This is all the proof I need and I'm not afraid to admit it!
- Thread starter Jose Suro
- Start date
JimK
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Really impressive stuff. Seriously.
A lot of dreamy, slow shutter, water shots, I noticed. I love those. But all of it is so great.
Clint
TVWBB Olympian
We are dealing with a professional photographer, it seems
Remember Jose, half of us will admire you and the other half (Iphone shooters)... well, I'm not sure ...
But you also know how to cook the perfect meal - we could see several times in FG. I think you are bringing benefit for all here, it is obvious
Some beautiful shots in the flikr stream - I'm impressed. I've wanted to pick up a DLSR for several years now just to practice what I've read (and forgot most of). So many fields we can spend lifetimes learning-----thanks for sharing
....edit again - any recommended reading for "beginning" enthusiasts?
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Jose Suro
TVWBB All-Star
Actually Jim, I used Matrix metering and underexposed, which is the complete reverse of what the pros tell you to do. This because a bird in flight is almost impossible to spot meter correctly. The dark background was three years in the planning. I had visited this same roosting site for three years in a row and I knew exactly what I wanted. That last time it all came together. Then someone decided to cut the background trees down so now that shot is no longer possible.
The birds fly back and forth to their nesting site, gathering twigs and such. I positioned myself where I had a tall stand of thick Australian pines as a background and waited for late afternoon golden light to backlight the birds. The sides of the trees facing the camera were in very deep shade and completely blurred by the long lens and wide open aperture. I set my exposure and just waited. The rest is history. That image now hangs on a number of walls
. I have used that technique many times for birds. Here's another one, but with front light - the reflection of the big pine trees makes the water look completely dark. This one was on the cover of the Where Guestbooks - Tampa Bay issue a few years back.
Best,
Jose
Jose Suro
TVWBB All-Star
Some beautiful shots in the flikr stream - I'm impressed. I've wanted to pick up a DLSR for several years now just to practice what I've read (and forgot most of). So many fields we can spend lifetimes learning-----thanks for sharing
....edit again - any recommended reading for "beginning" enthusiasts?
Thanks Clint!
It depends on your level of expertise when you start. That said I always recommend two books for "beginners", both by Bryan Peterson:
Understanding Exposure... Because it's all about the light.
and,
Learning to see creatively... Once you know how to make the camera work with the light you want, then it's time to make a picture in your mind, then shoot that in real life.
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Rich Dahl
R.I.P. 7/21/2024
Actually Jim, I used Matrix metering and underexposed, which is the complete reverse of what the pros tell you to do. This because a bird in flight is almost impossible to spot meter correctly. The dark background was three years in the planning. I had visited this same roosting site for three years in a row and I knew exactly what I wanted. That last time it all came together. Then someone decided to cut the background trees down so now that shot is no longer possible.
The birds fly back and forth to their nesting site, gathering twigs and such. I positioned myself where I had a tall stand of thick Australian pines as a background and waited for late afternoon golden light to backlight the birds. The sides of the trees facing the camera were in very deep shade and completely blurred by the long lens and wide open aperture. I set my exposure and just waited. The rest is history. That image now hangs on a number of walls
I have used that technique many times for birds. Here's another one, but with front light - the reflection of the big pine trees makes the water look completely dark. This one was on the cover of the Where Guestbooks - Tampa Bay issue a few years back.
Best,
Jose
Many moons ago I took a photography class at the local JC college and I remember the instructor on the first night saying that a great photograph is photograph = practice +perception+ patience. Snap shot not so much.
Some of your descriptions of the shots you have taken really show how important that patience part really is. Sadly something I'm lacking much of.
Clint
TVWBB Olympian
Starting with 'Understanding Exposure'.
Digital Photography is the only other book I've read.....other than several tech books that integrate video technology, but that's how the video streams, compression, the CCD, and a whole lot of other things I don't understand as much as I'd like.
Digital Photography is the only other book I've read.....other than several tech books that integrate video technology, but that's how the video streams, compression, the CCD, and a whole lot of other things I don't understand as much as I'd like.