Camera Labs

It was raining and I decided to snap some shots of the water droplets:

1.


2.


3.


4.


All were cropped. Minor image adjustments on 2, 3 and 4, I boosted saturation and increased clarity in Lightroom. I still don't know exactly what the clarity adjustment in Lightroom does but it does seem to help the droplets stand out more. Can anybody tell me what it is?

No. 1 was sharpened slightly. I changed the background from a dull grey to a the blue and added the vignetting effect.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

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Graham
Flickr

Hi Graham, couldn't see numbers 3 and 4, but hopefully one of the flickr embedding experts can help there!

Number 2 looks really nice, although I'd be tempted to get closer still or crop for a more abstract result - perhaps they might look like domes in a sci-fi movie!

Hi Graham,
Great colours, love #2....so sharp! I can't see images 3 and 4 either....looks like you've copied the wrong link info....should be the farm3static flickr link info....at least that's what mine usually say.

Looking forward to seeing the others

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Mark
Nikon D300 / Sigma 10-20mm / Nikkor 17-55 f2.8 / Nikkor 18-200mm VR / Nikkor 50mm f1.8 / SB600 Speedlight
Mark Amy Photography
My Squidoo lens - Images of China

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback.

I apologise for the mistake in the post. I copied the link to the flickr page with the photo instead of the link to the photo itself. I have corrected them so you should be able to see them now.(Thanks for the pm Thomas!)

I would have liked to get closer still but I think that was as close as the lens would focus. I would have really liked to create a smaller crop of the centre droplet but I was worried that it would have appeared less sharp like in shot 1. A macro lens is currently 3rd on my wishlist so hopefully my shots will be better next time.

If you look closely, you can see the D80's flash mirrored in the each of the droplets!

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Graham
Flickr

Yeah I like 3 & 4...especially the contrast between the green and the black in #3 with the droplet centred between the two....nice

Just out of interest...what's 1 & 2 on your wishlist???

I'm still getting to grips with the small kit I have, but I think in the future I'd like to experiment more with flash photography and macro.

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Mark
Nikon D300 / Sigma 10-20mm / Nikkor 17-55 f2.8 / Nikkor 18-200mm VR / Nikkor 50mm f1.8 / SB600 Speedlight
Mark Amy Photography
My Squidoo lens - Images of China

Thanks. #1 is the 50mm f/1.8 and #2 is the SB-600. I like a smaller DOF and a lot of my shots have been ruined by shake. The SB-600 is because I really don't like to use the flash pointed directly at the subject and not using it causes the shake to show up.

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Graham
Flickr

Nice work Graham. Did you use a tripod or were these hand held?

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My Flickr

They were handheld. I was lazy to take the tripod out hehe. Also, because my tripod isn't a very good one, the head tends to change positions once I tighten it so I tend not to use it unless I absolutely have to.

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Graham
Flickr

Hand held -- I'm soo envious. Beautiful shots!

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BrianS
D50, 70-300mm VR, 50mm f/1.8

It was raining again today so I decided to try again, this time following Gordon's advice. I managed to get closer than I previously though the lens would allow, making the droplets appear larger. Thanks Gordon!

Here's the results:

1.

1/160s | f/5.6 | iso 250 | 135mm

2.

1/60s | f/5.6 | iso250 | 135mm

I also found out how to get my exif info to display in flickr. You have to uncheck the option to minimise the embedded data when exporting from lightroom, if anybody has been having the same problem.

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Graham
Flickr

Nice work Graham! When it comes to macro, I think the closer and more abstract, the better! When you have to look twice to realise what it is, I think you're onto a winner.