favorites of my own stuff

[Ratbreath]

I've already posted all of this in various spots before, but what the hell.

My 1st try at a sunset: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Picture010.jpg

A salvia flower in the loading chute. I rather liked the way the angle on this worked out. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/CedarSageSalvia.jpg

Paintbrush flower, in macro mode like most of my flower pics. I love macro mode. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/Texas_Paintbrush.jpg

Unknown mallow-family flower. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/IMG_0645.jpg

Normal mode shot of a bunch of bluebonnets growing on a dirt road. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/buncha_bluebonnets.jpg

Spiderwort. This was one of my 1st shots when I got the camera, and it's a bit off-centered. I still like it, though. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/Spiderwort.jpg

Winecup. Took forever to take this shot--the wind wouldn't quit so it was waving back and forth the whole time. Had to take a ton of shots to get it relatively close to the center of the screen and in focus. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/IMG_0655.jpg

Yellow cosmos. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/Flora/IMG_1143.jpg

Astor the ass' ass: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/ass01.jpg


problem pics

One of the shots of the racoon nest in a hole in a tree. I couldn't figure out how to make it light enough to see without overexposing the pic--if anyone could tell me how to do that I'd appreciate it. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/coon2.jpg

Bird's nest. The flash is causing some glare here, couldn't see how to avoid it. Even in the full sun it was dark enough that deep in the tree to need the flash for a clear pic. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/imnotyermom02.jpg

[Violet]

Wow the last one is especially nifty!

[Dave]

I really dig the field of blue bonnets. If I were you, I'd go bac there and bracket a bunch of shots :D

[Ratbreath]

on some of these you might want to fill the frame a little more.

You mean like crop out the uneventful background?

i love how the bluebonnets photo has an almost 2-point perspective feel to it. (is it 2 point? i've forgotten). it's as if someone painted them in toward the back of the photo.

The effect there is partly because you're looking down a hill, but it's still sort of weird how the camera only really captured the color from the closer flowers.

to avoid using flash, you'd want to set a slower shutter speed and stabilize your arms and the camera.

Yeah, I just took Catch22's advice and read the sticky. Part of it anyway, so far. D'oh! Thanks though.

otherwise, i really love the bird's nest pic, w/ that little chick's mouth wide open. so cute!

Cool. I tried to take more for a few days afterward, but their parents wouldn't tolerate subsequent invasions and dive-bombed my head. I never realized how hazardous photography could be! That sunset from atop the windmill was downright dangerous. [post24]

I really dig the field of blue bonnets. If I were you, I'd go bac there and bracket a bunch of shots :D

What do you mean? Anyways they won't be blooming again for a while.

[courey]

Hey you didn't ever post photos of your windmill, did ya? Pat and I wanted to see!

[and it's about time you brought your flowers in here ;)]

[Ratbreath]

Hey you didn't ever post photos of your windmill, did ya? Pat and I wanted to see!


Mmyep. Last page of the moonflowers thread. They're not that good. You can see how narrow the ladder is though, and by the time I took that sunset pic the grandpa Ott's had grown all the way up it.

So the deal was: I'd just gotten done unloading 2,400 lbs of concrete mix for the fenceposts and I look over and see the sun doing that ray thing. I'm all sweaty and winded, but I think oo! I gotta shoot that! I run back to the house, grab the camera, and scramble up the ladder trying not to crush the vines and nearly breaking my neck in the process. The sun was down less than 2 minutes after I took that shot. Hah! The things I do for art.

[miao0726]

i love the blue flowers. they looks so incredibly bright

[Ratbreath]

Anybody know a trick to making butterflies hold still? I seem to remember courey posting a pic with one on her fingertip. They won't land anywhere near me and they fly away when I walk towards them. I've even tried sitting still for 10 minutes...they just stay away.

There are some really pretty ones around here lately but I can't manage to capture their brilliant irridescence in the semi-random shots where they're in the frame.

Best so far: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/IMG_3228.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/IMG_3238.jpg

Unrelated, my attempt at following advice about low lighting and slow shutter speed--me reading @forumz: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/Ratbreath/IMG_3191.jpg

[courey]

Oh what are you on about, ratboy, those are great! Mine that I posted is way too dark and I lost a lot of detail, so it's not even really that good of a photo, more of just some novelty item :) Your first one here is waaaaay better than mine!

Another friend who does a lot of butterfly photos says that it actually helps to keep them still with their wings open if you shoot them when there's a good breeze. Of course, you'd have to use a really fast shutter speed to counter-attack the wind!

[Dave]

Like my wife said, those are really good.
I especially love the 2nd pic. Nice DOF, detail, saturation and lighting! Is that a cottage/house in the background in the upper right of the frame?

Very well done!

[Ratbreath]

Thanks, but if you'd seen the subject in real life, you'd know how much I didn't capture. I can define the problem with that pic pretty well: wrong angle for the sun. The sun was essentially behind the butterfly when it should've been behind me. This was a really bright and shimmery creature.

In the background are several buildings--starting from the right, a big garage-type building, the tin shed, then part of the barn. Buildings bore me, though. Man-made structures usually do. The windmill might still be cool if i could figure out a good shot for it, though.

[courey]

I think the windmill against a sunset or sunrise would be awesome; like from the perspective that you're standing right next to it and shooting up. Having it in a 'regular' perspective would be cool too, in either case it would just be a silhouette. That's what I would do!