Some Dude at a Lake... In The RAIN!!!!!

Low light, High ISO to compensate, 300mm lens.... Tough combo handheld. Pretty happy to get what I did! Enjoy!!!

Gone on a Walk About

I really need to make the time for photography nowdays. It used to come easier, but life intrudes constantly. Anyway, I decided to get crazy to spark some madness and took a single prime (non-zoom) lens with me to work last Monday and do some walking between light rail stops on my way home. The madness part was the focal length: 300mm. This is not a common FL for general photography I agree, but like I said, I was trying to spark some madness to get my creative juices flowing. It is a highly restrictive field of view on APS-C cameras and takes extra care to avoid blurriness from hand holding. Because I am just not going to take my tripod too. That is too crazy for a wandering kind of day. I was both frustrated and inspired by that cramping of my style, I definitely liked some of my shots, and really didn't like a lot of them too.

Shadows are a favorite subject, and shooting in the late afternoon makes shadows easy to find. This detail of the chain on a fire hydrant spoke to me of everyday objects that become extra-ordinary in the right circumstances. Integral to the safety of the public every few years, and mysterious in the afternoon light.

I have always been drawn to patterns and order. Sometimes having something different irritates me to no end, other times it is a delightful accent. Often the thing that is different brings the counterpoint  that simultaneously enhances the beauty of the orderly pattern and is beautiful in its own right.

The progression from health to decay and death is a natural one, repeated seasonally, yearly and over generations and lifetimes. I have had an image in my mind I need to photograph one day of the hands of a baby, a mother & an.... more mature mother. Birth, vital life & gentle fading away in one photo, black and white, dramatically lit. Until then, this captures that concept in another type of subject. The fading of brilliant green into yellow then dead brown without the full leaf capturing the potential of a golden moment.

Old buildings present endless opportunities for things to become more beautiful as they age. I kind of wish they had left this cornerstone unpainted. But, then it would have been less interesting.

Again, shadows rear their head, the texture of the ageing plywood is what attracted me the most. Patterns, unseen objects casting shadows, textures.

Ah, an old friend, I have taken several shots down the length of this street towards this building, I really like the compression I am getting from the longer focal length. May need to try on a colder day, at full resolution you can see how heat shimmer blurred the capitol building.

Birding in the Evening

I'm not really much for wildlife photography though I have been attempting it a little more recently due to the proximity of a lake to my home. If I were to get truly serious about it I would start jonesing for a number of lenses that I cannot afford and subsequently drive my wife crazy. So... I dabble.

I found that exposure compensation was a big deal as I was shooting dark plumage and while trying to get enough light to have some shadow detail I had to make sure I didn't over expose the image and get something truly terrible looking.

I was especially pleased with this image, in the full resolution file, you can see he is looking RIGHT at me, perhaps wondering if I am a threat, or possibly if I taste good...

 I was not pleased with the color rendition in this photo, I think it is simply a characteristic of this particular lens. Really need to place this lens next to my DA 55-300 @ 300mm and see how well they compare.

Telephoto Fun!

Promised my wife I would run down to the lake and shoot some birds. Being a guy who keeps his word I ran down last night towards sunset with my K5 and Sigma 300mm f4 lens. I had to step back from the action a bit, but I like this lens when it is behaving.!

This first shot is my favorite of the shoot. Something about the heads and necks of the geese.