Saturday 2 April 2011

Say Cheese...


A day of hazy sunshine is just spoilt by a breeze that's persisting, but it is possible to comfortably go into the garden in a t-shirt. The marsh marigold in the pond is magnificent.

I've been in the garden this afternoon, but not to garden but to help John, my middle son with his hobby of experimental photography. He's done all sorts. He's made his own pinhole cameras (out of matchboxes and sticky tape) with great results; he has a stereo camera, a 3D camera and panoramic 360 degrees camera. None of these are expensive, more for the enthusiast but the hours of enjoyment that it has brought him and will continue to bring him is worth every penny.

Today we've done two things. The first was to burst a balloon filled with water and capture the results with rapid bursts (several frames per second).

Here is one of the more interesting results (1/1000 of a second at f9.0, 400 ISO, Canon EOS 40D 17mm-85mm zoom):



The second was the old fashioned blowing bubbles and this time capturing the bubbles coming out of the blower with rapid speed.

This was one of the photos that came out quite well (1/2000 of a second at f5.6, 1600 ISO, Canon EOS 40D 17mm-85mm zoom):




My own photographic hobby started as a lot of kids did with a cheap Kodak Box Brownie. My first SLR (single lens reflex 35mm film camera) was a Russian Zenith. The Zenith was cheap (about £50 in about 1975-ish) but robust and gave great results. My first semi automatic 35mm film camera was an Olympus OM1n. This was stunning piece of kit and I even managed to afford a zoom lens. I had to sell this kit in the end because I needed the money to live.

I didn't have a camera for a few years other than the throw away cameras you bought from the chemists. Then digital came along. I bought a Canon EOS 300D which was a lovely piece of equipment although the quality of picture was fairly limited in comparison to today's digital cameras.

Now I have two cameras, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ65 which I carry around with me every day - this is a stunning little portable. My main camera is a Canon EOS 40D - a brilliant camera, pleasant to hold and a joy to use.

I'm not an artist with a camera, I wish I was, but I try to capture the essence of what I am trying to convey.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Chat soon

Ta-ra.

8 comments:

  1. So glad to hear from you and know that spring is burgeoning in East Yorks! That brought a smile to my face. I am improving each day. It's nice to know I haven't been forgotten.
    My father was a professional photographer and worked for Kodak in the forties after being demobbed. Your son's photos are amazing, with the equipment he used. I remember my father being in raptures about a photo he took with all his best equipment, of a balloon bursting. He hoped to capture a prize with it. That was 1945.

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  2. Hi ChrisJ
    Glad to hear of your improving health. Photography is so much easier today, not necessarily because of the quality of equipment (although that helps), but digital gives instant results; not like sending the film into the shop and waiting three days for it to come back to realise the shot you wanted didn't come out!
    Take care
    X

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  3. Brilliant photo's, very creative :)

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  4. Thanks Val
    Keeps me out of trouble!
    XX

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  5. I carry a Panasonic DMC-TZ7 with me all the time. Loverly little machine. I quite like that it can grab a short little video, or I can add a voice memo to a piccy. It's surprising how willing people are if I ask "May I record this?"

    Which is good, as I have the memory of a rather dim peanut :)

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  6. Hi Wheelie
    The camera has won loads of awards which is why I went for it and I agree the video is okay too - nothing exciting, but adequate.
    By the way, know exactly what you mean by memory.

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  7. What amazing shots! Wow! I should spent more time playing around with my camera, but where would I find more time to do it.:-?

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  8. Hi Jarmara
    Thx for the kind comments. I know in a busy life it is hard, but then I was motivated by my son. He had the ideas so I didn't have to be creative; he had the equipment and all I did was snap away.
    Take care
    XX

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