After what I considered to be a pretty rotten summer for weather it sure is nice to finally be getting some decent conditions for Fall.
The summer in my opinion wasn't nearly as warm overall as I would have liked. Sure we had some hot days in the 30's but not many for sure. That's not to say that I like those days a lot. Ideally I prefer daytime highs around 26-28 degrees Celsius. But of course our weather doesn't come with a thermostat we can adjust. We have to take what we're given.
Luckily, so far this September and early October has been awesome. We've had some cool nights sitting around the campfire but overall the highs during the days have been in the low to mid-20's which is fantastic.
The other day was one of those toasty days, certainly warmer than I have come to expect from October. I was out for a walk with my camera trying to get some exercise and hoping to take some photos of almost anything.
I was walking along the shore of Lake Ontario and came up on the Presqu'ile Lighthouse. Now I've photographed this particular nighttime beacon many times in the past. Too many to count in fact, so the though of taking another photo of it really didn't cross my mind. I have photos from almost every angle and direction.
One shot I didn't have was from the water. In the winter I'd taken photos by walking out on the ice and hoping I didn't fall through but I'd never gone out in the water to grab a shot.
This being October, I wasn't too keen on the idea of getting wet even though it was a warm day. The lake was quite cold all summer so the idea of taking off my shoes and wading out into the water didn't really interest me at first.
Knowing I'd dry quickly on this particular day I took off my sandals and started to make my way off shore. At first the water was very cold on my feet and the shock nearly sent me back but after a few moments and once my feet were accustomed to the temperature, or numb, it wasn't too bad. Better than I expected.
So out I strolled along the flat rock to a point where the water was up to my knees and I could get a clear shot of the lighthouse.
The sun was starting to drop in the late afternoon sky which gave great light from this angle and also provided some reflection on the water.
I tried several different shots both wide, tight, horizontal and portrait but the images that I liked the most were when I held the camera just above the water level. This gave the impression you were looking out of the water and the small waves were more visible in the foreground.
After about 25 minutes in the lake and waiting for other people to move out of my shot away from the lighthouse I was able to get some good images that I was pleased with, the one above being one of them. I think it turned out pretty good.
Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Friday, October 04, 2013
Monday, September 02, 2013
Boat in the Storm
I love when Mother Nature gets all fired up and frisky. When that happens it usually makes for some impressive weather.
Tonight at the trailer by Lake Ontario I enjoyed quite the light show as a massive thunderstorm worked its way down the lake and to the south towards the New York State.
Storms like this are amazing to watch and safe to enjoy as they're quite a distance away yet easily visible across the open water.
The storm didn't produce a lot of visible lightning strikes however. The flashes in the sky were almost non-stop and took in the entire horizon however sightings of actual bolts were few and far between.
This didn't stop me from grabbing my camera and tripod in the hopes of capturing an interesting lightning image. I knew the odds of surpassing past lightning success would be slim with the storm being so far away but I had spotted a sailboat anchored on the lake earlier in the evening and could faintly see it through the darkness.
It was my hope to get a shot of a bolt of lightning coming down into the water near the boat or at the very least within the area I was focused on.
As luck would have it, after taking only a couple of images, I opened my shutter on about the fourth try and down came a bolt of light. It wasn't until after I had the image on my computer that I realized there were actually three lightning bolts striking the water with a couple more fingers in the sky.
As I was editing the image I decided that the final photo would look more dramatic and interesting in black and white. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for B&W photos so any chance I have to make one I usually go for it.
Not only was I pleased with the lightning but considering the image was a long exposure, to see the boat as sharp as it is without any blur from rocking in the waves was a bonus.
I'm still hoping that one day I'll get another chance to capture lightning much closer and more dramatic, as long as it isn't too close and I haven't been electrified in the process.
NOTE: You can click on the image to see it larger.
Tonight at the trailer by Lake Ontario I enjoyed quite the light show as a massive thunderstorm worked its way down the lake and to the south towards the New York State.
Storms like this are amazing to watch and safe to enjoy as they're quite a distance away yet easily visible across the open water.
The storm didn't produce a lot of visible lightning strikes however. The flashes in the sky were almost non-stop and took in the entire horizon however sightings of actual bolts were few and far between.
This didn't stop me from grabbing my camera and tripod in the hopes of capturing an interesting lightning image. I knew the odds of surpassing past lightning success would be slim with the storm being so far away but I had spotted a sailboat anchored on the lake earlier in the evening and could faintly see it through the darkness.
It was my hope to get a shot of a bolt of lightning coming down into the water near the boat or at the very least within the area I was focused on.
As luck would have it, after taking only a couple of images, I opened my shutter on about the fourth try and down came a bolt of light. It wasn't until after I had the image on my computer that I realized there were actually three lightning bolts striking the water with a couple more fingers in the sky.
As I was editing the image I decided that the final photo would look more dramatic and interesting in black and white. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for B&W photos so any chance I have to make one I usually go for it.
Not only was I pleased with the lightning but considering the image was a long exposure, to see the boat as sharp as it is without any blur from rocking in the waves was a bonus.
I'm still hoping that one day I'll get another chance to capture lightning much closer and more dramatic, as long as it isn't too close and I haven't been electrified in the process.
NOTE: You can click on the image to see it larger.
Friday, August 02, 2013
Sunset Landing
I was visiting my parents at their trailer last night at Presqu'ile Provincial Park on the north shores of Lake Ontario and had just finished supper when I decided to grab my camera and go for a drive.
I honestly didn't expect to get much of anything and planned to only be gone for about 30 minutes. I wanted to get back for the always enjoyable campfire with family and friends.
Actually, I probably wasn't much longer than 30 minutes but I did stop once to watch a Mute Swan and two of her young feeding in the calm waters of what's known as the Calf Pasture. This used to be a boat launch area to get out into Brighton Bay from inside the park. Now for some reason they frown upon this. Who knows the thinking behind it. We used to drive a hovercraft over there when I was a lot younger because it was a lot more calm than the lake.
Anyway...the three swans that were feeding honestly weren't providing much in the way of quality photo opportunities. Certainly nothing I hadn't already photographed a dozen or more times before.
All of a sudden I heard a noise of wings hitting the water and I swung around to spot the mate of the swan getting airborne and racing right at me. I'm guessing he probably didn't like the fact that I was intruding on his kids supper activities.
I only had a few moments to bang off a couple of quick frames. I didn't have time to change my focus type, shutter speed or anything for that matter. I would have loved to have my Nikon D7000 in high burst mode to rattle off more shots but instead I quickly focused and shot about 4 frames.
He landed in the water and I started moving back to let him know I got the message. As I walked back to the car I did a quick review of the photos on the camera and was encouraged by what I saw but there was no way of knowing how good the quality of image would be until I got it on my computer.
As you can see above, I had at least one shot that was fairly sharp and contained some nice action as the swan was touching down. The sunlight was rather harsh as it was setting and very bright but overall I think I was able to work around that issue okay and captured an image I could live with and be a little proud of. These birds are so powerful I could photograph them landing and taking off all day.
I honestly didn't expect to get much of anything and planned to only be gone for about 30 minutes. I wanted to get back for the always enjoyable campfire with family and friends.
Actually, I probably wasn't much longer than 30 minutes but I did stop once to watch a Mute Swan and two of her young feeding in the calm waters of what's known as the Calf Pasture. This used to be a boat launch area to get out into Brighton Bay from inside the park. Now for some reason they frown upon this. Who knows the thinking behind it. We used to drive a hovercraft over there when I was a lot younger because it was a lot more calm than the lake.
Anyway...the three swans that were feeding honestly weren't providing much in the way of quality photo opportunities. Certainly nothing I hadn't already photographed a dozen or more times before.
All of a sudden I heard a noise of wings hitting the water and I swung around to spot the mate of the swan getting airborne and racing right at me. I'm guessing he probably didn't like the fact that I was intruding on his kids supper activities.
I only had a few moments to bang off a couple of quick frames. I didn't have time to change my focus type, shutter speed or anything for that matter. I would have loved to have my Nikon D7000 in high burst mode to rattle off more shots but instead I quickly focused and shot about 4 frames.
He landed in the water and I started moving back to let him know I got the message. As I walked back to the car I did a quick review of the photos on the camera and was encouraged by what I saw but there was no way of knowing how good the quality of image would be until I got it on my computer.
As you can see above, I had at least one shot that was fairly sharp and contained some nice action as the swan was touching down. The sunlight was rather harsh as it was setting and very bright but overall I think I was able to work around that issue okay and captured an image I could live with and be a little proud of. These birds are so powerful I could photograph them landing and taking off all day.
Monday, May 27, 2013
COSSA Meet
This isn't going to be an earth shattering update so don't be disappointed. You've been warned.
This past week I had another opportunity to attend a track meet. This time it was COSSA for the high school athletes. COSSA, if I remember correctly, stands for Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics. It's the second meet of four competitions ending with OFSAA or the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations. That meet crowns the provincial champs. I'm sure you're better for knowing all of that.
For me, all it meant was another opportunity to grab my camera and take more action shots of the events in progress.
I came away with many shots again that I was happy with including the one shown here. Plus I had a few from the Pole Vault and hurdles that I really liked.
All I was doing was feeding my need to work on my hobby or craft. I get a little tired of the usual swan, sunset and flower photos so this is a nice change of pace.
Any way, if you're interested in checking out more of my shots from the day, drop by my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bundy68/ to have a look at those photos and more.
This past week I had another opportunity to attend a track meet. This time it was COSSA for the high school athletes. COSSA, if I remember correctly, stands for Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics. It's the second meet of four competitions ending with OFSAA or the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations. That meet crowns the provincial champs. I'm sure you're better for knowing all of that.
For me, all it meant was another opportunity to grab my camera and take more action shots of the events in progress.
I came away with many shots again that I was happy with including the one shown here. Plus I had a few from the Pole Vault and hurdles that I really liked.
All I was doing was feeding my need to work on my hobby or craft. I get a little tired of the usual swan, sunset and flower photos so this is a nice change of pace.
Any way, if you're interested in checking out more of my shots from the day, drop by my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bundy68/ to have a look at those photos and more.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Track Memories
On Friday I had the day off work and had the photography itch so I decided to grab my camera and head to a local high school track meet.
It was the Bay of Quinte Invitational with athletes from all across Eastern Ontario in attendance.
As a former Track & Field competitor from my high school days it brought back a lot of great memories from my days of spinning in the discus cage or launching the shot put as far as I could. Boy that was a long time ago.
While the competition was fun, the friendships I made and the good times had were what I remember the most.
Of course Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of the rest of social media wasn't around when I competed and made friends so it was harder to keep in touch with those new friends or the girls I met to be more specific. Heck, we barely had computers when I was in school.
But it was always fun to see those people every Spring at the various meets and catch up. There are a few I still run into even today.
But I was there on this day to take photos of the action, even though I did run into some former schoolmates now teachers and even some old teachers as well.
I don't get to shoot sports very much but I really enjoy the challenge when the odd opportunity presents itself. I had the added pressure of worrying about the weather as the rain was on the way. Actually, overcast conditions are ideal for photography since you don't get the harsh shadows the sun produces.
Any way, I did manage to come away with some images I was pleased with including the one located above. If all goes well, I'm hoping to get to at least one more event before the track season ends to see what else I can capture.
It was the Bay of Quinte Invitational with athletes from all across Eastern Ontario in attendance.
As a former Track & Field competitor from my high school days it brought back a lot of great memories from my days of spinning in the discus cage or launching the shot put as far as I could. Boy that was a long time ago.
While the competition was fun, the friendships I made and the good times had were what I remember the most.
Of course Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of the rest of social media wasn't around when I competed and made friends so it was harder to keep in touch with those new friends or the girls I met to be more specific. Heck, we barely had computers when I was in school.
But it was always fun to see those people every Spring at the various meets and catch up. There are a few I still run into even today.
But I was there on this day to take photos of the action, even though I did run into some former schoolmates now teachers and even some old teachers as well.
I don't get to shoot sports very much but I really enjoy the challenge when the odd opportunity presents itself. I had the added pressure of worrying about the weather as the rain was on the way. Actually, overcast conditions are ideal for photography since you don't get the harsh shadows the sun produces.
Any way, I did manage to come away with some images I was pleased with including the one located above. If all goes well, I'm hoping to get to at least one more event before the track season ends to see what else I can capture.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Show Me The Money
Why are people so cheap?
This is the question I have found myself asking a few times over the last year or two and it kind of annoys me.
Sure, I don't like to throw away money but if I really like something and want to have one to keep for myself or know I'll enjoy having a certain item, I'll spend the money to get whatever it is.
Other people it seems, only truly want something if they can get it for free.
OK, here's what I'm talking about.
As many of you know I enjoy photography as mostly a hobby. There's something about it that gives me enjoyment and makes me happy. I don't know if it's the thrill of seeing something you've captured in an image or the work that goes into a finished product but I get a kick out of it.
From time to time I have sold the odd image of mine. I don't have a business and I certainly don't advertise but there have been some friends and people who have appreciated my efforts enough to want to have a copy of my work for their very own. I'm all too happy to oblige them, but at a cost.
You see, while it is a hobby, it's still time consuming and a lot of effort goes into producing a final image that you might see.
A typical shoot might last anywhere from one to four hours, depending on what I'm photographing. Could be less, could be more. That is just the first part of the process.
Next I have to go through the hundreds of images I shot on a particular subject and pick out the images I like the best. Of those, I may select only two or three photos that I really like. Next comes the editing process. In the old days this would be done in a darkroom with stinky chemicals and could take hours or days to achieve the final result you're looking for. Today, with the computers and software available, this process happens much quicker and easier but is still very time consuming.
On one image I could spend an hour or more playing with the exposure, curves, contrast, colour, white balance, layers, etc...you get my point. The image isn't done at the moment you push the shutter release button on the camera. There's a lot of time and effort that is spent in front of a computer screen tweaking things to my liking.
People only see the finished product and probably don't have a clue how much time is spent on each individual image. Not to mention the thousands of dollars I had to spend on photographic equipment and software. It's an expensive hobby.
So now that you have an idea of the work that goes into a completed image, maybe you can understand why I might be a little bothered when someone who wants a copy of one of my photos thinks I'll just give it away for free.
I don't charge a lot for my work but apparently to some people they don't think paying for a photo that they really like is worth it. That's fine with me, but don't let me catch you with a copy of one of my images obtained through other means or we'll be talking in front of a judge.
I do appreciate those who have purchased my work in the past. It's nice to know they like what I do so much that they're willing to pay for it. The money is nice but the pride I feel when others enjoy what I do is even better.
Recently I had an inquiry about one of my photos which had actually won a contest in the past. They asked if they could have the full resolution image file of the photo so they could go and have a print made themselves. Ahhhh...I don't think so. I never give out my images for others to do with as they please. No photographer with any sense of pride in what they do gives away their work or shares their image files.
They wanted the image to hang in their building which I had no problem with but when I sent them a list showing the cost for the different available sizes for the image...well, lets just say the conversation has come to an abrupt end so far. Who knows, maybe I'll still hear from them but I'm afraid they're not getting anything for free. I'd rather the image sits on my hard drive until I die than diminish my worth and my work by giving it away.
Am I wrong? Isn't my time and effort worth $25 - $100? I think it is.
This is the question I have found myself asking a few times over the last year or two and it kind of annoys me.
Sure, I don't like to throw away money but if I really like something and want to have one to keep for myself or know I'll enjoy having a certain item, I'll spend the money to get whatever it is.
Other people it seems, only truly want something if they can get it for free.OK, here's what I'm talking about.
As many of you know I enjoy photography as mostly a hobby. There's something about it that gives me enjoyment and makes me happy. I don't know if it's the thrill of seeing something you've captured in an image or the work that goes into a finished product but I get a kick out of it.
From time to time I have sold the odd image of mine. I don't have a business and I certainly don't advertise but there have been some friends and people who have appreciated my efforts enough to want to have a copy of my work for their very own. I'm all too happy to oblige them, but at a cost.
You see, while it is a hobby, it's still time consuming and a lot of effort goes into producing a final image that you might see.
A typical shoot might last anywhere from one to four hours, depending on what I'm photographing. Could be less, could be more. That is just the first part of the process.
Next I have to go through the hundreds of images I shot on a particular subject and pick out the images I like the best. Of those, I may select only two or three photos that I really like. Next comes the editing process. In the old days this would be done in a darkroom with stinky chemicals and could take hours or days to achieve the final result you're looking for. Today, with the computers and software available, this process happens much quicker and easier but is still very time consuming.
On one image I could spend an hour or more playing with the exposure, curves, contrast, colour, white balance, layers, etc...you get my point. The image isn't done at the moment you push the shutter release button on the camera. There's a lot of time and effort that is spent in front of a computer screen tweaking things to my liking.
People only see the finished product and probably don't have a clue how much time is spent on each individual image. Not to mention the thousands of dollars I had to spend on photographic equipment and software. It's an expensive hobby.
So now that you have an idea of the work that goes into a completed image, maybe you can understand why I might be a little bothered when someone who wants a copy of one of my photos thinks I'll just give it away for free.
I don't charge a lot for my work but apparently to some people they don't think paying for a photo that they really like is worth it. That's fine with me, but don't let me catch you with a copy of one of my images obtained through other means or we'll be talking in front of a judge.
I do appreciate those who have purchased my work in the past. It's nice to know they like what I do so much that they're willing to pay for it. The money is nice but the pride I feel when others enjoy what I do is even better.
Recently I had an inquiry about one of my photos which had actually won a contest in the past. They asked if they could have the full resolution image file of the photo so they could go and have a print made themselves. Ahhhh...I don't think so. I never give out my images for others to do with as they please. No photographer with any sense of pride in what they do gives away their work or shares their image files.
They wanted the image to hang in their building which I had no problem with but when I sent them a list showing the cost for the different available sizes for the image...well, lets just say the conversation has come to an abrupt end so far. Who knows, maybe I'll still hear from them but I'm afraid they're not getting anything for free. I'd rather the image sits on my hard drive until I die than diminish my worth and my work by giving it away.
Am I wrong? Isn't my time and effort worth $25 - $100? I think it is.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Autumn Outings
Sadly this hasn't been a very productive year with my photography hobby. I just haven't had nearly as much free time to get out and really have fun taking photos.
This autumn I have managed to find a bit of time to click the shutter a few times and came home with some images I've been happy with.
I thought I might share a few with you. Hope you like them.
White-tailed Deer in a field
A leaf covered lane
Walking into the woods
A Red Fox scratching an itch
This autumn I have managed to find a bit of time to click the shutter a few times and came home with some images I've been happy with.
I thought I might share a few with you. Hope you like them.
White-tailed Deer in a field
A leaf covered lane
Walking into the woods
A Red Fox scratching an itch
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I Found My Camera
For the first time in what seems like months I was finally able to take advantage of a day off work and pick up my camera and use it for a change. I wasn't overly motivated but felt guilty that I hadn't produced anything lately.
It was a rainy, overcast and windy afternoon today and I didn't think I'd come home with much when the trip first started but I managed to snap about 80 photos and ended up with about five keepers that I thought were pretty good.
I've posted a few here for you to have a look at. Hope you like them.
It was a rainy, overcast and windy afternoon today and I didn't think I'd come home with much when the trip first started but I managed to snap about 80 photos and ended up with about five keepers that I thought were pretty good.
I've posted a few here for you to have a look at. Hope you like them.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
One With Nature
I would describe myself as being like a "bull in a china shop" in most cases and this usually means quietly trekking through nature would be out of the question. The creatures can usually hear me from miles away as I approach.
That's why I was so surprised during an outing last weekend to come across a Barred Owl perched in a tree and not flying away as quickly as he could.
With my camera in hand I visited Presqu'ile Provincial Park, near Brighton, Ontario in search of one of these birds of prey. I had heard they were being spotted in a particular area and had seen photos taken by other people. I didn't expect to see anything on my first attempt to photograph one of these owls except lots of trees and perhaps a few chickadees.
But much to my surprise I lucked out and found this big guy somewhat camouflaged while resting in a tree and he didn't seem overly bothered by my presence. I guess it was a good thing I didn't shower before I left the house.
Any way, here are just a couple of the nearly 100 photos that I took that day.
© 2010 Mark Kennedy
That's why I was so surprised during an outing last weekend to come across a Barred Owl perched in a tree and not flying away as quickly as he could.
With my camera in hand I visited Presqu'ile Provincial Park, near Brighton, Ontario in search of one of these birds of prey. I had heard they were being spotted in a particular area and had seen photos taken by other people. I didn't expect to see anything on my first attempt to photograph one of these owls except lots of trees and perhaps a few chickadees.
But much to my surprise I lucked out and found this big guy somewhat camouflaged while resting in a tree and he didn't seem overly bothered by my presence. I guess it was a good thing I didn't shower before I left the house.
Any way, here are just a couple of the nearly 100 photos that I took that day.
© 2010 Mark Kennedy
© 2010 Mark Kennedy
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Photo Recognition
For the second year in a row I have received an Honourable Mention in the photo contest run by the city I live in.
I don't really enter the contest expecting to win or even do well. I usually enter as a way to sort of legitimize my photography hobby.
I take a lot of photos throughout the year and never really do much with them so it's nice to enter the odd contest just to make owning all of the expensive equipment worthwhile. I usually take photos and edit them to please myself but it's nice to see others might enjoy my work as well.
I have to attend a council meeting at City Hall on November 16th to receive my prize. Congratulations to everyone else who had their photos selected.
This is the photo of mine that they seemed to like the most. It's an old church built in the 1870's that has been restored and turned into a meeting hall.
Copyright 2009 Mark Kennedy
I don't really enter the contest expecting to win or even do well. I usually enter as a way to sort of legitimize my photography hobby.
I take a lot of photos throughout the year and never really do much with them so it's nice to enter the odd contest just to make owning all of the expensive equipment worthwhile. I usually take photos and edit them to please myself but it's nice to see others might enjoy my work as well.
I have to attend a council meeting at City Hall on November 16th to receive my prize. Congratulations to everyone else who had their photos selected.
This is the photo of mine that they seemed to like the most. It's an old church built in the 1870's that has been restored and turned into a meeting hall.
Copyright 2009 Mark Kennedy
Monday, November 02, 2009
Birds Of A Feather
Here it is November already. Less than two months to go before another decade is complete. Actually, is that right? Do we count the year 2000 as the first year? Well, that's what I'm going with for now.
Any way, now that November is here and the clocks have returned to Standard Time we're down to about 11 hours of daylight in these parts as the days continue to get shorter. In fact, just the other day I had the snow-blower out and made sure it was running and ready to go for the winter ahead.
Sadly, with the change in weather, my opportunities to get out and photograph will likely start to drop off drastically. Being a warm weather person, I don't tend to venture out as much during the winter. Not to mention the fact that taking photos in minus 15 degree conditions isn't quite as enjoyable. I think it might have something to do with my face freezing to the camera. So I'm trying to take advantage of what nice weather we have left.
Today I struck out with the sun shinning and the mercury around +10 Celsius and had some fun. I found some Mute Swans fishing for food along the shores of the local Provincial Park and trained my camera on them for about 15 minutes before they became annoyed with me. Here's one of the shots I came away with.
Any way, now that November is here and the clocks have returned to Standard Time we're down to about 11 hours of daylight in these parts as the days continue to get shorter. In fact, just the other day I had the snow-blower out and made sure it was running and ready to go for the winter ahead.
Sadly, with the change in weather, my opportunities to get out and photograph will likely start to drop off drastically. Being a warm weather person, I don't tend to venture out as much during the winter. Not to mention the fact that taking photos in minus 15 degree conditions isn't quite as enjoyable. I think it might have something to do with my face freezing to the camera. So I'm trying to take advantage of what nice weather we have left.
Today I struck out with the sun shinning and the mercury around +10 Celsius and had some fun. I found some Mute Swans fishing for food along the shores of the local Provincial Park and trained my camera on them for about 15 minutes before they became annoyed with me. Here's one of the shots I came away with.
Copyright 2009 Mark Kennedy
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ah Man...Summer's Over Already?
Summer came to an end yesterday afternoon and once I finished crying, I had a chance to look back at the summer. Despite some issues that made it difficult at times...and still do, it wasn't too bad.
Sure there was lots of rain, not much heat, tornadoes, flooding, cool nights, loads of mosquitoes and black flies, election fears, Michael Jackson's two month funeral saga, more soldiers killed in Afghanistan, destructive forest fires, horrible golf scores and the Blue Jays sucked...among other things but at least we didn't have to scrape the ice off the windshield of our cars.
For me it was a fairly productive summer with my camera as I continued to enjoy my photography hobby. I tried to make the most of it because I know once the cold weather arrives, I likely won't feel the urge to throw on my parka, toque, gloves and boots just to snap a few frames. Oh, I'm sure I'll take a few photos but my numbers will go way down for sure.
Here's a little video I threw together to show you some of my favourite shots from the summer of 2009.
Sure there was lots of rain, not much heat, tornadoes, flooding, cool nights, loads of mosquitoes and black flies, election fears, Michael Jackson's two month funeral saga, more soldiers killed in Afghanistan, destructive forest fires, horrible golf scores and the Blue Jays sucked...among other things but at least we didn't have to scrape the ice off the windshield of our cars.
For me it was a fairly productive summer with my camera as I continued to enjoy my photography hobby. I tried to make the most of it because I know once the cold weather arrives, I likely won't feel the urge to throw on my parka, toque, gloves and boots just to snap a few frames. Oh, I'm sure I'll take a few photos but my numbers will go way down for sure.
Here's a little video I threw together to show you some of my favourite shots from the summer of 2009.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
September Harvest Moon
The full moon was too beautiful to pass on tonight so I mounted my camera on a tripod and took some photos.
This was one of my favourites from the night. Here you can see the moonlight shining on the waters of Lake Ontario at Presqu'ile Provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Here's a photo showing the moon a little larger. You can see a bit more detail in this shot.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Hope you enjoyed looking at them.
This was one of my favourites from the night. Here you can see the moonlight shining on the waters of Lake Ontario at Presqu'ile Provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Here's a photo showing the moon a little larger. You can see a bit more detail in this shot.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Hope you enjoyed looking at them.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Campfire Time-Lapse
I was feeling creative yesterday so I decided to try my luck at Time-lapse Photography.
Some of you may be wondering what this is.
Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower than it will be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. Time-lapse photography can be considered to be the opposite of high speed photography.
Processes that would normally appear subtle to the human eye, such as the motion of the sky, clouds or people, become very pronounced.
For those who may be interested, this was my first ever attempt at time-lapse photography and I have already learned a lot. Most importantly it's probably better to shoot it earlier in the day when it's lighter. But it was all new territory for me.
I used my Nikon D80 tethered to my laptop with Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 and set the program to shoot 350 photos at 3 second intervals. There is no post-production on the individual photos. I shot each photo with the White Balance set at Manual Sunlight at ISO 100, f14, 1/15 second. The lens was set at 18mm.
I next used Quicktime Pro to create the video at 10 frames per second. Then I added the .mov file to the ProShow Gold 4 software and added music and the intro before creating the final .mpg file.
It was a fun first effort and I hope you like it.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Some of you may be wondering what this is.
Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower than it will be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. Time-lapse photography can be considered to be the opposite of high speed photography.
Processes that would normally appear subtle to the human eye, such as the motion of the sky, clouds or people, become very pronounced.
For those who may be interested, this was my first ever attempt at time-lapse photography and I have already learned a lot. Most importantly it's probably better to shoot it earlier in the day when it's lighter. But it was all new territory for me.
I used my Nikon D80 tethered to my laptop with Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 and set the program to shoot 350 photos at 3 second intervals. There is no post-production on the individual photos. I shot each photo with the White Balance set at Manual Sunlight at ISO 100, f14, 1/15 second. The lens was set at 18mm.
I next used Quicktime Pro to create the video at 10 frames per second. Then I added the .mov file to the ProShow Gold 4 software and added music and the intro before creating the final .mpg file.
It was a fun first effort and I hope you like it.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
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