Some new photos from the D80 and 12-24

[pyro]

The wonder of wide angle...

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1505/treesz5.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1995/dsc2713adp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I already posted these a while back, awesome sunset...

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/7783/ss8un9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9266/ss4cb6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/2900/ss5ff2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9112/ss6di9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro)

[hsbob]

what lens brand pyro?? nikon.

[The Big Al]

Pyro your getting good!

very good!

[pyro]

The Nikon 12-24 DX f/4 was used for all of the above photos.

[SFRacing]

amazing shots pyro, i especially like the first one. Great eye for a great shot.

[Scream And Fly]

Those are great Chad!

[pyro]

The tree pictures were from this morning.
A few steps back: More sky and fog, but less snowdrift and branch detail.
There's some neat rays of light coming through the branches at this angle.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/5792/tree2br1.jpg

[pyro]

...and yet another tree. This old Oak is about 3 miles from my house. Got this shot the other night after sunset. Vertical orientation for the reflection.
-Chad

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9608/tree7cq7.jpg

[Kurt Graf]

What camera settings did you use for that picture?

[david martin]

Nice photos!! Great job,I would love to look around and not see a house or building in sight.
David

[pyro]

What camera settings did you use for that picture?

Hand-held, with my car idling on the side of the road near a hill, jogging to the edge of the flooded area, and no time to play around with settings.
If I hadn't been so rushed, I would have set up my tripod and used ISO 100, f/8, and shot a variety of compositions and exposures. These settings were completely accidental, and turned out to be the only one of the bunch worth keeping. The odd settings were:

cloudy WB
15mm
ISO 500
f/4
1/160

It ended up being WAAY under-exposed. I lightened the entire image quite a bit in Photoshop, especially the reflected area.


Nice photos!! Great job,I would love to look around and not see a house or building in sight.
David

Actually, our small town middle school and high school are 200 yards behind me where I shot the photo. There's also a barn in the distance, under the tree on the left, but you can't see it in this version because I brushed it out to keep the image serene and natural.

Other than that, I didn't brush-in or add anything to it.

[hsbob]

looking good pyro. are you shooting raw or just jpg.

buying those nikon lens will keep you from buying that new boat for sure.

[pyro]

Yeah, but the Nikon doesn't use as much gas. :D

[hsbob]

watch out the electrons and ones and zero get heavy.

[Sharkey-Images]

Great shots Pyro ! :thumbsup:

[pyro]

I've been obsessed with shooting old oak trees lately. Here's a couple of scenes I shot on the way home last night:

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9335/roadxu1.jpg
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro), shot with NIKON D80 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=NIKON+D80&make=NIKON+CORPORATION) at 2008-04-19

A few miles away, on a one-lane dirt road full of pot holes, I found this huge old oak, which has been decorated with a couple hundred pairs of shoes. The nearby power line is also adorned with a cluster of a dozen shoes. The "shoe tree"

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2428/road2au4.jpg
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro), shot with NIKON D80 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=NIKON+D80&make=NIKON+CORPORATION) at 2008-04-19

[jphii]

Hey Chad, quick question: I'm trying to take a picture of the label inside the body of a guitar. Any tips? My D50 keeps focusing on the rosette no matter what I do. This is how it keeps coming out:

http://i30.tinypic.com/24qlhe8.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/2dcbl88.jpg

[pyro]

Those little black squares in the viewfinder are important. Make sure you're set up to focus on a single point. Do NOT try to use AUTO, because it will have a mind of its own. I'm not sure how the D50 is set up, but on my D80 I can use the cursor button to move the autofocus target around in the viewfinder, it brackets a box around the square that's currently set as the target, usually you would leave it set in the center. Use LOTS of bright room light or overcast outdoor light instead of the flash, this will eliminate the harsh shadows from the strings, and the big crescent-shaped shadow from the soundhole edge due to the angle of the flash. Room light will also help the autofocus "see" the label easier so it can focus on it.

Choose AF-S, and spread the strings apart with your fingers so the autofocus target is NOT over the string in the viewfinder. It should find its target quickly this way. Hold the shutter halfway to lock the autofocus before removing your hand from the strings, but DON'T move the camera before shooting or you'll be out of focus. You may need to play with exposure, since the camera may attempt to weigh the well-lit top and strings against the darker soundhole label. You may need to crank things up a bit to get the label light enough. If you have any trouble with motion blur, set the ISO a bit higher and try again.

-Chad

[Kurt Graf]

but see if you can stick a very small flashlight inside the guitar and set the camera on macro and see if you can shoot thru the strings.

[pyro]

Wow, that would look great. :rolleyes:
He's got a Nikon D50, not a point and shoot. This is over your head.

Joe, I did this one tonight holding the guitar near a window on a cloudy evening. Room light is illuminating the top, and soft overcast light from the window is illuminating the label. If I had shot the photo outdoors, there wouldn't be so much of a "black hole" shadow, because overcast light comes from all directions at once. Because of the low light situation, I had to use ISO 640 just to get the shutter speed up to 1/8 second, which usually still too slow for me to hold a camera steady. I got lucky I guess.

To get focus on the label for this shot, I simply panned the camera to the side a little, to aim the autofocus target to the side of the strings so it was on the label, pushed halfway to autofocus, then moved the frame back to the center of the soundhole before shooting the photo. I guess I made it sound complicated above. :D

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3838/dsc3566ayd2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro)

This guitar is a manufacturer's second, a cosmetic blem guitar that I did extensive setup work on to make it play like none other.

[Kurt Graf]

Can I ask what you mean "this is over my head"? Im trying to help out. I have to say, screamandfly sure has changed from years ago. And not for the better. Kurt

[Casey]

joe you could also just manually focus it

[Scream And Fly]

To get focus on the label for this shot, I simply panned the camera to the side a little, to aim the autofocus target to the side of the strings so it was on the label, pushed halfway to autofocus, then moved the frame back to the center of the soundhole before shooting the photo. I guess I made it sound complicated above. :D.

Or, you could use manual focus :)

[pyro]

Sorry, I simply meant that it sounded like you weren't familiar with the equipment and techniques in question, hence the Macro comment (SLR's don't have a macro button, each lens has a minimum focal length for close-up shots), and the flashlight comment (harsh, yellow, uneven light, wtf?)

Joe posted his question in this photo thread to specifically ask me about this photo technique, because I own a similar Nikon dSLR, I have worked in a music store for 11 years, and I do a lot of musical merchandise photography for the store, Ebay, etc.

Kurt, I realize you meant to help. Sorry for sounding harsh. ;)

[pyro]

Greg, I can't trust myself to manually-focus these kind of shots acurately.
They always look OK until I see them blown up on the screen. I trust the autofocus ;)

[Scream And Fly]

Here's a D300 pic I took last week - my friend Justin at our local track:

http://weblog.screamandfly.com/gallery/albums/userpics/justin_1.jpg

[jphii]

Thanks guys. I tried manual, no joy. Pissed me off. I didn't shoot it on auto, I was on AF-S. And I used the focus square that was centered on the label. I'll try holding the strings out, maybe that's what It keeps focusing on.

[Kurt Graf]

jphil, if you can borrow someones point and shoot, it might be easier for you.

http://i27.tinypic.com/9vicls.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/j63ott.jpg

[pyro]

Looks good. Using a point-and-shoot is good for these kinds of shots anyway, since the Macro mode allows you to get closer than most SLR lenses will focus.

First Act? wtf? :D

[Scream And Fly]

Chad, you mean your shop doesn't stock those? :)

[pyro]

More wide-angle fun...

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/5365/dsc3699bsf8.jpg

[seahorse]

Well, I guess I've got to add my sunset shot.

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc281/originalseahorse/Sunset.jpg

[pyro]

Using a rediculously tight aperture and 100 ISO for the slowest possible handheld shutter speed.
Shot this last night.

http://i26.tinypic.com/iqiv5g.jpg

[Scream And Fly]

Chad, I love that shot. Wanna send me the original so I can use it as a wallpaper? :)


Using a rediculously tight aperture and 100 ISO for the slowest possible handheld shutter speed.
Shot this last night.

http://i26.tinypic.com/iqiv5g.jpg

[pyro]

You don't want the original, it's got green orbs all over the place from shooting into the sun.
What size is your desktop?

How about this one?

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8601/dsc4026byi4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[pyro]

How about this one? An approaching thunderstorm off in the distance...

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7539/ss615ii8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By hydro_pyro (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/hydro_pyro)

[pyro]

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/4724/sunflowers3po5.jpg

[pyro]

From last night after work...

http://i35.tinypic.com/2vjar68.jpg

[Casey]

Chad those are some very nice pictures!

[pyro]

http://i39.tinypic.com/29opkza.jpg

[Casey]

I picked up Nikon 12-24 last month and can't wait for the opportunity to shot with it.

[pyro]

You'll love it. Here's few things that may help:

-Keep it pointed level with the horizon if you don't want everything stretched out of perspective. Sometimes it looks cool with the stretching. Pointing upward around tall trees and buildings offers a cool, spacious effect.
-Keep people's faces and bodies away from the corners of the frame, where the perspective distortion is at its worst.
-Rack in a hair from 12mm for the super-wide stuff, it will behave a bit better. :D
-Think wide: Frame subjects cleverly to make the most of the background, because you'll be including a lot of it with such a wide field of view. The top of the frame in the last photo above is nearly 2 'o' clock high above me. I was standing VERY close to the fallen tree, and pointing the camera UP quite a bit. The tree in that photo is NOTHING without the emotion from the passing storm in the background.

[Casey]

Thanks for the tips!

[pyro]

Weeping Beech tree from underneath, 12mm f8 1/250 iso200

http://i44.tinypic.com/spakpw.jpg

[Shaun K]

http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p42250823-5.jpg



http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p57369640-5.jpg

http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p237930810-5.jpg

[pyro]

VERY nice...

[stokernick]

Great,Shaun,are you coming North next weekend?

[David Alaniz]

Please do not post anymore of these beautiful pictures with out prior notification. I get caught gawking way to long and must schedule more time. Beautiful! Well done!

[Shaun K]

Thanks Pyro Nick & David ! Nick I was supposed to go with Frank but I spoke with him last week and he cancelled, I dont think his motor is together.. I love photography but havent shot much lately.

http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p707187158-5.jpg

http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p101861956-5.jpg

http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p528564254-5.jpg

[Scream And Fly]

Great photos Shaun!

[Liberator*21]

Great stuff Shaun. I too love photography, but the key to a great photo is the ability to compose the shot, you seem to have that ability to make a pic "POP".............Good stuff. :thumbsup:

[Shaun K]

Great stuff Shaun. I too love photography, but the key to a great photo is the ability to compose the shot, you seem to have that ability to make a pic "POP".............Good stuff. :thumbsup:

Thanks Gary, as Greg & Chad will tell you. Good *Lighting* & composition are the two absolute key factors for creating good images . Really good group of photographers here at S&F.

[Liberator*21]

Shaun,

I've got a Nikon D200, but I lack the creative vision to compose a good shot. After seeing your pics, you've inspired me to do more and better.