Welcome to Friday Foto Flogging, a place to share your photos and photography news. We were inspired by the folks at European Tribune who post a regular Friday Photoblog series to try the same on this side of the virtual Atlantic. We also thought foto folks would enjoy seeing some other websites so each week we’ll introduce a different photo website.
This Week’s Theme: Quick Shots. Pictures you took in a hurry. And tell us why you hurried, if you want.
Website(s) of the Week: Swimming w/ sperm whales off the coast of the Dominica in the Caribbean.
AndiF’s Why Were These Quick Shots?
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Because I kept having to clean big wet splotches off my lens and off of me. Click image for larger version |
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Because the light was changing even as I took the shot.
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Because I was driving.
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olivia quick shots
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Quick fish.
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Through the car window, on a curvy mountain road.
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Making pico de gallo … and hungry.
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Next Week’s Theme: A day in your life … as usual, interpret as you wish. Some ideas: morning/noon/evening, a particular project you’re working on at the moment (or in the past), things you see on your way to work or as you go about your daily routine.
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Previous Friday Foto Flogs
Spine
On Tues., Wed. and Thur., my son Elliott attends school for three hours in an area of town I have to reach via two modes of public transportation. As such, it makes no sense for me to travel all the way to drop him off only to turn around, go home and practically turn right around again to come back to pick him up. Instead, I stay in the area and walk around with my camera.
There’s a cute little park nearby that’s basically just a creek in the middle of the woods with a path through it. No playgrounds or anything, just nature. However, being Philadelphia, I’m still concerned about nefarious individuals passing through the park and as such, I’m typically guarded, especially when I’m by myself with my camera. When I came across the scene above, seeing the piece of spine propped on the wall, it kind of creeped me out since I didn’t know what kind of animal it belonged to, how it got there and how it found it’s demise.
Needless to say, I snapped the shot but didn’t stick around much more after that.
Roy’s
I’ve been trying to take more urban shots for black and white processing and I was right across the street shooting a guard rail when I looked across the street and figured if I could pull out a level shot in one shot, I might be able to work it into an interesting black and white city shot. Luckily, I pulled it off in one shot and although the shot itself was a quick one, the processing took a little longer.
Street light
City Hall
The last two images were taken while in downtown Philadelphia. I had stopped into an area art supply to talk to someone about framing options and they weren’t in yet so I hit the street to take some more urban shots. And these weren’t exactly quick snapshots. The City Hall shot more or less was but the one of the street signal was part of a series where I was trying different angles to see how they came out and actually, I mistakenly took them in JPEG instead of RAW so the processing I could do was more limited but I still like ’em!
🙂
How long is the spine? Definitely creep-inducing, for all the reasons you mentioned.
Nice bw treatments – really like the patterns in the top two shots especially (the stoplight against the pattern of the windows and the patterns of brick, small and large and the curving in the windows etc.) They are set off nicely in BW.
Do you feel comfortable shooting urban scenes? That’s something I need to work on.
The spine was probably around 8-10 inches perhaps? I spoke with a couple friends, a few who happen to be photographers and a few who happen to be veterinarians and they all suspect it was definitely an animal, given the length and arch of the spine. No apparent S-curvature so luckily, it doesn’t appear to be human.
Probably a dog or a raccoon or something.
I feel very comfortable shooting urban scenes. It’s shooting * people * that I’m not particularly comfortable with. With a zoom lens, less so since I can do it from afar. Up close and personal, less so, especially from strangers. The only instance I feel fine shooting people relatively close is public events like the park swing dancers I shot and posted last week.
I love the shot of Roy’s — great composition. And there’s a feeling of movement in the last shot that makes me feel like the shadow is rapidly overtaking the building.
Thanks on the Roy’s shot. I honestly didn’t expect it was going to come out as well as it did. It’s still not quite exactly what I want; a crop of the storefront and valet might’ve been served better but that’s neither here nor there at this point.
The city hall shot is one I’ve taken many times before and the funny thing with both shots is that I got them relatively horizontal on the first shot, something that rarely happens with me for some reason!
🙂
Great bunch of shots as usual. The street light makes the corner of the building with all of the bay widows work — super composition and exposure.
With me nothing is ever very fast. I do on occasion try to get a quick action shot that more often than not ends up in the what not to do pile. Here are a few that made it.
This is a shot that was taken after a long day of pushing around. My arms were rather tired and were having trouble holding the camera steady, but it was too good to pass up.
This is a 100% crop, good thing the bee was a little busy or this wouldn’t have happened.
Sometimes you just get lucky.
On the top shot, I don’t know what I like more – the individual leave growth against the bark or the tons of holes in the bark, evidence that another creature has been at work! ;p
The middle shot looks great! Actually, it looks like a soft piece of candy (don’t ask ;/ ) but I really like the pastel colors involved in that shot.
The bottom shot – great capture of the wingspan. I love large birds, especially in action moves like taking off or landing, especially from nests!
Great pics!
Thanks, and wanted to say thanks for the lens review. It is one that was on my list a while back. Opted for the AF-S 70-300 G VR zoom instead for some of the same reasons you noted in your review, that and my often lack of access.
That’s the other avenue I would go.
I’d love to have a 300mm or even better, a 400mm, though with each increase in focal length, you’re talking enormous amounts of money.
Though an a relatively affordable option, you could get a 1.5x or 2x teleconverter and potentially double your focal length. You’ll lose a few stops of speed and many degrees of view but what you lose in that you make up in reach.
I’m already on notice, one more lens and I’ll be eating it, and she’s not kidding.
All jokes aside I have a Tamron 2X Teleconverter that I’ve used with limited success, best on tripod. Both Tamron and Nikon warn that these are not compatible with lenses less than 2.8 apertures. Although the only thing I’ve found that doesn’t work is auto-focus and metering can be a bit wonky but not really a big deal. You do have to be careful as on some lenses elements between the two may crash. One other thing that’s interesting is VR works with the teleconverter.
Other than that lens rental can be an option to try out a lens or for a trip. We have one locally that I’ve used. Just get insurance.
Yes. You’re right on all account with regard to TC’s working on lenses slower than 2.8, physical contact, and being wonky on metering, etc.c
The best thing to do if you have a good local shop like Calumet or something is go in and talk to someone directly and they should be able to answer all your questions specifically.
Great eye to spot that first shot — sure am glad your arms held out.
Great color on the bee.
And what a fantastic capture on the pelican.
Thanks, after that much exercise they start to shake from the SCI.
Is that a sweet gum? Whatever it is, it’s my favorite.
Thanks, it is a sweet gum.
Since I walk with a cane and am still getting use to taking pictures, I have only one quick shot to share. LOL
Getting a picture of a bumble bee is much harder than I thought. Click on the image for a more detailed view.
It may be your only one but it’s a very nice one — I really like the edging on the leaves.
Thank you!!! I take that as a great compliment.
Yesterday was so gorgeous we went outside to read poetry.
Poetry Circle #1
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Poetry Circle #2
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I especially like the second one — the body language is great.
Here’s a quick shot of the Hudson river taken earlier today during my drive home from work.
What gorgeous colors — the deep green in the foreground is beautifully set off by the softer colors in the background, especially the blue of the river.
Pssst. Just between us, I set the white balance for indoor incandescent light. It brings out the blues.
A quick shot but not quite quick enough to stop the ball in flight.
We were thinking the ball is the blur over the dark spot in front of the batter’s box and near the first base line.
That does look like it. I was trying out my new Canon Elph two years ago in Baltimore; it has no manual settings so it probably can’t capture the ball in flight. Now if I had had my reflex camera and put it on S…..
I say the ball is in plain view, except from this vantage place.
It`s right on top of the chalk line to first base.
A repeat of the same thing done many years ago following another snow storm. Hurry…
Too cold! Yikes.
say wha? l’d love to hear the story behind that photo, cuz l haven’t a clue.
Okay, that’s one weird picture. We definitely need to hear the story that goes with it.
that swimming with sperm whales site is pretty amazing andi.
if you haven’t seen it, l recommend this BBC video on the mating foreplay of humpback whales…the underwater photogs who took these shots gots some serious brio.
on a more somber note. l was distressed to see this: The Obama administration and the International Whaling Commission want to allow legal hunting again.
to say it’s misguided policy is a gross understatement.
Olivia picked the site but it is definitely a great one.
And thanks for that first link (very disappointed about the second one).
From the cab of a truck, rushing home to shoot the sunset.
Your through the windshield shot beats the hell out of mine. Just gorgeous.
It`s just a different time of day.
Run home for the camera, because they won’t believe it otherwise
First birthday, first cupcake
Night visitor stopped for a brief hello
Jabba the Hut takes a quick snooze
Screech owl in a rare daylight appearance
Butterfly at last light
I like them all, but love the cupcake one. It must have been an excellent cupcake. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid wolf one down quite that quickly! He’s 4 now and getting to be pretty chunky. Football material, I’m thinking.
You always knew that the “Liar’s Bench” had to have one.
Alternative title, “Peter Pan and Tinkerbell 2010”
That’s a great capture on the butterfly — and an even greater one on the angel. 🙂
Raccoons are so cute — as long as they’re at someone else’s house and not here, trying to steal the suet block.
Featuring Superb Fairy wrens.
I love wrens. Little balls of fluff with vertical tails. The ringtone on Andi’s phone is a canyon wren. It’s a little disconcerting when we’re walking in the woods and she gets a call.
Your wrens are not our wrens. Obviously Europeans noticed the similarity to their (one and only) wren, hence the name. Our wrens do a high pitched reel or make staccato chirring sounds – either way, they’re not very melodic.
I used to have a frog ringtone on my phone, and would sometimes wonder how a frog got in my car (I don’t get a lot of calls).
Quick enough for a great set. I especially the last one.