The Photography Thread

[Alastair]

Got my 1 and only L on the 9th May last year. I know what you're getting at with the step up in image and not just the quality. Colours are better etc. What I've learnt since is that it's not 'just' L glass that can do it, the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 is a lot less money and gives equally good shots to the Canon 17-40 f4 L. Money saved and a much more versatile lens too.

Flickr is fixed, hooray.

[Ginger Tosser]

Some of the Non L prime lenses are superb. The 50mm (1.4 & 1.8) are great. IS is nice to have, but to be honest i'd rather have a wider aperture.

Some people swear by IS though, in fact some bloke on Flickr (Canon group) wouldn't buy a lens unless it was IS. Me, I prefer IS on long lenses tbh, shorter focal lengths seem a waste to me.

[Ginger Tosser]

Update. I no longer have the 1D!

I was getting a few err01 messages relating to issues with lenses. These Canon EF lenses work fine with my 5D however. Also part of the plastic grip material which covers the card door was starting to peel off. Fairly ****e for a 2k camera imo. So I've taken it back to Jacobs for a refund this morning. Was offered a replacement but to be honest I'm that annoyed with the bloody thing I was happy to walk away.

Maybe I'll wait for the 1D MKIIIn version

[Alastair]

Gutted, bad luck GT, does seem to be a few quality issues with the new 1D and therefore it's a gamble when you buy one, at least you did the best thing and got it in an actual shop and saved yourself a load of postage hassle.

[Ginger Tosser]

Indeed, I've a low tolerance for cack electronics. But at least I've tried it. Credit to Jacobs, no hassles with the refund either.

[funkydan]

Yeah, I was mostly using the 50mm f1.8 last night, and I really found the fixed framing getting in my way. A couple of shots which could've been really great were reduced to being alright. I occasionally needed to get a bit wider, but switching to my 28mm f1.8 was such a pain that I usually missed the moment, and there's such a difference that I had to totally reconsider everything anyway. Normally I'd be happy to scamper around to get the right framing, but in gigs without a pit you're usually glued to the spot.

I haven't really had much experience with IS, but apparently you get between two and three extra stops from it, which would in theory cancel out the extra stop, at least for camera shake purposes. You'd get increased motion blur though. From the photos that I've seen, the quality of the glass is in another league to what I'm used to. The light and the shadows just look so much... better. It's sort of smoother and richer... I'm not really sure how to describe it. I noticed it that you got your L glass (how long ago was that now?), that had a similar quality to the photos. That's what I mean. [/natter]

I always use my 50mm f1.8 for gig shots and have had great results for the most part. The most recent band I shot using that lens was David Devant and His Spirit Wife and I was so pleased with how they turned out (took about 200 shots and ended up with the 30 you can see in the link!).

I love that lens and think it's great how you don't need a flash if the stage/venue lighting is sufficient. Admittedly, you can't get shots of the whole stage all the time, but it's all about standing in the right place but also moving around a lot.

I'm fortunate that I can take photos in my local live music venue with no problems and usually find myself moving around an awful lot (without trying to get in people's way and pissing them off - not easy, but it can be done! ). Do try to avoid changing lenses mid-gig though as you said, you can miss stuff.

I do hope I'm not coming across as being condescending as that was not my intention, it's just that I love Live Music photography and want to help you get the same level of enjoyment out of it as I do. As soon as I changed to the 50mm f1.8, my enthusiasm for live shots increased ten fold, as that or the f1.4 are the shizzle!

Like that shot of yours on the previous page - reminded me a bit of one I took a while back (which I can't for the life of me find!!)

[Gareth C]

My first from Hong Kong...

Click for larger version on flickr as usual.

[fuse]

Another 'all in one' barrage from me. Uploaded all of my Dublin shots last night (set here), here's some of the ones I like. Did someone say quantity over quality?

[wicky]

Got my Nikon d60 yesterday yay, here is one of my first attempts

[winky]

soo many pictures. I had a quick browse at the set Fuse. My fave has to be the picture titled interaction, only for the chap on the left face. He looks seriously bored

Gareth, I really like the vintage look on your pictures its very well done, suits the image too.

Wicky, That cat looks somewhat bemused. I have pictures of a friends cat and I refuse to upload them becuase I don't get cats :P. He pops right out of the picture did the camera flash go off?

Not done much myself, been busy, and lacking inspiration. Was up north at the weekend but the weather was horrible!
On the way home spotted this helicopter hovering over the Tummel and stopped to get a few snaps. Had someone with a big Nikon come by and take a few snaps, I felt inadequate. :P Also, his lens hood was a crown type hood, which always looks pro!
When the helicopter disappeared upstream he chased after it. (running back to his car). I assumed maybe he was chasing a story. He must of been disappointed, because we stopped just 10 minutes downstream because I thought I had dog poo on my shoe. I got out to wipe it off and got some nice snaps of the helicopter as it made a few passes of where we had stopped.

Anyway, found it hard to get the picture I wanted because needed to dial the shutter down to about 100 to get the blur on the rotors. Which meant I had to hold real steady becuase I had my focal length at about 280mm.
(ignore my exif data it is wrong on a lot of my pictures, I guess the sigma lens doesnt talk to the camera too well :/)

At first I thought it was just training but it appears an old man has gone missing so I hope they find him

[MartyG]

Wicky very clean shot - but please post medium pics - large just busts the forum formatting and makes all the following ( and previous actually ) post all the more unreadable

[wicky]

Wicky very clean shot - but please post medium pics - large just busts the forum formatting and makes all the following ( and previous actually ) post all the more unreadable

Changed it - thanks

[Alastair]

What's that shot with Gareth?

Fuse, like the first especially and the second has nice textures.

Good luck with the d60 Wicky.

Winky, that shot looks good large, just the right amount of blur in the rotors.

Was out at a country park on Sat with the big lens and the extender on trying to get some birds. Wasn't overly successful but did have my first derogatory 'comment'. Some guy was showing off to his mate and shouted over something like:

if you're looking for the ones with their tits out having sex they're over there

I just went and kept on walking past. Dunno why he suggested there would be naked birds about, it was bloody freezing

[Magnakai]

Blimey. You don't check this thread for a couple of days, and look what happens! Excellent shots from everyone!

Gareth, that's lovely. I want more!

Fuse, that's a really nice set. I really liked the sunset ones as well as the ones you've posted.

Winky, that's a nice capture. I'm glad you got some blur on the rotors, it would've been a completely different shot without it.

Wicky, that's a cute cat! Their expression is great. The other photos you've uploaded since then are much better IMO, especially this one.

I uploaded the rest of the Late Of The Pier shots. Full set here.

A few choice ones below. As always, click for bigness!






Dan, thanks for your advice. I do like my 50mm... I mean, I shot all of these with it. I just felt a tad limited at times. In other, smaller gigs where I've been able to run around and get different angles it's been a lot more fun, but this time I was rammed into the crowd and couldn't shift at all. Luckily I managed to be right at the front, so I could use the stage to change lenses on. They stopped me taking pics after a few songs though, so I missed all the real theatrics. That always happens though. I do really enjoy it, probably more so than any other type of photography. Btw, those photos of David Devant were excellent. Nice and clear, sharp and smooth. Some great expressions too.

Btw, Alastair, you didn't even go and look? Looking forward to seeing your output with the new toy!

[funkydan]

Like those shots Mag, especially the last one - it's like something out of Jacob's Ladder! I know what you mean about the limiting element of the 50mm, but it is great still And thank you for your kind words re: my David Devant shots - I was well chuffed with those. As were the band, so I've sent them a CD of the shots