Photography

[Sem]

Last spring we had a "superbloom" out here. Generally a lot of winter rain and spring sunshine bring out tons of wild flowers. This cell pic was taken on the Corrizo Plains, about an hour north of our house. This picture doesn't do what we saw justice. The hills in the background are yellow with flowers.

[Shoelessjoe]

There's a lot of talent by the men on this board with a camera in their hands. That sunrise and fishing boat picture could be entered in a contest and would probably take the trophy. It's that nice!

Thanks Jolly.  I took that shot on 4/22/2018.  It was shot at 1/500 of a second, f8 and ISO 125.  The lens was a Sigma 150-600 MM zoom that was set at 250 mm.  I did a little post processing just enough to give it some shape to it and get some detail in the boat.  I got a little luckey in that the boat just happen to be passing when the sun was at a perfect elevation.  A few minutes earlier and the sun would have been partially blocked by the horizon and the picture may not have been as good.  I took a lot of pictures that morning but only a few had the boat and that is what makes the picture.

I have another picture of a rather large bird that I did major alterations in Photoshop but the site will not take the file because it is 29.14MB and the max that it will take is 24MB. I used an impressionist brush and made it look more like a painting then a photo.

I took these picture of a bird who was bathing himself in a puddle of water on my lawn.  There are a series of pictures that at one point he closes his eyelid while under water.

[Sem]

Last summer a day trip to Monterey.

[Sem]

Making our way down the Pacific Coast Highway.







We were much taller then....

[MightyGiants]

There are some outstanding artists in this group!


I will say, I took about 8 or 9 of my favorites and made them a rotating slide show for my computer wallpaper (sorry Tim, your Jeep didn't make the cut  ) 

All of you, those are great pictures. 



Tim, I love that color on your jeep, I was was really considering something similar when I got my car.  I love that affect they have now.

[ozzie]

You guys are killin' it, these photos are great!

Lenn, I have used a few different cameras for the pix I've posted, it just depends when I took it. The first camera I bought myself was a Hanimex SL 35mm, fully manual. I loved that camera and had 3 or 4 different lenses for it. The shutter started slipping though and "retired" it. I should see about getting it repaired, but I'm not even sure where to buy film or get it processed now a days. After that I had a Minolta Maxxum 5000, again with a couple of different lenses. The first digital I got was a Sony Mavicka. No memory card, it copied pictures to a 3" CD.
What I use now is a Nikon Coolpix L830. It's a pretty simple set up without an interchangable lens, but the zoom is pretty good and it seems to get the job done.
So, I have never had any "professional" equipment, but for a hobbyist what I have had has worked for me. I still have all of these in the closet too, but I just go with the Nikon, it's light and compact. I finally got a nice, heavy duty tripod this year.

Here's a couple more from me...

Indepence Day - Last year



On a walking trail near the house

[Jim143]

Tim, I love that color on your jeep, I was was really considering something similar when I got my car.  I love that affect they have now.

Just curious. . . did any of mine make the cut? 

Sem
[quoteI don't think I even own a camera anymore other than my cell phone.[/quote]

I haven't owned an SLR since my Nikon, which I unloaded probably about 8 or 10 years ago.  Everything I have posted has come from one iPhone or another.  Most of them are from my current iPhone X.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with camera phones now.  They used to be the joke of the photography world, but, and I think it was the iPhone 8 but definitely the X, where some photographers actually said the pictures they shot were better then they multi-thousand $ set up.

A dear friend is a professional photographer and not to pat my own back, but thanks to me.  In high school I started in Freshman year and learned to develop my own film.  I was on the yearbook staff all four years and he wanted to know how to do it.  I think it was mainly to get out of class.  That was a benefit for me.  Even though I had a darkroom at home, we had one in the school and one of my teachers saw my camera and asked if I developed film. When I said yes, she said I would get an "A" in the class and I could spend that class time working in the darkroom.

Funny how life takes us.  I have kept dabbling in it over the years, but he jumped in with both feet and is doing pretty good for himself, all things considering. . .

[MightyGiants]

Just curious. . . did any of mine make the cut? 

Sem
[quoteI don't think I even own a camera anymore other than my cell phone.

I haven't owned an SLR since my Nikon, which I unloaded probably about 8 or 10 years ago.  Everything I have posted has come from one iPhone or another.  Most of them are from my current iPhone X.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with camera phones now.  They used to be the joke of the photography world, but, and I think it was the iPhone 8 but definitely the X, where some photographers actually said the pictures they shot were better then they multi-thousand $ set up.

A dear friend is a professional photographer and not to pat my own back, but thanks to me.  In high school I started in Freshman year and learned to develop my own film.  I was on the yearbook staff all four years and he wanted to know how to do it.  I think it was mainly to get out of class.  That was a benefit for me.  Even though I had a darkroom at home, we had one in the school and one of my teachers saw my camera and asked if I developed film. When I said yes, she said I would get an "A" in the class and I could spend that class time working in the darkroom.

Funny how life takes us.  I have kept dabbling in it over the years, but he jumped in with both feet and is doing pretty good for himself, all things considering. . .

Yes, your picture of what I could best describe as a castle

[Jim143]

Here are some more of our zoo crew:

This is Jetta.  She is named as such because she was found in an engine block of a VW Jetta.  The person who owned the vehicle drove from just north of Orlando to Fernandina Beach (215 Miles) and then another 30 miles down to Jacksonville to go to the Volkswagen dealership so they can take apart the engine enough to get her out.





This is my Treadmill Taskmaster, Smudge.  When we rescued her, she did not want to be seen at all.  Now, she is consistently on my lap looking for attention, when she isn't making me walk faster and farther.



This is Itzy (short for Itty Bitty), named that way because she was extremely tiny when she came home.  She was a stray outside Heidi's boss's house. Her boss is allergic to cats.



This is Odin again.  This is such a lovable, goofy boy.  We weren't going to get another dog after we lost Moses and Sophie (both my Shepards), just 5 weeks apart.  I started volunteering to walk dogs at the local animal control and he was in the puppy pen.  He was about 8 months, so much bigger than the normal puppies.  He is stubborn, but definitely a "daddy's boy"





This is the latest addition to our crew - Angus.  He was living in my work parking lot.  I saw him on and off for almost a year.  I thought he was an outdoor cat and just went home.  Apparently not.  I saw him in December and February, then Covid hit and I worked from home.  I went back to the office one day a week in June.  He was there and walked right up to me.  That day he ate most of my breakfast and lunch.  I knew we had to do something.

Turns out, he was already fixed without an ear notch which means he was not part of a TNR ferrel colony.  He is about 5 to 7 years old and is such a gentle old sole.

Here he is, the epitome of a cat flipping you off.  "yea, I see the trap and I know there is food in there, but screw you, I'm not falling for that". . . .



Took me three days to trap him.  But now, he is living the life as an indoor cat.

[Jim143]

Yes, your picture of what I could best describe as a castle

That would be our "Summer House". . . ==) ==)

That is Biltmore House in Asheville, North Caroline.  The "actual" summer home of the Vanderbilts.  When we lived up there, we lived near Brevard on the outskirts of Pisgah Forrest.  What I didnt know until we went up and toured the house and grounds was that Vanderbilt donated about 8,000 acres of his property to be set aside as a protected forrest area.  That area is Pisgah Forest.

[Ed Vette]

[Ed Vette]

[Sem]

Here's a couple more from me...
On a walking trail near the house

Ozzie, I love this one!! I don't know why but for some reason love pictures of paths through the woods. 

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Ozzie, I love this one!! I don't know why but for some reason love pictures of paths through the woods.

I was taken by the same picture. I just want to take a walk down that path

[ozzie]

Thanks guys.
I know what you mean. Pictures like that just look very calm, peaceful and inviting to me with maybe a little bit of mystery as to what's around that next bend?