Some New Photographs!

[woaface]

http://img9.exs.cx/img9/9980/Porsche.jpg
http://img9.exs.cx/img9/4535/BWDavidson.jpg
http://img9.exs.cx/img9/5955/DSC06376.jpg
http://img93.exs.cx/img93/4120/DSC05595.jpg
http://img106.exs.cx/img106/6990/fixed1.jpg
http://img13.exs.cx/img13/9453/JasonPlayingGuitar.jpg

http://img13.exs.cx/img13/9649/DSC067472.jpg

I'm loving this photography thing. I've got hundreds of pictures on my PC! (Backed up by an 80Gb external HD)

So what do you guys think?

[DEFYANT]

How did you get porsche rims and calipers on a MM?

[CRUZTAKER]

This picture is particularly interesting. Not just the beauty of the subject, but for the creative use of Black and White film.

Love B&W FILM....:D

http://img93.exs.cx/img93/4120/DSC05595.jpg

[BillyGman]

http://img9.exs.cx/img9/4535/BWDavidson.jpg

I think this is pretty cool the way you caught the color of the bike while making the backround B&W. :up:

[martyo]

I think you need to post more pictures of Elaine!!

[Petrograde]

I think you need to post more pictures of Elaine!!
here,here! :lol:

Woa,... you have a good eye man.

Maybe you've found your calling in life?

[woaface]

I want a good executive position where I make big decisions and am in some way or another in charge of the welfare of a company that I run or am part of.

But I want to mix creative design into that. I really love digital photography and I whether it be a business on the side or something I do a lot, I want it to be part of my resume.

[Bluerauder]

So what do you guys think?
I think the B&W picture of Elaine on the rock is a repost ... this was supposed to be new pics. :rofl:

[woaface]

Well good thing that's Mackenzie and not Elaine!

I have no photos of Elaine that she's agreed to taking!

BTW, Elaine is half chinese, that's how you know the difference!



I think the B&W picture of Elaine on the rock is a repost ... this was supposed to be new pics. :rofl:

[woaface]

Thanks Billy! I did this by taking the original which was all in color, selecting everything around the bike and B/W it. I took the colored portions and brightened/contrasted them to my liking, did the same with the black and white. Then went into the lighting effects section of photoshop and have a spot light of sorts coming from the bottom right of the picture going up.

I love that shot too, it's my favorite:)


I think this is pretty cool the way you caught the color of the bike while making the backround B&W. :up:

[ncmm]

http://img93.exs.cx/img93/4120/DSC05595.jpg





I'm loving this photography thing. I've got hundreds of pictures on my PC! (Backed up by an 80Gb external HD)

So what do you guys think?Mackenzie's photo rocks, James you're doing a great job with photos but let's see some MM's! I'm sure you'll make them just as pretty! Thanks

[Donny Carlson]

Well good thing that's Mackenzie and not Elaine!

I have no photos of Elaine that she's agreed to taking!

BTW, Elaine is half chinese, that's how you know the difference!
And half an hour later you're hungry again.

[Patrick]

And half an hour later you're hungry again.


:nono: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[martyo]

James: I seem to have mislaid both Mackenzie's and Elaine's phone numbers. Can you re-post them please?

[TAF]

Elaine......

[martyo]

Elaine......

Todd: I have to be honest with you, Mackenzie is looking pretty good lately. Maybe we should be asking for more pictures of her. What do you think?

[TAF]

Todd: I have to be honest with you, Mackenzie is looking pretty good lately. Maybe we should be asking for more pictures of her. What do you think?
Elaine........

[Sactown]

Nice work. Keep having fun and back them up to a CD or DVD also.

[RoyLPita]

Keep up the good work, James.

[SouLRioT]

James might I suggest your next present to yourself:

Ipod Photo

http://images.apple.com/ipodphoto/images/specscallouts20041026.jpg
http://www.apple.com/ipodphoto/

That way you can have all you pictures with you on the go, and have some music too.

[woaface]

I can look at the pictures on my digital camera, and I've got a Dell DJ...but man is that cool! I think I'll buy it!

And you boys just wait. DVD footage to come soon!

[TAF]

And you boys just wait. Elaine footage to come soon!
Yep..that's what we're waitin' on.....

[martyo]

Yep..that's what we're waitin' on.....

Please be sure to e-mail that footage to me as well.

[woaface]

I asked for permisssion to post footage and have RUDE or IMMATURE comments from the peanut gallery immediately executed or to have the thread posted at the top of the Lounge and Most Recent sections and be locked for a week or two where you guys can send me comments by PM or e-mail.

We'll see what happens.

[woaface]

I'm a PM away for a picture of Viki in Army fatigues. Today was Camo day at school.

Not to mention Marty, I don't talk to Mackenzie any more.

[TripleTransAm]

I asked for permisssion to post footage....


Mmmmm.... footage...

Don't forget to include some breastage and some buttage as well. And footage always looks best with high heels...

[martyo]

I asked for permisssion to post footage and have RUDE or IMMATURE comments from the peanut gallery immediately executed.

Then, what's the point?

[woaface]

So I can get coments from my second family as to how great our dancing is coming along...of course.:rolleyes:

/Steve! I'm laughing even though I shouldn't be.

[woaface]

Ok, bid's up. Now back to our regular viewing process. Fall pictures are kind of important! I like this one:


http://img56.exs.cx/img56/2019/DSC06723.jpg

[TripleTransAm]

I'm more of a summer kind of guy... ;)
http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/DSCF6065.jpg

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/DSCF6177.jpg

Although fall sunsets are spectacular... even at 35000 feet.
http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF0181a.jpg

You asked in a previous message what I use, and I apologize for not having taken the time to reply... one of those "I'll wait until I can devote enough time for a good sized reply" but here's what I can do for now.

I use (primarily) a Fuji S2 Pro 12-megapixel (output) D-SLR camera with mid/high-end Nikon lenses. Lately I've tried to shoot RAW (ie. no in-camera processing) in order to use the powerful PC-based 'development' tool to adjust exposure, tone, sharpness, etc. with a great degree of fine control, sort of a true digital darkroom. However, the first two shots are JPEGs from the camera, long before I bought the RAW processing tool.

I feed my images (TIFF from the RAW processor, JPEG from the camera) into Photoshop 7.0 for resizing, and then I add a hint of Unsharp Mask on the luminance channel after converting it to Lab Color mode. By a hint, this is usually about 60% at .6 pixel radius, with a sensitivity of 4-5 levels. This allows sharpening of the details only, without affecting the color or introducing chromatic garbage. I reconvert the image to RGB and save as a JPEG, usually choosing a quality range from 9 to 11 depending on the resultant file size.

The last image above was from a small point/shoot Fuji A330 (3 megapixel) as I approached Chicago last Thursday afternoon. While the optics are nowhere near Nikon-lens quality, it just shows that it doesn't take a bazillion megapixels and super-duper glass to get a half-decent photo.

[woaface]

What a nice camera! I've been interested in what in the world RAW was. I've only had a raw idea:)

Anyways, I was thinking of buying a Nikon D70, but I'm settled on the 8700-8800 cool pix. It's not SLR but it's still a great Digital camera and all those fancy bells and whisles and video recording abilities turn me on. The pictures they take can be just as good as D-SLR IMHO and I can shoot in RAW.

BTW, those are really nice shots:) Do you have a website somewhere that I can look at all your pics?

I post up on www.phototakers.com (http://www.phototakers.com) as woafaec (didn't mean to spell it wrong)

[martyo]

If /Steve and James teamed up and James contributes Elaine and Mackenzie and /Steve puts his lens to good use. Me and Todd would benefit and then everyone would be happy!!

[bigslim]

James, you getting pretty good with that thing. It is nice to know that next year we will have a professional photographer at MVIII. Keep up the good work. By the way, I like the pictures of the pretty girls.

[martyo]

By the way, I like the pictures of the pretty girls.

That's a euphemism for.....Elaine.....

[TripleTransAm]

BTW, those are really nice shots:) Do you have a website somewhere that I can look at all your pics?

Thanks. Likewise on your photos.
I do not have a dedicated web site up, other than the one dedicated to my cars and the one dedicated to my son. It's something I've been thinking of doing before Christmas but it all depends on my free time.

I hear you about the D70... good camera. The whole kit costs a heck of a lot more when you have to worry about lenses as well. But the flexibility of a DSLR is fun, and the learning curve is long. I can look back at my photos from 2003 and cringe at all the mistakes but that's part of learning.

So I've got nothing online other than a few experiments, including the usual moonshots, etc. Here's my own attempt from 2003, using a 3rd gen Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 on my S2. (I've since upgraded to the new 70-200mm f2.8 which includes the Vibration Resistance feature.)

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/moon/images/DSCF5031w.jpg

And of course there's the obligatory car photos that I tend to primarily focus on (no pun intended).

http://www.tripletransam.com/2004/ta-nats/DSCF7255_1.jpg

[woaface]

Yeah I'm more and more intrigued by the D70...just not the price! OUCH!

Those are awesome pictures as well:)

[RCSignals]

And of course there's the obligatory car photos that I tend to primarily focus on (no pun intended).

http://www.tripletransam.com/2004/ta-nats/DSCF7255_1.jpg

You were a little off centre on the true subject, or was that for artistic effect?

[CRUZTAKER]

Let me tell you...TTA has a truley BAD-ASS camera! He takes great pics as well.

I actually took a picture of Steve and his badass camera.:P

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/514/627TTA_FAMILY-med.jpg

[RCSignals]

I'm more of a summer kind of guy... ;)
http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/DSCF6065.jpg

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/DSCF6177.jpg




Very nice stuff /Steve! But where's the footage?

[CRUZTAKER]

Yeah...Steve is a real professional....how could I ever live down the infamous 'Morning After' shot he took of me.

The setting....the color hues....the friggin headache! A real professional can tell a story with one pic.:D

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/514/627TT3_me_am-med.jpg

[martyo]

Yeah...Steve is a real professional....how could I ever live down the infamous 'Morning After' shot he took of me.

The setting....the color hues....the friggin headache! A real professional can tell a story with one pic.:D

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/514/627TT3_me_am-med.jpg

Barry I have to tell you that is my favortie photo of you. It truely catches your "essence"!!!

[RCSignals]

"essence" ?? EWWWW

[Donny Carlson]

You can even make out the "Sea of Skidmarks"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/myspace/images/ian_law_lunareclipselarge.jpgh ttp://www.villastjean.com/Photos/David%20King%20Photos/BARTMOONING.JPG

[TripleTransAm]

You were a little off centre on the true subject, or was that for artistic effect?

I did my best, considering my wife was standing *right* beside me when I took that photo. ;)
(with 12 megapixels to work with, you can still get a *little* zoom from Photoshop. ;) )

As for the 'footage', well I looked through my hard drive, and I can tell you there are a few interesting shots I took of the 'sights' in my neighborhood. Pretty much everyone has a pool, and being a young neighborhood (not even a year old) no one had fences or hedges this summer... and most are young couples... and tiny bikinis seem to have been in style this summer... anyway, if I uploaded any of them and a neighbour came across one, I'd be toast. So, instead I'll upload something from early 2003, when I was showing off my new camera and newly-acquired "old" 80-200mm f2.8 telephoto lens to a coworker during a picnic. I was at the bottom of a steep hill, and spotted what looked like a couple of youngsters. I took a shot at 12 megapixels, using the full 200mm zoom, and was surprised. The great thing is that I was way too far away to be spotted.

http://www.tripletransam.com/2004/misc/DSCF3797a.jpg

Barry nailed on the head what I've always been after in any shot I've ever taken... to capture a feeling and mood. Heck, sometimes it's nice to add feeling or mood that wasn't even there to begin with! ;) But the viewer doesn't need to know it. This was just a plain old railway crossing a road in an industrial section we parked at to watch hot air balloons go by from a yearly exposition. Nothing poetic about the original setting as I saw it, I can promise you that.

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF7011.jpg

But anyway, the real reason I got that camera (besides my car-photo fetish) is to take shots of "this" footage, the most important in my life.

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF6964.jpg

James, the Fuji S3 is either coming out shortly or has just come out... that means the S2 prices will plummet. Or you might even be able to find one (or any Nikon DSLR of your choice) used at a good price. As for lenses, I had no choice but to go for used lenses given my lack of $$, but if you research properly, you'll see the winners and losers in the crop of lenses on the used market. And as with cameras, the new whiz-bang lenses mean dropping prices on the older ones, even though they still rank at the top of the heap (as with my 80-200mm f2.8, which I am selling once the buyer comes up with the cash he promised me, now that I've replaced it with the newer whiz-bang 70-200mm f2.8 VR). And besides, it's always best to learn on the older lenses without all the gizmos... makes you work harder to get your technique down.

[woaface]

I love the mid-length focal point of the rail road tracks! Those are very awesome pictures indeed! I'll either get the Coolpix 8800 or the D70. I figure if I wait a tad longer I'll get the D70 and it'll be worth it. It has a ton more options than I thought it did! But there are so many good pictures to take now!

I can take great pictures with the thing I'm using, but it's not exactly quick and I miss out on things. Life is soo hard:D

I'm going to dig up some more photographs for ya'll!

[TripleTransAm]

One more thing...

Digital is cool. You can shoot bazillions of photos trying different techniques without wasting an extra penny, which allows for a VERY steep learning curve, which I like. However, all is not 100% foolproof, especially with older technology.

My wife has hung on to the Fuji 2900MX point/shoot (well, kind of big for a point/shoot, but...) that I bought back in 2000, an old 2.3 mp-max model that seemed to take 640x480 shots (ie. 0.8 mp) just fine. BUT... it uses Smartmedia, and it seems that it isn't the most reliable of media. It ticked me off when in March 2003 I lost all the photos I took of a Scorpions concert (it mysteriously kept all the photos of Dokken and Whitesnake untouched, though). And now I just spent an hour using PhotoRescue (God bless the designer's Belgian ass) trying to recover as many photos of my son that my wife took using that same camera and card while I was away in Tulsa this past week. #%$#%%$@%%#$!!!! I think I managed to recover 75% of them, but still: #$%%$@%#$%!!!!

So technology has a price...

[woaface]

http://img95.exs.cx/img95/4116/DSC06695.jpg

This one could use a better background, and a Marauder instead of a Marquis but hey.

http://img95.exs.cx/img95/9623/DSC06655.jpg

This is just messing around with sepia.

[woaface]

I'm not completely pleased with these pictures, but I like their angles and the idea more...and that's what I was after.

http://img100.exs.cx/img100/6294/DSC06396.jpg

[CRUZTAKER]

I am still old school with my Nikon SLR with oodles of lenses we picked up dirt cheap in the Virgin Islands. I so much want a Nikon DSLR body so that I can use all the lenses I have.

But at last look, that Nikon body was like $5000....ouch...that's an S/C....and I can't have that either.:(

[TripleTransAm]

The 'train track' exercise was fun (save for my son anxiously yelling at me to get off the tracks so I wouldn't get hurt... what a kid). It gave me a chance to test the different moods that could be generated based on what was in focus.

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF7006.jpg

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF7004.jpg

You have a good eye for mood. I have traditionally put too much emphasis on technical accuracy to get good results or going to extreme settings, but that's just my own demon that I have to exorcise. The 'kid' photo that you posted does inspire a mood within me, so I'd have to say it was a good photo. (what constitutes a 'good' photo depends on the person viewing, of course, but my definition is the photo that generates a spontaneous emotion within me - feels like deep in my chest - when I see it... your 'kid' photo seemed to tweak my ears somehow, as if I was suddenly reacting to the thick blanket of silence that seems to surround the environment in which that photo was shot)

I've been trying to break out of the usual conventional car shot limitations. Maybe I got bored, but the thought of shooting photos of our local F-club members' cars at the opening meeting of 2004 was so unappealing... too many photos out there of cars all lined up straight. So I tried to shake things up by asking them to park randomly. After several moments of blank confused stares, I finally got them to comply, and then went around the cars looking for interesting angles. I'll have to pursue this idea next season with more pre-thought.

http://www.tripletransam.com/mfba/2004/041804/DSCF3028.jpg

http://www.tripletransam.com/mfba/2004/041804/DSCF3034.jpg

http://www.tripletransam.com/mfba/2004/041804/DSCF3053.jpg

http://www.tripletransam.com/mfba/2004/041804/DSCF3046.jpg


So where are those photos of Elaine? :beatnik:

[TripleTransAm]

But at last look, that Nikon body was like $5000....ouch...that's an S/C....and I can't have that either.:(

$5000??? US??? I just checked a local shop with a rep for slightly high prices and he's showing $1149 Canadian for a D70. Considering I sank $3000 Canadian for just the S2 Body (essentially a Nikon N/F-80 SLR with Fuji electronics, making it a D-SLR) in May 2003...

On eBay, I'm spotting Fuji S2s at around $1000 US (yikes) with a full package (incl. a couple of solid medium-quality lenses) going for $1400-$1600. A D70 with 3 "pro" lenses for $1350!! Oh the pain in my chest....

In your case, I have no idea which lenses you have, or how old they are, but the newer DSLRs are finicky with older lenses. In the case of Nikon, if they are not at least Ai/s (I think), they may damage the camera. Best case, you can use them but they won't interface with the camera's metering functions and/or auto-focus.

Yes, I'm a big fan of Nikon glass, and an equally big fan of Fuji's imaging. Hence my choice of the S2 last year.

[Dr Caleb]

I love these threads. Almost as much as Hell Boy threads. ;)

Keep up the good work!

[Patrick]

http://img95.exs.cx/img95/4116/DSC06695.jpg

This one could use a better background, and a Marauder instead of a Marquis but hey.

http://img95.exs.cx/img95/9623/DSC06655.jpg

This is just messing around with sepia.

I was wondering what that other car in the back was!!!!!!!!! Just kidding. Great work James!!!!!!! If I need a photographer your hired!!!!!!!!!!

[woaface]

Thank you guys!

http://img57.exs.cx/img57/2039/DSC06798.jpg

[jgc61sr2002]

James - Nice pics. Looks like you are really enjoying that class. :D

[TripleTransAm]

Some days I just like to get techno-geeky with my photography equipment. I was working late last night from home, and having just seen the first snowfall on my new property earlier in the evening, I figured I'd take a photo.

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF8328.jpg

Nothing spectacular, in fact a pretty bad photo overall, right? These shots were taken at 3:30 am. Pitch dark outside (we don't even have street lamps installed yet) and only the floodlights shining down from under the roof on the two houses on the right side of the photo. Hand-held, 1600 ISO, 17-55mm DX lens at 17mm opened all the way at f2.8, and a shutter speed of 15 seconds. Yes, hand-held... all these years I was immensely flattered when being referred to as "the human tripod" but after this shot, I realize they were probably referring to something photography related after all... :o Oh well...

http://www.tripletransam.com/S2/nov04/DSCF8325.jpg

[TAF]

Oh...sorry...I just saw a new post in this thread...and was looking for the pics of Elaine...

Carry-on, I'll check back when those arrive.

[CRUZTAKER]

Me too....:D


And Steve, that first pic...the overhead wires....look like barb wire. Nice effect.

[Donny Carlson]

... all these years I was immensely flattered when being referred to as "the human tripod" but after this shot, I realize they were probably referring to something photography related after all... :o Oh well...
If you had been referred to as "Mr. Tripod" - THAT would have been a compliment. (ref: Robin Williams)

"The Human Tripod" reminds me of the comment Dan Fieldling made at SSHS-4, where he said that the reason I took such good pictures was I had a "natural base." Har de har har, but true. I am gravitationally challenged.:D

BTW, how much to sneek over to Elaine's house in the middle of the night for a few snap shots? I can get a collection going.....

[martyo]

BTW, how much to sneek over to Elaine's house in the middle of the night for a few snap shots? I can get a collection going.....

Count me in! :D

[RCSignals]

I am gravitationally challenged.:D

You have a problem keeping anchored?


BTW, how much to sneek over to Elaine's house in the middle of the night for a few snap shots?

:eek:

[TripleTransAm]

Room and board, plus travel expenses... I've been looking to put that new 70-200mm telephoto with vibration-resistance to good use. :up:

[Donny Carlson]

You have a problem keeping anchored?
You're right Duncan. It's the other weigh.