Camera Labs

Hi! Finally I defeated my lazyness for a while and created my Flickr account, my first uploads are a selection of photos from my trip to souther germany last summer where I put my D40 and my 18-55 and 55-200 VR to the test!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/javicaselli/sets/72157603884032368/

Feedback, counsel and critics would be much apreciated

Please have a look at this pic of the lake at Nymphenburg's botanic garden, some areas look slightly overexposed due to light reflecting on the water (it was a glorious summer morning). Would results had been better if I had used a polarazing filter?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/javicaselli/2255543325/in/set-72157603884032368/

Thanks!

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

Hey beren23,

that was a VERY enjoyable set you've created from Bavaria!! Such sophisticated beauty in the landscaping and architecture!

I take some pride - by osmosis - that we both have the same camera and lenses..lol. Hopefully your good photographic sense will transfer to me somehow!

(is it me or are there a few where the horizon is a little tilted? - small matter easily corrected if you think it matters)

As for your question: that's a tough one. I don't think the pol-filter is "the answer" even if it may help some. The issue, I'm guessing, is that you have metered for the forest/pavilion part of the image, but the wide band of water in the background is throwing light at you.

There are two things I would experiment with together:
1) Lens hood/using your hand
2) Composition: zoom in so that the foreground-water is not seen and re-meter.

Alternately you can try to meter for the water, get the forest/pavilion a little too dark and manipulate in post-processing.

Essentially, the challenge here is that there is a large area of the image emitting a LOT more light than the rest of the image. The camera has to apply some sort of "average" and there probably is no such "average" that will make two such radically different areas look good at the same time.

Seems like a "by the book" -challenge for HDRmaybe...

Thanks for sharing those great pics - although it sadly remindsme that it's been too long since I've been in Europe!

Cheers

Thanks for the feedback, really apreciate it.

I do remeber for the overexposed water shot that I didn't use the hood, I definitively should have known better...

Anyway in such situations I guess you're right, there's no magical solution apart from PP and/or HDR, but definitively the hood might have helped, and a polarizer to get rid of some reflections too, I think.

I guess crossing oceans is not something that one can do everyday (sadly... because I love traveling), it's been ten years since the last time I crossed the Atlantic, and it was precisely to visit Canada, a fascinating Xmas holydays at Niagara Falls Ontario with some long time friends, by the way, the falls in winter offer an awesome show (But God, I almost froze to dead getting near them!! ). I want to go back to visit them... in autumn perhaps, so that I can visit your magnificent forests, Nova Scotia, etc...

Bye!

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

i seem to recognise one of those photos from the film 'chitty chitty bang bang' Anyone see which one i mean?

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I've upped my Iso, now up yours.
Nikon D700, Nikon D80, Micro Nikkor 105 f2.8 AI-S,Nikon 85mm 1.8D, Nikon 50mm 1.8D, Nikon 35mm F2D, Nikon 16-35 f4 VR, Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 AF-S, Nikon 70-200VRII, Nikon 70-300mm VR, 300mm f2.8 AI IF ED, SB-800, SB-900. Noiseware pro,NIK Dfine, Nik Colour Effex, Nik Sharpener Pro

castle looks like the one of chitty chitty bang bang

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Camera: Canon 40D, 17-85mm IS
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Lol! I didn't know Neuschwanstein Castle was used in that movie!

I do know though that Neuschwanstein was the source of inspiration for Walt Disney when Disneyland's castle was created. Unsurprisingly though, I think that the original one in Germany beats Disney's hands down.

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

Great sets of pics Beren23 makes me want to travel that much more but.. too many places on the wish-list to visit !
Yes, i do think the metering was slightly over-exposed for this one, have you tried to adjust the WB instead of just AUTO ?
It may work wonders !

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Nikon D7000 and a bunch of Nikkors

I love those Bavarian castles! Which is that famous one on top of a mountain?

Hi Gordon! That one is called Neuschwanstein, it translates New Swan Stone as far as my poor german goes.

The construction of the castle was ordered by King Ludwig II, who reigned Bavaria in the late 19th century. Tale tells that he loved the place (who can blame him?) since he was very young and spent summers in the smaller castle near it (called Hohenschwangau), later, when he was King, he ordered the construction of Neushwanstein.

In case anybody wants more info or learn a bit more about the castle's history (a very interesting read IMHO), here's the link to Neuschwanstein official site, definitively an must-go place for anyone visiting Bavaria:

http://www.neuschwanstein.de/english/index.htm

Bye!.

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

Thanks Beren23, I'd love to see those places...

I also like to think that forum moderator Thomas lives in one!

Some great photos there.

Thomas lives up in the belfry, one of the bats

Zorro

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http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

I went to Neuschwanstein (I'm fairly sure I've butchered the german language there) 5 years ago, but it was raining and I was as hungover as I've ever been, so not the enjoyable trip it should have been! Would like to go back sometime.

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Nikon D40 / Nikon D5100

Visit my photograph portfolio and personal blog

18-55 VR f/3.5-5.6
55-200 f/4-5.6
50 f/1.8

Follow me on Twitter: @stevesayskanpai

Had I known that and I would've waited till dark so that he could come out to meet him and have a quick beer or something...

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

Huh, you talking about me
Wait until dark and I come suck your blood
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Neuschwanstein together with Schloss Linderhof is "Uber-Kitsch": if you like Disney, you'll like those too
But it sure is more classy than Disneyland...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses