down the road above is "The Pie" a great place for great food if you are on campus, or just in the neighborhood.

Couldn't help but take this "American Standard" shot, wonder who is renovating this corner shop, and for what kind of business.........

Thanks for going on my tour, will take you back again someday.... I promise!

Shooting stuff......

Finally, finally, FINALLY! Got a chance to have a weekend where I can just hang out and do whatever I want to do. FINALLY! (Did I mention that already?) So I got up and pulled out my camera and got cracking.

First I wanted to play with my newly acquired Soligor c/d 200mm f2.8, it is an older screwmount lens that was (very kindly) given to me by a friend. It is not super sharp but feels like you could kill a buffalo with it when it is in your hand. Which makes the whole exercise worth it, that feel is kind of..... fun!

First shot was just to see how the lens handled out of focus highlights wide open. I deliberately shot this unfocused, and liked it enough to process it.

After doing some other stuff I went outside to see about some other subjects I have wanted to shoot. These red berries have been in our landscaping for awhile and the color attracts me to them, but I have never shot them. The overall composition pleased me, though the sharpness is not quite what I had in mind. Viewed large it is just not that sharp.

After playing for a bit and starting to get cold, I decided it was time to put my Sigma 300mm f4 APO macro on. Also got this from the same friend, it has a loose element but when pointed down it works quite well. I think it is not as sharp as my DA 55-300 but is focuses much closer! I really liked the contrast between the snow and the berries.

The texture of these leaves really pleased me. For some reason I have a thing about leaf texture.

Nothing incredible here just sorta decent photography of ordinary things. But satisfying anyway, it makes me feel good to be just a little creative.

Hope you enjoyed!

Miscellania from the last few weeks.

Haven't taken many photos intended for general consumption recently, mostly family stuff and Halloween shots. Anyway, Here are some semi notable shots from the recent past.

Olympic Bridge at the University of Utah, K24mm f2.8, I really liked a shot I took of this with my dad's film Voigtlander, and I wanted to try digital and see the look I would get. I think I like the second one better but both are kinda nice.

I have been riding the light rail train a lot, and riding it at night, this is less than perfectly conducive to creative photography but I have tried to give it a whirl. Twisting the camera can be fun.

So can a swirly panning motion.

Last Sunday I got out the Sigma 300mm f4 and rattled off a few shots of the cool clouds to the east of my home. Love my view sometimes.

Mt. Timpanogos 2 shot panorama.

Will post anything decent I get in the near future for all y'alls entertainment!

"Buggy" Lenses

One of the many reasons I wanted to get a Macro lens was to be able to get up close and personal with small things... like bugs for instance.

This bad boy was hanging out on the foundation of my garage and moving very little, I think it was dying from the cold maybe? Anyway, I saw him while I was putting up some Halloween decorations and after I got done I went and got my tripod and camera and started playing.

These were the two I liked the most. Enjoy..... if they don't creep you out too much!

Ah... Glorious Night! Thou That Reveals Thy Secrets to Those That are Willing to Stay Awake!

Back to the Goblin Valley are again, just can't get enough of that place really. Took my Brother-In-Law down so he could see the place for the first time. We left in the early evening and got down there a bit after 10:00 pm. After setting up and turning off our headlights so that our eyes could adjust we were treated to a spectacular view of the Milky Way. (You can see a timelapse of the Milky Way rotating at the bottom of the post.) We stood there for awhile and watched meteors zip across the sky and took in the silent peace. Then went to bed after we got too cold to stand it anymore.

This shot was taken at 1600 ISO and f3.5 for 3 minutes, with the dark frame noise reduction setting turned on. Heaven knows what it would look like if it had not been. This is noisy and unsharp enough as it is. The lens was my 8mm fisheye.

I got up around 5 to a camera with dead batteries (mid 30's will do that to even the best of them.) so I changed them and took a longer exposure, that got to about 45min.... ish.... before the batteries in the remote died..... can't win for losing. The moon was out, which gave me more general illumination, and blued the sky a bit. The large blob in the upper left is Jupiter I believe.

Morning came early enough, and brought some wonderful color. One of the best sunrises I have seen in that area.

We quickly broke camp, stowed the tents and headed to Little Wild Horse. I had never seen the cottonwood trees in fall color (at least I think they are cottonwoods.....) it certainly fit with the landscape colorwise.

Back into my favorite scenery: a slot canyon. I was deliberately trying to think in B&W this trip. Looking more for tonal differences, texture, and shadow than color. this actually made it easier to visualize the shots for me.

In some ways this is a failed shot, I was so close to the tree that it was hard to get both tree and butte in reasonable focus. Even stopped well down. I still kind of like it, but not that much.

I had seen this before but had been unable to actually get close enough to shoot it. Finally got it, a good feeling.

A particularly favorite motif, or hackneyed and overused device depending on who you talk to. Is the dead tree in the desert. Heck if I care if it is overused, it still warms my heart.

Something about this butte just symbolizes being out in the desert to me. Stark strength in the midst of harsh and unforgiving dryness, enduring majestically, despite the slow erosion that will one day reduce it to blowing sand. Uncaring of man and his efforts to overawe the world around him, the marks in the sky of his ultrafast transit only serving to emphasize the stillness and peace surrounding it.

Here is my BIL, first time I hiked this slot canyon, we had to crawl under this rock. A lot of sand and gravel has gone away in those 2.5 years.

Down in the Hoodoo's of Goblin Valley now, we got a kick out of finding faces in the rock. This conehead was pretty cool.

Miles of walking can be had in the valley, some so densely packed it is hard to see where you are. Looking up all you can see is rock and sky.

After sadly parting from gods playground, we headed back to civilization, but not without spotting some four legged friends. This larger fella was chasing off some younger bucks, and protecting his ladies.

This guy didn't give a crud that I was there shooting him, or so it seemed.

Hope you enjoyed the trip with me!