The "Post a Picture You Took" thread

[Anton Chigurh 3318]

This spider wasp was booking it back to its den with this paralyzed wolf spider in tow.

[Mdhorn 5908]

Four gar.  

[El Diablo 4232]

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2020 at 5:51 PM, Goo Punch said:

welp, i got me a camera. i decided to go with a local shop so that i can hopefully have a sort of home base to go to for any questions or needs. i reviewed this thread before i went in and talked to someone, but the fact of the matter is that i know nothing about this stuff, so all I could do was a whole bunch of questions, make a decision, and hope i didn't get absolute fleeced. I ended up going with some deal they had for a panasonic camera plus an extra lens, and then got the requisite protection filters, batteries, memory card, insurance, etc. ended up spending $1,080 altogether. so tell me straight surly- did I make a good purchase?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You playing with this yet?

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

[El Diablo 4232]

Okay, a bit of a long rambling post about flash photography. I got to messing with flash during the winter and accumulated a good bit of gear. I went the less expensive route and settled on speedlights. Pro's use much larger and more expensive gear but this was enough to get my feet wet. One of the pieces of equipment that I bought is a softbox that holds 2 speedlights. Westcott octabox pro duo I think it's called.

Anyway, it's summer now and finally things are starting to open back up as far as events that had all but come to a stop due to the COVID. If you've followed my posting you know that we have an equestrian facility nearby and they have some sort of indoor horse show almost weekly. Barrel racing, breed shows, reining horses, gaited horses, hunter/jumper, full on rodeos.. you name it, they got it.

I'm not a "horse person" per se, more a horse person "horse person". I find the people and the action interesting. However all of this takes place indoors and most under poor lighting conditions, at least for photography so I've struggled to get good quality photos. The devil is in the exposure triangle of course. Wide open shutter is needed to obtain auto-focus but gives a very shallow depth of field which when shooting fast moving subjects can lead to a lot of misses. Cranking up the ISO leads to grainy/noisy photos. Slowing down the shutter speed leads to motion blur.

Most of these events have a contracted professional photographer there and they all use expensive flash gear. Big honkin' rigs set up in the rafters that eliminate all the issues I mentioned. The flash freezes the motion and provides enough light that they can use a smaller aperture and low ISO.

So I got to looking at my flash gear and came up with my own rig. Two 60 rated speedlights firing at the same time. Here's a picture of my rig. I used the two light bracket from the softbox with a single trigger and a sync cable between them. Everything is powered with Li rechargeables. 

 

So now I think I have a rig that's really portable and capable. I took it outside tonight just to play with it and here's my results. First one is pitch black because I took it with no flash just to establish a base point. Next one is at full power on the flashes, shutter speed 1/250, ISO 100 and aperture f10. Next one is all the same except aperture is f2.8. The building is probably 30-40 feet away, I was using an 85mm lens so it's zoomed in a bit and the DX crop factor makes the shot even tighter.

Anyway, I think I have more than enough light to go to the horse barn and play now. Many of the shows just outright canceled this year so there's not nearly as many opportunities coming up as there were before but hopefully in a few weeks I'll get to really try this out and then have a few more chances to dial it all in during the summer. Bare flash doesn't make for particularly flattering photos, the light is really hard but the patrons don't seem to mind. I've seen what the pro's are cranking out and selling and it's not all that pleasing aesthetically but it does get the job done. Wish me luck!

 

 

[DougO 5239]

You're gonna need to mount your lights high enough so that they don't get in the eyes of the contestants or fans, or cause large shadows. If they are pointed downwards towards the action at a decent angle it can work, but it's best if you have at least one other set of strobes mounted opposite the other to even out the lighting. And you are going to want to dial down the power much lower or your lights are going to take several seconds to recharge before the next exposure, and it will take longer and longer until they are trained. Get them down to about 1/4 power and you should get pretty quick recycles with rechargable NIMH batteries. Doesn't work as well with alkalines. And be prepared to get reamed by other photographers who think your lights are screwing with their lights or ambient photos.

[El Diablo 4232]

11 hours ago, DougO said:

You're gonna need to mount your lights high enough so that they don't get in the eyes of the contestants or fans, or cause large shadows. If they are pointed downwards towards the action at a decent angle it can work, but it's best if you have at least one other set of strobes mounted opposite the other to even out the lighting. And you are going to want to dial down the power much lower or your lights are going to take several seconds to recharge before the next exposure, and it will take longer and longer until they are trained. Get them down to about 1/4 power and you should get pretty quick recycles with rechargable NIMH batteries. Doesn't work as well with alkalines. And be prepared to get reamed by other photographers who think your lights are screwing with their lights or ambient photos.

Plan is to bounce them off the ceiling and see how that works, sort of cast an umbrella of reflected light down onto the floor.. I can set them up in the top row of the bleachers if I want to angle them at the action but I think I'm going to try shooting them straight up. I think that if I were to try to aim them at the action I'd also have a good bit of falloff and really only have a rather small depth of optimal exposure. I've got one 10' stand so I can get them well above anyone/thing.  Once I get that figured out, how to get a single decent image, I'll fiddle with the power to reduce recycle times. Next show is a month away, a barrel racing deal. Those horses aren't easily spooked so that's a good thing. Plenty of folks at those popping on-camera flashes from the bleachers. The little experiment I did out in front of the house was at ISO 100 so I've got room to play with there if need be. Appreciate the suggestions!

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Occasionally I will go through my back up drives at old photos that I didn't edit for whatever reason.  I usually find photos that I like now, but I guess I didn't think much of when I shot them.  I think a couple of them were because of the blown out sky or light through windows, but I don't mind it so much now.  Here are some recent "finds."

Edited June 14, 2020 by Patricio Swayze

[El Diablo 4232]

Auditorium and a couple otheres.. high school? 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Auditorium and a couple otheres.. high school? 

Just the auditorium is from a school. Took that 5 years ago. The laboratory was part of an abandoned sulfur mine.

[DougO 5239]

4 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Plan is to bounce them off the ceiling and see how that works, sort of cast an umbrella of reflected light down onto the floor.. I can set them up in the top row of the bleachers if I want to angle them at the action but I think I'm going to try shooting them straight up. I think that if I were to try to aim them at the action I'd also have a good bit of falloff and really only have a rather small depth of optimal exposure. I've got one 10' stand so I can get them well above anyone/thing.  Once I get that figured out, how to get a single decent image, I'll fiddle with the power to reduce recycle times. Next show is a month away, a barrel racing deal. Those horses aren't easily spooked so that's a good thing. Plenty of folks at those popping on-camera flashes from the bleachers. The little experiment I did out in front of the house was at ISO 100 so I've got room to play with there if need be. Appreciate the suggestions!

You can get decent lighting by bouncing off the ceiling, but at full power it's not going last long before you're changing batteries, and you can only shoot an exposure once ever several seconds, and increasingly longer wait times between exposures as your batteries drain, which isn't good for capturing peak action. You may also damage your speedlights using them at that rate.

The strobist is always a good resource for starters and covers some ground in this case.

https://strobist.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-guide-to-lighting-indoor-sports.html

I would recommend concentrating on one particular portion of arena to light from and go from there.

[DougO 5239]

There is also a good possibility that somebody will try to shut you down if you don't have prior consent or credential to photograph the event. They may not care, or they might. But it will likely be noticed by somebody who could complain.  The photographers that are being hired by the event or the riders will likely notice.

[DougO 5239]

I had to stop for a moving train that had a lot of well-done graffiti on it the other day, and I thought about Swayze. I had my camera in the back seat and would have reached for it to grab a quick shot but all I had on it was a 500mm lens that wasn't going to do much good for the situation.

[El Diablo 4232]

6 hours ago, DougO said:

There is also a good possibility that somebody will try to shut you down if you don't have prior consent or credential to photograph the event. They may not care, or they might. But it will likely be noticed by somebody who could complain.  The photographers that are being hired by the event or the riders will likely notice.

Yeah, I've been shooting available light since I started doing this but I did have one encounter with a yahoo at a show last year. The show's contracted photographers were down on the arena floor and that wasn't the problem. It was where I was shooting from I was in every shot that one of them was taking from his angle. His partner came over and told me so I moved. Lady photographer of the team was the one who talked to me and she was close to where I was and we made some small talk about how even though this place has zero windows the lighting changed over the course of the day. Guess the lights continued to warm up even after several hours. We're all good. So then some faggot aggy who's down on the floor as some sort of even staff comes over towards me and I kneel down to see what he wants and he says "Hey, you're blocking the view of the people behind you." It was barrel racing. There wasn't that many people up in the stands behind me and even if I was in the way it was for maybe .01 of a second because these horses are haulin' ass in this place. I basically told him to pack sand and that if anyone who was actually sitting in the stands asked me to move I would. He didn't like that and we jawed back and forth but he was down there working and had to go. So a little while later some guy with a name tag come up and politely asked my name, was I a professional, blah, blah, blah. Said if I didn't cooperate that he could have me removed. I basically told him to pack sand up his ass too and if he wanted me gone then yes, go get someone to tell me to pack up and leave. I wasn't selling anything, wasn't competing with anyone and nobody had complained about my being there other than that faggot aggy down on the floor. It had already hit me what the issue was - I was wearing a "BAYLOR" ballcap that day and butthurt bigshot just wanted to throw his weight around. That's the only time I've ever had issues. Now, I know if I go in and start shooting with a light rig it could get dicey with some of the promoters but I've gotten to know the staff there at the horse barns. If I do get run off it's no big deal, there'll be another show soon enough with different folks and I'll be back!  

[El Diablo 4232]

7 hours ago, DougO said:

I would recommend concentrating on one particular portion of arena to light from and go from there.

This is the plan. I just want to set up and play in one little area. Usually I just sit in one corner out of the way anyway, either on the far end of the walkway or up on the top row of the bleachers in a corner. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

It is obvious I am the most unemployed poster in this thread.

[El Diablo 4232]

I like the duck on a stick. For some reason I find bird feet comical yet compelling. 

[El Diablo 4232]

I bought one of those $139 refurbed 70-300mm lenses with the VR (vibration reduction). Gave it a quick test drive in early morning light today and holy hell, it took my sharpness to 11. I was shooting at full zoom at 1/240s and it's pretty mind blowing when I compare it to what I get on my other lenses. I'll post something later but wow, I'm impressed and quite happy with this purchase! 

[El Diablo 4232]

I was so impressed with the little dude that I took a trip back to the zoo. Haven't even looked thru everything I got but just wanted to share this one after a quick edit. 

[El Diablo 4232]

What the hell, one more from a morning at the zoo.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Went to birding with my pops...we weren't successful, but here are some shots I did get...

[naija 2851]

Fuji GF670, Kodak Ektar 100

 

[naija 2851]

Fuji GF670, Kodak Ektar 100

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Naija, I am jealous of the signage.

I have been doing more nature stuff lately than anything else. 

[naija 2851]

which signage? the Fulton Market pic?

and you have to shoot what you feel like shooting, but I feel like I should be narrowing it down to get better

[UnivTex34 1763]

That last one swayze...

Edited June 18, 2020 by UnivTex34

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

which signage? the Fulton Market pic?
and you have to shoot what you feel like shooting, but I feel like I should be narrowing it down to get better

New line tavern. I really like that sign.

[baboso 6047]

Swayze, you have a real eye and talent.  Love your shots.

[Anton Chigurh 3318]

Fuck, I love MF. Need to shoot mine more.

[El Diablo 4232]

In both the Fulton Market and Fasttrack pictures there's a light fixture that just seems out of place to me. The curved signal light? street light? pole(s) in the market pic and then the hideous thing just jutting out from the restaurant. The first one stands out to me because the rest of the image is very angular and then there's this radius in among all of that and then the diner pic, lol. It's like the lighting was an afterthought. Good pictures and what seems to be some incongruity created by the light fixtures certainly adds something, for me.

[naija 2851]

Fuji GF 670, Kodak Portra 400

[UnivTex34 1763]

 

 

 

 

[Anton Chigurh 3318]

I think these guys have moved dens now, unfortunately.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Awesome shots y'all.

 

[UnivTex34 1763]

What river is the final one?

[Hornius Emeritus 12403]

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by Hornius Emeritus

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

What river is the final one?

The Nueces at Camp Wood.

[DougO 5239]

Trying to get out a little bit lately, though my knees are balky right now, so not much walking.

 

 

 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

My little Wal-mart bracket showed up so now I've got TWO dual flash units. I did some math just based on the guide number(s) of the speedlights I have and I THINK I have some idea of where to start. There's a little horse show scheduled for this weekend in the actual coliseum, not the shitty horse barn/arena, so I'll get a chance to find out. Based on my rough calculations I can shoot at 1/4 power, ISO 800 and probably around f3.2 which I think will give me decent recycle times and not drain my batteries quite as quickly. Oh, batteries. This whole rig uses 22 AA NiMH to power everything, lol. I have no idea what the life of one of these is but goddamn, they're not cheap so they better be good for more than a couple of charges. Wish me luck! 

[WBT 20397]

Swallow-tailed kite enjoying a meal and his buddy snacking on the run

And one more to show how they get their name

Edited June 24, 2020 by WBT

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

WBT, I am jealous.  The other day, I saw one flying over my folk's house, but couldn't get a shot.  Today in the Katy Prairie we saw a pair of Mississippi Kites.  The lightning was horrible and just about every shot didn't come out.  Even the one I kept I am not happy with...

And some others from today...

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[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

Much love for all the wonderful photos. They are a beautiful gift when I click on the thread. The snake pic is a little scary. Beautiful, but scary. That's a copperhead, right? Not a fan of venom. Nope. Nope. Nope.

The little church in your pic upthread @Patricio Swayze what's the story behind it? It's lovely.

Love all the mama and baby pics. The fawn is precious.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Much love for all the wonderful photos. They are a beautiful gift when I click on the thread. The snake pic is a little scary. Beautiful, but scary. That's a copperhead, right? Not a fan of venom. Nope. Nope. Nope.
The little church in your pic upthread [mention=98]Patricio Swayze[/mention] what's the story behind it? It's lovely.
Love all the mama and baby pics. The fawn is precious.

Thank you.

Yes, it’s a copperhead.

The church is the St. Dominic church in D’Hanis.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

I just looked it up. Fascinating to think of what it must have been like to travel such a long way from Alsace and to settle in Texas.

[Goo Punch 4275]

On 6/12/2020 at 10:37 AM, El Diablo said:

You playing with this yet?

 

yes, finally. Precision Camera actually happened to be having a 2-hour online class for beginners using the D85 on the very night i bought it, but they forgot to send me the link in time so i missed it. they eventually emailed me the link (which i actually need to finish watching), and after watching some of it i've since taken it out a couple times. the first time i just went out to the country near where my family used to have land, and then yesterday i went to the local park where i planned to just shoot nature scenes, but i ended up running into some skater kids and asked them if they didn't mind me taking some photos. one of them actually was really knowledgeable about my camera and helped me learn more about it, so that was good timing. i haven't taken anything worth writing home about yet, and i obviously still have a ton to learn, but i'm having fun learning. here's a few of the better shots i've taken so far:

 

 

 

 

 

 

for those two i was shooting blind. it was my first time to ever use the camera, and i really didn't know what i was doing, lol. i'm not happy with the framing/composition of them, but i think i had the right idea. plus i learned from it, so bulky for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

with the skater guys it was a great chance for me to learn on the fly with contrast in lighting + moving pieces everywhere. i'm looking forward to getting out and practicing more. i'm really enjoying it thus far.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Goo Punch

[Goo Punch 4275]

also, i think i'd like to get something to edit these photos with. the guy at the store recommended Adobe Premier Elements. anybody have any other suggestions?

Edited June 24, 2020 by Goo Punch

[El Diablo 4232]

2 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

yes, finally. Precision Camera actually just happened to be having a 2-hour online class for beginners using the D85, but they forgot to send me the link in time so i missed it. they eventually emailed me the link (which i actually need to finish watching), and after watching some of it i've since taken it out a couple times. the first time i just went out to the country near where my family used to have land, and then yesterday i went to the local park where i planned to just shoot nature scenes, but i ended up running into some skater kids and asked them if they didn't mind me taking some photos. one of them actually was really knowledgeable about my camera and helped me learn more about it, so that was good timing. i haven't taken anything worth writing home about yet, and i obviously still have a ton to learn, but i'm having fun learning. here's a few of the better shots i've taken so far:

BEAUTIFUL!!  

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, Goo Punch said:

also, i think i'd like to get something to edit these photos with. the guy at the store recommended Adobe Premier Elements. anybody have any other suggestions?

i have a copy of Elements, got it off of Amazon for like $50 I think. I'm not good enough yet to need the tools the tools that Lightroomhas so Elements works for me. Mostly though I use Nikon's proprietary stuff. It's freeware but it too is limited. I like it just because it recognizes Nikon files. 

[El Diablo 4232]

This is one I shot last Friday walking thru the Catholic cemetery. Not good really but makes me think the place would be interesting to go for something other than a funeral. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I've about had it with these damn Mississippi Kites.  I just can't seem to get a shot of them that I like.  I was stoked about the Barred Owl. 

and a few more from my last trip out west...

[