GilesGuthrie's Gallery: now inc Leuchars Air Show 2012

[GilesGuthrie]

I can't believe it's been six months!

High ISO Girlie

Camera: Canon EOS 1D MkIII with EF70-200 F/2.8L IS USM
Focal Length: 125 mm
Exposure: 1/60 sec @ F/2.8, ISO 2000 (Flash: Not Fired)

Unexpectedly shooting a civil partnership in a room that was almost dark forced me to venture over ISO 1600, and to find it surprisingly un-crap. This one's just taken in the house though.

Looking at the preview of this post, Lightroom seems to have munged the colours around the hairline, which isn't showing on the original. Might have to have a look at that.

 

[homeforsummer]

Fantastic shot Giles. You'd barely realise the ISO was so high, certainly not in that image size. Great tones in the shot too.

Regarding your previous shots which I must have missed, I'd say that photo of the guy holding the two whiskey bottles would be more to my taste if he was in focus as well as the bottles. It looks a little odd that the bottles are sharp and he's just a tiny bit out of focus.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

So I've been buying stuff again...

To the collection I have added:
EF35 F/1.4L USM
EF100 F/2.8L IS USM Macro
MT-24EX Flash

plus some other bits and pieces. A light stand, a set of PocketWizards, Lightroom 3.

Anyway, since this is handheld, is it sharp enough for you?

Camera: Canon EOS 1D MkIII with EF100 F/2.8L IS USM Macro
Focal Length: 100 mm
Exposure: Exposure: 1/100 sec @ F/8, ISO 200 (Flash: Fired)

The only editing was to remove a couple of dust spots and a distracting leaf in the top of the frame.
And here's a 100% crop:

 

[balang_479]

100%? what resolution does the camera produce?

 

[GilesGuthrie]

It's only 10MP.

But it is 10FPS

 

[jswilli1]

Excellent work. Very good photo's. 👍

 

[GT-R]

Very nice pictures. 👍

 

[GilesGuthrie]

At the Royal Highland Show, there is a forge where blacksmiths compete. Some shots follow...

Canon EOS 5d with EF35 F/1.4L USM
Focal Length: 35mm
Exposure: 1/30 sec @ F/8, ISO 1600 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF70-200 F/2.8L IS
Focal Length: 200mm
Exposure: 1/80 sec @ F/4, ISO 1250 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF70-200 F/2.8L IS
Focal Length: 200mm
Exposure: 1/60 sec @ F/9, ISO 2000 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF70-200 F/2.8L IS
Focal Length: 78mm
Exposure: 1/125 sec @ F/9, ISO 2000 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF70-200 F/2.8L IS
Focal Length: 200mm
Exposure: 1/160 sec @ F/9, ISO 2000 (Flash: Not Fired)

Not much editing going on here. Just some noise reduction (LR3's noise reduction is excellent by the way), cropping and levels.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

So apparently it's been a year and a half since I've posted here...

Well, I've got some more shots from the Edinburgh Festival if you like. Some stuff from this year:

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF135 F/2L USM
Focal Length: 135mm
Exposure: 1/2000 sec @ F/2.2, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/400 sec @ F/3.2, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/1250 sec @ F/3.5, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/1600 sec @ F/2.0, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/500 sec @ F/5.6, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/3200 sec @ F/2.0, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/2000 sec @ F/2.2, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF85 F/1.2L USM
Focal Length: 85mm
Exposure: 1/3200 sec @ F/1.2, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF35 F/1.4L USM
Focal Length: 35mm
Exposure: 1/100 sec @ F/9.0, ISO 400 (Flash: Not Fired)

Hope you like them!

 

[Azuremen]

I want your lenses. I want them now

Love most of the shots. That one of of the man talking with the woman, at F/1.2, is quite soft feeling though. Just how that lens is wide open?

The first shot is quite catching. Just blasted that background into bokeh land and got a spot on exposure.

Though for lenses, are the gains of the 85mm L worth it over the 85mm F/1.8? thinking about that or the 135mm L later on...

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I want your lenses. I want them now

Well, you can't have them!

Love most of the shots. That one of of the man talking with the woman, at F/1.2, is quite soft feeling though. Just how that lens is wide open?

Nah, to be honest, I shouldn't have shot it with the aperture that wide. It would have been better at f/2 to increase the DOF. I did take essentially the same shot at F/5.6, but the background wasn't soft enough to bring the characters out.

The first shot is quite catching. Just blasted that background into bokeh land and got a spot on exposure.

Thanks. I used a "B&W with orange filter" conversion on it, which has softened the shades on the background building. I think that the character in it is very interesting looking as well. He saw I was shooting him and held the pose for several seconds.

Though for lenses, are the gains of the 85mm L worth it over the 85mm F/1.8? thinking about that or the 135mm L later on...

Have never used the 85/1.8, so I couldn't tell you. I know that there are people who run both, using the 1.8 for street and the 1.2 for studio work, as the 1.8 focusses much faster. The 1.2 is a truly outstanding lens, but its focus speed limits it where you're trying to do photojournalist-style work. There's huge satisfaction when you get a great shot with it though, and with studio lights it's a banker lens.

The 135 F/2 is one of my favourite lenses. I have lenses I use because of their tactical and technical ability (24-105 and 70-200 mainly), and lenses that I carry with me because I love to shoot with them. I'd lusted after the 135 after seeing shots in the POTN lens sample gallery, and as soon as I got it it delivered in spades. On the 1.3x crop sensor it's near to 200mm, and behaves more like a "long 85". On a FF sensor, it creates some of the smoothest images possible. Lovely bokeh, and great transitions from in-focus to out-of-focus areas. It's also a great lens for indoor candids.

 

[AMG.]

Uniformed Girl

[EDIT] I'd be interested to hear comments on this, because it's well above "family-pleasing" quality, but a little below "Giles-pleasing".

I know I know very late to react but the thing that annoys me in this one are the window sides (the wood stuff) they seem to come out of her head and had you bent your knees she would have looked her height, from current viewpoint you make her look smaller than she is.

Dont know if your up for it but give it a try in another location, even if its now 2 years later

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I know I know very late to react but the thing that annoys me in this one are the window sides (the wood stuff) they seem to come out of her head and had you bent your knees she would have looked her height, from current viewpoint you make her look smaller than she is.

Dont know if your up for it but give it a try in another location, even if its now 2 years later

Yeah, she looks slightly different now!

It's difficult to avoid the wooden spars growing out of her head, but I have adopted the lower POV in most of my children's shots. About the closest you can get to a re-shoot would be this:

This is my son, who started school this year, and so had the same shots done.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

So, I've signed up to BlipFoto. It's aimed at those people who want to keep a photo diary, and probably arose from the "Photo365" projects that have been kicking about.

I want to use it to help me get my mojo back. I'm planning on "adopting" my wife's Ixus as a take-everywhere pocket camera to see if I can get something out of it.

Here's my first submission:

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF16-35 F/2.8L II USM
Focal Length: 35mm
Exposure: 1.6 sec @ F/22, ISO 100 (Flash: Not Fired)

 

[35mm]

There's a nice mood to that landscape, Giles.
Good luck with the project. Keep us posted.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Peace Offering (5/366)

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF100 F/2.8L Macro IS USM
15s @ F/9.0 ISO 200 Flash: Not Fired

Day 5 of my Photo366 project, and a small person arriving at the house with a bouquet provided material for today's shot.

 

[TB]

How dark was the room if you used a 15 second exposure?

The bokeh on that looks outstandingly smooth. My only complaint is the purple flower being just a hair too in focus. A minor "complaint" on a very nice, clean shot. 👍

Also, congrats on the small person!

 

[GilesGuthrie]

How dark was the room if you used a 15 second exposure?

Quite dark. There was diffuse light from 2, 6 and 11 o'clock relative to the flower. There's a light directly above it, but I didn't like that, so I switched it off.

The bokeh on that looks outstandingly smooth. My only complaint is the purple flower being just a hair too in focus. A minor "complaint" on a very nice, clean shot. 👍

Well, the Canon guys did a pretty good job with the 100L macro! I know what you mean about the purple flower though.

Also, congrats on the small person!

Haha! No! Not that small! A friend of my 7yo daughter here for a day & a night.

 

[TB]

Haha! No! Not that small! A friend of my 7yo daughter here for a day & a night.

Oops! I didn't think I'd heard anything but thought maybe I'd missed something.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Antique Engagement

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF100 F/2.8L Macro IS
2s @ F/14 ISO 100 Flash: Fired​

This ring is emerald set in platinum surrounded by diamonds. It was given to me by my grandmother, for my wife's engagement.

Sadly, emeralds are quite brittle, and the antique setting wasn't up to modern life. The middle diamond on the right fell out once, and it was pure dumb luck that we found it. We brought it home tied up in a napkin, a bit like you do with your child's teeth when they fall out!

Emerald is formed from the mineral beryl, coloured by chromium and/or vanadium.

Hardest part about shooting this was the flash. I knew it would need flash to make the stones pop. I mounted the flash on the light stand, connected via PocketWizards. Tried it in about 30 positions, but ended up handholding the flash around 2cm in front of the shooting plane, angled straight at the emerald.

 

[Ibonibo]

^Nice.
I kinda like the reflection of the diamonds better than the real one.

On the flash:
Try an, obviously empty, Pringle can you shoot the flash through

 

[TB]

On the flash:
Try an, obviously empty, Pringle can you shoot the flash through

You can also use cardboard or construction paper. Although eating the Pringles first does have it's up side.

I haven't done much shooting like this but I think I would give a snoot a try, Giles. It does wonders shooting the drinking glass on this site (the glass is on page 2 if that doesn't link straight to it).

 

[boiltheocean]

I like the flash placement but I feel it could use a little more diffusing, my main gripe though is the background which appears to be an afterthought. Try just setting it on some paper curved up against a book or if you want to stand out try placing it on some black sand or fine pebbles.

 

[Azuremen]

When looking at product photography, I tend to find myself going over Alex Koloskov's site. He has some basic how-to's on his shots, and does lessons as well. Very elaborate setups, but the general ideas are still very useful. Plus he just has some cool stuff to look at

As for the shot above, I'm with Tom - the background is a bit bleh. Black sand is nice, if a bit hassle to setup. Denim can have a very nice texture to it, provided you have some that is dark grey or near black. As it stands, the background and the ring color and texture tend to match up a bit too much and so there is lack of contrast between the subject and negative space.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I've actually just picked up a mini studio. Written a blog post on my product photography journey, and put in a shot of the new setup.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF 16-35 F/2.8L II
31mm 265x 30s @F/8 ISO 200

Here's my first half-decent star trail shot. It's composited using a freeware app called StarStax, from 265 30 second shots. I've been trying these in my back garden to refine the technique before going somewhere with a bit better scenery to frame the image, and with less light pollution.

View it large on Blipfoto (click the large magnifying glass icon on the image)

It'll also give me time to work out how to sit around for the 2 hours it takes to make these shots without dying of hypothermia or boredom!

As I'm getting back into photography I'm starting to think I need to go and get some more sensible outdoor clothing.

 

[Ibonibo]

Or do them in summer, there is less freezing involved .

Great shot and thanks for the tip on a freeware 👍

 

[GilesGuthrie]

In summer, when it gets sort-of-dark-ish at around 11pm, then starts getting light at 2am you mean?

 

[wfooshee]

At my southern lattitude, the daylight hours remain decently short, even in the summer. And the winter nights aren't quite the stuff of abominable snowman legend. So I may try something like this myself one day (night) sooner or later.

Our problem here at night is biting insects. Flies, gnats, mosquitos, what have you. Even this time of year, and especially out in the countryside where you lose the light pollution.

My luck, the tripod would get kicked about 15 minutes before I'd planed to finish.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Some more shots of the night sky, concentrating on Venus's recent convergence with Jupiter:


Jupiter, Venus, Crescent Moon with Earthlight by Giles Guthrie, on Flickr

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF24-105 F/4L IS
35mm. 13s @ F/7.1 ISO 100



Orion, Jupiter and Venus (74/366) by Giles Guthrie, on Flickr

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF16-35 F/2.8L II
16mm. 1.3s @ F/3.5 ISO 1600

Also, the streak in the bottom of this frame, passing under Orion, is the International Space Station.


ISS Underscores Orion (56/366) by Giles Guthrie, on Flickr

Canon EOS 1d MkIII with EF24-105 F/4L IS
24mm. 5x 8s @ F/6.3 ISO 800

All are best viewed as large as Flickr will let you.