Any photographers in the house?

Rahmen wrote:

I particularly like the first one Slytin. Nice job!

avggeek - re the On Taking Pictures podcast. How much do they talk gear vs technique vs other stuff?

Oops, sorry for missing your question earlier Rahmen. The show seems evenly split between gear/technique vs other stuff - the typical format is to start off answering a few questions, followed by discussions around the main topic (last week's topic was "how to get out of a creative funk") and ending with a photographer of the week, where they talk about famous/historically important photographers.

My business partner and I got drunk, and decided to do each others silly portraits this weekend.

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Nice Harry! I especially like the hair-light.
If I can be too critical, the spot on the background is a little hot. move it back!

I need a studio setup. I bought some cheap umbrellas and stands off a guy that was getting out of the hobby. They work OK and are fun to experiment with but I'd love some soft boxes or at least some covered umbrellas and proper monitor lights.

Oh you can be critical, like i said this was after a bunch of vodka and just for fun. It is far from my best lighting set up haha. We also just got a Paul Buff "moon unit" so we wanted to play with it. Here is what the light produces (partner in a red fifth element wig)

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Those are cool!
http://paulcbuff.com/moonunit.php

You are using it dead-center and shooting through the centre of it? Is that the idea? What does it use for a light source? (oh I see http://paulcbuff.com/abr800.php)

Do the masks do anything interesting or just create a fun high lite in the eye?

Not sure if I like the hole in the middle though...Kind of like what you get in a bug eye when using a ring flash. Not a fan of that. I like the even lighting though. nice gradient. Very diffused.

I understand having front and center flash is important to hide certain lines in a woman's face. Don't want anyone looking their age or anything! I used that formula and a bit of side light for a portrait of my wife and her mother for Mothers Day.
I'll see if I can find it.
Ah here it is, After MUCH photoshopping...

IMAGE(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7779045/MothersDay2012-final-small.jpg)

I think my wife and her mother would probably kill me for posting this!
hmmm,

groan wrote:

I think my wife and her mother would probably kill me for posting this!
hmmm,

Why? It's a gorgeous picture, and they both have beautiful eyes.

(says someone who hates having her picture taken with a deep cold passion and would kill you for posting it. )

^^^ Why, it's very nice. Great catch lights in their eyes.

I don't use the ring for headshots too often, it's more for fun than anything. But shooting through it can have some fun effects. This is the ring light, with a 20 degree grid on it.

Last 2 I'll post, but if you want to look through it's at http://www.focusure.com. I have all sorts of different set ups, and subjects.

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and i promise last one for today, i feel like I'm the photo whore right now.

This is my first love, and what I started shooting when I really started to hone my skills.
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Thank you, both.
I was concerned about the catch lights. I thought there were too many with the main light, the side light and the reflector in the lap. That reflector was a great purchase. Not sure how i lived without it!

I can see the appeal for that ring light with that type of photo. Works like a charm.

Great movement in the Audi shot.

momgamer wrote:
groan wrote:

I think my wife and her mother would probably kill me for posting this!
hmmm,

Why? It's a gorgeous picture, and they both have beautiful eyes.

(says someone who hates having her picture taken with a deep cold passion and would kill you for posting it. )

I did so much Photoshopery around the eyes. The smile lines were overpowering. I think I smoothed them out nicely to make them less so but not disappear completely.

I had the chance to shoot some images in Eastern Oregon over the weekend

IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/7784764846_01c2657ca9.jpg)
Pioneer cemetery in Eastern Oregon by swiggers_ERI, on Flickr

IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/7784768242_1058024ca6.jpg)
Eastern Oregon by swiggers_ERI, on Flickr

IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7784769002_692cea5bb3.jpg)
Eastern Oregon by swiggers_ERI, on Flickr

IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7784776762_cc395256e4.jpg)
Eastern Oregon by swiggers_ERI, on Flickr

I like the deer next to the old house. Looks like you might have been somewhere near my neck of the woods, whereabouts in Oregon did you go?

fleabagmatt wrote:

I like the deer next to the old house.

Yeah, that's my favorite of them. That house has tons of character.

It was out near the Dalles (more specifically near Dufur, Oregon)

The deer was a definite bonus. It turned out that was the mother with a few fawns you can't see. I had no idea we'd see them in a grain field.

Very nice pics! I like that one with the deer too... though more for the interesting decay on the structure! (I'm a sucker for that sort of stuff)

I managed to get out the other day whilst helping out an NGO with some pics of an event they did - I got a picture published in several newspapers/sites!

Anyway, the one I liked the best was this one (not published ) :

IMAGE(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7786034360_4bf744a447_z.jpg)

Have it as my desktop background as well... Just love the colours in it.

Rahmen wrote:

It was out near the Dalles (more specifically near Dufur, Oregon)

Thaaat's not Eastern Oregon. Those are some very nice photos. I really like your's too, Duoae. It's shot like a sunflower one that I did but mirrored and with completely different colors.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Rahmen wrote:

It was out near the Dalles (more specifically near Dufur, Oregon)

Thaaat's not Eastern Oregon. Those are some very nice photos. I really like your's too, Duoae. It's shot like a sunflower one that I did but mirrored and with completely different colors.

Well it's East of me If anyone needs better directions to the East of Portland but just slightly west of the center of the state location just let me know.

I was just trying to make that joke because we all refer to anything east of the valley as Eastern Oregon.

It's still west of me.

I love the Dalles/Hood River area. I wish I could get down there more often.

Duoae wrote:

Very nice pics! I like that one with the deer too... though more for the interesting decay on the structure! (I'm a sucker for that sort of stuff)

I managed to get out the other day whilst helping out an NGO with some pics of an event they did - I got a picture published in several newspapers/sites!

Anyway, the one I liked the best was this one (not published ) :

IMAGE(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7786034360_4bf744a447_z.jpg)

Have it as my desktop background as well... Just love the colours in it.

Hey, nice shot!

hannibals wrote:
Duoae wrote:

Very nice pics! I like that one with the deer too... though more for the interesting decay on the structure! (I'm a sucker for that sort of stuff)

I managed to get out the other day whilst helping out an NGO with some pics of an event they did - I got a picture published in several newspapers/sites!

Anyway, the one I liked the best was this one (not published ) :

IMAGE(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7786034360_4bf744a447_z.jpg)

Have it as my desktop background as well... Just love the colours in it.

Hey, nice shot!

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Rahmen wrote:

It was out near the Dalles (more specifically near Dufur, Oregon)

Thaaat's not Eastern Oregon. Those are some very nice photos. I really like your's too, Duoae. It's shot like a sunflower one that I did but mirrored and with completely different colors.

Thanks, both of you!

Opened the door this morning to let the dogs out and was shocked to see about 20 turkeys.
IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8294/7857318870_188058d5d2.jpg)

tke364 wrote:

Opened the door this morning to let the dogs out and was shocked to see about 20 turkeys.
IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8294/7857318870_188058d5d2.jpg)

Nice shot tke364 - being a big city guy that's a rare sight for me indeed. Thanks for sharing. That bird is striking.

That's quite the jive turkey.

Camera suggestion time!

So with upcoming trips and various outdoorsy stuff, my wife has given me permission to get a new camera. Since I'll be taking it along on hiking and cycling trips, I'm wanting something smaller than a DSLR setup (also, I don't think I really want to spend that much anyway). I'm not an avid photographer but I'd like to stretch my wings a little and start learning and I'd like a camera I can grow with. I'd like to spend less than $500 as well.

I've been looking at the Canon Powershot G12 as it seems to get pretty excellent reviews for an all-purpose camera -- any suggestions?

edosan wrote:

I've been looking at the Canon Powershot G12 as it seems to get pretty excellent reviews for an all-purpose camera -- any suggestions?

My last point-and-shoot before getting a pseudo-DSLR (Olympus Micro 4/3, a removable lens system that's much more compact than traditional SLRs) was a Canon Powershot SX200, and I was pretty happy with it. I really ended up going for a real removable lens system because I just couldn't get the point and shoot to perform in situations I was commonly shooting at (hockey games, which are pretty low-light, and long distance).

Looking at the G-series, it's directly targeting the same general market as a micro 4/3 type camera like mine (more portable than a DSLR, but more powerful than a traditional point-and-shoot), the biggest different being a fixed lens and smaller sensor. DPReview's conclusion is pretty favorable, and if you don't find yourself planning on moving to a full DSLR or mirrorless system, it looks like a pretty good choice if you want to start stretching and playing with higher-end features like full manual control.

That said, if you do think you will want to move to a full removable-lens system sometime in the future, it might be worth looking for a used PEN E-PLx or Sony NEX camera with a kit lens, which is probably comparable in price and still more compact than traditional SLRs. The only minus to that is the G12 has a bit longer zoom at the end of it's range than most of the mirrorless kit lenses, but the image quality will most likely make up for it. Just crop.

Just my $0.02c.

All in all, the G12 looks like a pretty decent all-around camera with some pro firmware features.

edosan wrote:

I've been looking at the Canon Powershot G12 as it seems to get pretty excellent reviews for an all-purpose camera -- any suggestions?

I would go for the Canon S100 in place of the G12 because they have about the same sensor, the S100 is wider at the short end (24mm in full frame terms), it has about the same sensor, and it's smaller and more pocketable. I like pocketable cameras, though, and this comparison should help figure out which might have the better feature set for you.

However, if you can go to $650, the Sony RX-100 seems like the best pocketable camera out there because it has a big ass sensor you don't typically find outside a DSLR. This will give you much better high ISO performance than any other compact camera, including micro 4/3rds. That's the theory anyway. I don't own one yet.

If fast focusing speed is a requirement, something like the Nikon J1 (about $500 with kit lens) might be a better fit in that price range. It offers a DLSR-like phase detection focusing system in place of the contrast detection system used in other compact cameras. (Sadly, I couldn't explain the differences if my life depended on it, but what the internet tells me is that phase detection is considered the faster method; debate will no doubt follow).

Was at my parents cabin for a little while, I took this one night

Nice image of what looks like a lovely evening. Fitting with the end of summer.