26th April 2020
Over the last few days. I've been busier in the house than I have outside. Photography has been on the back burner a little. though I've still tried to take the odd shot each day. Even though I haven't got a dedicated macro/micro lens, I've still taken the opportunity to zoom in a little more with the 35mm lens. Some of the images below are a "fraction" of the original and it shows that 12 mp can do the job well.
Magnolia in black and white.
Magnolia shot with the colour "bleached" out. Love these two shots. I've made a note of the settings and created a pre-set, otherwise I'd have no idea how to repeat the process.
Dandelion clock. Not a bad effort really. Went back to photograph a full one. Gone!
Tried one of my Scandinavian type shots. This was taken with the 35mm lens. There are times when I could do with a 70-200mm lens to compress the image. Cost of this outweighs the amount of use I'd get from it. Might try the DX 18-200mm tomorrow.
These dandelions took quite a while to set up. Yellow is a terrible colour to cope with. Set the exposure compensation to -1.7! Crisp shot in the end. Composition is fine.
One of the tulips from the front garden. I've enjoyed adding a few different subjects to my portfolio, something wouldn't have done if races were still taking place.
29th April 2020
The idea was to come back with one image a day from outings with the camera. That's not happened; I've actually finished up with quite a few decent ones from just one day's walk and a quick foray into the garden. Being "runner image free" for such a long time, has actually helped me to develop my photography skills even further.
I'm learning more about each lens and how to get the best out of it and what settings to use on the camera in different lighting conditions.
It's been a breath of fresh air really. I've had time to myself for a change.
The trees in the park are now beginning to dress themselves, hiding the intricate frameworks that I find so fascinating. There are trees in bud, trees in blossom, trees just start to leaf. Such a wide range of growth stages .
Jake just wasn't in the mood to sit still and pose for the camera. Sal is my best friend when it comes to attracting a dog's attention, allowing me to snap a reasonable image. Maybe next time.
Nearly time for lunch and the chance of one reasonable photograph was a possibility. I decided to walk down to "The Green", surely something worth snapping down there. Disappointed I was not. Came back with quite a few keepers, for all sorts of reasons.
Love the pigeon shots. In one of the images, 3 pigeons are practising social distancing, while in the other … lovebirds?
As I walked towards The Green, I couldn't help but notice the amazing cloud formations. Over the last few weeks, I've only heard one aeroplane overhead. Strange times. Hopefully we'll be able to travel to Greece just once more before we kick the bucket!
The above image reminds me of a spine.
This photograph just needs a surfer making their way through the clouds.
More amazing cloud formations. Impossible to count the number of clouds in this photo. Mortimer Rd looking really colourful. No cars, though there has been a definite increase in traffic in the last week. Many of them have decided to ignore the speed limit. 60mph is the new 30mph.
Back garden taken through the loft window. One or two plants beginning to show colour. The shed roof detracts from the beauty of Sal's hard work. Ah well.
Found a dandelion clock in a reasonable state, with the added bonus of three dandelions below. One and three are both odd numbers, something that photographers apparently prefer. Not sure why that is.
Minute detail from a much larger image. The quality of the D700 and prime lenses is amazing. Not sure what to do about buying a Z50 at the moment. No chance of a holiday any time soon and I really don't mind lugging the "tank" around with me.
Yet another Scandinavian type shot I tried to capture. I'll try the 18-200mm on the D7200 and see what sort of compression I get. Still not convinced that my photography would improve that much and the cost of the magic 70-200mm is prohibitive.
I know, yet another photograph of blossom. I'm becoming quite a dab hand at this.
Not having a thousand or more running snaps to sort through, has given me the opportunity to be more creative in Lightroom and Photoshop. No rushing through image after image after image.
Might be time to give the running scene a miss and concentrate on other aspects of photography? We'll have to see. I really do miss the banter and friendship it brings.
Shot through the patio door with the D7200 and the 18-200mm lens. Surprised at the quality shooting through glass. Must have been my lucky day.
One of Sal's orchids from the local supermarket. Amazing value for a plant that flowers over such a long period of time. I've never rated the 18-200mm much, not a fan of zooms. Yet this photograph shows that with the right amount of light, it can deliver the goods in terms of quality. ISO 800 150mm f5.6 With the D7200 being a crop sensor, it will be around 225mm.
Same lens. It had been raining and I wanted to try and capture raindrops on petals.
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