Hark 2019

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Eventually I want to photograph all of the memorial benches at a local park. So today I used my lens ball. These are just a couple of the images from today's outing.

_DSC8427 low res.jpg


_DSC8531 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
nice shots Cindy, are you on your tripod??

:beguiled: I envisioned a tripod up my arse!!! Lol. ;)

No, I used my 105mm macro since it allows close focusing with VR and held the ball as far ahead of the lens as I could. My right hand held the camera. I don't know if BBF would work well in this case, but I used the regular shutter release button for both focusing and shooting. I'm not sure if I would be able to reach quite as far in front if the camera was on a tripod. But I also never tried.

The original thread/article that Nikonpup posted mentioned focusing manually. Well...forget that! I missed too many that way. I stopped down enough to keep the subject in sharp enough focus and used AF. If there is a horizon line in the pic, you can make it appear curved by positioning your subject either higher or lower within the ball. That makes more of a fisheye appearance inside the ball. The 105mm lens just fit the 80mm ball within the frame although there were times when I didn't quite position the ball totally within the frame. You can see in one of my photos that the bottom of the ball was slightly cut off.

Not sure if using a remote would work in this case. Focusing specifically on the subject is key (VR helps immensely due to such close focusing while your outstretched arm struggles to hold still). If you focus elsewhere within the ball, the subject can appear slightly soft (not quite in focus).

If you don't yet have a ball, this 80mm one is by Merry Nine (Amazon). My first ball was also thru Amazon but was made by Amlong (also 80mm). There were too many imperfections that showed up in the Amlong ball so I don't recommend it. This Merry Nine ball is a much better quality. If you are in a warm to hot location with the sun out, a good quality crystal ball heats up REALLY fast! Putting it in a pocket won't help because it still reacts to sunlight through some clothing. The Amlong ball wasn't as good a quality and didn't cause the heat. The better quality crystal will act like a magnifying glass that gets hot. When I was out the other day, I carried a small camera bag just for the ball. The bag was thick enough to cut the sunlight and allow the ball to cool. But the temperature was in the 40's or 50's so the ball never got hot anyway...just warm.
 

Roy1961

Senior Member
Contributor
lol (tripod), i have one Cindy, other than setting it on a wall/ground i hadnt worked out how to use it.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
lol (tripod), i have one Cindy, other than setting it on a wall/ground i hadnt worked out how to use it.

If your subject is located beneath trees, the camera might focus on the leaf reflections instead of your subject. I had that happen with one particular bench that was sitting beneath 2 trees. I could see the bench in the ball with my naked eye, but the camera almost always focused on the leaves overhead that were reflecting on the glass. You couldn't even see the bench in the pics--unfortunately I already deleted those files.

If you are going to hold the ball with your hand, you need to keep watch where your fingers are located. I've had a few where a finger blatantly showed through the ball.

This first one is an example but is nowhere near as blatant as a few of the files I already deleted. And also be aware of your shadow. I had trouble getting a good image without my shadow from the left front of the bench. I blurred the names on the plaques for their loved ones privacy.

The first image is hazier than the second. That has to do with how the sun hits the ball. Some angles to the sun simply don't work well. And it's in the hazy images where you might encounter the most problems. If you specifically want to photograph something from a particular angle but see a lot of haze, you might want to go at a different time of day.

_DSC8489 low res.jpg


You can tell my fingers are still located behind the ball but don't show up inside it. It's best if you try to hold the ball from its sides though rather than having any fingers behind. Just be aware of what you actually see within the ball.

_DSC8476 low res with blurred name.jpg
 
Last edited:

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Took this the other day. I turned my car around and went back to ask if the flag could be taken down. The person was very humble, and despite the freezing temps while they were dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and bare feet, he/she went right over and took it down. It's not the kind of thing I like to see and have no idea how anyone could leave it flying in this condition. I also mentioned the only flag drop box that I knew of so it could be retired with respect.

_DSC1436 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
This is the inside roof of a small pavilion. The eerie glow was from light reflecting off of ice on the ground. I could have removed the glow during post processing but decided it adds an element of weirdness.

_DSC8608 low res.jpg


And I noticed a new memorial bench. The person chose a fantastic place--right between two trees. No doubt this bench will be used a lot by park visitors especially during the hot summer months.

_DSC8585 low res.jpg


_DSC8586 low res.jpg


_DSC8611 low res.jpg
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Took this the other day. I turned my car around and went back to ask if the flag could be taken down. The person was very humble, and despite the freezing temps while they were dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and bare feet, he/she went right over and took it down. It's not the kind of thing I like to see and have no idea how anyone could leave it flying in this condition. I also mentioned the only flag drop box that I knew of so it could be retired with respect.

View attachment 303940

Thank you Cindy, for your taking time to show respect for our flag and country.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Thank you Cindy, for your taking time to show respect for our flag and country.

Thanks, Walt. This isn't the kind of subject I like to photograph but felt it was necessary. Unfortunately not everyone notices.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I need to get caught up - have a few that aren't yet posted.

It's very unusual to see deer out in the middle of the afternoon. As I drove down the road, they started to cross it and headed into the park. So I stopped and walked over. The adult was wary and turned to walk back across the road. The young one stayed put for a few moments before following its mom.

_DSC1463 low res.jpg


_DSC1464 low res.jpg


Drove further through the park and spotted his hawk sitting high above.

_DSC1478 low res.jpg


Eventually came across this frozen blob. It looks like a pregnant water drop except it was about an inch-and-a-half tall.

_DSC1496 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
We had an inch-and-a-half of snow during Sunday's early morning hours. It resulted in very serene scenes. The heron at the end was a bonus!

_DSC8624 low res.jpg


_DSC8626 low res.jpg


_DSC8634 low res.jpg


_DSC8637 low res.jpg


Below notice the heron sitting at the water's edge. Last Thursday was the first time I've seen a heron at the park but didn't have my camera. So I was thrilled to photograph it when I came across this scene on Sunday.

_DSC8653 low res.jpg


_DSC8654 low res.jpg


_DSC8662 low res - Copy.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Here are a few from yesterday afternoon. The area beneath the fishing pier looks like icy fringe.

_DSC8804 low res.jpg


Here's a close up showing that ice.

_DSC1559 low res.jpg


These supports reminded me of Clydesdales' hooves.

_DSC8832 low res.jpg


_DSC1563 low res.jpg


I almost wanted to look around for a cow. The ice below reminds me of cow udders. :rolleyes:

_DSC1581 low res.jpg


Hmm...maybe a paw with claws? :beguiled:

_DSC1584 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I really need to get caught up again. These were from January 26th. A few days earlier, I watched 2 eagles performing a courtship ritual so I went out with hopes of seeing an eagle again. There were 5-6 flying around. One would fly from a nearby tree, skim the lake and catch a fish, then return to a tree to eat. The first images I shot were taken into the sun so the background on those was blown out. I knew I needed to get on the other side of the eagles so I walked beneath this one to get the nice blue sky.

_DSC1720 low res.jpg


_DSC1726 low res.jpg


_DSC1631 low res.jpg


_DSC1675 low res.jpg
 
Last edited:

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
This was from the next day. I'm not sure whether this is a small tree trunk or a vine.

_DSC1776 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
This is from January 28th. I like to take photos of the memorial benches to share with the grieving families. They appreciate knowing others pay attention to their loved ones benches.

This bench is in memory of an infant named Noah. When their family sees a pastel sky, they call it Noah's Sky. When I shared this image with the mom, she was absolutely thrilled.

As I was taking this image, I was particularly focused on trying to create a starburst from the sun in camera. Although that didn't happen, when I saw how the water changed from yellow to blue on the rear display, I thought my camera was broken. Then when I looked out at the water and saw it really looked this way, it was amazing.

_DSC8935 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
The next morning, I was out when the temperature was only 4 degrees. ::what:: It was immensely cold. Here is another example of a Noah Sky. This lantern is hanging next to a different bench at the park. Despite the frigid temps, the sunrise was spectacular. It was cloudy, and while the sun itself wasn't visible, the sky still looked impressive. That is a security light in the distance, not the sun. ;)

_DSC8951 low res - Copy.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
January 30th brought us fog and a surprise snow squall. These are 2 different memorial benches on opposite sides of the lake. The first image shows a dense fog. In the second image, the fog cleared off the land somewhat although was still thick out over the lake.

_DSC1794 low res.jpg


_DSC1796 low res.jpg
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
February 1st brought us more snow. I used my Think Tank Emergency Cover for protection from the snow. I'm still waiting for my local store to get the medium size back in stock. The small size fits my Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR very well (which is what was used here) but wouldn't be long enough to use with my 300mm f/4 VR PF coupled with a 1.4x teleconverter. Been waiting since the end of December. :(

_DSC8967 low res.jpg


_DSC8972 low res.jpg


_DSC8978 low res.jpg


_DSC8979 low res.jpg


_DSC8981 low res.jpg


_DSC8982 low res.jpg


_DSC8991 low res.jpg


_DSC8992 low res.jpg
 
Top