Sculpture by the Sea

The 13th annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Bondi 2009 is on from 29 October - 15 November 2009. The Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk has over 100 sculptures along this popular path. Again while I took my 11-16 Tokina Wide Angle I found the natural aspect of the Nikkor 32mm gave me more pleasing results.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f5, 1/160 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/2500 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/2000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/8000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f5.6, 1/160 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/1600 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/1250 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f5.6, 1/80 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/320 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.5, 1/500 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.8, 1/200 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.8, 1/100 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f5.6, 1/60 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/3200 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/1600 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/2000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.5, 1/500 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/1000 sec

Sunday Morning Walk

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/8000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/250 sec

Bokeh II

Lights from IKEA with my new favourite lens the Nikkor 35mm f2

In focus (sort of) and with a wide depth of field this would be a background.

Depth of field small lots of Bokeh. Nice heh?

Shopping Trip

IKEA is an interesting place. From the quirky flat pack furniture, sprung wood laminate chairs and lighting components you don't seem to find elsewhere its a eclectic mix of interesting and sometimes innovative design. Other times its WTF? Did you know IKEA has named their cheap stuff after Danish places, while the more expensive and luxurious stuff is named after Swedish places? For example Noresskog, Mattlig and Karlstad are product names and one at least (Karlstad) is a Municipality in Sweden. Fascinating huh?

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/200 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/500 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/125 sec
None of these guys looked happy :-{

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/125 sec

iPhone Images

The Best camera is the one you have with you when you make pictures (see previous post)

The 3Gs camera's resolution is 3 megapixels with a 2.8 lens and has auto ISO and it will let you choose which spot you want to focus on simply by touching on the screen. It's reported to have so-so low light performance but the image below captured hand held in full night well after sunset is proof of its ability.

iPhone 3Gs 3.85mm @ ISO 1016, f2.8, 1/10 sec

iPhone 3Gs 3.85mm @ ISO 70, f2.8, 1/470 sec

RED

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/250 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/1250 sec

Random Image

For my Black & White project I only took two lenses out, the Nikkor 35mm f2 prime and the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 wide angle. I found myself using the 35mm almost exclusively because the 35mm on a cropped sensor camera, the D300, is equivalent in its effective focal length as a 50mm prime would on a full frame camera (Nikon D3, D700 or a Canon 5D Mk II etc). That is its closest to what you see with your eyes. The 35mm is tack sharp and has great bokeh and has been on my camera a lot since I got it a couple of weeks ago. See post.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/500 sec

Black & White Project

Black & white images inspired the original term "photography" and was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek phos "light" and graphê "representation by means of lines" or "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light". Black & white photos seem to survive time maybe because black & white has an inherent dignity which is both the simplest, and the most sophisticated of the photographic disciplines. So this inspired my Black & White project and I chose city architecture as a good subject that offers pattern, contrast and in the morning light, you get lots of shadows in the deep city building canyons. So here they are below . . .

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/2500 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/2500 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/3200 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/1600 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/1000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f3.2, 1/1250 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/320 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/40 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/250 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 400, f5, 1/250 sec

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real world environment whose elements are merged with or augmented by virtual computer generated imagery creating a mixed reality. Source: Wikipedia.

Basically for the iPhone and Google Android devices when you look at the camera view in these apps it overlays points of interest or other information on the screen in the direction you are pointing the camera.

Point the phone down the street and it may tell you how far the next pub is and give you a visual of what it looks like, as well as other pubs in that direction giving distances and contact information.

Other apps will tell you, when you point the camera at say a bank, the services provided and where exactly they are in the bank. When you click on icons overlaid on the camera's view you can source related information.

These applications take advantage of the phones' GPS and compass features and access to wireless networks to mash up local Web content with the world that surrounds you.

See Acrossair

See Mashables top 6 AR apps

35 Awesome Augmented Reality Examples at BannerBlog

Random 35mm f2 Pictures From A Walk Today

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/2000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/4000 sec

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f8, 1/320 sec

Lens Choices

If you want to capture images in more than one style or genre, you need to have the right gear. The first rule of photography is supposed to be that its not the gear, its the artist and their ability to create with a sense of composition, colour, light and timing. All true but the right gear also helps. So lens choice counts when you know what type of images you want to make. You need the optimal focal length and field of capture to suit the style you want. Focal Length and Angle of view of a lens are related, focal length is used to describe a lens. A 35mm f2.0 is a lens with a fixed focal length and a 70 - 200mm f2.8 is a zoom lens. The angle of view or field of view describes the amount of a scene that can be captured by a camera.

This diagram helps describe this. CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW

.......... Wide Angle - Normal / Portrait - Macro/Portrait - sport/Nature

Typically, but depending on preference and style a broad selection of lenses and their general use might be;

• 11-16mm f2.8 Zoom - ULTRA Wide - great for indoor, close up indoor architecture and landscapes.
• 35mm f2 - Normal Prime - portrait, indoor happy snaps and walk around versatile.
• 105mm f2.8 - Macro prime - close work for insects, product and detailed close up, also a fantastic portrait lens.
• 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 - versatile zoom for a wide range of uses but not so fast so low light can be an issue.
• 70-200mm f2.8 - super zoom - sports and action, great for picking people out at a distance, pro's event lens.

Hmm looks familiar :-)

Photography Genres I'm interested include:

Portrait

Fine Art

Architectural

Street

Nature

Landscape

Macro

Food

Night

Other genres are Travel, Wedding, Aerial, Black and White, Documentary, Fashion, Forensic, Glamour, Nude, Photojournalism, Still life, Stock, Underwater, Wildlife and more . . .

35mm f2D

I just got a new Nikkor 35mm f/2D lens for my Nikon D300 DSLR camera :-) You can get great bokeh with this lens that is perfect for environmental portraits, landscapes and photojournalism or walk around lens. It's compact, lightweight and very fast f/2 so great for hand held low light indoor situations. The 35mm f/2D AF it can focus very close to about 1/4 life size or closest focusing distance .25 metre and is a great feature of this lens.

For a DX sensor Nikon D90, D3000, D5000, etc its the equivalent of a 50mm prime lens on a Full Frame D3, D700 D3x etc. Its classed as a wide angle Nikkor because on a full frame camera the picture angle would be 62 Degrees but with the DX its 44 degrees. For comparison the standard normal prime for a full frame camera has a picture angle of 46 degrees. So on a DX this is a normal prime. For a great explanation and pictures to help go here.

Just Walking The dog Queen Elizabeth II Park Concord, Sydney

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2, 1/250 sec

This morning Hermione and I explored a nearby park we had not visited before. It was before 7:30 am, overcast and rainy but the light was quite good to test my new lens (see above). Queen Elizabeth II Park has BBQ's, a playground, an important bush regeneration project, a war memorial and sport fields.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f8, 1/30 sec

It is the home of Concord RSL Junior Cricket Club throughout the summer and Russell Lea Women's Soccer Club.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f8, 1/160 sec

It contains the Concord War Memorial a brick and tile rotunda structure on a concrete base with an enamelled tiled floor. It was established in 1921 and dedicated on the 15th September that year.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.2, 1/320 sec

The inscription on the dedication plaque reads 'CONCORD PAVILION OF HONOR. ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS TO PERPETUATE THE MEMORY OF OUR NURSES, SAILORS AND SOLDIERS WHO ENLISTED IN THE GREAT WAR. 1914-1919'

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.2, 1/100 sec

The park also contains on of very few remaining isolated remnant examples of the once extensive Cumberland Plain Forest (see link) in the council area of the City of Canada Bay.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.2, 1/160 sec

These remnants contain the Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest vegetation community containing approximately 5Ha of regenerating Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest (STIF) see link.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2 @ ISO 200, f2.2, 1/250 sec

The restoration of this natural asset was started about fifteen years ago by the then Concord Council, and has continued to improve and expand through the coordinated efforts of Council and the Concord Bushcare Group.