General Photography thread

[Weststander]

After this Black-veined White, no more butterfly photos for a while, I promise!
However, if you want to see the fruits of my last week's labours, you can by exploring these!!

Butterflies of the French Alps.

Five days of butterfly photography around different locations in the French Alps.

www.flickr.com

View attachment 163879

Stunning, thank you for sharing @JS. Love the flora too, Echium vulgare was as popular as ever!

 

[shingle]

After this Black-veined White, no more butterfly photos for a while, I promise!
However, if you want to see the fruits of my last week's labours, you can by exploring these!!

Butterflies of the French Alps.

Five days of butterfly photography around different locations in the French Alps.

www.flickr.com

View attachment 163879

You could spend a lifetime looking for the perfect butterfly shot and it wouldn't be a life wasted. eh JS

Okaaay, so its a quote from the last samurai, but true nevertheless.

 

[LamieRobertson]

On enforced leave at the mo....so this afternoon coffee and cake at Pulborough Brooks and a meander along the various paths….such lovely countryside

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Spiders’ silk is so important to their cognitive abilities that some scientists believe it should be considered part of their mind. They are amazing creatures with brains that rival mammals and birds, they have the power to learn, remember and to plan. They can even feel surprise. I like them.

 

[1066familyman]

Gorgeous sky this evening! Police are out in force though

Taken on my phone.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Worth a gander

Peregrine Falcon image wins bird photo award

A selection of the winning images from the 2023 Bird Photographer of the Year award.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[AmexRuislip]

Bexhill at 6am this morning.

 

[1066familyman]

By the River Rother this evening. Taken on my Nikon P950.

 

[1066familyman]

I've got a few other Dragonfly ones but still didn't get the shot I was after. I was trying to slow the shutter speed down (despite not having my tripod with me) to get the wings in focus too, but not a lot of joy as coming out too dark, even when bumping up the ISO and exposure compensation.

I've still got a lot of learning to do I think.

 

[Bodian]

I've got a few other Dragonfly ones but still didn't get the shot I was after. I was trying to slow the shutter speed down (despite not having my tripod with me) to get the wings in focus too, but not a lot of joy as coming out too dark, even when bumping up the ISO and exposure compensation.

I've still got a lot of learning to do I think.

You did extremely well to get the body pretty much in focus. They are really hard to capture on the wing.

Good stuff.

PS - if you slow the shutter speed down, you'll never get the wings, because they'll always be a blur, this was at 1/1000 and still blurry. And I find tripods virtually useless at that speed of movement.

 

[1066familyman]

You did extremely well to get the body pretty much in focus. They are really hard to capture on the wing.

Good stuff.

PS - if you slow the shutter speed down, you'll never get the wings, because they'll always be a blur, this was at 1/1000 and still blurry. And I find tripods virtually useless at that speed of movement.

View attachment 166281

Very nice!

Immature male Broad Bodied Chaser? I note that there's some blue coming through you see.

I have got some shots at 1/1000 that are passable which I'll upload at some point. My next stop 1/1600 and that's really a bit too dark. Higher than that and they're really dark.

 

[Bodian]

Very nice!

Immature male Broad Bodied Chaser? I note that there's some blue coming through you see.

I have got some shots at 1/1000 that are passable which I'll upload at some point. My next stop 1/1600 and that's really a bit too dark. Higher than that and they're really dark.

Four-spotted Chaser according to the board at the Nature Reserve! (I have to take a photo of it to remind me later...)

 

[Kneon Light]

Very nice!

Immature male Broad Bodied Chaser? I note that there's some blue coming through you see.

I have got some shots at 1/1000 that are passable which I'll upload at some point. My next stop 1/1600 and that's really a bit too dark. Higher than that and they're really dark.

Can you increase ISO or open aperture more to compensate for faster shutter speed? I generally used to shoot dragonflies at 1/2000 or above (Bloody hard subjects in flight!)

 

[1066familyman]

Can you increase ISO or open aperture more to compensate for faster shutter speed? I generally used to shoot dragonflies at 1/2000 or above (Bloody hard subjects in flight!)

Aperture seemed to be set according to the level of zoom I was using. Even when in aperture priority.
That may well be my very limited understanding of how to use the camera though tbf.
For instance, earlier this year when I set out to do some more slow shutter speed water shots in daylight with my Nd filter, I couldn't get it to do what I wanted at all Yet the year before, on my first attempt using the Nd filter, I had it all totally sussed and got loads of daylight water photos just the way I wanted. In the intervening time, like the silly old fool I am, I totally forgot how I did it before and have yet to re learn it.

 

[1066familyman]

Forgive me, but here's two more Dragonfly pics from yesterday, this time with info attached.

f5.0
1/160
ISO 100

f6.3
1/2500
ISO 1600

See how in the second pic I got the wings slowed down because of 1/2500, but was still dark and then also grainy because of bumping up the ISO to 1600.

Any tips as to where I could improve would be very much appreciated. As a personal preference, I prefer pic one, but feel there's still massive room for improvement, even on this camera.

P.S. No post processing btw.

 

[Jack Straw]

Forgive me, but here's two more Dragonfly pics from yesterday, this time with info attached.

f5.0
1/160
ISO 100
View attachment 166298

f6.3
1/2500
ISO 1600
View attachment 166299


See how in the second pic I got the wings slowed down because of 1/2500, but was still dark and then also grainy because of bumping up the ISO to 1600.

Any tips as to where I could improve would be very much appreciated. As a personal preference, I prefer pic one, but feel there's still massive room for improvement, even on this camera.

P.S. No post processing btw.

I don't know if you're of the "Leave photos unedited" school, or just not done this photo yet. I'm a great believer in editing, especially if they come out too dark.
I hope you don't mind, but I've just done a little editing of this photo for you to see if this is the answer to your darkness problem?

 

[Questions]

One of my good friends on here poo poos editing. I questioned him about years ago when he developed and ‘fiddled’ with things.
I enjoy editing. I’m no expert photographer but With a tweak I’m sometimes happy with 1!in every 1000 pics

 

[Fungus]

The majority of photos are improved with a few simple tweaks - crop out unwanted edges; turn exposure up or down as necessary; ditto for dark shadows and bright highlights. Oh, and delete the duplicates and failures.

 

[1066familyman]

I don't know if you're of the "Leave photos unedited" school, or just not done this photo yet. I'm a great believer in editing, especially if they come out too dark.
I hope you don't mind, but I've just done a little editing of this photo for you to see if this is the answer to your darkness problem?View attachment 166301

Thanks JS, you've done a nice job there

I am generally of the unedited school of thought, yes, although I have dabbled with some post processing occasionally. I especially don't like seeing colourful skies where I have to wonder what's been done to it (unless it's really obviously filtered and manipulated) as I much prefer seeing nature as is, so to speak. I like to know that if I've managed to capture a stunning sky, that it's the way it really appeared to the naked eye.

 

[Wardy's twin]

I am all for post processing, mainly cropping and changing the amount of light , yep and a bit of sharpening. In my opinion wild life images are difficult to get as you don't have studio conditions , often its a quick snap before the target disappears so making it look better really is not cheating IMO but accept each is entitled to there own opinion.