Davy Kelly – A Little Insight Into My World
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  • May21st 10

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    Photographing Fire

    Posted in: Fire Photography

    10 Tips for Taking Great Fire Photos

    1. Basic Settings
    Fire can be a bit awkward to focus on as it keeps changing so try setting your focus manually or use something nearby as a marker. Set your aperture on something fairly low to gain a greater depth of field and capture as much detiail as possible.  Although you can sometimes get away with taking fire photos handheld it’s best to work with a tripod to get the best possible sharpness and compositions.

    2. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
    When composing the shot it’s best to keep things as uncluttered and clear as possible, this will give the final image a much stronger impact.  If your setting up something with candles as the light source be aware of where the shadows are landing.  A glass of red wine or a person sitting on a sofa with a woolly jumper and a hot chocolate can give a sense of homeliness associated with fire and warmth.  But try and keep out any thing that does not add to the image.

    3. Reflection
    Look out for naturally reflective surfaces around the scene you’re shooting, taking a photo of something on a wooden table can be brightened up by simply adding a white tablecloth, it will also act as a big diffuser giving you very soft light. The affect may be subtle but every little helps when working in low light.

    4. Temperature
    Colour temperature that is. Candles produce very warm light (about 1700K) a match will give off about 1850, most cameras have an adjustable temperature range some in the form of pre set modes and some that you can set from a photograph you have already taken and others will let you dial an exact value in.  Experiment with different temperatures to see the effects it has on the final image, if you are shooting in RAW you can adjust it as much as you like on your computer once you have uploaded them to it.

    5. Go Wide
    Why not go outside on a clear night and have the flame as a focal point in a nightscape? you’ll be surprised how much light is still in the sky once the sun goes down (leave your shutter open for a few seconds or more)

    6. Poi
    Poi is a form of dancing with fire on strings, it sound completely mental and you probably have to have a few bolts loose to do it but you’ll often find people at festivals who are doing it.  Again leave the shutter open for a number of seconds and you get some great light trails going on.  The safer version of this is to get a few sparklers and wave those about in front of an open shutter.

    7. Lens Choice
    When you’re shooting in low light you’ll want to get as much light to your camera sensor as possible, this means using the widest aperture available the problem is that the wider you go the more expensive the lens gets.  A good little tip is to look out for a prime lens on eBay or similar, primes generally tend to have the option of much wider apertures than zooms.

    8. Shutter Speed
    This one is a trade off here, the longer that you leave the shutter open for the more light you let in, great! but the longer its open the more time the camera has to move and you end up with blurry images, if you try and combat shake by using a faster shutter speed then you are limiting the length of any light trails produced by the moving fire.  To avoid this use a good sturdy tripod and leave your shutter open for as long as you like.

    9. ISO
    This is the Godsend of digital cameras, these days you can whack a camera’s ISO right up and the effects of noise are relatively weak, if you do end up with more noie than you’d like then grab a copy of noise ninja (just google that and it pop right up) and let that do the hard work.

    9. Start Painting
    did you know that you can paint with light? just take a torch and move the beam round the scene as the shutter is open and you’ll be painting with light, try experimenting with it and you’ll find what works for you.

    10. Freeze
    If you are shooting a human as a subject, take poi for example, you can get lovely light trails from the moving fire but the person themselves will be blurry to non-existent.  In this situation you can use a flash to freeze them.  Don’t just stick it on top of your camera though, try putting it off to one side so that it gives their body some definition.

    ATB, Davy

  • May11th 10

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    A Taste of Yore & Andweard

    Posted in: Uncategorized

    My current project is going to be a Now and Then / Past and Present series of images. The series title ‘A Taste of Yore & Andweard‘ comes from middle English word yore meaning ‘long ago’ and andweard (from Anglo-Saxon times) meaning ‘present, current, actual or existing’.  

    Basically The plan is to dig up old photographs / images (hello Google) and then recapture the scene as it is today to show the changes that have taken place over the years.  Once it is underway and I have collected a few images I’ll have a page on the site dedicated it.

    The images will mostly be of my local area, so Broughton Astley, Leicestershire will form the epicentre of the project.  Clearly this is going to depend on the ability to find old images and also the permission to use them, but after an initial search there seems to be enough to at least make a start.

    The first in the series will be an icon of Leicester, the Clock Tower! The image is from circa 1910 and is an artistic impression (painting / drawing but I’m going to assume that it’s reasonably accurate and plough on with it anyhow. I’ll not show the image till I have taken it’s andweard to match.

    Please be patient as I am completing this in my spare time (which at the moment seems to be very scarce indeed).

  • May11th 10

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    Smoke and Fire

    Posted in: Uncategorized

    This is just a mini project looking at how a match ignites when put into a flame and the path that the smoke takes , some interesting shots showing the vortices that comes from it, the set-up was just a single strobe (580EX) behind and slightly to the left of the candle (shielded to avoid flare). This lit up the smoke very clearly, the aperture ranged from f/13 to f/22 and the shutter speed was fixed at 1/200 sec. In future I will take a snapshot so you can see what the set-up was.

  • Jan28th 10

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    Genius idea!!! turn your iPhone into an iPad :-)

    Posted in: Apple, Apple's iPad, i-pad, iPad, Iphone, iSlate, iTablet, iTampon, Tablet

    So, if you have an iPhone and you want an iPad (and want it now!) here’s what you have to do…



    Buy one of these and hold it in front of your iPhone, hey presto you have an iPad!


    Hey, I know it’s daft but the point is that if the truth be told the iPhone is still better (size aside, but now you can have it both ways!)

  • Dec16th 09

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    Impact…

    Posted in: Uncategorized

    “have you stopped to consider the impact of your daily life on the environment.”

    Now then, here’s a statement that we have all heard (if not similar) before. We have heard it to the point of numbness, what I mean here is that when we hear something so many times it becomes dead to us and we become numb. The likelihood is that you don’t go tipping bags of rubbish about the place (shame on you if you do!) but somehow somewhere a mass of plastic has ended up floating round world. Estimates vary wildly, from the four times the size of the UK to twice the size of America, either way it’s huge.



    The result…

    Taking a look through this set of images from Chris Jordan may cause you to think again about it.


  • Oct23rd 09

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    Lightroom 3 beta 3.0

    Posted in: Uncategorized

    So now we have Lightroom 3.0 :-) (well in beta form at least)


    Here’s a few bits about its upgrades and new features from the Lightroom Journal…

    Import
    We’ve redesigned the Lightroom import experience to make it much easier to visualize how Lightroom allows you to manage your files. You’ll be able to see exactly where you’ve asked Lightroom to copy your files off your card and then use import presets in compact mode to get fast repeatable results every time. You can also quickly browse your hard drive to find exactly the right file you need to work on.
    Publish Collections
    We live in a connected world so you need direct access to publish your photos on your favorite sharing site from directly within the Lightroom Library. In the Lightroom 3 public beta we’re providing direct access to the Flickr photo sharing site so that adding images to your Photostream is as simple as a drag and drop. You can see all of your uploaded images and if you make any changes to those images you can have them updated on Flickr automatically.(Pro accounts only) When a visitor comments on your images, Lightroom can pull that comment right back into the Library so that you can see feedback on your files where it belongs, next to the image in your Lightroom library. We’ve built this functionality with the same extensibility designed for our Export Plug-ins so if Flickr isn’t your cup of tea we’re working hard to support developers who can create connections to any of the popular photo sharing sites. Publish collections can do more than just publish to a photo sharing site. You can have a publish collection that allows you to publish images to my iPhone sync folder with drag and drop simplicity.
    Image Quality
    Sharpening and Noise Reduction
    In the Develop module we’ve focused on tuning our raw processing algorithms to extract incredible detail and quality from your images. Capture sharpening and Color Noise Reduction improvements work together to give you incredible noise reduction results without losing that fine detail. We’re only halfway through our noise reduction efforts but believe that you will be very pleased with the results so far. We’ve actually disabled the previous Luminance Noise Reduction so that you can focus on evaluating the Color Noise reduction implementation.
    Grain
    While Lightroom’s improved noise reduction will give you incredibly smooth images, sometimes you want a little texture or grain in your images. We’ve added a grain tool that can add a natural film-style grain to your images to get that perfect look for your photo.
    Vignette
    The Lightroom team received quite a bit of feedback on our post-crop vignette tool in Lightroom 2 that allows photographers to apply beautifully styled vignettes after cropping is applied. While the tool was received quite well, we found that photographers wanted a more natural vignette that utilized an exposure or brightness effect rather than just painting black and white on the edges of images. We’ve added two vignette modes in Lightroom 3 beta, Color Priority and Highlight Priority that attempt to provide the natural vignette that photographers have requested. Let’s not get hung up on the technical details of these models but rather focus on which you prefer for your images and why.
    Process Version
    The changes above are so significant that for the first time since the Camera Raw plug-in was introduced in 2003, we’ve needed to add the concept of a process version. The process version specifies which version of certain Camera Raw image processing elements should be used when rendering and editing files. Process version can affect raw, DNG, TIFF, JPEG, and PSD files. The process version is incremented only when major changes to the raw processing or features are changed. In Lightroom 3, the demosaicing, noise reduction, sharpening, and post crop vignette were all updated. Depending on what is applied to the image, different image characteristics will change more dramatically than others (i.e. sharpening should change sharpening characteristics etc.), but the demosaic changes apply across the board, so there will always be some change. By default, we’ll leave your images just as they were but if you want to take advantage of the latest processing technology, just update to the current process version. You can update to the latest process version by selecting the notification triangle that includes an exclamation point above the left hand side of the histogram. (Or from the Settings -> Process Version file menu available in the Develop module) By default, all new files in Lightroom 3 beta will receive the latest process version.
    Slideshow Export
    One of the most elegant ways to present your images is in a slideshow accompanied by music. But until now, you could only share that slideshow with music when playing it directly from within the Lightroom application. But with Lightroom 3 we’ve added the ability to export high quality movie files that include your detailed layout and the music track you’ve selected. By utilizing the popular H.264 movie format you can share these movies on many popular video sharing sites or optimize it for mobile media!
    Custom Print Package
    Lightroom 3 adds a new custom layout option for photographers who need complete control over their print layouts. Add as many different images in whatever configuration you desire on a single or multiple pages.
    Watermarking
    Lightroom 3′s new watermarking function lets you embed your identity or other information in your images themselves. You can apply text or graphic watermarks to a photograph with adjustable size, position, and opacity. Available in the Print and Web modules as well as the Export dialog, your identity can now travel with all of your images.
    What’s Next?
    We’re not even close to finished in terms of features, performance or image quality but we want early feedback on our improvements so that we have time to make sure Lightroom 3 is your ideal workflow assistant.
    Additional Details
    General
    • On Mac, the ‘hit zone’ for the right scroll bar in the grid view has been expanded so that a closed right hand panel doesn’t automatically open too easily. The automatic panel opening experience has been modified so that it takes a longer amount of time for the panel to open in cases of overshooting the scrollbar. (Mouse towards the white triangle for instant opening) Please provide feedback on this new behavior so that it can be modified or added to the Windows version of Lightroom.
    • Images can be sorted by aspect ratio
    • The catalog selection dialog has been expanded and improved


    Library

    • You can backup your catalog when you quit Lightroom instead of on launch
    • A volume can be ejected or un-mounted from your system directly from the volume browser in the Library module.
    • Collections can be created directly within a collection set by right-clicking on the collection set
    • Images can be sorted by aspect ratio
    • The name of a collection is displayed when an image is added to a target collection
    • Stack badges can now be toggled on or off independently in the filmstrip via an interface preference
    • Erasing with the spray paint tool now requires the use of the Alt key
    • Select a folder in the Library module and choose a new option “Import to here” to launch the import dialog with that folder preselected as the destination
    • The import dialog provides source folder and destination volume capacity information
    • The option to include items from subfolders has been included in the primary Folder panel drop down menu
    • Choose Library -> Show Missing Images to locate offline or missing files
    • A lock icon has been added to the metadata filter bar in the Library module to make filter selections “global” across folders or collections
    • An icon has been added to grid thumbnails to indicate that an image is part of a collection. Click on that icon to view and/or visit the collection
    • Favorite sources can be added to the filmstrip source pop-up menu for quick access to specific collections or folders
    • Flash state is now included as part of the smart collection filter criteria
    • When the ‘spray can’ is used to add an image to a collection, the collection name is now displayed upon application
    • The optimize catalog feature is now available in the File menu
    • Lightroom now imports CMYK files. Any output, with the exception of export original, or adjustments to these images will take place in an RGB color space
    • Filters are now longer automatically “sticky” on folders or collections


    Develop

    • Crop presets choices have been edited for clarity
    • A checkbox has been added to the toolbar to turn on/off overlay visibility
    • All adjustment brush and graduated filter sliders can be reset by holding down Option/Alt and clicking on Amount
    • The color setting for the adjustment brush and graduated filter clearly display an ‘x’ overlay when no color is selected
    • The Collections panel is now available in the Develop Module
    • The targeted adjustment tool is deactivated when switching to a new Develop panel
    • The local adjustment brush and graduated filter panel have been simplified to a single mode (Previously there was a button and slider ‘mode’)


    Slideshow

    • The music selection in the Slideshow module has been decoupled from iTunes on the Mac
    • Click the track duration to sync the length of the slideshow to the length of the music track


    Print

    • Black or a custom color can be selected for a print layout background
    • The Identity Plate can be moved in small increments by selecting it and using the arrow keys
    • Match photo aspect ratio is now a persistent option in the Cell panel


    Export

    • The file extension case(UPPER/lower) can be selected in the export dialog

    Well that’s all for this post, you already have enough to read there. Sound off in the comments if you like…

    Davy

  • Oct15th 09

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    A Taste of Yore & Andweard

    Posted in: of Yore and Andweard, Photography, project

    My next project is going to be a Now and Then / Past and Present series of images. The series title ‘A Taste of Yore & Andweard’ comes from middle English word yore meaning ‘long ago’ and andweard (from Anglo-Saxon times) meaning ‘present, current, actual or existing’.  

    Basically The plan is to dig up old photographs / images (hello Google) and then recapture the scene as it is today to show the changes that have taken place over the years.  Once it is underway and I have collected a few images I’ll have a page on the site dedicated it.

    The images will mostly be of my local area, so Broughton Astley, Leicestershire will form the epicentre of the project.  Clearly this is going to depend on the ability to find old images and also the permission to use them, but after an initial search there seems to be enough to at least make a start.


    The first in the series will be an icon of Leicester, the Clock Tower! The image is from circa 1910 and is an artistic impression (painting / drawing but I’m going to assume that it’s reasonably accurate and plough on with it anyhow. I’ll not show the image till I have taken it’s andweard to match.

    Please be patient as I am completing this in my spare time (which at the moment seems to be very scarce indeed).

  • Aug27th 09

    1 Comment

    Canon EOS 350D Review

    Posted in: canon 350D, review



    The Canon 350D is a 1.6x crop frame digital SLR, it was released in 2003 and since then has been quite the success. I have split this review into sections to make it easier to follow.
    The Body
    The build quality of the 350D is okay, but nothing special. It is very light and feels like it would shatter in a thousand bits if dropped. The layout on the back of the camera is functional but not designed for anything other than small fingers with plenty of time.
    The Sensor and Processor
    The 350D features a 1.6x crop, 8 Megapixel CMOS sensor, this is great if you love telephoto shots. a DIGIC II processor is used, it is quite common with canon (because it is so good). The DIGIC II is very good at processing a lot of data in a short time and it is used in the 5D. The 350D can shoot at 3 frames per second and the internal buffer can hold up to 14 images in a burst. The available ISO range is from 100-1600, it’s not great up at 1600 but up to 800 is perfectly acceptable. The range of shutter speeds is from 1/4000 to 30 seconds (and bulb) the shutter action is very quiet indeed, the flash sync speed is 1/200th of a second
    The Viewfinder
    If you are used to a 5D or 1 series then this will seem small, if you are used to a point and shoot then it will feel like you are lost inside the viewfinder! Even though the 350D has a 1.6x crop and a 95% viewfinder the viewfinder magnification in only 0.8x. All things considered, the viewfinder is nice and bright.
    There is a bar along the base of the screen which shows you the current data, shutter speed, aperture, EV scale, number of shots left in the buffer and other bits are shown as and when they are needed. There is a green dot in the bottom right which lets you know when the lens has found focus (the corresponding focus box is also highlighted in red).

    The focusing screen has the seven focus points on it, when a point is in focus it is highlighted in red.
    Screen and Operating System
    The 1.8” screen is small compared to what is now available. The menus are hard to read in bright light settings (not just direct sun). That said, there is a second LCD which is very useful and generally only found on the higher end cameras now.
    Other Bits…
    The battery is a NB-2LH which is easily available as it is used in several other Canon cameras (Powershot S60/S70) , Canon say that it will give 400-600 shots at 20 degrees Centigrade (I’ve found that it struggles meet this and if you are using an IS lens then be prepared to have lots of spare batteries with you!!
    Verdict
    This is an excellent value camera, it is suitable for most users and you will be pleased with the results from it. Just don’t expect it to perform the same a 5D :-)
    The good…
    Light weight, great for going out on walks
    8 MP, okay but could be better
    Great ISO behaviour up to 800
    Quiet shutter
    The Bad…
    Slow to navigate and change settings.
    No good in the highest ISO settings.
    Last Words…
    If you are looking for something to take good quality pictures for yourself (i.e. not commercially) then this is a great little camera although it has been superseded several times now and we are currently on the 500d version which I’m sure is far superior to this.

    Thank you for reading this, I hope you have found it useful.

  • Aug27th 09

    No Comments

    Canon EOS 5D

    Posted in: canon 5D, EOS, review


    The Canon 5D is a full frame digital SLR, it was released in 2005 and since then has been quite the success. I have split this review into sections to make it easier to follow.

    The Body
    The build quality of the 5D is very good it feels solid, is comfortable to hold and as I have found out well able to stand up to knocks and bangs. The layout on the back of the camera is designed to be easy to use and it works! There is a large rotary wheel and joystick which make navigation a dream.
    The Sensor and Processor
    The biggest feature of the 5D is the full size 12.8 Megapixel CMOS sensor, this is great if you love wide angles. a DIGIC II processor is used, it is quite common with canon (because it is so good). The DIGIC II is very good at processing a lot of data in a short time, the 5D can shoot at 3 frames per second and the internal buffer can hold up to 20 images in a burst. The available ISO range is from 100-1600 which can be expanded to 50-3200 in the settings if required (why they didn’t just make it 50-3200 in the first place and just leave it at that I don’t know). Some say that the 12.8 MP is equivalent to a frame of 35 mm film, but that is a whole battle in itself and I’m not going to go there! With a range of shutter speeds from 1/8000 to 30 seconds (and bulb) it is capable of a lot, the flash sync speed is 1/200th of a second
    The Viewfinder
    The viewfinder is a pleasure to use, it is so nice to have the size of the 35 mm SLR viewfinders back again. The 5D is bright too, it gives you 96% coverage which is pretty good, if you’re looking for 100% then you’ll have to save up for a 1Ds Mark II.
    There is a bar along the base of the screen which shows you the current data, shutter speed, aperture, EV scale, number of shots left in the buffer and other bits are shown as and when they are needed. There is a green dot in the bottom right which lets you know when the lens has found focus (the corresponding focus box is also highlighted in red).

    The focusing screen has the nine focus points on it, when a point is in focus it is highlighted in red. There are two other screens available, the Ee-S and the Ee-D, the Ee-S is a super precision matt for easier manual focusing and the Ee-D is a precision matt with a grid on it. Really these are only for very specialist work and the majority of us will never need them.

    Screen and Operating System
    Another first here, the D-SLR to have a decent size (2.5”) screen. You can zoom in to 10x while looking through your shots and scroll around the image with the easy to use joystick. The menu system is intuitive and easy to get on with , it is basically the same as the other Canon D-SLR’s out there, with the options customised to the 5D.
    Other Bits…

    The battery is a BP-511A Lithium Ion which is easily available as it is used in several other Canon cameras, Canon say that it will give 800 shots at 20 degrees Centigrade (I’ve found it to perform much better than that though).
    Verdict
    This is a very capable camera and is well suited to the professional (or serious amateur it you have a flare for quality and some spare cash)
    The good…
    • Good for wide angle lenses.
    • 12.8 MP.
    • Great ISO behaviour.
    • Autofocus works well even in low light.
    • Quiet shutter
    The Bad…
    • No multiplication on long lenses.
    • LCD can be hard to see in direct sunlight (use hand as shade).
    • Mirror lock up pretty deep in the menus.
    Last Words…
    If you are an existing Canon owner who perhaps hasn’t made the digital switch then this is the camera for you.

    Thank you for reading this, I hope you have found it useful.

  • Jul28th 09

    No Comments

    Garden macro world

    Posted in: ants, extension tube, flash, macro, Photography



    So, I’ve been doing some work out in the garden which meant I have taken up a row of flagstones that went through the middle of our lawn (previous owners what were you thinking!?). Anyhow when I lifted them up there were a lot of ants, serious nest going on! it was fascinating to see the tunnels that they had dug up against the base of the flagstones.
    I quickly noticed that there were red ants and black ants, it seems that these don’t get on as they were doing a lot of fighting, so I grabbed my camera and put a couple (?? mm to be precise) of extension tubes between the body and my 24-70 mm f/2.8 L lens to turn it into a very useable macro lens.
    The result…




    All of the shots were taken with the camera hand held, generally speaking this is not a good idea, but you try and set up a tripod and wait for an ant to move into the right place! The way to do it is to use your flash to freeze the shot and eliminate any motion (the flash duration is around 1/20,000 of a second). I set the camera to manual, 1/200 at f9, this meant that with out the flash the shot was completely black (ensuring that the only light source in the shots would be the flash) then set my 580 EX II to 1/16th power (on manual, this took a couple of shots to get right) and fired away.
    Well then I was all fired up and went of shooting all kinds of things. here’s just a few…

    A bumble bee

    The tip of a head of lettuce.
    And the top of a poppy head.
    Thanks for looking.

    [Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

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