Day 18: July 2010 Photo-a-Day Thread

[Colin Southern]

Ready when you are!

[rick55]

Canon 500D, EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, Full EXIF. .

Did a little hiking at a stream a few miles from home, and got some damsel fly shots. This isn't the technically best image, but it's the cutest.

Cheers,
Rick

[Colin Southern]

Being my "day of rest" (if there's ever such a thing for a parent!), I decided that a little "rest and relaxation" was in order ... which of course means a photo shoot!

I was hoping for a better sunset, but some clouds hanging around the horizon spoilt things a little - but at the end of the day (pun intended!) we have to play the cards we're dealt.

These shots were all about lighting, so as a key light I had a pair of 580 EX II flashes each (with a 1/2 cut of CTO gel) attached to a pair of Pocket Wizard TT5 Flex's, firing into a shoot-through umbrella attached to a boom arm. For fill I had a 3rd 580EX II with 1/2 cut CTO gel attached to a 3rd TT5 Flex, all controlled by a 4th 580EX II as a master controller on a Pocket Wizard Mini-TT1. If you're not familiar with CTO gels, they basically warm the light hitting the subject thus requiring a cooling white balance adjustment to maintain normal skin tones; the cooling adjustment is applied to the entire image though (not just the portion lit by the very warm light) ... so a fairly bland "light blue" sky becomes a deep rich blue.






PS: Happy Birthday to my Mum - 89 today!

[carregwen]

I like #2, Colin - good angle and a very happy looking model. A slightly lighter pair of jeans would have picked up some more light and help separate the legs from the background more. I've only got two flashguns! What's the star above her head?

[Colin Southern]

I like #2, Colin - good angle and a very happy looking model. A slightly lighter pair of jeans would have picked up some more light and help separate the legs from the background more. I've only got two flashguns! What's the star above her head?

Thanks Rob,

I actually masked off the jeans and ground as it was picking up too much light from the umbrella (I didn't want to draw the eye away from the upper body & sky). I've got 9 strobes (if I count by 5x RX1200's!) - one of these days I'll bring the RX1200's on a location shoot; I had just enough misfires with the pocket wizards for them to be annoying

No idea what the star was - it was getting pretty dark though - was down to 1/20th @ ISO 1600 @ F8 in the end.

[Klickit]

A day of blast, damn and blue scream of death. No, that it not a typo. The scream was very loud. I'm very grumpy.

[carregwen]

A day of blast, damn and blue scream of death. No, that it not a typo. The scream was very loud. I'm very grumpy.

Spray paint on the lens?

Body-filler dust in the PC?

Body-repairers comandeered the laptop to do some gaming?

[Wirefox]

blue scream of death

Now you tell me. I thought the blue scream was a normal operating function in Windows. I happens so often I thought it was a screen saver. Seriously though. I hope you get back up and running soon.

Steve

[Colin Southern]

Now you tell me. I thought the blue scream was a normal operating function in Windows. I happens so often I thought it was a screen saver.

Hmmm - can't say I've ever heard of it!

[carregwen]

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it."

Panasonic G1. Black perspex base. Black art paper backdrop. Single studio flash with diffuser. I very dead sheep (that just leaves 4.7m in Wales)

PAD gallery

EXIF

[Antonio Correia]

Panasonic G1. Black perspex base. Black art paper backdrop. Single studio flash with diffuser. I very dead sheep (that just leaves 4.7m in Wales)...

Superb, brilliant, beautiful

[Wirefox]

Superb Rob. The lighting is spot on. This work with the G1 is confirming my doubts about ownership of a full blown DSLR. This camera you are using is relatively compact, light and in the right hands can produce excellent images. It is starting to look as if there is a really credible alternative for someone like me who does not want to go pro and gets fed up of carting round a breeze block with a lens screwed on the front. Its not as if it is like sporting a flashy car most people seem to think anyone with a DSLR is a perv or a terrorist in this country. I bet you can point that red G1 at anyone and anything without risk of being carted of for a lynching by the Klu Klix Kam.

[rick55]

I like #2 also, Colin. I see Rob's point: if the jeans were lighter, the tones would be balanced everywhere, with light sky with bright top in front, and dark horizon with lighter jeans in front, even with the lighting masked. Not much you can do on-site, I suppose.

The star is probably Venus: it's the evening star now.

Cheers,
Rick

[rick55]

That's a brilliant shot, Rob, absolutely amazing. I love it.

Cheers,
Rick

[carregwen]

That's a brilliant shot, Rob, absolutely amazing. I love it.

Cheers,
Rick

You wanna stick it on your bedroom wall? It will give ya nightmares...

Thanks everyone for the comments.

[James G]

Birmingham Street architecture:

I thought Id revisit an earlier theme and my fascination with the way we 'decorate' our open spaces (uitilitarian or otherwise).

These three images are of statues/memorials epotimising something or other.

Spitfire Island commemorates the role of Birmingham industry in producing Spitfires during WWII. The Castle Bromwich factoryy now makes cars. I'm always impressed by the dynamic feel to this memorial.



This second is at the 'gateway' to an estate which was created post 1970s to replace failed high rise 'sink' estates which caused such problems after the war.

The new estate built in the 80's through to the 90's is much more a real community. I rather like the optimism of this 'monument'.



The final shot is of 'Cranes' lifting off at Birmingham airport. I'm quite intrigued by it since I can think of a number of airports around the world (Dublin is particularly apt), where the same theme has been used to mark the airport approach.

[rick55]

You wanna stick it on your bedroom wall? It will give ya nightmares...

You know, if you turn it 90deg CCW, it kind of looks like some kind of horror creature from a video game or fantasy movie.

Like this:



Add a couple of eyes, and there you go: if you don't mind my fooling with a gem of a shot.

Cheers,
Rick

[wilgk]

1 very dead sheep (that just leaves 4.7m in Wales)

be afraid be very afraid - nightmare potential....big....HUGE

http://www.iconmovies.com.au/blacksheep/

[carregwen]

You know, if you turn it 90deg CCW, it kind of looks like some kind of horror creature from a video game or fantasy movie.

Like this:



Add a couple of eyes, and there you go: if you don't mind my fooling with a gem of a shot.

Cheers,
Rick

Right, that does it. He, or perhaps she (if you are lucky) is coming to get you.

Nice knowing you...

[Antonio Correia]

Starting to work with my new toy.
Poor iPhone pic