Photos and photography thread (3 Viewers)

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Rather than continuing our monthly photo threads I'd like to see if a single ongoing thread can encourage more participation and general photography discussion. It's probably best to focus on recently taken photos like we did before, but that's flexible if you have a backlog or are new to the photo threads. This isn't a competition, so feel free to participate if there's anything you'd like to share.

Since this is an ongoing thread I suggest using a stable image host that will remain active. Flickr, 500px, Picasa, and PBase are popular free gallery hosts that allow embedding. Photos can also be uploaded directly to SR when posting.

In addition to posting photos, general photography technique and equipment discussion is welcome. I've included some basic buying tips and links with further information in the next post.

Links to the previous semi-monthly threads:

2013:
April, March, February, January
2012:
December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, March/April
2011:
November/December, Summer, January/February
2010:
December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, January
 
General buying advice:

First always remember that great photos are possible with any camera. Specific gear can open up some possibilities and make things easier, but the best investment is always in time spent shooting and learning.

First you'll need to decide if you want a compact point and shoot, larger bridge camera, mirrorless (MILC among other acronyms), or SLR. P&S cameras win the size battle at the expense of performance. Bridge cameras grow in size and also in performance and price. MILCs have an electronic viewfinder and offer much better performance than P&S/bridge cameras while being more affordable and smaller than SLRs. SLRs offer an optical viewfinder, the largest bodies of the group, and range from near MILC performance to professional level performance. MILCs and SLRs use interchangeable lenses which end up being the major expense if you venture beyond a kit lens.

Major photo brands are usually safe when buying a P&S or bridge. Sony, Olympus, Fuji, and Panasonic are big players in the MILC body market. Canon and Nikon are the SLR brands which spawn photogeek wars despite having roughly equal price, performance, and lens availability. Third party lens makers like Sigma, Tokina, Tamron, and others offer additional lenses of varying quality at a discount to Canon and Nikon.

Generally I suggest a MILC or SLR if you're looking for something beyond an ultra compact and can swing $500 (and continual $ drain if you get addicted). The type of photography that interests you should guide your decisions. General snapshots, portraits, architecture, landscapes, wildlife, macro, sports, low light, etc all suit specific equipment. Members can give better advice if they know your desired focus.


Where to buy:

If you have a decent local retailer check them first, especially if you're buying a new camera so you can test a few before buying. Some of the more popular online retailers are B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon, Newegg, BuyDig, and Abe's of Maine. I've had good luck with all of them and usually use the first three. KEH, B&H, and Adorama also sell used gear which is sometimes (not always) a good deal. Larger forums like Fred Miranda, POTN, and Nikonians usually have buy and sell sections with gear that's usually in good shape. In addition to the usual price search engines Canon Price Watch and Nikon Price Watch are good for checking current and historical prices at popular retailers. Use caution with cheap NY/NJ dealers and always check reviews before using a lesser known dealer.


Good sources of reviews and further information:
DP Review - General reviews and forum
Steve's Digicams - General reviews and forum
Imaging Resource - General reviews
Snapsort - Camera comparisons
Photozone - Lens reviews
SLR Gear - Lens reviews
The Digital Picture - Lens reviews
Sans Mirror - MILC body/lens reviews and articles
Steve Huff Photo - MILC body/lens reviews and articles

Forums:
Photography on the Net - Canon specific
Nikonians - Nikon specific
Fred Miranda - Popular general forum and user lens reviews
The Photo Forum - Large general forum
Luminous Landscape - Landscape, nature, and documentary photography articles and forum
Nature Photographers Network - Nature photography forum and online magazine
BirdPhotographers.net - Bird and general nature photography
Naturescapes - Nature photography forum and store
MFlenses - Vintage manual focus lenses
Photo.net - General articles and older forum with rather clunky interface

General info & Ebooks:
Nikon Learn & Explore - Hundreds of articles from basic to advanced photography subjects (suggested by Marty Graw)
Fro Knows Photo - Articles and reviews along with instructional videos, podcast, and forums. (suggested by *_deuce_*)
Photography Courses - Mike Browne's site with over 30 hours of free instructional videos from beginner to advanced topics.
Photograph America Newsletter - 126+ newsletters with advice on specific nature photography destinations around the US, purchase/subscription required.
oopoomoo - Ebooks, articles, and blog focused on, but not limited to, nature photography.

Podcasts:
This Week in Photo - Covers recent happenings in the photo world along with interviews and general photography subjects.
The Art of Photography - Video podcast covering technique with both film and digital.
History of Photography - Recorded during class lectures at at College of DuPage.
The Candid Frame - Interviews with photographers form around the world along with short video tutorials.
Digital Photo Experience - Photography tips, advice, news, and interviews.

Magazines:
Outdoor Photographer Magazine - Popular mag focused on nature and landscape photography, plenty of online articles. Available in print and online.
Landscape Photography Magazine - Nature photography with landscapes as the main focus, some free content. Available online.
Popular Photography - One of the most popular US mags, sometimes more of an advertisement catalog than magazine though. Still runs some useful articles. Available in print and online.
Light & Landscape Magazine - A new (2013) free PDF/tablet magazine devoted to landscape photography.

A lot of popular print magazines are available for much less than the cover price so be sure to shop around. Pop Photo and Outdoor Photographer can often be had for as little as $3 per year via eBay or discount magazine sites.

I'll add additional links as they are suggested.
 
Interesting thread...thanks for starting it.

Not to pimp one particular brand, but Nikon has a "Learn and Explore" section of their site that provides some decent articles about the basics of photography (ISO, f#, etc).

Focal Length Photography Tips Techniques and Tutorials | Nikon Learn and Explore

They also have an app (at least for iPhone, not sure about other smartphones) that I find works better than the actual website (loads more quickly).

Sadly, I've been remiss about dragging out the ol' DSLR, so I haven't many photos to share at this time.
 
Good idea and great shots.

I think this will be a good place for newbees who might be a little intimidated by the photo forums. Don't be afraid to post because you think that your picture isn't good enough. Their are some really good photographers on the forum who will probably be happy to offer advice and tips.
 
Interesting thread...thanks for starting it.

Not to pimp one particular brand, but Nikon has a "Learn and Explore" section of their site that provides some decent articles about the basics of photography (ISO, f#, etc).

Focal Length Photography Tips Techniques and Tutorials | Nikon Learn and Explore

They also have an app (at least for iPhone, not sure about other smartphones) that I find works better than the actual website (loads more quickly).

Sadly, I've been remiss about dragging out the ol' DSLR, so I haven't many photos to share at this time.

Show us some of your old stuff.
 
Interesting thread...thanks for starting it.

Not to pimp one particular brand, but Nikon has a "Learn and Explore" section of their site that provides some decent articles about the basics of photography (ISO, f#, etc).

Focal Length Photography Tips Techniques and Tutorials | Nikon Learn and Explore

They also have an app (at least for iPhone, not sure about other smartphones) that I find works better than the actual website (loads more quickly).

Sadly, I've been remiss about dragging out the ol' DSLR, so I haven't many photos to share at this time.

Thanks for the link, added it to the second post.

Feel free to share older shots if you want. The biggest problem with the monthly threads was lack of participation so the more posters the better. I'm hoping that a single thread will be easier to follow and more visible to those who weren't aware of the previous threads.
 
I took a ton of raw files at jazzfest 2012 (too muddy this year), so I grabbed a few, warmed them up, and saved them for web loading.

I think these were all taken with an 80-200 zoom and a Nikon D3000SLR - the zoom is why the lighting isn't great for the stage shots.

Warren Haynes
8885728734_be38654b39.jpg


Joe Walsh
8885104165_200da1d59f.jpg


Dr John
8885728894_d3619095bb.jpg



ETA: Warren Haynes and Dr John were playing together - incredible set, but we were dodging security taking photos, and I couldn't get a good shot with both of them in it.
 
This is kind of a special photo for me.

I took this the summer of 2010 on Dauphin Island. It's my Brother In Law and his first granddaughter enjoying the beach together. When I took it, it was one of those shots you just happen to take while fooling with the camera, not expecting anything nice to come from it.

Then when I got back to the beach house, and dumped it in Lightroom, I thought it had some potential. So I spent a little while doing some post work on it, and got this.

I have this pic available because I recently put together a photo collage of my Brother In Law a couple weeks ago for his funeral.

RIP Wally. You were one of the good ones.
 

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I took this the summer of 2010 on Dauphin Island. It's my Brother In Law and his first granddaughter enjoying the beach together. When I took it, it was one of those shots you just happen to take while fooling with the camera, not expecting anything nice to come from it.

Then when I got back to the beach house, and dumped it in Lightroom, I thought it had some potential. So I spent a little while doing some post work on it, and got this.

Sorry to hear about your Brother-in-Law. Good job with the shot to capture an important memory.
 
I took a ton of raw files at jazzfest 2012 (too muddy this year), so I grabbed a few, warmed them up, and saved them for web loading.

I think these were all taken with an 80-200 zoom and a Nikon D3000SLR - the zoom is why the lighting isn't great for the stage shots.

ETA: Warren Haynes and Dr John were playing together - incredible set, but we were dodging security taking photos, and I couldn't get a good shot with both of them in it.

Looks/sounds like a good show. I've been toying with the idea of getting something suitable for shows/concerts. Mirrorless would fit the compact and low light needs, but I'm concerned about survivability in a crowd.

I'll set the cheap camera bar low with some recent Galaxy Nexus phone shots.

lucerowildbuffalo.jpg

Lucero 4/5/13 at the Wild Buffalo in Bellingham, WA

shovelsropewildbuffalo.jpg

Shovels & Rope 4/5/13 at the Wild Buffalo in Bellingham, WA

that1guybellingham.jpg

That 1 Guy 5/2/13 at the Wild Buffalo in Bellingham, WA
 
Been checking out this guy`s photography Jared Polin "Fro knows photo".
He`s got got some pretty informative Video`s and article`s on everything from equipment review`s to Raw editing on his Web site and his forum`s as well.
Got something for everyone from Beginner to Advanced.

Fro knows photo

Fro knows photo forum

Hope this help`s.
 
Been checking out this guy`s photography Jared Polin "Fro knows photo".
He`s got got some pretty informative Video`s and article`s on everything from equipment review`s to Raw editing on his Web site and his forum`s as well.
Got something for everyone from Beginner to Advanced.

Fro knows photo

Fro knows photo forum

Hope this help`s.

My gf is hooked on this guy. He's funny too, but quite informative according to her. She's learned a heckuva lot from these vids and it shows in her more recent pics.

Good job Sev.:9:
 
Thanks for the link, added it to the second post.

Feel free to share older shots if you want. The biggest problem with the monthly threads was lack of participation so the more posters the better. I'm hoping that a single thread will be easier to follow and more visible to those who weren't aware of the previous threads.

Will have to dig through the old files when/if I get a chance. In the meantime, here are a couple of shots from a trip to the Audubon Zoo a couple of years ago. As well as a few shots of our youth hockey team. I must say that shooting through scuffed, tinted glass, against the white ice background, with constant moving subjects is quite challenging. Still searching for that magic combination of white balance and contrast; as well as shutter/aperture settings for motion stoppage. Guess that's the joy of shooting digital - photoelectrons are cheap.
 

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Will have to dig through the old files when/if I get a chance. In the meantime, here are a couple of shots from a trip to the Audubon Zoo a couple of years ago. As well as a few shots of our youth hockey team. I must say that shooting through scuffed, tinted glass, against the white ice background, with constant moving subjects is quite challenging. Still searching for that magic combination of white balance and contrast; as well as shutter/aperture settings for motion stoppage. Guess that's the joy of shooting digital - photoelectrons are cheap.

Those hockey shots are really nice.
 

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