The "Post a Picture You Took" thread

[El Diablo 4232]

Nothing says "good friends" like riding tandem.

 

[DougO 5243]

Some birds from the last couple of weeks. Birding has been really slow this month with the weird weather and weird stuff going on. Still gotta get outside once in a while.

 

 

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

On 3/26/2020 at 9:51 PM, YChang said:

I know Naija is in Chicago but for those of us in Austin/Houston area... when the Covid-19 mess finally resolves and we’re not all dead or zombies. Organize a photo walk/shoot somewhere? 

Sure. I usually shoot alone. Most of my buddies have moved or are in jail (not joking). Maybe check out some abandoned spots or some street photography. This was the first weekend in a long time that I didn’t go out shooting. Not because of the virus but because of work. Hoping things calm down soon on both fronts. 

[El Diablo 4232]

More park peeps pics.

 

[YChang 3443]

14 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Sure. I usually shoot alone. Most of my buddies have moved or are in jail (not joking). Maybe check out some abandoned spots or some street photography. This was the first weekend in a long time that I didn’t go out shooting. Not because of the virus but because of work. Hoping things calm down soon on both fronts. 

Yeah would be cool to learn the group. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by YChang

[DougO 5243]

 

Stream Nikon online photography courses for free during the month of April.

 

https://www.nikonevents.com/us/live/nikon-school-online/

 

I may check out the music video making course if my shitty internet can stream it properly, and finally have a clue about proper DSLR video.

[Somnio 751]

 

[El Diablo 4232]

Avian Travis Bickle.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Some new, some old, some alternate takes (DSLR and iPhone)...

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Saw this woman in the 5th Ward/Denver Harbor area today.  Asked for her picture.  Not my usual portrait/street processing.

[El Diablo 4232]

B&H Photo has the factory refurbed Nikon D7500 body on sale for $599. I love mine, I think it was the same deal back last summer.  The retail list price is about twice that much so not likely to find one in like new condition for less. Huge upgrade from the entry level Nikon DSLR.  

[DougO 5243]

I think they had a price drop on the new version recently but it was still something like $899. Great camera.

[El Diablo 4232]

Being confined to quarters doesn't leave many photo ops.

 

[DougO 5243]

Are you using that 80-200 af-s you got used? I get an itch now and then to get a used 2.8 for those really low light occasions, but I have never handled that model before, always been curious about how it feels. I almost sprung for a bargain g VR for under $700, but the way things are now I'm not sure if I'll be shooting night football or indoor sports any time soon.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

[El Diablo 4232]

Very nice work there @Patricio Swayze . I'm still messing with the birds, the little bastards are difficult to shoot so I ordered a bird feeder and picked up a sack of seed. Kinda like hunting over a baited field, lol. We'll see. Anyway, here's a couple of shots from yesterday's efforts.

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by El Diablo

[El Diablo 4232]

And one from today.

 

[DougO 5243]

11 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Very nice work there @Patricio Swayze . I'm still messing with the birds, the little bastards are difficult to shoot so I ordered a bird feeder and picked up a sack of seed. Kinda like hunting over a baited field, lol. We'll see. Anyway, here's a couple of shots from yesterday's efforts.

 

Good start on the bird photography. When I started photographing birds I would find branches that looked interesting and put them in the yard near the feeders on umbrella stands and Christmas tree stands or whatever, and watch for birds perching on the sticks. It's good practice.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

5th Ward Quarantine Cuts

Derailment on the mainline

[El Diablo 4232]

The 70-300 kit lens is really sharp, at least in good light. It just has, imo, pretty poor color rendering. It's aight tho and I'm not going to toss it in the trash.

 

[DougO 5243]

 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

@DougO your bird shots are a thing of beauty. I had two doves doing the bird dance on a railing but it was across the way and there was a wrought iron fence blocking the action. I got a couple shots but the view ruined it. So, tweety bird. 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

This guy walked damn near up to my feet but I had my exposure set for full sun and then he came into the shade. My post skills suck ass still.

 

[UnivTex34 1763]

Y’all have a recommendation for hosting panoramas? I’ve been on a drone kick lately, and stitching panos has been fun, but all my usual hosting sites have limits that are way below the file sizes these end up being.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Y’all have a recommendation for hosting panoramas? I’ve been on a drone kick lately, and stitching panos has been fun, but all my usual hosting sites have limits that are way below the file sizes these end up being.

I really only use Flickr. It’s worth it to me to pay the annual fee. Unlimited storage and high resolution.

[El Diablo 4232]

@DougO , for birding do you have a "go-to" lens? And talk to me about settings on the camera a bit if you don't mind, as in how do you approach it? Fast shutter speed frame of mind to freeze motion or low ISO knowing you're probably going to have to crop or is using dynamic focus points really important or just what goes into it. Thanks in advance, bud. 

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

I really only use Flickr. It’s worth it to me to pay the annual fee. Unlimited storage and high resolution.

Agree. I have a giant 115MP pano on there without issue.

[DougO 5243]

4 hours ago, El Diablo said:

@DougO , for birding do you have a "go-to" lens? And talk to me about settings on the camera a bit if you don't mind, as in how do you approach it? Fast shutter speed frame of mind to freeze motion or low ISO knowing you're probably going to have to crop or is using dynamic focus points really important or just what goes into it. Thanks in advance, bud. 

I'm using a 500mm lens. It's a combination of having decades of experience with long lenses and moving objects and acquiring a lot of knowledge and experience in birding in recent years. I usually start with a base ISO of 400 and try to shoot at least 1600 shutter speed when possible for most birds. Perching birds you can shoot at much slower speeds, lower ISO or poorer light, but you have to be really patient, still and quiet. I crop quite a bit, but today's DSLRs have enough resolution that allow you to do so and still maintain a high res image. As far as focus points, it varies quite a bit on the particular subject and activity, whether I'm shooting perching birds on more open paces, or small birds in brushy spots, or flying birds and constantly moving birds.

[UnivTex34 1763]

 

Sunset from last night in West Austin

[El Diablo 4232]

8 hours ago, DougO said:

I'm using a 500mm lens. It's a combination of having decades of experience with long lenses and moving objects and acquiring a lot of knowledge and experience in birding in recent years. I usually start with a base ISO of 400 and try to shoot at least 1600 shutter speed when possible for most birds. Perching birds you can shoot at much slower speeds, lower ISO or poorer light, but you have to be really patient, still and quiet. I crop quite a bit, but today's DSLRs have enough resolution that allow you to do so and still maintain a high res image. As far as focus points, it varies quite a bit on the particular subject and activity, whether I'm shooting perching birds on more open paces, or small birds in brushy spots, or flying birds and constantly moving birds.

Appreciate the feedback. I've got the 70-300 which gives me the cropped equivalent of a 450 when zoomed in tight, so kinda close to your 500 I guess. Anyway, I've established a kill zone now, we'll see how it goes. Game. On.

 

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

Anyone need/want a Canon 70-200 F4? OG with no IS.

[El Diablo 4232]

First day done with the new bird feeder. It started off full at dawn, the little bastards can eat.

[Jerry Callo 8700]

A couple recent photos. Fox at work and owl at home.

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Jerry Callo

[DougO 5243]

6 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

A couple recent photos. Fox at work and owl at home.

 

 

 

That's cool, I've never even seen a screech owl before.

[Jerry Callo 8700]

13 minutes ago, DougO said:

That's cool, I've never even seen a screech owl before.

We've got a owl box in the backyard.  This time of year the female stays in the box with eggs or chicks and male scouts for food.  

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

We've got a owl box in the backyard.  This time of year the female stays in the box with eggs or chicks and male scouts for food.  

Lotta owl boxes on my local NextDoor page. One lady has a nesting pair right now too. She posts pictures of them all the time. Pretty neat.

[El Diablo 4232]

Bird aggy.

 

[Jerry Callo 8700]

Here's momma.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

 

[DougO 5243]

I keep meaning to put up an owl box, but I really suck at motivation and time management. I have tons of future projects like that.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Today was a good photography day for me.  I spend so much time in Houston's 5th Ward and try to capture what day to day life is like there.  This is the first time seeing a pregnant prostitute.  Very sad, but it's reality.  I hope one day that my photo's of Houston's depressed areas can be part of a collection at UH or another institution.  Before I head home in the burbs, I walked a rail line I have walked a million times, but only once before come across travelers.  I gave them a buck each to help with their travels, and tried to get a shot of them, but the train started moving.  I ran down the tracks and turned around to capture a few shots.

[Braff Zacklin 13558]

A black-and-white photo of a man with "FUCK COPS" belly ink is art inception.

 

Also: awesome caracara. Didn't know H-town was within their range.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

28 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

A black-and-white photo of a man with "FUCK COPS" belly ink is art inception.

 

Also: awesome caracara. Didn't know H-town was within their range.

Thanks.  Getting shots like this are challenging...at least for me.

The Caracara was close to Rosenberg, which might be the closest to Houston I have see one.

[hookem2010 2624]

They have been expanding north. I've seen a few in the DFW area even, although mostly outside the city itself. In the Houston area, I've seen flyovers as close to the city as 1960 and 290. If you go out to the Katy prairie, particularly Warren Ranch Lake, they are pretty regular. So are bald eagles, and white-tailed hawks, which are one of the coolest looking raptors in Texas. Unfortunately, my photography game is lacking.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

They have been expanding north. I've seen a few in the DFW area even, although mostly outside the city itself. In the Houston area, I've seen flyovers as close to the city as 1960 and 290. If you go out to the Katy prairie, particularly Warren Ranch Lake, they are pretty regular. So are bald eagles, and white-tailed hawks, which are one of the coolest looking raptors in Texas. Unfortunately, my photography game is lacking.

I grew up in Cypress, so close to the area you are talking about. I used to never see Caracaras here.

As for bald eagles, I know of nests in Cypress, Tomball and the Woodlands and I am sure there are a few more.

I am not sure I am familiar white tailed hawks. I have shots of red tailed, red shoulder, coopers, harriers and kestrels. Not shots like Dougs though.

[hookem2010 2624]

I used to work at North Cypress Medical Center and saw caracaras near the hospital a couple of times. White tailed hawks are generally found farther south, but if you head west of Houston a bit, you can pretty reliably find them. Paul Rushing Park is a good spot. I don't think I've ever seen them perched, always soaring, but I did once watch a pair dive bomb a bald eagle invading their territory out in that area. That was hands down the coolest wildlife encounter I've had around Houston.

[DougO 5243]

Bald eagles are really booming. It's almost becoming a common thing to see one flying around, at least near where there's some water, even just a big pond.

I never saw a caracara until a couple of years ago, didn't know anything about them. Now I see them quite a bit. But birds are funny that way. Once you become aware of certain birds it's like have dialed into their frequency and you start seeing them a lot more often. There are a ton of birds that are really amazing that are just common birds that people don't even know are around. We just don't notice them because we're not looking for them, our attention is elsewhere. That's a large part of the appeal of birding and bird photography. It's a little like learning a new language, but not with words. You sort of learning to see in a different language. It's like seeing a new dimension that was always there, but you have to know how to see it.

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

Holy shitsnacks, the EOS R5 specs are bonkers.

Might need to get this thing.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Holy shitsnacks, the EOS R5 specs are bonkers.

Might need to get this thing.

I don’t shoot video, is it still going to piss me off that I just paid my R off a few months ago?

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

I don’t shoot video, is it still going to piss me off that I just paid my R off a few months ago?

I don’t either, and it sounds like it’s going to be pretty unprecedented in both areas.