(always) Learning to See ...

Antarctica 35

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:06:16 +0800

Antarctica 35

Antarctica 34

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:16:00 +0800

Antarctica 34

Antarctica 33 brash ice (small fragments of glacier ice) near...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:38:00 +0800

Antarctica 33 brash ice (small fragments of glacier ice) near the Risting Glacier in Drygalski Fiord which has retreated 200 feet per year since 1992.

WEEKEND QUIRK dedicated to Barry Lopez who spoke a number of...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:01:57 +0800

WEEKEND QUIRK dedicated to Barry Lopez who spoke a number of times at the recent Perth Writers Festival. Thanks Barry you really added to my hope store. Hopefully his utterly exquisite final address will be available as a podcast. If so I will post the link here.

(ps ok maybe it was just a little bit altered (ie “beyond the boundary of what is acceptable practice”)..so please do not reproduce this image in any of the Bastions of Journalistic Accuracy.

WEEKEND LINK one more reason that I don’t aspire to be a...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:38:20 +0800

WEEKEND LINK one more reason that I don’t aspire to be a nature photographer. The click through link takes you to more of these terrific images by Greg du Toit on the Daily mail site.

“Wildlife photographer Greg du Toit was so determined to capture the perfect image of wild lions drinking he sat submerged in their watering hole for three months.

The defiant photographer had endured a year of failed attempts at getting the right picture after building hides and digging trenches near the animals’ drinking spot.

In a final desperate effort, the 32-year-old decided to take the plunge and climb into the murky pool with his camera and ended up contracting several tropical diseases.”

…thats several tropical diseases…..

Antarctica 32 Landscape 10/10 For a larger version see here on...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:52:00 +0800

Antarctica 32 Landscape 10/10

For a larger version see here on my main site or just click on the image.

Antarctica 31 Landscape 9/10 For a larger version see here on...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:02:21 +0800

Antarctica 31 Landscape 9/10

For a larger version see here on my gallery site or just click on the image

REFLECTION on “(always) learning to see” – one year on

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:43:00 +0800

This blog began with the objective of understanding better why I make photographic images. I suspect...

Antarctica 30 landscape 8/10 penguin terraformed landscape For...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:04:51 +0800

Antarctica 30 landscape 8/10 penguin terraformed landscape

For a larger version see here on my gallery site or just click on the image

Antarctica 29 landscape 7/10 For a larger version see here on...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:22:42 +0800

Antarctica 29 landscape 7/10

For a larger version see here on my gallery site or just click on the image
.

Antarctica 28 Landscape 6/10 For a larger version see here on my...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:03:00 +0800

Antarctica 28 Landscape 6/10

For a larger version see here on my gallery site or just click on the image.

Antarctica 27 ” what the….? ” (seal...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:20:00 +0800

Antarctica 27 ” what the….? ” (seal thought bubble) yep reindeer on south georgia!

Mind you us aussies can’t talk; we’ve got 1 million camels, 7 million foxes and who knows how many cane toads and rabbits, from similar bright ideas.

TEKNOTE Making Panorama Images I have figured out a reasonably...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:04:43 +0800

Pic 1 new & old nodal slides

Pic 2 'L bracket' for Canon 1D III/IV

Pic 3 new panning clamp

Pic 4 The complete set up on a tripod

TEKNOTE Making Panorama Images

I have figured out a reasonably straightforward method for making panoramas after a certain amount of experimentation so I thought I would share the details.

I use a Really Right Stuff panorama gizmo (nodal slide) as shown in the attached image set (pic1) which allows me to adjust for the nodal point of the lens I am using. There is debate about the correct term but the goal is to ensure the rotation of the lens and camera is centred on the optimal point to produce joining with no parallax error. This is well explained here (http://reallyrightstuff.com/pano/05.html) in the RRS site. I have marked the correct position for each of my lenses on the nodal slide using a silver coloured pen and then put clear tape over that to preserve the information.

When used with the same company’s L bracket (pic 2) it means I can make a panorama with the camera in portrait mode. That way there is plenty of room on the final image for cropping and I get an image with lots of detail. If you join images in landscape mode the resulting panorama can end up looking too long and thin after cropping out irregularities at the top and bottom. The nodal slide is light and small so you can just slip it in a pocket so it is there when you need it and is the simplest version I have found.

Here is the sequence I use.

1. Set up and level my tripod. I have a bubble level on the base of my tripods centre unit, which makes this step straightforward.

2. Set the ball head so it too is also level. It helps if there is a bubble level on the quick release plate itself. If the tripod or plate is not level the horizon will curve in the panorama.

3. Attach the panorama nodal slide to the ball head.

4. Attach the camera in portrait mode, locating the camera in the previously marked ‘nodal point’ that’s correct for the lens you are using. (pic 3)

5. Find a good exposure level using your usual mode and then switch to manual exposure. Input the previously found setting. You want a good average exposure setting as there may be a variation of light across the scene. If you don’t use a manual exposure each shot in the series will be exposed differently and they will need lots of work to join properly.

6. Find a good focus point, and set it. Then switch the lens to manual focus.

7. Identify your start image using an image of a hand sign (e.g. one finger)

8. Take a series of images with a lot of overlap (25-50%). I use raw.

9. Identify the end of the series with a different hand sign (e.g. a few fingers)

10. If you have finished making panoramas reset the focus and exposure settings to those you usually use.

Now when you get home you simply build a panorama in CS4 (which you can do from within Lightroom after selecting all the images in your series using the panorama version of edit in…) I find the auto setting is fine. Now have a cuppa while Photoshop builds the panorama.

If you are happy with the result, then flatten and save the image. Don’t forget to adjust it using your usual approach to rebalance the image the way you feel works best. Images can be very large so it helps to have a fast computer with sufficient memory.

Really Right Stuff now have a panning clamp which means you can pan from the top of your ball head which eliminates levelling the tripod itself (pic 3) but is heavy which does take away from the simplicity and ‘pocket-ability’ of the slide on its own . Their new nodal slide is a bit longer which will mean it works with more lenses.

I have ordered from the Really Right Stuff website a few times from here in Australia with no problems.( http://reallyrightstuff.com) If you have not seen their L bracket have a look for that alone. They really do make switching from landscape to portrait mode so straightforward without throwing your tripod out of balance plus the L plate means you can use a monopod without any head at all, just a quick release clamp.

Antarctica 26 (reclining) Wheddel Seal on pack ice....

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:59:36 +0800

Antarctica 26 (reclining) Wheddel Seal on pack ice. Leptonychotes weddellii

Antarctica 25 two images of an Adelie and chick in their nest....

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:16:00 +0800

Antarctica 25 two images of an Adelie and chick in their nest. The commercial photographers on our trip told us it was hard to sell images like the second because it looks like the parent is swallowing the chick rather than feeding it! Possibly an example of animal behaviour more easily illustrated using video.

Link U tube- mesmerising and moving art making as theatre- let...

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:16:00 +0800

Link U tube- mesmerising and moving art making as theatre- let it load first before hitting play

This video shows the winner of “Ukraine’s Got Talent,” Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.

via learningtosee

Antarctica 24 Sea lions in their wallow Otaria flavescens

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:50:59 +0800

Antarctica 24 Sea lions in their wallow Otaria flavescens

Antarctica 23 Young Antarctic Fur Seals Arctocephalus gazella

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:05:22 +0800

Antarctica 23 Young Antarctic Fur Seals Arctocephalus gazella

Antarctica 22 Black-Browed Albatross returning to Colony ...

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:28:39 +0800

Antarctica 22 Black-Browed Albatross returning to Colony Thalassarche melanophris

"Although there remains a mountain of research from multiple institutions about the reality of..."

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:24:06 +0800

“Although there remains a mountain of research from multiple institutions about the reality of...