Day 158 - On the phone

No.. I don't mean I'm on the phone.  Today's shots were taken on my phone camera.

One wet day, today!  I saw a little bit of blue sky and was really excited hoping it would stay that way.  But the weather has a mind of its own - it decided to throw down buckets of rain instead.  I saw such pretty colours on my way home that I had to stop and admire the scene, sans camera.  And then I thought - wait!  What did I pay the big bucks for my phone for?  It has an 8 MP camera on it and so I whip it out to get some nice shots.  Of course the megapixels don't really have anything to do with the quality of the lens, but you do expect a moderately good piece of glass in a hi-res camera.  Well, at least I did!

I have used it before on a nice, bright day, but this evening was a completely different story.  I couldn't believe the grainy shots I got, no clarity or sharpness - nothing.  I am certain there are settings on the camera that I could have manipulated, but I have never really taken the time to get familiar with this one.  I made a mental note of that - make friends with your phone camera!

What a bummer it was!  Anyway, out of the 15 odd shots I took, I discarded most of them.  The following remain:

To add a final note. the first three shots were processed in LR3 and the last one is SOOC.  I think the difference in quality between them is noteworthy.

Day 153 - Cyclists

I was scoping out a good place to do some cycling and skating photography for our next photo club meetup.  And for that I had to try out some shots myself.  This was my first time doing it and I realize that it's not such an easy thing to do.

One is that you have to be really good at panning.  You also have to be able to make spot decisions on whether you want a motion blur, or would you rather keep the cyclist in sharp focus and this I think depends on the speed at which the cyclist is coming.  A faster cyclist would be helpful in getting a good blurred background if you're able to pan properly.

Background plays a big role.  I didn't find a place with a really great background to start with, because I had positioned myself at curves which were next to parked cars, or fences.  The place I had originally thought of as great, might not be as great after all.

But the most important lesson from all of this was that a photog has to forget being self-conscious.  I was, and I was paranoid that I might be told off by someone because this wasn't a public event of any sort.  So, I had to be somewhat candid with the camera.

Here are a few shots from the evening.

I had a nice low angle in this one

Low angle, but not low enough

Standing full height while panning

As above

The last one was by far the best shot I got because this gentleman was zipping by, so I could get a good blurred background.  But the green post got in the way of this one! :(  (I have to look out for this next time)  Since the other cyclists were much slower at the turn, so the panning wasn't as effective.

Day 144 - An Ode to the Fallen Leaves

Summer is gone with its bejewelled splendour

The trees standing tall

They know it is Fall,

Their leaves they will soon surrender.

Time flies on the wings of an eagle -

Time doesn’t wait for you and me,

Time dresses Fall in colours so regal;

Time strips the trees of greenery.

Chilly winds blow the leaves asunder

The birds too are gone

The scene so forlorn

The silence deepened by the distant rolls of thunder.

Gone too will be the last seagull

The snow will be here,

Too soon it will appear

Numbing the senses, making life so dull.