The Kew Tour
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The Kew TourMemberSnapper
Full frame and L Lenses make a huge difference. If you do long exposure work then full frame sensors result in a lot less noise in the image then their smaller sensor-ed cousins. They’re not the be all and end all though. I’m primarily a landscape photographer but I used to do press work and sports, so as a result I have a Canon 1d which I love. However, I use a Canon 50d for most of my landscape work. In fact one of my best selling images was taken with a 400d and an 18-55 kit lens about 5 years ago. If you feel your technique is on target then the upgrade is worth it. Good gear is such a pleasure to use.
The Kew TourMemberIt certainly was a lovely sky. I was fishing in Killoughter and was raging I didn’t bring my camera. Well done on the shot. You did well.
The Kew TourMemberWelcome Alan
You’ll pick up plenty of hints and have a bit of craic here. I really like that b&w shot of the platform. Cool.
Dave
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
http://facebook.com/irishlandscapephotography
The Kew TourMemberHow are ya doing Paddy and welcome to the forum. This is a great place to pick up some hints and information if you’re new to the game. Keep looking at other peoples websites and photos and maybe you’ll draw some inspiration from them. Everyones here to help each other so don’t be afraid to ask questions. And most important of all, keep snapping/shooting (it doesn’t matter what you call it so long as you do it). Great to have you on board.
Dave
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
The Kew TourMemberI’ve taken shots everywhere in Dublin at all times of the day or night and never had a moments trouble and I’ve never been with anybody. Then again, I know the city like the back of my hand. It’s a little bit like when people used to tell you not to walk around Manhatten looking up towards the sky because then the bowsies would know you’re a tourist. Unfortunately, a person is either streetwise or they’re not. If you’re the type of person that gets nervous just looking down a dark laneway then you should try the safety in numbers approach for sure. Play it safe and put safety first.
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
The Kew TourMemberGrey2k
I like this shot, especially the colours that you see in the reflection from the water. Personally, I like the silhouette and don’t find it too dark at all. What I would do though if it were mine, is crop it in more of a 3:1 ratio so that you lose the 3 rocks that are isolated in the bottom left of the image. This shot would look great as a panoramic image. Keep up the good work.
Dave
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
The Kew TourMemberphotoluv54, it looks like you are going to be doing a lot of travelling during your 2 weeks here. Everywhere you have mentioned will give you great shots. Ireland was made for landscape photographers and artists. Go to Glendalough when you are in Wicklow, the Cliffs of Moher are near Doolin and there are good day trip boats based there that can bring you to the base of the cliffs and the Aran Islands. There are so many places for you to take photos off. My advice for you is to look at some of the websites that you can find on this website. There are some excellent landscape photographers here that will hopefully provide you with a bit of inspiration. Good luck with your trip.
Dave
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
The Kew TourMemberI have to agree with the above comments as there are millions of potential images to shoot in Connemara. Two mountain ranges, endless streams, thousands of lakes, beautiful seascapes, the list goes on. The famous ones are Lough Derryclare, Kylemore Abbey, Killary Harbour, Roundstone Village and Aasleagh Falls. There are tons more. You’ll love it. Good luck.
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
The Kew TourMemberThe Kew TourMemberLily
Miki has given some sound advice there and it’s well worth taking. The expense of macro equipment goes beyond normal usage and I’d advise you to think about what you want to do over the winter months. The pop up flash on your camera is more than adequate in a lot of situations and it should suffice for the time being. I wouldn’t be rushing out to get a lot of expensive equipment unless you’re sure that macro is something you want to pursue in depth. There are plenty of big name pros who use the pop up flash in some situations as it’s a quick solution. Mike Moats is a great example of a macro photographer who uses it. I’m not saying that it should be your first choice of flash, but it will work and is a great cheap alternative when you are starting out.
The problem with insects are that they are always on the move during the day so I would suggest setting out either early in the morning or late in the evening when they have cooled down. You will find butterflies of many species resting on grass stalks, where they spend the night. The same applies to flies and bees which will rest out the night time amongst grass and bushes. When you see them at this time, they are less likely to be disturbed so if you mess up a shot you can still get an opportunity to get a good shot. Knowing your equipment is very important but knowing your subject is even more important. You can always fluke a good shot but if you don’t know where and how to find a certain animal then you will never even do that much, so always remember to study the habits of insects as well.
I shoot most of my photos between f/8 and f/13 and at a shutter speed between 60 and 200 but it’s horses for courses and I regularly shoot in f/2.8 as well. It all depends on the type of shot I want. It looks like your grasshopper photo was taken at too slow a shutter speed. That’s why it’s blurry. Even with a flash, a slow shutter speed will still result in camera shake if the camera moves so try and practice how you hold the camera. Use a monopod or bean bag or anything that comes to hand. A great thing about hoverflies is that they are highly territorial and aggressive to intruders of their airspace, so when you find one basking in the sunlight, even if he goes there’s a good chance he’ll be back. Compose you’re shot so that when he flies back to the flower or leaf you’ll have him.
I’ve included a link to my website where you may get inspired. I hope you don’t get disheartened by a few bad shots. You gotta crawl before you can walk. Just keep practicing. I still make make plenty of mistakes. It takes a while to get it together and remember to ask questions on the forum, post plenty of photos and take hints from photographers like Miki and some of the other great shots on this forum. That’s what it’s for.
All the best
http://www.davemcmanusphotography.ifp3.com
The Kew TourMemberThis is a fine shot. I wouldn’t be worrying about riders expressions when they are falling although in some instances if you can get in close then it does make for a good shot. I’m a racing photographer and I can assure you that this game is all about capturing the moment. Fallers are always dramatic and because things happen in racing very quickly you don’t always have time to weigh up a situation. You need to be ready for anything and have lightning fast reflexes. Find yourself a good position and literally be ready for anything to happen, particularly at points. If it’s possible to get into a position where you are not so much side on then this for me would be the ideal position to take a shot at a fence, although this isn’t always possible.
Your shot is very good and the choice of b&w is spot on as it’s difficult for us to produce good colour shots on the typical days we have in Ireland. IE: overcast, misty or worse, low sun in winter time when you have no choice but to shot into it. It’s good to see some racing work on this site, keep it up.
Dave
http://www.irishracingimages.com
The Kew TourMemberWell, we are now approaching the end of the year and I’m wondering how people still feel on this subject. The last couple of months have certainly been interesting as far as I’ve been concerned. I’ve been having a nosey in various camera shops doing a bit of detective work and I’ve had some very mixed and interesting results. I won’t be naming any particular shops but nearly all have been mentioned in this thread.
Two shops I approached for camera cleaning gave me two prices with a difference of €70!! I kid you not. If this service is the exact same, and I was assured by an independent source who availed of the service that it was, then how can shop A justify wet cleaning a sensor for €70 more than shop B?
I went into a camera shop in September and, playing the dummy, asked if it was possible to “get something that I can attach to different lenses so that I can use the same filters on all my lenses”. I was told that they only did “this type” of filter and I would have to buy filters of different sizes for each lens. All this shop had in stock that I could see were screw in filters. Clearly the assistant in the shop had no clue whatsoever about filter systems which I find extraordinary. It’s like a mechanic not knowing that there are different type of tires. I think people would be very surprised who this shop is. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t!
I walked into a very well known shop in Dublin about a month ago and asked if they had a Cokin ND filter. I was told that they didn’t sell them and that “since the advent of digital cameras, people don’t use filters anymore” (these were his exact words). I said that I had a Cokin system and was looking to get a few replacement filters and whether there was anywhere in Dublin I could pick up some. I was assured that I wouldn’t be able to pick up any anywhere. Interestingly I was in Dublin Camera Exchange on Georges St. the same day and they had practically every Cokin filter ever made. Strange this, seeing as there are apparently none in Dublin.
Back to the subject of sensor cleaning, I clean my own sensors and went into town one day to get some Eclipse cleaning fluid, (I get my swabs from the States). This wasn’t detective work, I actually needed the fluid. I was told that I couldn’t buy cleaning fluid because people can’t clean the delicate sensors properly and they damage the sensor but they did “give a free dry clean and that I could leave my camera in for a service if I wanted”. Well exactly why do they care if people can’t clean their sensors properly? Outside of a couple of pros I know, I’m the only person I know who will attempt to clean their own sensor so I’d be surprised if they are over-run with requests for fluid. Maybe he thought I was some novice who was going to try and dismantle his €100 compact camera, who knows.
While these aren’t exactly examples of a rip off Ireland culture, I think they are an example of how little certain shops care about customers. The filter example in particular annoyed me. I was in retail for a few years and the golden rule is that you keep the customer happy. If you can’t provide the service then you steer the customer in the direction of someone who can. To suggest that the product can’t be found in Dublin indicates to me that this person had some sort of motive for saying it. It’s like someone in Arnotts saying that you can’t buy jumpers anymore then finding them in Clearys. Or maybe it’s just that I expect a bit too much from the people running these shops. Either way I will happily and actively seek out equipment in foreign shops. At least there I can find the kind of professionalism that I’m looking for.
The Kew TourMemberMiki is correct. You need to know what you want to photograph. The most important aspect of wildlife photography for you to grasp has nothing to do with equipment. You need to know your quarry. You can have all the fancy gear in the world but it won’t mean much if you don’t know what to look for, where to look for it and most importantly, when to look for it. Your garden is a great place to start. Build or buy a bird table and feed birds regularly from now on and I guarantee you will be pleased by the results. I counted 17 different species in a friends garden recently over the course of an afternoon. Also the Zoo is a good place to start. Animals are used to people there so it’s easy enough to get some good shots. Take a walk around Stephens Green and you should be able to come back with photos of at least a dozen different species of birds. I would also suggest that you buy some identification guides. Half the fun of shooting wildlife is trying to figure out what the species is. Just in case you don’t know, the butterfly in your photo is a Peacock. Best of luck
The Kew TourMemberLovely shots. They look like Bombus Bohemicus but it’s a bit hard to tell. If it is then they are just about to go for the year, however for anyone who hasn’t been able to get any shots of Bumble Bees this year, most of the Irish species fly well into November/December so long as we don’t get any serious frost. There’s still time to get some nice shots.
The Kew TourMemberSeaview, I saw one in Newbridge Park in Donabate on Thursday. It was flying low over the canopy chasing what I think was a Great Tit. The smaller bird was doing some ducking and diving and eventually lost the hawk who then went across a field and caused a group of Wood Pigeons to disperse in all directions. It was like a dogfight from the Battle of Britain. It was a stunning spectacle.
