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Hardwick Hall: May 2018
Close-up
Spring is sprung
I found a new hide yesterday. Great little find nearby, with so many species frequenting the feeders – including two Great Spotted Woodpeckers at one point! I was excited, it’s true, and spent an hour or so with the camera trying to get some decent captures. However, I was limited in light levels as, by the time I found the hide, it was beginning to darken. To up my shutter speed meant losing depth of field, and I do like my DoF… so I left the camera in AV mode and did my best with low light.
Many blurred images later, I have concluded I need to visit this hide in lighter hours, and use TV mode more for wildlife shots to obtain the really sharp results I want! I managed to get a few sharp(ish) shots, however, and have used LR to adjust the sharpness and shadows in the relevant areas. Here is a small selection – a Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), a Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major pinetorum).
Snowdrops
Calke Stag – January 2018
Simba
Precious little Simba came to us from a cat rescue after being found as a stray. He is smaller than the other cats, with the loudest purr. It was a rainy day when I caught him sitting looking wistfully out of the window. With my nifty fifty lens, I managed to catch some nice bokeh too.
Focus Stack-attack (Invertebrates)
As part of my Advanced Method Zoology module, we undertook some imaging coursework. This involved photomacrography, photomicrography and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) work. I decided to try the focus stacking at home instead, as I can focus much more in my own surroundings. The subject of my work was Odonata (dragonflies) and I had a few specimens to photograph.
I used the Canon 100mm macro lens, which is quite probably the best lens ever for macro work (biased opinion). I have learnt how to focus stack, kinda, and it’s so much fun. I recommend it!
Moon Phase: 28th December 2017
I took the new (second-hand) lens out into the garden to try to capture a closer shot of the moon than my very old 75-300mm lens used to allow. I stacked three of the clearest shots in Z stacker. I’m not sure how effective that was, as the stacked final only looks marginally clearer than the original sharpest image. I have compared it with an old shot of the moon I took in September with my old 75-300mm lens.
I’m looking forward to taking more images of the moon, on clearer night than this (it was a bit hazy).
The original images (below) was f/9, 1/100, ISO 100, at 400mm on a semi-cloudy night.
STACKED. Canon 100-400mm lens. Three images stacked. 28/12/2017.
OLD. Canon 75-300mm lens. f/5.6. 1/250. ISO 100. 02/09/2017.
