Here’s a few more of the shots of bubbles from yesterday. the first one is still my favourite, but I thought I’d share.

Bubble machines rock.

The fact my new lens will focus on bubbles is also just peachy.

Things will be a little quieter than usual for the next few weeks. Peoples Photography is at the end of August so I need to start pulling together the photographs I want to take.

If you happen to be in Dublin on the weekend of the 28th & 29th August, feel free to stop and say hi.

As mentioned in the last post, as well as taking pictures of the Slinky(s) on a white background, I also tried it on a black background. In this case, a spare T-Shirt.

The black background and the strobe/flash light really helped the colours in the slinky comes alive.

The problem with these sort of pictures is that they can look very samey to some and utterly different to others. Sadly, I fall into the later camp and it’s been a challenge to pick 6 (3 white, 3 black) which I liked to show here.

If I’d to do it again, I guess I’d diffuse the flash a little more to try and negate the highlights on the coils. And as mentioned, I’d try to use an additional strobe as well.

What walks down stairs, Alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?

A spring! A spring! A marvellous thing! Everyone knows it’s Slinky!

I am reliably informed that ‘slinkity’ is indeed the sound they make.

My nephew and niece each adopted a slinky as part of their Christmas presents  and since I was in that post dinner, pre going to the pub part of the night I got to wondering if it was possible to take some abstract pictures of them.

These pictures are all taken using a 100mm lens freehand with my 440EX flash gun held by a voice activated light stand (also known as a niece). The slinkys (or is it slinkies or slinkii?) were placed on the back of a 2009 calendar. The V.A.L.S. held the strobe between 15 and 20 inches from the slink… subject at different angles.

The difference between these shots is almost purely the position of the light source. In the first shot, the shadows show it’s above and behind/right of the subject, whilst in the second shot it’s closer and more directly overhead. As a result, the shadows aren’t as visible (apart from under the slinky itself).

Looking at them now, I’m kicking myself for not trying to find an improvised reflector to reduce some of the shadows a little, especially in the first and last shot. I’m also now in the market for a cheap manual strobe that would give me a second light source – cause photographing using off camera strobes is just cool.

I have about 30 of the shots on the white background and I quite liked the cropping on these for some reason. I also have a bunch on a black background and they look really weird – and will follow later…

*And if you really need to hear that song again…

ps: PC is once more in the land of the living. A backup strategy now copies every file in my user accounts folder to a second drive every time the pc starts. I’ve also agreed a new strategy with my brother to keep off site backups on matched external drives – I keep his, he keeps mine. If I don’t mention this again in the near future, someone hit me and make sure I did it.

...take a picture of.

I recently joined the CPA, a photographic club in Belfast. I'd spent the summer debating the feasibility of doing a course and came to the conclusion that it was the one thing that might actually put me off photography - I'm always busy at home or with work and being forced into assignments and study would soon drive me up the wall.

So, I joined the CPA since a friend had recommended them to me last year. I've been to a few meetings at this stage and the talks are interesting. What's really good is seeing other peoples work and getting an honest assessment of some of the things I've taken. Everyone who comments here is great (and I thank you for it), but it's nice to have someone tell you in person that you suck (courtesy 'yerman'). that said, everyone has been brilliant.

One of the interesting features of the club is the competition nights. Essentially each month members submit photos on a topic and the best are sent forward into an inter-club competition.

Anyway, next months competition is on the subject of water. Yep. Water. That's it. No advice, no information, just one word. WATER.

Expect a lot of wet photographs over the next few weeks is all I can say.

OK, I know I have these pictures from last year.

I also have countless other pictures of beaches and lakes and such, but I really want to use the topic as a chance to take something new.

When I got home today, I decided to start simple, just squirting some water onto a tin tray...

(f/9, 1/40sec, 50mm,  +4 close up filter, ISO-400, 22/09/2008)

First thoughts...

This isn't sharp enough. Taken free hand with a close up filter at 1/40 just isn't going to work well. The decided lack of shadow/feature is also a bleurg (technical word).

I like the colour though. And be honest, if I didn't tell you it was rotated 180 degrees, you'd never know...

OK, whilst I look at the entries for that competition and deliberate and conjugate and all those things the bloke on Master Chef did I thought I'd show you this.

I took it today, more to prove to myself that it was impossible to use the close up filters with the 50mm lens on a tripod.

Well, you know what.

Turns out you can.

(f/10, 30sec, 50mm +10 filter, ISO-100, 02/07/08)

This is part of the back of one of those pin pressions toys (just in case you're interested).

It's been a while since I found time to get some new shots and that's sent me scurrying back through my catalogues.

After a year of taking pictures, it's an interesting experience. Shots I felt were good 11 months ago are still emotionally important to me now, but I know if I took it today I'd not be happy. Does that mean I'm getting better or just getting more picky?

Probably the later.

Another thing I've noticed is the number of shots which appealed to me that I never got time for. The curse of digital I guess. you can take 100 photos in an afternoon and maybe only have time to really consider 5 of them. Shots like this of the digger (the same digger in the challenge). It's abstract, but I liked the colour of the arm against the blue sky.

(F/9, 40mm, 1/200sec, ISO-100, 04/05/2008)