Been a long time since I posted anything, or even taken photos for that matter.
Started messing around with my Canon Sx510 and sending images back to my phone for editing…basic editing at that. So this is one of the images.
It’s a bit over exposed in parts, need to learn photography all over again…. Lol.
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Thought I’d better keep my hand in. I haven’t been out much this year due to other commitments or hobbies.
Anyway, earlier this year I got a new smart phone – the Samsung Galaxy Note ll. It’s amazing how good the pictures are from camera phones these days.
I was down in Burt earlier in the year trying to capture a few shots of the swans. It was a bright sunny day. I never really think of taking images with my phone other than a few snaps here and there – especially when I’m out with my DSLR. However I thought about taking a few images and stitching them together when I remembered that my phone had a Panoramic mode on it. So I quickly got it out to try it. I was quite pleased with the results. I don’t recall doing any real processing with it other than putting a frame on it – but it was all done via the phone. Below are the images taken with the phone.
~ Keith ~
Posted from WordPress for Android
I went out today looking for something to photograph as I haven’t been out for while. Unfortunately it was typical Irish weather i.e. wet & miserable so Landscapes were out due to the poor light and even worse sky. However, there were swans down around Fahan, So I decided to have a go at photographing them.
They were sitting in the fields, taking off and flying overhead every now and then, unfortunately the shots I took were crap – so I deleted them ones. There were also swans down at the lake swimming and diving for food. I managed to get a few shots of these which where pretty decent, and once edited, brought a bit of life to them.
Due to the poor light, I decided to put the ISO on Auto, especially as photographing birds can be unpredictable. This however added a little noise to the images due to the higher ISO settings. Some of this noise I was able to get rid off using Lightroom.
Below is one the images I took, Which is actually of a Black Swan – which is rare for here. It’s not perfect – but that’s what learning is all about…isn’t it?
~ Keith ~
Found this little kitty on my doorstep. Couldn’t resist trying out several different camera apps on my phone. I was trying several different styles, vintage, Lomography and an effect with blurr – can’t remember the name at the moment.
~ Keith ~
Finally getting around to editing photos that I’ve taken in months ago, partially because I’ve been busy, but also as I’ve been fed up with the length of time it took to edit photos on my PC. Well, I took the plunge and bought a new PC. The difference it takes to even open the software is unbelievable.
Anyway – I was out in my favourite old haunt, Muff Woods a few months ago – (April actually) getting more photos of the the wee red squirrels – which I’ve already put up on Flickr. On the way home, I passed a field with a few horses running about playing. I was quite a distance away, and took a few shots of them. Unfortunately the only decent one, was the one below – but I think it came out quite well.
~ Keith ~
Last Wednesday, the Foyle Camera Club went down to Lisfannan beach to catch a sunset. Afterwards we decided to do some paint by light images using Steel wool.
This is done by inserting some steel wool into a wisk with some cord through the handle – to enable us to swing the wisk around. The steel wool is then set on fire while it’s being spun around. NB – This is quite dangerous and requires certain safety precautions i.e. Whoever is swinging the wisk must wear safety glasses/monogoggles, gloves and long-sleeved tops. This must also be done in a safe environment so as not to cause a fire. Everyone else must be a suitable distance away as there will be a lot of sparks.
This was a great nights craic. It was our first time trying this out. Not sure if there are any specific rules, but you can spin the wisk around in one direction to create a circle of light, or spin it erratically for other patterns. We did both.
From a photography point of view, we used different exposures lengths to try to capture the images, eg 10 -30 secs at various apertures. Ideally its better to do choose an environment with interesting features which are also captured (and safe of course). We done it at the beach, with no real background. as it was our first attempt. Some of the more experienced photographers used wide-angle lens to capture star trails along with it. Unfortunately I was out earlier in the day with the camera and still had the telephoto lens (55-250mm) on. I never even thought about changing it, as the craic was that good. Still,there’s always next time, and igad a few interesting pics.
Check out a few others over on Flickr
~Keith~
It’s been a while since I’ve posted (6 months) – but that’s not to say I haven’t been taken any photos. I’ve just been busy with my other hobbies i.e. Music and Computers and haven’t had time to post or even get around to editing photos which I had taken. That’s something I need to work on – I’ve never been one to go out shooting photographs, diving home to check them and get them uploaded etc..It normally takes me a little while to get the courage to look at them.
Anyway, I’ve started to try and catch up on everything, so I’ve started with a another photo shoot up at Muff Woods ( I must get the proper name of the place again), which I went to with a friend of mine from work, back in November. We went looking for the little red squirrels again. Luckily, there were 2 little devils running around the place – unluckily, they were going a little too fast for me to get many good shots. I did however get this one, which I quite like.
There are also a lot of little birds fly about around the woods – these boys are very hard to photograph, as they move that quick. However I was lucky to get a shot of a Chaffinch sitting of a branch. Quite happy with this shot.
~ Keith ~
Well I don’t know what everyone else thinks – but the size of the spiders this year are amazing. These pictures I took outside my patio doors (ahem – just before I cleaned it up, LOL). I took one image from inside – standing on a chair with the lens pressed against the glass, and one from out side zoomed in holding the camera above me. I used my 18 – 55mm lens (which was already on the camera). In hindsight – I should’ve swapped and put my 55 – 250mm lens on – to get closer, but there’s always next time. They’re not as sharp as I’d hoped, but then again I was in a bit of a rush.
~ Keith ~
To finish of the holidays & before the kids went back to school, we took a run to Belfast Zoo. I took this opportunity to take a few shots (ahem….over 500) of the various animals and birds.
I’m begining to think I prefer to photograph animals or wildlife more than other type of photography. I find it more relaxing, especially compared to Portraiture. I still plan to learn more about different types though.
The downfall of photographing animals in a zoo, is the cages, glass panels etc. They limit you, sometimes you can focus out the fences (if you’re lucky) and the reflections off the glass can be a pain – I had a lot picture with ruined by the reflections. I also got some decent images through the glass also. I wonder if a polarizer would help – must look into that.
Anyway – I’ve uploaded the images to Flickr, but here’s one of my favourite.
~ Keith ~
Time for the Foyle Camera Club monthly print competition. Entries have to be for the 21st August. Originally this month was supposed to be on the Theme of HDR (High Dynamic Range), but as a lot of members don’t know a lot about it, it was changed to an open round. I’ve an image in mind, so I must make sure it’s sent in.
I’ll post the image here after the competition is over with the position I came. I don’t expect to be near the top, as long as I don’t came last..lol.
Update (03/09/11) : As I mentioned above, I said I’d post my image when the competition is over. Well, I initially had a different pic in mind for the competition, but at the last-minute changed my mind and entered another. Below is the image I entered. Oh…BTW – I won this months competition with this image. A good boost for my confidence.
~ Keith ~
Keith Doherty - Photography 