The Author – Bart Busschots
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May
23
Photo of the Week 170 & 171 – Royal Canal HDR
Filed Under Photography on May 23, 2011 | 6 Comments
I spent so much energy writing my big HDR article last weekend that I didn’t get around to posting my Photo of the Week, so another double post this week to catch up. I thought I’d stick to the theme of HDR, and also pick two shots of the same subject, the Royal Canal. This canal is very special to me as it’s where I get most of my exercise, and the vast majority of my nature photos, as well as many of my railway shots too! I do a lot of pseudo-HDR shots where I tonemap single RAW images, but I hardly ever take the time to create ‘true’ HDRs by combining multiple separate exposures. Last month, for the first time in ages, I spent some time shooting some ‘real’ HDRs, and these two are my favourites.
The first is a very low-key naturalistic HDR showing two boats moored above the 14th lock on the Royal Canal at Jackson’s Bridge near Maynooth as a spring sun sets. This HDR was generated from four brackets.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure:
- Bracket 1: 1/100
- Bracket 2: 1/200
- Bracket 3: 1/400
- Bracket 4: 1/800
- Focal Length: 22mm
- Focal Ratio: f/11
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Full Manual
- Processing: created by combining four RAW images into a single tonemap in Photomatix Pro, then running that tonemap through Topaz Adjust before importing into Aperture 3 for a few final tweaks
The second shot I’ve chosen was processed to capture the feeling and atmosphere of the scene, rather than to capture it exactly as it looked to the eye. This is a much more extravagant HDR, and perhaps a little hyper-real. It was the absolute sea of Dandelion seed heads and the reflection of the setting sun in the water that caught my eye and inspired me to stop and set up my the tripod for a full HDR. This beautiful stretch of the canal is located between Maynooth village and Jackson’s Bridge, and the wall running along the canal here is the boundary wall for St. Patrick’s College (SPCM). This shot was also generated from 4 brackets.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure:
- Bracket 1: 1/50
- Bracket 2: 1/100
- Bracket 3: 1/200
- Bracket 4: 1/400
- Focal Length: 42mm
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- ISO: 200
- Camera Mode: Full Manual
- Processing: created by combining four RAW images into a single tonemap in Photomatix Pro, then running that tonemap through Topaz Adjust before importing into Aperture 3 for a few final tweaks
Apr
26
Photo of the Week 166 & 167 – Irish Rail Class 22000
Filed Under Photography on April 26, 2011 | 2 Comments
I was bold again last weekend so this is yet another double post to get caught up again. The theme for this post is the new(ish) Irish Rail Class 22000 InterCity trainsets. These modern looking diesel multiple units have now replaced more traditional locomotive-hauled trains on the majority of Ireland’s InterCity routes. As well as being quite fast (rated to 100 miles an hour in Ireland), they also have plugs at every table, and are both quiet and comfortable. A nice modern addition to the Irish Rail fleet, at least from a passenger point of view. The die-hard train spotters all hate them for not being locomotives of course, but change always comes hard to fanatics. Personally, I love to travel on them and I think they look good and are very photogenic, so put me down as a fan 🙂
This first shot was taken on a beautiful summer evening and shows No.22043 rounding a corner at about 80mph as it approaches Maynooth with an InterCity service from Sligo to Dublin. The unit was quite new when this shot was taken, but already one of the covers for its couplers was missing.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 55-200mm
- Exposure: 1/640 sec
- Focal Length: 165mm
- Focal Ratio: f/5.3
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Full Manual
- Processing: tonemapped lightly with Topaz Adjust, then tweaked a little using the built-in Dodge & Burn plugin in Aperture 2
The second shot is a more recent one, taken on a lovely spring evening this February, and shows the same trainset, this time approaching Pike Bridge with an InterCity service from Dublin to Sligo.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Sigma EX 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM
- Exposure: 1/200 sec
- Focal Length: 30mm
- Focal Ratio: f/3.5
- ISO: 200
- Camera Mode: Full Manual
- Processing: created by tonemapping a single RAW image with Photomatix Pro, tweaking the result with the Topaz Adjust 4 plugin, and finally making a few small adjustments in Aperture 3
Mar
27
Photo of the Week 163 – Jogging on the Graff
Filed Under Photography on March 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment
One of the things I really miss with all this being sick is spending my lunch times out and about enjoying the grounds of St. Patrick’s College, so I thought that this week I’d share one of my favourite shots of people enjoying those great grounds. As you can see from the photo – it’s “Pedestrian Traffic Only” along this lovely avenue of Linden trees, but that doesn’t mean it’s not busy 🙂
This general part of the college is known as ‘the Graff’ (technically I think the original Graff was one path to the North of this one) because it’s apparently as long as Graffton St. in Dublin city. Not sure how true it was, but when I worked as a tour guide for the Students’ Union during Freshers Week in the past that’s what was written on my script!
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure: 1/100 sec
- Focal Length: 38mm
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
- Exposure Bias: -0.67ev
Mar
20
Photo of the Week 162 – Snowdrops in the Cemetery
Filed Under Photography on March 20, 2011 | 1 Comment
This week I thought I’d post a re-mastered version of an image from two years ago that I think really captures the beauty of spring very well. This was one of the first shots I ever edited with Aperture (then version 2), and re-visiting it with the upgraded Aperture 3, and two years more experience has really paid off (you can see the original version on Flickr).
This shot was taken in the old part of Laraghbryan Cemetery (just outside Maynooth, Ireland), next to the ruins of the old church. The cemetery is still in use, but the part of it around the old church is very old, and now out of use. It’s full of very old and very worn tomb stones like this one, and is blanketed in beautiful Snowdrops (Galantus nivalis) each spring.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure: 1/1250 sec
- Focal Length: 200mm
- Focal Ratio: f/5.3
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
- Exposure Bias: -0.67ev
Jan
31
Photo of the Week 155 – Snowdrops
Filed Under Photography on January 31, 2011 | 1 Comment
Because I’m still sick this shot is not from this year, but it seemed seasonally appropriate, and I did re-edit it for posting today – adding just a little more contrast than my original rendering had.
I just love these little flowers, they symbolise the end of winter for me like nothing else does. In case anyone cares, the latin name for Snowdrops is Galantus nivalis. I got this shot next to the ruins of an old church just outside Maynooth. Any yes, I was lying flat on my stomach in the dirt to get this shot 🙂
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 55-200mm
- Exposure: 1/500 sec
- Focal Length: 175mm
- Focal Ratio: f/5.6
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Full Manual
- Processing: Used Aperture 3’s brushes feature to dodge & burn a little
Jan
12
Photo of the Week 152 – Moon & Venus Over SPCM
Filed Under Photography on January 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment
I was looking back through some older shots this week when I noticed this one which I had forgotten to upload to Flickr. I have no idea why I didn’t upload it when I shot it, because it’s one of my best astrophotography shots, nicely and clearly incorporating both the Moon and the Planet Venus into the shot. What at we see here is a view across St. Joseph’s Square in St. Patrick’s College Maynooth (SPCM)looking towards St. Patrick’s House with the spire of the College Chapel also visible. In the top left of the shot you can see Venus, and just above the building you can see a very thin crescent Moon with a lot of Earth Shine. This shot was taken with a tripod because it was dark and a four and half second exposure was needed.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure: 4.5 sec (shot on tripod)
- Focal Length: 19mm
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- ISO: 200
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
- Exposure Bias: -3.0ev
Dec
27
Photo of the Week 150 – Yarrow
Filed Under Photography on December 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I’m so fed up of snow and ice now that I thought this week I’d go for a more summery theme for my Photo of the Week post, a nice flower! To be more precise, a closeup of a Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) flower. These lovely white flowers grace Irish hedgerows in the late summer each year.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 55-200mm
- Exposure: 1/1600 sec
- Focal Length: 200mm
- Focal Ratio: f/5.6
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
- Exposure Bias: -1.0ev
Dec
22
Photo of the Week 149 – Common Darter
Filed Under Photography on December 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I’ve had quite enough of all this snow and cold at this stage, so I thought I’d go back to some shots from my new project this year, dragonflies and damselflies. The shot I’ve chosen for today shows a very common kind of dragonfly we see a lot around rivers, lakes, and canals in Ireland, the Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). This shot was in some ways very serendipitous – I’d put my bike down along the canal and was waiting for some butterflies or dragonflies to come by, when I noticed that the yellow walls of the the tyres on my bike seems to actually attract this guy! Maybe it looked like a massive yellow flower or something, or maybe it was just nice and warm. What ever his reason was, he sat there happily for about 10 minutes, and let me get as close to him as my lens could focus. I tried about 100 shots from different angles, with different depths of field, and with and without varying amounts of fill flash, but I settled on this one as my favourite. To give you some idea of how ruthlessly I often edit my images down, of the approximately 100 shots I took of this guy, I kept five!
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 55-200mm
- Exposure: 1/400 sec
- Focal Length: 200mm
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
- Flash: manually turned on (for fill flash)
- Flash Exposure Compensation: -3.0ev
- Processing: cropped to a square and tweaked with Aperture’s built-in Dodge & Burn plugin
Dec
2
Photo of the Week 146 – Snow in Carton
Filed Under Photography on December 2, 2010 | 4 Comments
It’s unseasonably cold and snowy here in Maynooth at the moment. The snow has now been on the ground for days, and temperatures are staying below freezing day and night. I’m still sick so rather than enjoying this cold snap’s photographic opportunities I’m sitting at home grumbling about how awkward it makes everything, and praying that heating doesn’t break down again! Still – it did remind me to go have a look at some of my shots from the last unseasonable cold snap we had, in January this year. This is not the first shot from that cold snap to make it to this Photo of the Week series, but it’s definitely a worthy addition IMO.
This shot was taken in the grounds of Carton Estate on the outskirts of Maynooth. The mist that hung over the snow-covered landscape gave it a wonderful other-worldly feel. By shooting into the sun that feel was magnified even more. To get the detail out of this shot I first processed the RAW file in Aperture, and then round-tripped it through the Topaz Adjust plugin to really get it as close to what it felt like to be there as I could.
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure: 1/320 sec
- Focal Length: 22mm
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- ISO: 200
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
- Exposure Bias: 1.33ev
- Processing: RAW initially processed with Aperture, tweaked using Topaz Adjust plugin
Nov
24
Photo of the Week 145 – The Common Blue Damselfly
Filed Under Photography on November 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Last summer I mostly concentrated on wild flowers and Butterflies, this summer, I concentrated on Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies. I’ve already shared a lot of my Butterfly shots in this series, and a Dragonfly one earlier in the year, so now I thought I’d share one of my favourite Damselfly shots from this summer.
This little guy is a male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum). As their name suggests this species are very blue, and not very rare, at least not along the banks of the Royal Canal. There is a complication though, there are three common species of blue damselfly along the canal, and they can look very similar to each other indeed! The key to telling them apart is the exact details of their markings. This angle doesn’t show it very well, but the Common Blue has a club-shaped black mark on the first segment after the wings. If you look carefully you can just about see it in this shot. If that club-shaped marking were to be u-shaped instead, then this would be an Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).
These guys are smalL shy, and very fast, which makes them quite challenging to photograph. I don’t have a traditional macro lens anyway, but if I did, I don’t think I’d use it for Damselfly shots anyway. All my Damselfly (and most of my Butterfly) shots are taken with my trusty 55-200mm zoom, usually at full stretch at 200mm. Using a zoom rather than a macro lets me get closeup shots from a little further away, though it does come at a price. Zoom lenses compress distance, and the closer you are to your subject, the more pronounced this effect is. This results in a very shallow depth of field, so you need to stop down quite a bit before you get enough depth to get meaningful shots. Zooming in also magnifies any little shake in your hand, so as well as using a small aperture to get the DOF, you also have to use a fast shutter speed to get sharp focus. Both a small aperture and a fast shutter cut down the light a lot, so you really need a lot of light to get the shot – so, you generally need to shoot on sunny afternoons. This is not that big of a problem though, because Damselflies like the sun too! With a lot of patience and perseverance, and perhaps a little luck, you can get some nice shots of these wonderful insects without the need for fancy expensive kit.
As I tried more and more damselfly shots over the summer, I soon got plenty of sharp ones, but the problem was getting a good background. These little fellas like to hide between long grass, so you tend to get grass poking into the frame all over the place, causing a lot of clutter in the background, and often even sticking in front of parts of the insect’s body, wings or tail. My perseverance paid off though, and later in the summer I got lucky when this guy posed for me on the tallest blade of grass along a bank – he was close to eye-level, and was happy to sit there while I got close enough to get this shot. Because he was on the tallest blade of grass, there was no clutter to get in the way, and I was able to angle the camera to get the nearest background object to be far enough away to be fully out of focus, giving this nice uncluttered shot
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 55-200mm
- Exposure: 1/400 sec
- Focal Length: 200mm
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- ISO: 400
- Camera Mode: Aperture Priority