Adam M - p365

Selling Cameras

2010-06-07T16:12:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

I sold my old film cameras, other than the pentax ones. Now I miss them and their quirkiness, as the pentax ones are kind of normal. I shall have to keep an eye out for some more. I'd kind of like to try a smaller, quieter sort than the SLRs.

Pentax K-x - 1/160 sec - f/8 - ISO 800 - ~75mm

I can't remember how I lit this one. From the look of it, the key is just to the right of the taking camera, there's another for hightlights up, left and behind the subject camera. There's also a big reflector, which may not even have a flash, to the left of the taking camera.

Used GIMP to crop, adjust levels and resize.

Still Life

2010-06-06T21:52:00.000+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A photograph of things sitting on my desk.

Pentax K-x - 1/160 sec - f/5.6 - ISO 800 - ~72mm

Illuminated by a flash bounced off the ceiling.

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels and scale. While uploading this I found my old watermark, so maybe I won't be making a new one for a little while still.

I was quite impressed by how much better this image was than the same taken without the flash (the light was dim, requiring a slower shutter speed, resulting in terrible blur). I was somewhat surprised by how good a single flash off the ceiling looks.

Hair Light

2010-06-05T22:43:00.001+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Just trying out new (to me) lighting set ups, now that I have the stuff I need for that.

Pentax K-x - 1/180 sec - f/5.6 - ISO 200 - ~60mm

Two flash units pointing at subject, each at an arm's length, one behind subject, camera left and one in front, camera right.

Used GIMP to auto adjust levels. Scaled but didn't watermark it, since I recently made some changes to my file storage and seem to have lost my watermark. This is a good thing, because its about time I came up with a better one.

To be clear, the layout of these posts is: Title, picture, copyright, caption, metadata, lighting, post-processing, technical comments. Pretty much all the information after the caption is for my own benefit, for extracting and recording lessons learned.

Now that I've got several flashguns and things that make them flash I can have light setups like a pro. Unfortunately that doesn't make the photos good. That requires practise. Here, I'm having a go with introducing a hair light or kicker or something. There's an extra light behind me, camera left. The catch is that I'm holding that and the remote with my right hand and I'm holding the main light with my left hand and I have to go check the photos each time on the camera, and still return to the right place (which has to be determined by trial and error). Maybe setting it up in front of a mirror might help.

There was a time period of more than a month between taking the photo and posting it, and in that time I've forgotten some details. When I put the meta data in I noticed that the camera claims that the flash fired. I'm not sure if this is because I was using the flash cord with my achiever for the key (I just tested, and that will cause the camera to record that the flash was fired, though using the radio triggers doesn't) or if I actually had the pop up flash up. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since it clearly didn't contribute much to the exposure. I had noticed a second light in my eyes but had assumed that to be the rear light reflecting in the window (this was shot with a glass window behind the camera). Perhaps I had misplaced my radio triggers and cable? I don't know. I should really do these things faster.

I will be having another go at this.

Product Shot

2010-06-04T22:34:00.000+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

I finally got around to selling the film cameras that I wasn't using any more.

Pentax K-x - 1/180 sec - f/5.6 - ISO 400 - ~82mm

The key light is a flash fired into an ice cream container with a tinfoil-and-paper thing on the front cut out in the shape of a triangle (this is why the reflections in the lens look sort of like fast-forward or play symbols) and the background was lit with a second flash.

Used GIMP to adjust levels, crop and scale. Forgot to watermark this one.

I'm still getting the hang of the blown white background thing.

Helicopter II

2010-06-03T22:08:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Having completed my thesis I had a bit of a play with my helicopter.

Canon A720 - 1/100 sec - f/4 - ISO 800 - ~50mm

Overhead fluorescent lights.

Used GIMP to crop and apply selective Gaussian blur (which I learned is a good way of dealing with high ISO noise). Scaled and watermarked.

I forgot to adjust the levels, which probably would have improved the end result a bit.

Rubbish

2010-06-02T22:03:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

I guess I was pretty busy.

Pentax K-x - 1/8 sec - f/4 - ISO 200 - ~27mm

Overhead fluorescents.

Used GIMP to scale and watermark.

I was inspired by the lack of effort put into the taking of the image to do no actual work in post processing the image. Sorry, but thesis took priority.

Helicopter

2010-06-01T21:46:00.005+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

The basis of my thesis.

Canon A720 - 1/60 sec - f/3.2 - ISO 400 - ~35mm

Overhead fluorescent lights.

Used GIMP to adjust levels, added white background to extend the image for the watermark. Blended the two layers using layer mask and a gradient. Scaled and watermarked.

I sat the helicopter on white paper, which isn't exposed as full white (because then I'd over expose the helicopter). As a result, I couldn't make it look quite right on the white webpage (or on the white pages of my thesis). This can be done with a light under the paper, but this wasn't practical.

Disreputable Youths

2010-05-31T19:48:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

These guys looked like they were up to no good. They were all clustered round some strange device, down in the poorly lit back of a parking section behind a building. Very shifty types. Be sure to notice the guy lurking in the shadows behind the tree, I think he was the ringleader.

Pentax K-x - 1/3 sec - f/2.8 - ISO 400 - ~35mm

Lit by really dingy street lighting sort of stuff.

Used GIMP to scale and watermark.

The white balance is off deliberately, because that's what it looked like (by which I mean, I set the white balance to daylight). The lights were just that dodgy, and I think it adds to the feel I was wanting.

All Roads

2010-05-30T19:35:00.001+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A main road heading toward the city at night. I'd been eyeing off this vantage point ("my carpark") for some time, and had even identified this particular part of it as a good spot for this shot with my wide angle lens. This is pretty close to what I had in mind, which makes me pretty happy.

Pentax K-x - 30 sec - f/22 - ISO 200 - ~15mm

Night time, city/street/car lights. The bright blue lights are traffic lights, all mixed together (I think).

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels, scale, cropped, blurred out a logo and added watermark.

I had a couple turn out really blurry because the camera had slowly been drooping on the tripod, slow enough not to notice, but fast enough to cause problems over the course of a 30 second exposure. My tripod really isn't that great, and is missing a screw now.

Chess II

2010-05-29T18:05:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Once more, I'm shooting the chess board because it was handy, but this time I put more effort and technique into it, and didn't somehow massively underexpose it.

K-x - 1/180 sec - f/11 - ISO 200 - ~60mm

Lit with an Achiever 300DX high and to camera left. I pointed it so that there'd be very little light past the end of the chess board.

Used GIMP to adjust levels (crush black, lift the light a bit but not too much), scale and watermark.

I'd like to do less levels, or less severe levels adjustments. It seems to me that its got to be reducing image quality.

Aye Aye

2010-05-28T17:54:00.005+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A close shot of my eye.

Pentax K-x - 1/180 sec - f/11 - ISO 200 - ~82mm

I used my new flash cord to get my Achiever 300DX off to camera left, very close to the eye.

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels, scale and crop.

This sort of texture in the eye is brought out using a hard side light, I think.

Colleges

2010-05-27T17:43:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

I looked out the window of the lab and thought the light on the colleges across the lake was pretty cool. Unfortunately I couldn't find a good vantage point, despite running from floor to floor and trying all the balconies I could find.

Canon A720 is - 1/60 sec - f/4 - ISO 400 - ~35mm

Setting sun.

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels, scale and watermark.

This was a good experience of how quickly light can change, and how useful it is to know where good light will be, and where a good spot for it will be. Not so important here, but when I'm hiking I need to make sure I'm working this stuff out in advance.

Rainbow Ribbon Cable

2010-05-26T17:32:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Just something colourful lying around the lab.

Canon A720 is - 1/20 sec - f/2.8 - ISO 400 - ~35mm

Fluros.

Used GIMP to scale and watermark.

Auto levels adjustment made no difference.

Attention!

2010-05-25T17:18:00.000+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Some multimedia assignment resulted in this being stuck on the doors to the title. I'd just like to point out that walking up and down stairs is unlikely to result in an improvement in your biceps.

Pentax K-x - 1/25 sec - f/2.8 - ISO 800 - ~35mm

Indoors, fluros.

Used GIMP to straighten, crop, scale and watermark.

The canon A720 is much easier to carry around, but it doesn't have the low light performance of the pentax.

Software Check

2010-05-24T17:05:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A student supports the quadrotor while software changes are checked.

Canon A720 is - 1/50 sec - f/4.8 - ISO 800 - ~50mm

Window light behind, reflected by room, plus fluros.

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels (made only a very small change), scale and watermark.

Bridge

2010-05-23T16:39:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A friend on the bridge, wearing a new hat (she's starting to collect hats).

Pentax K-x - 1/1250 sec - f/0 - ISO 800 - ~75mm

Overcast daylight.

Used GIMP to adjust levels, scale and watermark.

Demo

2010-05-21T16:11:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A student demonstrates his thesis.

Canon A720 is - 1/60 sec - f/3.2 - ISO 400 - ~50mm

Indoors, fluro lights.

Used GIMP to adjust levels, scale and watermark.

This was interesting, trying to not be obtrusive (he was being marked on this). The noise on the canon at high ISO was not so good, but the shutter is nice and quiet.

Night Lights Outside

2010-05-20T15:52:00.000+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Lights on the street, through my window.

Pentax K-x - 1/100 sec - f/0 - ISO 800 - ~75mm

Street lights, car lights.

Used GIMP to manually adjust levels by channel.

I like this picture better than yesterdays.

Tiled Wall

2010-05-18T15:39:00.004+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Stuck for time, I grabbed a shot of the textured light (from the glazed window) falling on the smooth bathroom wall.

Pentax K-x - 1/6000 sec - f/0 - ISO 200 - ~75mm

Window light.

Used GIMP to adjust levels (made the tiles white), scale and watermark.

Coming to this photo as I was going through my photos for post processing/posting was sort of a downer. Its pretty lame. I don't have a lot of time for shooting some days...

Run away!

2010-05-17T15:23:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

An amusingly defaced OH&S booklet. The actual procedure for an alarm is to listen to some guy repeatedly tell us to "stand by" over the intercom.

Canon A720 is - 1/60 sec - f/3.2 - ISO 400 - ~35mm

Indoors, window light.

Used GIMP to mosaic over the university logo (mostly just for the fun of it) and blur out another trade name then scaled and watermarked it.

When I'm shooting for this thing, I should make sure I leave space at the bottom for the watermark. It looks like once someone started the graffiti, others joined in. The bottom line reads "Be afraid, Be very afraid", which doesn't seem to me to add a lot.

Chess

2010-05-16T15:17:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A chessboard that was handy when I needed something to take a photo of.

Pentax K-x - 1/125 sec - f/0 - ISO 200 - ~75mm

Indoors, fluro lights.

Used GIMP to adjust levels. The picture was almost black before I did so, hence the funny colours, noise and haloing. Scaled and watermarked.

I do not know how I wound up with a near-black photo. Probably didn't check my settings, but normally I'd at least have a quick look on the screen...

Silhouette at Sunset

2010-05-15T15:05:00.006+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Sitting around at sunset.

Pentax K-x - 1/640 sec - f/0 - ISO 200 - ~75mm

Sunset.

Used GIMP to manually adjust levels, scale and watermark.

I would have liked to try to bring the colours out in the sunset, but it would seem I don't know how to do that in GIMP. I'll have to have a look sometime.

Pre-flight Check

2010-05-14T14:54:00.002+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A student does final pre-flight checks for the quad-rotor, while everyone else stands back.

Pentax K-x - 1/2500 sec - f/0 - ISO 400 - ~300mm

Daylight.

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels, scale and watermark.

I thought about going for the tight crop, but felt like having the extra space communicated that he was out in the middle of a field.
I made use of my narrow lens!

Fabulous

2010-05-13T14:48:00.003+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

A friend, being fabulous.

Pentax K-x - 1/125 sec - f/0 - ISO 200 - ~75mm

Daylight.

Used GIMP to auto-adjust levels, crop, scale and watermark.

Its overexposed, probably I had that dialed in from whatever I was shooting last. I really need to get a hang of checking settings before shooting.

City Sights

2010-05-12T14:36:00.006+10:00

This work by Adam M is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

This is a building under construction in the city, lit by light reflected off the glossy front of another.

MOTORAZRV9 - who knows what the actual setting were.

Early-ish morning, light reflected off a glossy building opposite.

Used GIMP to adjust levels, scale and watermark.

I'm impressed with the results from my phone.