Photography

[Gary Beasley]

Maybe you should read up on building a wooden view camera, could be a fun project.

[Chestnut]

I did and i got overwhelmed very quickly. They seem simple but yet not. It'd be easier if I had a view camera to model it after.

[Gary Beasley]

If you lived closer Id let you play with one of mine. LF cameras are pretty simple actually. Hardest part is sizing up the back and ground glass so the focus is the same on the film as on the glass. 
This is a sample of plans available.
http://www.noahhuber.com/wp-content/uploads/construction-of-an-8-x-10-field-view-camera.pdf

 

[JohnG]

Haven't had much time for photography lately, but did grab a quick shot with my 150-600 lens.

Sky is super boring but I wanted to try it out on the Navy planes that fly over. Taken at about 480mm, not cropped, some exposure/color correction in LR.

 

[JohnG]

[Gary Beasley]

Cool, do you know them?

[JohnG]

No, was sitting and having a picnic with my family and saw him walking along.

The image was better in my head, with the “statuary vista” behind him, but it came out ok. Could have been much better with some setup time, but I only had time to pick up my camera, turn it on and snap a quick shot. Luckily I remembered to take off the lens cap 
 

Do you know anything about his camera setup? Looks like fun.

[Gary Beasley]

All I can tell from the picture is its a folding field camera with a fairly modern lens mounted on it. He was probably out getting shots of the statuary himself.

[Chet]

I have watch this thread from the beginning as photography is something that I enjoy although I haven't posted anything here yet.  I have grand kids that run high school track and when we go to their meets it amazes me as to the large number of parents and other relatives that will video the race instead of actually enjoying it.  This got me to thinking about my own experience with photography.  Am I capable of taking a picture while still enjoying the surroundings?  I think yes, most of the time but I know there have been occasions where I got the picture but missed the moment.

I listen to a lot of Ted Talks while doing other things around the house and today I ran across this one and thought I would post it here.

 

[JohnG]

Very good point @Chet. That is definitely an issue, and one that I have been working on figuring out where the line is drawn for me (with the help of a little welcomed nagging from my wife). This is the only place I post my photos online, except for temporary online albums to share photos witb family/friends. I don’t use any social media anymore, so I no longer have the drive to get “likes” and so now my photography is only for myself and people close to me. 
I have found that I am more likely to “get the shot but miss the moment” when using my phone camera. With my DSLR I am much more in tune with the moment so I can try to capture it. I’ve been working on being more intentional with the images I capture, rather than the shotgun approach. This has helped me enjoy the moment more. 
With my phone, it’s haphazard and lazy, and the results always seem disposable. I do catch some funny/sweet moments of my kids with my phone, and often get to share those moments with family and friends, but I walk away with less. 

That being said, my wife and I are going on a vacation this summer (assuming there won’t be travel bans at that point), and while I am very tempted to take my gear to photograph the wildlife and landscapes, I have chosen not to do that to ensure that I can fully enjoy the experiences in the moment.

[Chestnut]

It's an interesting viewpoint and to some point I agree. The part where i feel like I differ is that when i go out to take a picture taking a picture of the moment is the experience. A big thing to me is to recognize when the picture is going to be bad and the experience is goign to be great. I then put the camera away and enjoy the moment. Great moments are not always equal to great pictures.

Though sometimes the picture allows me to revisit a moment like it happened yesterday.

[Chip Sawdust]

32 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

Great moments are not always equal to great pictures.

There's a good quote. I feel the same, although I've asked myself the same question in the past. I can take snapshots with my mind, true. But they're easier to share in a picture. You have to decide, are you there to take pictures or to enjoy the moment?

[Chip Sawdust]

So y'all heard about the "worm moon" or super moon we had this cycle. We saw it coming over the hill behind our house so I took a lot of pics with our little Canon T6 and whatever lens was on it at the time. A 55-250 lens, AE setting (auto shutter and aperture). At night, leaning it against the sliding door jamb trying to keep it steady as the exposure seemed to last forever. I didn't feel I was entirely successful... Here are a couple that seemed to stand out, no editing, not even cropped.

[Tpt life]

10 hours ago, Chet said:

Am I capable of taking a picture while still enjoying the surroundings?  I think yes, most of the time but I know there have been occasions where I got the picture but missed the moment.

This is why people hire photogs for weddings. They have no investment in the experience. That said, when I grab my gear, I am headed out to sit in the swamp, or by a river. There is so much to experience that just cannot be captured that way. The two hours I might spend looking for something to capture will far outshine the ten minutes snapping photos of something that catches my fancy. In this way, I only really give this value when the discussion focuses on interpersonal interactions. 

[lewisc]

12 hours ago, Chet said:

I have watch this thread from the beginning as photography is something that I enjoy although I haven't posted anything here yet.  I have grand kids that run high school track and when we go to their meets it amazes me as to the large number of parents and other relatives that will video the race instead of actually enjoying it.  This got me to thinking about my own experience with photography.  Am I capable of taking a picture while still enjoying the surroundings?  I think yes, most of the time but I know there have been occasions where I got the picture but missed the moment.

The same goes with fireworks. Enjoy the moment because I feel most of the time you'd never look at the photos or video again.

I went to a concert and the artist asked the audience to put the phones away, just for 1 song. He said 'don't get so caught up in trying to remember the moment that you don't experience it'.  That stuck with me.

[curlyoak]

A recent bloom from my orchid collection. This one is from Asia. A natural species.

[JohnG]

We had a couple juvenile bald eagles fly over the house, playing around pretty close. I watched them with my wife and daughter for a few minutes, then ran in to grab my camera. Of course, when I got back outside they had moved on and were too far away to get a shot of. 

[Chestnut]

I stood in my driveway and watched the Robins hop around for a good 30 min yesterday. It's always a good sign of spring when the robins are back. I thought about running to grab my camera but refrained and just enjoyed the moment.

[treeslayer]

We’ve got a few robins back, good to see them but we usually get one more snow storm after they return

[Chestnut]

Yeah there is a lot of march and April left. Though snow this time of year is both fun and enjoyable. Knowing it's going to melt within a month makes it really easy to enjoy.

[curlyoak]

I saw a pair of eagle doing their mating dance 300' up. They hooked up and went into a spinning dive. Then released with plenty of time left. An amazing show.

[Chip Sawdust]

11 hours ago, Chestnut said:

Yeah there is a lot of march and April left. Though snow this time of year is both fun and enjoyable. Knowing it's going to melt within a month makes it really easy to enjoy.

We had blowing, drifting snow on Saturday and now it’s melting. It was 8F overnight Saturday and tomorrow it’ll be 50F for the high. Weird, springlike weather. 

[Coop]

8 hours ago, curlyoak said:

I saw a pair of eagle doing their mating dance 300' up. They hooked up and went into a spinning dive. Then released with plenty of time left. An amazing show.

I’ve often thought about trying that! 

[curlyoak]

This is 2 varieties of Dendrobium superbum. Orchids from Asia. Fragrant.

[Chip Sawdust]

Shot these this afternoon. This red tailed hawk is huge, and with the grassy swale behind our house he loves to hunt around here. And apparently he’s successful...

 

 

I just leaned out the back door and snapped a few shots. We was perched but by the time I leaned slowly out the door he decided a farther away tree would be better. Social distancing and all...