Random Pictures

I don't really have anything to blog about this week, so I just decided to put up a bird picture I took that I'm happy with. Birds are tricky to photograph because they move around so much and are so skittish.

Here is a picture of a little squirrel I like too. I like the detail in the raspberry it is eating. The red really draws attention to it too.

Share 2 and Critique

Here are my two photos to critique (ignoring the second and third snake photos, which are only meant for examples). I like both of them, but I think the black-footed ferret photo is my favorite photo, out of all the photographs I can remember taking. The snake I feel like would have been better photographed from the front, or looking up at it. On the downhill side there was a piece of grass poking into his eye, and I couldn't remove it safely, so that option was out. I did photograph it from the front, but I was in a hurry so my aperture was too small. All but the snake's head was out of focus.

  I like the way the ferret is angled. While it doesn't leave much room in front of it, I like seeing the prairie dog hole behind it, it gives the picture some context. While I really like this picture, I'm always looking for ways to improve. I feel like it could be better, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is that makes me feel that way.

Blackfooted Ferret Release Pictures

Last Thursday I went with a group of people to help release some members of the most endangered mammal in North America - here are some pictures from that. I know there are ELEVEN pictures here - but I just couldn't help it. I like them too much to cut any out of my post.

Trying my hand at Night Sky Photography

I went out Tuesday night (9/11/18) with the hopes of capturing the northern lights, but since the northern lights were a no-show, I tried my hand at photographing the stars - below is a picture of that.

Clearly, neither picture even resembles something good. Both are un-edited, and both are no where near what I had hoped even if I did edit them. So, disappointed in myself and frustrated with my lack of ability and luck, I did what anybody would do. I googled it.

Montana Night Sky Photography with Canon Rebel EOS T3

This little blog post was helpful because 1) the author used the same camera I have, and 2) she was photographing a Montana nighttime sky. From what I gathered, I was just slightly off on all my settings, particularly my ISO, which I had set lower than she recommends. I also didn't have a tripod, and spent some time fighting clouds. Another thing I forgot to do was set a 2 second timer - which explains why most of my photos came out weirdly blurred.  

Share One and Critique

This image was taken right here in town, down by the river. I took it with an ISO of 3200, shutter speed of 1/4000, aperture of 11. I was shooting in Av mode, during the brightest part of the day. I was using a 55mm lens with the Canon EOS Rebel T3. The above image is without edits.

I think the image is over-exposed. It is way too bright, almost white-washed. I do like the focus on the frog though.

Here is an edited version of the photo. I didn't play around with it too much, so I may make some more changes later. Basically all I did was apply the class preset we went over, crop it, and decrease the exposure.

Redlodge Hiking Trip

I took my camera with me for a camping and hiking trip in Redlodge this past weekend. My goal was to find and photograph waterfalls, as well as any wildlife and interesting landscapes. Below are some of my favorite of the photos I took.

I liked the way the colors contrasted here, with the grass turning yellow and the evergreens remaining dark green.

This photo I liked because the trees give the impression of bars, as if looking through a prison cell, and yet they really bring into focus the creek in the background.

There are some things I like about this photo, and some I don't. First of all, it isn't entirely in focus. I focused on the center of the animal, instead of the eye. If I were to retake this photo, I would shoot at a higher capture rate and with a smaller aperture, so that the foreground is blurred as well as the background and so that I have a higher chance of getting a good shot.

 This photo I liked for the detail and the color. If I were doing it again I would make my aperture smaller, and I might change my ISO.

If I were re-doing this photo, I would make the aperture smaller to bring it into focus more, and possibly change my ISO

Next time I get a shot at a squirrel, I will make my shutter speed faster.

Here I was trying to get the waterfall ribbons effect. I hadn't read up on it, so I was just playing around with my settings. I would just guess a shutter speed, take a shot, adjust aperture or ISO, take another shot, adjust again.

These two pictures show the difference, before and after I changed my settings. Above, you can see the water sharply, clearly. It looks frozen. Below, you have the same spot but with a slower shutter speed and some other slight changes, giving it the ribbon effect.