Scaff's Gallery

[Scaff]

Couple of shots from today







Regards

Scaff

 

[Nicknamealguem]

The “pink and grey” thistle is amazing.

Also, the first picture of this new set is the kind of photograph I like to see. It’s great and I think the barbed wire adds something more 👍

 

[Scaff]

The “pink and grey” thistle is amazing.

Also, the first picture of this new set is the kind of photograph I like to see. It’s great and I think the barbed wire adds something more 👍

Thanks

The barbed wire and field shot I'm quite happy with, and I agree without the wire it would have been quite a different shot.


Regards

Scaff

 

[Scaff]

Playing around with my new (second hand) SB-22s speedlight.





Regards

Scaff

 

[Scaff]

After Sweetshop's stacked picture I downloaded the software he used and have given it a go myself. I have to say it works a treat and it very quick and easy to get to grips with.



Fuji S2 Pro w/ 18~55mm Nikon and +3 Cokin close-up adaptor.
1/60 @ f11 with fill flash bounced off the ceiling.


Stacked from three shots, this is a close up of a Persian scroll-tube.

Going to use this bit of software again in the future.

Regards

Scaff

 

[homeforsummer]

That's come out brilliantly, it's really made the best of the details on the scroll tube.

 

[boiltheocean]

Thats very nice man but I just used Photoshop CS4. They finally put in Stacked Blending after so long.

 

[Scaff]

Thats very nice man but I just used Photoshop CS4. They finally put in Stacked Blending after so long.

Ah I'm still using CS2, so that route is a no go for me, but CZM works well enough.

👍


Scaff

 

[Scaff]

Self Portrait


Fuji S2 Pro w/18~55mm Nikon - Click for biggie pic.
1600asa - 1/45 @ f5.6


Very happy with the quality of this given that it was shot at 1600asa, damn Noise Ninja is a fine tool.


Scaff

 

[homeforsummer]

Very clear 👍 And good lighting too. I also approve of the facial fuzz, as I happen to sport that particular look too

 

[Scaff]

Thanks.

The only lighting was from a window off to my left, but it worked out very well.

The face fuzz I've had for years, mainly because I hate shaving.


Ta

Scaff

 

[homeforsummer]

The only lighting was from a window off to my left, but it worked out very well.

Yeah, it does work well. Just the right exposure for this one I think 👍

I hate shaving too.

 

[Syntax error]

I've missed a few here. The portrait is good. Great lighting and no hint of noise at all. Noise Ninja seems to do a good job 👍

The SB-22 seems to be doing a good job with the flower as well. Next step is to get the flash off the hotshoe for more control with either a cable or remote

 

[Scaff]

I've missed a few here. The portrait is good. Great lighting and no hint of noise at all. Noise Ninja seems to do a good job 👍

Thanks 👍

I have to say this shot is the one that Noise Ninja has most impressed me with, used it right at the end after the re-size and it worked a treat.

Would strongly recomend it to anyone whos looking to use high ASA or long exposures, makes a world of difference.

The SB-22 seems to be doing a good job with the flower as well. Next step is to get the flash off the hotshoe for more control with either a cable or remote

The little SB-22s has proven to be quite able for its size and the price I paid for it, worked very well providing bounced fill on the scroll tube.

Now to pick up and off camera TTL cable for it, long term I would love to pick up a Metz Mecablitz 45 again, had one with my old kit and its easily worth the size and bulk for the quality of kit your get (but that will be a while - a little pricey).

Once again thanks for the feedback.

Ta

Scaff

 

[Scaff]

And from the Lavender bush he/she was on.



Both Fuji S2 Pro with 18~55mm Nikon and Cokin +3 Close-up filter.
Both 400asa 1/180 @ f5.6


Regards

Scaff

 

[LongbowX]

I think I like the shot of the lavender bush better. The dark spot in the middle of the spider's shot is a tad distracting. Also the background for the bush shot is just perfect.

 

[Scaff]

I think I like the shot of the lavender bush better. The dark spot in the middle of the spider's shot is a tad distracting. Also the background for the bush shot is just perfect.

Thanks for the feedback, I am in the process of looking at getting rid of the dark bit of the background on the spider shot, its hard work to do without ruining the web detail.

If I can get it done I will be sure to post it.

Thanks

Scaff

 

[Bram Turismo]

Great self-portrait shot there, Scaff. 👍

The tones are very good, what software are you running to proces your images? Guess I have to take a closer look on these Fuji cameras, they seem to be some great gear for photography. What kind of steps did you take when processing the self-portrait image in the software you use?

Great stuff!

 

[Syntax error]

Thanks for the feedback, I am in the process of looking at getting rid of the dark bit of the background on the spider shot, its hard work to do without ruining the web detail.

If I can get it done I will be sure to post it.

Thanks

Scaff

Seems like a task and a half... personally I'd take the lazy route and go for a crop.

Anyways, I find the dark patch a little distracting but it does not detract from the main focus too much. Nice and sharp too... 👍

 

[Scaff]

Great self-portrait shot there, Scaff. 👍

The tones are very good, what software are you running to proces your images? Guess I have to take a closer look on these Fuji cameras, they seem to be some great gear for photography. What kind of steps did you take when processing the self-portrait image in the software you use?

Great stuff!

Thanks Bram

The self-portrait was processed in Photoshop (I use CS2) and the work was releatively minimal. I used unsaturate to get the image into mono to start and then levels were adjusted slightly and then contrast boosted a bit. I did also use Noise Ninja (a PS plug-in) to sort out the noise from shooting at 1600asa and then ran an un-sharp filter over it (both of which I did once I had resized it for putting up here).

The only bit I did beyond that was actually to match the lens colour to the camera body, the lens was showing as a grey shade and the camera body black, and it just looked odd. So I did a rough selection around the lens and then used saturation to get it to a black that matched the camera body.

Oh and as a final one I fliped the image as reversed writing from the mirror just looks wrong to me (I can be a bit funny like that).


In regard to the Fuji bodies, they are excellent bits of kit, but can seem rather basic in terms of features when compaired to more modern cameras. My S2 Pro retailed for £2,200 new, but that was around 7 years ago, I bought it for £150 (no those are not typos).

A good place to look for reviews and test shots for cameras is DPreview.com, here's the one for my Fuji...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujis2pro/

...I had quite a specific 'needs' list when I went digital, mainly because I have a quite long history with pro film cameras. As such lots of electronic modes were not on my list, rather good image quality combined with semi-pro build quality and excellent colour balance were top of my list.

I like a heavy camera (the S2 is around 750grams), but for many that would be an issue. One thing that is important (and an excellent piece of advice that Giles mentioned when I was looking) is to look at lenses as well as the body. No good going for a body and then finding the mount will not allow you to get lenses that suit your needs, which is why Canon and Nikon are so popular (Fuji use a Nikon mount).

Seems like a task and a half... personally I'd take the lazy route and go for a crop.

Anyways, I find the dark patch a little distracting but it does not detract from the main focus too much. Nice and sharp too... 👍

I've had a quick look and getting rid of the dark blob without ruining the web is very, very tricky.

So I also went for the lazy route.....



...and cropped it.

👍

Scaff

 

[AMG.]

Thanks Giles, and on comparison of the two pictures I still prefer the full colour one, but its was worth a play just to try out a few things in PS.

A few new ones, taken today after a heavy shower.






Regards

Scaff

hmmm, digital Velvia 50?

👍

AMG.

 

[boiltheocean]

Personally I don't think the dark spot distracts much at all, the focus is clearly on the Spider and the dark area actually helps the Web stand out. Although I really like the crop too, so glad you didn't centre the spider. Small subjects covering most of the frame always makes for good photos.

 

[NLxAROSA]

I like the original spider better, the fact that there's something in the background makes it stand out and the picture looks much more three-dimensional. The background also leads the eye from left to right towards the spider.

 

[Scaff]

hmmm, digital Velvia 50?

👍

AMG.

My favorite colour film ever, and the S2 does a good job of replacating it (the S5 even has a Velvia mode).

Personally I don't think the dark spot distracts much at all, the focus is clearly on the Spider and the dark area actually helps the Web stand out. Although I really like the crop too, so glad you didn't centre the spider. Small subjects covering most of the frame always makes for good photos.

I like the original spider better, the fact that there's something in the background makes it stand out and the picture looks much more three-dimensional. The background also leads the eye from left to right towards the spider.

Oh spider debate, just glad everyone likes the two shots.

Thanks guys

👍


Scaff

 

[Radracing]

When shooting motorsports the ideal lens for cars on track would be 300mm and over, so that you can get up close and personal with the cars prefferably 500 to 600mm but we all know most of us don't have the budget for those kind of lenses. The alternative would be to rent one for the race weekend from a proffesional photo store.

Back to the point with a long lens you can capture the cars mostly without the background and with fast shutter speeds and high ISO settings you get really clear sharp shots. Now with a shot thats not close enough and some background involved you might want to do a lot of panning shot's to blur the background and endup with very artistic shorts, also it would be nice to get your shots angled to where you have a lot of color in the background (example billboards of sponsors on track) so you will get lots of different shades of colors more like a abract painting effect. I love your still life shots too, by the way.

Oh yeah, spray bottle with water add some nice effect for your closeups on plants and spider webs.

 

[Scaff]

When shooting motorsports the ideal lens for cars on track would be 300mm and over, so that you can get up close and personal with the cars prefferably 500 to 600mm but we all know most of us don't have the budget for those kind of lenses. The alternative would be to rent one for the race weekend from a proffesional photo store.

Back to the point with a long lens you can capture the cars mostly without the background and with fast shutter speeds and high ISO settings you get really clear sharp shots. Now with a shot thats not close enough and some background involved you might want to do a lot of panning shot's to blur the background and endup with very artistic shorts, also it would be nice to get your shots angled to where you have a lot of color in the background (example billboards of sponsors on track) so you will get lots of different shades of colors more like a abract painting effect. I love your still life shots too, by the way.

Uhh yes I know (and my 300mm is roughly a 450mm on my S2 body) I'm just wondering exactly what that has to do with my threads contents?

Have you by some chance miss-posted?

BTW - you don't always need to boost the ASA that depends entirely on the light on the day.


Slightly confused

Scaff


Edited to add - another one from the garden.

Rain on leaves

 

[boiltheocean]

Very nice, it's so sharp! The consistent background helps keep the viewer focused too, if anything I'd vignette the photo just to make the sides slightly darker, but then again that could just be my taste at the moment.

 

[Syntax error]

My favorite colour film ever, and the S2 does a good job of replacating it (the S5 even has a Velvia mode).

+1 my favorite colour film as well. I'll often use specific filters I've got set up in photoshop to replicate Velvia film.

 

[Scaff]

Very nice, it's so sharp! The consistent background helps keep the viewer focused too, if anything I'd vignette the photo just to make the sides slightly darker, but then again that could just be my taste at the moment.

I did think about it, but wanted to keep the shot light and open as I feel it suits the slightly high-key nature of the shot and the colours in it.

+1 my favorite colour film as well. I'll often use specific filters I've got set up in photoshop to replicate Velvia film.

Ohhh any chance of sharing the filter set-up.




Scaff

 

[AMG.]

I am in the process of looking at getting rid of the dark bit of the background on the spider shot

Hmmm, personally I'd try to get rid of the hilite, that orangy thing above the dark spot. I find hilites are more distracting than lowlights. And in this case it should be easier to do too! Give it a try... who knows you may like the result.

AMG.