Tekforums
Chat => Photography => Topic started by: zpyder on March 01, 2008, 09:44:52 AM
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Im still interested in photography...a couple of years ago I upgraded my Finepix S7000 to a Canon 400D. Figured some pictures of different things are in order heh. Still have a lot to learn with photography so these pics pale in comparison to what many of you guys have...but then I tend to be more bothered about the subject than the technical points hehe...
Various sculpts Ive done...still horror themed hehe...
A resin cast severed hand for the suppliers of the carnivorous plants I needed for my dissertation...theyd commented on some pics of the fish tank ones I did, so rather than a bottle of wine, they got a hand for their displays!
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/FPZLFJ/viewsize/hamphand.jpg)
H.P.Lovecraft Cthulhu inspired stuff:
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/FPZLFJ/viewsize/Cup_o_Cthulhu_by_zpyder.jpg)
And a flowerpot Cthulhu / Little shop of horrors style addition...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/FPZLFJ/viewsize/ls1.jpg)
This one was me being a bit of a Marine Bio geek...a Cthulhu type thing in the Veliger stage (Veligers are a young, planktonic type of stage of many marine animals like crabs and snails.)
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/FPZLFJ/viewsize/Veliger_Cthulhu_by_zpyder.jpg)
A slightly macabre photo...my collection of skulls grew from 2 to 8 last year whilst out on fieldwork. Freaked my colleagues out by carrying them around with me as we found them. Theyre just interesting bones that have a lot of artistic value in them. Coming across a deer carcass in Arne is a bit spooky when youre right at the peninsula. Rumour has it theres a Puma lurking, and it makes it more believable. Theres fricking great big huge wood ant nests too, which you can imagine are responsible for stripping a carcass in minutes...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/skulls/viewsize/skull.jpg)
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Experiments with lighting...
Some light painting with LEDs two years back....
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/XUIGNC/viewsize/A_child_in_the_darkness_by_zpyder.jpg)
My friend Alisons hand whilst out walking in the New Forest. Experimented with the RAW exposure settings and shadows, turned a normal photo of someone taking a photo into this. I like it heh.
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/XUIGNC/viewsize/alihands.jpg)
And on to various critters...
Corals in my marine tank whilst it was running...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/misc/viewsize/candycane.jpg)
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/misc/viewsize/zoa1.jpg)
And some insects from fieldwork. These were taken by sticking a closeup filter onto the kit lens of the camera and then sticking the camera onto the end of an eyepiece on a microscope. A lot of my work last summer involved looking at the various bugs caught in pitfall traps and identifying what they were to order level. Occasionally there would be things that looked different or cool, and I had my camera on hand...
Juvenile Beetle...order Coleoptera
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/beetle.jpg)
A true bug(Hemiptera) with two ticks (Acari) attached - poor sod
http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/bugtick2.jpg
This one I took with my camera phone. It was Autumn and the dragonflies (Order Odonata) were dying off, this guy was on the path on my way to uni. Ive got the tendency to carry specimen containers and lab gloves in my bag now just in case theres something interesting passing by, so took him to uni for the Entymological collection...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/dragonfly1.jpg)
This one of the same Dragonfly, using the cameraphone, but sticking it up next to the microscope lens. it was only low power, but it shows the complex compound eyes these guys have...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/DSC00176.jpg)
A little diddy wasp (Hymenoptera). Hymenoptera include Bees, wasps, and ants. For some reason theyre one of my favourite orders. This guy, under the microscope, was probably 3mm long or so.
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/wasp1.jpg)
I still occasionally keep a mantis or something...this was the latest one, and African mantis. Unlike the others Ive had this one was a bit more skitzy and didnt like to be handled much. This is the first time Ive seen such defensive behaviour in a mantis, Ive seen flaring of wings but not the bearing of fangs before...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/martha.jpg)
This is her in normal mode...a lot less scary...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/mantis3.jpg)
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Purse web spider at Sopley common near me. Using a sigma 70-300mm lens for this (theyre tiny). Looking at these guys under the microscope is freaky, they have (relatively speaking) HUGE fangs which are also barbed, they wait and when prey passes on the outside of their web, they use these fang to punch through the web and catch whatever it is. The saying that we have no spiders to worry about in this country is a lie, there are quite a few species, which though not deadly venemous, either have a painful bite because of huge fangs, or have venom which can cause a reaction/blistering etc :S
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/MG_4421.jpg)
Another wasp, this time your garden variety stinging bugger. I think I have a nest outside my room somewhere as over the last 6 months maybe a dozen or so have been on the inside of my window, and they havent been flying past me. I used to catch these in a specimen container and feed them to my mantis, she loved em...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/insects/viewsize/wasp_2.jpg)
Your friendly garden variety Robin. No telephoto lens required. I was about 2 feet from the waxworm he was landing to get. All it needed was a bright sunny day and patience, as he was scared of the camera...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/otheranimals/viewsize/robin3.jpg)
A male Sand Lizard at Sopley Common. These guys are protected species, usually you hear them but never see them hehe...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/otheranimals/viewsize/MG_4430.jpg)
And a female, not quite as colourful...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/otheranimals/viewsize/sl2.jpg)
Couple of plants n stuff...
A toadstool in the New Forest...
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/plants/viewsize/toadstool.jpg)
And fungus on a tree. I tried to go Sin City on it, and named it "That Yellow Bastard"
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/plants/viewsize/YELLOWBASTARD.jpg)
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Nice work! :)
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I think the shot of the Robin is really terrific. I think a little post processing to enhance it a little would make it truly outstanding.
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Some great shots there, I especially love this one.
(http://www.zpyder.co.uk/images/zoom/otheranimals/viewsize/sl2.jpg)
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Love them, especially the close up of the bugs eyes under the microscope :nana:
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The last shot of the fungus on the tree does it for me. Excellent work!
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I think the shot of the Robin is really terrific. I think a little post processing to enhance it a little would make it truly outstanding.
Not sure how I could process it? The graininess is there from being shot at like ISO 1600 on a bright sunny day to get a freeze of him poised. I have a few more of him on approach and lifting off too :D
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Im so sorry.
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lol @ goblin
some great pictures there, nice work.
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I think the shot of the Robin is really terrific. I think a little post processing to enhance it a little would make it truly outstanding.
Not sure how I could process it? The graininess is there from being shot at like ISO 1600 on a bright sunny day to get a freeze of him poised. I have a few more of him on approach and lifting off too :D
Do you have the original as a RAW file? I would be happy to process for you, to give you an idea of what I mean. Tis a lovely shot, would love to have captured it myself.
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Ive uploaded it to here:http://www.zpyder.co.uk/forums/MG_4877.CR2 if you want to have a play with it. It would be good to see how you do it. I seem to always get things wrong heh. My post processing usually is a case of clicking loads of things and sliding bars backwards and forwards till something looks good. Or at least, better than what I made it 2 seconds before haha!
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Zpyder - will have a go this evening when I get in. I am presuming a .cr2 file can just be opened in CS3? Its Canon RAW format is it not?
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Yeah its Canon. I use Adobe Bridge and Camera raw for everything so it should work hehe
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Cool ... will post later this evening. I can then email you the .PSD file so you can see the steps.
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pm me your email addy and I will mail you over the originals. I see what you mean about the noise. I could spend longer softening the background, but tbh, I think it looks okay as it is.
(http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7205/mg4877edittf9.jpg)
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Looks so much better!
*note to self*
Must take more time and practice playing with shadows more...
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zpyder - tried mailing them to you last night, but I have almost maxed out my allowed usage with plus net. So it failed twice trying to send. I then zipped up to send, although still 20mb. If you can wait till monday/tuesday next week will do it then for you fella!
Glad you like the processed one, although when working with such a great photo to begin with it makes it that much easier. -)
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I can wait. I should be doing my dissertation hehe!