# Speaking of Photography



## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I saw one of our photography threads got bumped up to the top this morning, so maybe it's time to start a new one.

I took some shots of an orchid plant someone gave my wife, and turned it into one of my original-music-and-photo videos.

Here's the link: 




And a sample:


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

Lacks your clarity, Charlie. But this is one of my favorites that I took with a cell phone camera. Jellyfish behind glass at the Shedds Aquarium in Chicago.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

this one was another favorite. I lucked into an exhibit on jellyfish and they had tanks with many varieties. quite beautiful


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Very cool stuff, David.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

I agree-cool stuff
and your orchid is stunning!!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Can't remember if I showed this pix before


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

I concur, the clarity is awesome. I like the cheap digital gadgets and find imagery delightful. But I do envy the detail you are able to extract Charlie. Thank you for sharing.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Great shot, Debbie!

Thanks, David. I've always been fascinated by sharp nature closeups. In my quest to make my own I have found it is a *little* about know-how, and a *lot* about how much money you are willing to spend on equipment. I have accumulated some moderately-expensive gear, and have thus worked my way up to moderately-good images.

For some not-so-closeups, here is a set I took at Red Rock Canyon, outside of Las Vegas:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157632275561921/show/


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Very nice! But if Charlie can shoot an Orchid, I can shoot an Iris…mine is in space though:










This is known as the Iris Nebula - NGC 7023 in Cepheus. Lots of exposure time to capture things like this. My arms got really tired after a while.


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## Alongiron (Jan 10, 2011)

Here is a nice photo I took on vacation in Ireland. It is a view looking out into the fishing port at Kinsale, on the southern tip of Ireland. If you ever get the chance, it is a beautiful spot.










And here is a picture of our pond in the back yard of our home










And just one more looking back from the pond to our home during our last snow


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## WoodenFrog (Jun 4, 2010)

Skybridge in Ky( Looking Up at Bridge) I love this place!


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## sharad (Dec 26, 2007)

Very fascinating shots by Charley, David, Macdebb, Jay, Alongiron, and Robert.

Sharad


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Here's a poppy in my front yard.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I caught this double rainbow from my front yard a couple years ago









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This hydrangea grows to about 4ft across and blooms right beside the door to my workshop every year.









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I took these in the fall of 2011. This is less than a mile from our house.









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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

amazing… amazing… and amazing

(and oh how lovely it must be to look out upon that "pond" - in any season)


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

Beautiful photos! It's amazing how we can share our travels and interests without leaving our homes!


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

A beautiful thread Charlie. Thanks

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I love great Photography,very nice shots everyone.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

an eye for capturing










beauty


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## BuckNasty (Nov 21, 2012)

just a couple from my butterfly gardens at the house.


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

Great pics guys!!!!! I took this one last weekend at our Boy Scout Klondike Weekend. This is the log sawing station I ran with our camp ranger seen in the background.
MIKE


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I love starting these photography topics…. they just bring great photos "out of the woodwork" (pardon the pun)! I think it demonstrates that having a creative eye, which most woodworkers do, carries over to other modes of expression as well.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Beautiful photos.


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

Ok some of my work, I would post nudes but I think they are not allowed. These are all platinum/palladium prints made on Socorro paper.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

extraordinary !!

And here is my grandson


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Jonathan: Now I'm sorry I didn't see any donkeys.

Jorge: Beautiful work. The fourth one down is my favorite.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

All the latest photos are great. As I looked at them I again started to wonder why depth of field is still a problem. Close or far but not both. It would seem with our current technology we could have cameras that focus at all depths and then combine them for a perfectly focused shot. The circuitry and memory would all be in the camera and the final shot would be the result. No need to layer photos…the camera handles it all. Just my thoughts.


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

Thanks Charlie.

DKV, actually it is old technology that made it possible to take near and far photographs. All of my photographs were made with an 8×10 camera on film and contact printed. The view cameras allowed you to change the depth of field by tilting, the back, the front or both.

With digital, it has become so prevalent that "fixing" the depth of field is now done with the computer, you take a far pic, a near pic and then you super impose them with photoshop. I quit photography simply because digital was not for me. The argument is still going on, but for my taste, nothing compares to a well made contact print from a negative. Here is another image I made with (believe it or not) an 12×20 view camera.










and here is a pic of me in my darkroom, you can see the camera in the right hand side.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Here are a few from years past.
Baby calf in a field of Bluebonnets.









Plummage









Pelican









Grandson's first ball game…rounding third and heading home.









Another grandson - safe at second









MOON


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

So many great shots.

Jorge, that 12×20 is amazing! I look at digital and film almost the same way I think of oils and watercolors in painting. They are two different media, each with its own characteristics and techniques. I totally agree with you that there is a hard-to-define aesthetic quality to a good print from a large format negative that simply cannot be duplicated digitally.

The beauty of digital, however, is its versatility and portability. Shoot everything in sight (no film or developing expenses), monkey around with exposures and shutter speeds, and only keep the cream of the crop. And then there's the multitude of creative things you can do with good editing software.

Like I said… two different animals.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Jorge, two things:
1. When I take photos I point and shoot. I want the camera to make a perfectly focused throughout the depth of field picture. When it comes to photography I'm lazy. I played around with HDR for awhile but lost interest. 
2. The pelican photo is fantastic. It would be even greater if everything in the background was also in focus. 
I guess you could say I want to click and then see perfection. I understand there are still a lot of folks that love shooting film and playing with all the challenges that go with that.Every picture above this post is fantastic. I'm not trying to take away anyone's joy. I'm a fast food kind of picture taker. Take it, show it. No inbetween machinations.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

"It would be even greater if everything in the background was also in focus. "

The subject is the pelican. The soft background is what makes the image pop! If you want to see the background, take a pic of it.  I prefer to shoot with a shallow depth of field for that one purpose. Make your subject stand out. Everything else is clutter and doesn't add to the image and I do use a tool called the "crop-a-lot"! 

Note: Scenic photography is a different story and usually needs a lot of depth of field. Shoot with a wide angle lens and small aperture (like f/16 - f/22) and you will get a lot of depth of field.


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

Yeah, the 12×20 always got a crowd… 

You are stating the reason why digital has become prevalent. From the consumer point of view, it is fantastic. They are not bad from a professional side either. I have a friend who uses a digital back on a 4×5 and he takes amazing pictures. Of course, he has the money to visit Bangor and other exotic places… 

DKV, I have to disagree with you. Michael has it right, he used depth of field to emphasize the pelican. If the background was also visible it would be too distracting from the main subject, which is the pelican.

In any case, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So in that sense there is no "proper" way to take the shot. I like what Michael did, but your taste is different.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Michael, in DKV's case, I'm not sure if:

a. He's pulling our leg
b. He doesn't realize that the best portraits almost always employ a shallow depth of field
c. He just has bad taste and still wears a leisure suit.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

MT and Jorge, just to prove I shouldn't even be on this thread and I'm a caveman when it comes to shooting pix I'm going to go outside on the next sunny day with my Canon G9 and shoot away. That's what's great about digital. Shoot, shoot, shoot and maybe get lucky. I will post for you guys and I want pure, honest, unadulterated critique. Someone called this the photo snob thread. If that's true I want to take advantage of it.

Charlie, just saw your post above mine. C is the answer. My wife won't let me get rid of the leisure suits until they're worn out. My taste in pix is I'll know it when I see it. I have no concept of planning a good pic.


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## Moai (Feb 9, 2009)

Hving a walk in a reserve near Boca raton FL….


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Jorge G. I like those contact prints. Nice to get away from the rule of thirds.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Good job Francisco.


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

Thanks renners…..


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

One more example of shallow depth of field. I still can't believe this girl was 12. Her team was competing in a 12Under softball tournament. She was the third baseman.

The background was ugly and distracting so I tried to eliminate it.
Mike


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

The way i feel, most days.


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

They say the best camera is the one you have with you. I shot this one a couple years ago with an iPhone 3G.

Winter on the Bonneville Salt Flats…


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Wow…Stephen… That may be the best phone camera shot I've ever seen!


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

Shot with an iPhone 4.

The sun was setting, but my day was just beginning, Salt Lake International…


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

the key to good photography is taking a gazillion pictures in the hope at least one turns out, much like wood and plants and things.

photographer unknown


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Workshop Assistant


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

I took this shot with a crappy Samsung Convoy phone. I didn't want to drop my iPhone 5.

Looking down…


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

Are you one of those guys that was featured in the most dangerous jobs? It was supposed to be the ones who service microwave antennas or something like that…..

That is the other thing, even phones produce better pictures from the consumer point of view than the old point and shoot cameras. This is what killed Kodak and they were never able to get behind the ball anymore.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)




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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

I feel like that sometimes Moron…


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

> Jorge G. said…
> 
> "Are you one of those guys that was featured in the mos dangerous jobs? It was supposed to be the ones who service microwave antennas or something like that….."


I work for the Federal Aviation Administration.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

the cameras on smart phones are getting smarter


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

I work for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Stephenw, you should have never post this, now we all know who to blame and bitch to when our plane is delayed…


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

When is a plane not delayed? I've. Been flying between Albany and Tampa for about 4 weeks now. I have not been not delayed yet.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Southern Oregon coast.


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

CL810 within your shot there are at least 10 great opportunities for amazing shots…


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Wow, glad I stopped in to see what as going on. Some great stuff in here. Impressive stuff, please carry on.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

roofer










west coast










cats


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Sometimes you just have to be in the right place. Lot going on here.
Ball, face and action!

Note: The background is out of focus on purpose because I was shooting the pitcher. When I saw the other players, I only had to take a step to one side to get all three in the frame. (I was standing by the third base dugout).


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

triangulated



















cell phones


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I was wondering why nobody was posting to the old thread - the one that got bumped. Now I know!

Some really nice photos here, and really nice to have this topic going. I still have a few more up my sleeve…

This is the entry to Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. I must have driven past it a thousand times and always admired it. One day I stopped to capture it on digital film.










This next one is the entry way to the building where I live. During the snow storm we had a couple years ago, I took this to show my friends who live in the tropics. It wasn't meant to be a keeper, but I like the sort of haunting feeling it portrays.










Here we have some moss growing on a tree. I was testing to see how close I can get with my camera set to Super Macro. I'd say pretty darn close. The width of the photo is about 1/4 inch… not bad for a mid-range point and shoot camera.










This last one of a stone gateway actually had a house in the background, taking up the left half of the photo. I only wanted the stonework, so I edited out the house and replaced it with the trees, sky and clouds from another photo.


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## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)

I had gotten a bad impression of off-topics, but see that there are some good ones floating
around.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)




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## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)




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## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)




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## idiotstick (Jan 11, 2011)

Alongiron, I hope you appreciate just how lucky you are to live in such a beautiful setting.
Enjoy it.
Pete.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)




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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

Shot with an iPhone 4, the Space Needle…


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

Shot with an iPhone 4, gun turret at Ft. Stanwix…


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

Shot with Lumix FZ150


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

Here is one more


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Looking out a front window, this isn't fog


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)




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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)




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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

purpleve-beautiful lighting/composition!! Lovely.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Debbie, how 'bout the jalapeenos?


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

This has been one of the most enjoyable Off Topic threads I've seen in a long, long time. The talent displayed here is as impressive as their woodworking. Please keep the pictures coming!


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

Shot with an iPhone 4. An abandoned mine operation I came across in the desert…


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## affyx (Jan 1, 2008)

out my office window this morning


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Galaxy Tab 10.1


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)




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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Thanks Debbie.


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

My daughter has taken up photography and scared to post any pictures, so I hijacked one.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)




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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)




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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*bandit571*, that picture you posted in #77 reminds me of when I lived in Rochester Minnesota in the 50's and 60's, at home with my parents and brother!

It just brings back a flood of memories! I guess that what a photo is supposed to do. Thanks!


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