It pays to be there early!

Gorman Nature Center

This is just another of the shots made at sunrise.  The clouds were moving fast.  I had to make my multiple exposures quickly.  I used Photomatix software to combine them in the computer.  I used manual mode and manually set white balance.  At first I thought that the moving clouds were making the sky look surreal.  I then processed the middle shot by itself and have since decided that it really looked that way.  I love to photograph clouds!

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Halloween moon

Waning Gibbous Moon 10/24/2010

The moon was just passed full and I was there before sunrise or moon set.  I used a Sigma 50-500 lens with a 2x converter.  The clouds were moving fast as was the moon.  I found it very difficult to focus through the moving clouds.  For that reason, the moon is less sharp than I wanted.  The overall shot does have a feel for Halloween, I think.  The moon was setting so fast that I kept having to reset everything every few shots.

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More fall leaves

Pin Oak Leaf

 I mentioned the other day that I have been really enjoying the leaves changing color this autumn.  I thought that I might share some.  For most if not all of them, I try to get them really sharp in all parts.  I use a minimum aperture of f/11 and take multiple shots, combining them with Helicon Focus in the computer.  I must do this when there is absolutely no wind or anchor them using a rose holder to have success.  I captured the Oak Leaf Hydrangea below indoors in my light tent.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Northern Red Oak Leaf

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Landscape shot

Gorman Nature Center

I have been there at sunrise often lately.  I like to see what will happen when the sun rises and illuminates the clouds and or the landscape to the West.  I saw this happening and got set up not knowing if it would repeat itself.  Things happen quickly at that time of day.  I kept taking shots which approximated what I had seen initially.  This was my last one.  I really like it.  It is one of those that is just quietly there and grows on me.  The more I look, the more I like.

I recently read an article in Outdoor Photographer Magazine by Adam Barker.  It was titled "The Complete Outdoor Image."  As I read the article, I was reminded of this image and went back to look at it.  Mr. Barker stated in his article, "If you don't have superb light, you don't have squat."  I decided that his statement applied to this image.  The "happening" light at sunrise is what made this a memorable image for me. 

My favorite shot!

Northern Red Oak Leaf

This was my favorite shot made with the Kodachrome 64.  Bottom line, I had only nine which I kept.  I had shot some series' for Helicon Focus, high depth of field, and Photomatix, high dynamic range.  None of those worked.  I think it was because there is way too little chance that the slide film will be lined up perfectly in the mount or in the scanner or both.  This was a single shot made at 2" and f/16.

I think that I failed at my goal of exposing the film properly.  I over compensated for the "shoot for the highlights" characteristic of the film.  I can see that I have grown a little in this area, though.  I think that I could have more success with practice.

I made this shot at f/16.  It provided enough depth of field.  It was nice to be able to use smaller apertures with the film.  With digital I must be careful to avoid defraction.  Defraction causes loss of detail and sharpness when too small apertures are used.  With digital I would have used only f/11.  It is about the smallest one can use and retain sharpness and detail.

I was able to open the scanned files in Adobe Camera Raw and make adjustments.  With ACR I corrected some under exposures.  This was one.

I have been fascinated with the oak leaves this fall.  The landscape possibilities were diminished because of the weather.  I felt that my time was better spent photographing the individual leaves.  I viewed certain leaves as they underwent the changes of color.  It was interesting to see how they went through stages day to day.  I particularly liked the stage where the veins were red.  The frosted edges also appealed to me.  I, of course, had to wait for frosty mornings to capture the frost.  

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Scanning the slides

Slides

I am in the process of scanning the slides which arrived today (11-4-10).  I am being careful to number the files to correspond with the number on the slide.  I will then be able to go to the sound file that corresponds to that slide to record data and to try to reconstruct what I was thinking at the time.

I use what is called a hybrid approach when I shoot film.  This means that I convert to digital at this point and process the images digitally.  I mentioned previously that my scanner was a weak point in my process.  It is not a pro quality scanner.  It does not focus on the slide so it introduces some softness into the file.  I am, however; satisfied with given how much I use it. 

Another observation and a surprise to me was that the slides seemed more grainy than I expected them to be.  I am not sure what I will do when I go back to process the slides.  I may need to use noise reduction.  I am wondering about underexposure as a possible cause of this.

The scanning is an added step to the process.  It took me about 3 hours to do it and I have made no adjustments to the image files as yet.

I am not happy with my exposures.  I over compensated in the area of exposure compensation.  I underexposed by 1/2 to 1 stops.  I wonder if the graininess in the slides was caused by underexposure.  I did not pull or push developing so that was not a cause.  I told them to use normal processing.  Bottom line, I have much to learn.  I must confess that I liked the color.  I had not shot any Kodachrome since the 1950's.  I don't honestly see a reason for me to shoot film.  If I did, I would.

Shooting finished!

Roll finished!

I have finished shooting the roll of Kodachrome 64, 10/29/10.  I shot the last two frames without the benefit of exposure checking on the digital camera.  I did bracket.  It has been fun shooting the slide film but I do not want to go back to shooting film.  I greatly appreciate the immediacy of shooting digital.  I bring my image files into my “digital darkroom” and process them upon my return from the shoot.  Even with my careful records it helps me to have the shoot fresh in my mind.  My memory is not what it used to be

The mailer

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I suppose that there is one question in my mind which I need to answer.  Can I use smaller apertures to gain deeper depth of field without sacrificing detail and sharpness as I do with my digital camera?  I will examine the slide frames carefully.  I think that diffraction is a digitally created phenomenon. 

I do sacrifice sharpness with my “hybrid” approach to shooting film.  My scanner is a weak point in the process.  I may discuss this in a later blog.

The lack of immediacy is a big deal to me.  I want to know immediately if I have made an error.  I go back the next day to try to correct the error.  Things are seldom the same because nature is never static.  I do get things corrected some of the time.  Of course, the best strategy is to shoot it correctly the first time.  I want to improve in this area.