CHAT THREAD for the weekend competition 28th & 29th November 2009 - theme" GLASS"

[oggalily]

18 entries is a good outing and nice to see lots of different takes on the subject.

I learned something new this week and thought I would share. My picture was taken using a flash mode called "Auto FP" which allows faster shutter speeds than you can normally get with a flash. Normally most DSLRs will allow a maximum shutter speed of around 1/250 when using a flash. This is because at higher shutter speeds the actual physical shutters (top and bottom) cross the sensor so quickly that only part of the sensor is exposed at one time. When you add flash you consequently end up with black bands at the top and bottom of the image. Auto FP deals with this by emmitting several flashes in quick succession so that there is always a flash while any one part of the sensor is exposed.

Using this setting I was able to take my shot at 1/1600 and freeze the motion of the Champagne much moreso than I could have at 1/250. There are some limtiations though; the flashes are not very powerful so I think the subject will need to be nearby. You also need to use a Nikon flash, so it won't work with the pop-up flash or third-party lighting kits.

I think this setting could also be interesting for photos of water droplets.

I'm not sure whether all camera models will support this; I am fairly sure my D40x didn't have it.

[jinky]

Well done Ian - looks good to me and H is off to a flyer.
How did you get to copy across with the clickable links? Also what did I miss to show voting profile?
Anyway - well done. I`ll even forgive you for mis-typing "daisies" on my entry :-)

[wattig]

Hi Paul, sorry about the spelling tried my best but the pressure of getting to press a quickly as possible must have got to me. To get the clickable links all I did was add the image in using the mountain button then right clicking the image and copying the image location, then highlight the original url in the post, click on the paper clip botton and paste in the url. Having done this though although all of the images are clickable not all the links take you to the larger image, I think the best way to get round that is to rather than cpcopy image location is to click onthe original image and then use the url that is shown in the url bar of the new window.
As for getting the poll to show who is voting for what there i an option at the bottom of the poll to enable this.
If I get some time I may knock together something that others could use to follow when setting up the poll and post it on the site.
Cheers, Ian

[jinky]

No worries re: typo - I did the same with del`s last week I noticed. It`s all that pressure!

Cheers I see that button now for the public poll on the PM you sent me. That would be a great aid to anyone winning who wanted to know how to set up clickable entries / poll cmplete with transaparent voters and all. I think it is much better when there is transparent voting although I appreciate not all do. For me it`s the way to go in what is a fun competition.

I think it was great having the critiques / commenst last week and hope people will feel like doing that again and maybe a few more will give it a try. Like ogga I was having another go at low light photography this week and messing with lights on manual settings in absence of other gear being away for the weekend. Didn`t result in a popular image but fun all the same. Learning is what it is all about and there are some great shots in this week again.

Ogga - I`ve kept my auto FP button on on my D80 too when using a bit of flash outside but trying to keep my lens wide open too. It`s a geat feature that I have not made enough use of.

[HinFrance]

. . and for those of you who use Pentax cameras the equivalent of Auto FP is PTTLHSS. This facility is available with the Pentax 360 and 540 (and Samsung equivalents) and Metz AF48/54/58 guns.

I'm sure that a similar function is built in to the other major makes too, but you will need a brand dedicated flashgun.

Originally Posted by HinFrance

. . and for those of you who use Pentax cameras the equivalent of Auto FP is PTTLHSS. This facility is available with the Pentax 360 and 540 (and Samsung equivalents) and Metz AF48/54/58 guns.

I'm sure that a similar function is built in to the other major makes too, but you will need a brand dedicated flashgun.

Oh one day I hope! Nice picture by the way - I just have to learn not to rush

[Semaj]

This was my first choice a picture of a shop window. (Well it is glass) I did love it but in the end
it doesn't really portray glass and I reluctantly removed it.

Jim.

[oggalily]

I think the protocol is to wait until after the comp ends to post the up and down reviews but given the size of H's lead I think it is safe to do this now.

chris-p: A strong shot all around. Framing, Depth of field, composiition and toning are all spot on. The directional lighting works well in bringing out the shadow of the frames on the book. There is even a hint of humour as the warm toning suggests a comfy fireside read (I might even be tempted to play on this a bit more). In my top three this week.

semaj: I know this was not your top choice but it does fit the brief better than your original image. You have done well to avoid flash glare / reflections. The focus is good and the glasses look nice and clean. It doesn't quite work for me, I'm afraid, as it is a fairly static shot. The crop at the bottom is a little tight for my liking as well. I think there are one or two tweaks you could have made a shotting time to get the best out of the beautiful crystal glasses by increasing the contrast in the surrounding environment.
Inspired by flake's post above regarding dark field photography (which I had never heard of) I found this link on Google:
http://www.tabletopstudio.com/docume...hotography.htm
Have a look at the sections on photographing crystal as there are some interesting tips for this difficult subject.

Hope you appreciate the constructive criticism (and feel free to savage my effort!).

Light Up My Room 2. Well what can be said, other than super studio work Howard. My only other thought being, that the centralised composition looks quite formal; The wow factor may have been more exciting / fun, utilising a more relaxed pose and possibly a hint of background imagery.

Glass Bauble. Super warm colours and nicely done, though I feel a little stronger contrast to increase depth of shadows, with the bauble not placed quite so tight in the frame may help to lift the image.

[bsmith]

It says the poll is now closed, so well done Howard a resounding thumbs up for that excelent shot, it got my vote, as any one can see by clicking on the number of votes, you see who has voted for you or not as in my case .

Review, Above, celebrate with glass. A lot of work must have gone into setting this up, but for me its too staged maybe one of the glases fizzing away would have been more effective.

Below, Dasises in a glass vase, this is a super image and was my second choice, very well set up and photographed.I like the glow of the glass round the edges and the black background, well done jinky, where did you get the dasises.