My get-pushed challenge this week was to choose an object and create a macro from it. Today's snow was finally light and fluffy enough to make it my object of choice. I confidently set up my camera -- high speed, deep-ish DoF, and took about 250 shots over a period of a half hour, going in and out of the house to warm up, and trying different backgrounds from leather to cloth to high-sheen slick type to metal table. Of the 250 shots, I deleted 240 of them for not being clear enough to work with. Of the 10 remaining, all the fabrics made the background awful. I had 4 snowflakes that were nice ones, but this was the only one that I thought decent enough to post. Totally frustrating but a GREAT challenge. Thank you @kathyboyles!
Explanation of how I did this is the photo commentary in my extras album: http://365project.org/taffy/the-also-ran-ph/2014-02-08
That one was ETSOOI to reduce the problem of the background.
Snowflake 2: http://365project.org/taffy/the-also-ran-ph/2014-02-08
Snowflake 3: http://365project.org/taffy/special-photos/2014-02-23
@kathyboyles -- thanks for a great get-pushed challenge. It drove me nuts this morning, but I ended up with one (and only one) photo to post! I wouldn't have stuck with it if it hadn't been for your get-pushed challenge.
Well, Taffy, easily a fav for the beauty of your selection...and if I could fave it twice, I'd do it again for your persistence in frigid weather! That's gorgeous!
This is literally perfect though. I've never managed a decent snowflake shot so the fact it took 250 shots doesn't surprise me. The clarity in this is amazing and I think the background shows it off really well. I'm impressed with your perseverance. Fav
@taffy
Taffy, What a great photo! But I would not expect less from you. Sorry you had such a hard time but. It was worth the effort. Glad I pushed you. Fun challenge. Kathy
I think the background on this is fine! It doesn't surprise me though that it took that many shots to get the perfect "one". I think the pros end up with that ratio quite often. So you are in good company! This is beautiful and you did a great job!!
@amandal I should have added that I was still in my pajamas and slippers, with a fleece vest running in and out -- no idea what the neighbors were thinking, but I was afraid if I stopped to change into real clothes, the snow would stop or flakes would turn heavy! Of course, that didn't happen...it's STILL snowing!
Just deleted the other post as so many spelling mistakes. Perfect capture Taffy. It's an interesting read about the backgrounds. I noticed the other day when I did a macro shot that the background material fibres really showed up in the detail. How did you manage to get just one snow flake when they are so tiny? Well done.
This is spectacular. It's so good it doesn't look real but I know that it is. The snowflake is on my bucket list but we are still getting rain, rain and more rain with really gusty wind.
Wanted to thank you for your comment on my Snow Aglow photo. While I was going for an image of a frozen bubble one could see through, this one, with the sun shining brightly on it, making it look as if it was lit from inside, turned out to be my favorite of the day. Appreciate your time in looking and leaving a comment.
@pflaume Thanks for the fav, Lisa! I've been so surprised and thrilled with the response to this shot. After looking through 240 or so that didn't work, I vastly underestimated how this did actually turn out so feel really great about the fav's and kind words. I'm going to post a b&w one that really didn't come out because of background so I ETSOOI, but I'll make a list of what I did to get this shot. I'll tag you in that posting. Hey -- it feels like old times!! Good to see you back!
Wow! Excellent - a true photographer! Have you heard of Andris Apse, a landscape photographer originally from Latvia, but living in NZ? I've just skimmed through his biographical book of photos. What an amazing story. www.andrisapse.com I have to get one of his books. I'm so sorry you missed Mount Cook in the sun. We did the helicopter ride this morning - flew over the glaciers and landed on the snow - wow!!!
@busylady Thanks for the lead! Your trip there sounds just perfect! We did have a great time in NZ, but Mt. Cook was an adventure -- we were the last car to get out before they closed the roads!
@elaine55 In my extras album post, I laid out what I did, but you can see in that one that there was no saving the background so I resorted to the ETSOOI solution!
@taffy Hi Taffy -- Your beautiful albums gave me a wave of nostalgia, having grown up in Chicago. I (mis?)-spent many teenage years just tooling around downtown or by the lakefront with friends -- and my entire childhood riding the el down to my parents' office in the Monadnock building around the corner form the Calder flamingo. All your pictures, even the gritty pictures seem to give the city a perfection of line, color, lighting etc. that it had in moments -- or would have had had the everpresent mass of people not been there. My challenge is a picture of the Modnadnock building, inside or out, that captures something a young child would play with or around. (Or another city location if that is not possible.)
@francoise I love the idea and will do this sometime soon but unfortunately I leave for NYC early tomorrow and am not back til next Sunday late. So Chicago shots are impossible for me this coming week. Darn!! Any backup challenge? I would have loved it otherwise!
@taffy Ok -- here's another challenge since NYC is also a big city. How about one of your beautiful city-scape scenes that highlight light, line etc., but populate it.
Excellent shot. Clever lady. Thank you for the explanation of how you did it, too. Fat chance of having a go living in the UK, we have only had wind and rainrainrain this winter!
This is terrific! I noticed on Sat that the snowflakes had good form and the wind was low (every time I try to do flakes, the wind is always blowing them away!) but we went scrambling over ice instead.
PS: Daniel and I both collapsed into naps. After stomping around all day in the cold weather, I think we might have been as tired as the sled dogs. I bet you'll get to sleep just fine!
@anwan Thanks Annette!! Today was such fun. I'm about to move from a pile of stuff on the sofa to an organized suitcase, I hope. Taking a short break to post something quick from today -- the number of photos I took is daunting!! Have a good week and I look forward to another event together!
Can't believe I missed it, Taffy - this is an absolutely fantastic snowflake - so clear - huge fav - and no 1 on TT - what a way to end your week. Congrats!
(Linda, @se7en , Mondays)
Taffy, What a great photo! But I would not expect less from you. Sorry you had such a hard time but. It was worth the effort. Glad I pushed you. Fun challenge. Kathy
You must be proud!
Wanted to thank you for your comment on my Snow Aglow photo. While I was going for an image of a frozen bubble one could see through, this one, with the sun shining brightly on it, making it look as if it was lit from inside, turned out to be my favorite of the day. Appreciate your time in looking and leaving a comment.
FAV
(Linda, @se7en , Mondays)