Author Topic: Photography...........the way I see it (all images prior to 9/16/11)  (Read 149599 times)

Offline BLeafe

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My analog gear is on its last legs and the cellphone camera is REALLY limiting, so I got a new little digital camera to play with and I've been shooting up a storm.

I don't want to create hundreds of topics, so I think I'm gonna put a lot of the photos in this one from time to time. There may not be any rhyme or reason - it's just whatever caught my eye that day.

I'll occasionally still do separate topics, but, hopefully, less often.

Questions/comments/discussion always welcome.


Let's start off with two shots of the same subject - good old Enlightenment. The first was taken last Saturday from my living room - a mile away. It looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

The second was taken this morning from across Court Street (click to enlarge).

« Last Edit: September 19, 2011, 11:38:17 AM by BLeafe »


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Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2011, 07:55:22 PM »
It's March 18 - time to finally take down.................the CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS!

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Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2011, 08:01:00 PM »
Courthouse neighbors and their pets:

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Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2011, 08:10:02 PM »
The Court Street Bridge Replacement

The first photo shows what's spanning the river at the moment - the Court Street Craneway.

The second shows the old bridge, sitting on dry land just off the water between the USS Ling and the beginning of Bridge Street.

The third shows the top of the larger crane - the one that's NOT on the Craneway.

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Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2011, 08:18:44 PM »
Finishing up the morning shoot

1. The flag and steeple of the First Reformed Church (Church on the Green)

2. Enlightenment and the downstairs neighbors

3. Enlightenment, other downstairs neighbors, and the Stalker on the Green

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Offline irons35

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2011, 08:55:28 PM »
last year it was October, so its an improvement. :laugh:

It's March 18 - time to finally take down.................the CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS!

Offline hankmc

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2011, 12:01:43 PM »
Excellent photos. Welcome to the digital photography world.
I have been a photography buff for many years going back to developing and enlarging black and white film and thinking that cropping and pushing the film's ASA rating were the ultimate weapons available to the amateur.
May I ask what camera you bought? It seems to have an excellent zoom ratio and the clarity is great. Are you using a tripod for the long shots or are you blessed with amazing stability?
I bought my first digital camera in 1997. A Sony Mavica MVC-FD7 that stored about 20 photos on a 3.5" Floppy Disk and had a very good ten times zoom that was a nice feature.
I have gone through a few since then and presently use a Canon Power shot SX 120 that does a decent job and fits in a back pocket instead of a shoulder bag, a feature that has become my biggest priority.
I enjoy using a couple of free sites for editing and resizing and have a copy of an older Photoshop program that is far too powerful and complicated for my needs. Photoshop offers a trimmed down version at a more reasonable cost and I was about to buy it when I came across this on line editor which works well. http://pixlr.com/. Another is Irfanview  http://www.irfanview.com/

Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2011, 12:54:46 PM »
May I ask what camera you bought? I...presently use a Canon Power shot SX 120...

After a lot of research, the hands-down winner was the Canon SX 130 IS. The zoom is 12X (28-336) and that was a must for me.

I have a Mac and - believe it or not - do almost all my photo editing in the super-simple iPhoto program that came with the computer.

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Offline hankmc

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2011, 01:42:10 PM »
The SX 130 is an excellent camera and would have been my choice if Canon had it available as part of the trade in program I used to buy the SX 120.

My previous Canon Power Shot 60 had a problem that Canon said would cost me $130. to repair. They also had an SX 120 refurbished for the same price so I opted for that. Canon has a decent support system, they took the Power Shot back and repaired a color problem that they announced on their website as a recall after I had owned the camera a few years. 

My only complaint with the 120 is it's lack of a viewfinder since using the screen in bright sun light is difficult at times. 

Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2011, 01:37:41 AM »
I don't have a viewfinder either.

To answer your other question..........no tripod was used during the courthouse area shoot. It was bright and sunny, so shutter speeds were fast enough - even zoomed out. Plus, both the camera and I have Image Stabilization. ;)

New image: all 3 colors are lit in one direction and 2 are lit in the other at Union and Passaic streets:

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Offline hankmc

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2011, 11:26:09 AM »
Hmm...No tripod needed...I envy your stability but it is obviously somehow related to the age of the platform. Did you shoot the long shots in an Auto setting or were you reverting to your analog knowledge days and controlling the F stop and shutter speed? , a wonderful choice provided by this digital photography world we now live in.

The ability of the camera to handle the varied lighting in the Passaic Ave/Union Ave picture is impressive. Sell your light meter on E-Bay.

You did say comments were welcome and I am celebrating getting my wings like Clarence the angel in the classic film It's A Wonderful Life....My posts no longer have to be approved by an administrator.   

Offline Editor

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2011, 02:00:26 PM »
Yep.  10 legitimate posts is all that is required to get your wings.  Congratulations Clarence.  :angel:

Offline hankmc

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2011, 04:14:43 PM »
Understood sir, no complaint implied just an explanation of my running off at the fingertips  ;D.

Offline BLeafe

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #13 on: March 20, 2011, 05:20:17 PM »
I envy your stability....Sell your light meter on E-Bay.

CLOSEUPS

Guy removing lights: AUTO, 1/640, f5.6, ISO 160

Enlightenment/top of dome: AUTO, 1/200, f5.6, ISO 80

Statues (both shots): AUTO, 1/400, f5.6 ISO 80, 100

Why would stability be an issue in broad daylight? I'd worry about that if it went below 1/60............and that's without IS.

The traffic light at night is another story - I set the shutter speed and had to use a tripod.

I never owned a light meter. Shooting concerts for two decades taught me how to deal with weird, uneven lighting.

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Offline hankmc

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Re: Photography...........the way I see it
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2011, 09:16:29 AM »
Thanks for the photo info.

"Why would stability be an issue in broad daylight? I'd worry about that if it went below 1/60............and that's without IS."

My reference to stability was only regarding the zoom shots. My reference to a light meter was tongue in cheek.

Two features I like are the widescreen format and the surprising quality of the video capability.