Macro , A final image choice , From a idea to the final presented image

 Theme 1 Macro , A final image choice  , From a idea to the final presented image

 SITTING PRETTY (Monarch Butterfly)
Macro final 10 image captured and presentation

• Theme 1 MACRO
• Date 10th of November 2010
• Time 13.46

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/80 sec

Aperture f/4.5

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

No flash

Location

Stratford upon Avon butterfly park 

Swan's Nest Lane,

Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire

A walk around Stratford upon Avon butterfly park

I went to Stratford butterfly park and took some macro shots of the many butterflies bugs in there

Ambient light

It was sunny day outside. The butterflies are housed in a big greenhouse so the ambient light was quite good 

Planing  

 I took plenty of water because of the humid heat inside i got there in morning so there would be less general public , I hoped to capture a macro shot of a butterfly on a flower feeding , I was hoping to use a depth of Field and have a strong focal point using the rule of thirds aslo .

Equipment

I took my 450d camera I took 2 lenses my 50mm lens and my 60mm macro lens

I also took some magnification filters for both my lenses

I took a flash gun to help with exposure

Equipment for shot

I used my canon 450d camera

Lens Tamron 60mm lens

Equipment operation 

I used my 60 mm lens with Manuel focusing and Manuel settings I set the aperture to f/4.5 to show some depth of Field and I used a shutter speed of 1/80 any slower and I might of had camera shake with such a close up image and i used a ISO of 200 to help with the Exposure . I got close up quietly so not to scare the butterfly off  and moved up close and metered onto the butterfly's head .

Risk and Health and safety

 I was careful not to use a tripod in case of the public tripping on it and falling

I took plenty of water because of the humidity 

I was careful of the butterflies on the floor there was one or two dead butterfly's that had been stepped on by the unaware public 

Image

A Monarch Butterfly feeding on a yellow flower

Composition and choice of image

I took a few different compositions of this butterfly

Under exposed

Out of focus

Slightly over exposed and a standard composition

Conclusion

 I picked this image because of the rule of thirds and the tonal range and depth of Field

 and detail and sharpness of the butterfly and flower .

                                                     ORIGINAL IMAGE

ORIGINAL IMAGE

                                                               Editing 

I took the original image into photoshop and made a slight crop and slightly sharped the image .

Monarch Butterfly

The original image was cropped to improve the photo cropped to 300 dpi

Using the crop tool you can select the best area of a photo

Frame

After i had finished I put a simple black and white border to enhance the image and bring out the colours and detail and tones of the butterfly

SITTING PRETTY

Final image

Theme 2 A final image choice Architecture , From a idea to the final image

 Theme 2

OX BRIDGE

• Theme -Architecture
• Date - 6th of December 2010
• Time 16.52

Location   Bridge Of Sighs (The Hertford Bridge) oxford

The most photographed piece of architecture in Oxford, it actually bears closer resemblance to the Rialto Bridge in Venice . The Hertford Bridge in New College Lane, Oxford, England is often referred to as the "Bridge of Sighs" because of its supposed similarity to the famous bridge of the same name in Venice. However, Hertford Bridge was never intended to be a replica of the Venetian bridge and many believe it looks more similar to the Rialto Bridge in the same city. The bridge links together the Old and New Quadrangles of Hertford College. The bridge, and much of its current architecture, was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson. It was Constructed in 1913/1914 .

Morris dancing under the famous bridge

Planing - I went to oxford with a few lenses my 50mm lens and my 18-55 mm lens so i had the option of different composition and different apertures
I hoped to shoot the architecture of oxford with all its beauty capturing the shapes and texture of the buildings

Light - As i took this photo it was getting dark and it was a cloudy day so the ambient light was quite poor

Image - Its a evening in oxford its not to long to dusk and the street lights have come on

Equipment

 Canon 450 D

lens 18-55 lens

Health and safety
The risk was just what

composition and choice of final image

My photos of  the Bridge Of Sighs (The Hertford Bridge) oxford
I took a few photos of the bridge from different angles here is a few of them

Final image

I picked the one below for my final 10 because I like the street light and the crop i like focal point of the bridge and the shapes of the windows and arch and the lamppost

OX BRIDGE

Canon 450d

Lens 18-55mm at 20mm

Shutter speed 1/60 sec

Aperture F/3.5

ISO 400

Metering Evaluative

                                                                           Editing

original image



You can crop a photo and get a complete different composition

I also took out the chimney using the photoshop lasso tool

OX BRIDGE

final image

Final 10 macro

Final 10 Macro

NATURE IN FOCUS

 I was in the garden and i saw a Green shield bug that I have saw before mostly from landing on me it
 was in my garden so I took some macro shots of it wondering around I wanted to get a
macro shot of the bug coming towards me walking in between the moss and grass.
I think i got a good compostion of the bug with good exposure using flash

IT'S A BUGS LIFE



I got down low and face on to the bug
and used my Flash
I metered onto the face using spot

60mm lens

Shutter speed 1/50 sec

Aperture f 7.1

ISO 400

Metering spot

Flash used

I went to Stratford butterfly park and took some macro shots of the many butterflies

here i used a macro lens to capture the texture and colours of the butterfly

I got close up and used all manual settings to get this side close up view .

BUTTERFLY REST

60mm lens

Shutter speed 1/60 sec

Aperture f 6.3

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

On board Flash used

FROSTY DAYS

I was walking along the river at stratford upon Avon on a frosty

winters day I found these plant heads in a row so took a picture

I used a wide Aperture of f/2 to get the depth of Field

60mm lens

Shutter speed 1/1000 SEC

Aperture f 2.2

ISO 100

Metering Evaluative

HIDE AND SEEK

I found spotted this Dead leaf butterfly well camouflage on some rocks ,

The remarkable detail of the butterfly mimicking a dead leaf is amazing 

 I wanted to capture all the beauty of this butterfly as well as its great camouflage .

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/60 sec

Aperture f/10

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

On board flash

I noticed this small spider on the water drops

so decided to try and capture the spider and the water drop 

INCY WINCY SPIDER

Canon 450d

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/80 sec

Aperture f/9

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

no flash

YOU LOOKING AT ME

This bug was be hide glass I wanted to capture the colours

 and texture I used flash to help with exposure and

 used Evaluative metering to meter onto hes face

I like the background colours and composition of the shot.

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/60 sec

Aperture f/7.1

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

On board flash

I wanted to use a shallow aperture to show some depth of Field so

 I used a Aperture of f/2.5 I like the composition and colour of the image .

BERRY FEST

450D

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/80 sec

Aperture f/2.5

ISO 100

Metering Evaluative

I noticed the reflection of the plants leafs in the water drop

And changed the angle to get more of the reflection of the red leafs 

in the water droplet . I used 1 metering point and focused onto the 

water drop with spot metering .

RAINDROP REFLECTION

                                                                       Canon 450d

                                                                        Lens 60mm

                                                               Shutter speed 1/13 sec

                                                                       Aperture f/14

                                                                         ISO 1600

                                                                      Metering spot

I wanted to capture the butterfly and the Flowers in the background
I used a aperture of f/4.5 to get some depth of Field and to make
the butterfly stand out more and show sharp detail .

SITTING PRETTY

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/80 sec

Aperture f/4.5

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

No flash

I noticed the rain water left over on the leafs

The sun was out so i had good ambient light

so took some close ups using manual focusing

MARBLE RAIN

Canon 450d

Lens 60mm

Shutter speed 1/60 sec

Aperture f/8

ISO 200

Metering Evaluative

no flash

Final selection macro editing

Final selection macro editing

After i chose my final 10 images for macro I started to edit them in cs3 photoshop
here is a selection of some of my crops and adjustments on the final images

Green shield bug

Original image

Ive cropped and sharped the image for more impact

Final image

Butterfly

original image

The original image was cropped to improve the photo cropped to 300 dpi

Using the crop tool you can select the best area of a photo

Final image

                                                         Water water droplets from heaven

original image

First of all I rotated the image 180

                                                            Then i sharped the image

Then i improved the photo by adjusting the levels

Final image flipped

In macro its even more important to get the settings right the first time as your taking the photo because the detail of macro photography but in photoshop you can still crop or clone out a misplaced object and you can improve a photos sharpness and composition .

health and safety

Basic camera health and safety

• Do not get your camera wet
• When using a tripod make sure it is stable
• Do not use a tripod in crowed areas because it could cause sum one to fall or trip
• Make sure your camera is firmly om when using a tripod in case you knock it off and damage it
• Try not to run with your camera it could slip out of your hand and get damaged
• When your not using your camera make sure your camera strap is not in danger of being pulled
• Do not point your camera directly and the sun you could damage your sensor
• when carrying a camera bag make sure you don't knock it off hard surfaces could damage camera
• When changing lenses be careful not to drop a lens or leave
• If walking and looking though a viewfinder me wary of your surrounds you could walk into a hazard
• If using a camera on the beach be careful of sand getting into the camera or lens
• Do not leave your camera on hot surface
• Do not use your camera with dirty hands dirt or oil could damage your camera
• Always use a clean cloth to clean your camera
• Be careful of using flash

                   How to change a camera lens Safety

                                Dropping a camera can cause serious damage

                              Using a Filter could save a expensive lens in a fall

This camera fell out of a car when the back door was opened.
 It is a Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L lens on a Canon EOS 1D 4mp DSLR.
 Except for the destroyed 77mm Hoya  filter the camera and lens works fine.



 


                                                  The 3000 foot drop

Sometimes you can just be lucky this camera fell off a man sky diving it fell 3000 feet
The canon 400D survived to shoot another day

      Be careful of using a camera in the snow after only after a few Min's it could get seriously wet




When taking photos do not take risks with where u shoot from

Be careful of the foreground below you it could be icy wet or even just to dangerous to shoot from
photographers have died tying to get a shot

Taken From the Denver post

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN

A 47-year-old local resident fell to his death trying to take a picture along Lookout Mountain Road this afternoon, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
The man was with others about 4 p.m. when he stepped over the guard rail to snap the photo and fell about 60 feet.
He was dead by the time rescuers arrived.

Taken from the sun

AN amateur photographer was swept to his death over a 70ft waterfall after he slipped while taking a picture.

David Heron, 58, and wife Linda were enjoying a lunchtime stroll when he stopped at a viewing point near High Force waterfall, which is England's highest.
But as David prepared to take a photo he lost his footing and tumbled into the fast-flowing River Tees.
Passers-by tried to reach him but the current was too strong and he was carried over the edge.
By the time they got to David at the bottom of the waterfall he was dead

Health and safety issues

            Be fully prepared for a days shooting

• Take plenty of water and food
• Take a mobile phone or walkie talkie fully charged with pack up battery for extra safety
• Take a good map of the area you are photographing
• Make sure you bring extra clothing in case you get stranded
• Wear good footwear
• Always tell someone where you are going

Outdoor photography

When taking photos on mountains or hills there is a bigger risk to personal safety

Take a companion its always safer to have a company in case you get into danger

Dress properly

Trainers might look cool and be light to walk in butt for a safer option use a fell boot or walking boot these will have allot better grip and will have better ankle support and will keep your foot dryer if you step in a wet bog or stream



A walking boot will give your foot better protection and grip






Trainers are not as safe  

                                                                                      
                  
Temperatures can fall rapidly with height , and wind and rain increase , carrying a quality weatherproof jacket and a insulating fleece can cope with the worst weather.



There are many waterproof and fleeces to choose from to keep you safe from the weather

Prepare for the unexpected
A good weather report is invaluable
But if the weather appears to be deteriorating it probably better to be safe then sorry  so go back if it safe to do so

Carrying a torch can be a life saver
you never know you could get lost or stranded then night fall will come


A wind up torch could be a life saver

Avoid dehydration
Water is heavy so its temping to leave it or just take a small bottle
But walking long distances with equipment can result in you sweating more and losing more fluids so its always safer to take more water than you need
If you have run out of water it is normally safe to drink water from a stream if it is above 800 meters
however its even safer to use  sterilising tablets or a sterilising pump to clean the water you are about to drink
Also carry enough food for the length of the outing you have in mind .

More accidents happen from descending its to do with fatigue and because we are facing away from the hill rather than towards it so always take extra care if you are coming down from a hill or mountain

Health and safety is important in photography you must be always aware of the risks to you and the subject you are photographing.