In my previous collection of Top 10 photos, limited processing of the images has taken place. However, since joining the photographic club in Timaru, I have begun to look at how I can enhance images taken and all these below show the benefit of around 5 minutes work using FastStone.
One comment that I heard at the club was "The best camera you have got is the one you have with you." It doesn't matter if you have a Canon 5D or a professional model Nikon, "light waits for no man". This certainly applied to the following two shots.
Now days, smart phones are nearly always in one's pocket and they do take good photos up to a point. In fact the first DSLR maker who can combine the best features of a smart phone into a full frame body with its range of lenses will be onto a winner.
 |
| Approaching thunderstorm |
Location: My backyard, Pleasant Point. 12 November 2014
Shot details: iPhone 5s: f/2.2, 1/1580s, ISO-32
Comments: I had been out in the garden and was watching the clouds build up and wondered if we were going to get the hail as forecast. Only for a few moments did the sun peek through some holes in the clouds and this wonderful light filled my backyard. A quick look a the sky told me that there was not enough time to get my Canon from inside. The iPhone in the pocket was "the best camera I had".
 |
| Autumn colours |
Location: Pleasant Point Domain, 20 May 2014
Shot details: iPhone 5s: f/2.2, 1/208s, ISO-32
Comments: The shot details have been included here to show you that even though a smart phone might take an acceptable photo, it is very limited in what you can control, they will never replace a decent DSLR. One good feature though is the inbuilt HDR function. I just happened to be in the right place to catch the golden hour of light in the late afternoon.
 |
| Keen concentration |
Location: Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, 6 July 2013
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/4.5, 1/80s, ISO-800 at 135mm
Comments: On our way back from 2 years in China we stopped off for a week in Malaysia. The aviary at the bird park in KL is massive and one wanders though it without being aware that you are inside a huge environment where entry and exit to the outside is strictly controlled. I have no idea what the bird is but my EF 70-300 L series lens has done a good job here. (You wouldn't get a shot like this on a smart phone!)
 |
| Kochin rainbow |
Location: Kochin, India. 20 November 2010
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/4, 1/40s, ISO-200 at 10mm.
Comments: We had a nice meal on the river where the sunsets are renowned. However, this evening it was the rainbow behind which stole the show.
After I bought my Canon 450D with its kit lenses, I quickly realised their limitations and purchased an EF-S 10-22mm ultra wide angle. This quickly became a favoured one for landscapes and is the one I need for rainbows. When I first took this photo, the details on the bottom right where heavily in shade. Now with some processing, this image now looks much better than the one "straight out of the camera". I am quite pleased with the result. This image was taken by resting the camera on the rails of the pontoon the restaurant is on.
Location: Lake Tekapo, 4 January 2014
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/11, 1/200s, ISO-200 at 28mm
Comments: One of the iconic scenes in New Zealand is through the window of the Church of the Good Shepherd. The lake is always a blue colour and the clear overhead conditions together with little wind made a nice blue scene.
 |
| Memorial cross |
Location: Pleasant Point Cemetery, 15 June 2014
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5.6, 1/160s, ISO-200 with AEB +2/3 stop. 85mm
Comments: The camera club ran a black and white day which made me think about those flat days when the light or the season (winter) doesn't lend itself to good coloured shots. This shot and one following are my stand-outs for the day.
 |
| Old vice head, American spelling: vise |
Location: Courtyard, Legends Cafe, Pleasant Point, 15 June 2014
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO-320. 140mm
Comments: I like this one for the details captured here. The judge in a competition didn't like it and suggested I should have include the whole vice. If I had, then the cobwebs and the texture of the rusting surface wouldn't have caught the eye. Perhaps I should have called it as above instead of just "old vice".
 |
| Septarian concretions, about 60 millions years old |
Location: Moeraki, Otago, New Zealand, 26 April 2014
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/11, 1/250s, ISO-200, 61mm
Comments: A favourite stopping off place on our way to or from Dunedin. A must see for all who pass this way. Be prepared to wait out the tide at the cafe.
 |
| Mesoptamia merino ram's horns |
Location: Mesopotamia Station, 22 November 2014
Shot details: Canon 450D, 50mm f/1.4 lens. f/2, 1/4000s, ISO-100
Comments: One of my more memorable shots. I returned later the same day with a different lens as I was not happy with there being a little too muc details of the background hills. The light was better then too. There are other photos here when I was at Mesopotamia.
 |
| Old wagon wheel |
Location: Mesopotamia Station, 22 November 2014.
Shot details: Canon 450D, f/6.3, 1/60s, ISO-200, 21mm.
Comments: This could have been improved if I had opened out to f/4 or so to blur the background a little more. However, I like to shot and that's all that matters as far I am concerned.
This is the 4th of my Top 10 collection.
The first collection, second collection and third collection can be found at these links.
The fifth collection has now been uploaded.
Please leave comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment