Photography and Music

Canon...ised

At last the digital World has come to help
me improve my photography.

I am now the proud owner of a Canon Rebel.

The name is a suitable metaphor.

ISO 400 should not be used in Bright Sunlight, if you want a smooth image

I mistakenly uploaded a large version of the runners in the last post.
However, the grainy texture is a useful reminder of how it is best to use
100 or 200 iso on sunny days. I have many grainy photos, having set out
in Stygian gloom only to have the sun burst through the clouds... or "vice versa".

I had anticipated well on that day, as it turned out for the rest of the walk.
We were mostly under tree cover and the film choice was overall the best.

Runners in a Wooded Landscape

We turned up at Avondale in County Wicklow
two weeks ago, on a Sunday, to find that
a cross country event was is full swing.
Sports photography is for those of a less
indolent temperament, I think, but I got some
shots as the runners moved along a well taped
course.

The filter brings out the line of the tape,
negative spacing in the middle makes me feel
a bit bewildered, but that might be in keeping
with the event. The metaphors of sport are
always very obvious.

Also, from what I have read, a fast lens
is a must for lively sport shots.

Mine is a slow lens and in ways the figures
seem a bit frozen on the spot.

The Beautiful... and the Sublime

Edmund Burke's wonderful thoughts on the Sublime and the Beautiful have influenced
aesthetics for the past two hundred years. Proust's description of the optical
illusion of the towers of Martinville reference Burke in many ways.

Photographers carry these received ideas with them wherever they go,
especially when in the countryside.

What makes a pleasing landscape?
Must it carry a sense of foreboding to be truly impressive?
Is it possible to be actually sure what the eye is seeing?
And, if one insists on platonism, what is "reality".

No wonder I left a friend pacing the terrace at Powerscourt
recently as I tried to get The Sugar Loaf Mountain
from the best angle.

Time had stood still.

Travel Photography

I came across a question recently:

"What makes a good travel photo?"

This I cannot answer, as leaving the house
seems to be a venture into a new and complex
World where novelty is everywhere.
Does one "travel" to the shopping centre?

The Travel Photography genre has a long
and complex history.
Dramatic landscapes
seem to be part of the package.

I feel that recent photos taken in
County Wicklow fit in nicely,
if that is so.

Through a Glass Brightly

Saint Paul, who often blighted my childhood thoughts with his gloomy ideas and whose prescription for female attire led to keeping the post WW2 economy in Europe afloat as millinars plied their trade, would love my new monitor. I may have spent an anxious few days while dealing with indigo becoming purple in the new srgb light, but this has been overcome.

And Saint Paul will probably forgive any unintended slight on his trojan efforts around the Med. No more tinkling cymbals (or dodgy pixels) for me.

J'aime.

(In fact, cymbals should clash, but I thought tinkling sounded better. I wonder what the original Greek is.)

Photography and Drawing

This outline of a horse's head, made with a graphics filter,

is a reminder of how useful
photography is to those of us
who do not enjoy drawing with
a pencil or pen.

Runners in the Woodlands

The Canon Digital Photo Professional histogram system helps
to make photos a bit more vivid.

The Society of Ducks

Fools Rush In

Being the very first to rush in to congratulate
Donncha of Inphotos on reaching Number 1 on
the Technorati blog list for Ireland may seem
extravagant.

It may also look self-serving,
because wherever one posts a nice
link to one's own blog is there for
all to click.

However, since I really like this blog
it seems to do no harm at all to remind
my visitors to take a closer look at Inphotos.
Donnacha uses digital and has some very good
insights into technique and how to choose
a good subject.

Probably that's quite enough Blarney for the time being.

Overlay Digital Filters

Using a digital cutter filter in Irfanview
using overlay mode gives some strong effects.


I have just discovered that a Google Image search
links this photo to the following message:

"Image may be scaled down and subject to copyright"

I have no knowledge of who decided this and since
it is against the spirit of my blogging style,
I remove this link on
Sunday, 2nd December, 2007,
at 21h42 by my computer clock.

Neopan and Texture

Neopan 400 iso is worth using for close-up texture of
flowers and natural history subjects.

I was advised, in the past, to use a yellow filter with
black and white film, but in this case I decided against it.

The clarity is still better than applying a desaturation
effect to a colour photo, I think.

Cowhide

The original photo of the herd of cattle showed the golden hide of this breed.

The desaturation made for a cooler image, in every sense of the word.

Hibiscus

Some flowers appear artificial and
benefit from enhanced saturation and
some work in Picasa to enhance petal veins
and stigma.

Desaturated Image, Bringing Out Texture

This fine herd are a lovely golden colour in the original photo.
Somehow, desaturating the image makes for a very clean and detailed
effect.

Dull Day in the Garden

400 iso is ideal for taking photos on a
Dull Day.

Taken in Sunlight with ISO 400

Kodak 400 iso colour film

Water Droplets

The weather is gradually getting damp here.
Droplets of water everywhere.

Herbaceous Walk

Herbaceous Gardens offer an opportunity
for the Gardener to become an
Artist in Colour Schemes.

Waspish

The Last Wasp of Summer

Water Flows Gently

I took the advice of a photo expert and tried a fine-grained film at the weekend.
The results are almost like a digital effect, much smoother and less gritty.

We walked around Powerscourt Gardens in County Wicklow.
They have become a major tourist attraction, unlike twenty
years ago when there was no restaurant and there was a sense of
being out in the wilds.

Every second person was carrying a camera and the
Japanese Garden was especially popular because
of the vivid Autumn colours provided by maples
and species yews.

An exceptionally pleasant experience.

Real Colour

This is the first time using Fujifilm Reala, 100.
There is very vivid colour and a nice fine grain.

A Reminder to Carry Spare Camera Batteries

It turns out that the Pentax SLR just
seized up in the middle of taking
a photo because it had run out of juice.

Professional photographers arrive with
enough equipment to make them bend
double at the knees.
Now I know why.

That mistake will not be repeated,
but probably many more pitfalls
lie in store.

This colourful image is an enhanced
version of the one on Photographe à Dublin.
The burn feature in Irfanview deepens colours
and makes the brack seem more appetising.

Enjoy!

I was in a bit of a mood over the broken Pentax,
so a kind friend offered the loan of a very
precious Nikon digital camera.

This "state of the art" machine was a
bit overwhelming, but after much emotion
I managed to capture the
new Hallow'een Pumpkin
on our kitchen window.

It glows.

I've been meaning to share this photo
for some time now.

The gable ends of many Irish Houses
are very attractive indeed and
deserve to be documented with
more attention.

There is a section in Flickr for
posting photos of houses that
are representative of various
cultures around the World.

I must get back to posting there.

Recently I found a lovely book
of large format photos showing
cast iron decorations in gates
and on house fronts.

Melbourne is a remarkable city for
discovering very fine cast iron.
If anybody reading this has links
to good photos there, I would be
very grateful indeed if they could share.

Incentive to Buy a New Camera

Today my trusty Pentax went into spasm,
locked the shutter tight shut and decided
to have a major sulk.

There is no better moment to go buy new.

Digital here I come.

Slide Show

Black and White Film

Sometimes taking a photo with
Black and White Film
makes an impact.

La Rentrée

The Academic Year,
imprinted on my brain from childhood,
ensures that every September I set about
setting my little World to rights.

A shopping trip is planned for next week.
I never took Commando's advice to buy a
lens hood for my camera, but now may be the moment.

A slow-release cable, an object of great mystery,
has been in my camera bag for over year.
This may be the moment to dare to take it out.

Irfanview

Colour can sometimes be an obtacle
to seeing shapes in a photo.

Irfanview was used to desaturate this image.

Why Noon

I hate getting up early.
Nothing would get me to join the
dawn patrol of energetic photographers
who wander round in the wild,
getting the best sunrises and
misty landscapes.

The strong light of High Noon
is proabably where I will
continue to shine.

The Lens

The Pentax FA J75-300 Lens is
a good choice in my case.

I got it to see flowers growing
high up in trees, but found that
it is very good for close-ups of
floral species as well.

Since I am short-sighted,
it is very useful for landscape
work.

The Camera... and some Filter Tricks

My camera is a Pentax MZ 50.
I use film and with this 35mm
SLR clear, uncomplicated photos
are easy to set up and take.

I admit to feeling that the
hyper realism that digital technology
has brought was a bit of a shock at first.
However, adopting the attitude that,
if you can't bear 'em, join 'em,
I have spent a considerable amount
of time trying to get to grips with
some reliable freeware Photo Editors.
It was recommended that I try Photoshop,
but since I believe in speed and work as
an amateur in between bouts of gardening
and domestic activities,
Irfanview has become a fast favourtite.

The photo here was doctored and warmified
in Picasa. This Editing Program is
invaluable for quick cropping.

Competition Standard?

This photo was entered for a
Photo Competition
on the web.

I did not get any plaudits,
but I still like it.

Why The Blog Title?

Anybody who is short sighted will understand
why I invested in a zoom lens.

Many photos are a great surprise to those
of us who wear glasses all day long.

Are our photos much different from
those taken by people with
average sight?

Photography in The Making

I started Photographe à Dublin for fun.
The challenge was to make photos easily available
for family and friends.

A priority was to make images that could
easily double as greeting cards
or
just a quick "Hello" from Dublin.

The questions asked in relation to how I
doctor the images has inspired a new
avenue of thought.

From now on I'll try to share some of the
technical changes I make with filters
while rummaging through an increasingly
large collection of photos.

Wish me luck.