Iris in the front garden. Breezy, but I waited to shoot between gusts.
Rich
Printable View
Iris in the front garden. Breezy, but I waited to shoot between gusts.
Rich
Darkening around the edges really sets off the iris.
Beautiful flower photos Rich.
Rupert
Too warm for flowers. It has been near 100F. The only one I saw blooming.
Rich
And it looks wilted already. You must be in Australia too?
It has cooled into the 70s.
Rich
HDR in the shed. Still too windy for outdoors.
Rich
Rich,
What is HDR?
I love the images this way, so I was just wondering.
Hi Larry,
Rich seems to be off line at this time.
A good article about HDR or HDRI is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging
Thank you Bill.
I checked that out.
Could similar results be achieved in XaraX using levels?(which I do not have bye the way since I do not have the pro version).
If not, do you know the best software to use? Maybe I should ask how can I upgrade to the pro version so I can get these other tools which I am finding out that I might use.
Hi Larry,
Doesn't the non Pro version have the Photo Tool? The levels required to simulate HDR would be the one in the Photo Tool.
Rich is using multiple exposures with different aperature settings. That is why he mentions the windy conditons outdoors. You cannot get multiple exposures in windy conditions because your subject is never in the same place for successive exposures.
Yeah it does,
Stupid me I just found out how to manipulate the different channels.
I didn't think I had a levels tool like that. I thought only the pro version had the levels tool, well it does to manipulate the shadows and highlights which I do not have, but now a whole new world is opened up to me.
Thank you Bill
Bill,
I have been shooting at different EV settings. Basically, AEB i.e. auto exposure bracket. So, 0,-1 & -2 EV (exposure value). In Program mode or Aperature mode. I think I changed to F18 in A mode. F32 only on very still days. HDR required two or more images. You can use more than three. I tried tone balancing and blending the same image. I get a result, but not the same a using different settings.
There is HDR in Photo Impact, and I have an older version. I have been using Akvis Enhancer. No idea if there is a best application. I still have not been able to get reds right. More practice, probably.
Rich
Too much red with the fly, and this is just the starting image.
Rich
Rich always nice to see your work
greetings
Too windy for an HDR.
Rich
Rich in film photography there are varying methods to get different exposures.Quote:
Originally Posted by molucca
1. You can use a set shutter speed and a set film iso rating then vary the aperature.
2. You can use a set aperature and set film iso rating then vary the shutter speed.
3. You can use a set shutter speed and aperature then vary the iso rating.
4. You can vary all three and have some wild fun. :D
On the old manual cameras I used ages ago a single click on the iso rating (known as ASA back then in the US) was the same as a single click on the Aperature ring on the lens. Increasing the ASA setting was the same as reducing the Aperature opening and vise versa if you lowered ASA setting. The reasoning is the higher the ASA rating the more sensitive the film is to light, but setting a higher ASA than the actual rating of the film is allowing less light than the true rating requires for a given exposure.
Your digital camera EV setting is similar to the ASA setting and to the Aperature setting. It essentially determines the amount of light allowed to enter the camera as the Aperature would do...but also is refered to as being similar to ISO in some documentation.
In any case it is basically the same as what I mentioned about different Aperature Settings. It was generally understood by photographers of those days that any of the 3 settings could be adjusted to make a different exposure depending on your requirements. Shutter speed being important to catch action in sharp detail or to get a blur to indicate speed or movement. Aperature being important to set a larger or smaller depth of field. ISO setting to use the full potential of the film in a given amount of light or to capture details in the shadows or highlights.
I'll refrain from going into details about developing the film and all it's variations along with darkroom techniques. :D
I don't have time to write a full series of photography technical manuals at this time.:eek::D
Bill,
I use Auto Bracket because I don't touch the camera between shots. I need to use a remote switch as well. Too much nerve damage. Same reason I don't draw very often.
I built a dark room when I was younger, but my brother used all the supplies.
Rich
Rich,
Auto Bracket is a good feature of the new cameras. It would have made my photographs a lot easier to do back in the day. :)
Can you select a number of steps for the bracket or does it only allow a default number?
Bill,
I usually set the EV to -1. With AEB you can dial in a high and low from there. So, for my camera, three exposures.
Rich
I was shooting for HDR, but they were all too saturated.
Rich
Nice shots Rich!
To throw another varible in the mix, if you use a flash you can really confuse matters also. For instance, I took a shot the other day in bulb mode with close to a 2 second exposure and was still able to catch an object in motion without any blur.
My camera can do 3, 5 or 7 exposures in a bracket. My strobes will work fine at 3, but won't recharge fast enough for 5 or 7 exposures.
My neighbours that never do anything to their yard happen to have Iris in front of their difficult to describe disaster. Nice Iris, though.
Rich
Nice Iris's... Very nice shot Rich!
John,
It has been overcast all day. I shot the purple Iris when it was starting to rain.
A couple HDR done in the shed.
Rich
HDR in the shed.
Rich
Beautiful Rich, I love Iris's.
Still raining. I have been making an illuminator for the shed. Well, a couple of one gallon cans with a light bulb. I made a background form a piece of plywood from an old palette. I had the palette to keep thing off the floor, but it was a better place for rats to hide. There was a rat crawling about and I took a shot. Must have scared it and haven't seen it since. I'll see how the lighting works. I wanted to light to just show down and not on the background.
I was doing some SM separation. Think I was working too hard. Took an easy approach and it worked much better. Not too many tracing fragments.
Rich
Hi Rich,
If you have an external flash/strobe. See if you can set it so it fires as a slave, or if you can remotely trigger it. then you can set it up on a cheap lightstand and use that in your shed. For what you are shooting, it should work just great! here is a link to much more information about what you can really do with a flash Lighting 101
The expense is not much really. You can probably get a very nice setup for under $300 and that is including the price for a second flash (always nice to have a fill flash)
Any questions just hollar.
BTW: wonmderful images... They are great!
John,
I have an off camera fixture for the flash unit. I have an old flash, but it doesn't have much capability. I am trying not to illuminate the background for separation of the image later.
Rich
Hi Rich,
The key is to make the background either 5 stops darker (if you want black) or the same intensity if you want a pure white background. The further back from the subject, the less light the background gets, thus darker.
If you are trying to do greenscreen/blue screen make sure the subject doesn't have any of that color in it and light it evenly. Different shades will cause you to open up the selection colors. Have to use 8/16 shades instead of 1.
Again if you want to create a separation, then have the background as far from the subject as possible, so as little of the light from the background spills onto the subject.
John,
The shed was a bird house at one time. Not the largest exnclosure. I can never get too far from anything. I only get light from one window, and it doesn't get illuminated all day. Shooting HDR has a large effect on the areas around the image. More of a glow from the foreground. The SM separations work much better and easier than I had thought. I'll practice a little more, and maybe read the tutorial. I was surprised how little effort was needed on my part.
I set the background as far back as possible, and tried to keep any light off of it.
Rich
Hi Rich,
Can you trigger your flash off camera? If so move it to the side so it doesn't shine on the background. Set up a piece of cardboard between the flash and the background to block any spillage if you need to. Using the flash and set to a level 7 (I think 5 is enough but 7 for sure) stops above what is reflecting off the background will be enough to turn a white background black. The trick to using flash is to get it off the camera, and pointed at the subject, but not the background.
When you work with flash, it is not the ambient light level but the instantaneous level when the flash fires. I have done stop motion shots in bulb mode. The young lady dropped the spray bottle right before I triggered the flash manually. The camera was set on bulb exposure. The total exposure time was 1.8 seconds. The second shot is a closeup with the brightness increased so one can see the shadow of her arm and the spray bottle against the background. See the attached shots:
John,
I have a flash unit cable for the 580EX, and can set about two feet maybe. It would act as a rempte unit with another flash. I have a 300EZ. I am not sure about using it on the 20D.
Rich
Hi Rich,
Nice shot!
Can you check the synch voltage on the connector pins. Some of the older flashes that where designed for the old film camera can pop a DSLR. I forget which models had synch voltages in the 150-300V range.
if that is the vivitar 580, then you can grab an extention cord for that synch cable. I broke down and bought a wireless trigger/receiver setup for my lights. Now I don't have to worry about tripping over cords when I am shooting.
I can wirelesssly synch my Pentax AF360FGZ. I am saving my pennies for another one, or maybe the next model up.
(That ole Rule two for women, really cuts into a guys play money).:D