PHOTOS

[pwt54]

Okay, here is the link to my hiefer and lady slippers album.
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/alb ... 5068WqbEfK

[ctyanky]

Heifers and Lady Slippers! What a combination! I had to laugh - going from cows to flowers but that's so like youl! We had a great time at that parade, didn't we! I can't wait to meet up with everyone again! Thanks for putting up the parade photos!

I liked photo 930 of the group of Lady Slippers the best. Also the bird shots were beautiful! I've never seen a Lady Slipper so now I know what they look like! I also caught the deer behind the flowers which was a lucky find as well!

One question: for risk of sounding very uninformed in the agricultural realm and slightly embarrassed to ask but, Holstein oxen? I thought Holsteins were just for milk production! I'll have to google this and find out for myself!

Thanks again PWT: they were fun to look at!

[Andy]

Wow Phil! Those lady's slippers are really, well, SHOWY! Illustrates one of the reasons I lean toward "nature" subjects in my own photography. Its easy to get those models to pose in a really photogenic way (once you find them anyway).

[pwt54]

You can make oxen out of any bull by castrating them. All the energy then goes to making muscle and size. Andy, one thing I should warn you about these lady slippers is that they are covered in fuzz on the pedals and lower section, so use that "hangy-down" thing with the yellow spots to judge sharpness.

[Andy]

Phil: Don't get me wrong. The photos look plenty sharp to me where they should be. I was more speaking of depth of field (DOF) issues. As a general rule, the longer the focal length of the lens, the less DOF there is, meaning to me, that part of the image from front to back that is in sharp focus (so that with less DOF, that part of the image from front to back is narrower or smaller). As a general rule, the same is true with larger apertures (less DOF) and as you (or the lens) gets closer to the image, and/or in the case of macro, the image magnification gets greater.

P&S cameras have come great strides, but again, as a generalization, the DSLR body and a tripod gives you more control of the factors above. You can control the "look" of the image by using different lens and/or focal lengths, and smaller and larger apertures. If you have a DOF preview button on your DSLR, you can "see" through the viewfinder, how different apertures will effect the look of the image.

That really was my point

[pwt54]

First the easy question. The bird might have been a yellow warbler. Some one told me there 5 types of yellow warbler. I may look it up, but I'm too busy taking and processing pictures.
When I warned about the fuzziness of the lady slippers I wasn't responding to a comment. I was hoping to warn folks not to use the "bulb" or upper pedals to try to sharpen their photo when using software. You will over sharpen your photo. Use that little "tongue" with the yellow spots just above the bulb. As for the focal length, I'll get to that as soon as I figure out the "easy" stuff. I've only been using the rebel since mid-April and the sx 10 for 2 weeks. My sx 10 only has F 2.8 to f 8 stops so I will be limited. My rebel with the 18-200mm lense is F 3.5 to F 25. I used the super macro setting on my sx 10 for the really close up shots of the lady slippers, so I'm not sure what the settings are. Andy, if you saw a photo with the focal length I should be loooking for, give me the number and I'll check out the exif of the original photo. I'm under the impression that the focal length is a product of the lense and not the camera. If that is the case there ain't much I can do with the sx 10 and I may have to wait for some "stimulus" money to get the right lense.

[pwt54]

Well Andy you got me all curious and confused and DOF. (you shouldn't do that during a Red Sox game). Photos 958 to 1018 were all taken with the super macro setting. They show a focal length of 5mm with at f 4. The rst of the lady slipper photos were taken with various zoom setting and between F 4 and f-5, except photo 1040 which taken at F 7. The 2 yellow bird photos might be a good comparison. Yellow Bird 1 was taken with my rebel and the 18-200 lense at max zoom. It was set at F-8 and had a focal length of 200mm. Yellow bird 2 was the sx 10 set at F 5.7 and at max zoom (560mm eqiv). It show a 100mm focal length. Both photos were taken at the same spot.

[Andy]

I am pretty good at confusing people

I rarely use my own P&S camera, so I don't keep up with newer developments and they may now do things I don't know about. But the DOF conversation is part of some photography fundamentals. For anyone venturing into DSLR (or SLR) cameras, they are very useful fundamentals to get the most from your equipment.

To keep Tim happy and Keep us on topic here, I'll take further discussion over to the Photography Forum

[Pentaxguy]

Thanks Phil for the inspirational pictures that prompted me to head to the bog with my camera equipment. All I can say is WOW....a great photo op in a place I'd never ever stumble on by myself. Using your directions backward.....I traveled from Hartland Four Corners and up Weed Road....I arrived at the bog late morning. Overcast to begin with (which is perfect for pictures) but increasing sun showed up unannounced.

I had good success with the blossoms in shade, and hope to post the pictures soon.

Stopped at Curtis's Barbecue in Putney on the way up for an early lunch, and found chicken and ribs enough for three. That's enough food to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner for me. Had a great time photographing the "9th Wonder of the World" right here in New England!

[pwt54]

I really enjoyed taking photos of the lady slippers there. It is much easier than at Woodbury. At the Bog you can kneel or sit on a dry boardwalk to get a level photo where as at Woodbury you have to kneel in the water to see your camera's display. I may have to buy hip waders for next year. My old Panasonic FZ 30 had a movable display so it was eary to get level or below level shots. By the way, did you notice the tree lined roads on the way to the Bog ? Might be some good foliage shots there for next fall.

[Andy]

When I warned about the fuzziness of the lady slippers I wasn't responding to a comment.

I "got" that, but not until a few days later (after my post). Sorry

I hope the response in the Photography Forum on focal length and DOF was responsive and less confusing. Note that you are absolutely correct. Focal length is completely a lens issue.

[pwt54]

Ayup. I been out shooting photos just about every other day and I can see the difference. My sx 10 will not be my waterfalls camera.