Search found 100 matches
- November 16th, 2013, 5:49 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: What herps do you have problems photographing?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 9514
Re: What herps do you have problems photographing?
Mole (ambystomatid) salamanders. I don't even try anymore. They can be all shiny and press their chins against the ground by themselves, I don't want to play. Everything else has been cooperative at some point, but most of the ambystoma are jerks.
- September 24th, 2013, 10:58 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Portraiture Photography (yes, of Humans not Herps)
- Replies: 4
- Views: 4190
Re: Portraiture Photography (yes, of Humans not Herps)
So I know this isn't much help, but I'll second the use of black. Your shots are high key which don't always need black, but you have high contrast lighting also (like in between strands of hair) that would really benefit from black. Other than that, I've always shot people candidly. I've tried sett...
- September 24th, 2013, 10:42 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Tropical Photography Gear
- Replies: 12
- Views: 8355
Re: Tropical Photography Gear
I highly recommend not having time for that BS.
- August 14th, 2013, 10:13 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Snake Road
- Replies: 17
- Views: 5764
Re: Snake Road
Psssht the Chicago Herp Society owns all the tin in southern Illinois. You're merely allowed to see it by virtue of your Illinois-ness.
On a serious note, I'll be down there the 5th of October-ish, should we do a roll call?
On a serious note, I'll be down there the 5th of October-ish, should we do a roll call?
- July 27th, 2013, 9:45 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Snake Road
- Replies: 17
- Views: 5764
Re: Snake Road
yeah stay away from this tin site too. Even though Justin is shooting a timber, it is obviously either his tin site or someone elses.
happy herping!
happy herping!
- July 27th, 2013, 9:02 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Traveling with snake hooks and other gear?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 11590
Re: Traveling with snake hooks and other gear?
I check tongs and hooks in a $10 rifle case. They always want to open it and inspect it, so I always show them exactly what's inside right away. Usually it shows up at my destination with about a roll each of three kinds of tape wrapped around it and crudely scrawled notes that it is snake handling ...
- July 8th, 2013, 6:31 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Places to Herp
- Replies: 21
- Views: 5043
Re: Places to Herp
Find some dirty (RR ties) train tracks going through forest preserves or other habitat. Here in Northern IL, that's your best bet at seeing a variety of stuff. It's a way of seeing a local sample, so to speak.
- May 6th, 2013, 10:23 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
- Replies: 492
- Views: 197964
Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Yes, that is true. the high magnification causes f/25 (or whatever) to be smaller than the subject. Reducing magnification or increasing f/number are the only (applicable) ways to increase the DoF in that situation. There was nothing incorrect about that statement at all! distance to subject is prob...
- May 5th, 2013, 11:12 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
- Replies: 492
- Views: 197964
Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Dof Is determined by magnification and F/stop, not proximity. that's an important consideration when you're using lenses of different focal lengths and magnifications. Don, How is the salamander's tail not in focus at f/25? :shock: Dalton, Remember that the area in focus (DoF) at a given aperture is...
- March 6th, 2013, 8:17 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Another Fellow Possibly Upgrading *EDIT* + Current Question
- Replies: 35
- Views: 13205
Re: Another Fellow Possibly Upgrading
PM me before you get rid of your 35 macro pleeezzzeee
Personally I think olympus is the way to go. The OM-D is pretty enticing...
Personally I think olympus is the way to go. The OM-D is pretty enticing...
- March 6th, 2013, 12:38 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Another Fellow Possibly Upgrading *EDIT* + Current Question
- Replies: 35
- Views: 13205
Re: Another Fellow Possibly Upgrading
what lenses do you already own?
Olympus zuiko makes some very very nice lenses...
Olympus zuiko makes some very very nice lenses...
- March 6th, 2013, 12:23 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: shooting scenarios
- Replies: 10
- Views: 6629
Re: shooting scenarios
center weighted metering or spot metering will work too - just meter for the subject not the overall scene. The background is going to be black anyway, unless you have the midnight sun or a tripod with you
- June 16th, 2012, 4:43 am
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Editing Question (Sorry for all the threads)
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2698
Re: Editing Question (Sorry for all the threads)
noise reduction and sharpening
- June 6th, 2012, 9:27 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Decent Camera on a budget?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 13988
Re: Decent Camera on a budget?
what about a used fleabay camera? I always liked the sony line before I went to DSLR. they even made brown snakes look good. (sony H5. No idea what the going rate is now, but I paid about $350 new) Or, consider an older DSLR. You can get into canon gear for a couple hundred bucks - older body and a ...
- May 22nd, 2012, 7:34 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: A couple lifers from a recent trip (OH)
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1820
Re: A couple lifers from a recent trip (OH)
Thanks Steve, I use an olympus E3. Most with 50mm macro, wide shots with the 12-60 SWD
- May 17th, 2012, 10:59 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: A couple lifers from a recent trip (OH)
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1820
A couple lifers from a recent trip (OH)
PHOTOS!!!! K3 illinois http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7204454102_94ecf96505_o.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7204453934_d8f3b128e5_o.jpg O-hi-o! http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7204454294_031d89b6ce_o.jpg lifer http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7204453636_373d6f82de_o.jpg big mama h...
- May 17th, 2012, 9:41 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Herping So. Illinois
- Replies: 18
- Views: 3929
Re: Herping So. Illinois
nice finds. I haven't been to snake road since the last time we herped together (crappy conditions) but I do miss it. Maybe I'll shoot for the fall shindig.
- March 19th, 2012, 3:25 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Lens Rumor
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2166
Re: Lens Rumor
zeiss, it will be very good. and very expensive. I have a 50-200 that I use all the time, perfect focal length for hots. Good with extension tubes too.
- March 12th, 2012, 6:09 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Another flash/no flash question...
- Replies: 6
- Views: 3064
Re: Another flash/no flash question...
I think the second shot is WAY better composed than the first - he's facing the camera instead of away, is at an angle instead of straight on, and feels twice as alive because of it. he doesn't have that stick in front of his rear leg and has a much more expressive face. If his feet were on the grou...
- February 27th, 2012, 6:17 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Salamander Photography?
- Replies: 52
- Views: 18471
Re: Salamander Photography?
Thanks Justin - but I only stop to shoot the pretty ones. Come on up any tuesday in salamander season and we'll go.
- February 21st, 2012, 9:33 am
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Salamander Photography?
- Replies: 52
- Views: 18471
Re: Salamander Photography?
expose for the highlights instead of an average, and keep the light behind you or shoot in deep shade. a reflector can be really nice for shiny things because it won't throw huge white light on it. Flash sucks for shiny stuff. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5105/5591351064_d72d24f092_o.jpg if you nee...
- January 10th, 2012, 11:39 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Canon D 500 closeup lens
- Replies: 5
- Views: 2444
Re: Canon D 500 closeup lens
I had a lens like this, a high quality sony model in 3.5ish diopter. With a good long zoom it rocked. I've heard nothing but good things about the canon models.
- January 10th, 2012, 11:37 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Really Stupid Question
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2734
Re: Really Stupid Question
get a new monitor. I spent under $200 on a viewsonic in 1080p, calibrated it with software, printed some photos, adjusted calibration, printed some more, adjusted calibration, printed some more, decided it was perfect. Compare your print output with your monitor output and it's easy money.
- January 1st, 2012, 12:22 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Snake activity prior to a Tornado
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1393
Re: Snake activity prior to a Tornado
I prefer to herp last year's tornadoes. Lots of downed barns and tin
- December 29th, 2011, 7:16 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Salamander Photography?
- Replies: 52
- Views: 18471
Re: Salamander Photography?
I actually lift their front legs off the ground with a stick under the chin. Then when you set them back down, they are standing up as much as a salamander can. Posing them on a ledge of some kind can help give the illusion of standing upright too. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3060/2402230226_f97e5...
Re: Noise
Oh yeah, there's a lot of difference between the two shots - the gaping green snake was shot at first light on a nice spring morning, the high-iso shot was taken at dusk, after sundown, on a summer night. The quality and temperature of the light are different but the saturation is definitely skewed ...
Re: Noise
Gee, glad I posted this after all ;-) ...lot's of new information for me. Thanks all! Chris, didn't even know about the noise reduction feature which IS available on my old EOS. I tried some quick tests with it on and off at ISO 1600. Curiously, those noise reduction appeared less sharp on close ex...
- December 9th, 2011, 7:28 am
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Wanting advice for a good field camera and Gps
- Replies: 7
- Views: 2214
Re: Wanting advice for a good field camera and Gps
my cell phone is my GPS. I can take a picture of what I found and it will give me the GPS coordinates in "picture info." I'll never spend money on a dedicated one. Buy a better camera with the extra $100.
Re: Noise
I don't correct for ISO noise. I haven't found a photo where I felt it detracted from the image, but I do try to keep the ISO as low as possible. Image stabilization is a good friend of mine. what i DO correct for is high-ISO washout, which is far worse. The more the sensor is pushed, the less satur...
- October 5th, 2011, 10:30 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: an interesting find
- Replies: 13
- Views: 3420
an interesting find
I've been sidelined by weddings, money and time this year and have only made a few trips out. One trip was in cook county, looking for whatever. It was more an excuse to get out than anything, as it had been terribly dry for a month prior. we did manage to scrounge up some queen snakes, a YOY waters...
- September 15th, 2011, 12:26 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Snake Road Question
- Replies: 27
- Views: 4994
Re: Snake Road Question
I've seen many timbers on snake road itself, but they are not a common snake. Southern IL hasnt gotten a lot of rain this year (except for some SEVERE flooding this spring) so I'm not sure how productive it will be - your timing is a bit late but not too late, so concentrate on the west facing bluff...
- August 31st, 2011, 9:33 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Mirrorless SLRs
- Replies: 14
- Views: 4573
Re: Mirrorless SLRs
Anyway, we'll have to go to a camera shop and actually handle the different cameras to make a final decision. Robert That sounds good. The swivel monitor and EVF are good considerations. I know the Oly has aftermarket EVFs, but I don't know too much about the m4/3 system since it doesn't offer the ...
- August 19th, 2011, 11:17 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Mirrorless SLRs
- Replies: 14
- Views: 4573
Re: Mirrorless SLRs
I'd look at the Olympus offerings before the panasonic. I'm biased because I have regular 4/3 equipment. Olympus bodies have built in image stabilization. That's a really nice feature. Some panasonic lenses have IS, but they have all but dropped their support for full size 4/3 so it is unlikely they...
- August 17th, 2011, 7:52 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Illinois Herps? Any luck???
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1967
Re: Illinois Herps? Any luck???
I don't even herp for most of july and august, unless june and early july are temperate. As soon as "summer" hits around here, the herps go into hiding. I'll start again towards the end of the month if the weather stays cooler.
- August 1st, 2011, 9:27 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Stupid Question ( oh gawd! Not again!!!!)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 4080
Re: Stupid Question ( oh gawd! Not again!!!!)
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong; Macro lens is for upclose (distance wise) photography, while teloscopic lens are for distance shots that looks like a person has taken the photo up close distance wise. Hope this helps, been researching cameras myself and got lost in the jargon a few times as w...
- July 31st, 2011, 9:17 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Stupid Question ( oh gawd! Not again!!!!)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 4080
Re: Stupid Question ( oh gawd! Not again!!!!)
Justin: That 400mm has very close focus to begin with. The extension tube cuts that down to about 60%. Being able to focus 400mm at two feet is a LOT of magnification for a safe distance (the timber we were shooting wasn't more than 20 inches long). The bare lens is usually more than enough magnific...
- July 30th, 2011, 10:51 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Stupid Question ( oh gawd! Not again!!!!)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 4080
Re: Stupid Question ( oh gawd! Not again!!!!)
sigma makes tons of zoom macro lenses. The problem is that the lenses are mostly standard quality and slow. The sigma 70-300 gets close to 1:1 magnification which makes it great for shooting butterfly eyes at six feet; it is a true "macro" lens by most people's definition. again, it suffer...
- July 28th, 2011, 11:23 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens) in SW MO.
- Replies: 5
- Views: 3089
Re: Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens) in SW
MO proximus
Nuthin dull about that one...from the OK border.
Nuthin dull about that one...from the OK border.
- July 28th, 2011, 8:24 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Rain in hot Chicago = movement?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1034
Rain in hot Chicago = movement?
I know it's mid summer and hitting 100f during the day, but has anyone in the heavy rain areas of northeast IL been out looking recently? I'm just wondering if the moisture is enough to pull things out of hiding - it didn't rain for nearly a month before this recent bombardment. I typically take jul...
- July 22nd, 2011, 12:26 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Canon 40d question
- Replies: 15
- Views: 4016
Re: Canon 40d question
The tiny viewfinders in crop sensor DSLRs make it very hard to focus manually. My guess is that it is just too small to see accurately.
- July 20th, 2011, 5:39 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Transatlanticism
- Replies: 13
- Views: 3202
Re: Transatlanticism
awesome post, I love the stuff we don't see in the states.
I'd just clone out those stray grass blades in the adder shot, it would take five minutes.
I'd just clone out those stray grass blades in the adder shot, it would take five minutes.
- July 16th, 2011, 11:28 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Recent creek adventures.
- Replies: 14
- Views: 3253
Re: Recent creek adventures.
I use a hat. Then I don't have to carry it.
- July 13th, 2011, 8:27 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Going to Disney next week
- Replies: 50
- Views: 9017
Re: Going to Disney next week
Plus, Disney is dry.
Although there is something to be said for kicking back and relaxing...
Although there is something to be said for kicking back and relaxing...
- July 12th, 2011, 3:09 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Going to Disney next week
- Replies: 50
- Views: 9017
Re: Going to Disney next week
or, why go to Disney World when you can herp?Norman M. Schlincter wrote:Why herp when you're at Disney World?
- July 8th, 2011, 12:19 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: New to the world of herping.
- Replies: 10
- Views: 2066
Re: New to the world of herping.
And start looking for people in your area that might have time to get in the field with you - sometimes finding the hard-to-get lifelist herps requires help. And it's good to have another set of eyes and some company. If you are in MD you might do better in the northeast chapter forum, although you'...
- July 8th, 2011, 12:10 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: Nesting Hogs, 2011
- Replies: 39
- Views: 6791
Re: Nesting Hogs, 2011
bgorum - The nesting areas are higher in elevation than the surrounding areas which probably helps with drainage, they get a good amount of sun, they are pretty open (less vegetation), and they are near wetlands (prey for hatchlings). Carl Awesome post. I just thought I'd quote the greatest line he...
- July 6th, 2011, 8:23 am
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: DOR Hoaxes
- Replies: 69
- Views: 10217
Re: DOR Hoaxes
It's often damn banana peels. Who is eating all these bananas?
- July 1st, 2011, 11:37 pm
- Forum: The Forum
- Topic: My first bite (non-venemous)
- Replies: 18
- Views: 3847
Re: My first bite (non-venemous)
That's alcohol abuse!kyle loucks wrote:I remember my first bite. An Eastern Garter, my mother wanted to pour whiskey on it. The bite that is...
to the OP, here's to many, many more where that came from
- June 15th, 2011, 4:53 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Beginner Basics
- Replies: 9
- Views: 3558
Re: Beginner Basics
Actually, there are a couple of other "tricks" I can think of. It is very hard for a beginner to visualize how fast life is in terms of a fraction of a second. you can freeze most normal human speed motion at about 1/100s or faster. For running you'll need at least 1/250s. For normal still...
- June 15th, 2011, 4:36 pm
- Forum: Image Lab
- Topic: Beginner Basics
- Replies: 9
- Views: 3558
Re: Beginner Basics
There are no "tricks" to exposure, it doesn't work that way. The only thing I can think of that qualifies as a trick is to shoot in the sweet spot of your lens - that's probably between f/3.5 and f/8, and most likely somewhere in the middle of the zoom range (although that can vary based o...