[DonaldG]

Welcome to the TSF Photographers Club House. :wave:


Club rules: None really but please try not to post more than 5 images in a post (no multiple posts to get round this.). Please keep images to no larger than 1024 pixels over the longest dimention.

If you have a specific question on anything, maybe starting a specific thread on that subject is the best solution

This is a chat & club room, open for ALL TSF members.

I declare this club house well & truly open :smile:
Come on in, take your boots off and make yourself at home.
=========================================================

I'll start it off with a general question: What is your main interest? Mine is photo processing and aviation photography...

 

[WereBo]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

My main love is wildlife photography, but there's not much of that in S E London, unless I count my neighbours :grin:

Luckily, I have a wonderful 'Raptor Centre' approx 30 minutes drive away, that Mrs WereBo and I love to visit when we can. They're slowly expanding to include other animals now, but raptors are still the main attraction.

These were taken with my old Olympus Camedia...

Here's a sight not often seen over the 'wilds' of Kent - An American Bald Eagle :laugh:

The same bird back inside, where it lives....

This was taken in the 'Mews' (Where the birds are kept) - I swear these birds are more intelligent than they let on, this Peregrine was just sitting there looking bored, so I asked it nicely if would pose for me - Just as I was about to snap the pic, it posed for me :laugh:

A very fierce leopard....

Aleksandr's cousin....

That's got it off to a start :grin:

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

They are great - I guess out of all the animals of the world, the meerkat is one of my favourites - They are so photogenic an fascinating to watch..

You really caught the animal in its true pose...

You can almost hear it calling "Alan....Alan....Alan..... etc...":grin:

 

[WereBo]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Hehehehehehe.... :laugh: I see you saw that TV program too :grin:

 

[Mack]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Nice images WereBo.

I spend most of my time with my feet in water along the coastline and estuaries near where I live.

I also like photowalks with my family and meeting up with other photowalkers in Dublin. Thats my wife and children below. This was just as we were starting out on the grounds of a local castle.

However my main interest is portraiture. But I rarley get the chance. It's easier to just go down to the beach.
This is my eldest Son.

The Missus

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Nice family photos, Mack. That portrait of your son is first class. Portraiture is one type of photography I could not do.

 

[WereBo]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Although I've never had the interest in portraiture, you've captured it perfectly there, in all 3 pics - #3 for the comedy/light relief, #4 & 5 for 'serious' portraits ray:

The first 2 reeeaaally do 'rock my boat' though, they're just beautiful, full stop!!!

 

[Mack]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Thanks guys for the lovely comments.

Donald I love portraiture but it's hard work. The portrait of my Son took a long time. That was about image 48 out of 50 just as he was getting tired of me.

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Who started it all:

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-77)

... and where it happened:

Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire. UK

For more info see here

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Thanks guys for the lovely comments.

Donald I love portraiture but it's hard work. The portrait of my Son took a long time. That was about image 48 out of 50 just as he was getting tired of me.

Very well worth the effort Mack. It is a beautiful study.His eyes are captivating. I will imagine it will be a family treasure that will be looked at in 50 or 100 years time with comments like "Gee, that was me when I had hair!" or "Thats Granddad when he was a young lad" :grin:

But it will be one of the family history images for sure.

 

[Mack]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Haha, your so right, even now its treasured by my wife. I never considered it but its so true. Here's to having that good fortune, by being able to look back and laugh.:beerchug:

Following on from "Who started it all" this is also interesting. Reconed to be the first photograph with a person in it. Here

It amazes me when I think that at one time if you wanted a portrait you had to pose for 20+minutes without moving.

 

[WereBo]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

For Donald :grin: When Mrs WereBo and I went to see these meerkats, I had to warn the staff to check her bag, on leaving :grin:

This one shows just how big the above Bald Eagle is....

This was taken whilst squatting on my heels, approx 4 feet away - It was wonderful to be able to get so close to such a beautiful cat - I did manage to overcome the urge to scratch it's ears for it :grin:

More feather-detail of the Peregrine Falcon....

This pic of a Red-Tailed Kite was taken quite a few years ago, using my old Practika BX20 with B&W film. I was really chuffed with how this turned out as the thick cage-wire was so obvious, it ruined the shot. It took a bit of trial-and-error to 'dodge-and-burn' the cross-hatching out, without it showing on the main subject (I used to have my own 'hobby' dark-room for B&W photography).

Handy hint for animal photographers - To get the subject to give an interesting pose (as with the Kite pic.), try jangling a bunch of keys whilst composing your pic. (Or get an 'assistant' to jangle them, if you need both hands on the camera :wink. 99% of the time, it's a sound they've never heard before, so they're really curious about it :grin:

 

[zuluclayman]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

some nice pics there WereBo and Mack :grin:

These are some pics I took a while ago - last summer - I was using the sequential shooting mode and trying to capture the moments when these teens were having a bit of fun at the local ocean baths - they sit/stand near where the larger waves break over the rock platform the baths are cut into/built on and wash them into the pool.

The first three are a sequence showing the moment before a wave hits the guy holding his nose and the resulting pummeling he gets as he is washed into the pool. The fourth I call "best friends forever" - I like the way they are kinda clutching each other's hands as if it's OK to get mashed if you're with your "bestie" - it's of the two girls that were waiting their turn to be hit by the waves in the other shots - they have moved slightly closer to the edge of the cement and the wave in the background appears huge and about to smash them - in fact because of the foreshortening of the zoom lens they look closer to the wave than they were - they still got pummelled by the wave, the girl on the left fell over and was rolled into the pool, some 7-8 metres away. For some reason didn't get that as a sequence :sigh:

 

[Ooudestomp]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

:laugh:^

One of the best quality pics I've taken

Nice panorama

Just my dog looking a bit windswept :grin:

Last of all, how can I improve the quality of this picture? It is a really lovely path, I just can't see it!

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Love 'em all...

ZCM, one of those girls tied the bikini strap just in time (for her :wink... It reminded me of the time when my wife was standing in the surf about knee deep with her back to the sea. She was not aware of the big roller coming in & I didn't say a word!

Wosh! It broke over her is such away that she was still standing as the water receded. However it took quite a while to find her bikini top!!


Ooude: Some nice photos. The last one in particular is great composition. What a beautiful glade that is. The blurriness of it is caused by camera movement. Perhaps jerking the camera as you pressed the release or the shutter speed was a little too low.

If you have a tripod and can go back to the place, use the tripod. Another shot is to go along the path into the trees and shoot toward the sun. Often this will give some great effects. give it a try...

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

Some random favourites

One of the cloisters of St Francis Basilica, Assissi, Italy

Monet's Garden, Giverney, France

Reflections. Monet's Garden

Monet's Garden

 

[Done_Fishin]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

:laugh:^

One of the best quality pics I've taken

Nice panorama

Just my dog looking a bit windswept :grin:

Last of all, how can I improve the quality of this picture? It is a really lovely path, I just can't see it!

for some reason I don't see the links on this post until I reply with quote and then when I try to follow the links (manually) I get an"Oops this link is broken" message

EDIT .. now that I have put this out there the photos are showing inside my quote but NOT the original post haha :laugh: no I am NOT going crazy ..

Edit 2 . I am going crazy .. the photo's now show in the original post too!!

must have been a gliche on the site ..

See U when I get back from seeing my shrink ..

 

[DonaldG]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

No glitch D_F, the site is being worked on as we squeek. :grin:

 

[WereBo]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

WOW Donald, I love that basilica cloisters pic, the arches draw the eye down perfectly ray:

Mrs WereBo wants to know if, the next time to go visit Monet's garden, can you smuggle her there in a spare suitcase? She went gaga at it :laugh:

@ Ouude - I love your landscape shots, what Stately-Home is in the background of the 1st one? (with 1.5 dogs in :grin

The dog's portrait (pawtrait? :laugh is excellent, he's even smiling for the camera :grin:

Sadly, there's not a lot that can be done to save the Bluebell-glade pic, not even 'Sharpen' filters could do much - As Donald suggests, your best bet would be to re-take the pic, at least you won't have to wait long for the Bluebells to be in bloom again :wink:

 

[Ooudestomp]

Re: THE DARKROOM - (Our Chat Room)

@D_F, yes, I was updating my website that I upload my pics to, that may be why :grin:

I wish I could re-take the bluebell path one, but I took it while I was in wales on holiday. Bit annoyed about it really

The stately home in the picture is the new Castle Kennedy in south west Scotland. Some fantastic gardens and flowers. The panorama pic of the pond is from the same place. All I need now is a better camera!