Life through a Lens

[cam62]

Originally Posted by Okie Boom

Love the imagine shot cam, very moody!

Thanks. It was the first time I have been there. It is a very moving place. Hard to get shots without any people in them. I got a few but they aren't as moving as that one.

[cam62]

So what's the general consensu in the photography world about cropping photo's?

I try to minimize my cropping but have been known to heavily crop and produce a pretty decent picture.

Someone told me about a new trend/fad that people go around taking snapshots all day and then find a picture within a snapshot, crop it out and call it a picture.

Anyone know about this trend/fad?

Personal opinions re: cropping?

[lightning]

Originally Posted by cam62

So what's the general consensu in the photography world about cropping photo's?

I try to minimize my cropping but have been known to heavily crop and produce a pretty decent picture.

Someone told me about a new trend/fad that people go around taking snapshots all day and then find a picture within a snapshot, crop it out and call it a picture.

Anyone know about this trend/fad?

Personal opinions re: cropping?

I don't think it's new. In the old days when you did your post-shutter image work in a darkroom there was "dodging" and "burning" and cropping. It's just so much easier to do now with digital photos. I say CROP AWAY. Whatever makes the resulting image seem "better" to you.

[Okie Boom]

I am some what of a perfectionist. I want my shots to come straight out of camera and be impressive. This mindset seems to produce pretty good results for me. I do not spend a to of time in photoshop retouching, cropping, etc.. I try to envision the shot the way I want it before I shoot it. Lighting, composition, subject matter...I want it all in place before I shoot. I do not want to have to take a shot, then crop it to make a powerful image. Now I will if I have no choice, but 9x out of 10 I have a choice. Cropping is not bad by any means, hell almost anything you shoot with a powerful SLR these days is going to have to be cropped if you ever want to frame it.

As for the trend, I think a lot of that comes from hobbyists. They just point the camera around in Auto, or maybe Apature or Shutter priority if they are a bit more skilled, and shoot whatever moves or captures their attention. You can always tell these people, they are the ones standing in the middle of time square in pure awe of it all with that look of pure ecstasy on their face and every 2" they turn there is another shot being fired off!

[lightning]

Through the glass -

[cam62]

Originally Posted by lightning

Through the glass -

Nice

[cam62]

After seeing Dolts macro shot's I was starting to think about buying a macro lens but an opportunity came up today and I think I'll get more use out of a longer lens than a macro.

Today I found a heron nest and did the best I could under the conditions. This was trhough one of my office windows using my 55-200 mm lens at 200mm. I may sound like I know a bit of what I'm saying but I really don't. It's printed on the lens I also have an 18-105mm lens which I use most of the time.

So, this lady has built a nest at about eye level to me on the third floor. I can get a bit higher on occaision up to the roof with my tripod. I'm facing east. I think sunset will be best lighting. I would love to capture some good pictures of her raising her chicks.

The first shot is the uncropped and the second is heavily cropped.

So, how long a lens would you all recommend?

[Okie Boom]

Dang, if that was at 200mm you have a ways to go to get as close as I think you are wanting to. What I would suggest is to find a local shop that does lens rentals. Every couple of weeks go rent the lens you need, I am thinking 400 - 500mm. This will be much cheaper since you will rarely need anything that large, not to mention the lens will run you a solid $3-5k if bought. Just a thought!! I love where you are going with the idea though, telling their story through your lens!! Love it!

[dolt45]

Originally Posted by Okie Boom

Dang, if that was at 200mm you have a ways to go to get as close as I think you are wanting to. What I would suggest is to find a local shop that does lens rentals. Every couple of weeks go rent the lens you need, I am thinking 400 - 500mm. This will be much cheaper since you will rarely need anything that large, not to mention the lens will run you a solid $3-5k if bought. Just a thought!! I love where you are going with the idea though, telling their story through your lens!! Love it!

Beat me to it. I wrote my reply offline while I was working and came back to find your comments. Pretty close, but I put in a LOT more words:

I’d say 400mm would be good, and probably the best a normal person could justify the $$ for. But getting a decent 400mm lens for less than you paid for your camera is impossible (unless you have a REALLY nice camera). A 300mm isn’t going to be a huge jump from your 200mm. The longer the glass, the less difference you’ll see per mm of length.

Option 1 – See if any of the pro shops in your area rent lenses. It usually isn’t cheap but you can end up with a very high powered pro lens for a day to get some shots.

Option 2 – The big Sigma zoom lenses (made for several camera mfrs) are pretty good bang for the buck. The 50-500mm (aka the Bigma) and the 150-500mm. While neither one is truly stellar and both have limitations (like the fact that both perform best when not maxed out on f-stop or focal length) they are hard to beat if you want a hgh mm zooom for less $$$ than a black market kidney.

Option 3 – Almost without exception a prime lens is the way to go (zoom is the enemy of sharp, distortion free images). I can’t help you here until I know what camera you have. I use a 300mm prime and a 400mm prime for 98% of my wildlife photography. You’ll pay a lot for a quality lens in this category but it will pay off in your images for years and years to come.

Option 4 – Borrow a GOOD telescope and invest in the adapters to mount your camera to it (be forewarned, the world through the lens will be upside down unless you get the right gear). This option STINKS for anything except a static subject. Focus will be done manually with the telescope. Luckily you’ll focus once on the nest and just sit on the shutter button waiting on a pose. I’ve done it once for getting shots of a bald eagle nest that was way back on private property. I’ll probably never do it again. Difficult set up, lots of image vibration (any breeze at all vibrated the image) Still, its an option.

Option 5 – Teleconverter. On a zoom lens a teleconverter is going to stink. You’ll probably lose autofocus, your viewfinder will be darker, your focus will be softer, you’ll have more chromatic aberation… These are intended for use with fast prime lenses (F4 or faster) and work fairly well in that role (though even those suffer the above mentioned problems, just to a lesser extent). Still, its an option that WILL add focal length to your lens. Don’t bother buying a cheap one. Just throw your money in the trash instead. I have two (a 1.4x and 2x) quality teleconverters and I certainly use them but only on my most pristine prime lenses. Even then my photos suffer.

Above all else, shoot from the roof. Going through your window is absolutely going to degrade image quality.

Jeez, I think I just started a “Wildlife Photography 101” manual. Apparently I have no idea what “brevity” means. Sorry for the rambling answer but I hope it helps.

[cam62]

Originally Posted by dolt45

Above all else, shoot from the roof. Going through your window is absolutely going to degrade image quality.

Agreed!

Originally Posted by Okie Boom

Dang, if that was at 200mm you have a ways to go to get as close as I think you are wanting to.!

I was afraid of this.

Originally Posted by Okie Boom

not to mention the lens will run you a solid $3-5k

Ruh Roh.. wasn't expecting that

Originally Posted by dolt45

Option 3 – Almost without exception a prime lens is the way to go (zoom is the enemy of sharp, distortion free images). I can’t help you here until I know what camera you have. I use a 300mm prime and a 400mm prime for 98% of my wildlife photography. You’ll pay a lot for a quality lens in this category but it will pay off in your images for years and years to come.

I have an entry level Nikon D40. Not quite ready to spend this much on a lense for a camera I may not keep much longer. I'm not locked into Nikon or any brand yet.

At this point I'm still testing the waters and spending money cautiously. Am I going to stay as interested in sharing life through a lens as I am now, or not? Had a darkroom as a teenager and have always been interested so I suspect I will.

I like option 1 and I'll check around.

The only pro shop I have been able to get to so far is primarily Cannon. They have some Nikon gear as an afterthought. They do sell used lenses on consignment so I'll give them a call.

A friend and coworker of mine is quite accomplished and has multiple lenses. He didn't volunteer to loan me one of his lenses. I suppose I can ask, but I'm gettting the feeling that photographers are quite picky about that and I'm uncomfortable asking. I guess he's not that good a friend LOL.

Here's one of his shots. Kind of a sad picture.

This was one of the last space shuttle launches over the St. Petersburg Pier (150 miles away - the shuttle that is). A sunrise launch.

The Iconic St. Petersburg Pier is going to be demolished and a new one erected in the next few years. Both Florida Icons will be gone.

Love this picture though. The white dot near the top of the launch smoke isn't a lens flaw, it's a booster rocket!

I didn't have the picturesque pier , but I saw this while driving to work and it was so cool that I pulled over and watched for a bit (pre-camera)

That's something else I'm curious about. Sharing settings. It seems this is akin to giving a kidney. I guess I call myself a hobbyist and as a hobby I like to share ideas, tips, tricks, etc. I digress.. sorry.

I have rambled. Back to lenses.

Make sense that a telescope conversion would be upside down without special equipment. Can't you just rotate the image in post shutter processing?

Option 5 - not ready to go there yet.

Thanks guys! A lot to think about on a Saturday morning.

[cam62]

not bad for through the office window

[Ladybugsmom]

My best pics tend to be from my travels... This was with my Canon, a few years ago, at The Alhambra, in Spain.

[Ladybugsmom]

And in Santorini, Greece.

[cam62]

Those a great Ladybugsmom!