The Weekly Collegial Show Your Photos Starting 19 August 2024 Any Brand

This is the weekly Collegial Show Your Photos Any Brand thread where we invite you to show your own pictures. It is collegial in that it is a pleasant and friendly place among photographers to share.

I will begin this thread each Monday (Pacific Standard Time) to give each of you all the chance to share your weekend photos with us, for those that follow a regular work week schedule and choose to do it that way. But the pictures can be taken at any time with any camera, including your cell phone. It's open to all skill levels from beginners to advanced. The images posted can be anything from casual snaps to extraordinary. I'll be sure to comment to each of your photos, if you choose to share. Replies from others are encouraged also.

The intent of this thread to mainly to just show photos in a relaxed way and to generate replies or comments about them. Generally I'm not planning to critique any image unless asked. But I or we may ask things about a photo that may develop into a discussion, always being friendly and helpful. It has been a request that I mention this and from what I've learned from past experience: Can you ask a member first if they would mind you editing their photos?

Remember it's all about the enjoyment of taking pictures regardless of what we have. We can learn from each. Please share any tips or techniques too. A narrative sometimes also helps. Thanks everyone for your participation.

Subject: Finding Birds

A few days ago, I went out looking for birds. I really found it difficult. But I persisted and got a few photos. If you have had trouble finding some wildlife, please share your photos and stories about it.

Photo No. 1 - As stated, all day it was hard finding any birds. I finally found a white egret. I could see it a long distance away, near the lower-center of this photo, but I was supposed to stay on the trails. Then I noticed a side trail, that did not have a sign prohibiting me from taking this way to the white egret.

Model - Canon EOS Rebel T7i
ExposureTime - 1/500 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 200
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 20 mm
Lens Model - EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Photo No. 2 - This is an example of a nearby side trail that was blocked off, such that it did not permit us to get closer to any wildlife.

Model - Canon EOS Rebel T7i
ExposureTime - 1/500 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 160
ExposureBiasValue - -0.33
FocalLength - 20 mm
Lens Model - EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Photo No. 3 - So without a sign prohibiting me, I was able to take this side trail and get closer by navigating myself around some bushes. But I was only able to take one picture that was acceptable to me. The white egret did not stay here very long because maybe I made it nervous as I walked closer. But I did get this one...at least one. 😀

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/1000 seconds
FNumber - 8
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ExposureBiasValue - -0.67
FocalLength - 552 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 4 - Still I could not find much. Then I saw this Cedar Waxwing on the top of this pole.

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/1000 seconds
FNumber - 10
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

Photo No. 5 - Then I made a digital zoom of this bird again. So, I was happy at least I got something more, from my day walking around looking for birds. 😀

Model - Canon EOS 800D
ExposureTime - 1/1000 seconds
FNumber - 10
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ExposureBiasValue - 0.33
FocalLength - 600 mm
Lens Model - TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011

@Digirame
Birds can be tricky sometimes. We often do see birds and try but not always the photos are the way we wanted them to be😐
It almost looks like a dutch countryside at photos 1 and 2, no hills or mountains at all 😅

A few from our weekend, again a weekend with a bike tour and a hike 😁
Riding and hiking through our province Drenthe we did see many things again.

During the bike ride on saturday:

And the other day (sunday) we went to a reserve called Doldersummerveld:

Both days we took only minimal gear:
Eos R with RF28mm pancake and a RF 24-240mm (bike tour)
Eos R and RP with the RF 24, 35 and 85mm lenses (hiking)

Photobygms,

Thanks for the reply. We live in a flat and hilly area, between the Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range. So yes, the terrain might be similar to the Netherlands in spots. The original settlers came to these valleys to farm. There was very little gold here in these valleys to draw people in, as in California and southern & eastern Oregon. There are many farms to this day that persist. I often take pictures of them from a moving car (as a passenger of course).

Alan,

Yes, sometimes I can get close to the birds like that if someone is feeding them. Thanks for sharing with us your photo. One of my favorite birds to photograph were the pelicans at Newport Beach, California. We could get very close because people would feed them fish from the nearby fish restaurant. So they got used to people.

The terrain around the California/Oregon border is rolly poly and is very similar to the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. Both places are beautiful.

Steve Thomas

Photobygms,

That's neat you bike and hike so much. You caught a variety of different scenes, some with lonely trees that somehow survived to be so tall. I like seeing the sunflower with the bee. Some years we visit farms that grow them. They can make beautiful photos, if the flowers are facing the right direction. I never get tired seeing those photos of the cattle. They look dangerous to me with those horns, but apparently they are docile if not threatened.

Steve,

Those mountains and hills in southwest Oregon are the ones that have gold. At that location, once I found a tiny speck of placer gold in my pan. But at the time I did not understand how deep a person has to dig to find larger sizes. Plus there's tips on what locations are best.

Did you live in that area at one time? Or were you just visiting?

Here's a photo of that terrain somewhere near Grants Pass, Oregon that I took a few weeks ago from a moving car. Unfortunately it was smoky. Plus a lot has changed over the years. We've had many fires that have destroyed forests.

Model - Canon EOS Rebel T7i
ExposureTime - 1/1250 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 800
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 135 mm
Lens Model - EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Subject: Colorful Caves

A little over a week ago I had a chance to go to an amusement park. In one section of that park, they had these caves. They were beautiful inside with all of the colors. I was glad I brought the Canon RP with me, that does so well in low light. I liked using the Canon RP so much, that I did not use the two Canon M50 Mark II cameras that I also brought with me. I bring extra cameras with me, in case one fails and also I leave the lenses attached to them, so I use whatever camera/lens combination that works the best.

Photo No. 1 - I took some more photos of this scene at lower ISO levels by using a lower shutter speed, but I liked this one at ISO40000 the best. The lighting was just better in this one.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/15 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 40000
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 50 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 2 - I had taken pictures of this last time with my crop sensor cameras. But the Canon RP just looked better from what I recall. I would have to dig out the old photos and see if I could do a comparison.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/15 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 25600
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 46 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 3 - Another one at the shortest focal length of that lens....

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/8 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 16000
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 24 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 4 - Last time I did not see these caves without the miners. I was glad that I found them this time.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/15 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 20000
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 30 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 5 - The colors were amazing.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/15 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 16000
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 24 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 6 - Again at ISO20000....

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/15 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 20000
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 31 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 7 - At ISO16000....

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/15 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 16000
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 42 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 8 - At ISO25600....

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/6 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 25600
ExposureBiasValue - 0
FocalLength - 24 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

I did find the photos I took of the miners in the cave last year. I had used the Canon T7i (800D) camera. The pictures turned out quite well for some of them, but the shutter speed was reduced to 1/2.5 seconds with an aperture of F5. It tells me I should have tried harder to take sharp pictures with the Canon RP at lower shutter speeds, to see if there would be any improvement.

Dig,

The Dwarves are pretty amazing.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

Thanks. I'm glad you liked them.

This is the view from Sullivans Lookout in Victoria's, Australia high country. The snow capped peak is Mt. Bogong, Victoria's highest mountain. In the valley is the picturesque township of Mt. Beauty.

This is a stitched panorama from a sequence of hand-held shots shot in raw, processed in ACR and stitched together in Photoshop Elements.

Dan,

That's a beautiful image. Thanks for taking the time to create this panorama. It's especially nice seeing the snow on the mountain top. Since there were a lot of clouds that day, you also waited until there was enough sunshine in the valley to illuminate it. That shows for us a very green picturesque landscape.

Thank you Digirame. I'm glad you like it.

I was lucky with the weather and lighting because we were on a day trip that day and just happened to come across the lookout.

As I have said before, I am not generally a fan of B&W; but underground railways seem to lend themselves to it. These two are from November 2021: same station, different lines.

David

David,

I like them both. We can see the vanishing point and somehow you avoided wide angle distortion.