Pouring Rain, Photo Fun

This morning I was obliged to walk/run Ziva in rather heavy rain.  Unlike some dogs I could name, she is not the least bit dissuaded by precipitation, or even thunder.  She loves to run through water channels, such as the rush down the street along the gutter on the way to a storm sewer opening at the bottom of a hill.  And if there are piles of wet leaves along the way, so much the better!

Well, after an hour or so of that, I thought I owed it to myself to go out into the rain again with a weather resistant camera.  I had spotted some interesting possibilities along our neighborhood creek.  This is where I say "kids, don't try this at home!"  To put it seriously, if you want to keep your expensive camera gear working, and shoot in heavy rain, you should consider putting a plastic bag around the camera body, with just the hood of the lens poking out of a hole sealed around it.  There are also specially made rain covers for cameras that you can purchase.  Digital cameras are, in large part, computers.  Any water that gets into electronics can cause trouble.  Salt water is especially evil - corrosive! - but that's a discussion for another day.  If you get a little rain on the outside of your camera, just be careful to wipe it off when you get indoors.

All of that notwithstanding, I wasn't worried about the camera and lens I was carrying*, because they are very substantially moisture sealed.  I was careful to keep rain from landing on the front surface of the lens (lens hoods do more than keep stray bright light from hitting the lens), and just went out and shot.  The results were worth it, to me, and it gave me some more experience to call upon if I'm at some gorgeous scenic site on a rainy day.  Here are eight examples.  I began with small things.

Here's a stage-setting view of the creek, running high.

Next are some shots of the white water action.

Note how a high shutter speed freezes the water in the foreground, where it is in focus.

A slow shutter speed perhaps gives a better sense of the many directions of flow.

Finally, a close view of leaves that were collecting and dripping rain. You can see a scattering spray behind them as rain hit a bark projection.  The tree was purplish in the bluish overcast light, and I emphasized the color by increasing the saturation, as if I were shooting the old Fuji Velvia slide film from days of yore.

[Canon 1DX, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II]

When my brief excursion was done, the inside of my weather resistant jacket was wet, and my Tilley hat was soaked through.  However, the innards of the camera seem unaffected.  Well, to be fair, the soak-through of my clothing was a result of my hour out with Ziva as well as twenty minutes with the camera!

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Testing gear as an excuse for photo fun

I like to try to photograph common subjects in unusual ways.  Sometimes I need a little nudge to get going.  Even though there may be no one watching me, it can feel a little silly to be putting time and effort into yet more pictures of...whatever...let's say another stupid dead leaf and some nondescript pine straw.  That unease absolutely should not be a consideration, but the psychology of hesitation is what it is.   So I find various modes of thought to push myself over that small initial hurdle, but today I had no trouble, thanks to an extra stimulus.

I just acquired a new bit of gear, a lens to replace another, adding a dash of new capability (I hope) and making certain things easier to do.  Its primary functions (in theory, at least) will be shooting wildlife, sports, and narrow landscapes.  However, this telephoto zoom has an excellent range of close focusing, which opens other areas for exploration.  Aha, what more excuse could I need to notice what the fallen leaves are up to today?  Here is one of my first shots with the new lens.

That was done right in my own front yard.  Oh, and looking back at the house, what do you know - someone has been watching me!  Ziva got the glass door quite misty!

Here are two small leaves on a very large one.  This lens will be good for shooting butterflies and dragonflies, I think.

Next is just a hanging leaf, but I like the patterns made by the blurred branches behind it.  One of the lens characteristics that I was testing is the quality of blur both behind and in front of the plane of focus.  Bokeh is the fancy (Japanese) term for blur character.  I am pleased with the bokeh as an ingredient of the first shot, at the top.

A tangled mess that perhaps could be a metaphor for life and its inherent beauty and struggle:

As I re-entered the house after my ten pace safari, I got a really quick shot of Ziva, who was moving. This actually was a good first test of high speed autofocus response in dim light, suggesting that I will be a happy camper when I get to chase after birds in flight, soccer players leaping, and dogs running.

[all photos using Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS II]

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Leaves Via Ziva

Ziva really loves to play in leaf piles.  I can't trust her off the leash on city streets, so to make a video I have to attempt everything one-handed.  Here's a still frame from a slow motion vid that worked pretty well.

And here are a couple of vids, a "slo-mo" and a normal speed (different occasions):

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Falling for Ziva

Ziva loves autumn weather!  I suspect she'll be happy through all seasons, though.

While she watched from inside the house, I went after a few falling leaves that got caught on their way down.  These are exactly as I found them.  Forkful:

Almost butterfly-like:

Wants to be the last one on a stem?

How much is that doggie in the window?  Priceless!

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Chipmunk, Cardinal, Leaves

Five minutes in the yard today yielded lots of things to see, and I caught a few of them with the camera.  The chipmunk was in a tough, contrasty light situation, with a busy background, but his face was irresistible.

This lady cardinal looked inquisitive, and as you would expect, her movements were sudden and quick, but she tolerated me long enough for this sequence.

The leaves caught the light in a fantastic way against the shaded background.  One almost looks disconnected and falling (the very deep shadow on the stem has not been altered at all).

Moments later, as I moved no more than a few inches for a slightly different perspective, the balance of light on subject and background completely changed.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/09/chipmunk-cardinal-leaves.html

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Prefiguring Autumn

My plans for today had included photographing the rising full moon and sunset at Lake Jordan. Unfortunately, the weather has been such a washout all day that it seems obvious I'll have to wait for another opportunity.

Sticking closer to home, I noticed that a few leaves were anticipating the autumn transition. The rain added a glossy sheen.

[Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS II + Ext. 2X III]

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Variations on a Theme

Here are five close looks at a patch of leaves, wet with rain.  I knew from the start that I wanted to emphasize the curves and patterns of the veins and leaf edges, but as you see, I experimented with different perspectives and framing.  The first three are obviously focused on the same leaf.  After, there is a 1:1 shot of a neighboring leaf, and the final image was shot almost a foot away.  Small world!

The second variation lent itself to a toned "black and white" interpretation, warm brown for the shadows and green for the highlights.

This leaf was almost perfect in its form.  I could "repair" the bite out of the upper edge, but doesn't this natural blemish add to the beauty of form, curves, textures and balance?

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/08/variations-on-theme.html

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Raleigh's second snow and ice storm of this year

Yesterday's snowstorm caused traffic tie ups in Raleigh severe enough to make national news. My usually 15-20 minute commute home took 5 hours…oh well, so much for hopes of photographing an idyllic landscape covered in pristine snow! I was hungry and tired, and the light was almost gone.

Fortunately for me, I was free to go out for a walk this morning, and although a combination of sleet and rain was falling steadily, it was fun to wander with a camera. Also fortunate is that the camera and lens are pretty solidly weather sealed (though not truly "waterproof" by any means).

I was following a little creek that runs through our neighborhood park. It flows into Crabtree Creek, which I've pictured here a few times.

Most of what caught my eye today was detail, rather than a large, sweeping landscape. That's mostly because there isn't much of a grand landscape where I was.

 I think this fallen leaf was caught and imprisoned in a jail of ice twigs.

Even a drainage conduit looks nicer in icy weather.

I found some leaves embedded in packed snow.

On my way home, I spotted some kids having fun, and Max the dog seemed to be as excited as anyone could be!

[All photos, Canon 1DX and EF 70-200/4 L IS]

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Impure as the Undriven Snow

Tonight, the very first tiny hint of a snowfall in Raleigh this winter. Here are some of those tiny ice crystals, captured by a rather battered group of leaves. I don't know about you, but I'd love to see the land blanketed by a heavy carpet of snow, driven by wind into beautiful drifts, covering the humdrum trees and houses with a fairyland look…sorry, not getting to actually see it, so the cliches just came pouring out.

Anyway, this is the stingy reality so far. When (and if) I decide that a few of the other leaves I shot are worth your glance, I'll post other shots.

And here is the unreality, because if I don't see what I hope for, maybe I can imagine it, and if I can imagine it, there's Photoshop®...

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/01/impure-as-undriven-snow.html

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Can't see the forest for the trees?

Today, to take a break from editing a couple of thousand soccer action photos, I spent a little while looking for individual red leaves and any interesting clumps of the same. I tried to emphasize contrasts by using a wide view (a 24 mm lens for all of these shots) and finding shapes, colors, and "density" (luminance) that were very different from the leaves themselves.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/11/cant-see-forest-for-trees.html

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Dying leaf curls itself into a lantern shape

The leaves are falling, and those still attached to branches are past their peak from the aesthetic perspective of an observer, but there are still some interesting sights to be found.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/11/dying-leaf-curls-itself-into-lantern.html

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