Free Study

"Sunset Flare" - Matt
Playing around with my camera while Jen, Lizzy, and Grandpa watch the sunset.
20mm, f/6.7, 0.67sec, center-weighted, manual exposure

"El Camino Real" - Cary

These are two (of several) tracks of the 300+ year old Kings Highway that runs from Louisiana across Texas, this particular stretch being near San Augustine. When one track would get too deep and muddy, travelers would simply start a new one to the side of it. There are about 7 parallel tracks in this area - some as deep as 18'. My brother, Chris, is seen here creating a 360-degree panorama of this area for a research project to identify and document the location of the El Camino Real in this area. Panoramas show the features much better but don't display well in the small size used on this page. I'll put a link up later of one of the panoramas Here is a link to see some panoramas and other shots from the site.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 12mm, 1/20 sec @ f5.6, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2

"Decorating" - Mike

I had fun trying out my new light set after Christmas. I have two umbrellas and had to bounce the overhead light off the ceiling to get nice even lighting. Unfortunately, I still couldn't get shutter speeds much over 1/60 sec most of the time. It was still fun, though.
55 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec., ISO 800, Manual, 1250 Watt Light Set

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
31 December 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Free Study"
Due: 7 January 2009

Looks like most everyone is still out for the holidays. Let's do another Free Study week.

Matt

Christmas Lights

Christmas time brings Christmas lights.

"Union Square Christmas" - Cary

Union Square in downtown San Francisco always has a spectacular light display.  This year they did the palm trees a bit different than usual.  I kinda liked the selective frond lighting.  There were many other locations around town that interested me photographically.  See some samples here.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 12mm; 3.2 s @ f/8, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2

"Christmas Trandition" - Kirk
After a long absence I am back on the board. I missed the opportunity to go to a light display so I took advantage of the Christmas tree and tried a few shots, though I forgot to take it out of auto ISO so it is a bit grainer than I would like.
18mm, f/14, 1.3 sec, ISO 1600, matrix-weighted, m-mode

"Tangled" - Matt
She was in a good mood and made a great model.
55mm, f/5.6, 1/125sec, center-weighted, m-mode

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Mike
I had fun taking close-up pictures of the lights on my Christmas tree with the lens out of focus while rotating the camera. The result was fairly different every time. I also had a few other shots that I liked including a couple of light displays in town that you can see here if you're interested.
46 mm, f/5.6, 1/2 sec., ISO 200, Manual

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
24 December 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Free Study"
Due: 31 December 2008

Who knows what Christmas might bring? Just make sure you take a good picture of it.

Matt

Puzzle

What is that...wait, I think it is..., no that's not right..., but maybe it is. I give up!

"Gifts in Waiting" - Cary

E3 w/ 70-300mm @ 300mm, 1/20 sec @ f/22, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2

"ninja stars" - ryan
Most of you don't know that I am trained in Ninjutsu. Some extreme situations call for the use of weapons, and I rely on my trusty ninja stars. Hopefully, this is as close as you will get to seeing them.

d60 - 82mm equiv, f/5.6, 1/30s, iso720.

"Remington River Bridge" - Chris
D60 - 82mm equiv, f/5.6, 1/60, iso200

"Pineapple plantation" - Matt
This reminds me of the Dole pineapple plantation fields on Hawaii.
300mm, f/32, 30sec, center-weighted, m-mode

"En-light-ning " - Quincy
E500 - 300 mm equiv, f/4.5, 1/50 sec., ISO200

"Flowing Textures" - Mike
55 mm, f/10, 1/13 sec., ISO 800, No Flash, Manual

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
17 December 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Christmas Lights"
Due: 17 December 2008

Chris chose this week's challenge:
Challenge: Christmas Lights

Being that it is Christmas Eve next Wednesday, I would like to have our challenge be Christmas related. That being said, I would like the focus of next week's challenge to be "Christmas Lights." Everyone loves Christmas lights, so it should allow for some interesting pictures and show off different peoples' skill sets and techniques. See the picture at the following link:

http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/7570.html

Chris

Repetition

"Pipes and Pumps" - Cary

This is the subject I was thinking of when I chose the Repetition theme. I wished for a ladder while composing but this one turned out enough to my liking. LiveView also came in real handy.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 17mm, 1/60 sec @ f/11, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2

"ink-credible " - Quincy

E500 - 300mm equiv, f/4.5, 1/160s, iso160, flash

"Oh Christmas Tree" - Matt

We don't get a real christmas tree this year, so this is our somewhat sad substitute.

35mm, f/9.5, 1/6sec, center-weighted, m-mode

"Cold Feet" - Mike

For some strange reason the scouts decided to leave their shoes outside on our campout when the temperature dropped below freezing. At least the frost had melted before they had to put them on.

18mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec., ISO 800, Matrix, A-priority

"windsor ruins" - ryan
Cool place. I wish the lighting had been better and the scary guy in the car hadn't drove up and cut my photo taking short.

d90 - 27mm equiv, f3.5, 1/1000s, iso200

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
10 December 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Puzzle"
Due: 17 December 2008

Ryan chose this week's challenge:
Challenge: Puzzle

What is that...wait, I think it is..., no that's not right..., but maybe it is. I give up!
Do your best to get a real stumper.

http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=740089

Ryan

Good luck,
Matt

Free Study

A free study week. Go out and experiment.

"Raking in a Whirlwind" - Cary

I had fun shooting using various techniques with my brother last week. Fall color is such a delight to the eyes. I had a hard time choosing which shot to post but this one seemed the most fun/unusual. You can see some of my other shots here if interested.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 14mm, 1/6 sec @ f/11, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2

"In His Own Little World" - Mike
I caught Ethan off in my Inlaws' back yard taking a break from fishing. I didn't plan this shot, but when I looked through the pictures I took last week, I really liked this one. There's something magical about it for me.
300 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec., ISO 800, Matrix, A Priority

"Wade Christmas Card 2008" - ryan
It was actually warm enough to take some pictures this past Friday, so I snapped these and made a quick card in Adobe Elements. Somer made his outfit by the way. I also did some selective coloring here.
75mm equiv., f2.2, s1/1250, iso 200

"The Study" - Matt
It was a neat looking place and I thought it'd make a good HDR picture.
18mm, f/3.5, 1.5sec+0.67sec+0.33sec, center-weighted, p-mode

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
3 December 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Repetition"
Due: 10 December 2008

Cary chose this week's challenge:

Repetition: Repeated themes or elements can make for interesting subjects.

Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=63675
http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=35911
http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=35456

Cary

Good luck,
Matt

Thanksgiving

"Pleased as Pie" - Mike
Pie is a big part of our family's Thanksgiving traditions. With Lena's large family, there have usually been a large number of pies. We made 14 this year, but one year I believe they made 53! Mmmmm, Pie.
18 mm, f/4, 1/40 sec., ISO 800, No Flash, Matrix, Manual

"grateful grandmothers" - ryan
This shot was taken at the little boy in the picture's bday party while his grandmothers were washing him off in the sink after he tore into his cake.

D90 - 75mm equiv., f1/250s, f3.5, iso200

"I am thankful for... Fall Color" - Cary

Fall color here is certainly not what you'd find in New England but I still love the color we do get here, particularly those trees that really go overboard and put out the intense shades of yellows, reds and oranges. A few good examples I found around town are here.

E-3 w/ 12-60 mm @ 60 mm, 1/250 sec @ f/8, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2

"Thanksgiving Symbols" - Matt
Football and pumpkins. That's what comes to my mind.
190mm, f/9.5, 6sec, center-weighted, m-mode

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
26 November 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Free Study"
Due: 3 December 2008

Since everyone in the group is out doing fun stuff this weekend, I thought a free study week would be appropriate. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Good luck,
Matt

Tilted

Tilting the camera can provide an interesting variation on what otherwise might be just an ordinary shot.

"Ice Harbor Lock & Dam Spillway" - Cary

Well, the 1:55 scale model of it we have running here at ERDC anyway.  The real one doesn't have a sign saying "Spillway" on it nor is it baby blue (see for yourself here), but physical models are really cool engineering in action.  Thought it looked kinda cool in a slow-shutter, tilted format.

E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 21mm, 3.2sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100, RAW processed in ALR2 & PS-CS3

"Precarious" - Matt
Not as hard as it looks... it's all in the wrist.
38mm, f/6.7, 2sec, center-weighted, m-mode

"Unbalanced Pumpkin" - Mike
I saw the most amazing view of the Los Angeles city skyline as my plane was descending and the sunset was starting, but I couldn't make myself break the rules by taking out my camera from under the seat to get the shot while the plane was landing. However, I found that I was reasonably pleased with the results from tilting my camera to take a shot of one of our remaining pumpkins.
35 mm, f/13, 1/1.3 sec., ISO 800, A Priority, Matrix

"swimming upstream" - Kirk
I took a bunch of shots at the duck pond near my parents house and for a while I thought I was wasting them shooting at a crazy angle. So I took a few "normal" shots and when I came home and looked at the "normal" shots, I deleted them. I had a hard time deciding which picture I liked the most, so here are a few other shots I liked.
200 mm, 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, center weighted, a-priority

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
19 November 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Thanksgiving"
Due: 26 November 2008

Thanksgiving is coming up. Find a picture of a turkey, a football, or something you're thankful for; anything that reminds you of Thanksgiving.

Good luck,
Matt

Two-Second Exposure

"P.Y.T." - Quincy
I took a trip back to 1982 for this one. Can anyone guess the album?
E500 - 148mm equiv., f/4.5, 2sec, spot, s-priority

"Inseparable" - matt
Caleb and Max. Caleb is a lot easier to photograph when he's sleeping.
50mm, ~f/9, 2sec, center-weighted, manual

"The Heart Flip" - Cary
Carnival rides at night provide nice opportunities to capture movement and a 2-second exposure is just about right to get interesting patterns painted with light (how's that for combining several recent themes?).
E-3 w/ 12-60 mm @ 12 mm, 2 sec @ f/13, ISO 100, S-priority, RAW processed in ALR2

"Piano in Lamplight" - Mike
I wanted to try something different than a night shot and decided that I liked the lighting on the piano from the piano lamp. I was surprised at how much light got into the lens in just two seconds. I took it close up with an 18 mm focal length to stylize the photo a little bit.
18 mm, f/22, 2 sec., ISO 200, Auto White Balance, Matrix, Manual Mode

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
12 November 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Tilted"
Due: 19 November 2008

This week's challenge was chosen by Mike:

"Tilting the camera can provide an interesting variation on what otherwise might be just an ordinary shot. Tilt your camera and be creative. Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=644619

http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=78025

http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=654545.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=654545


Good luck,
Matt

Movement

There are lots of ways to portray movement.

"GT" - ryan
Better late than never. I really wish I had got the whole car in the frame. Maybe next time.
D90 - 105mm equiv, f20, 1/15s, Center, S-priority

"Juggling Trails" - Mike
I thought it would be fun to do some motion trails with my juggling balls. However, timing the flash right was difficult. Lena had to help me out with this shot since I couldn't juggle and trigger the shutter at the same time.
38 mm, f/5, 1/13 sec., ISO 400, Rear Curtain Flash (-1.3), Matrix, Manual Mode

Flying By - Matt
We were having so much fun on the playground equipment I decided I ought to take some pictures.
28mm, f/11, 1/8sec, center-weighted, s-mode

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
5 November 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "2-Second Exposure"
Due: 12 November 2008

Take a picture of anything you want using a two-second shutter.

Matt

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

"halloween family portrait" - Kirk
House hunting sure sucks time from your schedule. This week I was actually able to get a picture taken before Wednesday, including prep time on Monday and Tuesday.
48mm, f/20., 15.0 sec, ISO 200, m-mode

"Harvesting October Corn" - Tim
As can be seen by this week's posts, candy is a big part of Halloween. Since I have not posted in a few weeks I decided to merge this weeks topic with last weeks. Can you see the hidden letters? (Hint: it is an abbreviation)
61mm, f/3.4, 1/7ec, iso 400,

"Mr Incredible" - Matt
I tried pumpkins, candy, lights, costumes, spiders... nothing turned out as good as I wanted. Finally, I had to come back to this one, which I took before the challenge was issued. In other words, I cheated. Shame on me.
70mm, f/4, 1/90sec, center-weighted, s-mode

"Jack-O-Luna" - Cary
Luna wasn't cooperating with my notions of having her pose with a lighted jack-O-lantern so I had decided I'd just go with a shot of the pumpkin by itself. In the midst of taking a few pumpkin shots, she hopped up on the bench and parked herself right in my shot. There's a good kitty. If I weren't in a dissertation-writing swamp, I'd have messed more with lighting but I felt lucky to get what I did.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 32mm, 3/5 sec @ f/4, ISO 400, RAW proc in ALR2

"Halloween Corn" - Mike
I found that I got the best results by shading the candy corn from the direct light of the ceiling light. The candy corn was too glossy looking otherwise.
D40, 48 mm, f/18, 20 sec., ISO 200, Tungsten White Balance, Matrix, Aperture Priority

"It's all about the candy" - ryan
D90 - 75mm equiv., f/22, 8 sec., iso 200, matrix

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
29 October 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Movement"
Due: 5 November 2008

Try something like this:
http://www.dpchallenge.com/how.php?HOW_ID=21

Matt

Accidental Letters

It's surprising where you can find letters in everyday scenes when you are looking for them and using a little creativity. The hard part is making a nice composition out of it as well.

"The Letter E" - Ian

Jupiter Dips in the Darkening sky. - Chip
It took a couple of evenings to get Jupiter in the right place.
D90, 32mm, F22, 10 sec , ISO 200, m-mode

"Q is for Quincy" - Quincy
In my attempt to "catch up" with the group, I combined a previous challenge with this challenge.

"A series of volts?" - Kirk
I saw the power lines over the weekend on a bike ride with my dad, but thought I could find something better later on. I guess I didn't. I shot this thinking of the "V"s holding each line. When I showed this to Melena she pointed "W"s, "Y"s, and a bunch of other letters in the trusses.
82mm, f/4.5, 2.0sec, ISO 200, center-weighted, p-mode

"Q" - matt
Blowing bubbles with Caleb helped me find a good "Q" for the challenge. He was rather uncooperative, so I had to resort to my second-string model.
155mm, f/5.6, 1/60sec, center-weighted, m-mode

"Z at Sunrise" - Ryan
Jonah woke me up extra early this weekend and I happened to see the fog outside couldn't resist taking this shot. I had taken a silhouette of this shot the day before but decided to go with this.
D90 - 72 mm equiv., f10, 1/80 sec., ISO 200, Spot, A-priority

"A is for Aperture" - Cary
I searched high and low for good accidental letters and while driving along Porter's Chapel near Wisconsin, I spied these "A's" just sitting there in a field on the little piece of WES that extends to the east side of Porter's Chapel Road. They appear to be steel corner reinforcements for something or other - maybe one of you structural types can enlighten me - but whatever they are, they make perfect A's. This is a 3-exposure HDR (+1,+0,-1 EV) with some applied vignetting and a cool rough border I found that seems to go well with the industrial subject.
E-3 w/ 12-60mm @ 21mm, 1/80 - 1/20 sec @ f/8, ISO 100, HDR-RAW processed in PS-CS3 & ALR2

"Rustic Wheel of Letters" - Mike
I came across this spare wheel against the side of a barn over the weekend and figured it would at least qualify as the letter 'O' in case I couldn't find anything better. Then I realized that the wheel actually contained a whole bunch of letters. I found 17. How many can you find?
18 mm, f/5, 1/60 sec., ISO 800, Center weighted, A-priority

Next week's challenge:
Southern Shots
22 October 2008 - Weekly Photo Challenge: "Halloween"
Due: 29 October 2008

Halloween is coming up and with it, fun opportunities for creative pictures.

Matt