I think number 2 is quite magical and like the composition the way it is... the tiny blurred figure is great - it makes me think that an alien has landed (probably that's just me)

Nice one

Mat

Thanks folks - SteveT, I think you're right that number 2 needs a slight clockwise rotation to be properly level - and I agree in preferring the colour version of the beach scene to the black and white.

I love the night shot of Swanage and was (happily) surprised when this image popped onto the screen after (I think) a 15 second exposure. I have to say that the gorillapod I used was a fantastic bit of kit - really portable, cheap and did the job. Not sure how it would have fared if it had been really windy or I had been using a big chunky lens though...

Mat

I'm not a bird expert either but I reckon it could be a fieldfare or maybe a redwing...:

Mat

Hello all. Happy New Year to everyone! I spent New Year in Dorset, and thought I would post a handful of images... Each time I went out I just took one prime lens to see what I could see...

First up, a picture of Swanage at night. I haven't tried night-shooting before and this was my first attempt. I used the FA 50mm 1.4 on my K-7 mounted on a small gorillapod...




This was taken in a small Norman Church in Studland, I liked the coloured light (from stained glass window) falling on the stonework. Taken with the DA 70mm limited, which got a good run out on this trip and I was very impressed with it! (*EDIT* - having said that this was the DA 40mm ltd (D'oh! - my addled brain...). Comments still stand though )




The inevitable gull at the seaside... DA* 300mm this time




and finally, a shot of the beach taken from the cliff top of Ballard Down. I quite like this one and have been playing with a B/W conversion as well (maybe a little light)... grateful if anyone has any C&C (on this or anything else)... Again taken with the 70mm ltd







Best Regards

Mat W

New Year's Day in Dorset - taken looking out from the beach in Swanage. A fantastically lovely day!




Pentax K-7
40mm DA Limited lens
f 4.5
1/320 sec
ISO 200
12:17 1st Jan 2010

Regards

Mat

I agree -nine in one day! that's good work

Regards

Mat

I'm with Gary on this one - no resolutions and a loft full of junk

That said I am determined this year to combine photography with my other favourite hobby - climbing (bouldering) - so I can look forward to having sweaty chalky fingermarks all over my camera gear...

Regards

Mat

It's a good question! I always have a nightmare deciding what to take. If I'm out on my own specifically looking to do some nature photography I will usually have my K-7, 16-50, 50-135 and 300mm lenses, as well as 100mm macro plus polarising filters, and a flashgun - and ideally a tripod although often I get away with a gorillapod... I use a lowepro rucksack - think its called a primus AW and it's very comfy and will take a lot of stuff.

When I try and slimline my kit I normally end up with something like, sigma 70-300mm and 40mm ltd., or (as I did today), sigma 10-20 plus 40mm and 70mm ltd. The ltds are great as they are tiny and weigh little - but I only have two (). Normally just stuff the lot into a little backpack and away I go.

Sometimes it's good to just take a single lens and live with that... in that case I normally end up with the 40mm ltd as it is so small and light.

Regards

Mat

I'm with John on this - I would use whatever ISO, Aperture combination gives you the shutter speed. For a stationary bird (depending on the type) then you can get away with reasonably slow speeds (i normally try to have the shutter speed equivalent to focal length or better), but for one in flight I try and get above 1/1000 if I can - the faster the better - and in the British weather that normally means high ISO and biggest aperture... and still not fast enough! I use a K-7 and will happily go up to ISO800 and keep noise levels manageable. above that though I find the noise is more apparent. The only issue I find with the big aperture is that the DOF can become an issue, especially if shooting close-up or trying to get, say, more than one bird in a shot, but for a single bird I usually find it helpful for blurring out the background.

Mat

Wow - thanks for posting - some astonishingly good pictures there. some really powerful images amongst that lot as well as some beautiful images. I love the baseball pitcher shot, and the French aerobatic team view is a cracking capture...

Mat