Project 4: Water Drops Part 2

   Just a quick addition to the previous post.  I gave it another shot tonight using an apple. I liked the results but the lighting was more hit or miss. I tried bouncing the light off the back like yesterday but didn't seem to work as well. I ended up holding the flash in my hand for the majority of the apple shots.

Project 4 Complete: Water Drops

   I'm trying to get ahead to my deadline of Sunday so maybe I can play some golf this weekend.  The goal this week was to try my hand at water drop macro photography.  Well let me tell you, based on today's experience it's not as easy as it looks OR at least it wasn't for me.
   My first issue is that I hardly ever use a flash.  I had to read the manual to figure out how to get my camera to wirelessly trigger the flash and how to configure the flash to receive the signal.  All that was pretty easy once I located the right pages.
   Setting up was a little more difficult.  I wish I had taken a picture of my setup, maybe next time.  Anyway I had a shallow clear glass pyrex dish filled with water sitting on the kitchen counter, a stool on the counter and a piece of white board propped up against it.  On the seat of the stool was a long metal clamp (think the kind that holds boards together), which I was using to suspend the baggie over the pyrex dish.  To hold this baggie I had a large clamp.  Oh I forgot to hold the metal clamp in place I use one of my photo backpacks.
   Time to shoot.  I placed the flash to the left of the camera at 45 degrees aimed at the white background.  The goal wasn't to directly light the water but have the light bounce to illuminate freeze the splash.  The most difficult thing to do was to get the baggie to release the right amount of water.  It was either too much or too little.  I think I'm going to try this again but using the kitchen sink.
    Anyway, here are what I thought were the most interesting of the shots I came out with.  Oh, if you want to get the image blue just change your white balance to tungsten.

Kings Crown

Water Polo

3

Enjoy,

Masamitsu

Project 3 Complete: Flower Macro

   Well it's way overdue but I finally made the time to attempt flower macros.  I think the images turned out okay but think I could definitely do a better job if I had more time.  Just seems like I can't / don't / won't make time to spend with my camera.  It's going to get even tougher since golf season is right around the corner.  Anyway, enough rambling.
    As you can tell by the sample images, I have a lot to learn when it comes to macros.  I did remember a few things from my past attempts.  The primary one was to ensure to use LiveView to get the image as sharp as possible.  It would have been close to impossible to get these images sharp just using the viewfinder.  Also the depth of field with macro photography is so small even at f40 (which these we shot at) it's still pretty narrow.
  For the images themselves my setup was very simple.  I wanted a high key effect to the images so I had a large tri-fold white foam board as my background, the flower was clipped to a cup so I could easily arrange and try different compositions.  These were all shot in my kitchen using only natural light (can't afford a fancy dancy ring-flash).. Actually it was even darker since the blinds were closed, didn't want the light & dark stripes showing up as the background.

Project 2 completed: Baseball

   I went to Austin last weekend to watch my nephew play baseball for University of Maryland versus University of Texas.  It ended up being a informal family reunion as we got to see pretty much everyone in the family.  Anyway, I'm getting off the topic.
   If you know me at all you know I don't like to shoot people.  Actually, I hate shooting people.  Well as part of this project, I'm forcing myself out of my comfort zone.  So on to what I learned.  Well it's not as easy as it looks or as easy as the pro's make it look... or at least it wasn't for me.  I got the majority of the technical stuff down but had some issues with focusing. I tried spot focusing first and it worked okay until the subject started to move a little, if the subject move off of the spot I ended up focusing on the stands in the background.   What I should have used is Dynamic with Continuous Servo mode.  This would have allowed me to set the focus point then the D700 focusing system would have tracked the subject as it moved.  Damn you for not reading 800+ page manual!  Oh, well at least I learned something.
  Also I could've used a faster lens as well.  I rented the new Nikon 28-300 3.5-5.6 FX since there was a limitation on the size of the lens you could take into the stadium.  I wanted to take my 80-200 2.8 but they never would have allowed.  Heck, I got hassled for the size of this lens even fully collapsed.  All the photographer's shooting from the photography bullpens had at least 400mm 2.8.  I was jonesing for one of those!
   Below I've posted what I think we're my best shots from the weekend.  No post-processing, just convert to JPEG.

On Deck

Single

Celebratation!

I like this because all three people at the plate are tracking the ball.

What's the hitter looking at?  The other two have their eye on the ball.

My nephew Taylor supporting the 'Horns.

A neat little still life shot.  

Abstract Ice Take 2 & my first photography accident

star light star bright

   In continuation of my bi-weekly photography project, I headed back up to Echo Lake to shoot more abstract ice.  I was hoping with the cold weather we've recently had the lake would be more stable and I would be able to venture a little further out toward the deeper sections.  Last time I was up there was towards the later afternoon which meant I had to deal with shadows caused by the setting sun.  This time the plan was to be at the by the late morning.  
   A couple of things make shooting ice very addicting.  1) You can shoot in harsh light, which means you don't have to get out of bed super early to catch the golden light.  2) No matter how many times you shoot one location, you'll almost always find new and interesting formations.  3) You honestly don't need to carry a ton of gear.  All these shots were with the Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens mounted on a D700.  But honestly, with all the light available a "fast" lens isn't really necessary.  Actually, a DX format camera might work better because of the magnification factor.

the matrix

   I know by now everyone is wondering about the accident.  Well, we are talking about ice here right.  My previous outing I was very comfortable on the ice in just my boots.  It was a bit different this time mostly because of the wind.  It was howling at time.  So much so that I put down my backpack once and the wind blew it approximately 50 yards from me. Anyway, back to the event.  I was slowly and carefully walking around looking for interesting patterns, a gust of wind caught me (probably around 40-50 mph) and pretty much blew me off my feet.  As you can imagine I had my camera mounted on the tripod, when I fell backwards the whiplash caused the camera to nail me directly above my left eye.  Yes, I was in a good amount of pain.  First I checked my eye brow to make sure I wasn't bleeding, I wasn't.  Next was the check the camera hoping it would be okay.  Luckily it was.  So I learned when shooting on slippery surfaces crampons are a must, no matter how comfortable you feel always veer to the side of caution and for me the first photography helmet might not be a bad idea.

the galaxy

Snowmobiling

Went out snowmobiling yesterday with some friends and took the camera. The intention was to take picture of the group and we rode around etc. However, we stopped to a few minutes for some free time in this large meadow. I did a few quick laps then started looking for possible shots. As you can see from this shot the snow was really coming down. I think this image portrays a feeling of loneliness and desperation. I was going to clone out the truck but I think adds to the overall image.

Nikonians Monthly Contest

   Today I was pleasantly informed that I had been selected as a finalist for this months Landscape contest on Nikonians.com.  The image selected is one of my favorites, it's called "The Overlook".  This image was taken overlooking Peyto Lake in the beautiful Banff National Park.  You're probably wondering what makes this image one of my favorites.  Sure it's got qualities that exist in a great image but that doesn't make it an automatic favorite.  The real reason I love this photograph is it taught me how the preciousness of time and being there.
    I was on a photography based vacation with some great friends.  Every night we would sit down and plan out what we wanted to shoot the next day, what would be the ideal times to be at each location consulting map, books etc.   Earlier in the day we stopped by the exact same spot and spent time exploring different compositions and shooting.  However, the light wasn't really ideal.  It was bright flat midday light.  So we continued on way.
    After spending time exploring and doing touristy stuff we decided it was time to head back. On the way back, the temps dropped and it began to snow.  I had seen a few images of Peyto Lake (from Darwin Wiggetts book) and knew if the lighting and conditions were right we could have some serious fun.  We headed to the same overlook we had visited just 5 hours earlier and viola.  This is the scene that was presented to us.  All you had to do was find the right composition that pleased your eye.  As you can imagine I took quiet a few shots (majority are okay to good) but this image really stands out to me.  It's the depth, clarity, texture and captured emotion that really makes this image for me.  I could have stood there for hours just looking at this scene.... And I can't wait to go back.  
    As far as the contest goes (I know it's cliche) but just being selected is a honor.  I'll let you know how the voting turns out.  If you have a Nikonians account, please check it out and vote.

My Project Schedule

This is very much related to my first post of the year. I upped the ante by creating a list of "projects" per se with due dates to keep me on schedule. I tried to come up with a list that would fit into our upcoming vacations etc.

Abstract Ice: 13 Feb

Baseball: 27 Feb

Flower Macro: 13 Mar

Water Drops: 27 Mar

Denver Architecture: 10 Apr

Smoke: 24 Apr

Street: 8 May

Multi-Row Pano: 22 May

Child Portrait: 5 Jun
A Photo within a Frame:  19 Jun

Fill the Frame:                  3 Jul

As you can see this is a pretty aggressive list if you consider I still want to snowboard and play golf.. not to mention having to actually work... And continue to focus on my landscape photography as well

I'm still looking for ideas to fill out the remainder of the year and would be very happy to hear your suggestions.

Step 1 complete. As a part of my previous post I headed up to Echo Lake today to shoot abstract ice. Let me tell you it was a bit sketchy out on the lake. I think with the warm temps the last few days things are getting "loose.' I lost count of how many time I heard a crack from behind me. It kept me moving though... And the cracking sound got louder as I got nearer to the middle of the lake.

A couple of things I learned today some more obvious than others. First is to not be in a hurry, you're on ice after all. No, I didn't fall at all today not even close. Secondly, has to do with camera settings. To get the nice cool blue coloring set your white balance to florescent or take a manual light reading. Lastly is to have fun. Don't stress about how many keepers you get just shoot and enjoy the time outside.

Aloha,

Masamitsu Photography

First post this year and my promise... sorta...

Welcome to a new year and a new goal. Last year was what I would consider a down year as far as my photography is concerned. It doesn't feel like I really got out much and if I did, not much was garnered from those outings. I think I got a little over consumed with my other favorite hobby (golf) and it pushed photography aside.

This is my year to really challenge my photography skills and take photography where I've never taken it before. The promise I make is to shoot at least once a week and post something to the blog at least every other week. As you can probably guess this doesn't lend itself to shoot exclusively landscapes. I'm going to venture into still life, sports and yes portrait photography. For those who know me, you realize how big of a step this will be for me. I'm very very comfortable shooting landscapes but get me outside of that comfort zone and it's like I never held a camera. But it's time I put on my big boy pants and get to cracking. You'll be hearing and seeing more from me in the future. Here's hoping we can both handle it.