The Motor Forum

Racing · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:48 am Post subject: The silly/pretty photos thread

Perhaps a sticky?

Thought could be amusing to have a thread where random photos of silliness, nice landscapes etc (not necessarily motoring-related) can be posted.

Inspired by this sight I saw on my walk to work yesterday:

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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:29 am Post subject:

I quite like this one. It's a little rock pool and as the tide comes in and goes out again it spins the rock making the
circular pattern. There are little fishies in the pool (see them?) and I don't know if they live there all the time. Probably not.

This is Alf and Tess having fun on the beach.

Racing · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:48 am Post subject:

Nice!

I took this photo of sunrise over the Ile de Hyere from our boat last summer after an early start from Port Cros.

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Roadrunner · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:49 am Post subject:

This is a rather worried-looking apple I picked off our tree last year. It is almost as if it knew it was about to be peeled and put into a pie....

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"Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble." Henry Royce

Eff One · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:53 am Post subject:

Racing · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:58 am Post subject:

I love that apple! It's brilliant!

I thought they were black labs?
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E36 320i · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:25 am Post subject:

My end of year project is to centre around this spot. Captain Pugwash will know where this is taken.
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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:42 am Post subject:

Alf and Tess are black labs and the photo was taken here.

It's a wonderful beach and runs through Redcar, Marske and Saltburn in Cleveland.

garry · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:47 am Post subject:

Racing · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:50 am Post subject:

Beautiful.

Continuing my early morning afloat theme, I took this photo at around 7.30am with my mobile phone from the Port Ellen to Kennacraig car ferry last Easter:

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garry · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:52 am Post subject:

how do you post photos?

E36 320i · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:53 am Post subject:

IN photobucket, it's the IMG box, the 3rd of the three boxes. Click it and it auto-copies the link.
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kraftwerk · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:02 pm Post subject:

Couple of my wife's recent shots for 10 Magazine...

And for The Independent...

She's shooting six pages of diamonds for Vogue today and tomorrow
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I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.

Racing · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:06 pm Post subject:

Talented woman clearly!
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kraftwerk · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:11 pm Post subject:

I'm deeply proud of her, of course. She shot an amazing campaign for Sony late last year that's been in all the Sunday supplements, outdoor billboards and lots of glossy music monthlies, which I know you'd appreciate, but her agent's website is Flash, so I can't copy the shots. How very frustrating.

If you're interested, go to www.webberrepresents.com, click on 'Webber Represents' then 'Photographers', then 'Lacey'. That's her.
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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:14 pm Post subject:

I think she's very talented indeed.

I'm not keen on the model. Too much of an adolescent boy / fragile anorexic stick insect for me. Give me voluptuous
or athletic over the prepubescent little boy look any day.

ALF · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject:

Hmm, yes, well landscape photography is (or was before we bred!) one of my favourite pastimes. Some of my favourites are below. Tell me if you're not bored yet and I'll post some more!

Snowdon on a rare sunny day:

Tuscany - with only a light warm-up filter - it really looked like this:

The Pyranees on a break from mountain biking:

Nakuru game park, Kenya:

Turkish port near Kas (greek castle in foreground):

Two from Cornwall:

And a couple from local bluebell woods to finish off. God I love spring:

If anyone is interested, all of tghe above were taken on a conventional SLR camera on slide film and scanned into a PC using a basic slide scanner, which gives A4 quality prints. The DSLR (not being a laugably expensive one) has a "crop factor" on wide angle lenses making it less suited to landscapes. I'll post some from that if anyone is interested...

woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:18 pm Post subject:

Alf - I have a Sigma 12-24 which even on a x1.6 is ok.

E36 320i · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:22 pm Post subject:

Yes, my Dad's 10-20 Sigma works fine with 16mm wide angle, which my b&w pic (^) was taken on.
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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject:

Blue Bell wood.

scamper · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:31 pm Post subject:

Got any more snowdonia pics Alf? Its slow at work and i could do name that mountain

Colin · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

Some fabulous photos there.

I finally succumbed and bought a digital camera last weekend............ so watch out for some of my future efforts!

I've got a pile of prints, some of which could be worth scanning in.... ALF, what scanner do you have? That might be my next purchase!

ALF · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

Scamper, I only have a few photos on the laptop, mostly better ones so not many pictures of a rain-soaked north ridge on Tryfan or anything like that. Therse are all Snowdonia, though.

And Alan, I just don't like the look of a super-wide lens (especially a zoon - even pro spec zooms are optically suspect alongside a prime) used on a 1.6 crop DSLR, for landscapes. I use a 20mm prime a bit, but even then the optics are not as good as a cheap film SLR and prime lens of say 28mm...

DaveGibson · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:55 pm Post subject:

This was taken late on Christmas Day 2005. It's the view from my Mother's flat in Lytham St. Annes.

scamper · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:00 pm Post subject:

Alf,

Nice pics.

1) Snowdon/Crib Goch
2) Castell y Gwynt (looking back to Glyder Fawr)
3) Y Garn from Tyfan
4) see (2)
5) Cantilever Stone - Glyder Fach
6) er, somewhere on Rhynogs/ Glyders ?

Marks out of 10?

woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:23 pm Post subject:

"And Alan, I just don't like the look of a super-wide lens (especially a zoon - even pro spec zooms are optically suspect
alongside a prime) used on a 1.6 crop DSLR, for landscapes. I use a 20mm prime a bit, but even then the optics are
not as good as a cheap film SLR and prime lens of say 28mm... "

I don't really understand what you mean about digital / film / 20mm Vs 28mm. There's no difference between a digital
and film prime other than possibly lens coatings and the image circle if they're designed specifically for APS-C or
another smaller format. The actual optics should be of identical quality.

I know what you mean about prime Vs zoom but there's a few lenses in the 12-24 sort of range that have received good
reviews (I've had a Canon 10-20 but I prefer the Sigma 12-24) and there's even stuff like the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8.
Effects like distortion or light fall off shouldn't be an issue and so much can be done of the PC these days that I find
that a decent zoom is acceptable. Having said all that landscape is not my thing so you know best.

Anyway, boats and more dogs.

PR · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject:

A Ford by a Ford (ho ho ho!)

The Red Arrows, taken by my brother at the 2005 British GP (Martin will remember this!)

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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:39 pm Post subject:

To add more boats to the planes...

Anyone got a train?

Racing · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:55 pm Post subject:

Haven't quite the same quality of camera as you chaps!

More boats?

This is my father's pride and joy (snapped with mobile phone):

And this is the French Navy's pride and joy on Bastille Day. We were moored near it in Villefranche when it unexpectedly started firing off its guns! We all got quite a shock.

And here are some Moscow pics:

This bell was cast for Catherine the Great to be the biggest ever but broke and was never rung.

Some of the Kremlin spires:

St Basils:

These feet in the market amused me so snapped them with the phone:

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Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:08 pm Post subject:

Brecon Beacons

Swansea

Docks by ExCel centre

Sutro tower, San Francisco

What it says on the tin

From TV tower, Berlin

Royd Edge, near Huddersfield

woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:10 pm Post subject:

You don't need an expensive camera, I think your photies look fine.

I've given the sea a bit of a lift here...I hope you don't mind.

Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:14 pm Post subject:

Mine were done with a Sony Ericsson 750i mobile phone ...

E36 320i · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject:

Just a couple I've taken in the last 30 minutes.

Never taken a picture of a model outside. Had to come in as it started to empty down.

Sin City style shot from the living room table.
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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject:

Prop - I want one of those. They're down to £100 in the shops so if they come down a bit more I might treat myself.

BeN · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:18 pm Post subject:

When you don't know what else to name your company...

kraft, do you have any info about that model in your wife's photoshoot? LOL.

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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:25 pm Post subject:

On the subject of cost, I took this on a camera that cost under £50.

E36 320i · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:44 pm Post subject:

I use my K750i still. The three I've posted have been taken on a Canon Eos 20D (the beach) and the Casio Exilim I bought on Boxing Day.
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Clunes · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:44 pm Post subject:

Some fantastic shots there guys - photography is something I am really interested in getting into.

I tend to carry my compact digital on holidays etc but some of these landscape shots are amazing - reminds me what a beautiful country we live in (and what wonders there are elsewhere)

Either way - here are a couple of quick snaps from recent trips:

New York:

South Africa:

scamper · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:45 pm Post subject:

"Making time". An action shot of me chasing down a RS4 in my BMW M car.....(320d M Sport

)

Homo erectus · Guest

Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 3:07 pm Post subject:

In and around Joshua Tree National Park

woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 3:09 pm Post subject:

HE - That sounds like a good deal, I hope she's happy with it and I'm glad to think that I helped.

I hope your Mrs has some nice software. This is a good place to download some FREE software.

www.photo-freeware.net

She might be interested in Noiseware, PTLens and Rawshooter essentials. I use Adobe Photoshop CS2 (I think that's what it's called)
which I managed to get free too. There's also Gimp and a free calendar package there too.

ALF · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 3:15 pm Post subject:

Some more on the "beautiful britain" theme. I might add that all of the shots I've posted so far except the "cornish sunset" below were taken with an old manual SLR film camera and lens currently worth less than that £100 phone you were talking about onb EBay, yet the quality of photos produced is on a par with (and byond for landscape) my £1000 DSLR and lens:

Stream in the Lake District:

Bridge nearby:

More bluebells, this time in Kent near where I grew up:

Sunset over a lake minutes from where I grew up:

Church near the Kent coast:

Cornish sunset:

More Cornish stuff:

Most of my best UK landscapes are black and white and print only, I've never scanned them...

Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:00 pm Post subject:

Penllegaer Forest, Swansea

Some other forest park near Carmarthen

Oxwich Bay, Gower

Derelict station, Berlin

Berlin in winter

Rodge · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject:

Here are a few of mine:

A frosty day in the Wicklow mountains- just down the road from where the Mazda MX5 was launched for the UK/Irish press.

Loch Ness from the southern end of the Loch.

Central Park

All taken with a Fuji Finepix S7000.
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http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm...ds.individual&VideoID=2869045

woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:33 pm Post subject:

Wild Garlic, flower and peek-a-boo.

ALF · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject:

Great flower shot, Dr Dust. BTW, you can tell me how to sort my sensor, I was unamused to find black dots all over my EOS20D shots from Le Mans despite few lens changes!

Prop, taken with a digital compact by any chance?

Impressed with the Finepix results, in as much as you can tell from screen quality shots. A4 prints are the real test! Those Fuji semi-SLR things seem like great value to me.

Dr. Hfuhruhurr · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:52 pm Post subject:

A mixture - some mobile phone, some analogue SLR

M. · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:56 pm Post subject:

I miss the Alps
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woof woof · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:23 pm Post subject:

Alf - "Great flower shot, Dr Dust."
Thanks. Coming from you that's quite a compliment. Flowers are my thing at the mo. Love all your shots BTW.
I might have to give landscapes a go.

Anyway. Dirty sensors - The first thing to try is a blow out with a Rocket blower or similar (shutter open, obviously.)
If you are happy with the result then it's job done. If you are not happy you can give it a wet clean with some
sensor cleaning pads of if you're tight (like me) you can use a Pec Pad and Eclipse fluid. Here's what I do -

First the test - Take a couple of out of focus shots of a piece of white A4 paper (probably with flash, what you want to
see is a slightly grey shot) at minimum aperture (maximum f number) taking each shot at a slightly different point
on the paper so that you can tell dust from marks on the paper (dust will be in the same position on the shot every time)
and making sure that the paper fills the shot. Note where the dust marks are and remember that top and bottom are
inverted on the sensor filter.

Cleaning - Take a Pec pad and fold it neatly around a suitable tool such as a 10mm or so slice cut from an old credit card.
Tape it in place (I use slices cut from a label.) Place a drop of Eclipse fluid on the leading edge of your pad and tool. Select
Sensor Cleaning in the camera menu, remove the lens and clean by placing your pad / tool at the top edge and move
left to right, then back again to clean the bottom half of the sensor filter. That's it. Turn the camera off and refit the lens.
Do a test run to confirm all is clean and re do if required.

It's up to you how clean you want to get the sensor, some are happy with it being clean to f8 but if you are fussy or into
landscapes you might want it clean all the way. Good luck.