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Creative Video – Sushi Conveyor

I found this brilliant video online today at http://dannychoo.com. I think it brilliantly shows how you can do interesting, creative photography and video with simple camera equipment. Just try and watch this one without smiling!

I don’t know what camera was used, but just about any camera available today would have done the job. From what I understand, the girl asked for permission before she sent her camera on the trip around the sushi restaurant on the conveyor belt. I suppose she was lucky that the camera returned to her, but the results she got were not only amusing, but also incredibly interesting. The diversity of faces, the different reactions, the slice of life shown are exactly the kind of things that make for great photography.

So what simple, clever ideas can you come up with to get creative with photography?

It’s FINALLY Mine! 5D MkII Arrives.

I have incredibly supportive and loving parents. As I have discussed much lately, I have decided to pursue photography seriously as a profession. If I am to do this, I really need to do it with professional equipment. The 350D I have been using for the last three years just isn’t up to scratch, in terms of resolution, sensitivity, speed and feature set.

Even when I bought the 350D I knew that one day I’d upgrade to a full-frame camera, and waited for Canon to eventually release a follow up to the 5D, the first “achievable” full-frame digicam for a new businessperson like myself.

I knew the camera was going to be expensive, so I have been looking into bank loans, which was a frustrating and depressing experience. Fortunately, my loving parents have helped me out, by loaning the money I need. They have confidence in my ability to make a success of my photography, and they want to encourage and help me get there. I love you guys, and once again, as always, your support means so much to me.

Canon 5D MkII

Beautiful isn’t it? And now it’s mine!
Photo: Steve Keys – CC.

5D2 photo examples

I will talk about the 5D2 and what I love about it more in future posts, and I don’t want to clog this one up too much, so keep an eye out for more as I learn how to get the most from this new toy… err, tool! Below are some of the very first photos I have taken with the camera:

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I knew the first photo I would take with the 5D2 would be of our beloved pet Chibi. I didn’t know that he would be so cooperative, and give me such a cute expression the very first time I pressed the shutter release!

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Being a full frame sensor, as opposed to a 1.6x crop that I had on the 350D, I expected to lose some of the reach of my telephoto lenses. What surprised me was how much the 2.6x more pixels would make up for that, and exceed the detail previously captured. This photo of a blood red moon was taken on a night when smoke from the recent horrific bushfires cast a pall over the whole city. The detail visible in this 400mm photo significantly exceeds that which I was previously able to capture. Click here to see the full sized version, a 100% crop of the original photo.

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The above photo is of the “public vote” winner of the Bead Society of Victoria’s “Bead Challenge”, which was displayed late last year at the Bead Expo. I photographed this piece, along with several others for Naomi to use in the BSV’s magazine, Connect. This was the first product photo shoot I did with the 5D2, and I just loved being able to guarantee that I had perfect focus by being able to zoom to 100% on the large screen using Live View. This is going to help a lot in future with product-type photography.

The image below is a 100% crop of the above image, showing the incredible detail captured by the 21Mp sensor.

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Finally, one of the main headline features of the 5D2, is the ability to record full HD video. I’m not sure how I’ll make the most of this feature, but I’m looking forward to experimenting with it. Below is a video I took of our adorable cat Chibi, engaging in his nightly ritual of snuggling in bed with Naomi, something he has done, for about an hour each night, since he was a kitten, eight years ago.

This video was shot in very low light, and the camera performed marvelously, but would be better when mounted on a tripod for stability. The embedded video below is hosted on Facebook, as I couldn’t get any other hosting service to display the high resolution video. Please let me know if you have any problems seeing it.

A couple of days ago I asked my Twitter friends if they had any questions about the 5D2. Rather than make this post any longer, I’ll answer them soon in a separate post. So if anyone reading this wants to ask me about my early experiences with the camera, please leave a comment, and I’ll answer them as best as I can in that post.

Your Favourite Photos 2008 – Results

A few weeks back after I posted my Top 10 photos from 2008, I invited readers to link to the favourite photo of theirs which they made last year. There has been a fantastic response, with twenty-one people sharing their best shot.

I’ve collected all the photos here for you to enjoy. There is such fantastic talent on display here, and some truly remarkable images. Scroll through the images below, and make sure you click on the image to be taken through to the photographer’s web site or image gallery. The images are shown in the order they were submitted, and the description which accompanies them were provided by the photographers.

Jessyel Ty Gonzalez

Jessyel Ty Gonzalez
I think this was my favorite photo this year that I took. Had a great night and the whole thing was just an experience.

wheeliebin

wheeliebin
My favourite simply because of the surreal fog!

Martin

Martin
"Grazing" is probably one of my favourites from 2008.

<strong>Crystal</strong><br />One of my favorite photos is one that I took early on when I just got my 50mm F/1.8 lens last year. I can’t wait for summer to get here again.

Crystal
One of my favorite photos is one that I took early on when I just got my 50mm F/1.8 lens last year. I can’t wait for summer to get here again.

<strong>Vijesh</strong><br /> This is a hard, but still I need to pick one. This would be my favorite. I had never seen her so beautiful like that before, an its the memorable vacation I had with the people that mattered most to me. Shot at Karwar, India.

Vijesh
This is a hard, but still I need to pick one. This would be my favorite. I had never seen her so beautiful like that before, an its the memorable vacation I had with the people that mattered most to me. Shot at Karwar, India.

<strong>Fee Easton</strong><br />I have 2 favourites but i will go with this one as being my fav

Fee Easton
I have 2 favourites but i will go with this one as being my fav

<strong>Jessica</strong><br />It’s hard for me to pick, but this is what I chose on my blog. I like the mood and contrast of old world and modern. It was one of those moments when I just happened to have my camera, was out with a friend doing something else, and just saw something that made me start snapping away. I love it when that happens! Starting my photoblog about Rome a few months ago has really been a fantastic experience for me and I’m looking forward to continuing to use it to expose my adopted city to others and explore it even more myself.

Jessica
It’s hard for me to pick, but this is what I chose on my blog. I like the mood and contrast of old world and modern. It was one of those moments when I just happened to have my camera, was out with a friend doing something else, and just saw something that made me start snapping away. I love it when that happens! Starting my photoblog about Rome a few months ago has really been a fantastic experience for me and I’m looking forward to continuing to use it to expose my adopted city to others and explore it even more myself.

<strong>Ariston Collander</strong><br />My favorite was of model Laura Shodire from ModelMayhem. This photo IS safe for work. Capturing her hair and face as she threw her head back, along with the lighting and general warmth of the image made it look fantastic.

Ariston Collander
My favorite was of model Laura Shodire from ModelMayhem. This photo IS safe for work. Capturing her hair and face as she threw her head back, along with the lighting and general warmth of the image made it look fantastic.

<strong>Tony</strong><br />2008 was not a great year for my photos it seems :) But here is one of my favorites.

Tony
2008 was not a great year for my photos it seems :) But here is one of my favorites.

<strong>Jason</strong><br />This photo was taken at the Terracotta Army historic site in Xi’an China. It was overcrowded and people were snapping photos on all sides of a statue in a glass display case. I saw this boy looking up at the statue with a wonder-filled expression and pulled the trigger just in time to capture this image.

Jason
This photo was taken at the Terracotta Army historic site in Xi’an China. It was overcrowded and people were snapping photos on all sides of a statue in a glass display case. I saw this boy looking up at the statue with a wonder-filled expression and pulled the trigger just in time to capture this image.

<strong>Leif</strong><br />My photo was taken at the Werribee Zoo, of a female rhino whilst on the special close-up tour on the back of a ute.

Leif
My photo was taken at the Werribee Zoo, of a female rhino whilst on the special close-up tour on the back of a ute.

<strong>Sinisa</strong><br />No dilemma. While driving tired late in the evening on Iceland, practically stumbled upon glacial lagoon under full moon. Surreal.

Sinisa
No dilemma. While driving tired late in the evening on Iceland, practically stumbled upon glacial lagoon under full moon. Surreal.

<strong>Brian Auer</strong><br />My favorite is this photo of my Wife and Daughter. It was shot on a 1956 TLR on b/w film and printed in my darkroom.

Brian Auer
My favorite is this photo of my Wife and Daughter. It was shot on a 1956 TLR on b/w film and printed in my darkroom.

<strong>Lisa Newton</strong><br />I just got my new camera, a Nikon D40, so I’ve been taking a lot of pictures, just to get used to it. In fact, I just started a blog where I can talk, get to know people, and post my pictures. I’m so excited. On the first day I had it, I went to the beach, my favorite place to be, and took this shot.

Lisa Newton
I just got my new camera, a Nikon D40, so I’ve been taking a lot of pictures, just to get used to it. In fact, I just started a blog where I can talk, get to know people, and post my pictures. I’m so excited. On the first day I had it, I went to the beach, my favorite place to be, and took this shot.

<strong>Cody Redmon</strong><br />This image is my favorite of the year because it captures everything I like about my geography in a rather dramatic minimalist image. Thanks for including your readers! :-)

Cody Redmon
This image is my favorite of the year because it captures everything I like about my geography in a rather dramatic minimalist image. Thanks for including your readers! :-)

<strong>Martin Waters</strong><br />A fifty foot spider attacking a city proved memorable and out of all the shots I took in 2008 this remains my favourite, simply because it captures the whole “war of the worlds” feel the organisers were aiming for.

Martin Waters
A fifty foot spider attacking a city proved memorable and out of all the shots I took in 2008 this remains my favourite, simply because it captures the whole “war of the worlds” feel the organisers were aiming for.

<strong>Neal Eiserman</strong><br /> I have a lot of favourites from last year, but I think I’ll go with this one as my overall fav. I like it because it captures a wonderful moment from a wonderful day. I also like the composition, the lighting and the depth of field.

Neal Eiserman
I have a lot of favourites from last year, but I think I’ll go with this one as my overall fav. I like it because it captures a wonderful moment from a wonderful day. I also like the composition, the lighting and the depth of field.

<strong>Arpad</strong><br />I would choose the photo posted first: this picture is special because it was done for my first architectural project. I was amazed and excited at the ease and peace the dog had even though I was setting up my equipment and lights. It helped me to feel more at ease and confident.

Arpad
I would choose the photo posted first: this picture is special because it was done for my first architectural project. I was amazed and excited at the ease and peace the dog had even though I was setting up my equipment and lights. It helped me to feel more at ease and confident.

<strong>Chris Prout</strong><br />Here’s one of my favorite photos of 2008. It was taken at the Detroit Red Bull Air Race.

Chris Sprout
Here’s one of my favorite photos of 2008. It was taken at the Detroit Red Bull Air Race.

<strong>Antoine Khater</strong><br />Really hard to pick up only one Neil I hope you understand :)

Antoine Khater
Really hard to pick up only one Neil I hope you understand :)

<strong>Anthea</strong><br />My favourite photo would have to be the one that makes me happy just by looking at it. It is of my favourite flower - a tulip.

Anthea
My favourite photo would have to be the one that makes me happy just by looking at it. It is of my favourite flower - a tulip.

Which is your favourite photo? What do you like about these photos? Do you have a favourite photo taken last year? If so, please leave a link to it in the comments below.

I look forward to doing this again next year!

Australia Day 2009 Under the Wheel

Tonight, to celebrate Australia Day, Naomi and I went with a few friends to watch the evening fireworks under the brand new Southern Star Observation Wheel. We staked out a great spot ahead of time, and weren’t the only ones. With the company of about a dozen other photographers, with equipment ranging from compact cameras to Canon L series lenses and massive tripods. Obviously we got a good spot :)

6sec at f/16 ISO200, 18mm

6sec at f/16 ISO200, 18mm

6sec at f/16 ISO200, 28mm

6sec at f/16 ISO200, 28mm

6sec at f/16 ISO200, 22mm

Studio – Ready to use

Previously, you have seen me cleaning out and painting our spare room in preparation for turning it into a small home studio. Well that day has come! The studio (the name “spare room” is not allowed any more ;) ) has been completed to the point where it’s ready to go for taking photos!

Feed readers will need to visit the main entry to see the panorama above. Alternatively, the static version can be seen on Flickr.

I’ve labelled the panorama with a few highlighted features:

  1. I used a really cool trick I found here, with a paint roller extension pole and a plunger head to safely hang the backdrop without damaging the rental property. See below for more.
  2. Reflector cards, perspex sheet, black card. I’d like to find a nicer way to store these rather than leaning them against the wall, but this will do for now.
  3. A very handy cupboard, into which I put a small set of drawers, to keep all my photo gear safe and out of the way.
  4. (Overhead) I’ll have to do something about that mould. It’s really obvious now the whole room is white :)
  5. Speakers and sub woofer, which I can connect to my laptop for music. I’d go insane working without music :)
  6. This trestle table is WAY too big for this room. I have to put it against this wall to keep enough room for shooting portraits, but here I can’t open both the cupboard and room door at the same time. Hopefully going to Ikea this weekend :)
  7. A granite tile I found tossed out for hard rubbish collection. No idea if it will be a suitable base for photography, but I won’t know ’till I try. Plus, it was free!
  8. (Down below) The huge backdrop is too long and too wide for the room. That’s ok tho, I’ll just fold it under. I need to get some foam matting to go under the sheet tho, as it’s dangerously slippery with a sheet on a polished wood floor.
  9. A conveniently placed power point, but I’ll need to get some secure cable tidy hooks or something so I can lead power across the room to the laptop and speakers etc.

And here’s a close up of the plunger/pole:

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