Tag Archives: aperture

Just for fun, Macro, Travel

Lego jeep captured on a sandy ledge

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Had a blast with my family and some friends this weekend while iN St. George. Before making the trek north, we stopped at Snow Canyon State Park’s sand dunes to photograph some Lego stuff. Here’s one I wanted to share quickly tonight, but stay tuned for some other ones that I am really looking forward to sharing over the next few days.

042813-Lego-Jeep-Sand-WEB

Canon 60D | 100mm Macro Lens | 1/400 | f/5.0 | ISO 100 | RAW

I used a 100 mm macro lens so I could have a narrow depth of field to help highlight the Lego jeep. I had a few shots where I used a flash, but this one worked without a flash.

Both of my sons set up some of the photos I’m planning to share, so stay tuned to see their works of art that I was privileged to capture.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, Macro

Help! I’m trapped in a water droplet!

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Yesterday I shared the flower photo I shot in my backyard using a macro lens. I also provided a link to a photo on my Flickr page that used a similar concept. But I thought the photo was so funny that I just had to share it as its own blog post.

Trapped in a water droplet

Canon 60D | 100mm Macro Lens | 1/20 | f/25 | ISO 400 | RAW

Hope you get a laugh out of this photo, too.

~signed, Carltonaut

Macro

Macro Photography: A flower as seen through a water droplet

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I’ve seen this type of photo circulating online for a while and have always wanted to try and capture it myself. Since I didn’t get a decent macro lens until last December, and at that point all the grass and flowers were covered in snow, I finally got out today to give it a shot. After capturing the dandelion in the water droplet (as seen below), I decided to have a little photography fun. Check out my “Help! I’m trapped in a water droplet” photo on Flickr.

Capture a flower in a water droplet

Canon 60D | 100mm Macro Lens | 1/6 | f/18 | ISO 100 | RAW

Wondering how I took it? Here’s a walk-through of what I did so you can try it on your own.

Beyond the photography equipment, I also needed a squirt bottle and scissors. Oh yeah… and long grass and a few flowers, too!

I found my spot of long grass in my backyard, and after setting up the camera on the Manfrotto tripod really close to the ground, I whipped out the squirt bottle. I began squirting the grass just in front of the camera lens (NOTE: If you do this, put your hand over the end of the lens so you don’t get water droplets on your glass). Once the water started to collect on a blade of grass, I arranged my camera as close as I could while being able to focus.

I then pulled a bright yellow dandelion from my front yard (it was the only “flower” I had on hand) and placed it just behind the droplet. Just be careful and don’t hit the blade of grass that has the droplets on it or you’ll have to re-spray. After snapping off a test shot, I noticed a few blades of grass that I didn’t like. That’s where the scissors came into play. I did a little lawn mowing to eliminate rogue blades.

It took some patients and rearranging to get it just right, but it is doable. The sun was directly behind me and lower in the sky, so it reflected in the droplets. When I tried to stand in the way to block the sun, my silhouette ended up reflected in the photo, which seemed more out of place than the reflecting sun. I also played with quite a few settings on the f/stop for different depth of field looks.

I hope those are enough details, but if you have any other questions, let me know and I’d be happy to share more info if needed.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, Macro

Capturing the floating paperclip

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The paperclip was merely a tool I was using for a completely different capture, but I loved the way it turned out and couldn’t resist sharing it.

Floating Paperclip

Canon 60D | 100mm 2.8 macro lens | 1/13 | f/8.0 | ISO 400 | Flash+LED Flashmate

My real intent was to capture water droplets impacting the water. I had spent a good portion of my day off getting everything together for a contraption that would allow me have a drop hit the same point every time, thus taking the guess work out of my focus.

Once everything was set up, I needed something to allow me to mark where that point on the water is. In rummaging through our catch-all drawer in the kitchen, I found a paperclip. Since I know from my science days paperclips can float on water, I grabbed it out, bent one part so I had a handle, and gently placed it on the surface of the water, underneath where the water drops would make impact.

Once I had the camera focus set on that point, I was ready to take my shots of the drops – but I snapped a few photos of the paperclip as it floated out of position, just for kicks. Well, nearly an hour later, the paperclip photo was my favorite capture of the whole evening. I ran into some reflection challenges with the water drops, so I’m still waiting until I get one that “moves me” before I share it publicly.

Oh, and the reason the paperclip has a red tint to it is because I placed a red gel over my Speedlite 430EXII flash, which was placed level with the surface of the water, just to the left of the bowl, and wirelessly triggered using my on-camera flash.

Enjoy the photo, and know that yes – paperclips can float on water thanks to the surface tension offered up by a bowl of H2O.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, Macro

Capturing my first photo of 2013

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Last night, as the ball was making its way to the bottom in Times Square, I threw out a photo challenge to a photography group I belong to on Facebook – Share the very first photo you capture in 2013. This meant sharing the very first photo, (i.e., you have to get all your settings right the first time).

I settled on using my Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens so I could hone in on one small part of the globe and get good depth of field to highlight the curvature of the earth. I was surprised at the amount of time I actually spent adjusting all the settings on my Canon 60D to capture a photo of our new National Geographic globe. I tried shooting it in Program mode, but decided I would feel more confident shooting in Manual mode (weird, I know).

I initially tried to capture it hand-held, but the shutter speed was too slow and I didn’t want my first capture to be blurry. I whipped out my new Manfrotto tripod (which I am totally loving) and positioned the camera to capture western Europe. I wanted to assure the lighting was good, so I turned off all the tungsten lights and attached my LED Flashmate to “light the world.”

I double-checked every setting and the on-camera light meter before releasing the shutter. Oh wait! I didn’t want to bump the tripod, so I attached my shutter release cable, too. Probably a lot more time spent on this photo than needed, but I only have one first photo of 2013.

Western Europe on the Globe

Canon 60D | 100mm f/2.8 macro lens | 1/5 | f/10 | ISO 400 | LED Flashmate | RAW

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year to all my readers. I’m looking forward to sharing more of my photos, trying new things with my camera and seeing the amazing captures of everyone else in the blogosphere.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why Europe: I loved the nearly two years I spent living in southern France; I love studying the history of my grandpa Carlton and his time spent in Europe during WWII as a pilot and later prisoner of war; I am fascinated with European history, specifically WWII.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, People

Christmas Tree and the Kids: Believe

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Now that Thanksgiving is over, we dedicated Saturday to decorating our home for Christmas. After hauling boxes of decoration up from the basement, we went to work. Of course, we started with the Christmas tree, since that is what my kids were most excited for. Then we put of the Creche, ran some lit garland, unpacked the nutcrackers and hung the stockings on the stair’s railing (we don’t have a chimney).

Once night fell, I convinced my kids that after a hearty ice cream dessert, I would need their help to take a photo by the tree. Since ice cream was involved, they anxiously agreed. But I will admit, once the dessert was over, they were ready to back out of the deal.

I turned on the white lights of the Christmas tree, closed the shutters, and turned off all the other lights in the area. I set my camera on the tripod, put it in manual mode and took a few test shots. After snapping 75+ photos in RAW+JPG, using a variety of shutter speeds (I kept my aperture at f/3.5), I let my kids spend a few minutes playing before sending them off to bed.

I opened the RAW image of the one that had no motion blur from my moving kids, and that had the best facial position and posture. I adjusted the white balance to AUTO and increased the exposure before opening up the image in Photoshop. I wasn’t completely sold on the look, so I played with another setting – Saturation. I added my final element – the word believe – the photo before it met my desired look.

Enough talk. Here’s the final photo, along with the camera settings:

112512 Believe-1

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 1/8 | f/3.5 | ISO 400

I will admit that I got the photo idea from Pinterest, and I really like how my own interpretation of the photo ended up. Wishing everyone a Happy Holidays.

~ Carltonaut

Just for fun, Night Sky, Travel, Tutorials

Fun Photography: On the Way to the Harvest Moon

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Manned exploration to the moon ceased before I was born in 1980. Now in my 30s, I am fascinated with the history, grandeur and intrigue of the space program (yes, I stayed up till 2 am watching Curiosity land on Mars). I’ve also stayed up till 2 am taking photos of the moon or capturing star trails. I think it’s pretty obvious that when I can combine space and photography, it’s gonna be another late night.

Beyond just sharing the photos, I thought I would include information about how I set up and took the photo, so if someone else wants to re-create it, they have a good starting point. I am also including this How-To write to the DIY Photography’s How I Took It contest.

After a quick trip to Home Depot, I had all the supplies I needed, and it didn’t cost more than $15. The items included three 10′ PVC pipes and some connectors, along with the ever popular black Duct Tape. In my backyard, I hooked two of the pipes together using a straight connector. However, when I lifted it into the air, it would bend way too far. Using duct tape, I attached the third pipe across the joint of the first two. This provided the support I needed.

I didn’t want to have to fight with the objects spinning while I shot my photos, so before I attached the third pipe, I had cut three 8″ pieces and configured the setup seen in the photo to the left. Using thread, I hooked one end to the model and the other to the pipe (I cut a small notch in the pipe so the string wouldn’t slip off as easily). I then hoisted the contraption into the air and duct taped the bottom part to the trampoline leg, and used rope to hook the upper part of the pipes to the sturdy pole on the trampoline netting.

Now I just had to wait for the full moon (the Harvest Moon) to get out from behind the neighbor’s tree, and then position the model near the moon. I set the camera on the tripod and framed the shot I was looking for. I had to constantly keep adjusting the shot, because the moon kept moving across the sky. In manual mode, I set the aperture to f/25 so I had the largest depth of field possible (although it still wasn’t enough to have both elements – the moon and the model – in focus).

Using the wireless shutter-release function, I warmed up my Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash and put it in wireless mode. After I got into position on the step-stool (to help me get closer to the model with the flash in hand), I held the flash in position and triggered the shutter. Since only one of the two objects (the moon or the model) could be in focus at any one time (see sample on the left), I had to change the focal point for each photo, then combine the two photos in Photoshop later.

Here are the two final photos along with the specific camera settings for each photo, and any post-processing in Photoshop.

092912 On the way to the Moon

MOON Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Converted to BW
MODEL Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Canon Speedlite 430EX II | RAW – Adjusted exposure and levels, erased out-of-focus moon, cropped closer

092912 Saturn V toward the Moon

MOON Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Converted to BW
MODEL Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Canon Speedlite 430EX II | Adjusted levels, erased out-of-focus moon, cropped closer

I have another shot I am working to capture, but it will take a little more planning and play to get it to work the way I’m envisioning it. Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy this little bit of trick photography.

~signed, Carltonaut

Tutorials

Tutorial: How to Shoot the Bokeh Technique in Photographs

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I’ve played with this lighting technique as part of bokeh photography as a way of adding a background that correlates with the subject of the photo. I first learned about using this technique in bokeh in a blog post I came across earlier this year. Since then, I’ve used it for Valentines Day and St. Patrick’s Day.

With the first day of autumn (Sept 22) just around the corner, I thought this “fall colors” photo, along with a tutorial on how I took it (as part of the DIY How I Took It contest), would expose other photographers to the technique, and show how simple it is to execute.

092112 Bokeh-Scarecrow

Canon 60D | 50mm lens | 1/60 | f/1.8 | ISO 400 | Canon Speedlite 430EX II

Step 1 – Gather the necessary Supplies

  • Sheet of cardstock (can be any color, but it will be easier to work with if it’s thicker)
  • Shaped punch – be creative (most shapes will do, but make sure the punch isn’t so small that the subject can’t be seen through the lens)
  • 50mm lens with UV filter (this lens allows a shallow depth of field, which allows the light sources in the background to be out of focus, thus take on the shape of the punch; the purpose of the UV filter is noted next)
  • Putty (which is used to attach the cardstock to the UV filter)
  • Strands of holiday lights (you can vary the color of the lights to fit your desired background; you can vary the quantity of strands, but for this photo, I used two)
  • A subject (the subject can be pretty much anything you want it to be)

Step 2 – Punch and Prepare the Lens

  • Start by punching the shape into your cardstock (I usually fold an edge of the paper in about 1/4″ to allow the punch to be far enough from the edge that it can be in the center of the lens when I cut it out.
  • Place the UV filter on the cardstock with the punched shape centered in the circle.
  • Draw a cut-line around the filter, allowing a roughly 1/4″ border, then cut out the circle.
  • Using putty, attach the cardstock to the UV filter and attach to the lens.
  • Attach the lens to the camera body (you can adjust the punched sheet with the shape as needed so it’s right-side up, or oriented as you would like.

Step 3 – Setting up the Scene

  • String the lights across a cord, stick, or other item that will allow the lights to hang freely (if you place them against a solid object, the object will be illuminated and not provide the darker background).
  • Place your subject roughly 10′-15′ in front of the lights (you can adjust this distance as desired, but this is a good starting point)
  • Place your camera 1.5′ to 3′ in front of the subject, with the lights directly behind the subject. (the closer you are to the subject, the larger the shapes will appear; in the sample photo above, I was closer to 3′ away from the subject).

Step 4 – Setting the Camera and Taking the Shots

  • Set the camera to manual mode so you have better control.
  • Set the aperture to the lowest number possible (in this case, a 1.8)
  • Adjust the shutter speed to allow for the exposure of the subject you want. I used a flash to illuminate the subject, which allowed me to keep the shutter speed fast enough for handheld shooting.
  • Shoot a few photos at various focal lengths and settings until you get the look you want. Adjust as needed.

Here are a few other outtakes from this photo shoot to show how slight adjustments can change the photo outcome. 

If you give this a shot, post a link to your photos below. It’s always fun to see how others implement certain techniques.

~signed, Carltonaut

Tutorials

How to Shoot Macro With a 50mm f/1.8 Lens

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I have been intrigued with macro photography for years, though I have never had enough mula to invest in the macro lens that I really want. So when I heard what I consider to be a weird tip about macro photography, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. And if it worked, then I could share the tip (as part of the DIYPhotography How I Took It Contest) with others in case they were a ‘Doubting Mustafa” just like me.

The tip sounds (and is) simple.

  1. Take the body of your camera and make sure no lens is attached.
  2. Grab your 50mm lens and hold it backwards against the area where the lens would normally attach to the camera.
  3. Take some photos.

Set up of 50mm lens on Backward for MacroLike I said, the tip itself is pretty simple. But there are some nuances when it comes to actually getting a shot. Your depth of field is EXTREMELY small - I’m talking millimeters. It’s hard to hold the camera and the unmounted lens steady enough to take a photo with such a narrow depth of field and have the item in focus that you are hoping for. I would recommend using a tripod or setting it on a surface. This technique probably wouldn’t work well with an insect because your focal length is roughly 5 inches (i.e., the bug would get startled and run away).

Here are a few samples of some photos I shot using this technique, along with the camera settings for each photo (NOTE: There is no f-stop listed because the camera doesn’t record an f-stop since the lens and camera can’t talk to each other when the lens isn’t actually connected to the camera).

090812 Candle Flame 50mm Macro

Canon 60D | 50mm lens (on backward) | 1/80 | ISO 400 (slight crop to a 5×7)

090812 Candle Out 50mm Macro

Canon 60D | 50mm lens (on backward) | 1/20 | ISO 400 (slight crop to a 5×7)

090812 Nephi 50mm Macro

Canon 60D | 50mm lens (on backward) | 1/60 | ISO 400 (Converted to B&W with a slight crop to 5×7)

Although it isn’t as sharp as what I would probably get with the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens I want, it’s a great way to experiment with macro photography to see if you enjoy macro photography before purchasing the expensive lens.

Good luck, and if anyone shoots macro using this technique, I invite you to share a link to it on this post.

~signed, Carltonaut

Black & White, Night Sky, Tutorials

How to Shoot the Moon – in Honor of Neil Armstrong

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If you can’t tell from the name of my blog, I am enthralled by all things space. I am amazed at the precision with which humans can launch a rocket from Earth and land Man or machine on distant moons or planets. I am humbled by the dedication each astronaut has for their “profession” and proud to know that I have shaken hands with Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Charlie Duke, Gene Cernan, and countless other moonwalkers, astronauts, and mission control personnel.

When I heard of Neil Armstrong’s passing, I was saddended that I never had the chance to meet him. From everything I had heard about him, he was humble, and convinced that he was just doing his job when he took Man’s first steps on the moon. So this post is my way of honoring Neil Armstrong, and I invite others to share their moon photos this week in his honor.

I digress. This blog post isn’t just about my love of space. It’s about my experiences in photographing the moon, and sharing with others the simple things that will hopefully give them the confidence to DIY and shoot [for] the stars… or at least the moon!

Here are the 4 simple steps I used a few moments ago to capture this shot of the moon, with a clarity that even surprised me – though I wish I had a more powerful zoom lens. Or better yet, a Saturn V rocket to take me to the moon to snap a few photos in person!

082812 Honor Neil Armstrong r2

Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/100 | f/11 | ISO 100 | (Manual Mode)
And a setting that hopefully will make you LOL: Focal Length 238,900 Miles. :-)

STEP 1 – Camera Setup

  • Attach the lens with the longest zoom
  • Put your camera in Manual Mode
  • Start with ISO 100, f/11, and shutter speed of 1/100

STEP 2 – Location Setup

  • Choose a location that works for you. The photo above was shot from my back door. If you can, get away from ambient light.
  • Find the moon (if it’s overcast, go back inside and try for the moon another night).

STEP 3 – Getting Ready to Shoot

  • Use a tripod if you have one handy. If not, set down or lean against something to help keep the lens steady. (I did NOT use a tripod for the photo above)
  • Zoom your lens all the way in to get as close to the moon as you can.
  • You can auto focus on the moon, then switch to manual mode (which is what I did), or you can just refocus on the moon for each shot (which also works).
  • Hold it steady and snap a shot.

STEP 4 – See How It Looks, Adjust Accordingly

  • You can simply look at the LCD screen on your camera to get an initial look at the photo (unless you are using film).
  • If the moon looks dark, adjust one of two things – the aperture or shutter speed.
  • If you’re not using a tripod and the moon looks blurry, try again. You can try holding your breathe as you pust the shutter release button to reduce your movements.
  • Keep adjusting camera settings to snap a few shots. No harm in trying a few different settings to see how it changes the outcome.

Now that you have the photos, take the camera card over to your computer and adjust the exposure, temperature, etc. as you wish. You can even make it a black and white photograph to eliminate any odd colors of the moon (unless you want it to be a rare Blue Moon).

I hope this helps, and I invite you to give it a shot (literally) and then share your photo and camera settings with me in the comments. With the Blue Moon on Friday (Aug 31), it’s a great week to give the moon a shot… literally!

~signed, Carltonaut