tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81787883974819804852024-03-14T03:26:05.027+11:00vitamirusvitamirus - From 2 Latin words 'Vita' meaning Life and 'Mirus' which means Amazing.
"Amazing Life" - I am an amateur photographer who loves life and loves photography as a hobby.
This blog is about my photographic experiences.
I hope you enjoy reading and look forward to your contributions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-87582552360822764662014-04-16T13:29:00.001+10:002014-04-16T13:29:16.369+10:00Bruny Island - Tasmania - Stunning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had a chance to go to Bruny Island a few weeks back. Having been to Tasmania more times than I can remember this was a great chance to see a part of the state I had never been to.<br />
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Bruny Island is only a short distance from Hobart but because it involves a ferry, boat or plane it (like many island communities) is less popular than the main island, which is also its appeal.<br />
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My trip was a quick (overnight) work related one, so it made sense to fly in from Hobart airport on an island hopper.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kndYyQm1vM/U031nLn_qXI/AAAAAAAABLY/_NKFelT1s0c/s1600/VITA9717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kndYyQm1vM/U031nLn_qXI/AAAAAAAABLY/_NKFelT1s0c/s1600/VITA9717.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bruny is separated into 2 by a narrow "neck" seen above. The airstrip is gravel but these planes are made for them.<br />
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Included in this trip was a boat ride around the southern part of the island. It's a rugged coastline and can be very rough. But we had perfect conditions including for dolphins and seals.<br />
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What struck me was the variety of scenery. From calm lagoons to crashing waves, sandy beaches to rocky cliffs, farmland to forests - Bruny has a lot to offer and well worth a visit.<br />
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Hand luggage needed to include the 1Dx but with weight limitation I only took the 24-70L f2.8 and 70-200L f2.8 and no tripod.<br />
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My best 4 shots are <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/bruny/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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This one is is a taster.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJoxxaV4z9o/U034FXKL3YI/AAAAAAAABLk/bZ_CfZDJKBQ/s1600/VITA0154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJoxxaV4z9o/U034FXKL3YI/AAAAAAAABLk/bZ_CfZDJKBQ/s1600/VITA0154.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-78412797072795724882014-03-17T03:20:00.001+11:002014-03-17T03:20:25.138+11:00Just driving past<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We recently did a trip to South Australia. It was one of those occasions where finally you get a chance to do something on your bucket list.<br />
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Robe South Australia was on the bucket list and with a spare day of annual leave together with a long weekend we had 4 days. Using our <a href="http://www.campsaustraliawide.com/" target="_blank">Camps 6</a> guide we found the bush camping site in Southend so booked ahead.<br />
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Nice spot near the beach.<br />
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Wanting to drive along the beach we headed off for Robe along the beach and then onto the main highway. Robe is a Noosa wannabe town. Nice but the standard of cafe and shops has a little bit to go.<br />
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I found a great spot for taking some pics so while mrs G went shopping I sat trying to capture the waves.<br />
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Here's the best one.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-DJxstBK/A" title="How long can this landmark stand?"><img alt="How long can this landmark stand?" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-DJxstBK/0/M/VITA9381-M.jpg" title="How long can this landmark stand?" /></a>
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But the special pics was on the way back. (Well we went to Kingston SE first)<br />
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Ripping down the highway at 110kph we came across this old building marked "ruin" on my GPS map.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-Hs7TTf6/A" title="On the main highway between Kingston SE and Mount Gambier in South Australia"><img alt="On the main highway between Kingston SE and Mount Gambier in South Australia" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-Hs7TTf6/0/M/VITA9699-M.jpg" title="On the main highway between Kingston SE and Mount Gambier in South Australia" /></a><br />
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Made me feel a little bit like Ken Duncan.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-40683577443508722652014-01-01T20:57:00.000+11:002014-01-01T20:57:21.581+11:00Happy New Year - Melbourne Fireworks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night was New Years eve and, coincidentally, our friend's wedding anniversary. So we had a double celebration in Melbourne.<br />
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Our friends were married on the water near Victoria harbour so after dinner it seemed fitting to stay and watch the fireworks and to try to get some pics.<br />
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I knew a spot that I hoped wasn't well known enough that we should get a great view and be able to park nearby.<br />
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So with 10mins to spare before 12:00am we arrived and got setup.<br />
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The trick with fireworks is to get the shutter speed right. Too fast and all you get is dots in the sky, too slow and its just a mess. My best shots are between 1 and 5 secs. So a tripod is essential.<br />
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Melbourne fireworks are big so a wide angle was also also called for, so I fitted the Canon 16-35mm for the job.<br />
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Happy with the results.<br />
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Here's a <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/new%20years%20jan%202014" target="_blank">link</a> to the best 5.<br />
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... and here's my fav.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wHUJs3-lryY/UsPmMjKHpeI/AAAAAAAABKk/Pm2DYBFxN14/s1600/VITA8486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wHUJs3-lryY/UsPmMjKHpeI/AAAAAAAABKk/Pm2DYBFxN14/s640/VITA8486.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-89128344615799361242013-12-06T17:31:00.000+11:002016-09-26T11:36:23.926+10:00New Venture - At The Bay - Accommodation - Coles Bay - Tasmania<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes I've been a bit quiet on the photo front.<br />
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We've been bust working on a new project on the east coast of Tasmania.<br />
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So for any readers interested in a Tassie holiday we have a house for holiday renting in Coles Bay.<br />
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Check out these links.<br />
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Website: <a href="http://www.atthebay.com.au/" target="_blank">www.atthebay.com.au</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AtTheBayColesBay/">www.facebook.com/AtTheBayColesBay/</a><br />
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We are offering a 20% discount for Feb 2014 (our opening month)<br />
We are taking bookings now.<br />
<a href="mailto:info@atthebay.com.au" target="_blank">info@atthebay.com.au</a><br />
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Here's a pic of the local area. A photographer's paradise.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kvseHOZUpzk/UqFv9hRmYMI/AAAAAAAABJs/CPFAzg7E_NA/s1600/VITA4793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kvseHOZUpzk/UqFv9hRmYMI/AAAAAAAABJs/CPFAzg7E_NA/s640/VITA4793.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thanks</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-27594598550763247912013-08-23T08:08:00.002+10:002013-08-23T08:08:36.911+10:00Top 9 from Europe / US Trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Its taken months to work through nearly 2,500 shots from our 6 week trip to Europe and the US. To select and post process them into 5 categories.<br />
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1. Memories</div>
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2. Showable</div>
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3. Mini Card Prints</div>
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4. Large Prints</div>
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5. Best Work</div>
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From a pure photographer's point of view it was not a great trip. Out of the 6 weeks we only had a few days where the lighting was great for landscapes.</div>
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But I came away with some very nice images.<br />
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The top 9 are here: <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Holidays/Europe-US">http://www.vitamirus.me/Holidays/Europe-US</a><br />
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This one is my favourite. This guy was begging in Paris he let me take his photo in return for a contribution.</div>
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Holidays/Europe-US/i-S6GFg4D/A" title="Paris Local"><img alt="Paris Local" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Holidays/Europe-US/i-S6GFg4D/0/M/VITA1013-M.jpg" title="Paris Local" /></a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-9951707963274320072013-07-09T14:19:00.001+10:002013-07-09T14:19:12.234+10:00Handheld HDR with a Canon 1D-X in Europe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had great anticipation before our recent holiday in Europe of getting some great photos. I did get some pretty good ones (stay tuned for another blog post on that) but often because the sky was overcast the lighting wasn't great for those iconic shots of of the European landscape.<br />
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Either the sky was over blow or the subjects would be way under exposed. So time to try HDR. For those new to HDR there is plenty on the web about the what and how of HDR, this blog post is just my first experience, the tools I used and the results.<br />
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Let me say from the outset that, as with most things photographic, I'm a newbie. This was really my first crack at HDR, certainly with this body. Constructive comments are welcome.<br />
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I have the Canon 1D-X set-up to bracket -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, and 3. So a bracket of 7 shots at 1 stop intervals.<br />
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First I import into Aperture and usually do not touch the images - simply export to full sized jpegs. I used <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/bracketeer-hdr/id402879547?mt=12" target="_blank">Bracketeer</a> to combine the images into a single HDR image. I have to say that there are a lot of knobs and buttons on this software and none of them are very clear. I mainly fiddle with the "Mu" and "Sigma" sliders which change the look of the combined image - a more user friendly interface would be helpful.<br />
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What Bracketeer seems to do very well is auto-align the images. I was careful to hold as still as possible taking the shots, and the 1D-X's high ISO performance lets you use higher ISO's so faster shutter speeds but it is impossible to keep perfect alignment during a 7 shot burst no matter who you are or what gear you have. So Bracketeer get 5 stars for this feature.<br />
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Then I import the tiff files back into Aperture. Becuase the lighting was so flat to begin with the HDR images come out pretty flat using Bracketeer. Some HDR software boost saturation as part of the process but Bracketeer doesn't seem to. So on most of the images I bumped saturation, mid-contrast and definition.<br />
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The results are pretty good for a first go.<br />
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Here's my favorite. And below is a link to all the HDR shots from the trip.<br />
<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/18735710_BH57qg#!i=2622816251&k=c9mGfQk&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-c9mGfQk/0/M/Paris%202-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/hdr-may%202013" target="_blank">Link to Album</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-66757214027507254282013-07-03T19:56:00.001+10:002013-07-03T19:58:54.521+10:00Tasmanian Winter - Absolutely Stunning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We were back in Tassie last weekend. Not something people often think about as a winter getaway destination but Tassie can turn on some fantastic weather in the winter months.<br />
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We had less than 24 hours in Coles Bay - But couldn't have stayed for weeks.<br />
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I wasn't expecting great photography weather so I was light on gear. Canon 1D-X and a 24-70mm L Lens.<br />
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But I managed to snap some great pics.<br />
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Here's my favorite.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/18735710_BH57qg#!i=2609224005&k=vPHbFtr&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-vPHbFtr/0/M/VITA4793-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a><br />
<br />
... and here's a gallery link to 9 of the best.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/june%202013#!i=2609225720&k=Xr2cFZ6" target="_blank">Gallery Link</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-60568099281633005542013-06-20T08:15:00.002+10:002013-06-20T08:15:20.814+10:00Back in business<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks to a strong backup regime and a good insurance policy I have a new Macbook Pro retina display fully restored and not a byte of data lost.<br />
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Now the task of reviewing 3,258 images from our trip begins. Stay tuned for the results.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-61089945956913240342013-06-19T09:32:00.002+10:002013-06-19T09:34:41.051+10:00Canon 1D-X Advisory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I need to check my body.<br />
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Here's a link to a post over at Canon Rumors<br />
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<a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/06/product-advisory-for-the-eos-1d-x-eos-1d-c/">http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/06/product-advisory-for-the-eos-1d-x-eos-1d-c/</a><br />
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And the same link at Canon USA<br />
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<a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer?pageKeyCode=prdAdvDetail&docId=0901e024809120b7">http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer?pageKeyCode=prdAdvDetail&docId=0901e024809120b7</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-32818033288243565502013-06-06T08:42:00.000+10:002013-06-06T08:42:00.460+10:00Backup x4. You'll be glad you did.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not long back from a 6 week around the world trip. Had a fantastic time and will post some pics here shortly.<br />
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I need to get a new Macbook Pro first, because the one I had got stolen in Paris. These guys are professionals. I literally turned my back for seconds and "poof!" gone.<br />
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I'm yet to confirm 100% but I'm confident I haven't lost one image.<br />
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1. The MBP backs up to my time capsule at home.<br />
2. I have a separate backup of my Aperture Libraries at home and another one at work.<br />
3. All my documents are also in cloud storage.<br />
4. Whilst travelling I keep a copy of the pics I take on the camera (CF Cards) even if I've copied them on to the Laptop.<br />
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The only reason I didn't replace the MBP while travelling was that with WWDC next week there's a good chance of a spec update. Assume prices don't go up, insurance should be happy to pay for the updated unit.<br />
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So yes it was a major pain in the neck to be hit by these thieves. But with a strong backup regime it didn't hurt as much as it otherwise might have.<br />
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So team. Backup your images!<br />
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Oh and the added bonus of OSX? I could remote wipe the MBP from my iPhone.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-53905763127026983782013-03-31T18:45:00.000+11:002013-04-01T14:16:50.221+11:00Time Lapse - Night SkyWe went bush camping again for a couple of nights over Easter.<br />
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I was keen to try our the new CamRanger (CR) with the 1D-X doing some time-lapse photography.<br />
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One of the great things about the CR is the ability to view the image live on the iPhone, so getting focus is much easier than the sometimes awkward angles you get in to see the screen whilst pointing the lens to the sky.<br />
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Hooking the CR up is so simple. Plug the USB into the unit and the camera body. Switch it on, connect the iPhone to the WiFi hotspot created by the CR and volla! live view on the iPhone.<br />
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I fitted 24-70mm L Series Canon glass to the Canon big gun and did a couple of test shots to get the right exposure.<br />
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I ended up using ISO 8000, F8 to get a 20" exposure. Any shorter than 20 seconds and you need a higher ISO, any longer and the stars stop being dots and start to become lines due to their apparent movement from the earth's rotation. The f8 aperture was to ensure the trees were in focus as well as the stars.<br />
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Next step was to dial into the CR app on the iPhone 300 shots 30 seconds apart - thats a 10 second movie at 30 fps covering 150mins of rotation.<br />
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Hit start and wait......<br />
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150mins is a long time in the cool night. I had a campfire to keep me warm and occupied. If you look carefully in the movie you will see some sections show a reddish hue on the trees - no doubt when a few extra logs went on the fire.<br />
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So why isn't the movie 10secs long? A simple but stupid answer. The camera battery went flat. Note to self. Don't do a long time-lapse sequence with a camera battery on half charge.<br />
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Anyway the result is pretty pleasing albeit short.<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='532' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UB7kWDbUipQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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To produce the movie I export the pics from Aperture to JPG then I use Time-Lapse (available on the app store from Microprojects) to put the pic into a movie. In this instance I have produced the movie in iMovie to add the titles and music etc..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-34697433271827775822013-03-22T17:01:00.001+11:002013-03-22T17:01:22.033+11:00OT - Google Reader ReplacementUp front apologies to my photofile readers but I didn't have anywhere else to post this. I just it might be helpful to any die hard Google Reader (GR) users. Please bear with me while I go off topic.<br />
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I've tried 3 of the recommended options for replacing GR when it is pulled on July 1, 2013<br />
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First I tried <a href="http://www.ifttt.com/" target="_blank">ifttt</a> - this is a really cool service that allows you to create "recipes" which are like web based macros for dealing with information on the web. You can link emails to Evernote to DropBox to Facebook etc... It works reasonably well but not perfect and its a bit clunky as a replacement for GR. I set up an RSS to email recipe which sent an email to a new Gmail account. It posted fine but too many moving parts.<br />
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Second I tried <a href="http://www.theoldreader.com/" target="_blank">theoldreader</a> - not bad. It has the familiar GR feel but is suffering badly at the moment due to high demand. I got sick of waiting.<br />
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Lastly I tried <a href="http://www.feedly.com/" target="_blank">feedly</a> - I should have come here first. For an inexplicable reason I didn't want to load another app into my chrome browser. Its a stupid thing I have about keeping this clean. I'm guessing it comes from the bad old windows days when a system would slowly grind to a halt after loading too much stuff onto it - even if you removed the software the system would still run like a dog. Anyway if I can get away with not installing another application I usually will take the pure web alternative.<br />
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Well silly me. Feedly (dumb name) works just great. Sure I am taking one big bet that these guys will deliver on the promise to migrate to their own rss api. At the moment they are simply a new front end for GR but they have promised to deliver a stand alone alternative. I'm backing them in to do so.<br />
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Oh and BTW the IOS app for feedly looks and works great. It has a bit of a windows 8 feel to it but I like that. I actually think IOS is in desperate need of a refresh but that another post - another day - maybe.<br />
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Anyway - "Go Feedly".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-88914887485754783942013-02-11T20:59:00.000+11:002013-04-05T13:37:26.384+11:00Under the Southern Cross - Night PhotographyThis past weekend we went back to Tassie on business. The place we stayed at was near the Freycinet Peninsular - Coles Bay.<br />
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The dominant geological feature are the Hazards, which a bit like Uluru are constantly changing. I was hoping to get shot of a strong orange sunset shining on the Hazards to bring out their natural red colour.<br />
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But there was cloud on the western horizon so no strong red sunset.<br />
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With a relatively clear southern sky I decided to go back 90 minutes later to get the Hazards as a silhouette against a starry sky including the souther cross.<br />
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This was the first night sky picture I had taken with the Canon 1D-X. My only prior experience was with my old 7D where noise is a real problem with higher ISO's.<br />
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I attached the Canon 16-35mm F2.8 wide angle lens. Set the ISO to 800 in order to get the exposure I wanted within 30secs. Anything greater than 30secs (with a wide angle lens) and you run the risk of the movement of the earth causing the image of the stars to be stretched rather than dots. At long focal lengths a higher shutter speed is required.<br />
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Getting a sharp focus is also a bit tricky in these situations (usually auto focus does not work in these conditions). I was using a <a href="http://joby.com/gorillapod" target="_blank">gorilla pod</a> which makes this even harder because you need to get down on your hands and knees to see through the view finder. So I use live view and zoom the image on the screen onto a bight star and manually focus. I have since bought a <a href="http://www.camranger.com/" target="_blank">CamRanger</a> which gives full functionality on your iPhone.<br />
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I used an aperture of F3.5 this allowed a stop over exposure for the image.<br />
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And here are the results.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Nature/Celestial/23392332_289rwh#!i=2360247990&k=5JvHtm3&lb=1&s=A" title="The Milky Way over Coles Bay Tasmania"><img alt="The Milky Way over Coles Bay Tasmania" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Nature/Celestial/i-5JvHtm3/0/M/VITA9142-M.jpg" title="The Milky Way over Coles Bay Tasmania" /></a><br />
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Wow! I was blown away by the results. I have bumped the exposure up a fair bit in Aperture but this turned out heaps better than I expected.<br />
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See if you can pick out the Southern Cross.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-68019895225789735472013-01-27T16:23:00.001+11:002013-01-27T16:23:46.024+11:00Melbourne Street WalkStreet photography is not my strong suit. I don't like asking people for a model release and I guess I don't do enough of it to make a difference in my level of skill.<br />
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But none of these are reasons to not have a go. So at the encouragement from a mate and with the idea that there is safety in numbers we went into the Melbourne CBD where we both work for a street walk.<br />
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Had had ideas of the sort of shots we wanted and knew a few locations, but plans need to be fluid because the city is changing by the second.<br />
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We met at Federation Square on a Thursday night so there was plenty going on. It was a hot night in the low 30's (celsius) so lugging gear around was a bit uncomfortable.<br />
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I have a Lowpro slingshot which is fine if you don't fill it to capacity. So I lightened the load down to the 1D-X, 24-70 L 2.8, 70-200 L 2.8 II, 2X Extender III and the 16-35mm Wide Angle 2.8.<br />
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My mate had a spare Manfrotto Tripod so I used that.<br />
<br />
We took some shots of Patrick Dougherty's <a href="http://www.melbourneplaces.com/melbourne/stickwork-by-patrick-dougherty-at-federation-square/" target="_blank">Stickwork</a> masterpiece but I couldn't get anything I thought was worth keeping.<br />
<br />
From there we went to <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hosier+Lane,+Melbourne,+Victoria,+Australia&aq=0&oq=Hosier+Lane+mel&sll=-37.816624,144.969825&sspn=0.005975,0.011362&vpsrc=0&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hosier+Ln,+Melbourne+Victoria+3000,+Australia&z=16&iwloc=A" target="_blank">Hosier Lane</a> famous for its graffiti. We spend 30 mins there lots of unique opportunities for photos. The lane is popular with photographers and can get busy - but we had the place to ourselves so we could take our time.<br />
<br />
<i>Here's a shot of the famous Joker. I like how the girl in the picture is lost in the graffiti, adding scale and mood. </i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Other/Cityscapes/18706740_nPFQqW#!i=2337404297&k=2mpsm4W&lb=1&s=A" title="Melbourne City"><img alt="Melbourne City" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Other/Cityscapes/i-2mpsm4W/0/M/VITA8351%20-%20Version%202-M.jpg" title="Melbourne City" /></a></div>
<br />
Other shots of Hosier La can be found <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/jan%202013%20street%20walk-graffiti" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Next we went to the corner of Lt Collins & Swanston where often you will see street dancers but there was nothing there that night.<br />
<br />
We did notice the moon rising over the city so after clicking the 70-200 and 2X Extender on we managed some nice shots of the moon.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Other/Cityscapes/18706740_nPFQqW#!i=2337406832&k=g3KR7NX&lb=1&s=A" title="Melbourne City"><img alt="Melbourne City" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Other/Cityscapes/i-g3KR7NX/0/M/VITA8392-M.jpg" title="Melbourne City" /></a>
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A few metres further up Swanston St we came across some buskers who for two bucks were happy for us to take as many photos as we liked.</div>
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These guys were good fun.</div>
<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Other/Cityscapes/18706740_nPFQqW#!i=2337407756&k=b676PbV&lb=1&s=A" title="Melbourne City"><img alt="Melbourne City" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Other/Cityscapes/i-b676PbV/0/M/VITA8400-M.jpg" title="Melbourne City" /></a>
<br />
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Time was getting on so we took some shots of the museum but nothing worth showing here.<br />
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It was a good night and something worth doing again some time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-23816521577138248682013-01-17T13:18:00.000+11:002013-01-17T13:18:22.826+11:0012 of 2012's favourite picsSo I notice a few photographer's putting together their best work of 2012.<br />
<br />
It's a good exercise that requires a higher level of critique than looking through shots from a particular event.<br />
<br />
You also get a chance to review how you have progressing in the craft over a 12 month period - hopefully to be encouraged by a growth in both the taking and the editing of images.<br />
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Because I rate each photo at the time of processing my job was a bit easier.<br />
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I wanted to reduce my choice to 12 of the best but also maintain diversity in the images.<br />
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My choice of 12 also tells the story of my year.<br />
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So maybe not my best work but my favourite images of 2012<br />
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Here they are in chronological order.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv5AlhB5x0A/UPYTkJZCLQI/AAAAAAAAA1s/fjdEvL2jscU/s1600/View+from+the+Top+-+Mt+Haleakala+pre-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv5AlhB5x0A/UPYTkJZCLQI/AAAAAAAAA1s/fjdEvL2jscU/s640/View+from+the+Top+-+Mt+Haleakala+pre-dawn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Top - Mt Haleakala, Hawaii pre-dawn </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yeM73b2PCX0/UPYTmvR0BNI/AAAAAAAAA2A/qeJyE2Vnnrg/s1600/_MG_6365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yeM73b2PCX0/UPYTmvR0BNI/AAAAAAAAA2A/qeJyE2Vnnrg/s640/_MG_6365.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo was taken on a trip to the Melbourne Zoo with my mate Mark who sadly died in 2012. We shared a love of photography and he is sadly missed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wLVFidUKA0M/UPYTmXPhMYI/AAAAAAAAA18/usadrsXr9TE/s1600/_MG_6652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wLVFidUKA0M/UPYTmXPhMYI/AAAAAAAAA18/usadrsXr9TE/s640/_MG_6652.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my backyard with a Canon 7D and a 100-400mm f4-5.6 L IS lens and a 2x Extender III. ISO 200 at 1/80th f20 - The image is cropped.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PB5uGuaInjU/UPYTZit8vFI/AAAAAAAAA0w/70IXawFUBXs/s1600/VITA0423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PB5uGuaInjU/UPYTZit8vFI/AAAAAAAAA0w/70IXawFUBXs/s640/VITA0423.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lucky shot on the first outing with the Canon 1D-X on burst. Bird catching a fly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xtzs0ZO8F90/UPYTYuiCr0I/AAAAAAAAA0s/-8fHcNFkyO4/s1600/VITA0892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xtzs0ZO8F90/UPYTYuiCr0I/AAAAAAAAA0s/-8fHcNFkyO4/s640/VITA0892.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice shot capturing a young musician at my daughter's school. Nice low light performance of the Canon 1D-X</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-otmATXHELLQ/UPYTZ-1C-GI/AAAAAAAAA00/3KZxdFeijGM/s1600/VITA1067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-otmATXHELLQ/UPYTZ-1C-GI/AAAAAAAAA00/3KZxdFeijGM/s640/VITA1067.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this pic for several reasons. 1. It shows that photo opportunities are everywhere - this one in the middle of an industrial area near a railway underpass. 2. It tells a story of good and evil.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNnCWv2iEH4/UPYTcJZFwWI/AAAAAAAAA1E/J9eldBEAmjw/s1600/VITA4844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNnCWv2iEH4/UPYTcJZFwWI/AAAAAAAAA1E/J9eldBEAmjw/s640/VITA4844.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This would have to be one of my very favourites. The November 2012 Solar Eclipse at Port Douglas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnTqP-wurhY/UPYTc6U63iI/AAAAAAAAA1I/qbCtler3s0c/s1600/VITA1543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnTqP-wurhY/UPYTc6U63iI/AAAAAAAAA1I/qbCtler3s0c/s640/VITA1543.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 Para Olympics - London</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8mENoROmsgY/UPdHwsWWujI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/PipsSPLeCxM/s1600/VITA7448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8mENoROmsgY/UPdHwsWWujI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/PipsSPLeCxM/s640/VITA7448.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Rhino at Werribee Open Range Zoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-be4qu5LSi6U/UPYThDm4YgI/AAAAAAAAA1c/X-yPsGt2PZ0/s1600/VITA7676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-be4qu5LSi6U/UPYThDm4YgI/AAAAAAAAA1c/X-yPsGt2PZ0/s640/VITA7676.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just like the light in this shot and it was a move away from my normal editing which tends to bump saturation up. This one backs it off to nice effect.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KmbsI9QBHWk/UPYTjpXoxbI/AAAAAAAAA1o/8E9OvEkL0HE/s1600/VITA7810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KmbsI9QBHWk/UPYTjpXoxbI/AAAAAAAAA1o/8E9OvEkL0HE/s640/VITA7810.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cradle Mountain Tasmania</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTr2yecn6lM/UPYTjkQBj2I/AAAAAAAAA1k/Ymuj4HId_3Y/s1600/VITA8042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTr2yecn6lM/UPYTjkQBj2I/AAAAAAAAA1k/Ymuj4HId_3Y/s640/VITA8042.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At The Bay. Dawn pic of the Hazards at Coles Bay Tasmania. A beautiful part of the world.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-14438810325372486552013-01-07T16:05:00.001+11:002013-01-10T13:29:53.721+11:00Tasmania - Photographer's HeavenOK not exactly heaven but given that both Tasmania and the real thing were created by the same being maybe its not as much of a stretch.<br />
<br />
My wife is from Tassie so we get back there a bit. This was the first trip with the 1D-X.<br />
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Tassie is busy during the summer break, tourism being Australia's smallest state's largest industry.<br />
<br />
... and why not. Tassie has simply wonderful and diverse scenery all in a relatively small package.<br />
<br />
I like to think of Tassie as a mini version of New Zealand. It has everything New Zealand has except the glaciers all on a smaller scale. The mountains are not as high, the rivers not as wide and the towns not as big, but in its own way Tassie is almost as spectacular as its easterly neighbour.<br />
<br />
This year it was so busy that we seriously couldn't hire a car. We tried all the companies and were happy with any 3 door hatch or even a ute but nothing. Finally Mrs Gazza finds a vehicle which we just had to make do with.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGPC0TSbWUw/UOpQqYCFX8I/AAAAAAAAA0c/yslyvtH97w8/s1600/VITA7667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGPC0TSbWUw/UOpQqYCFX8I/AAAAAAAAA0c/yslyvtH97w8/s400/VITA7667.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a BMW Z4<br />
Pic Specs: Canon 1D-X / Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L / ISO 200 / f2.8 / 1/125</td></tr>
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So we were stuck with this little baby for a week and loved it.<br />
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<div>
Our trip involved a stay in Devonport where the Ferry terminal is and my Mother-in-law. I managed to slip out for a few shots. Got this nice one of the Spirit of Tasmania leaving for the evening voyage back to Melbourne.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/18735710_BH57qg#!i=2307984740&k=T3qqtzN&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Spirit Of Tasmania Leaving Devonport"><img alt="Spirit Of Tasmania Leaving Devonport" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-T3qqtzN/0/M/VITA7751-M.jpg" title="Spirit Of Tasmania Leaving Devonport" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic Specs: Canon 1D-X with 16-35mm f2.8 -- ISO 2000, f2.8, 1/15</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And this one near a local Poppy farm.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/18735710_BH57qg#!i=2307983520&k=2mFckrx&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="House and Poppies"><img alt="House and Poppies" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-2mFckrx/0/M/VITA7676-M.jpg" title="House and Poppies" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like the desaturated look on this one giving it a slightly dated look.<br />
Pic Specs: Canon 1D-X with 100-400mm L IS f4-5.6 -- ISO 200, f.5.6, 1/320</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love my Mother-in-law but we thought it would be nice to have break so we went the Cradle Mountain for a night.</div>
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On the way stopped to get a few pics of Mount Roland.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/18735710_BH57qg#!i=2307985051&k=GnHt9VF&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Mount Roland"><img alt="Mount Roland" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Landscapes/Landscapes/i-GnHt9VF/0/M/VITA7780-M.jpg" title="Mount Roland" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Roland.<br />Pic Specs: Canon 1D-X with 16-35mm f2.8 -- ISO 100, f5, 1/160 with Polarizer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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At Cradle Mountain we got some nice pics. <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/cradle%20mountain" target="_blank">Here</a>. Both afternoon and morning shots but the morning was clouded in and I wasn't happy enough with them to publish.</div>
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Then for the next 2 nights we stayed at Coles Bay near the Freycinet Peninsular and equally picturesque part of the world.<br />
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There are a few views of the Hazards <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/the%20hazards" target="_blank">Here</a><br />
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All my Tassie pics from this trip can be found at <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/dec%202012" target="_blank">this link</a><br />
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Enjoy - I did.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-76718824863522339382012-11-25T13:41:00.002+11:002012-11-25T13:41:54.315+11:00Total Solar Eclipse PhotographyI recently had the fantastic experience of being able to view and photograph a Total Solar Eclipse. The November 2012 Eclipse from Port Douglas in Australia.<br />
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A little bit of basic info:<br />
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A Solar Eclipse is when moon passes between the Sun and Earth casting a shadow on a part of Earth. This shadow follows a path from usually from west to east because from the observer's perspective the Sun is moving faster than the moon. The Shadow is moving at thousands of kilometers per hour across the surface of the earth. It takes approximately 2 hours for the shadow to pass completely over a single fixed location on Earth.<br />
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Earth's orbit of the Sun and the Moon's orbit of the earth are not a perfect circle rather they are elliptical (oval shaped) enough so that the apparent sizes of both the Moon and the Sun change. Sometimes the Moon is closer to Earth appearing slightly larger and able to completely cover the the Sun (a Total Solar Eclipse) sometimes the moon is further away and appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun leaving a bright ring. This is an Annular Solar Eclipse.<br />
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OK - So what about getting a photo?<br />
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The key is to plan well.<br />
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The Nov 2012 Total Solar Eclipse was going to take 2 hours from start to finish.<br />
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I was hoping to get 5 key shots.<br />
<ul>
<li>First Contact: - The moment just after the moon appears to enter into the sun. 5:44am</li>
<li>About half obscure when the moon covers about 50% of the sun. Approx. 6:15am</li>
<li>Second Contact: - This at the moment just before Totality when the edge of the sun shines through the edge of the moon. This creates a phenomena called Bailey's Beads or the Diamond Necklace. 6:36am</li>
<li>Totality: - The point the Moon totally obscures the Sun. From 6:37am to 6:39am</li>
<li>Third Contact: The moment the Sun begins to appear from the other side of the Moon. This creates a similar image to Second Contact. 6:39am</li>
</ul>
The <a href="http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html" target="_blank">NASA eclipse website</a> was my starting point. There you can get a schedule of the up and coming events complete with dates, times, locations and maps.<br />
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From there I planned a trip to Port Douglas where a work colleague has a unit (condo). Port Douglas was closer to the center line of the path of the shadow and therefore Totality would last longer (2 mins).<br />
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One of my big surprises was how popular a Total Eclipse is, according to the local media over 60,000 people came to see this one. This is 4 mile beach at Port Douglas - It is never this popular at 5:45am.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LlnO8lwbBKI/UK7dXEZ7zbI/AAAAAAAAA0A/oDjSjsOAGWs/s1600/VITA4665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LlnO8lwbBKI/UK7dXEZ7zbI/AAAAAAAAA0A/oDjSjsOAGWs/s400/VITA4665.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four Mile Beach Port Douglas</td></tr>
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So Tip 1. - Plan ahead.</div>
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Next was to think about the gear to take:<br />
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I took my Canon 1D-X - its my only body so no debate there. I will say that if you have 2 bodies take them both. There are some interesting shots in the eerie lighting during totality and wider focal lengths. So one on the tripod and one on your shoulder.<br />
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The lens I used was a Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 L IS lens. I used it with a 2x Extender III. I used to have a Canon 7D which has a crop sensor (1.6x crop factor) This makes the 400mm focal length on the 7D the same as having a 640mm lens on the full frame 1D-X. To increase the focal length of the 100-400mm lens the 2x Extender gets me to 800mm.<br />
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This makes a tripod essential kit for eclipse photography.<br />
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Tip 2. Take a tripod.<br />
<br />
You also need a filter. I had two but ended up only using one. I have a 77mm circular Black Polymer filter from <a href="http://www.thousandoaksoptical.com/" target="_blank">Thousand Oaks</a> which I didn't use. Instead I use a home made filter using some BAADER AstroSolar Film this should be available from your local telescope supplier. It was interesting to me that traditional camera stores don't carry solar filters. A word of caution. Originally I used this film for the transit of venus earlier this year and made the mistake of taping the film to a clear Cokin filter so I could use my P Series Cokin filter kit. Bad Idea! The film and the filter reflect on each other and you get a double or ghosted image. (See pic below) So this time I made a filter using cardboard tubing and made a cap that fits over the lens. The reason this system works better than the 77mm threaded filter is that during totality you need to remove the filter and shoot with no filter. A threaded filter will take more time and you might lose the shot.<br />
<br />
The Black Polymer filter gives the sun a very yellow look while the AstroSolar film give the sun a pinkish to white look.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Nature/Celestial/i-kn96Stw/0/M/Tallarook%201-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Nature/Celestial/i-kn96Stw/0/M/Tallarook%201-M.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2012 Transit of Venus - The ghosting is from using AstroSolar film over a clear filter. A lesson learned the hard way. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tip 3. Get a solar filter and test it before hand.<br />
<br />
Planning done, gear packed, tickets booked, alarm set, location scoped - all set.<br />
<br />
We were staying 2 mins walk from the location I planned to use. I arrived at about 5:10am before sunrise. Already people were gathering but our part of the beach still had plenty of space.<br />
<br />
During the eclipse the lighting was going to change dramatically - I'm using a tripod with a lens that has image stabilisation so it needs to be turned off. (Using IS with a tripod has the opposite effect of moving the image during the time the IS is becoming active.) I chose to use shutter priority (tv) and set the shutter at 1/250th - I would have liked to be faster but with the changing light I would have been under exposed in the darker moments.<br />
<br />
The 1D-X allows you to set a maximum ISO and although it is a very capable low light camera I prefer not to let the ISO go over 6400. - Check.<br />
<br />
During the eclipse I am continually altering the exposure from under exposed 3 stops to over exposed 3 stops.<br />
<br />
The biggest unknown and uncertainty during the shoot is clouds but I knew from my venus transit shots that this might actually give the shot some extra character - which ended up being true.<br />
<br />
To top it off - providentially - we had no cloud right at the time of totality and got some great shots.<br />
<br />
During Totality the filter comes off and you can shoot without risk of damage to eyes or sensor. I was shooting at f11, ISO 3200 & 1/250th -3 ev<br />
<br />
Totality is an amazing event without a camera. You can see the stars and there is this eerie silence, your brain is sending messages that something is weird. If possible everyone should try to experience at least one Total Solar Eclipse in a lifetime. The group next to us had flown in from the USA for this event and obviously didn't share my Christian beliefs, their reaction was to express a desire to sacrifice a chicken. Well thankfully our feathered egg laying friends survived at least until Col. Sanders caught up with them.<br />
<br />
<br />
The second half of the eclipse was mostly clouded over so I packed up fully satisfied with the results.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
So how did they turn out?<br />
<br />
Check out the results at this link. <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/total%20solar%20eclipse" target="_blank">vitamirus.me/Eclipse</a><br />
<br />
Here's my favorite.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Nature/Celestial/23392332_289rwh#!i=2234638470&k=bGV5nmN&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Nature/Celestial/i-bGV5nmN/0/M/VITA4844-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
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<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-55194940862041902502012-11-09T20:57:00.000+11:002012-11-09T20:57:05.432+11:00What I learned about cheap studio lighting for beginnersFirst a disclaimer,<br />
<br />
I don't know much about flash photography and after reading this (if you get to the end) you might be in whole hearted agreement.<br />
<br />
But I wanted to record what I learned in putting together a cheap lighting setup for a portrait and group gig my daughter and I need to do.<br />
<br />
First my gear: I have: A Canon 1D-X, Canon 580 EX II Speedlite. I also have a selection of lenses that should do the job. My daughter has a 60D and a 320 EX Speedlite.<br />
<br />
What I didn't have: A backdrop, any way to defuse the flash light and a way to trigger the flashes off camera.<br />
<br />
I don't really like portrait photography. I guess this is mainly because I'm not that good at it so I didn't want to spend a fortune on stuff that I might not get a lot of use out of. The short part of a long story is that this shoot is for my other daughter's dance school and parents are expecting a semi professional result so certainly wanted to give this my best shot. (no pun intended).<br />
<br />
After searching ebay for a background I settled on a 2m x 2m frame and white background. I'm hoping to get a high key look by overexposing the backdrop with a Speedlite behind the subject.<br />
<br />
Lesson: Be skeptical about buying stuff on ebay. I usually am very careful but for AUD 36.00 I thought not much to risk. Sure enough the frame was as expected cheap but functional. The backdrop was about 1.5m x 2.0m nothing like the picture on ebay and next to useless. I agreed with the seller to a AUD 10.00 refund and I keep the backdrop. So for AUD 26.00 I have a 2m x 2m frame. I paid another AUD 33.00 for a much larger background that will curve at the bottom.<br />
<br />
Next I bought an umbrella setup from DCW (Digital Camera Wharehouse) <a href="http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/">http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au</a> for AUD 175.00 It's a pretty good setup that allows you to mount hot shoe flashes on the stands and reflective umbrellas to defuse the light.<br />
<br />
I wanted a left and right flash to light the subject and another light for the background. I already had the 580EX II and my daughter's 320 EX so I bought (again on ebay) another 320 EX to match my daugther's. These Speedlites can act as a slave not a master. The Flash cost AUD 209.00<br />
<br />
I still need a way to fire the Speedlites so after some research I settled on a Yongnuo ST-E2 remote trigger. This is a rip off of the Canon trigger at half the price. There was some concern that the Yongnuo would not fire the 320 EX but I couldn't see any reason why so I took a punt (that's a bet or gamble for my non-Aussie readers) and bought it. Well it fired the 320 EX fine but would not sync properly with the Canon 1D-X I found out later that the unit does not work with the 1D-X or the 5D Mk III. The seller willingly agreed this was reason enough to take it back and agreed to a full refund. The Yongnuo unit was AUD 132.00<br />
<br />
Plan B. I thought I'd try the Hahnel Tuff TTL transmitter / receiver. My setup though required 3 receivers which was starting to push the budget. So an idea formed in my ignorant brain that I could use the Hahnel to trigger the 580 EX II in Master mode and as Master it would trigger the 2 Canon 320 EX's. I called DCW twice to ask if this would work. One said "yes" the other "no" so that wasn't going to help. I took another punt and put down the AUD 156.00 for the transmitter receiver kit. Sure enough it works fine. The Hahnel fires the 580 EX II which is set to master and in turn fires the 2 x 320 EX's. An added bonus with the Tuff TTL kit is that it takes AA batteries the same as the flash units. Job done.<br />
<br />
The 580 EX II seems to blow out the background for the high key effect which is what I wanted so we are all set for the shoot.<br />
<br />
In the end I got a background kit, new Canon 320EX flash, 2 strobe umbrella lighting lit and a wireless trigger system for AUD 566.00 - I'm happy with that.<br />
<br />
So what did I learn?<br />
<br />
1. eBay is OK for buying gear but a reasonable element of skepticism is required. Buyer beware.<br />
2. The Yongnuo ST-E2, although a good unit that seems to work as designed, does not work with the Canon 1D-X. The flashes will fire but are out of sync so its is effectively useless for 1D-X owners.<br />
3. The Hahnel Tuff TTL transmitter works well and I can confirm if one of your flashes can act as a master then it will fire other slaves so you don't need more receivers. I cannot confirm that you get all the E-TTL functionality across the system so advanced users may not be satisfied. So far I am.<br />
<br />
I'll let you know after the shoot.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-75534234021542805272012-09-26T11:59:00.000+10:002012-09-26T11:59:16.418+10:00Memories are importantOne of the things that's keeps me taking photos of people is the thought that one day that memory will be important.<br />
<br />
I've had two occasions in the last week that have reminded me of this.<br />
<br />
1. My youngest daughter turned 18 so it fell to me to put together a slideshow of her first 18 years for use at her party. As I am putting this together I'm reminded of the many occasions where I didn't take pictures and could have.<br />
<br />
2. One of my very good mates died last week, the funeral was yesterday. Cancer took him far too early. As far a funerals go this was one of the most uplifting I have been to. During his last months we spent a bit of time together and because of our mutual interest in photography we often had our cameras. I regret not taking more photos of him. It's not a very blokey thing to do - taking pictures of your mates. But from this vantage point that was a short sighted perspective - He was much loved and will be missed. Photos are helpful in revitalising memories and grieving well for those who have passed.<br />
<br />
So don't be shy - take your camera, use it and store up memories of your loved ones.<br />
<br />
I also gained a new appreciation for the face recognition features of Aperture. It was useful to be able to quickly find photos for use in celebrating his life.<br />
<br />
There's a good article on this topic on <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/take-good-photos-of-loved-ones?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29">DPS</a> today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-62621017760829523112012-09-02T16:26:00.003+10:002012-09-02T16:26:56.865+10:00Composition - Use your eyes there is always a photo to take.Yesterday I needed to get the car washed - It was the first sunny day we had had for what felt like a month and the car needed it.<br />
<br />
So with a long queue at the car wash and 40mins to kill I dropped the car off. Fortunately I had the 1D-X and our new Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS Mk II clipped in.<br />
<br />
The car wash is at the end of a light industrial area that is uninteresting and bordering on neglect but I have learned that there is a photo in every location. Just open your eyes and use your imagination.<br />
<br />
I thought I'd walk over the the railway line to get some passing trains, graffiti and whatever else I came across.<br />
<br />
Now don't get me wrong - I took about 80 shots and only kept 18 so there was plenty experimentation.<br />
<br />
But this shot is my favorite:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gd-pMWLlsd8/UEL5QoyQ15I/AAAAAAAAAyg/eWawJWyVKlI/s1600/VITA1067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gd-pMWLlsd8/UEL5QoyQ15I/AAAAAAAAAyg/eWawJWyVKlI/s640/VITA1067.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes there has been a little post processing:<br />
<br />
Dropping saturation and reducing exposure on the left side as well as sharpening the prickles and the flower. Extra blur around flower.<br />
<br />
But the composition is straight off the camera.<br />
<br />
Here are few of the other keepers.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aG6soASodc/UEL7xGhyxwI/AAAAAAAAAzI/0_oAdKdvRq4/s1600/VITA1111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aG6soASodc/UEL7xGhyxwI/AAAAAAAAAzI/0_oAdKdvRq4/s640/VITA1111.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-76482791635798116712012-09-01T22:35:00.001+10:002012-09-01T23:01:54.306+10:001D-X AF Tracking - Model Plane photographyA mate of mine asked me to go with him to take some pics of a model plane in flight he was doing a review of.<br />
<br />
So grabbed the 1D-X and set off in his car. He is a professional photographer so I asked him what setup he would use for this.<br />
<br />
400 ISO Shutter Priority set to 1/500th Evaluative Metering. The 1/500th speed was to stop the plane but still showing some motion in the propeller.<br />
<br />
Sun was low in the sky so the plan was for some low passes with the sun behind us.<br />
<br />
The Model is a BF109 whatever that is. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109" target="_blank">Look it up.</a><br />
<br />
I set the AF to AI Servo.<br />
<br />
The 1D-X was attached to a Canon 100-400m L IS F4-5.6. It was the first time out with this combination and I immediately noticed the loss of the 1.6 crop factor from the 7D.<br />
<br />
Also set the camera for high speed burst and we are ready to roll.<br />
<br />
The thing with Model Plane photography is to try and photograph the model in life like situations. These models are "scale" so you are trying to simulate some realism in the shoot.<br />
<br />
Not that easy when these things are buzzing around so fast.<br />
<br />
The verdict? The AI Servo on the 1D-X works very well. Its fair to say that this job wasn't an extreme test for the AI Servo mode I shot over 200 frames and most of them were acceptable. With 55 of them printable.<br />
<br />
Here's a few of the best.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEoN60h3ZWk/UEH_3cnYuJI/AAAAAAAAAxs/2nWuBNddXso/s1600/VITA1188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEoN60h3ZWk/UEH_3cnYuJI/AAAAAAAAAxs/2nWuBNddXso/s400/VITA1188.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-40989972979134407832012-08-31T20:40:00.003+10:002012-08-31T20:40:40.113+10:001D-X Firmware Upgrade 1.0.6. InstalledCanon issued a firmware upgrade for the 1D-X on August 28, 2012.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.canon.com.au/Support-Services/Support-News/Firmware-Updates/EOS-1DX-Firmware-Update">http://www.canon.com.au/Support-Services/Support-News/Firmware-Updates/EOS-1DX-Firmware-Update</a><br />
<br />
The upgrade fixes:<br />
<br />
1. A bug that stopped some micro adjustments being saved.<br />
2. Some back focusing issues when used with some lenses.<br />
3. The Error 80 Issue.<br />
4. A problem with the dual CF cards when one is pulled out and reinserted.<br />
5. A bug where micro adjustments are not recorded properly in the EXIF data.<br />
6. or adds a feature that displays a "O" or "X" to indicate a file transfer working using WiFi FTP.<br />
<br />
No problems upgrading. Need to check any improvement with the focusing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-80646796728334457372012-08-18T20:35:00.002+10:002012-08-22T10:42:26.884+10:00Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 IS L v 70-200mm f2.8 IS II L + 2x Extender IIIJust picked up a new Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L II Lens and was keen to try it out with the Canon EF 2x Extender III.<br />
<br />
First things first.<br />
<br />
1. It fits. Some have suggested the extender doesn't fit this lens. It does.<br />
2. The AF works fine on the 1D-X body. Unlike using the extender with the 100-400mm L Lens the AF works fine on the 70-200 its quick and sharp. I tried it on the 7D and can confirm the AF is a lot slower - It does a lot more hunting for focus.<br />
<br />
So what about image quality?<br />
<br />
Here's the 100-400 at 400mm ISO 800 and 1/6 sec f5.6<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJuLrp3BWjo/UC9WqQ5ib_I/AAAAAAAAAv4/vVaQzZitIwM/s1600/VITA0978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJuLrp3BWjo/UC9WqQ5ib_I/AAAAAAAAAv4/vVaQzZitIwM/s400/VITA0978.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's the 70-200 at 200x2 = 400mm ISO 800 and 1/5 sec f5.6 (The extender reduces the aperture by 2 stops)<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xFEbYXuPong/UC9WxO2NIBI/AAAAAAAAAwA/DC0uPh0XzS0/s1600/VITA0983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xFEbYXuPong/UC9WxO2NIBI/AAAAAAAAAwA/DC0uPh0XzS0/s400/VITA0983.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hard to pick the difference.<br />
<br />
Here are 2 shots on a tripod at 100% crop this time shooting at ISO 100 1/250 with a speedlite.<br />
<br />
The 100-400<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EkJq6ftHBnQ/UC9mXztD10I/AAAAAAAAAww/G_IUZ_D22Vo/s1600/VITA0993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EkJq6ftHBnQ/UC9mXztD10I/AAAAAAAAAww/G_IUZ_D22Vo/s1600/VITA0993.jpg" /></a></div>
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The 70-200 with 2x Extender</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_FKvLaDx2iM/UC9mW_OmNLI/AAAAAAAAAwo/vlS4rrITqP4/s1600/VITA0991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_FKvLaDx2iM/UC9mW_OmNLI/AAAAAAAAAwo/vlS4rrITqP4/s1600/VITA0991.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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The 70-200mm with extender doesn't look as sharp as the 100-400mm? But wait.<br />
<br />
You will notice the images cover the same area of the map yet one is smaller than the other. The camera body sits closer to the subject when the 100-400mm is being used on the tripod because the tripod foot on the lens sits closer to the body of the camera. The 2x Extender has the effect of putting a spacer between the back of the lens and the camera - pushing the body back. This wouldn't have been the case if I had fixed the tripod plate to the body rather than the lens foot.<br />
<br />
So lets do that again. This time the Body is fixed to the Tripod.<br />
<br />
100-400mm<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GHcmhn_cT60/UC9qZuoXG2I/AAAAAAAAAxA/KezDKdpAQro/s1600/VITA0994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GHcmhn_cT60/UC9qZuoXG2I/AAAAAAAAAxA/KezDKdpAQro/s1600/VITA0994.jpg" /></a></div>
70-200mm + 2x Extender<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Dhmy_9sUb0/UC9qaiYRhCI/AAAAAAAAAxI/oOTWuQlqVbI/s1600/VITA0995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Dhmy_9sUb0/UC9qaiYRhCI/AAAAAAAAAxI/oOTWuQlqVbI/s1600/VITA0995.jpg" /></a></div>
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Can't split them?<br />
<br />
Here's a 200% crop side by side. the 100-400mm is on the left. The 70-200mm + 2x Extender is on the right.<br />
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So the 70-200mm with 2x Extender on the 1D-X could replace the 100-400mm at full zoom. The downside with that setup is that 250mm the 100-400 is at f5.0 where as at 125mm 2x = 250mm the 70-200mm with 2x Extender will be at f5.6 - Admittedly not a big sacrifice if you can't afford the 2 lenses.<br />
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I will be keeping my 100-400mm for now. With the 2x Extender on that I get a 200-800mm Lens and on the 7D (Although I have to use Manual Focus or Live View AF) I get a whopping 1280mm. Even at f11 this is a very credible and affordable Super Telephoto option.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-67303096421461987362012-08-16T19:48:00.002+10:002012-08-22T10:24:54.899+10:001D-X Low light high ISO PerformanceMy daughter had the annual "Battle Of The Bands" school house competition today. The venue was a local church.<br />
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There was no natural light and the stage background was a black curtain.<br />
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Being a school event I had been to before I knew there could be no wandering around with the camera. So I would confined to the back of the auditorium with my trusty Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L Series lens. Not the fastest lens in my kit but I was going to need the reach.<br />
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Last time I shot this with my 7D at ISO 6400. At that time the lighting was brighter and the stage had a white background.<br />
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I got there on time and found a slightly elevated seat in the back. A few test shot showed me there was no way I could get the shutter fast enough at 6400 so I bumped the 1D-X up to ISO 10,000. The IS on the 100-400mm lets me get away with a slightly slower shutter than might otherwise be possible with handheld shots. So I switched to TV (Shutter Speed Priority) set the shutter to 1/320 and shot off over 200 frames.<br />
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Most shots were under exposed but I was happy with that look.<br />
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The low light performance of this camera is awesome. I used no extra noise reduction in PP (Post Processing) and only a few tweaks. What you see in the photo and link below is close to straight off the camera.<br />
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All shot at 10,000 ISO, 1/320 Full Zoom (400mm) <i>[Edit: The shot below was taken at 260mm]</i> so f5.6 in very low light.<br />
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Here's the best shot. And the link below is to the best 4 pics of the day.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/Portraits/Portraits/18735811_tJv5T7#!i=2028700482&k=FGhqjrb&lb=1&s=A" title="Battle Of The Bands 2012 Violin"><img alt="Battle Of The Bands 2012 Violin" src="http://www.vitamirus.me/Portraits/Portraits/i-FGhqjrb/0/L/VITA0820-L.jpg" title="Battle Of The Bands 2012 Violin" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/keyword/1dx-zoom-low%20light" target="_blank">Link Here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178788397481980485.post-17523745841228949092012-08-15T21:55:00.003+10:002012-08-15T21:55:37.438+10:00New Domain - vitamirus.meI've continued the journey increasing my brand today by registering a domain in the vitamirus name so I've setup this to go straight to to my smugmug homepage.<br />
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Its a nice feature of smugmug that they allow you to use your own domain.<br />
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so try <a href="http://www.vitamirus.me/">www.vitamirus.me</a><br />
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And thanks to Crazy Domains for a very efficient registration service.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0