Duck!

Hi Gents,

This was a photo of a duck that I took while walking around the Mt Cootha Gardens.

Canon 40D with EF 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 135mm.
1/750s at f/4.0, ISO 100


I'm thinking I should have used f/8.0 perhaps on this one as only the head is in focus. What do you think?

Cheers
Craig.

Cicada

Hi Gents,

And another macro shot.

This one is of a Cicada that landed on my drive way while I was putting out the rubbish bins. This was the first time I have seen one of these up close in person so I had to take a photo of it.

Now what angle do you prefer?

Facing?
Canon 40D with EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens and flash.
1/250s at f/11, ISO 100, hand held.


Or 45 Degrees?
Canon 40D with EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens and flash.
1/250s at f/11, ISO 100, hand held.

Regards
Craig.

Melly and Cabbage.

Hi All

Something a little different for you.

This is a new member to our family feeding our pet Dugong.


Canon 40D with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens and flash.
1/250s at f/2.8, ISO 100, hand held.


What could I do to make these little creatures more cute and appealing?

Regards
Craig.

30,000 feet over Mt Fuji

While on a recent trip to Taiwan I had the opportunity to photograph Mt Fuji from 30,000 feet in the early morning. Here is the result of my efforts.

30,000 feet over Mt Fuji
Canon PowerShot G10 at 85mm EFL
1/500s, f/4.0 & ISO 80 - through dirty aircraft window glass

It's tough to make a sharp photograph through several layers of glass in your typical commercial airliner window, so the quality isn't as good as it could be. However I'm wondering about your thoughts on including the wing in the upper portion of the frame. I feel it gives clear context to the location where the photo was taken and therefore, adds an element to the story about this image. What do you think?

Hong Kong

Hi All,

Here's one of my favourite cities, Hong Kong, photographed from Mt Victoria.

Hong Kong
Canon EOS Kiss X Digital with a Sigma DC 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 Macro at 28mm EFL
13sec, f/8 & ISO 100 - tripod mounted, self-timer release

I would love to go back with a full frame camera and a 24mm tilt/shift lens to capture this scene again. I'd also try it in winter so it's not so hazy too. In this image the haze is quite noticeable so I boosted the contrast a lot to cut through the haze. I also straightened up the buildings in software, where a tilt/shift lens would have been better.

My question about this shot is related to my post processing. I played with several other variations that darkened the sky along the upper edge of the image to more contain the eye. This is one of the brighter ones. Do you think it's too bright or would it be better darkened to more rhyme with the shaded trees along the bottom?

IRC Heli

I thought it was time I started playing around with my new Tilt Shift lens. For my subject, I used a IR controlled model helicopter. I tilted the lens so the plane of focus runs more or less along the side of the helicopter, greatly increasing the apparent depth of field. However at such a close distance, the tail rotor is still out of focus.



IRC Heli
Canon EOS 7D with a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II at 38mm EFL
1/250s, f/8 & ISO 100 - tripod, remote release, tilt 8.5° R
Lighting: main flash camera right, accent lighting camera left.


For this image I was practising my off camera flash technique, and working on getting a reflection with a black background. My question here is about the placement of flash units. I used two units and some reflectors to bounce the light back. I like the accent light on the nose of the heli, but the shadow under the nose is a bit too strong and the canopy lacks a string outline too. What do you think? Anything that has too much or too little light? Also what about the position of the heli and it's rotors? Would you change it's orientation?

Traditional Architecture

Here's a rather traditionally framed architectural shot of the fountain in Empire Square, The Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. The World Heritage Hieronymites Monastery dominates the background.

Empire Square - Belém, Portugal
Canon PowerShot S2IS at 35mm EFL
1/320s, f/4.0 & ISO ??? - handheld

The monastery provides a quite detailed backdrop for this fountain but the foreground feels lacking. Any suggestions on what I could have used to add a little interest in the foreground? Or would cropping it out all together, work better?

Dandelion

Hi All,

Here's an older shot from my collection. The inner workings of a Dandelion.



Dandelion
Canon EOS 7D with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM at 160mm EFL
1/500s, f/5.6 & ISO 200 - handheld

If I were to shoot this again, I would have traded some shutter speed for more depth of field.

However my question is really about cropping. This time I went for a landscape shot to show more of the seed heads of the dandelion. However would a tighter vertical be more interesting? Perhaps something that uses the radial lines below the core, guiding the viewer to the detailed inner structure of a dandelion.

Little Egret

Hi All,

This is a shot of a Little Egret in early morning light. The reason for the dark background was that I exposed the image for the highlights in the bird's feathers. Thus the shaded lake and trees in the background were very underexposed, creating an interesting spotlight effect.

Little Egret
Canon EOS 7D with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM + 2.0x TC at 640mm EFL
1/1600s, f/5.6 & ISO 100 - tripod mounted

My question here is about the crop. Typically I crop my verticals to a 4:5 ratio, however with this shot the egret looks a little fat with that kind of crop. This is a 2:3 crop which I think suits the slender shape of an Egret. How about a square crop?

I'm also interested in your feedback about the negative space around the bird. How much is enough, on the top, left and right sides? I can't add any more from the bottom.

Sand

Here's an interesting pattern study from the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India.

I like the harmony of shape and line created by the action of wind on sand.

Sand
Canon EOS Kiss X Digital with a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 16mm EFL
1/125, f/7.1 & ISO 100 - Handheld

However it looks too simplistic. I think I need something to break up the repetition. Any advice on what I could have used?

Grass

Canon EOS 350D with Canon 18-200mm IS lens.  1/320 sec at f/7.1, ISO 400 EFL 272mm

A little bit of Grass. I took this one because the light was good, and well, I just like them. What could I have done to make it a better picture?