Saturday, May 17, 2008

More D300

Tonight I went looking for some nice sunset images to try out a new technique with the D300. But as I was driving around some of the local apple orchards, the clouds moved in. It wasn't going to be as exciting, but it wasn't a total blow out, though and I got to try a couple of compositions. The apple trees are all in full bloom and they were literally buzzing with bee activity. It's also wildflower season and I'll post some of the new images from last weeks trompabout.

Here's tonight's attempts at HDR (High Dynamic Range) which combines images that cover a range of exposures into a single image. It looks a lot more like what our eyes can distinguish. See what you think.




It started raining as I drove home and it's been gently coming down since. A nice little soak for the grass I just dosed with Weed N'Feed.

Thanks,
Lizz

Monday, May 12, 2008

D300

It's been awhile since my last post here. As soon as I arrived home from the desert, I got sick. Real sick, like walking pneumonia sick. I'm still not 100%. So, the details of the trip kinda languished and I got busy with stuff. like getting images from the trip up onto the website. I changed the portfolios around a little to be able to have a "New works" portfolio. I have about 14 or 15 images there from Joshua Tree and Death Valley. Go to and check the "New Works"portfolio. I hope you enjoy!

So, I finally did it. I caved. I have joined the Dark Side and bought a digital camera. After reading the reviews and doing some shopping I got me a Nikon D300. I'm still on the overhanging part of the learning curve, but I'm doing some things that I never did with film.

Like shooting kayakers in the local rivers enjoying the spring runoff. One of the first days out with this camera I drove up and down along the Cold River looking for boaters. The water was high and there are several ClassIII or harder runs. So I found Pinball and waited for the boats to arrive. Just as I was about to leave, I saw a brightly colored helmet go bobbing across the river and slip in the lee of a boulder. Soon a half dozen or so others joined him. They reconnoitered for awhile and then, down they can one after another. Here are a few of the images.







I was really impressed with the continuous focus feature that allowed me to use Aperture Priority and lock onto a kayaker and follow him through the run, from the top all the way through to the next rest. Also, the light kept changing so I could change ISO settings on the fly and keep my speed to where I could freeze the action. Several of these images are at ISO 800 and there doesn't appear to be much noise. I'm looking forward to more chances to photograph action.

So, that's about it for now. thanks for reading
Lizz