Tag Archives: Nikon

Photoshop on Sundays

December 8, 2008 admin Leave a comment

Not alot to post today, didn’t really do anything besides hang with the family, eat some delicious Messican food and play with photoshop.

My buddy sent me this link to these guys over here and though they are probably famous and I’m the last guy on the interweb to find them, they have some really cool shows. I followed the link above to do my own version and it was a great learning tool for many different tricks with photoshop.

I started with my photo of my favorite bike in the entire world, it’s a 1930’s – 1940’s Gehard racing bike. It’s new enough to have the Sturmey-Archer 3 speed derraileur on it so I’m not too sure of it’s real age. I pulled from an attic of a garage in central France that was owned by a crazy scottish guy, who will always be my favorite person in central France. He has so much cool stuff in his garage and he’ll talk cycling all day long! In English!!

Any way, here is the before picture….

Not over all good shot but It’s my bike and I love her any way…

Here is the after from following the web show posted above…

I think it was a cool effect, hopefully you do to, enjoy.

One more, no before for this one just the mid way through. I didn’t like as much as the one above.

Until next time…Ride fast and take chances!

cycling, L I F E, photography

Winter Bike

December 4, 2008 admin Leave a comment

I have been a cycling commuter for my entire professional career as a data monkey. I never make much of a fuss about it but today was a particularly snowy day and I just got a new 60mm 2.8 Micro Nikkor lens to take photos with. So here are the first shots from the new glass.

Here is a close up of the front brake with all of it’s snowy glory. For ghetto brakes these things really hold up. I have about 2-3k miles on this bike so far with it’s original brake pads and they still work!

This picture is the complete bike, the Cayne Uno, I changed the bars, stem and brake levers but other than that it’s stock and bullit proof.

More macro shots for the sake of macro photography, I must say that the 60mm 2.8 lens is as crisp a lens as i’ve ever used. I had the priveldge of using a 70-200 VR from Nikon and I think this one is sharper. But what do I know, most of my photos are poorly composed and out of focus anyway. Ha ha!

That is all for today, i’ll have some more soon and possibly it might be more interesting next time!

photography

More Macros

September 5, 2008 admin Leave a comment

I’ve been in a macro mode lately. Sometimes it feels good to look at the little patterns in life’s texture. Look at the ground and see an organic shape or texture that no one would notice and capture it with the camera. I’m shooting with the D70 from Nikon and my “favorite” Sigma 1:3.5-5.6 II Macro set to 80 with the macro switch flipped. I love the $5 lens (current Ebay Value). I want to try a “real” macro lens but for now poverty tells me that this one is OK.

Across the road on the canal side of the house. The Virginia Creeper is doing very well, it’s also quite beautiful as it changes to it’s dormant state.

Shooting some organic black and whites.

Back to some berries growing from the same twisted mess that all of these shots are coming from. Love the angular shape of the stem.

B/W again with the branches of the tree.

And a creepy worm, it’s eating the roses in front of the house so it did not have a happy ending after this was taken.

Miscellaneous berries hanging on a tree.

Back to some pretty leaves or leaf rather in the midst of being red…

Enough for today, it’s late and I doubt I’ll post again for 19 days until my return to Denver.

L I F E, photography

Shootin fish in a barrel…

August 23, 2008 admin Leave a comment

A few days ago the family went to the zoo/amusement park known as PAL. PAL is about 30 minutes outside of Moulin France and for a zoo/amusement park it wasn’t too bad. Being August and all, it meant that the entire nation of France would descend on the same place at the same time. I knew the day would be full of walking and riding rides so I came equipped with the D70 with the 18-135mm lens, which is my best travel/snapshot set up. I brought along the Quantary 2x converter, which does not work well with the lens but I wanted to attempt close up shots of the animals. I have horrible eye sight and manual focus is not good for the nearly blind but I think some of the photos came out OK. No art will be found here, just snapshots of the zoo and having fun with the family.

Momma elephant protecting her baby from the American paparazzi…

Elephants at the French Zoo

A seal having fun with the little bit of room it has. Difficult shot, the lighting was awful, this is luck and playing with the camera.

Bored kitty cat, hanging out. Shot with the 2x converter on the 18-135mm, good manual focus.

Portrait of an ostrich. Also taken with the 2x converter and not as good manual focus.

Portrait of a cute goat. The petting zoo was completly unattended by any staff, imagine that, an entire population of people who might be killed by a free roaming goat. It could never happen in America.

Enough pictures and words for now. Enjoy and leave long-winded comments about your love of goats.

photography

Bugs…

August 6, 2008 admin 1 Comment

Sometimes some very interesting photos are right in front of us. Sometimes we never pay any attention. We are enjoying our August break by spending time as a family and I am taking certain care to pay attention to the little things in life that make it great.

I’ve been shooting with my trusty, often dusty Nikon D70 and the amazingly clear (for a cheap plastic lens) Sigma 28-80 3.5-4.6 kit lens that came with my Nikon N75 so many years ago. I have my eye on the Sigma 105 2.8 Macro in the near future for bugs and flowers and the such but right now I’m working the composition and technical aspects of the shots.

Elusive little critters that they are, I’ve tried to capture one of these quick moving bugs in mid-flight. Hummingbird moth in the lavender outside the mill house.

Hairy Moth Patinges, France August 2008

Another moth photo, this one was either really old or really young. It could not fly very well even when I transported it from the house to the terrace for further examination. He was quick to use his wings to get away after his photo shoot however.

Hairy Moth Patinges, France August 2008

Hello grashopper…

French grasshopper in the butterfly garden. Patinges, France August 2008

A couple of shots of what I believe to be a freaky wasp. The first is with his head in focus with good details on the antennae. Depth of field on this shot proved to be quite difficult for me. I wanted the bug to fill the frame and hold focus on the entire critter. Working with the shallow depth of field in macros can certainly make for some happy mistakes, or not so happy trying to do what you want to do.

Wasp on a rose

Wings and tail in focus.

Wasp on a rose number 2

Action shot of a butterfly in the garden. Shot with my Nikon 80-200 2.8 ED This shot was all about luck, the focus is no where near what I would have liked but the framing and bokeh of the lights behind turned out pretty cool, I think.

Butterfly mid-flight Patinges, France July 2008

I have a bunch more of these photos but with the dial up internet, they won’t be seen until winter and I get back to my home in Colorado. We are heading on a couple of trips this month so I’ll have more travel photography to put up after we get home. I still have 800 or so shots from Provence in June to look through so it may be a while before any of the new ones make it to the web. Have fun and leave comments for me…

cycling, photography

Portraits of Fast Men…Tour De France 2008

August 1, 2008 admin Leave a comment

Saturday July 26th my tour group along with our guide Darren and myself spent the day watching the Tour de France time trial in Saint Amand Montrond France.

Shooting fast moving sporting events has always eluded me and my photography skills. The time trial is an excellent chance to photograph these elite athletes one at a time. The speed is higher but with the riders singled out they provide excellent portrait opportunities.

All shots are with my beloved Nikon D70 and Nikon 80-200 ED 2.8 lens at various manual and automatic settings.

Below are a few of the riders and what I beleive to be fairly good photos of them…

One of the most aggressive and prolific riders of the tour. Jens Voigt